Pinkie Pie's Special Friends

by smirker

Rating: everyone
Tags: Anthology, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Original Character, Pinkie Pie
Length: 291695

Pinkie Pie looks back on several ponies she has helped in the past who had problems that normal ponies did not have.

Pinkie Pie has dedicated her life to spreading laughter and joy throughout the land, but what if she also had to deal with ponies who were not normal? Ranging from the physically disabled to the mentally ill to those with learning disabilities, Pinkie Pie looks back on them and how she has helped them.

Published 2018-04-27 14:20:05 UTC
Last updated 2024-06-08 00:46:15 UTC

The Deaf Music Composer

Author's Note

For those who are having trouble with the links or the links are not working at all, here are the songs in chronological order of the story.
1. Ave Maria (Sung by Luciano Pavarotti)
2. Funiculi Funicula (Luigi Denza)
3. Anvil Chorus (Verdi)
4. Non Piu Andrai (Sung by Ruggero Raimondi)
5. Fur Elise (Beethoven)
6. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Tchaikovsky)
7. March (Tchaikovsky)
8. Turkish March (Beethoven)
9. Turkish March (Mozart)
10. Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 (Chopin)
11. La Dona e Mobile (Sung by Luciano Pavarotti)
12. Possente Amor Mi Chiama (Sung by Luciano Pavarotti)
13. Vesti La Giubba (Sung by Luciano Pavarotti)
14. Lacrimosa (Mozart)
15. Funeral March (Chopin)
16. Adagio for Strings (Samuel Barber)
17. Gymnopedie No. 1 (Erik Satie)
18. Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (Bach)
19. Bolero (Ravel)
20. Fantaisie Impromptu (Chopin)
21. Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement (Beethoven)
22. Requiem Dies Irae (Mozart)
23. Joy of Man's Desiring with vocals (Bach)
24. Ah, non credea mirati/Ah! Non Giunge (Sung by Maria Callas)
25. Ode to Joy (German Chorus, Beethoven)
26. William Tell Overture: Finale (Rossini)
27. Canon in C (Pachelbel)

The Deaf Music Composer

Pinkie Pie was busy trying to make a new song to sing for any new ponies that enter Ponyville, she could not think of anything, so she looks through some of her past songs for inspiration, she comes across a record player and remembers it, it was by Beethooven, a famous musician who was deaf and given up hope when she met him several years ago, the record player was a thank you gift to her, she decides to listen to the song while looking back, and begins to look back happily.

Pinkie Pie was hopping around in a small village of ponies and saw a sad earth pony, he had a light brown coat, short gray mane and a long tail, light brown eyes, and his cutie mark was three sheet music with musical notes on them,

"Hey, what's the matter?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I am sorry if I am interrupting, but I am deaf, I cannot hear a thing." the pony replied, he had a German accent, Pinkie Pie was sympathetic about his cause, she takes a sheet of paper out of her mane,

"Hey, what's the matter?" the letter read,

"Since I am deaf, I cannot make music like how I used to, music is my passion." the pony replied, Pinkie Pie flips the paper over,

"How did you lose your hearing?" the paper read,

"A rival composer named Earworm took it away, he used his unicorn magic to enchant a song that makes anyone deaf if they listen to it, he brought me to a concert, and asked me to stay after the others left, he played the song and it took away my hearing." the pony said, Pinkie Pie had a shocked face, she put the paper back in her mane and took out another one,

"I might be able to help, please don't give up just yet." the letter read,

"I haven't given up just yet, but making music has been hard, even though I am playing the right notes, I still cannot hear them, so composing has been tough." the pony said, Pinkie Pie flipped the paper over,

"I'm Pinkie Pie, what's your name?" the letter read,

"I am Beethooven, it is my dream to become a famous music composer." the pony said, Pinkie Pie puts the paper back in her mane and takes out another one,

"Well, don't you worry, I'm here to help, and I'll let you know how it sounds." the letter read,

"Splendid! Help could not have arrived at a better time!" Beethooven said, he says "This way." and he leads Pinkie Pie to his house.

Pinkie Pie arrives into Beethooven's house and was surprised, she saw trumpets, natural trumpets, piccolo trumpets, cornets, soprano cornets, French horns, flugelhorns, trombones, tubas, baritone horns, tenor horns, euphoniums, sopranino saxophones, soprano saxophones, alto saxophones, tenor saxophones, baritone saxophones, bass saxophones, flutes, piccolos, clarinets, recorders, bassoons, oboes, violins, violas, cellos, double basses, an acoustic guitar, a harp, a lyre, snare drums, bass drums, xylophones, cymbals, timpani, a piano, a gong, and a red and blue magical wave that allowed him to hear and decide the singing voices, the red wave controlled female voices, and the blue wave controlled male voices.

Pinkie Pie was very excited and surprised at what she saw due to her own love in music and singing,

"WOW!!" Pinkie Pie yelled loudly in excitement,

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Beethooven asked, Pinkie Pie smiled at him and shows him a paper of what she just said,

"Oh, glad you like it, music takes a long time to make, it requires patience, creativity, and vision, I will let you listen to few of my songs on the record player, I hope you enjoy them." Beethooven said, Pinkie Pie was excited to listen to his songs, he takes out his record player and plays a record, he plays the first song and Pinkie Pie immediately stood up and started dancing, Beethooven chuckled and he flips the record player over to play the next song, she danced to it as well and clapped her front hooves at the end,

"And now, for a personal favorite of mine." Beethooven said, and he changes the record player and plays the song, Pinkie Pie danced to it and clapped her front hooves at the end, she takes a sheet of paper out of her mane,

"Can I listen to the rest?" the paper read,

"Of course, listen to your heart's content, I'll be in my room trying to write a new song." Beethooven replied, and he went to his room to write.

Pinkie Pie flipped the record player over and listens to the next song, she did not dance to it, but she did hum to it, she takes the record player out and gets ready to put in the next record player, but sees it was the last one, which made Pinkie Pie groan in disappointment, she listens to the first song and moved side to side as she listened to it, she turns the record player over and listens to the last song, Pinkie Pie enjoyed it and hummed to it, she decided to go see how Beethooven was doing.

Pinkie Pie peaks into Beethooven's room and sees him trying to write a song by reading the music notes of what he can remember, he was having a little trouble, Pinkie Pie was surprised that he was not struggling, he keeps thinking and was writing down what he thought would sound good, he finishes and begins to walk out, he sees Pinkie Pie was still in his house,

"Can you be my judge for how the music sounds?" Beethooven asked, Pinkie Pie nodded excitedly, Beethooven smiled and he put in a new record player to record the music, played one instrument at a time, he started with a trumpet, and then a trombone, then a flute, then a clarinet, next was a violin, and then a viola, after that was a cello, and then the piano, Pinkie Pie liked how all of them sounded, Beethooven messes with the magical record player and mixes all of the instruments together to play a song, it plays and Pinkie Pie screams and covers her ears since it sounded very sloppy, and she shook her head, Beethooven realized what she was saying and stopped the music.

Beethooven gets ready to rewrite the music but Pinkie Pie decides to play some of the instruments on her own, she plays a snare drum and Beethooven can see the vibrating top in clear detail, it made him uneasy, so he tried to stop the vibration with his front hooves, he feels the vibration go through his body and it made him uncomfortable, he quickly let go,

"What is this? I can see things in sharper vision and feel more things than before." Beethooven said, Pinkie Pie takes another sheet of paper out of her mane,

"Your other senses are getting stronger since your lost your sense of hearing." the paper read, Beethooven was a bit surprised by this, he tries to blow in one of his trumpets and feels the mouthpiece on his lips and feels it with great sensitivity, he took the trumpet off of his lips since it was too sensitive for him.

Beethooven tries to play a violin but the bow and instrument were very sensitive for him, he tries to play a note and it vibrates through his entire body, it was very uncomfortable, so he quickly threw them forward, Pinkie Pie caught the instrument before it was damaged, and sighed out of relief,

"Great, first, I can't hear a thing, now, touching and playing instruments is uncomfortable." Beethooven said, Pinkie Pie flips the paper over,

"Don't give up just yet." the paper read,

"I haven't given up yet, I have an idea, I'm going to need you to play the instruments for me." Beethooven said, Pinkie Pie flips the paper back over,

"But I don't know how to read music." the paper read,

"Do not worry, it is easy once when you get the hang of it, come along now." Beethooven said, and they went to his room.

Beethooven teaches Pinkie Pie how to read music for different instruments, the information was giving her a headache, but she wanted to learn because she liked music and singing, Beethooven also had Pinkie Pie play the notes and helped her with what valves to press down, how far she had to slide the trombone out, which frets on the string instruments, and so on, Beethooven was still uncomfortable with string and percussion instruments, the vibration of the bass drum made him especially uncomfortable, but he continued nonetheless. Pinkie Pie also decided to use the red and blue waves, she noticed that there were different levels for setting it by moving the waves up or down on a chart, the female voices were soprano, mezzo-soprano, and contralto, while the male voices were countertenor, tenor, baritone, and bass, Pinkie Pie takes out another paper from her mane,

"How exactly does this thing work?" the paper read, Beethooven smiled and he wrote down lyrics with a quill in his mouth, he puts it beside the red wave to its left, a female soprano voice was heard singing the lyrics, Pinkie Pie gasped in excitement at how it worked, she thought the singing voice was beautiful. Pinkie Pie keeps practicing for about two days and was ready,

"I have to go get some groceries first, I'm low on food, I'm going to need you to come with me." Beethooven said, Pinkie Pie hopped to the store while Beethooven just simply walked to the store, which was close by.

Pinkie Pie and Beethooven were buying food and drinks for the next few days, the two have been eating and drinking lots of it due to them being exhausted from making music, Beethooven goes to wait in line while Pinkie Pie leaves to go check the candy,

"Ooh, strawberry flavored lollipops, one of my favorites! *gasp* They have cotton candy too! And cupcakes! And pies!" Pinkie Pie said loudly, catching everypony's attention, only Beethooven was not looking due to him not hearing her,

"I'm sorry, what were you saying again?" Beethooven asked,

"For the third time, it's fifty bits, now pay up." a male Pegasus working as a clerk replied,

"I'm sorry, but I'm deaf, I'm trying to guess what you're saying by your lip movement." Beethooven said, the clerk groaned in a little annoyance, but kept his composure since he knew that Beethooven cannot hear him.

Pinkie Pie overheard them and quickly went over to them, she holds a sheet of paper that said that Beethooven had to pay fifty bits,

"Oh, my apologies, this is my assistant, she's been helping me." Beethooven said,

"It would've been nicer if you came here sooner." the clerk said,

"Sorry, I got distracted." Pinkie Pie replied embarrassingly while smiling and blushing, and Beethooven paid the clerk and they left. Pinkie Pie hopped back home with the groceries,

"Pinkie Pie, careful, you're going to spill the groceries." Beethooven said, but Pinkie Pie kept hopping until they got home, Beethooven was surprised that she did not spill anything.

Pinkie Pie helps Beethooven make music by playing the instruments, making lyrics, and changing the music around based off of what she heard, she also rewrote the sheet music and some of the lyrics to the songs that had singing, Beethooven read them and nodded,

"This is good, I have a music competition with Earworm tomorrow evening, I would like for you to come." Beethooven said, Pinkie Pie took out another sheet of paper from her mane,

"It would be a pleasure." the letter read, Beethooven laughed,

"Let's get some rest, you have been of great help, Pinkie Pie." Beethooven said, Pinkie Pie was happy and Beethooven slept in his bed while Pinkie Pie slept in a chair.

Pinkie Pie and Beethooven get ready during the day for the concert for the night, Beethooven wore a black tuxedo with a gray vest with black buttons, and a red ascot, while Pinkie Pie wore a black one-piece dress that was sleeveless on her front legs, and covered her hind legs completely, but left her hind hooves exposed, and she had on black high heel shoes on each hoof, she also straightened her mane and tail,

"My, you look gorgeous." Beethooven said,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie replied happily, she then remembered to show Beethooven what she just said on paper, Beethooven smiled,

"Come, there's no time to waste, to the symphony." Beethooven said, and the two walk.

Pinkie Pie and Beethooven walk together and they see several stallions that were crying, Pinkie Pie's attention is caught, she shows Beethooven a piece of paper,

"What's wrong with them?" the paper read,

"They are the other music composers of this village, Pozart, Bach, Clopin, Herdi, and Possini, they have all lost their hearing, Earworm took it away, he doesn't want to just be the best music composer in this village, he also wants to be the only one." Beethooven said, Pinkie Pie's mouth was wide open, she was also angry at the fact that somepony was destroying other ponies' dreams just to fulfill his own, it was very selfish to her.

The two arrive at the symphony and see the ponies were ready to play,

"That's Earworm right there." Beethooven said as he pointed his front right hoof to him, Pinkie Pie looked at him closely, he had a dark purple coat, short black mane that was gelled back, a black tail that was well groomed, and green eyes, his cutie mark was a right human ear with a snare drum beside it to its right, he was wearing a monocle on his left eye, a black blazer, black vest with black buttons, a white dress-shirt under it, and a white cravat.

Beethooven stood up on the stage with Earworm to his left, Pinkie Pie sat in the front and was ready to listen,

"Ready to lose, deaf pony?" Earworm asked, Beethooven did not respond due to him not hearing him,

"Okay, Beethooven, you go first." a male earth pony on stage said by using sign language, Beethooven conducts his first song, Pinkie Pie was moving back and forth to the song, what she did not know was that one of the cello players was Octavia, the song finished after a few minutes and everypony clapped,

"Not bad, for an earless amateur." Earworm said,

"Okay, Earworm, your turn, impress us." the earth pony said,

"Very well, mares and stallions, behold!" Earworm replied, and he conducts his first song, Pinkie Pie's eyes popped out of her sockets out of shock, she liked the song as well, it ended after about four minutes, everypony clapped,

"Beat that." Earworm said,

"Beethooven, your next song." the earth pony said with sign language, and Beethooven conducted his next song, Pinkie Pie was having peaceful thoughts of a starry and windy night, it finished and everypony clapped,

"Okay, Earworm, your next piece." the earth pony said, and Earworm conducts his next song, Pinkie Pie was just barely able to restrain herself from singing along with the song, the ponies clapped loudly at the end, Pinkie Pie could not help but clap as well, Beethooven did not hear it, fortunately,

"Beethooven, your last song for the night." the earth pony said, and Beethooven conducts his last song, Pinkie Pie was moving side-to-side rather quickly, some of the ponies watched her, she was just barely able to hold back singing, the song ended after about three minutes and everypony clapped,

"Alright, Earworm, your final piece for tonight." and Earworm conducts his last song, Pinkie Pie can feel tears building up in her eyes, it sounded sad to her, but she was especially impressed when the stallion singing hit the high notes, and his laughing and crying sounded real, everypony clapped at the end, and Beethooven and Earworm bowed to the crowd.

Pinkie Pie clapped her front hooves and smiled with her mouth open, the high heel shoes made her claps louder, Beethooven smiled at seeing her,

"Okay, everypony, it is time to vote on who is the better composer of this night." the earth pony said, and everypony is given a sheet of paper and a pencil, Pinkie Pie wrote down Beethooven, and the votes were taken in shortly afterwards.

The votes get counted and Pinkie Pie was nervouscited at the moment, nervous that Beethooven might lose, and excited that he might win, her nervouscitedness got so great, she felt the urge to use the bathroom, so she crossed her hind legs so that she does not soil herself and smiled embarrassingly, some of the people sitting around her looked at her.

The votes are counted and the earth pony goes forward,

"The winner is... Earworm." the earth pony said, Pinkie Pie gasped in shock, while the other ponies clapped,

"Ha-ha, I win, you earless buffoon." Earworm said to Beethooven in triumph, who did not hear him, but he was able to tell from Pinkie Pie's expression that he has lost, he looked down in sadness while Earworm smirked at him, Pinkie Pie becomes worried and runs out to follow him.

Beethooven was walking alone and sad that he has lost, but he has not given up yet,

"Beethooven." Pinkie Pie said loudly and walked beside him to his left,

"I haven't given up yet, there's still a chance." Beethooven said, Pinkie Pie becomes relieved, Beethooven notices that Pinkie Pie's hind legs were shaking,

"Need the restroom, I assume?" Beethooven asked, Pinkie Pie nods embarrassingly, she takes a note out of her mane despite the fact it was currently straight at the time,

"I got so nervous and excited at the same time, my bladder couldn't take it." the note read, Beethooven laughs a little,

"No need to worry, it happens to everypony." Beethooven said, the two continue to walk home and Pinkie Pie quickly uses the bathroom when they got home, Pinkie Pie then took off the dress and shoes and made her mane and tail curly again, she and Beethooven called it a day and they went to bed.

Pinkie Pie and Beethooven work together to make more music, Pinkie Pie played the music according to what Beethooven wrote, and she changed it around to make it sound better. One day, Beethooven decided to rest his head on the piano and pressed down on the notes with his front left hoof by mistake and it startles him,

"Wait a minute." Beethooven said, and he puts his head back on the piano and plays several notes,

"Pinkie Pie, hang on, I think I found a way to hear the piano." Beethooven said, and he picked up a rod in the room and attached it to the piano, he clenched it with his teeth and played more notes,

"It works! I can feel the vibration in the piano to determine the notes." Beethooven said happily, Pinkie Pie gets her party cannon out and shoots out confetti and streamers, Beethooven could not hear it,

"Pinkie Pie, please don't do that, you're going to make a mess." Beethooven said, Pinkie Pie puts her party cannon away while smiling embarrassingly.

Weeks go by while the two make music, Pinkie Pie also bought Beethooven's groceries for him since he was busy composing music, she also hears a song playing nearby, it sounded very sad, she decides to go check it out and saw some of the other music composers that lost their hearing to Earworm, they were playing a record player and crying a bit, she hears another song and decides to check it out since it also sounded sad, she sees another deaf music composer, Pinkie Pie decided to walk down to Beethooven's house until she hears one more song, it almost made her tear up, she saw another deaf composer, this made Pinkie Pie angry and more determined to beat Earworm after seeing the dreams of the other music composers he has shattered, Pinkie Pie headed home shortly afterwards.

Pinkie Pie arrives into Beethooven's house and hears him playing a song on the piano while clenching the rod between his teeth, it sounded a little sad and melancholic to her, but she still liked it, she clapped her front hooves at the end, which made Beethooven happy,

"Okay, the music competition is tomorrow, we're both doing two songs this time, one short, one long, I think we're ready, though." Beethooven said, Pinkie Pie nodded in agreement,

"Okay, off to bed now." Beethooven said, and the two slept.

Pinkie Pie woke up early again and she straightened her mane and tail, and put on the black dress and high heel shoes again, and she and Beethooven walked to the symphony again together, Pinkie Pie takes another paper out of her mane,

"How does Earworm take away one's hearing?" the paper asked,

"Earworm plays a certain song that takes away people's senses, which sense he takes is of his choice." Beethooven replied, Pinkie Pie was a bit surprised by this.

The two arrive into the symphony and Earworm stood ready, Beethooven stood beside him,

"Okay, two songs this time, Earworm, you go first this time." the earth pony said,

"So you showed up after all, prepare to lose again." Earworm said, and he conducted his first song for the night, the song actually scared Pinkie Pie, the organ made it unsettling, the song ended after about nine minutes and everypony except for Pinkie Pie clapped, who was still scared,

"Okay, Beethooven, your turn." the earth pony said with sign language, and Beethooven conducts his first song, it was very long, but Pinkie Pie liked it, the song ended after about sixteen to seventeen minutes, everypony clapped at what they heard,

"Stalling for time, Beethooven?" Earworm asked, Beethooven did not hear him,

"Okay, Earworm, your last song for the night." the earth pony said, and Earworm conducts his last song for the night, Pinkie Pie was surprised at how fast the piano was being played, Beethooven was also able to deduce the notes due to the vibrations he was feeling, the song ended after about five minutes and everypony clapped,

"Alright then, your last, Beethooven." the earth pony said in sign language, and Beethooven conducts his last song, Earworm was in complete shock at how fast the song was, Pinkie Pie was excited, it was the song she wrote, the crowd was in complete shock as well, the song ended after about six to seven minutes, the crowd clapped loudly, Earworm was agape at what he just heard.

Pinkie Pie was clapping loudly again, which annoyed some of the ponies sitting around her,

"Her again?" a mare asked in an annoyed tone,

"Let it go, she's only like that at the end." a colt replied,

"Okay, everypony, time to vote." the earth pony said, and everypony was given a sheet of paper, Pinkie Pie voted Beethooven again, the votes are casted in shortly afterwards,

"And the winner is..." the earth pony said, Pinkie Pie was nervouscited again, but did not have to use the bathroom this time,

"Beethooven." the earth pony said,

"WHAT?!" Earworm asked in shock, the ponies cheer while Pinkie Pie jumped up and down and was squealing, this annoyed some of the ponies.

Beethooven can tell from Earworm's expression that he has won, and was happy,

"NO!!" Earworm yelled, the other ponies look at him,

"Since you can beat me with only losing one sense, let's see how you do when I take away all of your senses!" Earworm said angrily, and he conducts music while he floated in midair and his horn had a sky blue aura on it, it plays a song that scared Pinkie Pie and the others, it goes onto Beethooven and he screams in pain at seeing his senses of sight, taste, smell, and touch being taken away, the music notes that were trying to grab Beethooven were being shot back by light pink musical notes, Earworm looks and sees Octavia was playing her cello to hold back the sense stealing notes, so Earworm flew out of the symphony and to outside where nopony can distract him,

"Beethooven, no!" Pinkie Pie said as she took the dress and shoes off, and made her mane and tail curly again and gave chase.

Pinkie Pie sees Earworm flying away with the music notes around him, they were going into Beethooven and taking away his senses,

"Hang on, Beethooven!" Pinkie Pie said as she gave chase, Pinkie Pie notices yellow musical notes appearing to dispel the ones trying to take away Beethooven's senses, Earworm grunts and looks to his right, he saw DJ Pon3 playing the same song as him to dispel the music notes, he keeps flying away while Pinkie Pie chases him.

Earworm laughs while he flies away, he thought that he was home free, until light green musical notes appear and mess him up again, he looks to his left and growls, he saw Lyra Heartstrings playing the same song as him on her lyre, he growls and flies away even more while Pinkie Pie gives chase.

Earworm flies and arrives at a dead end, he gets angry and decides to just take away Beethooven's senses right there, but yellow, light green, and light pink musical notes appear to dispel his musical notes that were trying to take away Beethooven's senses, he grunts and growls when he saw Lyra Heartstrings, DJ Pon3, and Octavia below him playing their instruments in order to save Beethooven. Pinkie Pie sees them and she runs to them, she jumps and grabs Beethooven before the notes could take away his senses,

"NO!!" Earworm yelled as the notes from Lyra Heartstrings, DJ Pon3, and Octavia go onto him and he screams and falls, he lands and looks around, the five look at him,

"Where am I...? Oh no, I'm deaf, I can't hear a thing! Wait, maybe, just maybe..." Earworm said and he tries touching Octavia's cello with his right front hoof and plucks a string,

"No! This can't be! I lost my sense of touch too! I can't feel a thing or the vibration, my music career is ruined!" Earworm said and he broke down in tears, Beethooven smiled at the other four,

"Thank you, all of you." Beethooven said,

"You're welcome." Pinkie Pie, Lyra Heartstrings, and Octavia replied, DJ Pon3 just nodded,

"Oh, I'm still deaf, apparently." Beethooven said,

"Is Earworm going to try to come back?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I doubt it, Lyra cast a spell so our instruments to make those notes appear, mine took away his hearing, while DJ Pon3 took away his sense of touch." Octavia replied,

"And my notes made him musically illiterate, he can't read music anymore either, I can activate the spell at will as well." Lyra Heartstrings said,

"Thank you, Octavia, and who are these two?" Beethooven asked,

"Friends of mine from home, they're interested in music too, so I thought they'd like to listen to your music." Octavia replied, Pinkie Pie took a sheet of paper out of her mane for Beethooven to read, which had the exact same words that Octavia just said,

"Well, again, thank you, I think we all had a busy night, let's head home." Beethooven said, the other four agreed and they all went home.

A few weeks pass and Earworm was never heard from again, the other deaf composers become inspired and make their own music, a concert comes again and Pinkie Pie attended, she listened to the first song, and the second song, and the third and final song of the night, Pinkie Pie clapped at what she heard and headed home, Beethooven did not attend the concert since he was taking a break from his career, Pinkie Pie curled up her mane and tail, and took the dress and shoes off and went to sleep.

The next days comes and Pinkie Pie gave Beethooven a paper,

"I'm sorry, but I have to go now, I have other ponies to help." the paper read,

"Well, I see, but you are always welcome here, you can keep the dress and shoes, and I have a gift for you, I've been working on this while you were away." Beethooven said, and he gives her a record disc for her to listen to,

"Enjoy." Beethooven said,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie replied happily, and she left the village to go help other ponies.

Pinkie Pie finishes looking back and sees she has left the record player on long after the song ended, she quickly turns it off, she becomes curious about how Beethooven was doing, so she buys a newspaper the next day and much to her surprise, Beethooven has a concert tonight, Pinkie Pie takes the day off and quickly gets ready, she straightens her mane and tail, and puts on the black dress and four black high heel shoes shortly after cleaning them, and rushes to the location of the concert.

Pinkie Pie hears a song playing in her head as she runs to the concert that made her run faster than usual, which was far away, the others ponies notice her wearing the dress and shoes, as well as her straight mane and tail,

"Pinkie? Darling?" Rarity asked as she saw Pinkie Pie's outfit, and went after her, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack chase her as well, curious about why she was dressed in such a way.

Pinkie Pie runs out of Ponyville, through Appleloosa and Dodge Junction, the other five were having trouble keeping up with her, the others look at her because they can hear the song playing in her head, Pinkie Pie sees the location of the concert up ahead and enters it, she entered and saw a song was just ending, and Beethooven was about to perform, he saw Pinkie Pie sitting in the front row and becomes surprised, he waves at her with his right front hoof and Pinkie Pie waved back with her right front hoof, the others look at Pinkie Pie, but Beethooven gets ready to conduct and the others focus on him.

Beethooven conducts his song for the night, Pinkie Pie could not help but cry tears of joy at the song, she thought it was beautiful, Pinkie Pie's five friends enter the symphony and Rarity was crying tears of joy as well, they look around and see Pinkie Pie sitting in the crowd, Twilight Sparkle began to cry tears of joy from the song as well, the song ends after about five minutes and everypony claps,

"Yay, Beethooven." Pinkie Pie said loudly,

"Uh, Pinkie?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Pinkie Pie screamed in shock at hearing the voice and looks to her left to see her five friends,

"What are you guys doing here?" Pinkie Pie asked with surprise,

"I couldn't help but notice that beautiful black dress you were wearing, so I got curious on what occasion you were dressing up for." Rarity replied,

"Oh right, of course, my dress!" Pinkie Pie said happily,

"Also, yer mane and tail are straight, that's somethin' we don't see every day either." Applejack said,

"Don't forget that you're wearing high heels, most ponies don't wear them." Rainbow Dash said,

"I didn't know you liked classical music, Pinkie." Fluttershy said,

"Well, it's a long story." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, what happened?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"I'll tell you guys later." Pinkie Pie replied,

"That reminds me, come to my shop after we go back, Pinkie Pie, the dress and shoes are nice and all, and your straight mane and tail add a nice touch to it, but your outfit is missing something important: jewelry, maybe a necklace of white pearls will go well, and some earrings would be nice too." Rarity said,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and they all watch the concert together,

"Oh, these songs are so beautiful." Fluttershy said with tears of joy in her eyes,

"I have to agree with you, Fluttershy." Twilight Sparkle replied, crying tears of joy as well.

The concert ended and everypony clapped, and Beethooven walked to Pinkie Pie and they hugged one another,

"I knew that several friends of mine would show up to the concert tonight, but I didn't think you'd be here, Pinkie Pie." Beethooven said, Pinkie Pie pulls a sheet of paper out of her mane,

"I just found out about the concert this morning and had to rush, it's good to see you again, Beethooven." the paper read,

"Beethooven? I'm sorry for interrupting, but why is Pinkie giving you a paper for?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting you, but I'm completely deaf." Beethooven said,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie's five friends said,

"That explains a lot." Rainbow Dash said,

"It's getting late, you all should head home." Beethooven said, they agree and head home.

The next day comes and the Mane Six were at the Carousel Boutique to listen to Pinkie Pie talk about Beethooven while Rarity styled and tried to make Pinkie Pie's outfit look better, she added a necklace of white pearls onto Pinkie Pie's neck, two drop earrings, they were made up of small silver chains and had candy corn at the bottom, she also style Pinkie Pie's mane to put it all behind her head, and had the ends separated and held in place with dark pink bobby pins, she had the ends of Pinkie Pie's tail separated as well, Pinkie Pie loved the outfit and continues talking about her time with Beethooven.

Pinkie Pie finishes talking about Beethooven and the six went home at night and Pinkie Pie took the dress and shoes off, along with the necklace and earrings, Pinkie Pie then curled her mane and tail again and went to sleep.

The Deformed Visitor of Ponyville

Pinkie Pie was working in Sugarcube Corner and babysitting Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake at the same time, she was working while the two twins were busy playing, Pinkie Pie was going to join them after she finished for the day.

The door opens and Rainbow Dash walks in,

"Pinkie, you won't believe who's here today." Rainbow Dash said, and a male Pegasus walks in, he was physically deformed, the right side of his face was two times bigger than his left, the right side of his nose was swollen, his face was stretched to the sides, his teeth were misaligned, both of his front hooves were proportionately bigger than his front legs, his hind legs were as small as a filly's hind legs, the center of his spine was inwards and made his back curved, his wings were bent and crooked, and thus, he could not fly, and his ears were on the back of his head, he had a sky blue coat, a light yellow mane and tail, purple eyes, and his cutie mark was a wheelchair, he had crutches on his front forelegs, and a wheelchair on his hind legs like Stellar Eclipse.

Pinkie Pie gasped in surprise and happiness,

"Merrick!" Pinkie Pie said happily as she hugged him,

"Pinkie Pie, good to see you again." Merrick said, even though he was a special friend to Pinkie Pie, he was mostly a friend to Fluttershy and Rarity, Merrick started to walk in,

"There, there, easy now." Pinkie Pie heard Granny Smith say, she then saw Granny Smith helping Merrick into the house, Pinkie Pie becomes surprised with the other ponies who came in, she saw Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, Trixie, Sunburst, Cheerilee, Zecora, Bulk Biceps, Mayor Mare, Carrot Cake, Cup Cake, Cheese Sandwich, Night Light, Twilight Velvet, Shining Armor, Cadence, Flurry Heart, Bow Hothoof, Windy Whistles, Mr. Shy, Mrs. Shy, Zephyr Breeze, Igneous Rock Pie, Cloudy Quartz, Limestone Pie, Maud Pie, Mudbriar, Marble Pie, Hondo Flanks, Cookie Crumbles, Big Macintosh, Sugar Belle, Babs Seed, and Derpy,

"What are you all doing here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Well, since Merrick decided to come, and his friends are here to see him, I thought that we should have our families and other friends get to know him too, I mean, he was friendless before he came here, and even then, he didn't make that many friends here." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"Yeah, but why here for?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Actually, tomorrow is my birthday, that's why we're here, we were hoping you could plan it for us, and Cheese Sandwich is here to help." Merrick replied,

"And the Great and Powerful Trixie is going to do a show based on Merrick's tale for everypony to see." Trixie said,

"Well, get on with it already, I've got a rock farm to run!" Limestone Pie said,

"Limestone, be nice, he's gone through a lot of trouble." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Say, where's Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?" Applejack asked,

"Oh, sorry, but they couldn't make it." Cadence replied,

"Well, let's start, I have to go back to my world soon." Sunset Shimmer said, and they all sit and Merrick begins to talk about his time in Ponyville.

It was a dark and stormy night, the rain was pouring down heavily and Merrick walked into the town, he walked all the way from Manehattan, he was jobless and homeless, the train did not take him on due to his physical appearance, he goes to the nearest house and knocks on it three times with the crutch on his right front leg.

The door opens and Snips looks at Merrick,

"Do you have room for one more?" Merrick asked, Snips screamed,

"Go away, you ugly pony, only normal looking ponies are allowed here." Snips said, and he slammed the door, Merrick groaned in disappointment and walked to the next house, he knocked again, the door opened and Snails answered, he had a shocked face,

"Monster! Get away from me!" Snails said, and he closed the door, Merrick became sad and walked to another house and knocked on it, Derpy opened the door,

"Yes? Oh, hi there." Derpy said with a smile on her face, Merrick felt happy to see that somepony was welcoming,

"Do you have an extra room?" Merrick asked,

"Oh, I'm sorry, but no." Derpy replied, Merrick became sad again,

"I hope you do find shelter, try not to get sick, okay?" Derpy asked,

"Okay." Merrick replied,

"Alright, stay safe." Derpy said, and she closed the door, Merrick looked through her house's windows and saw that she was telling the truth, so he left without feeling sad that time.

Merrick arrived at Sugarcube Corner and knocked on the door, Pinkie Pie opened the door, she screamed at seeing Merrick,

"Wait, wait, no, I'm just here to ask if I could sleep over?" Merrick asked, Pinkie Pie stopped screaming,

"Sorry, I thought you were a monster." Pinkie Pie said, Merrick became sad at hearing this,

"Sorry, but I don't have an extra room, and I don't own this house, you'll have to see Mr. and Mrs. Cake if you want to stay over." Pinkie Pie said, Merrick groaned in disappointment, and left, Pinkie Pie became sad, but she closed the door since it was late and she needed sleep.

Merrick sees Carousel Boutique and he goes to it and knocks on the door, Sweetie Belle opens the door,

"Hi, sorry, but we're closed." Sweetie Belle said,

"Actually, I was hoping I could stay here for the night." Merrick replied,

"You okay? Were you in an accident?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"I was born like this." Merrick replied, Sweetie Belle was very sympathetic,

"Sweetie Belle, who is it?" Rarity asked from upstairs,

"It's a pony who wants to stay with us." Sweetie Belle replied,

"Hang on, darling." Rarity said, she walks down the stairs and to the front door and saw Merrick,

"Off to bed now, Sweetie Belle, it's late." Rarity said, and Sweetie Belle left,

"Oh my, you're deformed, I'm sorry, but we don't have an extra room." Rarity said,

"It's okay, I'll look elsewhere." Merrick replied,

"Hang on a minute." Rarity said, and she closed the door, she soon reopened it and put a red piece of cloth over Merrick's body,

"Here you go, darling, good luck on finding a place." Rarity said,

"Thank you for your generosity." Merrick replied, and Rarity closed the door.

Merrick walked around and felt more comfortable with the scarf on him, he felt warmer, he decided to try Sweet Apple Acres since it was big, he knocked on the door and Apple Bloom answered,

"Do you have a place for me to stay?" Merrick asked, Apple Bloom screamed,

"No way, mister, you look more like a monster than a pony to me." Apple Bloom replied, Granny Smith walked to the front door and saw Merrick,

"Apple Bloom, be nice to him, deformed ponies like him already have it hard enough as they already do." Granny Smith said sternly, Apple Bloom looked down,

"You'll have to excuse her, she's still a filly and still learnin'." Granny Smith said,

"Who is it, Granny?" Applejack asked as she and Big Macintosh went to the front door and saw Merrick,

"Oh, why, howdy, mister." Applejack said with a smile,

"Hello." Merrick replied happily,

"He was wonderin' if he could stay with us." Apple Bloom said,

"Sorry, but we ain't got no room, everythin' else is filled with barn animals." Applejack said,

"So, you guys don't have an extra place?" Merrick asked,

"Nope." Big Macintosh said,

"Sorry, sugar cube." Applejack said as Granny Smith closed the door, Merrick groaned in disappointment, he then walked away.

Merrick walks around and saw a light on a house, Fluttershy was nearby and walking home after feeding some of the animals, Merrick knocked on the door and Spoiled Rich opened the door,

"Do you have an extra room?" Merrick asked, Spoiled Rich screamed in horror,

"How dare you ask me for hospitality! You are ugly and a misshaped abomination! Your own mother should be ashamed of herself if she hugs or kisses you with a face and body like that! Go away, you horrendous piece of filth! Don't show your face to me ever again!" Spoiled Rich said angrily, and slammed the door, Merrick felt tears in his eyes and cried a little, Fluttershy let out a slight exclaim of shock and flew to him and consoled him,

"Oh, you poor pony." Fluttershy said as she comforted Merrick with her left wing, he then looked at her,

"Hey, you can stay at my place." Fluttershy said, Merrick smiled,

"Thank you." Merrick replied while still crying a little, and the two went to Fluttershy's cottage.

Fluttershy and Merrick walk to Fluttershy's home and she lets him sleep in her bed,

"There you go, hope it's all nice and cozy for you." Fluttershy said,

"Thanks, but what about you?" Merrick asked,

"Don't worry about me, I have a couch to sleep on." Fluttershy replied,

"Okay then, what's your name?" Merrick asked,

"Fluttershy, and you?" Fluttershy asked,

"Merrick." Merrick replied,

"What a lovely name, I'll be heading to bed now." Fluttershy said, and she went downstairs.

Merrick could not sleep and laid on the floor, he crawled around and tried to find something to do, he was bored and wanted to do something, he crawled downstairs and saw Fluttershy asleep on the couch, he felt lonely, so he decided to sleep in front of the couch with Fluttershy until the morning came.

The next day comes and Merrick crawls upstairs to get his crutches and wheelchair, he comes down carefully and saw Fluttershy outside, so he headed out,

"Oh, good morning, Merrick." Fluttershy said as she was feeding the animals,

"Morning." Merrick replied,

"Oh, there he is." the two heard Sweetie Belle say, they see her coming along with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo,

"Why, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, hello." Fluttershy said,

"Hi, Fluttershy." the three replied loudly, hurting her and Merrick's ears, and scaring the animals,

"Girls, not so loud, you're going to scare the animals." Fluttershy said,

"Oh, sorry." the three said together, they then go to Merrick,

"Sorry bout last night, mister." Apple Bloom said,

"It's alright, you're still young." Merrick replied,

"I'm Apple Bloom, this is Scootaloo, and this is Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo wanted to meet you badly." Apple Bloom said,

"Hello, Scootaloo." Merrick replied,

"Can you fly?" Scootaloo asked,

"No, my wings were born bent and crooked like this, I can't fly at all." Merrick replied,

"Oh, I know exactly how that feels, I can't fly either." Scootaloo said,

"Really?" Merrick asked,

"No, but I want to, I can only make myself go faster with my wings when I'm on my scooter." Scootaloo replied,

"Well, you're still young, maybe you will be able to fly when you're older." Merrick said,

"I hope so, there's a lot of things I wanna do when I start flying." Scootaloo replied, Merrick chuckled,

"There you are, sugar cube." they heard Applejack say, she ran to the cottage along with Rarity,

"Sweetie Belle, you and your friends should know better than to go to the Everfree Forest on your own." Rarity said sternly,

"We weren't, we were just coming to see him." Sweetie Belle replied, the two look and see Merrick,

"Oh, you're here, were you able to find shelter last night?" Rarity asked,

"Yes, Fluttershy let me stay here." Merrick replied,

"That's good, I was gettin' mighty worried you didn't, I'm Applejack by the way, this is Rarity." Applejack said,

"Hello, Applejack and Rarity, my name's Merrick." Merrick replied, the two smiled at him.

Derpy was flying around and crashed around the cottage due to her not being able to see well, she looks up and sees Merrick,

"Oh, hey, you're that pony from last night." Derpy said,

"Yes, my name is Merrick." Merrick replied with a smile,

"I'm Derpy." Derpy said happily,

"Derpy, your eyes." Merrick said while looking at her with concern,

"I have strabismus, I can't see well." Derpy replied,

"What do I look like to you?" Merrick asked,

"A little deformed, but not too much, I do see your clutches and wheelchair though." Derpy replied, Merrick smiled.

Pinkie Pie appeared out of the ground and hugged Merrick, scaring him and the other ponies and animals,

"You stayed, a new friend for me!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly,

"Uh, sorry, but I do not like loud noises." Merrick replied, Pinkie Pie let go of him,

"Sorry about that." Pinkie Pie said embarrassingly,

"What's your name?" Merrick asked,

"I'm Pinkie Pie, and you? Oh, wait, let me guess, your name's Merrick." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, yes, but how did you know?" Merrick asked,

"Lucky guess." Pinkie Pie replied, the other ponies just went with it;

"Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash said from the sky and flew down to her,

"You shouldn't go to the Everfree Forest with just your two friends, it's dangerous in there." Rainbow Dash said,

"I'm not, I'm just here to see him, his name is Merrick." Scootaloo replied, Rainbow Dash flew to him,

"Wow, I haven't seen a deformed pony ever since I was a filly." Rainbow Dash said,

"Are you a friend too?" Merrick asked,

"Yeah, I'm Rainbow Dash." Rainbow Dash replied,

"Rainbow Dash, this pony is staying with me for the time being." Fluttershy said,

"That's cool, I'm Fluttershy's fillyhood friend by the way." Rainbow Dash replied,

"Nice to meet you, Rainbow Dash." Merrick said,

"Don't you worry, Merrick, with me around, I'll make sure nopony picks on you." Rainbow Dash replied, Merrick smiled;

"That reminds me, we have to do Merrick's welcoming party to Ponyville." Pinkie Pie said,

"Pinkie, not yet, the other ponies in this town don't like him because of his appearance." Fluttershy replied, Pinkie Pie becomes shocked,

"It's true, Pinkie Pie, ponies judge others by appearance quite often, Ah'm sure Merrick here has been a victim of it quite often." Applejack said,

"It's true, I was in Manehattan before I came here, I was picked on because of my physical appearance, I came here in hopes of finding a job." Merrick replied,

"Well, I could use some help around the shop, but I'm not too sure if that could work, let's give it a try, you start working this afternoon." Rarity said with a smile,

"Thank you." Merrick said happily, the others smiled with him,

"Excuse me." Twilight Sparkle said as she ran to Fluttershy's cottage, the others look at her,

"What are you all doing here? Are you all doing something without me?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"No, silly, we're greeting a new friend." Pinkie Pie replied,

"A new friend? Let me see." Twilight Sparkle said, and the ponies move aside to show her Merrick, Twilight Sparkle becomes shocked and runs to him, she becomes shocked when she sees Merrick,

"Oh my goodness, are you okay?" Twinkle Sparkle asked,

"Yes, I'm fine." Merrick replied,

"I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, if you want a book, I have plenty." Twilight Sparkle said,

"My name is Merrick, I'm from Manehattan." Merrick replied,

"What about your original house?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"I was homeless, I still am." Merrick replied,

"It's okay, Merrick, you can stay here as long as you like." Fluttershy said, Merrick smiled,

"It's almost noon, ya should have somethin' to eat." Apple Bloom said,

"A meal would be nice." Merrick replied,

"Follow us then, Granny will fix somethin' up for ya." Applejack said, and she and Apple Bloom walk to Sweet Apple Acres while Merrick followed them.

Merrick walked through town while the residents gave him various looks, some looked on with awe, some looked on with disgust, some looked on with horror, and others did not pay attention, he arrived at Sweet Apple Acres and Big Macintosh set things aside to help him walk around the area, he entered the barn while Granny Smith made him a meal, he ate with the family,

"You look almost like a unicorn friend of mine from when I was a youngin', she was deformed just like you." Granny Smith said,

"What happened to her?" Merrick asked,

"I dunno, this was a time before we had mail delivery, we had to carry everythin' by hoof, and where she went was very far from this town." Granny Smith replied,

"Where did she go?" Merrick asked,

"All the way to Fillydelphia." Granny Smith replied,

"Wow, ya sure are makin' lots of friends already, Merrick." Apple Bloom said,

"It is usually elderly people like your grandmother I get along well with." Merrick replied,

"It's probably cause they have to use the same devices to move around like you." Applejack said,

"Maybe, well, I can't stay for long, I have to go help Rarity." Merrick replied,

"Well, eat up, sugar cube." Applejack replied, and he does, he then leaves to go to Carousel Boutique.

Merrick walks to Carousel Boutique and Scootaloo runs to him,

"Need a hoof getting there?" Scootaloo asked,

"No, I'm fine, thank you." Merrick replied,

"Where did you grow up, Merrick?" Scootaloo asked,

"Cloudsdale, I was made fun of for my physical appearance and inability to fly." Merrick replied,

"I'm sorry, I wish I could fly too." Scootaloo said, Merrick was sympathetic with her,

"Scootaloo, where are your parents?" Merrick asked,

"Away, I live with my aunts." Scootaloo replied,

"That's good, I thought you were parentless for a minute." Merrick said, the two arrive at Carousel Boutique and Rarity was outside,

"Oh, you're here, come on in, darling." Rarity said, and they enter while Scootaloo watched.

Merrick entered Carousel Boutique and Sweetie Belle was in front of him,

"Okay, Merrick, I need you to organize the fabrics by color, and Sweetie Belle, remember that Merrick can't do things a regular pony can do, so make sure you help him if he needs it." Rarity said,

"Yes, Rarity." Sweetie Belle replied,

"Good, now if you two don't mind, I have to go mining for jewels for my next client, ta-ta." Rarity said and she left the Carousel Boutique,

"Okay, Merrick, the fabrics are over there to your right." Sweetie Belle said, Merrick looked and saw them, they were all scattered everywhere, he tried to sort them out while Sweetie Belle moved them around and grabbed some of the fabrics with her mouth to help Merrick, the two see a shelf to put the fabric on, they see they were misplaced as well, they sort them out but an orange piece of fabric that was out of place was high and could not be reached,

"Don't you have magic?" Merrick asked,

"Yeah, but it's weak." Sweetie Belle replied,

"You can at least try." Merrick said,

"Alright, here goes." Sweetie Belle replied, and she tries to use her magic to pick up the fabric, but could not as it was too heavy, Sweetie Belle and Merrick look at one another and Sweetie Belle shakes her head.

The fabric falls onto the floor and it surprises the two,

"Here you go." a familiar voice said, they look and see Pinkie Pie in the shelf,

"How did you get up there?" Merrick asked,

"Nopony knows, Merrick, Pinkie can do things that others can't do." Sweetie Belle replied,

"I see." Merrick said, Pinkie Pie jumped down,

"I'll help you guys with the fabric." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thank you." Merrick and Sweetie Belle said together, the two sorted them out by color while Pinkie Pie flew by spinning her tail around and put the fabrics away in their right areas, much to Merrick's impressment, he tried to fly by spinning his tail around but could not, that gave him an idea, he was wondering if Scootaloo can fly that way.

The three kept working and they were done after a few hours, they sigh in relief, they look around and were happy about what they have got done. The door opens and Rarity comes in, she was happy to see how clean and organized her home was,

"Oh, my, splendid, good job." Rarity said with a smile on her face,

"Thank you." Merrick and Sweetie Belle replied,

"Pinkie Pie helped us reach the high areas." Sweetie Belle said,

"Thank you, Pinkie, you really are a good friend." Rarity said,

"Hey, it's what I do." Pinkie Pie replied, Rarity smiled,

"I am getting a bit hungry, any of you make lunch?" Merrick asked,

"Come with me, I'll cook something up for you." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Thank you." Merrick said, and the two head outside.

Pinkie Pie hopped outside while Merrick walked with his clutches and wheelchair to drag him along, the two arrive at their destination and Pinkie Pie helps Merrick up the two steps by lifting his wheelchair up, and they enter Sugarcube Corner. The two walk in and see Mr. and Mrs. Cake working, Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake were there as well, but they get scared at seeing Merrick and run away,

"Hey, now, it's okay, he's friendly." Mrs. Cake said, the two babies look at him and Merrick smiles at them,

"See, he's nice, he's just physically deformed like Pinkie said this morning, he's not going to hurt you two." Mr. Cake said, and the two babies walk towards Merrick and he smiles at them, the two babies giggle and begin climbing him, Merrick smiles even more, Pinkie Pie made a cupcake for Merrick before he could even blink, much to Merrick's surprise, he eats the whole thing,

"Wow, this is actually heavy." Merrick said,

"It's a Pinkie Pie special, it looks small, but it feels like a whole meal." Pinkie Pie replied, Merrick chuckled,

"Well, I have to get going now, see ya, Pinkie Pie." Merrick said,

"Bye, Merrick." Pinkie Pie replied happily, and Merrick left.

Merrick walked outside and several of the residents of Ponyville looked at him with disgust and jeered at him, Merrick became sad while he looked around, he tries to walk by but the residents throw fruits, vegetables, and inanimate objects at him, he saw Snips, Snails, and Spoiled Rich were in the crowd with them, Merrick tried to cover himself but he fell over due to his hind legs being small and weak, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash see what was happening and they quickly fly over to Merrick, they lift him up and fly away from the people while they continue to jeer at him and make fun of him because of his physical appearance,

"You okay, Merrick?" Rainbow Dash asked worriedly, Scootaloo and Derpy ran to him to check on him, Merrick was just breathing heavily while having flashbacks of Manehattan,

"Merrick?" Derpy asked worriedly, Merrick comes back to reality,

"It's just like Manehattan all over again." Merrick said, the others become shocked at realizing Merrick went through the same thing at Manehattan. The ponies hear running and see Cheerilee coming over,

"There you are, are you alright?" Cheerilee asked,

"You are...?" Merrick asked,

"This is Miss Cheerilee, she's my teacher." Scootaloo replied,

"I see." Merrick said,

"I'm proud of you, Scootaloo, you're worried about this pony, I hate to say this, but ponies are judged by their physical appearance in many places, ponies like him have it really hard." Cheerilee said,

"How hard?" Scootaloo asked,

"They have no jobs and homes." Cheerilee replied,

"Oh dear, somepony should lend them a helping hoof." Fluttershy said,

"We will if we see them during our friendship problem quests, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash replied, Fluttershy smiled,

"Say, Scootaloo, have you tried flying by spinning your tail around?" Merrick asked, Scootaloo tries but could not,

"Maybe that's just something Pinkie can do." Derpy said,

"Well, I'll just head on home for today." Merrick replied, and he begins to head to Fluttershy's cottage.

Merrick walks to Fluttershy's cottage while full of sorrow, realizing that most ponies in Ponyville were unwelcoming of him as well,

"There you are." Twilight Sparkle said as Merrick looked back, she ran to him, Spike and Starlight Glimmer were also with her,

"I heard about what happened, are you okay?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Merrick shook his head,

"This place is just as unwelcoming as Manehattan." Merrick replied, the three present become sad at hearing this,

"Friends of yours?" Merrick asked,

"Oh right, this is Spike, my assistant, and Starlight Glimmer, my student, they were curious about meeting you." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"A dragon?" Merrick asked curiously,

"Yeah, it's hard being the only dragon in this town." Spike replied,

"I was thinking, maybe Zecora can cure you." Starlight Glimmer said,

"Zecora?" Merrick asked,

"The zebra in the Everfree Forest, come on, we'll take you to her." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they go to Zecora's home.

The four walk through the Everfree Forest and arrive at Zecora's home, they enter and see Zecora standing around,

"We need your help, Zecora, this pony was born deformed and is being picked on." Twilight Sparkle said, Zecora sees Merrick and becomes shocked, she walks to him and examines him,

"I am sorry, but physical deformities is something I cannot cure, it is something he is just going to have to endure." Zecora said,

"So you can't help him?" Spike asked,

"No, but you can, since the residents of Ponyville are currently abhorred, you might be able to change it and make him adored." Zecora replied,

"How do we do that?" Starlight Glimmer asked,

"That is something you must figure out on your own, for I do not have the answers in my home." Zecora replied,

"Well, thanks for trying to help, Zecora, we'll be off now." Twilight Sparkle said, and the four leave the hut.

Merrick walks to Fluttershy's cottage while Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer head home, he just laid down in bed in sorrow at the fact that residents of Ponyville did not welcome him and slept with a single tear rolling down his right eye.

The next day comes and Merrick walks down the stairs slowly, he sees Fluttershy was already outside and tending to the animals, Fluttershy sees him and flies away, she comes back with Bulk Biceps,

"Merrick, this is Bulk Biceps, a friend of mine, he's offering to defend you if the ponies start being mean to you." Fluttershy said,

"Really?" Merrick asked,

"YEAH!!" Bulk Biceps replied, it hurt Merrick's ears,

"I'm sorry, but people yelling really hurts my ears." Merrick said,

"Oh, sorry." Bulk Biceps replied,

"I do have another friend named Discord, I was thinking about getting him to help, but I think he'll only make the problems worse." Fluttershy said, Merrick did not know what to think,

"Well, I'm going to Sweet Apple Acres for breakfast, you should come along." Merrick said, Bulk Biceps smiled and the two head on over.

Merrick and Bulk Biceps walk together and the residents of Ponyville jeer at Merrick again, some of them throw vegetables at him as well, Bulk Biceps puts himself around Merrick to shield him,

"STOP!!" Pinkie Pie yelled, the residents stop in fear of Pinkie Pie walking to them,

"This pony is physically deformed and cannot walk, he can't fly either, he has it hard enough as it already is, all of you should be ashamed of yourselves!" Pinkie Pie said angrily, the residents of Ponyville were scared,

"If you guys are going to harass him, and make it harder for him than it already is, then none are you are invited to my next party!" Pinkie Pie said, full of rage, the ponies run away while scared.

Bulk Biceps stops covering Merrick and Pinkie Pie sees he was unharmed,

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie." Merrick said with a smile on his face,

"You're welcome, every one is a friend to me, deformed or not." Pinkie Pie replied, Merrick smiled.

Derpy ran to Merrick and went to go see him,

"Are you okay, Merrick?" Derpy asked,

"Yes, Bulk Biceps shielded me." Merrick replied, Derpy smiled,

"Where are you headed?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sweet Apple Acres." Merrick replied,

"Come on, let's go together." Pinkie Pie said, and they all go to Sweet Apple Acres.

Merrick, Bulk Biceps, Pinkie Pie, and Derpy arrive at Sweet Apple Acres after a lengthy walk,

"Thank you, that's all for now." Merrick said, and Pinkie Pie and Derpy left, he goes to the barn and saw Granny Smith inside, he goes into the barn and Granny Smith makes breakfast, Applejack was inside as well,

"Where's Apple Bloom?" Merrick asked,

"Apple Bloom has school today." Applejack replied,

"Lucky her, because of my deformities, I wasn't allowed to attend school." Merrick said,

"Oh yeah, it was like that when I was a youngin' too." Granny Smith replied,

"Well, thanks for the meal." Merrick said, and he and Bulk Biceps walk outside together, two male earth ponies were near the entrance and waiting for Merrick to come by, the one to the right throws a tomato at Merrick's face, it hits him and the two laugh at him while Bulk Biceps wiped the tomato off, an apple is thrown at the pony and he screams as he flies out of the farm, the two look back and saw Big Macintosh was glaring and snorting, the other pony becomes scared and runs away while screaming,

"Where are you headed next, Merrick?" Bulk Biceps asked,

"Carousel Boutique, Rarity's given me a job there." Merrick replied,

"Let's go then." Bulk Biceps said with a smile, Merrick smiled back and they walk together.

Merrick and Bulk Biceps arrive at Carousel Boutique and enter, Rarity was working on her next outfit,

"Oh, Merrick, you're here, I don't know if I have anything I need help on today." Rarity said,

"Where's Sweetie Belle?" Merrick asked,

"I'm sorry, darling, but Sweetie Belle has school today, she, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo won't be home till noon." Rarity replied, Merrick felt sad, Rarity looked for something Merrick and Bulk Biceps could work on, she looks around and has an idea,

"Tell you what, Merrick, why don't you try using those crutches of yours to hold the fabrics in place while I sew?" Rarity asked, and Merrick tries, it did not work right, the fabric got stuck in place completely, so he lets go,

"Say, uh, Rarity, do you unicorns know a spell on how to fix my deformities?" Merrick asked,

"I am very sorry, dear, but no, we don't." Rarity replied, Merrick groaned in disappointment.

The door opens after a few hours and Sweetie Belle comes in,

"I'm home, hi, Merrick, hi, Bulk Biceps." Sweetie Belle said, the two wave at her,

"Can you two help me with my homework?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Sorry, but I never received an education." Merrick replied,

"I'll help." Bulk Biceps said, and he does, Merrick began to feel useless, his job for the day was done, and Rarity paid him and Bulk Biceps, and the two left.

Merrick and Bulk Biceps walk to Fluttershy's cottage and the other ponies laugh at him and call him mean names, Merrick's feelings were hurt while Bulk Biceps protected him from anything that might be thrown at him,

"That's enough, everypony." a female voice said, they all look and see Mayor Mare,

"This pony is a guest, and we will treat him like one, as you all know, Pinkie Pie has already warned you all, don't make her angry again, or you all will know what will happen." Mayor Mare said, she walked over to Merrick,

"I'm sorry, but they're usually not like this." Mayor Mare said,

"Who are you?" Merrick asked,

"Mayor Mare, I'm the mayor of this town." Mayor Mare replied, Merrick felt relieved to know that the town's mayor was on his side,

"Pinkie Pie will be doing her best to protect you, if she fails, then I'll have to get involved." Mayor Mare said,

"Okay, thank you for your help." Merrick replied, Mayor Mare smiled and walked away.

Merrick and Bulk Biceps continue walking to Fluttershy's cottage and were slow, Rainbow Dash flies down and picks up Merrick to carry him home, Bulk Biceps flew along with her, the three arrived at Fluttershy's cottage,

"Sorry I didn't arrive sooner, I had to work out of Ponyville today." Rainbow Dash said,

"It's alright, it's not your fault." Merrick replied,

"Don't worry, Rainbow Dash, Bulk Biceps here has volunteered himself to protect Merrick from those mean ponies." Fluttershy said,

"Good, the more, the better." Rainbow Dash replied, the others smiled,

"Thank you, but I'm getting tired, I need to rest." Merrick said,

"Alright, have a good rest, Merrick." Fluttershy replied, and Merrick went into the home, Bulk Biceps headed home as well.

Pinkie Pie was inside and watching Merrick closely, he tries to go up the stairs but his wheelchair got stuck at the steps, Pinkie Pie picks it up and Merrick saw her, the two smiled at one another while Pinkie Pie helped him up the stairs,

"Why don't you sleep down here for, Merrick?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Hard material is uncomfortable for me, and Fluttershy even offered me to stay in her bed." Merrick replied,

"Yeah, but it's upstairs, it would be better if you slept somewhere down there." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'll ask Fluttershy about it." Merrick replied, and the two make it upstairs, Merrick lies in bed and Pinkie Pie leaves, Merrick fell asleep shortly afterwards.

Merrick was asleep in bed while Fluttershy slept as well, it was in the middle of the night, the cottage door opens and four male Pegasi fly in, they fly up the stairs and grab Merrick, he wakes up and tries to fight back, Merrick grunts when him moving around makes the four Pegasi and him fall out through the window, Fluttershy quickly wakes up,

"Merrick?" Fluttershy asked worriedly, she quickly flew up and saw the broken window, she looks and gasps when she saw the Pegasi beating up Merrick on the ground, she flies out and tries to hold them back,

"How dare you! Hurting a pony who isn't just deformed, but also homeless, and was jobless before he came here, why don't you four go pick on someone who isn't struggling, before I tell your mothers!" Fluttershy said angrily, one Pegasus hits her in the cheek with the back of his front right hoof and sends Fluttershy flying to the side, she grunts and falls, she stands up and sees the Pegasi carrying Merrick away and punching and kicking him while in midair as well,

"A deformed and handicapped pony being insulted and having objects thrown at them is one thing, but physically harming one is where I draw the line!" Fluttershy said angrily and she flies and chases the Pegasi.

Merrick tries to break free but could not move well, his hind legs were too weak as well, the Pegasus holding him from behind put his front hooves over his mouth so he could not speak, the Pegasus holds him up and the other three proceed to punch him and kick him in the abdomen, he grunted in pain from the hits, his front legs were not long enough to reach them either, so he tried to yell for help through the front legs on his mouth.

Fluttershy flies and charges towards the Pegasi, she hits one from behind and knocks him down, the Pegasus rolls over and gets Fluttershy on the ground with her face down, a second Pegasus goes to her and the two proceed to beat her up while she laid on the ground, Fluttershy screamed in pain.

Rainbow Dash was asleep and woke up when she heard Fluttershy scream,

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash said worriedly, she quickly flew outside to where she heard the scream and saw the four Pegasi beating up Merrick and Fluttershy, she flew down as fast as she could and tackled the Pegasus stomping on Fluttershy's wings, the two wrestle each other with their front hooves and Rainbow Dash got a quick glimpse of his face, she was able to tell that the Pegasus was not a resident of Ponyville, much to Rainbow Dash's shock.

Two Pegasi continue to kick Merrick while he grunted and wheezed, a lasso wraps around the one in front of Merrick and he saw Applejack with a lasso in her mouth, the Pegasus flew and dragged Applejack with him,

"Whoa!" Applejack said while she went into the air, a light blue aura appears on the Pegasus and forces him back down, he grunted from the impact, Rarity ran to them as fast as she could.

The Pegasus behind Merrick gets ready to attack Rarity in anger, but confetti and streamers is shot at him from the side, Merrick saw Pinkie Pie on her party cannon, it hurt his ears, the Pegasus behind Fluttershy was then tackled down by Bulk Biceps, who flew down to protect her, the others run to Merrick and Fluttershy,

"You okay, Merrick and Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked, the two nodded, Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh, and Granny Smith soon came over, they see the scene and run while Granny Smith just walked fast, they help Merrick and Fluttershy get up,

"Incoming!" Pinkie Pie said as she saw the four Pegasi get up,

"Go! Get to safety, all of ya!" Granny Smith said,

"But, Granny...!" Applejack said with shock,

"Just go! Leave 'em to me!" Granny Smith replied, and the others reluctantly left.

Granny Smith throws her roller to her left side and gets ready while the others watch, one Pegasus flies to her and Granny Smith punches him in the jaw with her front right hoof, a loud smacking noise was heard and the Pegasus was knocked out, shocking the others. A second Pegasus tries to fly past her but Granny Smith punches him with her front left hoof and hits him right in the face, knocking him out. The third Pegasus flies behind her and tries to restrain her but Granny Smith kicks him with her hind legs, sending him a few inches back and he was unable to get up from the pain. The fourth Pegasus looks at his three allies and focuses on Granny Smith, he tries to fly over her but Granny Smith grabs his hind legs and throws him down, he hits the ground and was in too much pain to get back up.

Granny Smith picks her roller back up and the others run and fly to her, who just hid out of sight, they look at the four Pegasi,

"I ain't as strong as I used to be." Granny Smith said,

"Excuse me, what happened here?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she flew over, the others look at her with disapproval,

"Where were you?" Rainbow Dash asked,

"I'm sorry, I was asleep, I just woke up." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"From the noise?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, I heard some loud thudding noises here." Twilight Sparkle said, the others shake their heads,

"Okay, I'm sorry, just stop giving me looks of disapproval!" Twilight Sparkle said annoyed, and she flew down, she looked at the four Pegasi,

"Who are these guys?" Apple Bloom asked,

"You know them, Pinkie?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"No, I have never seen these ponies before." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I do, they're from Manehattan, they used to steal from me when I was homeless there, they must have followed me here." Merrick said, the others were unnerved,

"Well, stay with me tonight, I'll defend you if even more of them come." Rainbow Dash said,

"Thanks, but I can't fly, I'm going to need help getting up to your home." Merrick replied,

"Don't worry, I'll give you a lift." Bulk Biceps said,

"Thank you, I'm sorry to say this, but I have to leave tomorrow, if these four are here, then even more are bound to come." Merrick replied, the others become shocked,

"Can you stay for a little longer?" Pinkie Pie asked, Merrick shook his head,

"Oh, come on, please?" Rainbow Dash asked,

"Pretty, pretty please?" Fluttershy asked,

"I'm sorry, but if they come here, then my traveling will all be for nothing, I'm sorry, but I have to go elsewhere, this place isn't welcoming either, when things cool down, I'll come back, I promise." Merrick replied, the others become happy and Bulk Biceps carries Merrick and flies him to Rainbow Dash's home, Fluttershy brings Merrick his crutches and wheelchair, and he sleeps on the cloud that made up the floor of Rainbow Dash's house.

The next day comes and Merrick was at the train station with Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Spike, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Starlight Glimmer, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, Bulk Biceps, Zecora, Cheerilee, Carrot Cake, Cup Cake, Pound Cake, Pumpkin Cake, Mayor Mare, and Derpy,

"Do you really have to leave?" Scootaloo asked,

"Yes, I'm going to Las Pegasus, I hope I'll have better luck there." Merrick replied,

"It's a shame this town didn't welcome you, I hoped it would." Twilight Sparkle said,

"I did too, but I did get to meet you decent people, thank you, all of you." Merrick replied, they smiled.

The train arrives and everypony screams at seeing Merrick, he proceeds to try to board the train,

"Halt! Ugly and deformed ponies like you are not allowed on board!" the male conductor said, Granny Smith gets angry and flexes her left front leg while holding her thigh muscle with her right front leg, the conductor gets scared,

"O-on second thought, welcome aboard." the conductor said, Merrick smiled and he boarded the train, it left shortly afterwards and the ponies wave goodbye, Pinkie Pie ran after the train,

"Merrick! I'll never forget you!" Pinkie Pie said loudly and the train took off, and Merrick went to Las Pegasus.

Everypony was in Sugarcube Corner listening to Merrick in the present,

"Shortly after I went to Las Pegasus, I met Cheese Sandwich, and we became friends, and luckily, a friendly elderly Pegasus couple saw me, and they flew me to Cloudsdale, I'm living in a nursing home happily and peacefully right now." Merrick said, the ponies present clap,

"Wow, that was actually a lot longer than I thought." Windy Whistles said,

"And I thought I had it hard." Zephyr Breeze said, the other ponies glare at him, he says "What? I'm being serious."

"Well, it's late, I should head back." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Wait, but the party's tomorrow, you should stay a bit longer." Cheese Sandwich replied, the other ponies nod in agreement,

"I'm not a fan of big parties, but I'll attend if it makes you all happy." Maud Pie said,

"Also, I was thinking about having the School of Friendship students meet him tomorrow, Cheerilee is going to have her class greet him as well." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Yes, we thought it would be a good way to teach the fillies not to judge others by appearance." Cheerilee replied,

"That sounds wonderful, I'll help." Twilight Velvet said, the others smile,

"Well, Pinkie, let's get started, you and I have a party to plan." Cheese Sandwich said,

"Let's get to it then." Pinkie Pie replied excitedly and they go into Pinkie Pie's partying cave.

The next day arrives and Merrick's birthday is celebrated, only a very few ponies attended, Twilight Velvet helped Twilight Sparkle and Cheerilee get their students together and show them Merrick, they talk about how it was important not to judge people by appearance, and to help physically deformed people like him. Everyone hears flying and becomes surprised when they saw it was Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, they land and Princess Celestia walked over to Twilight Sparkle,

"I'm proud of you, Twilight, I do try my very best to help deformed ponies, but there are too many of them for me to help." Princess Celestia said,

"Do you help them too, Princess Luna?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"Yes, I mainly help deformed foals, they have it hard too, especially at school." Princess Luna replied,

"I can't believe it's been eight months since I first came here." Merrick said,

"I know, I'm still sad I couldn't throw you a welcoming party, though." Pinkie Pie replied,

"It's okay, Pinkie Pie, you have a lot of friends here." Merrick said,

"Everypony in Ponyville is my friend, they're all my best friends." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'm sorry to say this, Pinkie Pie, but you're probably my third best friend, after Fluttershy and Rarity, I do appreciate you defending me from the residents, but Fluttershy gave me shelter, and Rarity gave me a job, so they're my best friends." Merrick said,

"It's okay, Merrick, friends are still friends." Pinkie Pie said, the others smile,

"Don't worry about other ponies trying to bully you, Merrick, I have my guards standing by in case it is to happen." Princess Celestia said,

"I still wish we could help ponies like him, though." Twilight Sparkle said,

"People already are, Twilight, some ponies who are not deformed were kind and generous enough to open homes to helping ponies like him, there's just not that many." Princess Celestia replied,

Merrick feels something hug him on the back and hears cooing, he realized it was Flurry Heart, she flies in front of him and smiled, Merrick smiled back,

"Now, now, Flurry Heart, I think Merrick needs some time to relax." Twilight Sparkle said, Flurry Heart laughed a little,

"Well, let's celebrate." Princess Celestia said, and they all do.

Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich do the party activities while Trixie hosts a show depicting Merrick's time in Ponyville, the others have fun with their family and friends,

"To tell you the truth, Pinkie Pie, I was a bit uncomfortable to come back here." Merrick said,

"Don't be, we're all your friends, and Twilight wants you to befriend our families too, so no matter where you go, you'll have a friend to help you." Pinkie Pie replied, and they all take a picture and Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich give it to Merrick and he leaves after the party ends, everypony at the party waves bye at him, and they all go home.

Pinkie Pie goes back into Sugarcube Corner, she continues working at the confectionary store since it was not closing time yet, and looks at the door while thinking about Merrick, crying tears of joy at the fact that he has many friends now.

Bladder Problems

Pinkie Pie was in the School of Friendship and teaching the students how to make others laugh and different types of comedies,

"Okay, everycreature, that's everything for today, we have plenty of time left, so we can..." Pinkie Pie said,

"Pinkie Pie, I have to use the bathroom." Silverstream said as she clutched her groin with her talons and raised her right wing,

"*sigh* You're just going to have to hold it until class ends." Pinkie Pie replied, Silverstream pressed her teeth against one another.

Pinkie Pie was about to spend the rest of the period having fun until the other students around Silverstream start screaming,

"Pinkie Pie, she's leaking!" Ocellus said while she raised her front right leg, Pinkie Pie looks and her eyes pop out of their sockets at seeing Silverstream's bladder leak and her urine on the chair,

"Never mind, Silverstream, go ahead and go to the bathroom!" Pinkie Pie said, and Silverstream quickly flew out of the class and to the bathroom,

"Okay, now, everycreature, when she comes back, don't laugh at her, it's not funny, it could hurt her feelings, and it can happen to you." Pinkie Pie said.

Silverstream comes back and was uncomfortable to sit back in the chair, so Pinkie Pie got her another one, she sat in it,

"You okay, Silverstream?" Sandbar asked,

"Yeah, I was in such a hurry, I actually went into the boys' bathroom by mistake." Silverstream replied, Pinkie Pie and the other students laugh,

"Believe it or not, everyone, I once met a pony a few years ago who had a similar problem, trying to get along with her at first was hard, but I managed to help her, this is a special friend of mine." Pinkie Pie said, and she gets ready to talk about one of her friends.

Pinkie Pie was shopping in a village and buying party materials, she smelled something very foul,

"Pee-yew, what is that smell?" Pinkie Pie asked, she looked around and followed the scent. She came to a red liquid on the ground, she sees yellow in it as well, she then heard a female grunting and Pinkie Pie sees her, it was a unicorn who was still a filly, she had a gray coat, a slightly long, straight black mane and tail, and she did not have her cutie mark yet. Pinkie Pie hops to her to go see her,

"Excuse me." Pinkie Pie said,

"What?" the unicorn asked as she turned around, revealing her yellow eyes,

"Are you okay?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm fine." the unicorn said in a stern voice,

"Are you sure?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Leave me alone." the female unicorn replied, and she walked away while Pinkie Pie watched in shocked,

"Was it something I did? Was it something I said?" Pinkie Pie asked, the unicorn growls as she hears her and goes home,

"Huh. Something is clearly wrong with her, and I'm gonna find out." Pinkie Pie said to herself, and she walks away.

Pinkie Pie did not sleep at night and waited for the female unicorn to appear, she did not. Morning came and Pinkie Pie saw her, she hopped to her and pretended to be going the same way by coincidence,

"You again?" the unicorn asked,

"What a coincidence." Pinkie Pie replied excitedly,

"Yeah, a coincidence." the unicorn said in a deadpan tone,

"I'm Pinkie Pie, what's your name?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"None of your business." the unicorn replied,

"I was just hoping we could be friends." Pinkie Pie said,

"I don't even know you." the unicorn replied in an annoyed tone,

"Well, my name's Pinkie Pie, I'm from a rock farm, I have three sisters, two older, one younger, my birthday is May 3rd, I'm a party planner, I enjoy playing with little kids, I like making other ponies happy, I like meeting new faces, I like making new friends, I like helping others..." Pinkie Pie said,

"Alright! I get it." the unicorn said while very annoyed, the two keep going,

"Well, what about you?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I don't have a name, I'm from nowhere, I don't have a family, I don't have a birthday, I crash parties, I hate kids, I hate making ponies happy, I hate people, and I only help myself." the female unicorn replied sarcastically,

"You don't sound like a nice person." Pinkie Pie said,

"Good, now leave me alone." the female unicorn said, and she walked away while Pinkie Pie watched her in shock.

The unicorn keeps walking and she grunts, she clutches her groin and falls onto the ground, Pinkie Pie's eyes pop out of her sockets and she runs to her,

"Hey, you okay?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, don't look, please, go away." the female unicorn replied, and she grunted while Pinkie Pie heard her urinating, she realized what was going on, but became horrified when she saw her urine was red, it had a very foul smell, and the urine itself was dark. The unicorn continued to clutch her groin in pain,

"Come on, come out." the unicorn said, but nothing came out,

"Um, I think your bladder's empty." Pinkie Pie said, the unicorn screamed while blushing,

"Hey, it's okay, I wetted myself a lot when I was your age, too." Pinkie Pie said,

"This is different!" the unicorn said in an annoyed tone,

"Like how?" Pinkie Pie asked, the unicorn growled,

"Just leave me alone!" the unicorn said angrily, and she walked away while Pinkie Pie watched in shock.

The unicorn arrives into school and walks to class, the other classmates make fun of her for wetting herself often,

"Hey, Wet Works, I got you a diaper right here." a male unicorn said while taunting her, she groans angrily and walks away,

"What's the matter? Scared of the bathroom?" a female Pegasus asked, Wet Works growls and walks forward,

"Hey, everypony, look, it's Wet Works, the unicorn who's magic does not come from her horn." a male earth pony said, the other students laugh, Wet Works gets angry and physically attacks him, the teachers pull her off and she is taken to the principal's office as punishment while the earth pony laughs.

Wet Works is given a scolding and leaves, she heads to class and sits, she feels her bladder getting full again and clutches her groin, she grunts loudly and urinates herself again, she exclaims in pain as well, she pants heavily and the students laugh at her again, Wet Works becomes sad and runs out of the classroom ashamed.

Wet Works keeps running and the students in the hall start splashing water on her from the fountains, she pants heavily and keeps running. She arrives outside while the students continue splashing water on her, Pinkie Pie runs and grabs her, she takes her to a safe place, away from the other ponies,

"It's okay, you're safe now." Pinkie Pie said, Wet Works just pants and regains her senses, she looks around and sighs in relief,

"Is Wet Works really your name?" Pinkie Pie asked in a worried voice,

"No, it isn't." the unicorn replied in a calmed down tone,

"What is your real name?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Are you going to laugh at me?" the unicorn asked,

"No, no judgment, I promise." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Alright, my name is Rock Candy." the unicorn said, Pinkie Pie became happy,

"Wow! I actually like that name." Pinkie Pie said,

"Really? You're the very first pony to ever say that." Rock Candy replied,

"What about your parents?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Mom and dad never commented on it." Rock Candy replied,

"Well, let's get you home, where's your house?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It's fine, I know this town very well." Rock Candy replied,

"I can help you with your bladder problems too." Pinkie Pie said,

"I got it, Pinkie Pie, I don't need your help on it, I appreciate you protecting me from being bullied, though." Rock Candy replied,

"Okay then, I'm around if you need any help." Pinkie Pie said,

"Alright, bye then." Rock Candy replied, and she left,

"She is good after all." Pinkie Pie said to herself, and she went to the inn she was staying at and slept.

Rock Candy's alarm clock rings and she presses it with her front left hoof, and gets ready to get up,

"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie said loudly, Rock Candy exclaimed in shock and fell out of her bed, Pinkie Pie sees that Rock Candy wet the bed while she was sleeping,

"Good morning!" Pinkie Pie said,

"What are you doing in here?!" Rock Candy asked angrily,

"I just thought I'd be nice and wish you a good morning." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Get out." Rock Candy said in a calmer tone,

"Oki doki loki." Pinkie Pie replied, and she dashed out of the room.

Rock Candy sees that she has wetted the floor from Pinkie Pie's surprise, she groaned in annoyance and does laundry and then cleans the floor, she proceeded to head out and saw Pinkie Pie waiting outside her house's door,

"Where are your parents?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Work, they leave before I wake up." Rock Candy replied,

"Do they make rock candy?" Pinkie Pie asked with excitement,

"No, they're shopping clerks." Rock Candy replied in an annoyed tone,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said,

"If you're done, leave, I wish to go to school alone, and I have a doctor's appointment for my bladder today, I don't have time for hanging out today." Rock Candy replied,

"Okay." Pinkie Pie said in a sad tone, and Rock Candy walks to school on her own.

Rock Candy receives the same bullying she received yesterday again, she wetted herself in class again, she begins to have a panic attack and was in complete humiliation, she puts her head on the desk,

"Somepony kill me." Rock Candy said,

"Hey! Don't say that!" Pinkie Pie said as her head burst out of the desk, scaring Rock Candy and the other students,

"You still have your whole life ahead of you. It's too early for you to go." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, thank you, Pinkie Pie, but I feel like dying right now." Rock Candy replied, the other students laugh at her, Pinkie Pie was getting angry at the students,

"Stop it! All of you!" Pinkie Pie said as she jumped out of the desk, her voice scared the students,

"How would you guys like it if I laughed at you for wetting yourselves?!" Pinkie Pie asked angrily,

"Hey! We have feelings, too!" a male Pegasus replied angrily, the other students agreed angrily as well,

"Well, what about her feelings?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"She doesn't have any feelings." a female earth pony replied, the other students laugh, Pinkie Pie growled at the student,

"Ma'am, get out of my class, you have disturbed it long enough." the female teacher said,

"But they're bullying one of your students." Pinkie Pie said, the teacher grabs her and kicks her out of the school.

Pinkie Pie watches Rock Candy get bullied in class for her wetting problem, she was having a hard time watching, Rock Candy just put her head on the desk and covered it with her front hooves to defend herself, Pinkie Pie looked and saw Rock Candy had sad eyes, but was not crying, this made Pinkie Pie even more determined to help, and she walked away.

Class ends and Rock Candy heads home to get ready for the doctor, some of her classmates call her names as well, she arrives home and sees her parents were already home, they looked just like her, they both had the same cutie marks, it was a gray rock with a wrapped candy beside it, the candy on her father was blue while the one on her mother was pink, they leave to go see the doctor.

Rock Candy and her parents go to the doctor and were ready to check in,

"Hiya." Pinkie Pie said, Rock Candy exclaimed in shock,

"What are you doing here?!" Rock Candy asked with surprise and shock,

"Well, I'm also a certified doctor." Pinkie Pie replied, she showed an ID from her mane, it said her name was Doctor Pinkie, much to Rock Candy's surprise,

"I've got a special place just for you, Rock Candy, please come with me." Pinkie Pie said,

"Jeez! Take a hint!" Rock Candy said annoyed,

"Huh?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm fine, I don't need your help, I can deal with this problem on my own!" Rock Candy said annoyed,

"But you're being bullied at school." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I can handle it, Pinkie Pie, please, leave me alone." Rock Candy said in a calmer tone,

"And your appointment?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'll just order medicine through the mail." Rock Candy replied,

"Okay, if that's what you want." Pinkie Pie said sadly, her mane deflated a little,

"Thank you, you can still see me when I walk to school, though." Rock Candy replied,

"Okay then." Pinkie Pie said, and Rock Candy left with her parents, Pinkie Pie had another idea,

"Mom's home remedies, work your magic." Pinkie Pie said to herself as she looked at the exit.

Three days pass and Rock Candy fills out paperwork to order medicine from far away areas, Pinkie Pie kept track of the mail, she looked at some of the medicines and see they sounded dangerous. One medicine that caught her mind was some kind of sleeping pill that Cloudy Quartz once got for Marble Pie when they were younger, she could not sleep, so Cloudy Quartz went to town to get sleeping pills, Marble Pie took them to go to sleep, it worked, but it made her wet the bed in the process, much to Limestone Pie's anger, while Maud Pie was stoic and did not say anything, Marble Pie had to clean it as punishment from their parents.

Pinkie Pie watched Rock Candy try to hold her bladder so she does not wet herself, she grunts loudly and was in pain whenever she urinated, Pinkie Pie could smell the foul scent all the way outside, it made her nauseous, she was hoping that Rock Candy was alright. Pinkie Pie got an idea and knocked on the door, Rock Candy answered it,

"What is it, Pinkie Pie?" Rock Candy asked,

"I was wondering if you wanted to learn how to do kegel exercises." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'm already doing them in my bedroom." Rock Candy said,

"Oh, because I was planning on teaching you." Pinkie Pie replied,

"It's fine, Pinkie Pie, I already know how, my mom taught me, thanks for the suggestion, though." Rock Candy said,

"Say, I am a bit curious, why is sometimes, you're mad to see me, and other times, you're calm like now?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It's because of my bladder, I get irritated easily when I'm in pain." Rock Candy said, Pinkie Pie did not believe it, but she went with it,

"Okay, well, good luck." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thanks." Rock Candy replied, and she closed the door while Pinkie Pie hopped to her room in the inn.

The medicine that Rock Candy ordered come to her house and Pinkie Pie watches nervously, she takes them and waits for their effects to kick in, they do after a few hours and she grunts, she ended up urinating even more, the smell was worse, and it was more painful. Rock Candy growled and threw the medicines across the room, they hit the wall and scattered everywhere,

"It was a waste of money!" Rock Candy said angrily, it scared Pinkie Pie a bit, she decided that she should mail her the medicines from now on.

The next day comes and Rock Candy goes to school, she wet the bed last night as well, she wets herself even more today and the students make fun of her for it, some scare her with masks in hopes that she will wet herself again, but her bladder was empty, even though she felt like she had to urinate more.

Rock Candy heads home and does her homework, Pinkie Pie takes two items out of her mane and an envelope, she slides it under the door. Rock Candy's parents come home and see the envelope,

"Rock Candy, you have mail." Rock Candy's father said, she walks down and saw the envelope, she opens it and saw it had a bulb of garlic and a packet of cranberry juice in it,

"Is this a medicine?" Rock Candy's mother asked,

"*sigh* no, but the other medicines I ordered didn't work, so I guess I'll try it, I am desperate." Rock Candy replied, and she eats a clove of garlic, it was extremely spicy, she coughed and had tears in her eyes from the spice, she drank it with the cranberry juice, she coughed while the spice was still in her mouth, she exhaled several times with the taste of raw garlic in her mouth, she urinated twice and then went to sleep.

Morning comes and Rock Candy and her parents can still smell the garlic, so could Pinkie Pie, she covered her nose and watched Rock Candy through the window, she had a small clove of garlic and coughed as she ate it, she drank it with cranberry juice as well, it was not as spicy as the piece she had yesterday.

Rock Candy heads to school and Pinkie Pie hops to her,

"Any luck on your bladder?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Well, I did start eating garlic and drinking cranberry juice yesterday, and I didn't have to use the bathroom this morning, I think this might actually work." Rock Candy said, Pinkie Pie was happy, the two arrive at school and Rock Candy enters it. Pinkie Pie watches her and sees she did not wet herself today, much to everypony's surprise, she was also training herself to hold it, Pinkie Pie smiled at seeing her overcome wetting herself. Rock Candy walks out happy while the other ponies were surprised,

"I did it, I didn't wet myself today." Rock Candy said,

"Yay!" Pinkie Pie said to her left, with confetti coming out, scaring Rock Candy,

"Don't scare me like that." Rock Candy said,

"Sorry, I got excited." Pinkie Pie replied, Rock Candy chuckled, and they walked home together while Rock Candy talked about her day at school.

Three months pass and Rock Candy was no longer wetting herself, Pinkie Pie was sending garlic and cranberry juice to her in secret, Rock Candy continued putting them into her diet, while she did not wet herself anymore, urinating was still painful for her, it was still red, and it still smelled bad. Pinkie Pie believes that she may know what Rock Candy has, but she may not like the answer.

The weekend comes and Rock Candy's bladder was mostly fine, Pinkie Pie hops to her,

"Are you still peeing red?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes." Rock Candy replied,

"Rock Candy, you may not like this, but you may have an infection, you won't be able to cure it until you're older." Pinkie Pie said,

"What? Why?" Rock Candy asked,

"It requires you to have a lover, and um..., after you two... do the deed... you will have to pee afterwards, it's how you cure the infection you have." Pinkie Pie replied uncomfortably and embarrassingly, Rock Candy was shocked and blushing,

"I'm sorry, Rock Candy, but that is the best way I can word it for you." Pinkie Pie said,

"But still, that's a bit embarrassing." Rock Candy replied,

"Sorry, but that really is the best I can think of." Pinkie Pie said,

"I see, well, I'll be going to school now, this conversation's making me uncomfortable." Rock Candy replied, and she walked to school.

Pinkie Pie watches Rock Candy and sees she was not being bullied for wetting herself anymore since it stopped, but she still could not make any friends in school, she has not forgiven them for them bullying her. Class ends and Rock Candy walks outside just fine, she was happier and calmer ever since she stopped wetting herself. Pinkie Pie watches her and was happy to see Rock Candy was living better now.

Three days pass and Pinkie Pie's rent at the inn has expired, and had to leave, she goes to Rock Candy before she leaves,

"You're leaving today?" Rock Candy asked, Pinkie Pie asked,

"I have something to show you." Pinkie Pie replied, and she takes a bulb of garlic and a packet of cranberry juice out of her mane, surprising Rock Candy,

"That was you? That was you?!" Rock Candy asked with surprise, Pinkie Pie nodded while smiling,

"So you were helping me the whole time, thank you." Rock Candy said while smiling,

"You're welcome, but I have to leave now, good luck, and I hope you can fix your bladder completely." Pinkie Pie said,

"I hope so, good luck to you, too, bye, Pinkie Pie." Rock Candy replied, and they hugged one another and Pinkie Pie hopped out of the town.

Pinkie Pie was in class and her students were clapping at the story,

"So, what happened to Rock Candy?" Gallus asked,

"I actually don't know, I never contacted her after I left." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Ooh, maybe Yona can find Rock Candy in Yakyakistan." Yona said,

"I doubt she'd be there." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Maybe she's still at her hometown." Smolder said,

"I'll look for her tonight." Pinkie Pie replied, the bell then rung,

"Class is dismissed, everycreature, remember, have fun, until next time." Pinkie Pie said, and they leave the classroom while Pinkie Pie heads home.

Pinkie Pie looks for Rock Candy and tracks her down, she finds her old address and heads there, she was not present, Pinkie Pie looks and saw two gravestones, she realizes it was Rock Candy's parents, they passed away many years after Pinkie Pie left the town, much to her sadness.

Pinkie Pie hears walking behind her and saw Rock Candy, who was now an adult, she looked exactly the same,

"Is that you, Pinkie Pie?" Rock Candy asked,

"Yes, yes it is." Pinkie Pie said, Rock Candy dropped the bouquets of flowers and trots to her and hugs her,

"I never thought I'd see you again." Rock Candy said,

"I forgot you, too, I just remembered you." Pinkie Pie replied, Rock Candy chuckled,

"Hold on, I want you to meet three ponies." Rock Candy said, and she runs, she comes back with a male pony, a male filly, and a female filly,

"Pinkie Pie, meet my husband, my son, and my daughter." Rock Candy said,

"Hiya." Pinkie Pie said, they smile and wave at her,

"Also, Pinkie Pie, you were right, I did have an infection, your advice really did work, I'm still eating garlic and drinking cranberry juice just to be safe." Rock Candy said,

"That's wonderful, I'm glad I could help, I have to go now, I have two foals to babysit." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Alright, bye then." and they hug one another again, she also hugs Rock Candy's husband, son, and daughter, and she walks home and babysits Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake for the rest of the day. Night time comes and Mr. and Mrs. Cake take their children home and Pinkie Pie goes into her bed and sleeps.

Amputee

Pinkie Pie was closing up Sugarcube Corner for the day and hears knocking at the door. Pinkie Pie opens the door and saw a female Pegasus, she had a whitish grey coat, a long white mane and tail, light blue eyes, and her cutie mark was a white cloud, she was not like other Pegasi, she lost her wings due to an injury she received three weeks before Pinkie Pie met her, the wounds got infected, and her wings had to be amputated when the infection was spreading throughout her body, her wings were replaced with the silver metallic wings she had now. Pinkie Pie was happy to see her again,

"Hello, Pinkie, you remember me, right?" the Pegasus asked,

"Of course, how can I forget you, Cloudy?" Pinkie Pie asked, Cloudy smiled,

"I came here because I'm ready to practice again, I want you to be my timer again." Cloudy said,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, while Pinkie Pie had met several ponies who were physically disabled, had mental disorders, and did not grow up in a regular household, she has helped them with their problems, Pinkie Pie considered them her special friends. Cloudy was a bit more special than most of them because her amputations ruined her career and dreams.

"But first, I want you to meet a certain pony, I think your story will be inspirational for her." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, take me to her." Cloudy replied, and they walk together.

Pinkie Pie and Cloudy arrive at the home of the pony and Pinkie Pie knocks on the door three times,

"Scootaloo, are you home?" Pinkie Pie asked, Scootaloo opened the door,

"Yes, Pinkie Pie?" Scootaloo asked,

"Can we come in?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sure." Scootaloo replied, and she and Cloudy walk in.

Pinkie Pie, Cloudy, and Scootaloo sit together in Scootaloo's room,

"Scootaloo, I want you to meet a special friend of mine, Cloudy." Pinkie Pie said, Cloudy smiled,

"Wait, Cloudy, your wings." Scootaloo said,

"I got injured by flying into vines with thorns one day, I cut my wings, the cuts got infected, and my wings were amputated." Cloudy replied,

"Oh, I see, I can't fly either." Scootaloo said,

"Well, earlier, I couldn't fly, but Pinkie Pie coached me, she wanted to share my story with you because she thought it might inspire you." Cloudy said,

"Sure, I am a bit curious on how your flying has been." Scootaloo replied,

"Well, it's settled then." Pinkie Pie said, and she begins to talk about when she met Cloudy.

Pinkie Pie was just leaving a neighborhood after hosting at a unicorn filly's birthday party, she was paid a lot and the foals and adult ponies enjoyed her performance. Pinkie Pie walks out of town and was heading west with nowhere in particular to go, she hears soft crying to her left and sees Cloudy walking by. Pinkie Pie looks and sees Cloudy was a Pegasus, but she had stumps at where her wings should be. Pinkie Pie looks on with shock and sympathy, she runs to Cloudy to go check on her,

"Hey, excuse me." Pinkie Pie said as she ran to her, Cloudy looks at Pinkie Pie with tears in her eyes, Pinkie Pie stops running when she was beside her,

"What happened to your wings?" Pinkie Pie asked, Cloudy began to cry a bit,

"I got into an accident three weeks ago, I flew into vines with thorns on them, they cut my wings, but they got infected and I had to go to the hospital to have my wings amputated today." Cloudy replied tearfully, Pinkie Pie gasped,

"Did somepony put you in those thorns?!" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I flew into them on my own while I was practicing for my next race, I was going too fast and flew into them before I could fly up and dodge them." Cloudy replied,

"Hey, you can still do other things without your wings." Pinkie Pie said,

"Come with me." Cloudy replied, and Pinkie Pie follows her.

Pinkie Pie arrives at a wooden cabin isolated in the woods, Cloudy lets her in and Pinkie Pie sees it had a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a bathroom, a bedroom, and a trophy room. Pinkie Pie goes to the trophy room and Cloudy shows her the trophies, all of her trophies were gold and first place trophies for winning flying races, they all had her name on a plaque at the bottom of each trophy,

"Before I lost my wings, I was a racer in flying, I've been practicing and winning ever since I was a foal, it was my dream as a foal, and my career as an adult, but now that I lost my wings, my dreams and career are ruined!" Cloudy said, and she began to cry, Pinkie Pie had a sympathetic face, she decided to help her at that moment,

"Don't just stand there and cry, Cloudy, get back up, let's get you another job." Pinkie Pie said,

"That's the thing, I sacrificed education to follow my dreams, I never went to school." Cloudy replied,

"Hey, no need to worry, there are some jobs out there that don't require an education." Pinkie Pie said,

"Like what?" Cloudy asked,

"Fast food restaurant cashier." Pinkie Pie replied,

"But I'm terrible with numbers." Cloudy said,

"Then how do you pay your house bills?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Calculator." Cloudy replied,

"Ooh, I know, you can be a waitress." Pinkie Pie said,

"But I can't cook." Cloudy replied,

"No, silly, you just serve the foods and drinks to them, the pony who cooks them is the chef." Pinkie Pie said,

"Oh, well, I guess I can do that, there is a restaurant in the neighborhood that is looking for new employees." Cloudy replied,

"Well, let's get started then, when you make enough money, you can buy replacements for your wings and fly again." Pinkie Pie said,

"Really? I can? Let's get to work then." Cloudy replied, happy about the thought.

Pinkie Pie helps Cloudy make her résumé for the job, her summary was that she was amputated and lost her career as a racer, and was looking for a job, she had no education, and no employment history. Pinkie Pie and Cloudy walk to the neighborhood, to Pinkie Pie's surprise, it was the same neighborhood she just hosted her last birthday party at, the ponies in the neighborhood wave at Pinkie Pie and Cloudy as they pass by, they smiled and waved back,

"Wow, you seem to have a lot of friends, Cloudy." Pinkie Pie said,

"I come to this neighborhood for shopping and giving lectures at schools to the Pegasi foals who want to fly in races like me." Cloudy replied,

"Were you ever a Wonderbolt?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Nope, all those stunt shows would tire me out." Cloudy replied, she then says "Oh, there's the restaurant right there." and she and Pinkie Pie enter it.

Pinkie Pie sits outside the meeting room and overhears Cloudy's interview,

"I'm not too sure about this, Cloudy, you have no experience in anything besides flying." the interviewer said,

"Well, is anypony else accepting?" Cloudy asked,

"Not at this moment, I know you like to be fast, but you also have to be careful in this job, Cloudy, it's not like your races, you're going to have to be quick on your hooves instead of your wings." the interviewer replied,

"I'll try my best." Cloudy said,

"Okay, you got the job, but only because nopony else wants it." the interviewer replied, and Cloudy walks out,

"I got the job." Cloudy said,

"I heard, when do you start working?" Pinkie Pie asked, Cloudy was speechless,

"I guess tomorrow." Cloudy replied, and the two head to Cloudy's home.

Pinkie Pie asked Cloudy to share her past on why she became a racer,

"Both of my parents were famous fliers, they had first place in all of their races back in their primes, before racing, they were Wonderbolts, that was where they met, I wanted to be a fast flier just like them. Unfortunately, my father passed away from illness when I was a teenager, and my mother passed away from old age just last year, I still hold my memories of them on dearly, I have many fond memories of them." Cloudy said,

"Hey, wait a minute, didn't your dad get in trouble recently, Pinkie?" Scootaloo asked,

"Yes, my dad's in jail for assault and battery right now, he'll be out in a few months." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What happened?" Cloudy asked,

"It's a long story." Pinkie Pie replied; Igneous Rock Pie, Limestone Pie, and Maud Pie were currently serving time in jail for beating up Svengallop, they knew they would go to jail, but they thought it was worth it, Cloudy Quartz and Marble Pie did not take part in the beating so they can watch the rock farm;

"Well, let's continue." Pinkie Pie said, and they continue talking about their pasts.

Pinkie Pie slept in a pink sleeping bag she had with her partying supplies while Cloudy slept in her white and light blue bed, the blanket had a lot of clouds on it as well.

Cloudy oversleeps on her first day of her new job and wakes up while in complete shock, she runs into the bathroom and uses it, she has a vegetable and water only diet, Cloudy then quickly headed to work with Pinkie Pie following her. Cloudy was a very slow runner, and had extremely little stamina, she was panting and sweating after running only six yards, she walks to the neighborhood while tired and entered the restaurant.

Cloudy was three hours late on her first day, her manager let it slide since it was her first day, and because he made the exact same mistake on his first day, which made Cloudy laugh, she got to work afterwards. Cloudy served the meals as fast as she could, the customers were very friendly and social. Pinkie Pie conversed with the customers and told them about her parties, she and Cloudy were especially fond of speaking to the children, they deeply loved them. Cloudy was serving to the customers but was very slow, a dark red unicorn with a dark purple mane and tail come in, he had dark yellow eyes, and his cutie mark was two racing tickets. Cloudy goes to take his order,

"Wait, you're Cloudy, I've always wondered what happened to you." the unicorn said,

"You know me?" Cloudy asked,

"Yes, you were always my favorite flier in the races, I've been watching your races ever since your debut as an adult." the unicorn replied,

"Oh, well, thank you, it's always nice to meet a supporting fan." Cloudy said,

"I was wondering what happened to you, you disappeared all of a sudden, so I tracked you down, I was worried." the unicorn replied,

"I was in an accident three weeks ago, my wings got caught in thorns when I was practicing, they cut my wings, and the cuts got infected, I had to have my wings cut off yesterday so the infection wouldn't spread." Cloudy said while almost crying, Pinkie Pie and the other customers looked at her with sympathy,

"So that's what happened, I'll have a simple sandwich." the unicorn said, and Cloudy memorized it, the chef makes it and Cloudy serves it, the unicorn pays Cloudy more than the actual price,

"Cloudy, if you can, get replacements for your wings, I'd like to see you make a comeback, you're my favorite racer, and it breaks my heart to see you like this." the unicorn said, Cloudy couldn't help but be surprised, she cried a little, happy that one of her fans was offering to help,

"Thank you." Cloudy said as she took the money while smiling, Pinkie Pie was smiling and crying tears of joy at seeing what was going on as well, the unicorn leaves and Cloudy continues her job.

Cloudy was standing and saw a Pegasus colt and an adult male earth pony sitting back-to-back with one another, the earth pony was busy being rude and disrespectful to another waitress while the Pegasus was busy playing a sliding puzzle game and minding his own business. The earth pony moves his front hooves around while arguing, he hits the colt behind him with his front right hoof and hits his head onto the sliding puzzle game, the puzzle falls and breaks, which causes the colt to cry. The earth pony looks at him and stands up, he proceeds to grab the back of his head and bang it against the table, hurting the child,

"Hey!" Pinkie Pie said angrily as she grabbed the child while Cloudy and another waiter restrained him,

"What are you doing?!" Cloudy asked angrily,

"Bad service in a restaurant is one thing, but serving children is another." the earth pony replied angrily,

"Everypony is served here, regardless of age." the waiter said,

"Well you shouldn't, brats like him do nothing but cause trouble and waste food." the earth pony replied,

"Do you have children of your own?!" Pinkie Pie asked angrily,

"No, and I'm glad I don't." the earth pony said, the Pegasus colt was still in pain in his snout, Pinkie Pie checked it to make sure he was fine,

"You would check to see if that brat's fine? You're disgusting!" the earth pony said,

"Hey! Foals like him are the future!" Pinkie Pie said angrily, the manager walks over to him,

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." the manger said,

"I'm not going anywhere until that brat pays for my order." the earth pony replied,

"Hey! Pay for your own things!" Cloudy replied angrily,

"I'm an adult, he's a colt, it is his duty to serve us, adults." the earth pony said, Pinkie Pie and the employees of the restaurant growl,

"Sir, I'm going to need you to come with me." the manager said, and the earth pony follows him to his office, he soon walks out traumatized with his eyes wide open, and soon left the restaurant,

"Hey, it's okay now, he's gone." Pinkie Pie said, and the colt looks around, Cloudy checked his snout, he was fine, he left after several minutes of being served apple juice and Pinkie Pie fixed his sliding puzzle, he smiled and went home after paying everypony.

Cloudy finishes her first day at work and was exhausted,

"I've never had to work that long in my life." Cloudy said,

"You worked eight hours, that's the average time for working." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Phew, I'm exhausted, I need to rest." Cloudy said,

"Cloudy, what did your parents do for work?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Nothing, they got all of their money from racing." Cloudy replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said,

"What about you, Pinkie, what's your job?" Cloudy asked,

"I'm a party planner, I travel from place to place, before that, I was a rock farmer, it's a family business." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, I could never work on a farm, all that work would drive me crazy, I'm more of a city girl." Cloudy said,

"Then why are you living out here in the woods for?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Because I love nature, and I like the quietness, this was a great spot for me to practice flying before I lost my wings." Cloudy replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Do you have any siblings, Cloudy?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Nope, I'm an only child." Cloudy replied,

"I have three siblings, two older, one younger, my oldest sister is Limestone, she's very grumpy, and runs the farm, my next big sister is Maud, she doesn't express herself, but she and I are super duper close, and my baby sister is Marble, she's my twin sister, she doesn't talk much, and is very shy." Pinkie Pie said,

"Wow, you have a pretty diverse family, Pinkie." Cloudy replied,

"I know, meeting my sisters surprises many of my friends." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, that's nice, Pinkie, I'm going to bed, I'm pooped." Cloudy replied, and she slept in her bed with Pinkie Pie sleeping in her sleeping bag.

Cloudy works at the restaurant for several weeks, she was slow at running and accidentally spilled some of the drinks on the tables when she jumped into the air because she forgot that she no longer had her wings at certain times, while it did annoy some customers a little, they did not lose their temper with her because they know that she is still adjusting to a life without wings. Pinkie Pie volunteered to help her with her job on busy days because Cloudy could not keep up during rush hour. Cloudy grew to hate her job, it was slow, she found it tedious and boring, and she was having a hard time, the only redeeming quality was the staff and most of the customers were nice and friendly.

Cloudy goes into the manager's office after a few more days of working and announces that she quits due to the job tiring her out and she was unable to keep up, Pinkie Pie did not blame her for quitting. Cloudy walks out and goes to Pinkie Pie,

"I'm going to need another job." Cloudy said,

"Well, come on, then, let's look for another job." Pinkie Pie replied, and they head into town.

Pinkie Pie and Cloudy walk together to the paper pony and Pinkie Pie buys a newspaper, it cost one bit, she and Cloudy look for a job together. The two look and see every job that was available required an education, which Cloudy did not have since she never went to school,

"Were you homeschooled, Cloudy?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Nope, my parents only taught me how to fly fast and race." Cloudy replied, she keeps looking and saw she was not qualified for any of the jobs, much to her sadness,

"Actually, Cloudy, you might be able to work for me, I can always use an assistant when I throw parties." Pinkie Pie said,

"Sure, I love parties." Cloudy replied happily,

"Yay!" Pinkie Pie said as confetti and came out of the floor and the noise of her party cannon was heard, hurting Cloudy's ears,

"Okay, when the next party comes, you and I perform together, I get paid, and I give you half of it." Pinkie Pie said,

"Deal." Cloudy replied and they shook hooves,

"Want to know something funny, Cloudy, my mom's name is Cloudy Quartz." Pinkie Pie said,

"Oh, wow, what a coincidence, what's your dad's name?" Cloudy asked,

"Igneous Rock." Pinkie Pie said,

"My mom's name was Cirrus, and my dad's name was Stratus, before the two met, my mom was an adrenaline junkie, but racing gave her the most adrenaline, while my dad worked at a cloud factory, he was into racing during that time too, the two became Wonderbolts afterwards, my mom became one so she can have more thrills while my dad became one so he can have a better paying job, the two met, they pursued racing after quitting, and gave birth to me many years later." Cloudy replied, Pinkie Pie smiled at the story,

"Well, Cloudy, my next party isn't in a while, so we can use that time for you to work on your running and other things you'll need to do for being my partner." Pinkie Pie said,

"What other things?" Cloudy asked,

"It'll be better to show you than tell you." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I guess, I hope it's nothing too crazy." Cloudy said, and the two went to sleep.

The next day comes and Pinkie Pie trains Cloudy for her partying techniques, the first one was juggling while on a unicycle, Cloudy dropped all of the bowling pins and fell off the unicycle in less than a minute. The next thing Pinkie Pie had Cloudy do was a goof-off, but Cloudy fell on the ground again while trying to balance herself on a ball, Pinkie Pie also had her try to blow bubbles, they popped before they could fully form. Pinkie Pie tried dancing next, Cloudy was not very athletic with her legs, and could not balance herself, throwing her legs around hurt, she fell while trying to do some moves, square dancing made her dizzy, ballet really hurt her, and she could not do waltz dancing, Pinkie Pie always ended up stepping on her hind hooves. Pinkie Pie decided to have Cloudy try singing, but her voice sounded like screeching, which hurt Pinkie Pie's ears, she stops Cloudy and tries to think of something else.

Pinkie Pie was out of ideas until she remembered stand up comedy, she decided to let Cloudy try to make a joke, she tries to think of one,

"You won't live long if you're cirrus all the time." Cloudy said while grinning nervously,

"You won't be making that many ponies laugh with jokes like that." Pinkie Pie said,

"I know, I've always been terrible at jokes." Cloudy replied, Pinkie Pie could not believe that Cloudy was bad at everything except for flying.

A month and a half passes and Pinkie Pie was going to her next destination to host a birthday party, Cloudy was walking with her, Pinkie Pie was carrying almost all of the supplies,

"Pinkie Pie, wait up." Cloudy said tiredly while she was panting, Pinkie Pie looks back and sees Cloudy was exhausted and sweating, all she was carrying were three stacks of five party hats on her back, along with a sixteenth one on her head, Pinkie Pie slapped her own face with her front left hoof, unable to believe that Cloudy was that physically weak,

"Pinkie, I'm sorry, but I have to be as lightweight but healthy as possible to fly as fast as I can." Cloudy said,

"Don't forget that you're a Pegasus, you don't have an earth pony's strength, but several party hats aren't heavy at all." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Please don't make me do strength training, I hate cardio and lifting weights." Cloudy said, Pinkie Pie shook her head and continued onwards to her destination and Cloudy followed.

The two arrived on time at their destination, they were doing a birthday party for a female Pegasus and her friends, her father was a Wonderbolt, the family and their daughter's twelve friends were enjoying Pinkie Pie's activities,

"Okay now, everypony, I have a partner today, her name is Cloudy, and for those of you who know my family, it is not my mother." Pinkie Pie said, the ponies present chuckle,

"Okay, everypony, please be patient and friendly to her, this is her very first time hosting a party, so don't be too hard on her if she messes up." Pinkie Pie said, and Cloudy is introduced, the ponies cheer.

Cloudy had white paint on her face, red paint on her mouth and cheeks, and blue paint around her eyes, she was wearing a clown's costume as well, much to her embarrassment,

"Papa, look." the birthday Pegasus whispered,

"Her wings, they're gone." the birthday Pegasus' father whispered, the other ponies look on and watch with worry.

Pinkie Pie and Cloudy start by juggling balloons to one another, Cloudy could not catch them, and water splashed on her, ruining her clown makeup. Pinkie Pie played the accordion while Cloudy played the flugelhorn, she was a terrible player, Pinkie Pie let it slide since she was terrible as well. Pinkie Pie tried to change Cloudy's terrible playing with other instruments, she did not know how to play any woodwind instruments, which she tried to play by blowing into where the notes come out, while her notes in the brass instruments were stiff and hurt the ears of many ponies, much to Pinkie Pie's and attendees' shocks. Pinkie Pie gave Cloudy several string instruments, she did not know how to play, which she tried to play by smacking the bow on the instrument instead of moving it on the strings. Pinkie Pie tried a few more instruments, she was especially shocked when she discovered that Cloudy had no clue on how drums and keyboards work, she had to show Cloudy that she has to hit the drums with sticks, she was hitting her head on the drums to play it, and press down on the keys of the keyboard to play it, she was smelling the keyboard trying to play it by rubbing her snout on it, the vibration of the drums and the shaking of the keyboard made her very uncomfortable.

Pinkie Pie decides to make herself float in the air with balloons, she popped them one by one, and stayed in midair even after all of the balloons were popped, the foals clapped while Cloudy watched with shock. She began to have fond memories of the time when she had her wings, which was causing her to tear up, she deeply missed her wings. Pinkie Pie realizes Cloudy was getting sad and floated back down,

"Hold on, everypony, let's see if Cloudy can play at least one instrument." Pinkie Pie said, and gave Cloudy a xylophone, she had no clue on how to play it, she was tapping her hoofs on it, next were sleigh bells, she did not know how to play those either, she was swinging them horizontally slowly, which made no noise, nor the tambourine, she tried to balance it on her snout, nor the harp, she was rubbing the wooden part instead of the strings. Pinkie Pie had one more instrument left, the triangle, she gives it to Cloudy for her to play, and much to her shock, Cloudy did not know how to play it, she was swinging it around like a bell, while she had no clue what the beater was for.

Pinkie Pie canceled the show since she had nothing else she can think of, she decided to release confetti and streamers at the attendees, the fillies jumped and tried to catch them, which made Cloudy smile,

"Okay, everypony, the moment you've all been waiting for, the birthday cake." Pinkie Pie said, and she took it out from her partying supplies, the other ponies cheered, just when they were about to sing "Happy Birthday" to the birthday mare, Cloudy sneezed and made the cake fly everywhere, much to everypony's shocks,

"Cloudy!" Pinkie Pie said sternly,

"Sorry, but I'm allergic to cake." Cloudy replied, shocking Pinkie Pie,

"It's okay, this happened before." the birthday Pegasus' mother said,

"Wait, really?" Pinkie Pie asked with surprise,

"Yeah, my grandmare's allergic to cake, too." the birthday Pegasus replied,

"Well, don't worry, I've got a spare." Pinkie Pie said, which made the ponies smile. Pinkie Pie got out a stack of ice cream with candles on it, which made the ponies excited,

"Say hi to the spare of the birthday cake, the birthday ice cream!" Pinkie Pie said loudly, the birthday Pegasus was about to blow out the candles, but Cloudy sneezed again and splattered the ice cream, the others look at her in shock,

"I'm allergic to ice cream, too." Cloudy said,

"Wait, you're allergic to cake and ice cream?" Scootaloo asked,

"Yeah, just simply smelling them triggers my allergies." Cloudy replied sadly,

"Then what did you do for your birthdays, Cloudy?" Scootaloo asked,

"I had pie, peanut butter and chocolate pie with heavy cream and a graham cracker crust is my favorite." Cloudy replied,

"Ooh, that sounds delicious." Pinkie Pie said,

"It is." Cloudy said,

"Well, let's continue." Pinkie Pie replied, and they continue discussing the past.

Pinkie Pie then tried to give cupcakes, Cloudy sneezed and was allergic to that as well, she was also allergic to muffins, Pinkie Pie looks for other things to give the birthday Pegasus, she finds a pie and gives it to her, Cloudy did not sneeze, much to everypony's relief. Pinkie Pie also gave the attendees chocolate pudding, Cloudy did not sneeze to that, either,

"Actually, Pinkie Pie, I'm allergic to chocolate." the birthday Pegasus said,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said, and took it away, everypony enjoyed the pie, it was a strawberry and pineapple pie,

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie, your party was fantastic." the birthday Pegasus' mother said and paid her,

"Thank you, come on, Cloudy, time to clean up." Pinkie Pie replied, and they do, Pinkie Pie and Cloudy then headed back to Cloudy's house.

The two stay in the home and Cloudy was exhausted,

"Pinkie, are all of your parties like this?" Cloudy asked,

"Yes, it's what makes them fun." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I can't do this, I can't juggle, I can't play instruments, I'm allergic to cake, I'm allergic to ice cream, your supplies are heavy, and wearing that clown outfit and makeup embarrasses me." Cloudy said,

"Are you quitting, then?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, I'm going to do what that fan of mine in the restaurant said, I'm going to get replacements for my wings and try to fly again." Cloudy replied, Pinkie Pie was very happy to hear what she just said,

"Well, in that case, I'm going to be here to help you anyway I can." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thank you, Pinkie, but I don't know if I have enough money to get replacements, and the closest area is way too far, it'll take about a week for me to walk there." Cloudy replied,

"Wait, how do you know where the closest one is at?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I memorized my races before I flew them, I know my way around Equestria pretty well." Cloudy replied,

"Oh, that explains a lot." Pinkie Pie said, she then says "Leave the money to me, it may take a while, but my job has very high pay."

"Okay, thank you. Say, Pinkie, do you have any beer in your supplies?" Cloudy asked,

"What? No. My parties are mostly for foals, I can't serve that to them." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, I see." Cloudy said,

"Just you wait, Cloudy, I'll get you the money you need." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Okay, I'm counting on you." Cloudy said, and the two go to sleep.

Several weeks pass before Pinkie Pie's next party day came up, she went to it, it was a big party, Cloudy just came to watch since she liked parties, Cloudy partied whenever she could, but was careful not to go overboard. Pinkie Pie had an idea and decided to have Cloudy try to act in a play, she proved to be overenthusiastic, and messed up many parts, but the attendees were still entertained and found her to be funny while Pinkie Pie shook her head.

Several weeks pass again and there was no party for a while, Pinkie Pie decided to use that time to get to know about Cloudy better,

"Cloudy, did you have any friends growing up?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, I had plenty, but I couldn't spend time with them because they were in school, several ponies did make fun of me for not having an education, though, but it was nothing too bad. I had a boyfriend when I was a teenager, he was on the flying team in school, but he and I broke up after seven months because he wanted to move, but I wanted to stay with my parents because I loved them so much, while we broke up, we were still on good terms, but we haven't contacted one another ever since." Cloudy replied,

"What was his name?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'll leave that up to your imagination." Cloudy replied with her eyes closed and a smile on her face,

"Pinkie wanna know." Pinkie Pie said in a playful tone while hopping up and down, which made Cloudy chuckle,

"Beg all you want, I'm not going to tell you." Cloudy replied, Pinkie Pie groaned in disappointment,

"I'll let you know if you get it right." Cloudy said,

"Can I have a hint?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Nope, it won't be fun if I give you hints." Cloudy replied,

"Smokey." Pinkie Pie said,

"Nope." Cloudy replied,

"Marshal." Pinkie Pie said,

"Try again." Cloudy replied,

"Cloudy." Pinkie Pie said,

"That's my name." Cloudy replied while laughing,

"Sky." Pinkie Pie said,

"Still wrong." Cloudy replied,

"Cloud Shooter." Pinkie Pie said,

"That's wrong, too." Cloudy replied,

"Cumulus." Pinkie Pie said,

"No, keep trying." Cloudy replied,

"Stinky." Pinkie Pie said,

"No, of course not." Cloudy replied while laughing,

"Fart Gas." Pinkie Pie said,

"No, that's not it, either, he did make himself fly faster by farting, though, it always made me laugh." Cloudy replied while chuckling, Pinkie Pie was laughing at the information as well,

"Icarus." Pinkie Pie said,

"Nope." Cloudy replied,

"Warthog." Pinkie Pie said,

"Keep trying." Cloudy replied,

"Thunder Strike." Pinkie Pie said,

"No." Cloudy replied,

"Lightning Wind." Pinkie Pie said,

"Still wrong." Cloudy replied, and Pinkie Pie keeps guessing until the night ended.

A week passes and Pinkie Pie goes to her next party, Cloudy came along to have fun, everypony clapped and Pinkie Pie was paid a lot. Pinkie Pie tried to have Cloudy try other hobbies while she was waiting for Pinkie Pie to make enough money to get her replacements for her wings, but Cloudy proved to be bad at other things besides flying, she was just barely literate, and did not like reading, even reading comic books and picture books with no words was hard for her, drawing and painting was also too hard for her to understand, she could not even draw or paint a squiggly line, Pinkie Pie understood because drawing and painting with one's mouth is hard. Pinkie Pie tried to teach Cloudy how to bake, but it bored her and she did not pay attention, so the pastries got burnt.

Three weeks pass and Pinkie Pie attends her next party, Cloudy came along again, she was paid highly again, Cloudy pays her house bills and Pinkie Pie counts the money, she then looks at a map Cloudy had on the wall and sees where the nearest hospital for prosthetics was at, it was all the way in Manehattan,

"Hang on, Cloudy, I'll be right back, it won't take long." Pinkie Pie said, and she dashes out.

Pinkie Pie arrived in Manehattan in less than a minute, she goes to the hospital and goes to schedule an appointment,

"How can I help you, ma'am?" a male unicorn asked,

"Uh, yes, I would like to schedule an appointment for prosthetic wings for a pony named Cloudy." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Cloudy the racer?" the male unicorn asked,

"You know her?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, she's a very popular racer in this city." the male unicorn replied,

"Well, she was in an accident, and her wings got cut and infected, so the doctors had to cut them off." Pinkie Pie said,

"Oh, so that's why she disappeared all of a sudden, demand is going to be high for her to return, I'll try to get it scheduled as soon as possible, it's going to cost a lot, too." the male unicorn replied,

"How much?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Cheapest one is five hundred bits." the male unicorn said, Pinkie Pie was happy, she had enough money to pay for it,

"When is the appointment?" Pinkie Pie asked, the unicorn keeps organizing things,

"Will seven days from now do?" the male unicorn asked, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"Yes, that's fine, thank you." Pinkie Pie replied, she left as the unicorn smiled.

Pinkie Pie arrived at Cloudy's home to deliver the news,

"Good news, Cloudy, you're getting new wings one week from now." Pinkie Pie said, Cloudy began to tear up and she hugged Pinkie Pie,

"Oh, thank you, Pinkie, I can't wait to fly again." Cloudy said as she cried tears of joy,

"I can't wait, either." Pinkie Pie replied, and they let go and went to sleep.

A week passes and they went to Manehattan, many of Cloudy's fans in the city were there to greet her, she waved at them while smiling, some wanted autographs,

"Sorry, everypony, but no autographs today." Cloudy said, she and Pinkie Pie went to the hospital, the foals waved at her, she smiled and waved back at them.

Cloudy's turn came and Pinkie Pie waited for the procedure to finish, she played with the foals while their parents smiled, several of them were fans of Cloudy. Cloudy came out and had black plastic wings, she liked them, Pinkie Pie and Cloudy paid the hospital and they leave. Cloudy had pictures of herself taken by the paparazzi and she smiled for them,

"Hold on a minute, everypony, I have to test them when I get home, I'll let you all know if I can fly again or not." Cloudy said, and her fans let her through with Pinkie Pie leading her, she was also well known for her parties, the two head onwards to Cloudy's home.

The two arrive at Cloudy's home and she tries out her new wings, but she did not know how to use them, she tried to fly with them and fell, Cloudy was shocked,

"Oh no, this can't be!" Cloudy said with shock,

"What's wrong?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I can't fly like before, I have to start all over." Cloudy replied, Pinkie Pie was shocked,

"I have to relearn how to fly again, I need somepony to time me when I do fly." Cloudy said,

"I have a stopwatch, and balloons to help me fly." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Wait, this might actually work, but I need to learn how to fly again, first." Cloudy said,

"I'm here, Cloudy, we'll get through this together." Pinkie Pie replied, Cloudy smiles and she starts practicing.

Cloudy starts flying in the sky and was teaching herself how to fly again, she was falling and crashing a lot, her muscle memory eventually kicks in and she was flying again, but was having trouble, she could not get herself to fly evenly. Two weeks pass and Cloudy was flying better, but she was still having trouble, Pinkie Pie was supporting her every day. Cloudy keeps crashing and was having trouble turning and strafing, she lands perfectly again for the first time,

"Good job, Cloudy, you landed perfectly for the first time." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thank you, but my stumps feel weird." Cloudy replied, Pinkie Pie looks and was very shocked at what she saw, Cloudy's stumps for her wings were purple and swollen, Cloudy notices Pinkie Pie's expression and looks, she screams in shock at seeing her body reject the prosthetics. Several Pegasi who were flying by hear her and fly to her, they see her infected stumps and they quickly fly down and grab her, they carry her to the hospital and the prosthetics were removed.

Cloudy goes home with the infection going down and she walks to Pinkie Pie with tears in her eyes,

"I can't believe this, I'm never going to fly ever again, Pinkie." Cloudy said and Pinkie Pie hugged her while crying, Pinkie Pie got an idea,

"Hang on, Cloudy, I have an idea." Pinkie Pie said, and she goes to Manehattan.

Pinkie Pie arrives into the city and Cloudy's fans go to her to ask her about how Cloudy was doing,

"Everypony, listen to me, Cloudy's prosthetics got infected, and had them removed, she can't fly like before, either, you all are her fans, you all have to support her." Pinkie Pie said, her fans become shocked and sad, so they give Pinkie Pie some money, and a map to another hospital that does prosthetics in Fillydelphia, Pinkie Pie thanked them and went back to Cloudy's home.

A few days pass and Cloudy went to town, and to her surprise, she began receiving money and supporting letters from her fans. Cloudy was surprised and ran to her home and Pinkie Pie,

"Pinkie, look, my fans are sending me money and letters." Cloudy said, Pinkie Pie gasped in excitement while her party cannon went off and streamers and confetti flew everywhere,

"They're opening their hearts to you, they want you to come back, come on, Cloudy, let's go." Pinkie Pie said, and she dashes to Fillydelphia while carrying Cloudy on her back, she exclaimed in shock in the process.

The two arrive in Fillydelphia and go to the hospital, her fans there wave at her as well, some of her fans were Wonderbolts, they enter the hospital and they scheduled an appointment, they had to wait for hours, so the two spent time with the foals. Cloudy's appointment came and she got new wings, they were silver and metallic, they looked almost just like regular Pegasus wings,

"Come on, let's test them out." Cloudy said, Pinkie Pie nodded and the two head home.

Cloudy flies around and her muscle memory kicked in, she flew around much better than the plastic wings, Cloudy was able to fly evenly, and was able to turn and strafe easily, but there was one problem, she could not fly anywhere near as fast as she used to, she was going slower than the clouds in the sky.

Cloudy flies down and walks her wings fold up, she walks to Pinkie Pie,

"Pinkie, I'm going to have to build up my speed again, I need that stopwatch now." Cloudy said,

"Sure, what was your record before you lost your wings?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I was able to fly around my house in four seconds before I lost my wings." Cloudy replied, Pinkie Pie looked and saw the area around her home was actually a bit small, Pinkie Pie agreed and took a yellow stopwatch out of her mane, much to Cloudy's surprise,

"Ready when you are." Pinkie Pie said, and Cloudy flew up and got into position,

"Go!" Pinkie Pie said, and Cloudy flew around her home, it took her twenty two seconds to do one lap,

"Let's try again." Cloudy said,

"Go!" Pinkie Pie replied, and Cloudy flew again, her time that time was twenty three seconds,

"Again." Cloudy said, and she flew back up,

"Go!" Pinkie Pie said, and Cloudy flew again, her time was twenty five seconds,

"What?! I keep getting slower!" Cloudy said in an annoyed tone,

"You're probably tired, you should rest a bit and try again tomorrow." Pinkie Pie replied,

"But I want to keep training until I'm back to normal." Cloudy said,

"You need to rest too, Cloudy, come on now, let's try again tomorrow." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Wait, just one more time, please, Pinkie?" Cloudy asked,

"Alright, one more." Pinkie Pie replied, and Cloudy got into position,

"Go!" Pinkie Pie said, and Cloudy did one more lap, her time was thirty seven seconds, much to her shock,

"See, Cloudy, your body's probably tired, let's try again tomorrow." Pinkie Pie said,

"Alright, and don't worry, my parents made a special diet to make me as light but healthy as possible so I can fly faster, it's easy to make." Cloudy replied,

"Okay, but you're responsible for your own health." Pinkie Pie said, and the two went to sleep.

The next day comes and Cloudy's diet was nothing but raw fruits and vegetables and water, her dishes were very big, it looked like she had four hundred calories total of fruits and vegetables. The two head out after an hour and Cloudy trains, her time after her first lap was fifteen seconds, Cloudy smiled at her improved time. Cloudy does one lap after another all day, her time was different each time, but it was always between the ten and twenty second bracket. Cloudy tries again the next day and her time was still the same, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day. A week passes and Cloudy does another lap, her time was ten seconds, Cloudy growls at not improving her time after a week,

"Patience, Cloudy, I know you're frustrated, but this takes time, it took me a long time to get my parties right for everypony, years, in fact." Pinkie Pie said,

"It took me years to be fast as I was, too, but I'm not happy I have to start over, it feels like the one thing I was good at for my entire life has been taken away from me." Cloudy replied,

"Well, you have to fight to get it back, and remember, Cloudy, you're not alone, your fans are sending you money and letters almost every day, get back to how you used to be, for your fans." Pinkie Pie said, Cloudy became even more determined and flew another lap, her time was nine seconds,

"Oh, hey, I did a little better that time." Cloudy said,

"Remember, Cloudy, safety first, and let's keep going, it may take a while, but I'm sure you'll be back to how you used to be, eventually." Pinkie Pie replied, Cloudy nodded while smiling and kept flying.

Two weeks pass and Cloudy did another lap, her time was four seconds, Cloudy was very surprised, she flew around again three more times to make sure, her time was four seconds again,

"Yes! I'm back to my regular flying speed!" Cloudy said while jumping up and down happily,

"Now you can get back to racing!" Pinkie Pie replied,

"No, not yet, my real training begins now, let's start tomorrow." Cloudy said, Pinkie Pie agrees and they sleep.

Cloudy woke Pinkie Pie up early, Cloudy flies while tired and could not see well, Pinkie Pie was also tired, Cloudy lands and her time was five seconds,

"Oh, I was one second short." Cloudy said,

"You train while sleepy?" Pinkie Pie asked while yawning,

"Yeah, not just while I'm tired, I also need to fly when I'm hungry, when I'm thirsty, when I have to use the bathroom, and when I'm sick, I have to get four seconds on all of them and keep it." Cloudy replied, Pinkie Pie was a bit uncomfortable, but she went on. Cloudy flies while she was tired and her vision was a bit blurry, she landed again and her time was six seconds. Cloudy tried again and her time was six seconds again, she got tired and dizzy and fell asleep, Pinkie Pie carried her into the house and she went back to sleep as well.

Three weeks pass and Cloudy paid the house bills again, she was receiving money and letters from her fans in Manehattan and Fillydelphia. Cloudy flew early in the morning while she was tired, she was dizzy, and her vision was blurry, but she continued, she eventually hit the four second mark.

Cloudy changed her training again the next day, she was now flying while hungry and thirsty, she was having trouble, and almost no energy, her body was also breaking down what little muscle she had in her body for energy, she did a lap but crashed when she tried to land, she growled at failing,

"What is my time?" Cloudy asked in a calm but irritated voice,

"Seven seconds." Pinkie Pie replied, Cloudy growled again, she flew again and crashed again, her time that time was ten seconds,

"Cloudy, you're doing worse, you should have a meal and rest, and then try again when you get hungry or thirsty again." Pinkie Pie said,

"Oh, alright." Cloudy replied, and they went in.

Cloudy has a meal and drank water and then waited until she was hungry and thirsty again, she tried again and landed fine, but her time was six seconds, Cloudy grunted and stomped her front left hoof on the ground. Cloudy flew again and her time that time was five seconds, Cloudy growled while clutching her head with her front hooves. Cloudy did another lap and saw her time was four seconds,

"Okay, I got it, let's try again." Cloudy said, and she did another lap, her time was five seconds again,

"Nope, you have to keep practicing." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, I now know I can do this one, too, let's rest, I'm pooped." Cloudy replied, and she and Pinkie Pie went into the house.

Cloudy hit her record time while being hungry and thirsty easily the next day she trained, so she went on to do her next training session, training when she had to use the bathroom. Cloudy had a big meal and flew around immediately, she had to vomit, but held it in, she was also nauseous, she landed and vomited, her time was four seconds, much to her surprise,

"Hang on, I'm not done yet." Cloudy said, and she flew, this time, she was holding her stomach, she groaned while flying but still went on, her time was four seconds again,

"Hold on a minute, Pinkie." and she went inside to use the bathroom, she came out after drinking more water,

"Okay, last one." Cloudy said, and she flew around her house again, this time, clutching her groin, she landed and while almost crashing, her time was four seconds,

"Wow, you got four seconds in one try on all three of them." Pinkie Pie said,

"It's probably because I need to use the bathroom, speaking of the bathroom, I'll be right back, I'm literally about to burst." Cloudy replied, and she used the bathroom again, she came back out and went to Pinkie Pie,

"Let's try again tomorrow, I need to see if I can keep my time." Cloudy said, Pinkie Pie nodded and they rested for the day.

The next day comes and Cloudy checked her mailbox in the town, it was filled with money and letters, she smiled and carried it to her home, she made herself have to use the bathroom again, she flew around while holding her vomit, bowels, and bladder, she finished and her time was three seconds, Cloudy smiled and then flew into her house to use the bathroom, Pinkie Pie heard her vomiting and covered her ears.

Cloudy walked out while smiling and looks at Pinkie Pie,

"There's one more training for me to do, it might take a while, though." Cloudy said,

"Okay, I'll be waiting." Pinkie Pie replied while smiling, Cloudy smiled back and flew up into the sky, she flew as high as she can and stayed on the highest cloud, Pinkie Pie slept in her sleeping bag and rested well.

Three days pass and Pinkie Pie was out and seeing if Cloudy was back,

"Okay, I'm ready." Cloudy said when she flew down, her voice was scratchy, her throat was itchy, her snout was runny, her body was pale, and her eyes were puffy,

"Uh, are you okay, Cloudy?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"This is my next training, I have to fly while I'm sick." Cloudy replied, she then coughed a little, Pinkie Pie was worried,

"Okay, ready, set, go." Pinkie Pie said, and Cloudy flew, she was slow and dizzy, she sweated a lot, and crashed when she tried to land, her time was forty five seconds. Cloudy groaned while she stayed on the ground,

"Cloudy, I don't think this is safe." Pinkie Pie said,

"It's a part of my training, I have to do it." Cloudy replied,

"No, it may be your training, but health and safety always comes first." Pinkie Pie said, Cloudy groaned in disappointment, she soon fell asleep, Pinkie Pie sighed and carried her into the house and she slept.

The next day comes and Cloudy was still sick, but she flew and hit the four second mark, she did it again the second and third times as well,

"Yes! I beat it!" Cloudy said,

"Your training is complete." Pinkie Pie replied,

"No, it isn't, there is one more type of training I have to do here." Cloudy said,

"And what would that be?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I need alcohol, I need to fly around while intoxicated." Cloudy replied, Pinkie Pie screamed out of shock,

"No! Alcohol is very bad for you." Pinkie Pie said,

"But I can't complete my training without it." Cloudy replied,

"No, Cloudy, just think about how upset your fans would be if they found out you were flying around while drunk, they'll lose their faith in you, and they'll stop supporting you." Pinkie Pie said, Cloudy was shocked and thought about it,

"Alright, I'll skip it, to keep my fans and supporters happy." Cloudy replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Come with me, Pinkie, it's time for me to train at the obstacle course." Cloudy said, and she flew to behind her house.

Cloudy flies and was at a clear spot behind her home, there were clouds everywhere, and other floating obstacles, she flies down and walks forward,

"Okay, Pinkie isn't..." Cloudy said,

"I'm ready to time you." Pinkie Pie replied when she was in front of Cloudy, which caused her to shriek,

"When did you get here?!" Cloudy asked with shock,

"Three minutes ago." Pinkie Pie replied,

"But... it took me three minutes to fly here." Cloudy said,

"Well, my family has a special way of traveling, I don't think you'd understand, that aside, let's get started." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Right, we do the same trainings as before, my record time here is one minute." Cloudy said, Pinkie Pie nodded.

Cloudy flew up while Pinkie Pie stayed in the air with balloons, she held the stopwatch in her front right hoof,

"Go!" Pinkie Pie said, and Cloudy flew, she went through the ring shaped clouds and dodged the blowers, she was doing good until they heard a snap, Pinkie Pie looks and sees Cloudy's wings have broke in half, Pinkie Pie's eyes pop out of their sockets when she saw Cloudy falling. Cloudy crashes onto the ground really hard and Pinkie Pie teleported to in front of her,

"Are you okay, Cloudy?" Pinkie Pie asked very worriedly, Cloudy groaned and stood up, she and Pinkie Pie had horrified faces when they realized that both of Cloudy's wings snapped in half,

"How did this happen?!" Cloudy asked with shock,

"It must be wear and tear damage, let's go back and see if we can find somepony to repair them." Pinkie Pie replied, Cloudy nodded and they went home.

The two look and see they can get it repaired at the same hospital in Fillydelphia, they go to the city and Cloudy's fans gasp when they see her prosthetic wings were broken. An appointment was set and Cloudy waited,

"Pinkie, I've been wondering, where did you grow up?" Cloudy asked,

"Rockville, Western Equestria, on a rock farm, there was no happiness or fun there." Pinkie Pie replied,

"You sound like you had a bad foalhood." Cloudy said,

"It was mixed, but I did have a loving family." Pinkie Pie replied, Cloudy smiled,

"I'm from Cloudsdale, I lived there for a few years, my parents then moved to Baltimare until I finished school, they then moved to Canterlot, I moved to my current home five years ago." Cloudy said,

"Did you build that home?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, it was already there before I moved there, and I can't build, I tried carpentry when I was a teenager, I dropped a lot of wood, hurt myself with the hammer, and almost injured myself with a saw once." Cloudy replied, Pinkie Pie was a little uncomfortable by the information,

"When is your birthday? I'd like to plan it." Pinkie Pie said,

"February 7th." Cloudy replied,

"Oh, it already passed." Pinkie Pie said in a somewhat sad tone,

"Yeah, I turned twenty five." Cloudy replied, Pinkie Pie smiled while surprised that Cloudy was older than her.

Cloudy's appointment comes and she goes, she comes back after a few minutes with her wings fixed, they head home and rest for the day. The next day comes and Cloudy flies around the obstacle course, Pinkie Pie timed her while staying in the air with balloons, Cloudy flew to her to see her time, it was one minute and ten seconds,

"Not bad for first time." Pinkie Pie said,

"I know, I might get it next time, here goes round two." Cloudy replied, and she tried again, she went through the clouds and evaded the blowers, she finishes and her time was one minute and nine seconds, she tried three more times before getting exhausted, the time was the same as the first two attempts, much to Cloudy's dismay. Pinkie Pie and Cloudy headed home and slept.

Pinkie Pie and Cloudy do the obstacle course every day for the next two months, Cloudy was able to hit her record number, but was not able to keep it, Cloudy pants and walks to Pinkie Pie,

"Pinkie, I appreciate that you helped me, but I'm having a burnout, I'm going to stop flying." Cloudy said, Pinkie Pie gasped in shock,

"Are you quitting?!" Pinkie Pie asked in shock,

"No, not quitting, taking a break, I've been flying in races ever since I was a filly, and I've done it all my life, it's starting to tire me out, I'm going to rest, and when I feel like it, I'll practice again. Thank you for all of your help, Pinkie, but I need a break, and when I'm ready again, I'll come find you so you can time me again, thank you for everything." Cloudy replied, and the two hugged one another, and Pinkie Pie left.

Pinkie Pie, Cloudy, and Scootaloo were still in Scootaloo's house,

"Wait, what happened to her fans?" Scootaloo asked,

"I told them Cloudy was taking a break, but they still sent her money and letters to support her." Pinkie Pie replied,

"How long was your break, Cloudy?" Scootaloo asked,

"It's been three years already, that fast." Cloudy replied,

"Well, we can practice tomorrow after I finish work tomorrow, I know several open areas to fly around here." Pinkie Pie said, Cloudy smiled,

"How did you find this place, Cloudy?" Scootaloo asked,

"It was easy, Pinkie Pie has saved Equestria several times, and her parties are famous throughout the land, her address is well known almost everywhere." Cloudy replied,

"Oh." Scootaloo said,

"Want to watch me practice tomorrow?" Cloudy asked,

"Sure, but I got school tomorrow." Scootaloo replied,

"Okay, it's settled, let's meet up after we're done tomorrow." Pinkie Pie said, and she went to Sugarcube Corner while Cloudy stayed with Scootaloo and slept.

Afternoon comes the next day and the three meet up, Scootaloo got in a little trouble with her guardians for letting a stranger stay with her during the night. The three walk away from Ponyville and in an open field, Pinkie Pie and Scootaloo floated in the air with balloons,

"Alright, Cloudy, whenever you're ready." Pinkie Pie said, and Cloudy unfolded her metallic wings and was ready to fly,

"Go!" Pinkie Pie said as she activated the stopwatch, and Cloudy flew.

Pinkie Pie and Scootaloo cheered her on while Cloudy flew to see if she can fly at her old speed, but halfway through the course, the wings snapped in half again, Cloudy began to fall, Pinkie Pie and Scootaloo become shocked,

"Cloudy, no!" Scootaloo said in shock, Pinkie Pie was about to teleport to save her, but a rainbow stream flew by and caught her. Pinkie Pie and Scootaloo float down and Pinkie Pie released the balloons, Scootaloo gasped in awe at seeing Cloudy getting carried down,

"Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo said in awe, Rainbow Dash flew down and carried Cloudy, she walked to Pinkie Pie and Scootaloo and then turned around,

"Thank you." Cloudy said,

"Don't sweat it. Wait. Cloudy? Is that you?" Rainbow Dash asked, Cloudy nodded,

"You know her, Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked,

"No, I don't know her personally, but she was called the fastest racer in Equestria a few years ago, I've always wanted to race against her, but she disappeared suddenly three years ago." Rainbow Dash replied,

"I got in an accident and had my wings removed." Cloudy said,

"Oh, so that's what happened." Rainbow Dash replied,

"I met her the day she lost her wings, I've been helping her fly again." Pinkie Pie said,

"Really? That's awesome, I'll help, too." Rainbow Dash replied,

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash, I can really use it, but I need to get new wings." Cloudy said,

"Wait, Cloudy, I might be able to fix this, hold on." Scootaloo replied, and she ran home. Scootaloo came back with her scooter and repairing tools, she works on Cloudy's wings and fixes them,

"Wow, thank you, I'm ready, Rainbow Dash." Cloudy said, and the two flew together while Pinkie Pie and Scootaloo floated with balloons.

Cloudy flies and tries to get back to her regular flying speed while Rainbow Dash helped Cloudy on when to flap her wings and when not to while flying for a month. Cloudy finishes a lap and checks her time, it was fifty seconds,

"No way, I've gotten faster than ever before." Cloudy said,

"See, it's all about when you flap your wings." Rainbow Dash replied,

"So that was what I was doing wrong, there's a race tomorrow in Cloudsdale, I'm ready to go to it." Cloudy said,

"We'll be there." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Wait, but, Pinkie, you're not a Pegasus, you'll fall right through the clouds." Cloudy said,

"Don't worry, Cloudy, Pinkie will find a way." Scootaloo replied,

"Also, I do a lot better in my races when there are ponies cheering for me." Cloudy said,

"Don't you worry, Cloudy, I know just the ponies to cheer you on." Rainbow Dash replied, and she flew away, Cloudy also left to get ready, Pinkie Pie and Scootaloo float down and they head home.

Rainbow Dash finds out the time the race will take place and where, she informed Pinkie Pie and Scootaloo, they went to Cloudsdale and sat to watch Cloudy race, a lot of Pegasi were present, and they were surprised to see Cloudy make a comeback.

The race starts and the Pegasi fly, everypony cheers on their favorite Pegasus and watch in awe at Cloudy fly with her prosthetic wings, she was in last place for now, she keeps flying and was gaining speed. Cloudy hears her name being cheered and saw Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, Bow Hothoof, Windy Whistles, the Wonderbolts, her fans, and to her surprise, some of the Pegasi from her previous races, they were all there to cheer her on, their support for her inspires her to do better. Cloudy keeps flying and began passing the other racers, she eventually makes it to third place, her fans cheer for her and it inspired her more, she eventually makes it to second place and they cheer louder, Cloudy soon took first place and flew past the finish line and won the race.

Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles cheer extremely loudly and shoot out fireworks that exploded and made Cloudy's face appear, Cloudy cried tears of joy and smiled at the fireworks, she also heard Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie cheer, they sounded exactly the same. The crowd cheers and the interviewers go to her with microphones,

"What a comeback, do you have anything you'd like to say, Cloudy?" a male Pegasus asked,

"Yes, I'd like to thank my fans for cheering me on, on my three year journey to here, they have sent me money and letters to support me and inspire me to keep going. I'd also like to thank everypony who has come here to cheer me on, I really wouldn't have won without their support. I'd also like to give out a special thanks to the pink earth pony in the crowd over there, Pinkie Pie." Cloudy said, and Pinkie Pie stood up and waved at them,

"She was the first one to help me in my journey with me losing my wings and getting here, she has been with me since the very beginning, and it was her who let my fans know about my situation. I would also like to thank a unicorn fan of mine I met three years ago in a restaurant, he was the one who wanted me to come back, and if he's watching, I want to give him a big thank you for suggesting me to come back and get new wings in the first place, so thank you all for coming here, thank you for supporting me, and especially, thank you, Pinkie Pie, for being with me since the beginning." Cloudy said,

"You're welcome!" Pinkie Pie said loudly,

"I'd like to go home now, everypony, and for all of you, Cloudy is back, and in full swing!" Cloudy said, the crowd cheered while Cloudy flew home with her gold trophy.

Cloudy headed to her home and entered, it was dark, the lights came on and streamers, confetti, and a party cannon went off,

"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie said loudly, Cloudy looked and saw a banner that said "Congratulations, Cloudy" on it, a pie in the back, and many of her fans were present, Cloudy smiled and walked forward.

"Thank you, all of you, I wouldn't have made it here without you guys." Cloudy said, she saw the unicorn she saw at the restaurant coming to her,

"It's good to see you're back." the unicorn said,

"I know, it feels good to be back, I'll be looking forward to hearing you cheer me on." Cloudy replied, the unicorn smiled.

A Pegasus with a dark blue coat, a white mane and tail, yellow eyes, and a cutie mark of a dark blue peaked cap walking to her, they hugged one another,

"Congratulations, Cloudy." the Pegasus said,

"Thank you, Air Force, it's nice to see you again after all these years." Cloudy replied,

"Do you want to get back together?" Air Force asked,

"I'll think about it." Cloudy replied, Air Force smiled and walked away. Pinkie Pie hopped to Cloudy,

"Who was that?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"That's him, Pinkie, my ex-boyfriend." Cloudy replied,

"Your ex-boyfriend's name was Air Force? I never would've guessed that." Pinkie Pie said, Cloudy chuckled,

"Well, picture time, everypony!" Pinkie Pie said, and they get ready to take a picture, everypony was in the picture, with Cloudy in the center, Pinkie Pie to her right, the unicorn fan from the restaurant to her left, and Air Force to Pinkie Pie's right, they all smile and the camera goes off.

Everypony parties until it was night time, they all went home the next morning. Cloudy went back to Ponyville the next day to race against Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Scootaloo watched, the race was around Ponyville. The two fly and Rainbow Dash won, she did not do the sonic rainboom, they all hear Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles cheering loudly from the clouds at Rainbow Dash winning, the four ponies chuckle and Cloudy flies into the sky and to her next destination, forever grateful of Pinkie Pie and the other ponies for helping her get her job, career, and dream back.

Gynophobia

Pinkie Pie was walking around Ponyville and was looking around at how many friends she had, she was curious about how many more friends she will be able to make. Maud Pie walks to Pinkie Pie while she was enjoying the view of the town,

"Pinkie." Maud Pie said, Pinkie Pie faced her,

"Maud!" Pinkie Pie said loudly and happily and hugged her,

"Pinkie, you can let go now, I've got an envelope for you, Derpy got the mail mixed up again." Maud Pie said,

"Oh, that Derpy, always making that mistake." Pinkie Pie replied in a playful tone,

"Well, Pinkie, here's your mail, you should read it, it looks important." Maud Pie said, and she walks back home.

Pinkie Pie goes to Sugarcube Corner and into her room, she opens the envelope and reads the letter, her eyes pop out of their sockets when she read the letter,

"Dear, Pinkie,

This is Ice Blower, I'm a stallion now, I'm sure you remember me, we met when I was a colt. A lot of things have happened, I've got a female best friend six years ago, and a girlfriend four years ago, she and I are getting married, the wedding is in two weeks from now. My sister is going to be the maid of honor, and my female best friend is a bridesmaid, I want you to come to my wedding, as a bridesmaid, you are just as important to me as my best friend, sister, and my bride-to-be, hope you can make it.

P.S.

I'll be sending the bridesmaid dress to you next week, hope you like it when it comes."

Pinkie Pie was in utter surprise, too surprised to say anything, she fell apart into pieces at the fact that she was asked to be a bridesmaid, she was completely honored to be chosen. Pinkie Pie reforms herself and was extremely excited, she was also excited about what her bridesmaid dress will look like. She wondered if she should tell her friends about the wedding, but decided to wait to see how things go, but she was certain that her family will be present because they knew Ice Blower's parents.

A week passes and Pinkie Pie was in Sugarcube Corner with Maud Pie, they were watching over Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake, while the Cake twins had fun with Pinkie Pie, they were bored with Maud Pie. Pinkie Pie had Marble Pie come last month to watch and play with the Cake twins, but Marble Pie was too shy and ended up hiding from them, the Cake twins thought she was playing a game of hide and seek. Limestone Pie was called three weeks ago, and her attitude and temper scared the twins, Carrot Cake and Cup Cake had to hide their children while Pinkie Pie had to hold Limestone Pie back since she made the twins cry.

Derpy flies in with a box on her back, she almost fell and damaged it,

"Pinkie Pie, your bridesmaid dress is here." Derpy said, Pinkie Pie became ecstatic and quickly grabbed the box and ripped it apart, the dress was pink-magenta with short sleeves on the front legs, the skirt of the dress was closed, there was no opening in the front like how most skirts for ponies had, the bodice had green leaves as decorations on it with a red rose in the center of the chest area, two red roses also came with the dress for the bridesmaid to wear in her mane.

Pinkie Pie loved the design, she went up to her room with Maud Pie, she took a full body mirror out of her tail and held it up. Pinkie Pie tries on the dress and puts the roses in her mane at the sides, she loved it, she decided not to style her mane and tail because she thought it was pretty enough, and was ready to go to the wedding. Maud Pie looked at Pinkie Pie with a raised eyebrow,

"Pinkie, what's going on?" Maud Pie asked,

"Do you remember Ice Blower, Maud?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Of course I do, his parents were friends with ours." Maud Pie replied,

"Well, you see, his wedding is in one week from today, and he wants me to be one of his bridesmaids!" Pinkie Pie said loudly and excitedly, Maud Pie just simply smiled,

"Did you ask if you can bring any family or friends?" Maud Pie asked, Pinkie Pie became speechless,

"No, no I have not." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'll be back then." Maud Pie said, and she dashed out, she came back after a few seconds,

"He said you can only bring your immediate family." Maud Pie said,

"Aw, that means I can't bring Applejack and her family." Pinkie Pie replied,

"The Cake family considers you family too, right? You can bring them with us, too." Maud Pie said,

"Whoo-hoo! I'll go inform them." Pinkie Pie replied, and she dashed to the Cake family with the gown being left in place, Maud Pie caught it and put it back in the box. Pinkie Pie dashed to the Cake family with a pink trail behind her,

"Mr. and Mrs. Cake, I have good news." Pinkie Pie said,

"Really, Pinkie Pie?" Carrot Cake asked,

"Yes, I'm going to a wedding and I'm going to be a bridesmaid, because of that, I can invite my immediate family, and since you two consider me a daughter, you two and your children can come." Pinkie Pie said,

"Really? That's wonderful, Pinkie Pie, we'd be honored to attend." Cup Cake replied, Pinkie Pie became extremely happy and ran back to Sugarcube Corner,

"Maud! Good news, they're attending!" Pinkie Pie said, Maud Pie had a small smile on her face, Pinkie Pie sighs and begins to look back on when she first met Ice Blower.

Pinkie Pie was on the train and was going to Southwestern Equestria, Igneous Rock Pie sent her to go see a family whose parents were friends with him and Cloudy Quartz. The parents of the family were Avalanche and his wife, Snow Blower, they were ice farmers, they have passed away recently, there were only two ponies there, Ice Blower, and his older sister, Frosty. Pinkie Pie was sent because Limestone Pie and Marble Pie were busy running the farm, and Maud Pie was in college, Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz made a promise to help their children if and when they pass away if their children were still young, Frosty was thirteen years old while Ice Blower was eight years old. Pinkie Pie arrives into Southwestern Equestria and gets off the train,

"Hello, Ice Blower, Frosty, I'm here." Pinkie Pie said loudly while the station was crowded with ponies, the ponies look around and try to help Pinkie Pie find Frosty and Ice Blower,

"I'm over here." a female voice said, Pinkie Pie looked and saw a female earth pony, she had a white coat, a long sky blue mane and tail, blue eyes, and her cutie mark was a white snowflake, Pinkie Pie deduced that she was Frosty. Pinkie Pie walks to her and shakes her front left hoof,

"I'm Pinkamena Diane Pie, daughter of Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yes, I've heard, I really appreciate Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz sending help to us, we really need it." Frosty replied,

"Where's Ice Blower?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Oh, uh, he... couldn't come along, he has a condition." Frosty replied,

"Aw, that's too bad, well, take me to your place, I'll try to help however I can." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thank you, this way, then." Frosty replied, and the two head to their home.

Pinkie Pie arrives at Frosty's home and sees there was ice everywhere, and it was cold,

"Brrrr, I should've brought my winter clothes." Pinkie Pie said,

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Frosty replied,

"How do you guys preserve the ice?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Unicorn help, they were nice enough to use their magic to keep the house cold enough for us to harvest ice." Frosty replied,

"Tell them they have my thanks, my parents were thinking about buying ice from you two when the summer heat comes." Pinkie Pie said,

"How would you like the ice?" Frosty asked,

"Just simple ice cubes for our drinks." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, okay, one bit per ice cube." Frosty said, Pinkie Pie smiled.

Frosty goes to a closed door and she knocks on it,

"Ice Blower, our guest is here." Frosty said,

"Is it a boy or girl?" Ice Blower asked from the other side of the door,

"Girl." Frosty replied, Ice Blower screams out of shock and hides in his room,

"Hey, no need to be scared." Pinkie Pie said,

"Go away, you girls are mean." Ice Blower replied,

"No, we're not." Pinkie Pie said,

"Go away, before I have a panic attack." Ice Blower replied, Pinkie Pie was confused, and left to go ask Frosty, but she had a job for Pinkie Pie to do, moving the ice around. Pinkie Pie was cold and uncomfortable, some of the ice that she moved with her snout stuck to her lips, she moved back to get the ice off, she was so busy, she forgot to ask Frosty what was wrong with Ice Blower, she remembered while trying to sleep,

"Oh well, I'll ask her next time." Pinkie Pie said to herself and she fell asleep.

The next day comes and Frosty was leaving when Pinkie Pie woke up,

"Where are you going, Frosty?" Pinkie Pie asked tiredly,

"Work, I'm working as a bank accountant, the job's pretty fun to me." Frosty replied,

"That's great to hear, always remember, if it's not fun, then it's not worth doing." Pinkie Pie said, Frosty chuckled,

"I wish it was that way, well, I'm off to work, Pinkamena, see you this afternoon." Frosty replied,

"Okay, bye." Pinkie Pie said, and Frosty left. Pinkie Pie hears a door open and walking, she realized that Ice Blower must have come out, she looks and saw the colt, he had a light blue coat, a long white mane and tail, and sky blue eyes, he did not have a cutie mark yet,

"Good morning." Pinkie Pie said, Ice Blower looks and sees her, she smiled, Ice Blower saw her and screamed in fear, he quickly runs out of the house,

"Hey, wait!" Pinkie Pie said while she ran after him.

Pinkie Pie runs after Ice Blower and they were in town,

"Hey, wait, I just wanna talk." Pinkie Pie said, and Ice Blower lost her in a crowd, Pinkie Pie looks around for him and does not see him anywhere, Pinkie Pie's right eye twitched at the fact that he was avoiding her, she walks to back to the house,

"Why would somepony avoid me for? I'm the living embodiment of fun." Pinkie Pie said to herself, and she went back to the house she was staying at.

Pinkie Pie was back at Frosty's and Ice Blower's homes, she punched the ice to make sculptures of herself, Ice Blower, and Frosty, they were all smiling and happy, she also carved words at the bottom of her sculptures,

"Best and happiest family ever" the bottom of the sculptures read.

Pinkie Pie hears voices outside and saw a group of colts walking together, she saw Ice Blower was with them, he waves bye at them and they leave, he enters the house and was scared, he walks in slowly and looks around, he looks and saw Pinkie Pie,

"Welcome home." Pinkie Pie said, Ice Blower screams in fear and runs to his room,

"Wait, wait, no, I want to talk with you." Pinkie Pie said while chasing him, Ice Blower continues to scream and runs into his room, he slams the door and locks it, Pinkie Pie tries to open it,

"OH, COME ON!!" Pinkie Pie shouted, she stretches her left eye out and puts it through the keyhole. Pinkie Pie looks into Ice Blower's room and saw he had all the windows covered and closed, there was only a bed and a few toys for him to play with, Pinkie Pie was a bit uncomfortable with the setting, the room did not look like a happy place. The front door opens and closes,

"Pinkamena, Ice Blower, I'm home." Frosty said, she got no response, she walks around and saw Pinkie Pie in front of Ice Blower's room, she goes to her,

"Pinkamena, what are you doing?" Frosty asked, Pinkie Pie did not respond since she was too focused, Frosty just left and Pinkie Pie stood at the door all day and watched Ice Blower, he eventually fell asleep and Pinkie Pie took her eye out of the keyhole,

"Ouch, that actually hurt." Pinkie Pie said to herself, she goes to the pale blue couch she saw and slept on it.

Pinkie Pie wakes up the next morning and saw Frosty has already left, she checks Ice Blower's room and saw it was unlocked, she opens it and sees he has already left as well. Pinkie Pie hears laughing and things being thrown outside, she heads out and saw six fillies were harassing Ice Blower, they called him names, threw things at him, and one female unicorn took his saddle bag with telekinesis and ripped it apart, Ice Blower runs away while scared, two teenage female ponies were doing the same thing to him as well, an adult female pony soon tackles him from behind and shoves his face into the ground.

Pinkie Pie dashes to Ice Blower as fast as she could, she yanks him away and saw he was having a panic attack, her tail twitches and Pinkie Pie saw two female Pegasi dropping metal vases from the sky, try to hit Ice Blower with them, Pinkie Pie dashes as fast as she can, leaving a pink trail behind herself, she runs into his and Frosty's home and locks the door.

Pinkie Pie checks Ice Blower to try to make sure he was alright, he was still hyperventilating,

"Hey, it's okay, you're safe." Pinkie Pie said, Ice Blower calms down and sees Pinkie Pie smile at him, he screams in fear and runs to his room and locks it, Pinkie Pie growled at the fact that Ice Blower was still avoiding her.

Frosty comes home several hours later and saw Pinkie Pie sulking on the couch,

"What's wrong, Pinkamena?" Frosty asked,

"It's your brother, I'm trying to reach out to him and he's still avoiding me, even after I saved him from those mean mares this afternoon." Pinkie Pie replied, Frosty sighed and sat across from her,

"I don't get it, what is wrong with your brother?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"He has gynophobia." Frosty replied, Pinkie Pie looked at Frosty with shock,

"What?! He hates girls?!" Pinkie Pie asked with horror,

"No, he doesn't hate them, he's scared of them." Frosty replied, Pinkie Pie had a surprised face,

"But he speaks to you." Pinkie Pie said,

"That's because we grew up together, but even then, he still doesn't trust me, he developed his fear of girls because of me, our mother, and the mares he has met. I used to pick on him and play pranks on him, while our mother was a control freak and wanted everything orderly, Ice Blower always made a mess, which caused our mother to yell at him all the time, and the mares in this town pick on him and are rude to him, that's why he's scared of us, girls." Frosty replied,

"I hope you regret what you did to him." Pinkie Pie said,

"I do." Frosty replied,

"Did you apologize to him?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Already did, he still hasn't accepted it." Frosty replied, Pinkie Pie was still glaring at her,

"I'm sorry, Pinkamena, but I'm tired, I'm going to take a shower and head to bed." Frosty said, and she went to take a shower. Ice Blower hears the shower and he comes out of his room, he has a snack and he goes back to his room, he closes the door and saw Pinkie Pie in his room,

"Hiya." Pinkie Pie said with a smile, Ice Blower exclaims in shock and runs to the corner of his room and quivers in fear,

"Hey, it's okay, no need to be scared." Pinkie Pie said as she approached him, he looked back and saw Pinkie Pie standing right behind him,

"Please, I'm begging you, don't hit me." Ice Blower said in a scared voice, Pinkie Pie becomes shocked,

"What? I'm not here to hit you, I just wanna talk to you." Pinkie Pie replied, he continued to look at her with fear,

"Really?" Ice Blower asked, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"I promise." Pinkie Pie replied while smiling, and Ice Blower continued to cradle in fear, Pinkie places her right front hoof on his right shoulder, he felt comfort, he turned around and saw Pinkie Pie behind him,

"It's okay, come here." Pinkie Pie said in a gentle voice, he walks to her and she hugs him. Ice Blower felt comfort and affection from the hug rather than fear, which left him speechless, he was still scared a little deep down, and tried to break free,

"Don't fight it, just let the love and affection consume you." Pinkie Pie said, and Ice Blower stops resisting,

"What was your name again?" Ice Blower asked,

"You can call me Pinkie." Pinkie Pie replied,

"But I heard my sister call you Pinkamena." Ice Blower said,

"That's my full first name, Pinkie is my nickname." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Which one do you prefer?" Ice Blower asked,

"Either one's fine." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Uh, Pinkamena, I'm starting to get uncomfortable." Ice Blower said, and Pinkie Pie lets go,

"Are you tired, Ice Blower?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Not yet." Ice Blower replied,

"Then I would like to know how you became scared of girls." Pinkie Pie said, Ice Blower sighed, and was uncomfortable,

"When I was younger, our mother would yell at me all the time, and beat me if I misbehaved, and my sister would play pranks on me in public, which made the other girls laugh at me for weeks, the prank was usually my sister calling my name from behind, I would look and she would throw a ball at my face and hit me. My mother never held me, she never hugged me or kissed me on the forehead, she only did that to my sister, she always hit me and yell at me, while my father would just pat me on the back or shoulder, I never received the same love or affection my sister got. Our parents moved here two years ago, and I've been bullied by the girls in school, I began to believe that every girl is like that since I've never met a friendly one, you've seen what they did, that's how every female student in class acts to me, while my teachers scold me and make me get in trouble for their behaviors, they were also female, that is why I don't go out often, I don't go to school either because of my fear." Ice Blower explained,

"What about boys?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sometimes, I've met boys just as mean or even meaner than the girls I've met, but it's rare, while every girl I've met has been mean to me, even my sister has been mean to me when we were younger." Ice Blower replied,

"Well, starting tomorrow, let's try to help you get over your fear, it will greatly hinder you if you're scared of girls when you're a stallion." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, but I'm not comfortable with it." Ice Blower replied,

"Don't worry, I'll be there to help you, okay?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Alright, I'm going to bed, and can you leave? I'm not comfortable with a girl in my room." Ice Blower said,

"Oki doki loki." Pinkie Pie replied, and she left the room, she slept on the couch again and was excited for tomorrow.

Morning comes and Ice Blower comes out of his room, much to Frosty's surprise,

"Ice Blower, what are you doing out?" Frosty asked,

"Pinkamena wants to help me get over my fear." Ice Blower replied,

"Oh, I can't say how much I appreciate that, Pinkamena, I wish you good luck." Frosty said,

"Thank you, I'll try my best." Pinkie Pie replied, Frosty smiled and left for work,

"Okay, Ice Blower, we'll start easy, let's just hang out together, just the two of us." Pinkie Pie said, and Ice Blower walks to her.

Pinkie Pie sat on the couch with Ice Blower in her lap,

"Alright, Ice Blower, since you've already gotten comfortable talking to me, let's try physical contact." Pinkie Pie said, and she hugged Ice Blower, all he did was touch her front hooves with his own,

"You're squashing me." Ice Blower said,

"Oh, my bad." Pinkie Pie replied, she loosened her grip, Ice Blower turned around and was wondering how he should touch Pinkie Pie, he just held his front legs out and they ended up on Pinkie Pie's chest,

"No, Ice Blower, that's a bad place to touch a girl." Pinkie Pie said while she shook her head and took his front hooves off of her chest, Ice Blower thinks and tries to reach for Pinkie Pie's shoulders, she smiles and helps him,

"Good, you found the first good spot to touch a girl, now try to find the other areas." Pinkie Pie said, Ice Blower was still uncomfortable and nervous being with Pinkie Pie due to his gynophobia, but he continues, he decides to touch Pinkie Pie's mane,

"It's okay, but you don't touch a girl's mane unless they let you, Ice Blower." Pinkie Pie said, Ice Blower takes his front hooves off while Pinkie Pie smiles, he then tried touching her tail,

"I guess that's fine, I've never had somepony touch my tail before." Pinkie Pie said,

"You're not sure about this one?" Ice Blower asked,

"I must admit, I'm not." Pinkie Pie replied, and Ice Blower lets go, he then tried touching Pinkie Pie's front hooves,

"Good, that's the most common spot to touch somepony, Ice Blower, regardless of gender." Pinkie Pie said while smiling,

"I'm still not comfortable being around you, Pinkamena." Ice Blower said,

"That's why we're going to take this one step at a time, when you're comfortable, you and I are going to walk around town together." Pinkie Pie replied, this made Ice Blower uncomfortable, but he decided to go with it in hopes of getting over his fear,

"How long do I have to stay with you?" Ice Blower asked,

"Try to make it to the end of the day if you can." Pinkie Pie replied, Ice Blower tried his best and managed to stay with Pinkie Pie until the day ended, much to Pinkie Pie's impressment, she left Ice Blower for him to sleep and she slept by herself.

The next day comes and the two spend time together, they try to walk around town four days after Ice Blower was comfortable with Pinkie Pie,

"Don't you have school to attend, Ice Blower?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Attending school is a choice in this town." Ice Blower replied,

"Well, come on, then, let's try having you speak to a mare." Pinkie Pie said, and the two go to the nearest mare.

Pinkie Pie and Ice Blower go to the nearest mare, it was a light blue unicorn, she looks at them while frowning,

"Go on, introduce yourself." Pinkie Pie said,

"Uh, hi, my name is Ice Blower." Ice Blower said,

"I don't care who you are." the unicorn replied, Pinkie Pie looked at the mare with a disapproved face,

"Uh, I would... like to... be your friend." Ice Blower said,

"No, I don't socialize with foals, get lost, you brat." the unicorn replied,

"Hey! He's just trying to be your friend." Pinkie Pie said,

"I don't care, foals don't deserve friends, they all should be beaten and harassed." the unicorn replied, Pinkie Pie was enraged at the response, she seethes and her face turns red, she then growls angrily with fire coming out of her snout and ears, the unicorn screams and runs away.

Pinkie Pie and Ice Blower walk together and look for a mare for Ice Blower to speak to, they see a light green Pegasus filly with yellow eyes up ahead, they walk to her, she looks at them,

"Go on, introduce yourself, and shake hoofs." Pinkie Pie said,

"Hi, my name is Ice Blower, it's nice to meet you, and I'd like to be your friend." Ice Blower said slowly as he held his front right hoof out, the Pegasus filly grabs it, much to Ice Blower's surprise, but she then pull him forward and tries to headbutt him, but Pinkie Pie holds her front right leg out to block the attack,

"What are you doing?!" Pinkie Pie asked,

"What'd you mean? I know who he is, he's the colt scared of girls, so why not make him even more scared by attacking him?" the filly asked while smiling, Pinkie Pie glares at her and takes Ice Blower away, they walk away while the filly snickers at them.

Ice Blower and Pinkie Pie walk together around the town,

"See, Pinkamena, this is why I'm scared of girls, every girl I've met is like that to me." Ice Blower said,

"What do you mean? I'm a girl, and you're comfortable with me." Pinkie Pie replied,

"That's because you're not like the others, you're different." Ice Blower said,

"Well, let's try one more time." Pinkie Pie replied, and they go to the nearest mare, it was a teenage earth pony.

Pinkie Pie and Ice Blower go to the mare,

"Go on now, introduce yourself." Pinkie Pie said,

"Uh, hi, my name is Ice Blower." Ice Blower replied, the earth pony just glared at him, it scared him and he was speechless,

"Uh, if it's okay with you, I would like to befriend you." Ice Blower said slowly, the earth pony turned around and bucked him, he grunted and fell to the ground, Pinkie Pie looked on with shock while the earth pony walked away while snickering.

Pinkie Pie runs to him and checks him,

"You okay, Ice Blower?" Pinkie Pie asked, Ice Blower groaned and stood up,

"That's it, I quit, this is going nowhere." Ice Blower said,

"Wait, I have an idea, just wait, I'll be back tomorrow, you should head on home, Ice Blower." Pinkie Pie replied, Ice Blower groaned while rolling his eyes and he walked home. Pinkie Pie boards the train to go to her home, she looks out the window and sees several mares throwing water balloons at him while laughing, he hyperventilated and ran home while Pinkie Pie watched with great concern.

Pinkie Pie comes back to town the next afternoon and enters his house,

"Ice Blower, I have a visitor for you." Pinkie Pie said in a singsong voice, Ice Blower walks out of his room and saw Pinkie Pie with another mare,

"Meet my baby twin sister, Marble Pie." Pinkie Pie said, Ice Blower walked to her in surprise,

"You're Pinkamena's twin sister?" Ice Blower asked while confused because she looked nothing like Pinkie Pie,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding,

"Is Marble Pie your full name?" Ice Blower asked,

"Mm-mmm." Marble Pie replied while shaking her head,

"We usually call her Marble for short, her full name is Marble Inkie Pie." Pinkie Pie said, Marble Pie looked at her while smiling,

"Well, come on over, Ice Blower, I promise she won't hurt you." Pinkie Pie said, Ice Blower walks to her slowly, Marble Pie hugged him when he was close by, Ice Blower felt comfort from her,

"See, she likes you." Pinkie Pie said,

"Then I assume you already know about my fear." Ice Blower said,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie replied while nodding and smiling, Ice Blower had a small smile on his face.

Frosty comes home from work and sees Marble Pie,

"Oh, who is this?" Frosty asked,

"Marble Pie, my baby twin sister." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh yeah, mother and father did say there was four of you, so we've got Pinkamena Diane Pie, Maudileena Daisy Pie..." Frosty said,

"This one is Marble Inkie Pie." Ice Blower replied,

"And the last one is Limestone Blinkie Pie." Pinkie Pie said,

"So, what exactly are you doing, Pinkamena?" Ice Blower asked,

"Since the mares in this town are mean to you, I'm going to try to have you get over your fear by having you hang out with my sisters." Pinkie Pie replied,

"But isn't Maudileena away?" Frosty asked,

"Maud will be coming home for vacation from college soon, she'll be here eventually." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What about your mother?" Frosty asked,

"No, mom and dad are too busy to do something like this, my sisters will have to do it." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding,

"Well, let's hang out together, the more, the better, come on, Ice Blower." Frosty said, and the four sit together, Ice Blower was still uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as before, Pinkie Pie and Frosty converse, they tried to have Ice Blower and Marble Pie join, but Ice Blower was too scared at the moment, and Marble Pie was too shy to speak, the day ends and Pinkie Pie and Marble Pie board the train and go back home.

Pinkie Pie arrives back at the house the next day and Ice Blower saw Limestone Pie,

"So you're Ice Blower, the colt scared of mares, you best behave yourself around me or I'll give you something to be scared about." Limestone Pie said, Pinkie Pie pulls Limestone Pie away,

"Limestone, he's already scared of mares, the last thing I need is you making him scared even more." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, if he doesn't behave, I'll give him something to be scared about." Limestone Pie replied, Ice Blower was already scared,

"This is why I fear mares, mares like her have been everywhere in my life so far." Ice Blower said, Limestone Pie gets into his face,

"You better not cross me, or I'll give you the beating of your life, I may be a mare, but I am strong, if I want to, I can kick your head clean off with just one buck." Limestone Pie said, Pinkie Pie pulled her away,

"Don't touch me!" Limestone Pie said,

"That's enough, mister grumpy." Pinkie Pie replied,

"MISS grumpy." Limestone Pie said, scaring Ice Blower, Frosty hears her and heads home, she sees Limestone Pie,

"Who is this Pinkamena?" Frosty asked,

"Name's Limestone Pie, Maud, Pinkie, and Marble all answer to me." Limestone Pie replied,

"Why you for?" Ice Blower asked,

"Cause I'm the oldest." Limestone Pie replied,

"I thought Maudileena was the oldest." Frosty said,

"No, Maud is the second oldest." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What about you, Pinkamena?" Ice Blower asked,

"I'm the second youngest." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Uh, Pinkamena, I don't think Ice Blower is comfortable around Limestone." Frosty said,

"Well, that's his problem, and I'd like to know why he isn't preserving the ice." Limestone Pie replied, Frosty and Ice Blower become shocked when they realize they forgot to tend to their ice supplies, they run and become relieved when they see their ice was fine,

"Well, let's give it a try, gather around, everypony." Pinkie Pie said, and they sat together, Limestone Pie took control of the conversation and she scared Ice Blower and Frosty, the day ends and Pinkie Pie and Limestone Pie go home on the train.

Two days pass with Pinkie Pie visiting Ice Blower alone, the next day comes and Pinkie Pie comes again,

"Ice Blower, come meet my last sister." Pinkie Pie said, Ice Blower walks and saw Maud Pie,

"Are you Maudileena?" Ice Blower asked,

"Yes, but you can just call me Maud." Maud Pie replied in a deadpan and stoic tone,

"To be honest with you, Pinkamena, I'm not comfortable meeting her after meeting Limestone." Ice Blower said,

"It's okay, Ice Blower, I promise I won't be confrontational, Limestone has always been the troublemaker." Maud Pie replied, Frosty comes home afterwards,

"Oh, Maudileena, mother and father talked a lot about you." Frosty said,

"Yes, I know, but please, just call me Maud, it's easier." Maud Pie replied, and the four get together,

"Is it true that you, Pinkamena, and Marble answer to Limestone?" Ice Blower asked,

"Yes, and while Limestone is our leader, I'm the second-in-command, she and I are the strongest mares in the family, but Limestone is stronger than me." Maud Pie replied,

"How strong is she?" Frosty asked,

"Trust us, very strong, she can kick an entire house down with one buck." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Are you and Limestone twins, Maud?" Frosty asked,

"No." Maud Pie replied,

"I like this sister of yours, Pinkamena, I like how calm she is." Ice Blower said,

"Is there a reason why you're like that, Maud?" Frosty asked,

"I just choose to be this way." Maud Pie replied, and the four continue conversing until the day ended, Pinkie Pie and Maud Pie boarded the train and went home.

Two days pass and it was Pinkie Pie's last day to help them, Ice Blower was not present because he was still asleep,

"Thank you for helping us, Ice Blower has also partially gotten over his fear of mares because of you." Frosty said,

"You're welcome, but my time's up, I have to help Limestone and Marble on the rock farm." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, good luck, we'll give you ice when the summer comes, take care, Pinkamena." Frosty said,

"Okay, bye." Pinkie Pie replied and she hugged Frosty, she boards the train and heads home while Frosty waves bye at her while smiling.

Pinkie Pie finishes looking back with Maud Pie watching her,

"I remember that day, too." Maud Pie said, who saw the whole flashback sequence in person,

"I'm so excited for next week, I can't wait to go." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, let's store it, and wait for the day to come." Maud Pie said, and they preserve the bridesmaid dress and continue with their days.

A week passes and the day of the wedding came, Pinkie Pie was excited, she woke up Maud Pie, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Pound Cake, Pumpkin Cake, Gummy, and Boulder,

"The wedding's today, come on, let's get to the train before Rarity finds out what's going on and tries to make changes to my dress." Pinkie Pie said, and they all go, they board the train and saw Limestone Pie and Marble Pie were already on, Maud Pie informed them five days ago, Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz were there as well, the train goes to Southwestern Equestria and they get off.

Igneous Rock Pie, Cloudy Quartz, Limestone Pie, Maud Pie, Pinkie Pie, Marble Pie, Carrot Cake, Cup Cake, Pound Cake, Pumpkin Cake, Gummy, and Boulder go to the location of the wedding. Pinkie Pie got her bridesmaid dress on and stood to the right, the mare beside her had a blue coat, a sky blue wavy mane and tail, and icy blue eyes, her cutie mark was a light blue ice cube, she was wearing a sky blue dress that only went to her chest, the skirt went down to the floor, she had two light blue flowers in her mane, to her left was Frosty, who was wearing a white dress that covered her legs entirely, she had light blue sapphires everywhere in her dress, and two white flowers in her mane, the mare between Pinkie Pie and Frosty looked at Pinkie Pie with confusion, so did the crowd,

"Who is she?" a crowd member murmured, the others responded with they did not know. Ice Blower was standing in front of Pinkie Pie and the two bridesmaids, the other side were the groomsponies, there were three of them, they all looked the same, they had white coats, blue manes and tails, and light blue eyes, they were all wearing black suits, they were earth ponies, Ice Blower had the same outfit on, the vow master was wearing the same outfit, he had a red coat, a light green mane and tail, and green eyes, he was also an earth pony. The bridal chorus plays and the bride walks down the balcony, she was an earth pony, had a white coat, a blue mane and tail, and light blue eyes, she was wearing a simple white wedding gown, she finishes walking and stood next to Ice Blower's left,

"Today, we have the groom, Ice Blower, and the bride, Snowflake, and they did something different for their wedding, the bride chose the groomsponies, while the groom chose the bridesmaids, and they wish to label why they're important, the plaques for the groomsponies and bridesmaids are here on the pillow, please label them. Snowflake, you start first." the vow master said, and Snowflake puts gold plaques on the chest of the three groomsponies,

"Father" the first plaque read,

"Brother" the other two plaques read,

"Everypony, I would like to say that my father here, Freeze, and my two big brothers, Igloo and Penguin, are the most important ponies in my life, and my mother, Blizzard, who is right there in the crowd." Snowflake said, her mother waved, she had a white coat, blue mane and tail, and light blue eyes,

"Okay, Ice Blower, your turn to label the bridesmaids." the vow master said,

"Before I begin, I would like for you to meet Pinkamena, you all already know Frosty and Snow, and unfortunately, my parents passed away years ago, so they couldn't be here today, I will now label my bridesmaids." Ice Blower said, and he takes the three gold plaques, he puts the first one on Frosty,

"Sister" Frosty's plaque read, she smiled, Ice Blower then put the next plaque on Snow,

"Best Friend" Snow's plaque read, which made Snow smile widely, Ice Blower then puts the last plaque on Pinkie Pie,

"First Friend" Pinkie Pie's plaque read, surprising the others, and Pinkie Pie cried tears of joy,

"As you all know, people say you have two important friends that are the most important, your boyfriend or girlfriend, and your best friend, to me, you have three most important friends, your romantic friend, your best friend, and the very first friend you make, I believe that your first friend is just as important as your boyfriend or girlfriend and your best friend. I had a fear of girls when I was younger, and through Frosty, Snowflake, and Snow, I've gotten over it, but my journey to get over my fear started with Pinkamena, she's the one who showed me that not all mares are mean, that is why I believe your first friend is just as important as your romantic friend and your best friend." Ice Blower said, and he turned around. Pinkie Pie looks and sees Mr. and Mrs. Cake were smiling, so were Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake, Cloudy Quartz was crying tears of joy, Igneous Rock Pie just watched, Marble Pie was smiling, Maud Pie had an expressionless face, and Limestone Pie has fallen asleep.

Pinkie Pie stands and watches Ice Blower, he and Snowflake say their vows,

"I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride." the vow master said, and they do, which made everypony except for Maud Pie cheers, it scared Limestone Pie and woke her up,

"So you're the one who started Ice Blower's journey, huh?" Snow asked,

"Yup, he was just a colt when I met him, he used to scream and run away from me before he got comfortable." Pinkie Pie replied, Snow chuckled,

"I must say, I'm surprised your appearance hasn't changed a bit, Pinkamena." Frosty said,

"Neither have you, and Ice Blower only got taller and bigger, other than that, he looks the same, too." Pinkie Pie replied, Ice Blower walks to Pinkie Pie and they hug one another,

"Glad you could make it." Ice Blower said,

"It's great to be here, my family's here too." Pinkie Pie replied, Ice Blower looks and sees them, along with the Cake family, Gummy, and Boulder,

"I don't recall your family being that big." Ice Blower said,

"Well, those are my parents, Gummy and Boulder are our pets, and I work at a confectionary store in Ponyville now, that's the Cake family, they consider me a daughter of theirs." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Wait, you have two families?" Ice Blower asked, Pinkie Pie nods,

"Ice Blower, come on, the party's about to start." Snowflake said, and Ice Blower goes to her.

The party begins and Pinkie Pie takes her party cannon out, it shot out the things a wedding party would have, surprising everypony except her family and the Cake family. Ice Blower, Frosty, Snow, Snowflake, Freeze, Blizzard, Igloo, Penguin, Limestone Pie, Maud Pie, Pinkie Pie, Marble Pie, Igneous Rock Pie, Cloudy Quartz, Carrot Cake, Cup Cake, Pound Cake, and Pumpkin Cake gathered around, they were playing truth or dare, and Maud Pie dared Limestone Pie to wear a dress,

"No! I am not wearing a dress!" Limestone Pie said angrily,

"Enough resisting, miss grumpy, it's a game, you have to wear the dress." Pinkie Pie replied,

"NOOOOOOOO!!" Limestone Pie said as a simple white, sleeveless, floor-length dress was put on her, she blushed as she wore it,

"I must admit, you do look pretty cute." Snow said,

"I am currently having the worst time of my life right now." Limestone Pie said, the others chuckle and they keep partying at the wedding until it ends.

Pinkie Pie and Maud Pie got home at night with the Cake family and they were tired, they went to sleep and Pinkie Pie dreamt about Ice Blower, happy that he has completely gotten over his fear.

The Blind Painter

Author's Note

If the link does not work, the song is on Youtube, the video is called Bob Ross Remixed | Happy Little Clouds | PBS Digital Studios

The Blind Painter

Pinkie Pie was with Cloudy Quartz and Marble Pie, they were seeing Igneous Rock Pie, Limestone Pie, and Maud Pie, who were in jail for beating up Svengallop. Igneous Rock Pie was serving the longest sentence because he gave Svengallop the most severe beating of the three, and he was the one who put Svengallop in the hospital,

"Hast thou all been alright?" Cloudy Quartz asked,

"Aye, I shall be out in two weeks." Igneous Rock Pie replied,

"Limestone and I will be out next week." Maud Pie said,

"Has the farm been alright, Marble?" Limestone Pie asked,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie replied while nodding,

"How bout thou, Pinkamena Diane Pie, hast everything been alright in Ponyville?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"Yes, I got a gift from a special friend of mine, a painting from Ross." Pinkie Pie replied, surprising her family,

"Hey, time is up." an male earth pony royal guard said,

"Well, we have to get going now, see you all next week." Maud Pie said,

"Alright, love thou." Cloudy Quartz said,

"Love thou, too." Igneous Rock Pie replied,

"We'll be taking our leave now, stay safe, ma, Pinkie, and Marble." Limestone Pie said with a smile on her face,

"You too, Limestone." Pinkie Pie said,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding and smiling, and they go their separate ways.

Pinkie Pie arrives at Sugarcube Corner and goes to her room and looks at the painting Ross gave her, it was a forest landscape filled with trees, mountains, hills, a waterfall, water, rocks, and a cabin, she sees a picture with it as well, it had three ponies, Ross was on the right, he was a painter who lost his sight, to the left was Beethooven, a music composer who lost his hearing, and in the center was Callas, a singer who lost her voice, the three were foalhood friends, Pinkie Pie sighs happily while she lays down in her bed, and remembers Ross while she looks at the ceiling.

Pinkie Pie was walking around in a town one day, she was in a town very close to her home, a male earth pony bumps into her on her left, his black sunglasses fell off,

"I am very sorry, are you alright?" the pony asked,

"Yes, I'm fine, here are your sunglasses." Pinkie Pie replied as she tried to hand them to him, but Pinkie Pie was surprised, the pony's eyes were completely white, he had a peach coat, his mane was a light brown afro, he had a beard, moustache, and sideburns, they were all connected, his tail was the same color, but it was straight, and his cutie mark was a palette with paint on it and a paintbrush with Van Dyke Brown on the paintbrush.

Pinkie Pie was surprised to see his face,

"Are you... blind?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, I lost my sight due to illness." the pony replied, he says afterwards "I'm Ross, I'm a painter."

"I'll walk you home." Pinkie Pie said as she put the sunglasses back on his eyes,

"Thank you, people like you always make me happy, I was being guided by the sound of my animal friends." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled and she guided Ross home.

Ross felt the ground with his hooves and heard the sound of the animals, he used them to tell Pinkie Pie where to go, she arrives at his home and saw many paintings of nature and landscapes, many of them had mountains and trees in them, Pinkie Pie was in awe,

"Wow, your paintings are beautiful." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thank you, it is my hobby, and was my career, I like making happy little paintings." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"I represent laughter, it is my life's duty to spread laughter and joy throughout the land." Pinkie Pie replied, Ross chuckled,

"I am glad people like you exist, you and I are both dedicated to making this world a happier place." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"What is your name?" Ross asked,

"Pinkie Pie." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, so you're Pinkie Pie." Ross said while smiling,

"You know me?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I am one of Beethooven's best friends." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie was very surprised, Beethooven was her most recent special friend, she thought about it and realized the two needed each other because one was deaf while the other was blind,

"Actually, Pinkie Pie, I do need your help right now." Ross said,

"Yes, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Since I have lost my sight, I cannot paint happy little trees and almighty mountains anymore, I want you to watch me paint and tell me how I'm doing." Ross replied,

"Sure, anything for somepony who wants to spread happiness and joy like me." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thank you, hope we can paint together one day." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled, she decided to look around.

Pinkie Pie sees Ross' supplies and paints, she was very surprised,

"So, what do you use to make your paintings, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"The brushes I use are very large two and a half inch and one inch natural bristle brushes, a liner brush for signing, a firm palette knife, odorless paint thinner, and for some paintings, I put contact paper on the canvas. I paint using a wet-on-wet technique, depending on the painting, I will cover the painting in an even coating of either Magic White, Liquid White, Liquid Clear, or Black Gesso. I only use eight colors for painting, the paints are oil based and firm, they are Titanium White, Phthalo Green, Prussian Blue, Van Dyke Brown, Alizarin Crimson, Sap Green, Cad Yellow, and Permanent Red." Ross replied,

"Really? Because I'm seeing other colors besides those eight in your paintings." Pinkie Pie said,

"Those are the basics, sometimes, I use Phthalo Blue, Indian Yellow, and Cad Red in my paintings, and on some occasions, Yellow Ochre, and Midnight Black." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie looked around and a saw a painting with nothing but shades of grey on it,

"What's with the grey painting?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Oh, that one, early in my career, a fan of mine was upset and said he couldn't paint because he was colorblind, and can only see in grey tones, I made that painting to show him and everybody else that anyone can paint." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie could not help but smile, very happy about the reason why he created it,

"Say, Ross, why did you take up painting for?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I've painted ever since I was a foal, and then in my adult life, I joined the royal guard, I became a drill instructor, and I always had to yell, I didn't like it, so once when I got out, I made a vow to get a job where I will never have to yell, and I remembered my love for painting, that's why I became a painter." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"I do feel like doing a painting right now, I believe every day's a good day when you paint." Ross said,

"I think so, too, let's make a picture." Pinkie Pie replied, and Ross begins to paint.

Ross painted while Pinkie Pie watched and guided his front right hoof,

"We're going to start by covering the canvas in a nice, thin, even coating of Magic White." Ross said, and he painted horizontally and vertically with the two and a half inch brush, he felt the canvas with his front left hoof,

"There." Ross said, he says "Let's put in a nice little sky, we're going to go into some Prussian Blue, and we're going to do some little criss-cross strokes." and he paints while Pinkie Pie guides his hoof, she was excited to see what happens,

"The painting's covered, Ross." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, now we blend it together, just do some nice, gentle, horizontal strokes." Ross said, and he does, the sky was blended in, much to Pinkie Pie's surprise,

"Okay, let's go ahead and clean the brush." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie puts it in the odorless paint thinner, they wash it, and Ross then hits it several times on a black part under the easel, and then hits horizontally on one of the easel's legs, Ross chuckles,

"And beat the devil out of it." Ross said while chuckling, he says "You know, Pinkie Pie, beating the brush is my favorite part of painting a picture." Pinkie Pie laughed,

"Okay, tell you what, let's make some fluffy little clouds, we're going to use the one inch brush next, and go into some Titanium White, and move it around in circles." Ross said, and he does while Pinkie Pie watches with excitement,

"How many clouds are you doing, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Let's do five." Ross replied, and they do,

"Okay, Ross, there's five clouds in the painting." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, now very gently, move circular at the bottom of the clouds to blend it, and then fluff it by moving the brush upwards at the top of the clouds." Ross said, and he does, making the clouds blend into the painting and looked realistic, much to Pinkie Pie's impressment,

"Wow!" Pinkie Pie said,

"You know, Pinkie Pie, back when I was a traditional painter, clouds would drive me crazy, and it would take me weeks to make one painting, so I developed my own methods." Ross said,

"Alright, let's start by making an almighty mountain in the background." Ross said, and he takes the palette knife and goes into Van Dyke Brown,

"We start out with a basic mountain shape, and we cut it in, make sure your canvas is very strong, we are literally cutting the paint into the picture." Ross said, and he makes a basic mountain shape in the background,

"Ross, why are you making the mountain dark for?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It is to give the illusion of distance, when you paint, you always paint the background first, and you work your way front, as you get closer to the foreground, your painting has to get brighter and more detailed, it also makes highlighting it much easier, and make sure you follow the angle of the mountain." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie was already interested in painting,

"Okay, now if you want to put mist in the painting, move your brush downwards at the bottom of the mountain to spread it out, the mist is your best friend when creating distance." Ross said, and he does, Pinkie Pie was impressed again,

"What's next, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly, which made Ross chuckle,

"Take the palette knife and get a roll of Titanium White on it, make sure it's a little." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie guides his hoof, she saw very little paint on the palette knife,

"How much is on the knife, Pinkie Pie?" Ross asked,

"A little bit." Pinkie Pie replied,

"That's good, let go up here and put some snow on the mountain, make sure the palette knife is just barely touching the canvas, so once when you go down, the paint will break and give the illusion of snow on the mountain, this is a very common mistake for beginners." Ross said, and he makes the snow appear on the right side of the mountains, the paint broke itself in some parts,

"Alright, let's put some shadow in this picture, so let's take the Titanium White, and mix it with a little Prussian Blue." Ross said, and he does, making a light blue color, he moves the knife on the other side of the mountain, making it dark in several areas, much to Pinkie Pie's surprise,

"Okay, let's take the two and a half inch brush, let's grab it and make an almighty hill, we're going into the Sap Green, and make a basic shape, and then afterwards, spread the paint down to create mist." Ross said, and he paints a hill shape to the left,

"Maybe there's some trees living back here, we create those by doing upward strokes on the top of the hill." Ross said, and he makes small trees with no details on them,

"Okay, let's put another hill in front of it, let's go back into the Sap Green, and put some paint thinner on it, that's a golden rule when you paint like this, thin on thick, not the other way around, or you will become a mud mixer." Ross said, and he paints another hill with trees on it,

"Remember, Pinkie Pie, as you get closer to the front, make sure your picture gets lighter, another thing is while it's easy to make a color darker, it's a son of a gun to make it lighter." Ross said,

"Got it." Pinkie Pie replied, and Ross continues painting while Pinkie Pie guides his hoof, they finish the hill,

"Okay, let's add another hill, I'm going to go into the Cad Yellow, and mix it with the Sap Green, I want the color to be near the yellow." Ross said, and he mixes while Pinkie Pie helps him,

"Ooh, that's a really nice color." Pinkie Pie said, Ross chuckles, and he paints the next hill,

"There, let's wash the brush." Ross said, and he washes and beats it, and then chuckles,

"Let's say there's a tree living here, we're going to take the almighty palette knife and go into the Van Dyke Brown, and very gently, put a mighty tree here." Ross said, and he makes a big tree appear on it, much to Pinkie Pie's impressment,

"Okay, let's go ahead and clean the knife, and go into the Titanium White with paint thinner, and put some highlights on it." Ross said, and he puts the white paint on the palette knife after putting paint thinner on it, and Ross paints the right side of the tree white,

"There, let's put some leaves on it, let's go back to the one inch brush and into the Sap Green." Ross said, and he puts leaves on the trees by just pressing the brush on the easel,

"See how it just comes out just like that, Pinkie? It's in the brush, you just have to force it out, you just have to give it a little touch and a little push." Ross said,

"Okay." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Okay, let's wash the little brush again." Ross said, and he washes and beats it while chuckling,

"Alright, let's put some highlights on this almighty tree, we're going go back into the yellow-green and put it on the leaves." Ross said, and he does,

"Be careful here, Pinkie Pie, make sure you don't kill off all of your shadows, you can't have light without shadow." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie guided his hoof to put highlights on the tree,

"Now we will clean the brush." Ross said, and he cleans and beats it,

"And just beat the devil out of it." Ross said while chuckling,

"Alright, remember, this is your world, you're the creator, so you can add whatever you want, and you have to make almighty decisions sometimes." Ross said, Pinkie Pie chuckled,

"Let's put some bushes here with the one inch brush, on the right side of the painting." Ross said, and he paints them with the yellow-green color,

"There, and if you want to add depth to your painting, take the palette knife, and cut into the canvas some sticks and twigs." Ross said, and he does, Pinkie Pie was in awe,

"Okay, let's go back to the left and put another happy little tree." Ross said, and he took the two and a half inch brush and painted another tree by using Van Dyke Brown, he cleaned and beat the brush again,

"Alright, remember where your light source is, it will determine where your highlights are." Ross said, and he paints Titanium White on the right side of the tree with the palette knife, Ross chuckles,

"What's so funny, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Don't want this side to get jealous of that side." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Okay, let's clean the brush." Ross said, and he cleaned and beat the brush,

"Okay, let's put some water in this picture, we're going to go into the Prussian Blue and do some horizontal strokes, remember to leave a white spot so it looks like the sun is reflecting in it." Ross said, and he makes the water,

"Okay, let's put some reflections of the trees and bushes in the water, we use the same shapes and colors and reverse it, and then very gently, move the brush straight down all over the water, and then do very gentle horizontal strokes, be careful when you do this part, it is very easy to mess up." Ross said, and he makes the water have reflections in it, Pinkie Pie was extremely impressed,

"Wow! That's amazing!" Pinkie Pie said,

"Now, we'll take the liner brush, go into some Titanium White, and put some ripples in the water, now this is calm water, so the ripples will be straight." Ross said, and he put a few in the pictures,

"There." Ross said as he wiped the paint off of the liner brush,

"Alright, let's add some rocks into the water, we're going to go into the Van Dyke Brown, put some paint thinner on it, and we're going to use the almighty palette knife." Ross said, and he paints the rocks into the water,

"Don't forget to put the highlights on it, we're going to clean the knife, and go into some Titanium White, don't forget the paint thinner, that's the golden rule, thin over thick." Ross said, and he puts the highlights on top of the rocks,

"There, let's clean the knife, and let's say there's someone living here, so we're going to use the almighty palette knife again, and cut a basic shape of a cabin into the painting." Ross said, and he does on the left side of the painting,

"Okay, now, go back into the Van Dyke Brown, and paint over the cut with the knife." Ross said, and he makes the cabin shape,

"Okay, maybe this cabin is a bit old, so let's add some aged boards on it, we're going to the Alizarin Crimson, and mix it with the Van Dyke Brown, we only need very little." Ross said, and he mixes it,

"It's mixed, Ross." Pinkie Pie said, and Ross adds boards onto the cabin, he also put the mixed color on the top part of the roof,

"There, let's now clean the knife, and add some windows and a door to this." Ross said, and he added two square windows and a rectangular door by just moving the palette knife to his left,

"Remember, this is your world, you can use any color you want." Ross said,

"Door and windows are done, Ross." Pinkie Pie said,

"There, and I think we've got ourselves a finished painting, so we're going to sign it, we're going to take the liner brush, and go into some Permanent Red, and roll it around until it's a nice, sharp tip, I just use red personally, but you can use any color you like." Ross said, and he rolls it around in the Permanent Red while Pinkie Pie holds his hoof to guide it,

"Ooh, looks like a pencil tip." Pinkie Pie said, Ross chuckles,

"Okay, I want to sign my painting at the lower-left side, Pinkie Pie." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie guides his hoof and he signs it,

"There, and we have a finished painting, and if you have your own supplies, Pinkie Pie, you can paint your own pictures, but until then, happy painting, Celestia bless." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled and Ross stood up.

Ross walked around while holding his front right hoof out since he could not see, Pinkie Pie grabbed it to guide him,

"I wanna paint!" Pinkie Pie said, Ross chuckled,

"That's great to hear, I believe every single one of us wanted to paint a picture at sometime in our lives." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled, she looks and sees many pictures of Ross, he saw Ross had auburn eyes, and wore glasses early in his career, and had a gold medallion around his neck, and his afro changed sizes over the years, she also saw a picture of him with a mare,

"Who is the mare?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"That is my wife, I lost her a few years ago, I received hundreds and hundreds of gift cards from my fans, expressing their sympathy and support, I have thanked them all from the bottom of my heart, for sharing my grief, and making my wife a special pony in their lives, too." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"I can't wait, I wanna paint now!" Pinkie Pie said while jumping up and down,

"I still got a few things to teach you, Pinkie Pie, let's get the filbert brush." Ross replied, and she did. Ross got out another canvas and he covered it in a thin, even coating of Magic White, and felt the canvas with his left front hoof,

"Okay, Pinkie Pie, take the filbert brush, and we're going to go into some Sap Green, and we're going to make some happy little trees." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie held the brush in her front right hoof,

"Alright, start by having a small tip at the top, and then work your way down, painting wider and wider as you go down." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie tries, but she makes the top of the tree round rather than pointed, Pinkie Pie groaned in disappointment,

"What's the matter, Pinkie Pie?" Ross asked,

"I just made a mistake." Pinkie Pie replied in a sad tone, Ross smiles and tries to touch her left shoulder, but he ended up touching the back of her mane,

"Pinkie Pie, we don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled widely at the response,

"You need to learn to use that happy accident to your advantage, and create a fantastic little painting, when you do, you will experience the joy of painting." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie tried to make another tree with the filbert brush again, she messed up at the top again, Pinkie Pie began to growl,

"Whoa, Pinkie Pie, take the brush and clean it, and just beat the devil out of it." Ross said, and she dips the brush into the odorless paint thinner, wipes the bristles, and hits it several times to dry the brush, Pinkie Pie felt calmer already,

"See, Pinkie Pie, it's a better way to take out your frustrations, much better than breaking things or kicking the dog around." Ross said, the last part made Pinkie Pie uncomfortable.

Pinkie Pie tries again and messed up again, Pinkie Pie groaned,

"I can't do it!" Pinkie Pie said,

"Now, now, Pinkie Pie, believe that you can do it, cause you can do it, all you have to do is practice." Ross replied calmly, Pinkie Pie tries again and was improving already,

"I got it!" Pinkie Pie said happily, and she moves the brush more to make the tree triangular shape,

"Finished!" Pinkie Pie said very happily, Ross smiled,

"Remember, Pinkie Pie, if you want to paint, no tracing, you start out by believing here." Ross replied while having his front right hoof on his head, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"I'm starting to get tired, I'm going to get some sleep." Ross said, and he tried to walk around, but Pinkie Pie guided him to his bed, she closed the door and she slept on the floor, surrounded by Ross' many paintings.

Pinkie Pie was sleeping in the middle of the night and a heavy storm came, loud thunder was heard and Pinkie Pie screamed as she jumped off of the floor, Ross opened his bedroom's door,

"You okay, Pinkie Pie?" Ross asked,

"No, the thunder woke me up, now I can't sleep." Pinkie Pie replied, they hear rain falling and Pinkie Pie groaned,

"Now I really can't sleep." Pinkie Pie said, Ross smiled,

"To me, rain is Celestia cleaning the world, it cleanses whatever filth is on the ground." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled and chuckled,

"If you want to, Pinkie Pie, you can continue painting." Ross said,

"But I can't paint very well." Pinkie Pie replied,

"You can almost paint with anything, not just paint, and remember, Pinkie Pie, it's your world, you're the creator, find freedom on the canvas." Ross said,

"I'll try again tomorrow." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Okay, I've got animals to feed tomorrow morning, we have to do that first." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled and the two tried to sleep.

Pinkie Pie and Ross stayed up all night and Ross went out with different types of food, Pinkie Pie guided him and he set food out for the squirrels and birds to eat, Pinkie Pie realized that Ross lived in the middle of the woods, away from society,

"Pinkie Pie, are you ready to try painting again?" Ross asked,

"Yes, I am." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two enter. Pinkie Pie had another easel and paint,

"Now, Pinkie Pie, remember, no tracing or copying, you start with a vision in your heart, and you put it on the canvas." Ross said,

"Okay." Pinkie Pie replied, and she thinks about what to paint. Pinkie Pie had a vision and she immediately began painting, Ross can hear her moving extremely fast, he heard the painting, the palate knife, Pinkie Pie cleaning the brush, and so on. Pinkie Pie finished and was happy,

"Finished!" Pinkie Pie said loudly and happily,

"Pinkie Pie, remember, I'm blind, I can't see your painting." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie groaned sadly, she painted a picture of nature replaced with candy, the mountains were made out of white whipped cream, the clouds were pink bubble gum, the sky was red powder candy, the trees were candy corns, the cabin was a chocolate bar, the rocks were rock candy, and the water was red fruit punch.

Ross walks around a bit and tries to find his painting supplies,

"Uh, Ross, you're almost out of paint." Pinkie Pie said,

"I need you to go up to the store and buy me some more paint. Now, Pinkie Pie, remember this, this is very important, the paint has to be very firm, so when you check the paint, make sure you squeeze it, and the paint has to stand three quarters of an inch out of the tube on its own, if it's oily and runs down the side, we cannot use it." Ross replied,

"Oki doki loki." Pinkie Pie said,

"Wait, Pinkie Pie, how much Magic White do I have?" Ross asked, Pinkie Pie checked,

"Not much." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Okay, I need some of that too, and remember, it's an oil based paint, make sure not to get it confused with gesso, gesso is a water based paint." Ross said,

"Okay, I'm on my way now." Pinkie Pie said, and she left with her saddlebag.

Pinkie Pie walks into town and goes to the store, the ponies wave at her and she waved back happily. Pinkie Pie walked into the store and looks around,

"What were the eight colors Ross used again? Titanium White, Sap Green, Cad Yellow, Prussian Blue... eh, I'll remember the rest when I see the colors." Pinkie Pie said to herself, and she found the paint tubes, she remembered what Ross said and squeezed the tubes with her front hooves, some of the paint was runny and got on her front hooves. Pinkie Pie tried to wipe the paint off but it only got on her hooves even more, Pinkie Pie looked around and saw no paper towels, she looks at her saddlebag and groaned sadly. Pinkie Pie took her saddlebag off and wiped her hooves on it to get the paint off. Pinkie Pie frowned when she looked at her paint covered saddlebag, but she put it back on and looked for more paint.

Pinkie Pie continues going through the art section and squeezed every tube of paint she found, she found the thick oil paints she was looking for,

"Oh, that's what the other four were, Van Dyke Brown, Phthalo Green, Alizarin Crimson, and Permanent Red." Pinkie Pie said to herself when she saw the paint bottles, she squeezes the bottle and they all stood about three quarters of an inch above the tube, Pinkie Pie stopped squeezing to let the paint go in, she put the painting tubes in her saddlebag and continued shopping,

"Okay, I need to find some Magic White." Pinkie Pie said to herself, and she looks around. She keeps looking and sees a can of Magic White, but to Pinkie Pie's surprise, it had Ross' face on it, and he was smiling, she decided to take it and saw she had enough money to buy more things, so she decides to buy some candy and party materials. She goes to the cashier, who was a male earth pony,

"Oh, are you a fan of Ross, too?" the cashier asked happily,

"Yes, he taught me how to paint." Pinkie Pie replied, the cashier smiled,

"I sure wish there were more ponies like him around, he taught us to look at the world differently, he started painting because he wanted to share his vision with us." the cashier said, Pinkie Pie was surprised,

"Shame he didn't like his mane, though." the cashier said,

"Wait, he doesn't like his manestyle?" Pinkie Pie asked, the cashier shook his head,

"Not at all." the cashier replied, Pinkie Pie was shocked, but she focused and bought and paid for the painting and party supplies,

"Have a good day." the cashier said,

"Thank you, you too." Pinkie Pie replied and she hopped back to Ross' home.

Pinkie Pie opens the door and enters,

"Ross, I'm back!" Pinkie Pie said,

"Tell me, Pinkie Pie, what do you think of my new painting?" Ross asked, and he showed it to her, and much to Pinkie Pie's shock, it was nothing but a big blotch of multiple colors,

"It's... a mess." Pinkie Pie replied nervously,

"I see, I haven't improved at all." Ross said a bit sadly,

"What's wrong, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"In my free time, I've been painting on my own to see if I can still paint pictures, I wanted to spread love and joy through my paintings, but now that I've gotten an illness that has taken away my sights, I can't paint pictures to make people happy anymore." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie was a bit sad,

"Well, I have dedicated my life to spreading laughter and joy, too, but I'm not a painter, I'm a party planner, and I've got my party cannon with me." Pinkie Pie said,

"Pinkie Pie, please don't fire it, my hearing is enhanced due to my lack of sight, a party cannon will greatly hurt my ears." Ross replied,

"Well, I do have candy to offer, too." Pinkie Pie said, Ross chuckled,

"Thank you, I'd like to try some." Ross replied, and the two share the candy together,

"You're a great pony, Pinkie Pie, anypony to have you as a friend is lucky." Ross said,

"I'm friends with everypony I meet." Pinkie Pie replied, Ross chuckled,

"Do you have a job?" Ross asked,

"I just said it, I'm a party planner, birthday parties are my specialty." Pinkie Pie replied, Ross smiled,

"Remember, Pinkie Pie, not everything that is joyous and happy is loud, there's joy and happiness in quietness, too." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Tell you what, I'd like to practice walking around, I want to see if I can go from place to place without bumping into anything." Ross said,

"Okay, and I'm here to help till the end." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie, you have already brightened my day." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled, and the two head out.

Ross tried walking around without Pinkie Pie's help so he could get around without anypony or anyone guiding him,

"Ross, I was wondering, why haven't you got a dog?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Because I have many animal friends, if I spend all my time with a dog, the others will get jealous." Ross replied, and he walks around slowly, he was able to determine some of the places around his home because the ground felt different in a few parts, and Ross remembered it. Pinkie Pie watches Ross worriedly while he practices walking around by himself, he also listened to other noises to determine where he was at,

"Phew, I'm tired, but it's just like painting and you throwing parties, Pinkie Pie, I believe I can do it, cause I can do it, all I have to do is practice." Ross said,

"Speaking of practice, I wanna paint more all of a sudden." Pinkie Pie replied, Ross chuckled,

"Sure, let's teach you a bit." Ross replied, and they go in the house.

Pinkie Pie sat again and was ready to paint, the paintbrush she uses does something she did not want to do, Pinkie Pie got a little irritated and tried to change the brush around, Ross heard Pinkie Pie getting rough with the painting,

"Relax, Pinkie Pie, let it flow, don't fight it, just go with the brush, and a lot of amazing things will happen." Ross said,

"But I don't like how it's looking." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Keep on painting, Pinkie Pie, think like water, and like a mist on the mountain, just let the brush do the work, all you have to do is give it a little touch and a little push, it's in the brush, you have to force it out, and the good thing with this form of painting is that you can add layer after layer after layer." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie presses the brush harder, more colors came out of the brush,

"Hey, you're right, it's working!" Pinkie Pie said loudly and happily,

"See, Pinkie Pie, you can do it, cause you can." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled and painted a bit more,

"Ross, I'm out of ideas." Pinkie Pie said,

"What was your original vision in your heart?" Ross asked,

"I didn't have one this time." Pinkie Pie replied,

"See, Pinkie Pie? You have to have a vision in your heart first, and then paint, also, to make things better, make love to the canvas." Ross said, Pinkie Pie was confused,

"What do you mean?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Like how you are gentle and kind to those you love, you have to be the same to the canvas, caress it very gently." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie realized what he was saying,

"Oh, so that's what you mean." Pinkie Pie said, Ross nodded while smiling, and Pinkie Pie just painted to her heart's content,

"Ross, I've made a tree!" Pinkie Pie said,

"That's great, Pinkie Pie, but put another happy little tree next to him, everybody needs a friend." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie could not agree more, and painted another tree to the right of her first tree, Pinkie Pie became happy and painted several evergreen trees on the canvas, she gave the trees Alizarin Crimson barks, Sap Green leaves, and mixed the Permanent Red with a little Cad Yellow to make a light orange color, puts paint thinner in it, and highlighted the trees.

Pinkie Pie finished and looked at Ross' other paintings, he had cacti, houses, a water wheel, wooden boards, fences, northern lights, campfires, deserts, and many more, Pinkie Pie wanted to learn how to paint all of them, but she knew she did not have the time to learn all of them, because her family might be worried about her not being home yet, so she went to Ross,

"Ross, I have to head home, my family's probably worried about me." Pinkie Pie said,

"Are you coming back?" Ross asked,

"Of course I am, I'm just going to let my family know I'm okay." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Alright, till next time, Pinkie Pie." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie hopped home.

Pinkie Pie arrives at the rock farm and saw Limestone Pie, Maud Pie, and Marble Pie working,

"Where have you been, sis?" Limestone Pie asked,

"Helping a blind pony." Pinkie Pie replied, Limestone Pie became surprised and lost her usual grumpy self,

"Is the pony alright?" Maud Pie asked in a calm and stoic tone,

"Yes, he's a friend of Beethooven." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, you mean that deaf pony you met a few months ago." Limestone Pie said, Pinkie Pie nodded while smiling, Limestone Pie chuckled,

"Look at that, a blind pony and a deaf pony." Limestone Pie said while smiling,

"I have to go back, I promised I'd help him get around without any aid." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay then. Marble, are you alright to help me and Limestone do Pinkie's work?" Maud Pie asked,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding,

"Thank you, all three of you, I'll come back when I'm done helping him." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, Pinkie Pie, but make it quick." Limestone Pie replied, and Pinkie Pie dashed away.

Pinkie Pie arrived back at Ross' home and he was walking around slowly, he kept bumping into things,

"Ross, I'm back." Pinkie Pie said,

"Welcome back, I've been busy trying to get around while you were away, I've gotten better already." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Ross, there's something I've wanted to ask for sometime." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yes?" Ross asked,

"Is it true that you dislike your afro?" Pinkie Pie asked, Ross was speechless for a second,

"Yes, I had my mane permed so I could save money by not going to the barber shop, I grew to dislike the afro later, but at that time, it was my signature look, so I kept it to make my fans happy and so they can recognize me." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie was surprised,

"Do you want to see how much I've improved getting around?" Ross asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and Ross moves around, his enhanced hearing and touch made it easier for him to determine where he was at, he walks around his home and was able to determine where he laid the food for the animals was at. Pinkie Pie was thinking of a song in her head for Ross while he continued walking around.

Ross finished walking for the day and Pinkie Pie was impressed,

"I wanna learn how to paint more!" Pinkie Pie said,

"That's wonderful, let's go then." Ross replied, and they enter his home.

Pinkie Pie tries painting and Ross was able to determine where Pinkie Pie was painting on the easel because he can hear it,

"Remember, Pinkie Pie, there are no limits, you have total power over the painting because it is your world, and I believe that you can do it, cause you can." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled and painted, it was not usual for Pinkie Pie to spread laughter and joy through quietness, but she still liked it,

"Ross, if you can, I'd like to know more about you." Pinkie Pie said,

"Another reason why I decided to share my paintings is because a lot of ponies believed that they had to be blessed by Da Pony or Manechelangelo, I wanted to prove to them and show them that is not true, I also believe if you sing along, and have a good time, that it will bring a lot of good thoughts to your heart." Ross replied,

"What is your favorite thing to paint?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"A happy little cloud and a happy little tree are fun to paint, but my favorite thing to paint are almighty mountains, sometimes, I have to literally physically restrain myself from painting an almighty mountain." Ross replied while chuckling, Pinkie Pie was laughing a little as well,

"What is your favorite color to use?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Van Dyke Brown, it is a nice, warm color." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie agreed with what he said, even though her favorite color was pink,

"How about you, Pinkie Pie, how do you spread joy around?" Ross asked,

"PARTY!!" Pinkie Pie said loudly with streamers and confetti appearing, Ross covered his ears,

"Pinkie Pie, I have enhanced hearing, I can't take loud sounds like how I used to." Ross said, Pinkie Pie chuckled with embarrassment,

"Sorry." Pinkie Pie said, Ross chuckled, Pinkie Pie continued painting, she was using Cad Yellow, Permanent Red, and Titanium White as her main colors,

"Make sure you deft it, Pinkie Pie." Ross said, Pinkie Pie was painting slowly and watching her paintings come out,

"I was wondering, Ross, what it's like being blind?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"My vision is pitch black, but on the contrary, I can see my visions of my paintings in my eyes, I am greatly enjoying it, it's a shame I can't make fantastic little paintings anymore." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie was sad as well, Ross was the best painter she has ever seen. Pinkie Pie finished and she painted a forest landscape with only bright colors, she looked at Ross' other paintings for inspiration,

"Uh, Ross, why do you have bright colors in your winter pictures, too for?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It is to add some warmth to the painting, winter paintings can be very depressing." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie did feel happy looking at the bright colors in the winter paintings,

"Pinkie Pie, do you know braille?" Ross asked,

"I've heard of it." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, since I'm blind, I need to learn it." Ross said, and Pinkie Pie took a chart out of her mane. Ross feels it with his front hooves while Pinkie Pie held it out for him,

"Do you want a cane too, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, it's fine, I can still walk without it." Ross replied, and he continues feeling the dots to learn braille, it was very easy for him, Pinkie Pie was curious and wanted to learn too, so Pinkie Pie felt the dots with her eyes closed and the two tried to guess what the letter and number were, Pinkie Pie and Ross laughed and had fun as they played.

Pinkie Pie stays at Ross' home for the night and decided it was her last day,

"Ross, today is my last day, I have to attend my family farm." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, in that case, let's have some fun, in my career, I did a crazy day in each series, let's make that day today." Ross replied, and the two paint together, all Pinkie Pie painted was a bunch of trees, mountains, logs, clouds, a sky, a cabin, and water with reflections and ripples in it, she used colors and made the painting look like a picture filled with a lot of candy, streamers and confetti as rain, and she signed her painting by mixing Titanium White and Permanent Red, she put Pinkamena Diane Pie on the lower-right corner of the painting.

Ross painted next and Pinkie Pie was about to guide him,

"Pinkie Pie, I'd like to try on my own, if I can, I can paint a picture by feeling the canvas and seeing with my heart, and I have memorized where the paint on my palette is at." Ross said, Pinkie Pie smiled and let him paint on his own.

Ross started by covering the entire canvas in a thin, even coat of Magic White with the two and a half inch brush, he painted a sky with a two and a half inch brush and the color Prussian Blue, he cleaned the brush next and then mixed Prussian Blue and Alizarin Crimson together to make purple, he paints the clouds and blends the bottom with circular strokes, he then went upwards to the top of the clouds to fluff them up, he washed and cleaned the brush next.

Ross went into the Van Dyke Brown with the palette knife and cut a mountain into the picture, he cleaned the palette knife and put Titanium White on it and puts snow on the right side of the mountains, Ross cleaned the knife and then mixed the Titanium White with Prussian Blue, he put the color on the left side of the mountains and then cleaned the knife.

Ross picked up the two and a half inch brush and went into Sap Green, and painted a hill, he moved the brush downwards to make the paint thinner, he then did upward strokes to add trees in the background, much to Pinkie Pie's awe. Ross adds paint thinner and paints another hill in front of the first one and adds small trees on it. Ross adds a third hill in front after thinning the Cad Yellow and paints it, he did downward strokes on each hill to add mist.

Ross mixes Van Dyke Brown with Alizarin Crimson, he puts a small roll of it on the palette knife and he adds a big tree on the painting, he then put another tree beside it to the right, he put two more on the other side of the painting. Ross cleans the palette knife and thins the Titanium White and highlights the trees, the trees on the left were highlighted on the right sides while the trees on the right were highlighted on the left sides. Ross cleans the palette knife and takes the one inch brush and goes into Phthalo Green and he puts leaves on the four trees, he then cleans the brush and goes back into the Cad Yellow and puts highlights on the trees.

Ross takes the two and a half inch brush and mixes the Prussian Blue with Titanium White and then thins it, Ross paints water in the foreground and puts a waterfall in the background and center of the painting. Ross uses the one inch brush and goes into the Sap Green and adds bushes, he cleans the brush and goes into the Cad Yellow after thinning it and highlights the bushes, but Ross also mixed the Permanent Red with Cad Yellow with the palette knife after cleaning the brush again and highlighted a few bushes with the orange color he made, he cleaned the brush again and the palette knife and then took the palette knife and cut the canvas to make it look like the bushes had twigs in it. Ross takes the one inch brush and uses the same colors of the bushes and reverses it, he reflects the bushes in the water after moving the brush down with each stroke and doing horizontal strokes.

Ross cleans the brush and takes the palate knife again and puts Van Dyke Brown on it after thinning it, he cuts rocks into the water, and then cleans the knife and puts Titanium White on it after thinning it, he puts highlights on top of the eight rocks he made, and then puts ripples into the water and the waterfall in the background with the liner brush and cleans it. Ross cleans the knife and cuts a basic cabin shape into the canvas on the left side, he thins the Van Dyke Brown and puts it on the cabin. Ross cleans the knife and mixes the Van Dyke Brown and Alizarin Crimson and puts the reddish brown color on the knife after thinning it and adds boards to the cabin. Ross cleans the knife and cuts two square shaped windows into the front of the cabin, and a rectangular shaped door into it.

Ross takes the liner brush, he thins the Permanent Red and then rolls the liner brush in it until it was a sharp tip and he signed his name in the lower-left corner of the painting.

Pinkie Pie was in complete surprise at the painting, she looks at the clock, and to her shock, it only took Ross twenty five minutes to make the painting, she was also shocked that Ross painted the entire thing on his own, seeing only with his heart, and hearing with his ears,

"Wow!" Pinkie Pie said loudly,

"See, Pinkie Pie, you can do anything you wanna do, and when you find freedom on the canvas, you can create many fantastic little paintings." Ross said,

"How many paintings did you make, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Hundreds, I did a total of thirty one different series' in my career, each one consisted of thirteen paintings, but I didn't always paint, somepony else painted other times, such as my son, and other friends of mine who were painters as well." Ross replied,

"That reminds me, I created a song while you were painting." Pinkie Pie said, Ross chuckles,

"Let's hear it." Ross replied, and Pinkie Pie took a record player out of her mane and plays the song,

I believe, I believe
Everyday's a good day when you paint
I believe, I believe
That you bring a lot of good thoughts to your heart

I believe, I believe
Everyday's a good day when you paint
I believe, I believe
That you bring a lot of good thoughts to your heart

Let's build a happy little cloud (little cloud)
Let's build some happy little trees (little trees)
There are no limits here (limits here, limits here)
You start out by believing here

You can paint with almost anything
All you have to do is practice
There are no limits here (limits here, limits here)
You start out by believing here

This is your world
You're the creator
Find freedom on this canvas
Believe that you can do it (that you can do it)
Cause you can do it (Cause you can do it)

Give it a little touch
Give it a little push
Make love to the canvas (Make love to the canvas)

Give it a little touch (touch)
Give it a little push (push)
Caress it very gently (very gently, very gently)

Grab it, deft it, fluff it
We can go on and on and on (and on)
Back and forth, back and forth
Layer after layer after layer

Let's build a happy little cloud (little cloud)
Let's build some happy little trees (little trees)
There are no limits here (limits here, limits here)
You start out by believing here

This is your world
You're the creator
Find freedom on this canvas
Believe that you can do it (that you can do it)
Cause you can do it (Cause you can do it)

Relax, let it flow (Relax, let it flow)
Think like water (Think like water, Think like water)
Relax, let it flow (Relax)
You can go on and on and on (and on)

We don't make mistakes (mistakes)
We just have happy accidents (happy accidents)
You can do anything that you wanna do
Total power
Sing along, have a good time

Doo-doo-doo
Do-da-doo-doo-doo
Do-da-do, do-do-do-do-do,

Do-da-doo-doo-doo
Do-da-doo-doo-doo
Do-da-doo-doo-doo

This is your world
You're the creator
Find freedom on this canvas
Believe that you can do it (that you can do it)
Cause you can do it (Cause you can do it, you can do it, you can do it)

I believe, I believe
Everyday's a good day when you paint
I believe, I believe
That you bring a lot of good thoughts to your heart

I believe, I believe
Everyday's a good day when you paint
I believe, I believe
That you bring a lot of good thoughts to your heart

Ross smiled at the song and chuckled,

"It's a nice song, Pinkie Pie, thank you for sharing it, well, it's getting late, we have to sleep." Ross said, and he and Pinkie Pie sleep.

Morning comes and Pinkie Pie was about to leave, they fed the animals, the birds and squirrels have decided to help Ross get around in order to return the favor of him always feeding them. Pinkie Pie began to cry a bit and tears came out of her eyes, distraught that she had to say goodbye to Ross,

"There, there, Pinkie Pie, you're still young, you have your whole life ahead of you." Ross said,

"But I'm sad I have to say goodbye to you." Pinkie Pie replied,

"You gotta have a little sadness once in a while, so you'll know when the good times come." Ross said, Pinkie Pie continued to cry a bit, and the two hug one another, Pinkie Pie cried while Ross smiled,

"You were my best friend, I'm going to miss you." Pinkie Pie said tearfully,

"I'm going to miss you, too, and remember, happy painting, and Celestia bless." Ross replied, they let go and Pinkie Pie walked home in tears while Ross, the birds, and the squirrels watched her, Ross had a tear roll down his right eye while he smiled and Pinkie Pie left.

Pinkie Pie stared at Sugarcube Corner's ceiling while in tears, she wanted to see Ross again, he was one of the best friends she has ever made. Knocking is heard at the door and Pinkie Pie ignored it,

"Pinkie Pie, are you home?" a voice asked, Pinkie Pie realized it was Ross, she dashed to the door and opened it, she saw Ross, who looked the same as before, but his afro, beard, and tail were now white,

"Ross, I can't believe it's you." Pinkie Pie said tearfully, she looked down and cried a bit, she says "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Pinkie Pie." Ross replied, and the two hug one another,

"Oh, Ross, dearie." Rarity said as she ran to him,

"You are...?" Ross asked,

"I'm Rarity, I was a big fan of your work, I used to use your paintings as inspiration for some of my outfits in my early years as a fashion designer." Rarity replied, Ross chuckled,

"You know her, Pinkie Pie?" Ross asked,

"Yes, she's a friend of mine." Pinkie Pie said,

"I've made a new friend here, I'd like for you to meet her." Ross said, and he showed Pinkie Pie and Rarity his new friend was Fluttershy,

"Ross is very good with animals, especially squirrels and birds, he and I are taking care of the animals together now." Fluttershy said,

"Are you still painting, Ross?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, I heard you were a teacher now, Pinkie Pie, I thought that I could meet your class, and show them another way to spread joy." Ross replied, Pinkie Pie agreed and the two stay at Sugarcube Corner.

The next day comes and Pinkie Pie was teaching at the School of Friendship, Ross came along with the birds and squirrels guiding him, and him seeing where to go with his heart, and using noises to find out where he was at,

"Good morning, everycreature, I have a special friend of mine today, please welcome, the one and only: Ross!" Pinkie Pie said, the class claps while Ross walks in,

"Hi, I'm Ross, and for the next thirteen weeks, I will be coming to this school. As you can see, I'm blind, but I can see with the guide of my friends here and my heart. Pinkie Pie and I met many years ago, and just like her, I spread joy and happiness across the land as well, but since Pinkie Pie is your teacher, she has taught you how to have fun in loudness, my job is to teach you all that you can have fun, and find joy and happiness in the quiet aspects of life, too. I will not just be in this class, I will be teaching in Rarity's class and Fluttershy's class, too, I will be giving visual aspects in Rarity's class, and teach you how to take care of some of the animals in Fluttershy's class. I will now go over the supplies we use to paint." Ross said, and he goes over and began teaching immediately, the class was very impressed by how fast he made a painting, especially Silverstream, she was the most excited to learn.

Ross keeps teaching and word spread about his painting skills, and many creatures came to the school to learn, almost all of them were impressed. Pinkie Pie was surprised by how many people attended, but what shocked Pinkie Pie was even Princess Celestia has come to learn. Class finishes and Princess Celestia goes to Pinkie Pie,

"It's wonderful you have made such a friend, Pinkie Pie, I originally thought about making Ross a bearer of one of the Elements of Harmony, but I didn't know which one to give him." Princess Celestia said,

"You knew him too, Princess Celestia?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Of course, Ross has been spreading joy and happiness throughout Equestria for many years with his paintings, it has been just as, if not more, powerful than friendship." Princess Celestia replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"You want to paint too, Pinkie Pie?" Ross asked,

"Do I ever?!" Pinkie Pie replied, the others laugh and Pinkie Pie painted while Ross watched and smiled, class goes on and Ross keeps teaching until his thirteen weeks were up, and he left to go teach at another school.

Pinkie Pie and Ross stayed in touch and wrote letters to one another, and later, Beethooven and Callas started writing letters and the four remained friends, forging a bond that cannot be broken.

The Abused Foal

Pinkie Pie was in Sugarcube Corner and looked at the calendar, she saw the date and realized what the date was, it has been exactly six years since she has met a colt named Star Pony, that was his name after Pinkie Pie's family changed it, his original name was Punching Bag. While Pinkie Pie had a lot of special friends, he was super special, not because he was her first special friend, but because of what he had to go through, and what transpired when Pinkie Pie encountered him, and it ended on a pretty bad note, Pinkie Pie begins to look back on the events with tears in her eyes.

Pinkie Pie was going to the store to get groceries for her parents, she always bought the groceries because Limestone Pie was too short tempered, Maud Pie bored the cashier into falling asleep, and Marble Pie was too shy to even leave the home. Pinkie Pie buys the groceries and was heading home, it was a foggy autumn evening, so leaves were everywhere. Pinkie Pie jumped and kicked the leaves around happily as she headed home, but her happiness gone away when she heard soft crying up ahead, it sounded like a foal. Pinkie Pie trotted forward and saw an earth pony colt walking to the right in the left side of her vision, he had a dark gray coat, a short dark purple mane and tail, and gray eyes, he did not have a cutie mark yet. Pinkie Pie was a bit sympathetic at seeing the foal, she trotted to in front of him, he did not notice because he was still looking downwards at the ground,

"Excuse me." Pinkie Pie said as she stood in front of him, but she soon gasped in shock at what she saw, his face was heavily scarred, swollen, and bruised, his legs were scarred with scrapes as well, the bottom of his hooves had blisters on them, swollen in a few parts, his back had scrapes and scabs all over it, and his flank had horizontal cuts on it. Pinkie Pie's mouth was wide open with horror at what she saw,

"Hey, can you hear me?" Pinkie Pie asked, the colt was startled and looked up, he saw Pinkie Pie,

"Are you okay?" Pinkie Pie asked worriedly, the colt shook his head slowly while scared with tears in his eyes,

"What is your name?" Pinkie Pie asked, the colt began to cry a bit,

"Oh, come on, how bad can it be?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Punching Bag." the colt replied tearfully, Pinkie Pie moved her head back, her eyes and mouth were wide open with shock, unable to believe somepony would name their foal such a thing,

"Where do you live?" Pinkie Pie asked, Punching Bag became scared,

"No! Please! Anywhere but there!" Punching Bag replied frantically and tearfully, much to Pinkie Pie's confusion,

"But your parents must be worried about you." Pinkie Pie said,

"They're the last ponies I want to see." Punching Bag replied,

"Come on now, bad ponies come out at night, it's best that you get home, I'll come check on you tomorrow." Pinkie Pie said, and she carried Punching Bag home while he cried. Pinkie Pie was able to find his home with her Pinkie Sense, and saw it was old and beat down, it was also isolated from the other places, there were no neighbors, and a black spear fence was around the house with a gate that was open,

"There, now go in there and go see mommy and daddy." Pinkie Pie said happily, Punching Bag was scared and quivering in fear, Pinkie Pie pushed him forward,

"There, there, don't worry, I'll be back to check on you tomorrow." Pinkie Pie said, and Punching Bag walked forward with a sad face and entered his home. Pinkie Pie turns around and begins to walk home, but stopped when she heard yelling,

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" a stallion voice yelled,

"I... I... I was busy getting groceries." Punching Bag replied in terror,

"GROCERIES?! WE TOLD YOU, DON'T GO ANYWHERE UNLESS YOU ARE PLANNING TO BE HOMELESS, NOPONY WANTS TO SEE AN UGLY PONY LIKE YOU IN THIS WORLD!!" a mare voice yelled, Pinkie Pie's attention was caught and she looked at the house,

"YOU KNOW THE RULES!! YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED IN HERE!! GET OUT!! YOU'RE SLEEPING OUTSIDE BECAUSE YOU'RE TOO UGLY AND STUPID TO BE LOVED!!" the stallion yelled, Punching Bag can be heard quivering in fear, Pinkie Pie was worried but she headed home, she decided that she will check on him after finishing her work on the farm.

Pinkie Pie finished her work on the farm early and quickly headed to Punching Bag's home, he was not there, but she saw a stallion and a mare, both were earth ponies. The stallion had a light orange coat, was bald, had a brown tail, a brown beard and moustache that were connected, his eyes were brown, and his cutie mark was a fist. The mare had a light gray coat, a long dark purple mane and tail, her eyes were red, and her cutie mark was a brown wooden paddle.

Pinkie Pie hops to them and they see her coming,

"Excuse me." Pinkie Pie said,

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" the stallion asked in an angry and unfriendly tone,

"Is Punching Bag here?" Pinkie Pie asked in a timid tone,

"You're not a friend of his, are you?" the mare asked in an unfriendly tone,

"Why you ask?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Punching Bag doesn't deserve any friends." the stallion replied, Pinkie Pie had a shocked face,

"Who are you two, anyway?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I am Mind Breaker, and this is my husband, Strong Muscle, we're Punching Bag's parents." the mare replied, Pinkie Pie was a bit shocked,

"Then how can you say he doesn't deserve friends?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Because he doesn't, his existence in this world has tainted the universe." Strong Muscle replied,

"Answer the question now, are you a friend of Punching Bag?" Mind Breaker asked,

"Actually, I'm friends with everypony." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Does it include Punching Bag?" Strong Muscle asked,

"Of course, it includes you two, too." Pinkie Pie replied, Punching Bag's parents were a bit surprised, but soon glare at her,

"Begone, anypony who is friends with our son is not welcome here." Strong Muscle said, Pinkie Pie chuckled nervously,

"Surely, you're joking, right?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Strong Muscle asked while glaring,

"Alright, I'm leaving." Pinkie Pie replied nervously, and she walked away while the two ponies watched her and glared at her.

Pinkie Pie walks home and did not see Punching Bag anywhere, she was sensing something was wrong, not with Punching Bag being gone, but that she did the wrong thing yesterday. Pinkie Pie hears soft crying and tries to look through the fog, she sees a black silhouette of a foal up ahead. The silhouette walks forward and Pinkie Pie sees it was Punching Bag, he was crying while he headed home, Pinkie Pie ran to him,

"There you are, I was worried about you." Pinkie Pie said,

"I got in trouble because of you." Punching Bag replied,

"What?" Pinkie Pie asked in confusion,

"Do you have any idea what my parents are like?" Punching Bag asked,

"They weren't friendly to me." Pinkie Pie replied,

"See? My parents are very mean, I stay out as long as I can so I don't have to see them." Punching Bag said with his tears in his eyes, Pinkie Pie was sympathetic,

"I hate to do this, but I have to send you back there again, I'm sorry." Pinkie Pie said, and she tried to carry him, but he fought back, Pinkie Pie stopped when she saw Punching Bag's body, he was anorexic, his ribs could be seen through his skin, and he had red rashes on the right side of his chest and abdomen. Pinkie Pie looked at him in shock at seeing his body, she looks and sees there were bruises on his abdomen as well. Pinkie Pie was shocked at seeing this, it also made her more reluctant to take him back to his parents,

"Tell you what, I'll be back here tomorrow, I'll bring you some food." Pinkie Pie said, Punching Bag cried a little,

"Thank you." Punching Bag said, and the two go back to his home. Punching Bag entered his house and Pinkie Pie watched, she can see Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker through a window on the right side of the house, near the top,

"EXPLAIN YOURSELF!!" Strong Muscle yelled angrily,

"What?" Punching Bag asked timidly,

"An ugly pink pony came here saying she was your friend, don't tell us you made a friend." Mind Breaker replied,

"I... I didn't." Punching Bag said,

"Really? Cause she said she's your friend!" Strong Muscle replied,

"She isn't!" Punching Bag said sternly, Strong Muscle stood on his hind legs and began punching Punching Bag in the face with his front hooves, Pinkie Pie gasped loudly in horror at what she was seeing, one punch with Strong Muscle's front right hoof put a blood splatter on the window, Punching Bag screamed in pain from the hits. Strong Muscle stops and Punching Bag was crying,

"YOU DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!!" Strong Muscle yelled with rage, Punching Bag was still crying from the pain,

"Look at what you got on the window, it's your fault that's there, clean it up, and do your outside chores after you're done, and stay away from that pink pony. You are stupid, and you are ugly, you don't deserve friends, ponies are going to hate you for the ugly pony you are. Now, clean this mess you caused, and get out there and work like the slave you are." Mind Breaker said, and the two walked away.

Punching Bag cleans the window and Pinkie Pie saw he was bleeding on his face, he walks out and does his chores, he had to move a heavy carriage filled with rocks and gardening supplies across the yard, he was struggling and had almost no energy, he finished and then walked to where he slept while in tears. Pinkie Pie watches him and sees he was eating trash and drinking dirty water, he was crying in the process. Pinkie Pie could not bear what she was seeing, so she ran to him,

"Hey." Pinkie Pie whispered, Punching Bag looked at her,

"When do your parents leave for work?" Pinkie Pie whispered,

"They don't have jobs, they're home all the time." Punching Bag whispered,

"Then how do they buy their stuff?" Pinkie Pie whispered,

"They have a lot of money, they're rich, and they didn't buy any of this." Punching Bag whispered,

"How did they get it?" Pinkie Pie whispered,

"They stole it from other ponies." Punching Bag whispered, Pinkie Pie was shocked again, she decided that the two were bad news,

"Hang on, I'll be back." Pinkie Pie whispered, and she left to watch Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker through the windows, the two fell asleep about an hour later and Pinkie Pie went back to Punching Bag, who was coughing,

"Hey, your parents are asleep now, let's get you out of here." Pinkie Pie whispered, Punching Bag was surprised,

"You will do that for me?" Punching Bag whispered, Pinkie Pie nodded while smiling, Punching Bag hugged her while crying quietly,

"Thank you, I thought help would never arrive." Punching Bag whispered, Pinkie Pie rubbed his mane with her front right hoof,

"Let's take you to my place, come with me." Pinkie Pie whispered, and the two sneak out.

Pinkie Pie arrives at her home with Punching Bag behind her, her family sees him and runs to him,

"Oh my, what hast happened to tis foal?" Cloudy Quartz asked,

"Ma, pa, please, I want him to stay with us." Pinkie Pie said,

"Wherest didst thou find him, Pinkamena Diane Pie?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"I saw him walking on the road, I took him home, I heard his parents yelling at him that he was ugly and stupid, and doesn't deserve to be loved. I met his parents earlier today, too, they were very mean. I took him home again today, and his parents beat him, he also has to do heavy labor outside and is not allowed in the house, his parents don't feed him, either, and he's forced to eat trash and drink dirty water in order to survive." Pinkie Pie explained, her family was in shock,

"What dost the rest of thou say?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie replied while nodding in agreement that Punching Bag should stay with them,

"I believe it would be best that we keep him as well, I can't bear to see him like this." Maud Pie said in her usual deadpan and stoic tone,

"Eh, I guess, as long as he doesn't give us trouble." Limestone Pie said,

"It is decided then, thou can stay here for the night." Cloudy Quartz said,

"Thank you." Punching Bag replied,

"Alright then, this way, Punching Bag." Pinkie Pie said, and he follows her into the house, he could not walk straight due to the blisters on his hooves, he almost fell over, but Marble Pie and Cloudy Quartz grabbed him and helped him into the house. Punching Bag entered and the family made a spot for him to sleep, he tried to sleep but could not, he saw the Pie sisters sleeping in the bed,

"Uh, excuse me." Punching Bag said, the four sisters open their eyes' since they did not fall asleep yet,

"Can I sleep with you four?" Punching Bag asked,

"What? Don't like your sleeping area?" Limestone Pie asked,

"No, last time I slept in a house, my parents woke me up by giving me a hoof beating, and they threw me out the window, into the cold. I feel vulnerable and unsafe sleeping on my own." Punching Bag replied, the sisters except for Maud Pie had shocked expressions,

"Of course, come on over." Pinkie Pie said,

"Really?" Punching Bag asked,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie replied while nodding smiling,

"Yes, don't worry, we won't hurt you." Maud Pie said, Punching Bag walked over while smiling,

"Over here, Punching Bag." Pinkie Pie said, and he came over, Maud Pie and Marble Pie helped him onto the bed and he laid between Pinkie Pie and Maud Pie, Pinkie Pie hugged him to make him feel safe and the five sleep.

It was late into the night and the family was awakened by Punching Bag, who was tossing, twitching, and turning, Limestone Pie growled for a few seconds but stopped when she realized Punching Bag was having a nightmare,

"No, no, no, no! Please! Don't hit me!" Punching Bag said in his sleep, the four sisters were a bit shocked and concerned, Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz were awakened as well, they were a bit concerned when they saw Punching Bag having the nightmare,

"No! Please! I didn't do it! Don't hit my hooves with the cane again!" Punching Bag said in his sleep, Pinkie Pie took note of this and was uncomfortable, Punching Bag began to cry,

"No! No! NO!! Please! Anything but that! I'm begging you! Don't hurt me with that! Anything but the knife!" Punching Bag said loudly with tears in his eyes, Pinkie Pie and Marble Pie look on with horror and the two shake him to wake him up,

"Please! I'm begging you! Stop hurting..." Punching Bag said and he woke up, he was hyperventilating when he opened his eyes, the six family members look at him with concern,

"It's okay, Punching Bag, it was just a bad dream." Pinkie Pie said, Punching Bag was still crying a bit, Pinkie Pie hugged him to comfort him,

"I believe we shalt keep him a bit longer, tis foal is having bad memories of his home." Cloudy Quartz said,

"Agreed, come here, young one, we shalt take a look at thine wounds." Igneous Rock Pie said, and Punching Bag walked to them, the Pie sisters lit candles so they can see.

Cloudy Quartz put her glasses on and looked at Punching Bag's wounds,

"Oh my, his hooves art covered in blisters from the caning he hast received." Cloudy Quartz said, she continued to examine him,

"His flank hast been hit by a wooden paddle, like those found in schools." Cloudy Quartz said, she checks Punching Bag's back next,

"The scars on his back art from whipping, most likely from a belt." Cloudy Quartz said, Pinkie Pie was very uncomfortable and shocked, and Cloudy Quartz then checked the cuts on his hooves, and a deep wound that was a scab on the right side of his abdomen,

"Oh my, tis art knife wounds." Cloudy Quartz said, shocking Pinkie Pie and Marble Pie,

"I thought the wounds on his hooves were cuts from thorns." Pinkie Pie said,

"No, Pinkamena Diane Pie, tis art too deep to be thorn cuts." Cloudy Quartz replied,

"We can't leave him like this." Pinkie Pie said with tears,

"I agree with Pinkie, we should treat him." Limestone Pie replied, surprising the others, but the others agree,

"Tis way." Cloudy Quartz said, and she walks to the kitchen while Punching Bag limped, Igneous Rock Pie helped him walk.

The family arrives into the kitchen and Cloudy Quartz gets a napkin and soaks it in water from the sink, she rubs it on Punching Bag's wounds to make them less painful and to reduce the swelling,

"Hold still, young one, thou need to rest." Cloudy Quartz said,

"Punching Bag, can I ask you something?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Go on." Punching Bag replied,

"What were your parents like before now?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"The same as now." Punching Bag replied tearfully,

"Do you have any siblings?" Pinkie Pie asked, Punching Bag was almost crying,

"M... m... my little brother." Punching Bag replied tearfully, the Pie family becomes shocked,

"Where is he?" Pinkie Pie asked with great concern, Punching Bag began to cry, the Pie family was able to figure out what happened and had horrified faces, while Maud Pie only widened her eyes,

"Oh my, tis bad, we shalt keep him here." Igneous Rock Pie said,

"Aye, any foal dost not deserve such a home." Cloudy Quartz replied, Marble Pie went over to Punching Bag and comforted him, his crying softened, Cloudy Quartz finished rubbing the cold paper towel on him and then went on to put bandages on his newer wounds, Pinkie Pie yawned,

"It's still late at night, Punching Bag, we have to sleep." Pinkie Pie said tiredly, the others agreed and they went back to bed with Pinkie Pie hugging Punching Bag as they slept to make him feel safe.

Morning comes and Punching Bag had to leave early so his parents do not find out he has gone out at night, Pinkie Pie was going to go with him just in case they run into danger,

"Remember, thou art always welcome here." Cloudy Quartz said, Punching Bag nodded, tearing up because he had to go back to his mean parents,

"Thank you." Punching Bag replied, and he and Pinkie Pie headed back to his home.

Pinkie Pie and Punching Bag arrived at Punching Bag's home,

"Remember, sanctuary is at my home." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'll keep it in mind." Punching Bag replied, and he walked into the yard while Pinkie Pie stayed behind so Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker do not see her, Punching Bag walked in and began carrying the heavy carriage across the yard,

"WHAT THE?! WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO PAY OUR BILLS!!" Strong Muscle yelled angrily,

"WHERE IS THAT BRAT?!" Mind Breaker asked angrily, they look outside and see him working, they run out and Mind Breaker takes him off of the carriage and holds him down, Strong Muscle began whipping Punching Bag's back with a belt, he screamed in pain,

"STOP IT!!" Pinkie Pie yelled angrily as she ran to them, she struggled with Mind Breaker but managed to get Punching Bag and moved him to behind her,

"HOW COULD YOU?!" Pinkie Pie yelled angrily,

"This abomination has cursed us, his presence has made our house bills too high, and we cannot pay them, he deserves to be punished." Mind Breaker said,

"No, he didn't, you brought it onto yourselves!" Pinkie Pie replied angrily,

"Are you questioning our genius level intelligence?!" Strong Muscle asked angrily,

"I'm questioning your morals!" Pinkie Pie replied angrily, the two parents get angry at her,

"Please, don't hurt her, she's not a friend." Punching Bag said, Pinkie Pie gasped at what he said,

"Then why is she here?" Mind Breaker asked,

"She's... teaching me how to be homeless." Punching Bag replied nervously, Mind Breaker was skeptical and looked at Punching Bag's wounds, she sees they were treated,

"LIES!! She is helping you, this ugly and hideous pink pony has been giving you love, which you don't deserve!" Mind Breaker said angrily, Pinkie Pie was very shocked at what she said, Strong Muscle went behind Pinkie Pie and pushed her down, she screamed as she fell, Mind Breaker held her down while Strong Muscle got his belt,

"Those who befriend our son shall share his fate." Strong Muscle said, and he whipped Pinkie Pie's back with the belt, she screamed in the process, each hit cut her back,

"Wait, please, stop." Punching Bag said, Mind Breaker kicked him in the face with her hind left leg, which made him fall over,

"Be silent, brat." Mind Breaker said, Strong Muscle continued whipping Pinkie Pie's back with the belt and she screamed and soon cried from the pain, she looked at Strong Muscle and saw he had a smile on his face, Pinkie Pie saw he was enjoying it, much to her disgust, he finished shortly afterwards, Pinkie Pie was crying in pain,

"Get out of here, you blowhard, and don't come back." Strong Muscle said, Pinkie Pie stood up slowly and was in pain, she turns around and looks at Punching Bag with tears in her eyes, she then walked out of the yard, the two parents then proceeded to continue whipping Punching Bag with the belt, he screamed in pain, Pinkie Pie could not bear to listen, so she quickly headed home.

Pinkie Pie arrived home and her three sisters ran to her when they saw she was injured,

"Quick, Marble, get ma and pa." Limestone Pie said, Marble Pie just nodded and she ran into the house while Limestone Pie and Maud Pie examined Pinkie Pie's back.

Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz ran out of the house with Marble Pie and saw Pinkie Pie's back, she had cuts all over her back and was bleeding,

"What hast happened, Pinkamena Diane Pie?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"It's Punching Bag's parents, they whipped me with a belt, they also said that anypony who befriends Punching Bag will get the same beatings as him." Pinkie Pie replied, the Pie sisters were shocked,

"I know ma and pa were strict, but they never laid a hoof on us." Maud Pie said,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding,

"No kidding, ma and pa never hit us, even when we misbehaved." Limestone Pie said, Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz looked at one another and noticed they have not, but they were happy with who their daughters have grown up into becoming.

Cloudy Quartz takes Pinkie Pie in and treats her wounds, she did not have to work due to her injuries, but she felt bad that her sisters had to do her work for her, Igneous Rock Pie walked to her,

"Pinkamena Diane Pie, hast Punching Bag been alright?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"I'm not sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two sat while Igneous Rock Pie comforted her with his front left hoof on her right shoulder.

Night time comes and the family has rock soup, they hear groaning outside and realize it was Punching Bag, they run out and saw him, Pinkie Pie gasped when she saw deep cuts on his face, she was able to tell they were knife wounds, he also had more cuts on his flank, it was the same as the wooden paddle wounds.

Cloudy Quartz takes him in and treats his wounds, Limestone Pie walked over to him,

"Hey, Punching Bag." Limestone Pie said,

"Yes?" Punching Bag asked,

"Keep in mind that we can't do this every day, our supplies are limited." Limestone Pie replied, Punching Bag nodded, he then sneezed and coughed, he vomited bile afterwards, the family gets worried, Cloudy Quartz checked him,

"Oh my, he is sick, he is underweight and unhealthy." Cloudy Quartz said, they see the red rashes on his body as well,

"Go get a soup, Pinkamena Diane Pie, he must eat." Igneous Rock Pie said, and Pinkie Pie came over to offer her rock soup. Punching Bag drank the soup and tried to eat the rock, but his teeth were not strong enough, so Pinkie Pie punched the rock into pieces to mash it. Punching Bag ate it and had a hard time swallowing,

"I'm sorry, Punching Bag, but this is the best we have." Pinkie Pie said, Punching Bag was still sad, but he ate, it tasted terrible, but he knew he could not be picky, he coughed and had a runny nose, he sneezed a bit as well, which greatly hurt his lungs. Cloudy Quartz went on to create her home remedies with Marble Pie helping her, Pinkie Pie and Igneous Rock Pie fed him together, while Maud Pie and Limestone Pie got their rock soups in case he was still hungry. Cloudy Quartz and Marble Pie come back with a drink, it was a mixture of garlic, ginger, cinnamon, honey, mashed tomatoes, and warm water. Punching Bag drinks it and gagged because it tasted terrible, the garlic made him cough since it was so spicy,

"Do not fight it, thou must swallow, or thou shalt not get better." Cloudy Quartz said, Punching Bag gagged and coughed from the spice, Pinkie Pie patted his back to help him, he swallowed the home remedy after a while and ate the soup. Punching Bag finished and the Pie family remade their dinner and had it, they let Punching Bag sit with them since they considered him a part of their family,

"I never did get your guys' names." Punching Bag said,

"My name is Igneous Rock Pie, son of Feldspar Granite Pie." Igneous Rock Pie replied,

"My name is Cloudy Quartz." Cloudy Quartz said,

"You can just call me Pinkie Pie, or Pinkie for short." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm Maud." Maud Pie said,

"My name is Limestone Pie, I run the farm when ma and pa don't." Limestone Pie said,

"And that's Marble, she doesn't talk much." Pinkie Pie said,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding,

"I see, Igneous Rock, Cloudy, Limestone, Maud, Pinkie, Marble, got it." Punching Bag said, Pinkie Pie, Limestone Pie, and Marble Pie nodded while smiling, Cloudy Quartz just smiled, and Maud Pie and Igneous Rock Pie had the same expressions as before, the family had dinner and they were ready to go to sleep, Pinkie Pie hugged Punching Bag to make him feel safe,

"Punching Bag, did your parents ever hug you or kiss you on the forehead?" Maud Pie asked,

"Never, whenever they touch me, it is to hit me." Punching Bag replied, Pinkie Pie and Marble Pie had subdued but shocked expressions,

"Do you two need an extra pillow for your backs?" Limestone Pie asked,

"No, I'm fine." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'm fine, too." Punching Bag said,

"Alright, see you two in the morning." Limestone Pie replied, and the five sleep, Punching Bag tossed and twitched while having nightmares of his experiences with his parents, he woke up the family again, but they were not mad because they knew exactly what was going on, Pinkie Pie woke him up and he panted and sweated, Pinkie Pie hugged him and the family fell back asleep while Punching Bag looked down in sadness.

Morning comes and the family had breakfast, it was rock soup again, each member gave Punching Bag one quarter of their rock and soup so he can eat and gain weight so he can be healthy, he ate it since he had no choice, the family members mashed the rock piece they gave him so he can swallow it, he had the same drink Cloudy Quartz and Marble Pie made for him last night, he still coughed from the spice of the garlic,

"Thanks for the meal, but I have to go back to my parents' place." Punching Bag said,

"Understood, Pinkamena Diane Pie, accompany him." Igneous Rock Pie said,

"Yes, pa." Pinkie Pie replied, she then says "Let's go, Punching Bag." and the two leave together.

Pinkie Pie and Punching Bag walk together, fallen leaves were everywhere, and the white fog was thick. Pinkie Pie was ready to defend Punching Bag with her life if anyone or anything tried to attack him, they arrive at his home and saw his parents were still asleep. Punching Bag went on to work outside, Pinkie Pie was worried as she watched him, but she left since she still had to recover on her own.

Pinkie Pie arrived home and rested, she did a little work and was taking it easy, she finished early and Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz read a book to her that she liked as a filly. The sun sets and Punching Bag came again, he had wooden paddle wounds on his flank, Cloudy Quartz and Marble Pie treated it, he then went over to Pinkie Pie and Igneous Rock Pie, the two smiled as he came over,

"Punching Bag, this is a book I liked as a filly." Pinkie Pie said,

"I can't read." Punching Bag replied, this shocked the family,

"Wait, you can't read?" Limestone Pie asked,

"Mom and dad refused to send me to school or educate me, they said since I'm ugly and will be hated, I don't deserve an education, and they even refused to homeschool me." Punching Bag replied, the family was shocked and disgusted,

"I'll teach him." Maud Pie said,

"Okay, I'll teach him basic math." Limestone Pie replied,

"And I can teach him history!" Pinkie Pie said loudly and excitedly, they family all smiled at one another,

"Let's get started, then, starting tomorrow." Igneous Rock Pie said, Marble Pie came over with a paper and pencil, she laid them down in front of him,

"Uh?" Punching Bag asked,

"She wants you to write and spell the words." Maud Pie said,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding, and he wrote with his mouth, he had a little trouble, the Pie family laughs while Maud Pie just smiled, and they slept together.

Pinkie Pie started on the first day and taught him history by talking about it while Igneous Rock Pie nursed him,

"Okay, Punching Bag, who is the princess of Equestria?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Uh, Prince... Jesus?" Punching Bag asked, the family could not help but laugh a bit,

"No, Punching Bag, I said princess, not prince, it's a girl." Pinkie Pie said,

"Uh, well... Princess... Celestial?" Punching Bag asked,

"Close, it's Princess Celestia." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, okay." Punching Bag said, Pinkie Pie smiled, and Marble Pie showed him how to write the name on the paper, Punching Bag copied her but had trouble, but he managed to write the name down right,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding, Punching Bag smiled. The family finishes for the day and they share their dinner with him, Punching Bag left so his parents do not get suspicious.

Maud Pie taught him on the second day while Cloudy Quartz treated his wounds, he had blisters and cuts on his hooves from getting hit by a cane. Maud Pie was holding a book and read it to Punching Bag while he looked,

"As... Phoenix... defended... Maya... in... court... the... prosecutor... kept... throwing... saves... so... Mister... White... would... not... be... found... guilty." Maud Pie read slowly, Punching Bag tried to memorize the words, he was having trouble, Marble Pie wrote it on the paper with the pencil in her mouth, Punching Bag copied it, but had a hard time, he got it down after a long time, the three smiled at him, they have dinner and Punching Bag goes back home.

Limestone Pie taught Punching Bag the third day while Igneous Rock Pie treated his wounds, he had cuts on his back from a belt,

"Alright, Punching Bag, there are four basic functions, adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing, we'll go over adding and subtracting first, because multiplying and dividing is basically the same thing, but faster." Limestone Pie said, Punching Bag nodded,

"Before that, we'll go over the ten basic numbers, zero, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine, you'll be using those numbers every time you write numbers." Limestone Pie said, Marble Pie wrote the numbers down for Punching Bag to see, she also labeled them, Punching Bag kept looking at them, Limestone Pie was calm and smiled because she knew that Punching Bag will have to take his time to learn, they have dinner while Punching Bag memorized the numbers and what they were called, Limestone Pie called them out by name since he still could not read at all, they have dinner and Punching Bag went home for the day.

Pinkie Pie taught again on the fourth day while Cloudy Quartz treated his wounds, he had hoof beatings on his face,

"Alright then, Punching Bag, who was the sister of Princess Celestia?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Uh... Princess Daisy?" Punching Bag asked, Pinkie Pie laughed while Cloudy Quartz and Marble Pie chuckled,

"No, silly, that's not even close." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Uh... mmm... I give up." Punching Bag said,

"Princess Luna." Cloudy Quartz replied,

"Oh, okay, I'll have to rehear that part again." Punching Bag said, Marble Pie wrote it down for him, spelling the princess part was a bit easier for him, but he had trouble writing the Luna part, Cloudy Quartz taught him the alphabet in the process, the family shares their dinner with him and he went home for the day.

Maud Pie taught on the fifth day and was reading the same book while Igneous Rock Pie treated his wounds, he had deep knife wounds on his back and abdomen,

"When... Phoenix... was... about... to... lose,... the... spirit... of... his... deceased... mentor... came,... and... gave... him... the... final... piece... of... evidence... that... Phoenix... needed... to... prove... Redd's... guilt,... and... thus,... avenging... her... death." Maud Pie said, Punching Bag had trouble keeping up, Marble Pie wrote it down and showed it to him so he could read it, Maud Pie and Igneous Rock Pie read it to him together, he copied what they said, they share dinner again and Punching Bag headed home.

Limestone Pie taught on the sixth day while Cloudy Quartz treated his wounds, he had cuts on his flank from a wooden paddle,

"Alright, Punching Bag, we're going to be using these four rocks for math, what does one plus one equal?" Limestone Pie asked, Punching Bag saw two rocks on the floor, he puts one rock at the end,

"Nope." Limestone Pie said, Punching Bag put a second rock,

"Correct, now show me one minus one." Limestone Pie said, and Punching Bag tried taking away one rock,

"Close." Limestone Pie said, and Punching Bag took away the other rock at the end,

"Very good, now do one times one." Limestone Pie said, and Punching Bag put two rocks at the end,

"Wrong." Limestone Pie said, Punching Bag tried taking them both away,

"Still wrong." Limestone Pie said, and Punching Bag put one rock back,

"Okay, now do one divided by one." Limestone Pie said, and Punching Bag took the rock away,

"Nope." Limestone Pie said, he put both rocks there,

"Wrong." Limestone Pie said, and he then took one rock,

"Correct." Limestone Pie said, Marble Pie showed Punching Bag the math symbols on the paper, and they were labeled, Cloudy Quartz told him what the symbols meant, they have dinner and Punching Bag headed home.

Pinkie Pie taught him on the seventh day while Igneous Rock Pie treated his wounds, he had hoof beatings on his chest,

"Okay then, Punching Bag, who was Princess Celestia's mentor?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Uh, her parents?" Punching Bag asked,

"Nope, I said mentor, not mentors." Pinkie Pie replied, Punching Bag thought about it,

"Star Swirl the Bearded." Punching Bag said,

"Correct!" Pinkie Pie replied while clapping her front hooves, Marble Pie wrote down his name and he wrote it down as well, they share dinner again and he headed home.

Maud Pie was teaching him on the eighth day while Cloudy Quartz treated his wounds, he had knife wounds on his legs,

"Shortly... after... Phoenix... won... the... case,... Maya... became... his... new... assistant." Maud Pie said, Marble Pie wrote it down, they finish and had dinner, Punching Bag left to head home but stopped in fear when he saw his parents were waiting for him,

"So this is where you've been going." Strong Muscle said,

"Wait, please, I can explain." Punching Bag said in fear, Strong Muscle grabs him and holds him down, he began punching Punching Bag's head with his front right hoof, he screamed as each hit made him bleed, the Pie family runs out and wrestles him away, Punching Bag cried as Cloudy Quartz and Marble Pie checked his wounds, Limestone Pie stood in front of them to defend them,

"What art thou doing?!" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"That boy is a brat, he has brought us bad luck." Mind Breaker replied,

"You brought it onto yourselves!" Pinkie Pie said angrily, the two look at her,

"Wait, you're that pink blowhard from before." Strong Muscle said, this angered her family,

"So you're the one who hurt our sister!" Limestone Pie said angrily,

"We have our reasons, that foal is ugly and deserves to be hated as he grows up, any friend of his shall grow up to be hated as well, so she will be hated too, her ugly appearance and annoying personality shall cast her into the ring of hate she deserves for the rest of her life." Mind Breaker said, her words were enraging Limestone Pie, she tried to lunge forward to attack the two, Pinkie Pie and Maud Pie held her back,

"Limestone, no." Pinkie Pie said,

"Dost thy ears deceive me? Never have I heard such wicked words." Igneous Rock Pie said,

"Complain all you want, you know that deep down, we are right." Strong Muscle replied,

"That boy is a curse, he brings bad luck to anyone he encounters." Mind Breaker said,

"Begone! Thou art not welcome here, thou hast hurt our daughter." Cloudy Quartz said,

"Fine, come here, Punching Bag." Strong Muscle said,

"No!" Punching Bag replied,

"You dare talk back to me?!" Strong Muscle asked, he took a knife out and ran towards Punching Bag, Pinkie Pie screamed in fear while Maud Pie held him back, Marble Pie put Punching Bag behind her and was ready to defend him, Maud Pie pushes Strong Muscle back,

"Fine, keep him, but may his presence curse you." Strong Muscle said, and he and Mind Breaker left.

Punching Bag breathed loudly and the family saw he was bleeding heavily,

"We can't leave this as it is, we have to do something." Pinkie Pie said,

"Agreed, tis only one thing to do: we hast to take tis to court." Igneous Rock Pie replied,

"You mean a custody battle, pa?" Limestone Pie asked,

"Aye, tis the only thing we can do, we must win, as there art no orphanages or law enforcement around here, either." Igneous Rock Pie replied, the others look at him in agreement,

"How are we going to win? We don't have proof." Pinkie Pie said,

"That is wherest thou come in, Pinkamena Diane Pie, I shalt try to get you a search warrant, come with me, Punching Bag." Igneous Rock Pie said, and the two go together. An hour passes and the two came back with a search warrant,

"That was easy, your father just said my parents were hurting me and showed them my wounds, luckily, your father didn't have any blood on him, and the hoofmarks on me didn't match his, so they were convinced and gave us the warrant." Punching Bag said, much to the family's surprise, they were not expecting for it to succeed. Igneous Rock Pie gave the warrant to Pinkie Pie,

"Remember, Pinkamena Diane Pie, hold onto it, we shalt need it in court." Igneous Rock Pie said,

"When dost thou file for the battle?" Cloudy Quartz asked, Igneous Rock Pie thought about it,

"Let's try tomorrow." Igneous Rock Pie said, and the six look at Punching Bag to examine his wounds, Cloudy Quartz and Marble Pie took him in the house to treat it, they went to sleep early and Punching Bag was still having nightmares, Pinkie Pie and Maud Pie comforted him to calm him down.

The next day comes and Pinkie Pie went with Igneous Rock Pie to give the address of Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker, they then head over to their house and knock on the door, Igneous Rock Pie showed them the paper,

"What is the meaning of this?!" Strong Muscle asked,

"Punching Bag is going to live with us!" Pinkie Pie replied angrily,

"Over our dead bodies, he's our ragdoll!" Mind Breaker said, Igneous Rock Pie pressed his front right hoof on Strong Muscle's chest,

"See thou in court." Igneous Rock Pie said, and he and Pinkie Pie left.

The two arrive back and were ready to go to court, Maud Pie gave Pinkie Pie a modern camera,

"We're counting on you, Pinkie, find proof and take pictures of their guilt, pa is going to stall for time for as long as he can, hope you can make it on time." Maud Pie said,

"Leave it to me." Pinkie Pie replied, the two hear a grunt outside and realize it was Punching Bag, they run out and see he was gone, this made the family uncomfortable,

"What? No! He's gone!" Limestone Pie said,

"Tis too late to look for him, court is going to start in an hour, we hast just enough time to walk there to get there on time, good luck, Pinkamena Diane Pie." Igneous Rock Pie said,

"Why can't another one of you guys come with me?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Because pa needs all the support he can get." Limestone Pie replied,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding,

"Okay." Pinkie Pie said sadly,

"Good luck, Pinkamena Diane Pie, and may Celestia be with thou." Cloudy Quartz said, and they head to court while Pinkie Pie went to Punching Bag's home.

The family arrives into court and Igneous Rock Pie stood at the right bench while Cloudy Quartz, Limestone Pie, Maud Pie, and Marble Pie sat together behind him in the gallery, and Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker stood at the bench across from Igneous Rock Pie, there were many ponies in the gallery to the sides, and in the back of the room,

"Ready to lose, old timer?" Mind Breaker asked, Igneous Rock Pie did not respond, a male earth pony walks to the judge's bench,

"Court is now in session, art thou two ready?" the judge asked,

"Aye, thou honor." Igneous Rock Pie replied,

"Just get on with it already." Strong Muscle said, the judge looked at him with disapproval,

"Let's see here, tis a custody battle between Punching Bag, one side being Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz, and the other side being Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker, I shalt hear both sides of the story before deciding thy verdict, starting with the biological parents." the judge said,

"Well, we'll have you know that we love and care about him very deeply, we also call him affectionate names and help him with his homework, we always respect him and support him, that is why we should keep our child." Mind Breaker said, Limestone Pie was getting angry already, knowing it was not true,

"Very well, I shalt now hear what Igneous Rock Pie hast say." the judge said,

"Very well, Punching Bag shalt come with thy family because thy daughter, who is not here for the moment, hast found Punching Bag a week before, already covered in cuts and bruises, thy daughter brought him home so he could be treated a few days later. I believe Punching Bag should come with me, and live in a family that loves him, treats him kindly, treats his wounds, and educates him." Igneous Rock Pie replied, the judge nodded,

"Indeed, the school is far from thou house, homeschooling is really the only option." the judge said,

"That is why we should take him, we can send him to a school that is high in education, and have him learn to become what he wants to when he grows up." Strong Muscle replied, the gallery murmured to one another, the judge slammed the gavel,

"Peace, court is still in session." the judge said, and they continue.

Pinkie Pie runs to Punching Bag's home and examines it, nopony was around, there were no pets either,

"Punching Bag, where are you?" Pinkie Pie asked loudly, muffled speech was heard from what sounded like behind the house, Pinkie Pie ran to the door and tried to open it, it was locked, so Pinkie Pie turned around and bucked it with her hind legs, it broke, but did not move much. Pinkie Pie looks and sees the door was barricaded from the inside with wooden boards, Pinkie Pie took pictures of it. Pinkie Pie charged through them and broke them. Pinkie Pie turns around and saw nails in the wall, they looked new, so Pinkie Pie took pictures of them as evidence, she was nervous but continued to walk forward in order to save Punching Bag.

Igneous Rock Pie stood ready and watched the court,

"Care to explain those wounds, Igneous?" Strong Muscle asked,

"Dost thou not know how Punching Bag got them?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"Oh no, he was already like that when he came home one day, he never wanted to talk about it, just brining it up triggers the painful memories on how got those wounds. We tried to take him to a therapist, but alas, not even he was able to help him get over his fear." Mind Breaker replied,

"Dost thou have a receipt." Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"Sorry, but we left in such a hurry, we forgot to bring it." Strong Muscle replied, Igneous Rock Pie, Cloudy Quartz, Limestone Pie, and Marble Pie glared at them,

"What about the school he attends, dost thou have document on that?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"We forgot that, too." Mind Breaker replied,

"Thou cannot say Punching Bag attends school or seen therapist without documents, we need the evidence, or thou assumptions will be disbelieved." the judge said,

"About that, we had to leave behind everything, the call to court was so sudden." Mind Breaker replied,

"Then thou testimonies cannot be proven true." the judge said,

"Thou honor, can I ask them a question?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"Go on." the judge replied,

"Dost thou two have another child?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"No, we do not." Strong Muscle replied,

"Really? Punching Bag said he had a younger brother." Igneous Rock Pie said,

"Oh, that Punching Bag, it's just his imaginary friend, he always comes to visit him whenever he's alone." Mind Breaker replied, Igneous Rock Pie glared, because he highly doubted that was true,

"Wherest wast tis Punching Bag when thou first met, Igneous Rock Pie?" the judge asked,

"Thy daughter, Pinkamena Diane Pie, was coming home after buying groceries from the store, she came across Punching Bag on her way home, he was already injured when she first saw him." Igneous Rock Pie replied,

"He got injured on his way home." Strong Muscle said, Igneous Rock Pie looks and sees a little bit of dried blood on Strong Muscle's front hooves,

"Strong Muscle, is that dried blood on thee hooves?" Igneous Rock Pie asked, Strong Muscle's attention was caught and he looked, he did have dried blood,

"This is from a long time ago, I cut myself while working with a saw outside when I was building a new door for the house." Strong Muscle replied,

"Can we have a closer look for confirmation?" the judge asked,

"Of course, your honor." Strong Muscle replied, and he held his front hooves up, the Pie family can clearly tell they were not as old as Strong Muscle said,

"When did thou get thee scabs?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"Uh...? Um...? I don't remember." Strong Muscle replied, the gallery murmured while the Pie family knew he was lying, the judge hits the gavel,

"Peace, court is in session." the judge said, Igneous Rock Pie tries to look and see Mind Breaker had a hoofmark on her right chest, he can clearly tell it was recent,

"Care to explain hoofmark on thee chest, Mind Breaker?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"Oh, that's from Punching Bag, he's a hassle to wake up in the morning, I was waking him up for school, and he hit me in his sleep." Mind Breaker replied while smiling,

"Thou art lying." the judge said, surprising Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker,

"I can tell from here, hoofmark on thee chest is too light to be that old, thou hast lied to the court." the judge said, Mind Breaker was caught off-guard and shocked that one of her lies was exposed, Cloudy Quartz, Limestone Pie, and Marble Pie smiled,

"Tell us the truth, how dost thou obtain thee mark?" the judge asked,

"Well, Punching Bag didn't want to go to court, since it's boring to him, so I tried to bring him along, so he fought back and hit me, so we had no choice but to leave him behind." Mind Breaker replied,

"When was it?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"A little over an hour ago." Mind Breaker replied,

"Hmm, this dost seem to make sense, it dost also add up with the time, judging from the mark's color, let's continue." the judge said, and court continues.

Pinkie Pie searches the house and looks for Punching Bag, along with evidence of Strong Muscle's and Mind Breaker's guilt, she looks around and does not find anything yet. Pinkie Pie walks straight into the next room and saw pictures of many fillies and colts on the wall, Pinkie Pie looks at them and saw they were crying while either Strong Muscle or Mind Breaker was smiling or laughing in the picture, they were foals as well, Pinkie Pie can clearly tell that the two were bullies as foals, she took the pictures and put them in her saddlebag. Pinkie Pie comes to the end of the room and saw there were two ways to go, the left was to the bathroom, and the right was to the kitchen, she decided to check the bathroom first. Pinkie Pie examines the bathroom and saw it was very clean, she opened the medicine cabinet and only found toothpaste, two toothbrushes, two shaving razors, a bottle of shaving cream, and cotton swabs. Pinkie Pie opened the toothpaste tube and saw there was nothing hiding inside it, she also opened the shaving cream bottle, there was nothing inside it, either, Pinkie Pie then closed the medicine cabinet since there was nothing hiding in there.

Pinkie Pie opens the cabinet under the sink and saw it only had spare toilet paper in there, she took them out and saw there was nothing hiding behind the toilet paper rolls, she also checked the tubes to see if they had anything in them, there was nothing, so she put them back. Pinkie Pie checked the bathtub and found nothing, but she opened the shampoo, mane conditioner, and lotion bottles, there was nothing hiding in them, she closed them and exited the bathroom.

Pinkie Pie went into the kitchen next and checked the cabinets under the counter, there was nothing but cookware in it, she took them all out and saw there was nothing inside them, or under them, so she put them back and closed the cabinet. Pinkie Pie opened the cabinets above the counter and only found bowels and plates, she took them out and saw there was nothing in them, either, so she put them back. Pinkie Pie opened the refrigerator and the freezer next, there was only hay and vegetables, she went through the food and saw there was nothing hidden in them, so she put them back and closed the refrigerator and freezer. Pinkie Pie opened the oven and saw it was empty, but it did make her a bit uncomfortable looking inside since it was rusty, she closed it and left the kitchen.

Pinkie Pie walks down the hallway more and saw it was empty, but she can tell that things used to be hung on the walls in that area, since there were hooks and hangers on the walls, she walks forward and sees there was an attic, but it was closed, Pinkie Pie decided to ignore it for now and went up the stairs in front of her.

Igneous Rock Pie stood his ground while he watched Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker carefully, Cloudy Quartz, Limestone Pie, and Marble Pie watched nervously, while Maud Pie was also nervous, she did not show it,

"Is it okay if I ask Igneous Rock something?" Mind Breaker asked,

"Aye." the judge replied,

"Where is your daughter now?" Mind Breaker asked,

"What dost thou mean?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"Well, I can see your wife there, and the two gray daughters, and the one with the frock, where is your pink daughter at?" Mind Breaker asked,

"Pinkamena Diane Pie said she had something to do, she shalt arrive late if the court goes on for that long." Igneous Rock Pie replied, Mind Breaker and Strong Muscle murmur something to one another, the Pie family overheard them talking about trying to end court as quickly as possible,

"Wait, one thing, what exactly is your daughter doing?" Strong Muscle asked,

"She went to go check on Punching Bag, since she is a friend, Pinkamena Diane Pie was very concerned, and wanted him to be alright." Igneous Rock Pie replied,

"Well, that is very sweet of her, tell her she has my appreciation." Strong Muscle said, the Pie family was able to hear his sarcasm clearly, which angered them,

"Tis very sweet of her, maybe both families shalt have custody." the judge said while smiling, this made the Pie family nervous, even though Igneous Rock Pie and Maud Pie did not show it,

"What about income, dost both families hast reliable source?" the judge asked,

"Certainly, we live in a small mansion, surrounded by a fence in order to protect our child from anything that tries to get in, he is safe and comfortable in our home." Strong Muscle said,

"What is thou job?" the judge asked,

"I'm a retired gardener." Strong Muscle replied,

"What about thou, Mind Breaker?" the judge asked,

"I'm a retired journalist." Mind Breaker replied,

"How long hast thou two been retired?" the judge asked,

"Six years." Strong Muscle replied,

"Four years." Mind Breaker replied,

"I see, we all know about the rock farm, dost thou hast enough money for fifth child?" the judge asked,

"Aye, while it hast been hard, we art still managing, Punching Bag hast stayed at our home for a week and enjoyed it, he is a pleasure to have around, and as rock farmers, thy family is very strong physically, and we can defend him from danger easily because of our strength, I believe Punching Bag should live with thy family cause he likes it there." Igneous Rock Pie said, the judge nodded,

"Both bring up good points, however, the final decision is Punching Bag's, since he is not here, I shalt not pass a verdict." the judge said, this made the Pie family nervous while Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker smiled.

Pinkie Pie arrives into a bedroom and saw it was a double bed, she looked at it and saw there was a brown diary on a desk across from it, Pinkie Pie picks it up and saw it was locked, even though it was very thin. Pinkie Pie looks for the key and does not find it, Pinkie Pie exhales and takes her saddlebag off. Pinkie Pie leaves the room and looks at the attic above her, she appears on the ceiling with suction cups on her hooves, she grabs the string with her mouth and pulls it down, she appeared in front of the stairs and goes up. Pinkie Pie arrives into the attic and sees it was empty. Pinkie Pie examines it and sees two keys up there, she takes them both and closes it. Pinkie Pie goes back to the bedroom and tries the first key on the diary, it opened. Pinkie Pie reads what was in it and sees it was Strong Muscle's and Mind Breaker's reason for marrying and having children, Pinkie Pie was horrified at what it said, she closed it and put it in her saddlebag,

"Okay, now what is this key for?" Pinkie Pie asked, and she left the bedroom.

Igneous Rock Pie stood and watched Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker as they smiled smugly,

"I would like to know why Strong Muscle's and Mind Breaker's address was not known until now." the judge said,

"We live off-the-grid, and isolated from people." Mind Breaker said,

"So dost we, yet we art known to the others." Igneous Rock Pie replied, the gallery murmured in agreement, the judge hit the gavel again,

"Peace, I shalt have order." the judge said, he then says "Indeed, thee Pie clan is known to all around Western Equestria, yet they live off-the-grid."

"Are they famous for anything?" Mind Breaker asked,

"We run a rock farm, ponies come to the farm looking for a job to do." Igneous Rock Pie replied,

"See, there you go, we're just regular ponies, we're not famous, never were." Strong Muscle said, the court was silent,

"Moving on, why hast Pinkie Pie and Punching Bag not arrived yet?" the judge asked,

"Oh, that Punching Bag, he didn't want to come when I tried to make him come earlier, maybe he still doesn't want to." Mind Breaker replied,

"Pinkamena Diane Pie gets lost sometimes, perhaps she got lost in the woods again." Igneous Rock Pie said,

"Perhaps, Pinkie Pie hast been known to be adventurous and travel, perhaps she got lost yet again." the judge replied,

"Dost Punching Bag travel the woods as well?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"Of course, we encourage him to, go out there, find new things, and learn, he won't learn anything if he just stays at the home." Strong Muscle replied, Igneous Rock Pie knew he was lying, he pretends to have an epiphany,

"Yes, Igneous Rock Pie, what is it?" the judge asked,

"I apologize for not bringing it up sooner, but we shalt have our hoofmarks recorded for thee record." Igneous Rock Pie said, the judge nodded,

"Agreed, sheet of paper from anypony, please." the judge said, and a female earth pony offers one, ink was also offered by the judge, Igneous Rock Pie, Strong Muscle, and Mind Breaker put their front right hooves on the paper, they signed their hoofmarks with a pencil in their mouths, they went on to continue court.

Igneous Rock Pie thinks of something else to stall for time while he waited for Pinkie Pie to come with the evidence,

"I must ask, why is Punching Bag's back all stiff and hard?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"Oh, I'm glad you noticed, we're having Punching Bag move a heavy carriage across our yard so he can build physical strength, and be strong when he gets older." Mind Breaker replied,

"But it shalt do more harm than good if he is not given proper nutrition." Igneous Rock Pie said,

"No worries, we're feeding him the highest quality food we can offer." Strong Muscle replied,

"What about drinks?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"He is drinking eight cups of water a day." Mind Breaker replied, Cloudy Quartz was getting angry, she can tell from just looking at Punching Bag, that was not true,

"Wherest dost the water come from?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"We have bottles in our home, we collect rainwater, too." Mind Breaker replied,

"Wherest dost thou buy the water bottles?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"We bought them long before we moved here, we saved them so our sweet little foal can drink all of it and be healthy when he grows up." Strong Muscle replied,

"Dost thou still have the receipt?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"Yes, but it's hidden somewhere in our home, we'll have to look for it." Mind Breaker replied, Igneous Rock Pie could not think of anything else,

"Dost thou have anymore questions, Igneous Rock Pie?" the judge asked,

"Nay, thou honor." Igneous Rock Pie replied,

"Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker?" the judge asked,

"No, your honor." Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker replied together,

"Very well, I shalt now think about thy verdict." the judge said, and he thinks about what the two sides said while Cloudy Quartz, Limestone Pie, Maud Pie, and Marble Pie watch nervously.

Pinkie Pie headed outside since there was nothing else left in the house, the house did not have a back door. Pinkie Pie goes behind the house and stopped when she saw a wooden gravestone, Pinkie Pie looks and saw words made from sticks on the ground,

"Here lies Ragdoll, my loving little brother, may his soul rest peacefully." Pinkie Pie said out loud, she was in pure horror, Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker have already taken the life of one foal, she took a picture of it and put it in her saddlebag.

Pinkie Pie sees two white double doors with the paint chipping off, Pinkie Pie tries to open it and sees it was locked, so she uses the other key and it unlocks it, she headed down. Pinkie Pie enters the basement of the house and hears terrified muffles,

"Punching Bag, relax! It's me!" Pinkie Pie said loudly, Punching Bag let out more muffles. Pinkie Pie looks around the basement and stops in shock when she saw a brown wooden cane, a brown leather belt, a brown wooden paddle, a black cat o' nine tails, a black leather belt with clear studs on them, an actual whip, and four knives, they all had dried blood on them. Pinkie Pie quickly gets them and puts them in her saddlebag, she stood up afterwards,

"Punching Bag, where are you?" Pinkie Pie asked loudly, he let out a muffled cry as loud as he could, Pinkie Pie hears it and runs to where she heard it. Pinkie Pie runs to the west and stopped and screamed when she saw a dead stallion on the floor, she musters up her courage and puts it on her back. Pinkie Pie keeps running and saw Punching Bag, he had silver duct tape on his mouth, and was held up to the wall with chain and shackles. Pinkie Pie kicked each chain and broke them, she then took the duct tape off of his mouth, he grunted loudly. Pinkie Pie looked and saw he had hoofmarks on his jaw, he realized Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker tried to break his jaw, but must have not had the time because of court,

"Pinkie Pie, you came." Punching Bag said,

"Now's not the time, my family's in court, doing a custody battle, pa's stalling so he can buy us time to get there, get on my back, we have to hurry." Pinkie Pie replied, and Punching Bad did, Pinkie Pie ran to the court as fast as she could, leaving dust and a pink trail behind her.

The judge sat and thought about his verdict while the Pie family watched nervously, except for Igneous Rock Pie and Maud Pie, he opened his eyes shortly afterwards,

"To be honest, I cannot decide." the judge said, shocking everypony,

"Both sides hast brought up good points, both hast shown themselves to be good parents, if possible, they shalt work things out together and the two shalt come to an understanding." the judge said, Cloudy Quartz, Limestone Pie, and Marble Pie had shocked faces, unable to believe that Punching Bag still had to see the two, Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker smirked at the Pie family.

"WAIT!!" Pinkie Pie yelled from outside the double doors, and she bursts in, with Punching Bag on her back,

"It's Pinkie, she made it!" Limestone Pie said happily, Cloudy Quartz and Marble Pie smiled widely, while Maud Pie had a faint one, and Igneous Rock Pie did not smile at all,

"Dost thou hast the evidence, Pinkamena Diane Pie?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"Yes, I have it all right here." Pinkie Pie replied, and she emptied her saddlebag, revealing the abuse tools, photos of inside the house, and their diary, she also took Punching Bag and the dead pony off of her back, the gallery gasped in horror at seeing Punching Bag's wounds, and his anorexic body,

"Strong Muscle, Mind Breaker, what is thee meaning of tis?!" the judge asked angrily,

"Us?! She broke into our home!" Strong Muscle replied angrily,

"Yeah, that's invasion of privacy." Mind Breaker said, Pinkie Pie took the search warrant out of her mane, shocking the two,

"Really? Because I've got a search warrant right here." Pinkie Pie replied,

"No! There is no way that is real, I demand verification!" Mind Breaker said angrily,

"We can all tell from here, thee search warrant is very real." the judge replied, the gallery agreed,

"I would like for the wounds on the colt to be examined." the judge said, and a male earth pony examines it,

"Tis hoofmarks art Strong Muscle's and Mind Breaker's, tis a perfect match." the earth pony said,

"Punching Bag! You will suffer for this!" Mind Breaker said angrily, everypony present glared at them,

"Can anypony verify who this pony is?" Pinkie Pie asked, as she stood next to the dead pony, everypony was shocked,

"My, tis Wood Chipper, one of the friendliest ponies around here, so that is what happened, examine the body." the judge said, Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker begin to sweat,

"Death was caused by a slit throat." the male earth pony said,

"I also have several photos, Wood Chipper's life is not the only one they've taken." Pinkie Pie replied, and she showed the photos, the gallery gasped at seeing the grave of Ragdoll, they can tell by how small it was that it was a foal,

"Strong Muscle, Mind Breaker, thou hast lied to this court again! Hast any evidence on Punching Bag seeing a therapist been found?" the judge asked,

"No, this is everything you see here, no receipts or anything, Punching Bag also said everything in their house is stolen from other ponies." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I see, check the other things." the judge said, and they did, they examine the hoofmarks on all of the abuse tools, Strong Muscle's and Mind Breaker's hoofmarks were found on it, so was Pinkie Pie's, but they were not on the handles, so they were able to deduce that she was just carrying them, the gallery was shocked and disgusted at what they saw,

"Thou two ponies make me sick, taken the lives of two ponies, stole a home, kidnapped thou own son, hurt him, and hurt a child of another family, thou two art under arrest! Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz shalt watch over him!" the judge said,

"Wait, there is one more, Punching Bag, this is your parents' diary, it's why they had you, read it out loud to the court." Pinkie Pie said, and Punching Bag walked forward, Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker ran to him,

"Punching Bag! You better not!" Strong Muscle said angrily, several ponies exclaimed in shock, several ponies ran to restrain them,

"The colt shalt speak!" the judge said, and Punching Bag read the diary,

"Us, Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker, have loved hurting other people ever since we were young, but we love one another so much, we refuse to hurt each other, so that is why we are going to have children, so we can hurt them instead, and enjoy it as much as we did when we were younger." Punching Bag said, he was almost crying at the end. Everypony looked at Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker with pure disgust,

"There you go, Punching Bag, you found out the truth, we will hurt you for our pleasure because you are an ugly and despicable foal, whoever takes you in will grow to hate you and beat you as well for being born, and bringing bad luck to those who look after you." Mind Breaker said, Punching Bag was too shocked to speak, the entire gallery stood up and watched in horror at what Mind Breaker just said to her son,

"Take them away, I sentence thou two to death!" the judge said, and Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker were taken out of the courtroom,

"Tis good thou made it, Pinkie Pie, and Punching Bag, may Celestia grant thou a newer and happier home." the judge said, Punching Bag cried a little,

"Thank you." Punching Bag said,

"Well, tis time to announce thy verdict, I hereby give the Pie clan complete custody over Punching Bag." the judge said, and he hits his gavel.

Punching Bag cried tears of joy as he ran to the Pie family,

"Yes!" Pinkie Pie said loudly and happily, the Pie family and Punching Bag hugged one another,

"We won!" Limestone Pie said, Igneous Rock Pie and Maud Pie smiled while Cloudy Quartz, Pinkie Pie, and Marble Pie cried tears of joy, while Limestone Pie only had a few tears in her eyes,

"Well, congratulations, court is dismissed." the judge said, and he hit the gavel again, and everypony went home.

The Pie family walked back to their home and arrived late in the evening,

"Welcome to thou new home." Cloudy Quartz said,

"Thank you." Punching Bag replied happily,

"Say, who was that Wood Chipper guy?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"He was a pony who lived in solitude for many years, he lived far away from the others, ma and pa used to buy wood from him before you and Marble were born, he suddenly disappeared five years ago." Maud Pie replied,

"Wait, maybe my parents' house is actually his house." Punching Bag said,

"Most likely is, sorry to say this, Punching Bag, but you can't stay with us forever." Limestone Pie replied,

"What? Why?" Punching Bag asked,

"We dost not hast enough money or food to support a fifth child." Igneous Rock Pie replied,

"Well, there's a lot of food and money at my parents' house, I can stay there." Punching Bag said,

"I didn't find any money when I investigated that house." Pinkie Pie replied,

"It's under their bed, along with jewelry they stole from others when they were younger." Punching Bag said,

"Oh, okay then." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, let us rest, first thing tomorrow, we shalt change your name." Igneous Rock Pie said, the others smiled, and they all went to sleep without having dinner, Punching Bag still had nightmares, and Pinkie Pie comforted him while he slept, which reduced the nightmares.

The Pie family and Punching Bag go to the nearest town hall and ask to have Punching Bag's name changed,

"What dost thou want your new name to be?" Cloudy Quartz asked,

"Uh, I can't decide." Punching Bag replied,

"Ooh, I know, let's call you Star Pony." Pinkie Pie said,

"Why Star Pony for?" Punching Bag asked,

"Because you're a pony, of course, and you're special to us, the name makes it sound like you do matter." Pinkie Pie replied, the others smiled and agreed, and Punching Bag tried to write his name, but could not, so Igneous Rock Pie wrote it for him,

"Welcome to the family, Star Pony." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thank you." Star Pony replied while smiling, and they headed home.

The Pie family took turns educating him and he started to improve greatly after two months, Pinkie Pie and her family also discussed what happened in court, and what Pinkie Pie found in Star Pony's old home during that time as well. Pinkie Pie was teaching Star Pony near the end of the first month, when he started to show improvement,

"Okay now, Star Pony, let's do a recap on what you learned about history." Pinkie Pie said,

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were the rulers of this land, and their teacher was Star Swirl the Bearded." Star Pony replied,

"Very good, Star Pony, you're doing great." Pinkie Pie said while smiling, and Star Pony continued learning.

Maud Pie taught him the next day and he read the book this time,

"Phoenix was able to use the metal detector on Manfred's shoulder and discovered the bullet that Miles shot, proving that Manfred was outside the elevator, and he was the one who killed Miles' father." Star Pony said,

"Good job, Star Pony." Maud Pie said while smiling, and they continued reading.

Limestone Pie was teaching him the next day and he was stating facts about multiplication,

"Anything times zero will be zero, anything times one will be the same answer as the bigger number, anything times two will double the number, and so on." Star Pony said,

"Not bad, Star Pony, now, there is one more thing you need to learn: the decimal." Limestone Pie replied, and Marble Pie wrote a decimal on the paper,

"This is a decimal, Star Pony, you're going to be seeing this when you do math with money, most of the time, there will be only be two numbers behind the decimal, when there is more than two in money math, you look at the third number behind the decimal, and round it, if that number is five or higher, the second number goes up by one, if it's four or lower, it goes down by one, and if it's a zero, you just take it off, but if the first or second number is a zero, you have to keep it on." Limestone Pie said,

"Got it." Star Pony replied, and Limestone Pie made a few math problems for him, he solved them all quickly and perfectly,

"Good job, Star Pony, you already got the hang of it." Limestone Pie said while smiling, they finished, had dinner, and went to sleep.

Marble Pie was with him the next day and she taught him how to write letters and numbers, she did not teach him cursive because she believed he was not ready yet, he copied what she wrote perfectly,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding and smiling, she also had him say the letters and numbers out loud, he got those correct as well, Marble Pie smiled widely and they finished for the day, Star Pony went to his old home to have dinner and they slept.

A month passes and the Pie family was done educating Star Pony, so he was now working on the rock farm to make his own money, the Pie family did not pay him much because he already had a lot of money, and gave him little and easy work because he was still anorexic, but the rashes were gone, and he was no longer sick, he has been working for two weeks, and took it easy, Pinkie Pie always stood by his side while he worked, which made him feel safe.

An earth pony colt runs to the farm and was panting, the sun was just about to set,

"Everypony, I bring important news!" the earth pony said, the seven run to him,

"What is it?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"It's Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker, they have broken out of jail and are heading here!" the earth pony replied, much to the family's horror, Star Pony began to quiver in fear,

"Quick, get in the house and board the windows!" Cloudy Quartz said,

"Get my gun!" Igneous Rock Pie said, and the others go in the house.

The windows were boarded and the door was locked, Star Pony was upstairs with the rest of the family while Igneous Rock Pie was outside, in front of his house's door, holding a double barreled shotgun, it was early into the night as well. Star Pony quivered in fear at the fact that his parents were coming, Cloudy Quartz put her front left hoof over his mouth,

"Shh, peace." Cloudy Quartz whispered, the entire family was worried and they watched silently, but a few seconds later, they hear Igneous Rock Pie fire two shots from his shotgun, it was loud and Pinkie Pie, Marble Pie, and Star Pony screamed,

"Tis clear!" Igneous Rock Pie said from outside, and they go to the door and unlock it. Cloudy Quartz opens the door and they step outside, they see the lifeless bodies of Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker on the ground, Star Pony looked away while the females of the family comforted him and Igneous Rock Pie just looked at them while holding his gun.

Pinkie Pie finished looking back and was still in tears, because they still have not been able to find a family willing to adopt Star Pony, and he had to see a therapist four years ago. Marble Pie would go to his house to deliver food and water to him, and Pinkie Pie would send him letters of support whenever she could, and the abuse he received from his parents have hindered his growth, he spent the next six years healing, so he still had the body of a foal, and did not have a cutie mark yet. Maud Pie bursts into Sugarcube Corner, which caused Pinkie Pie to exclaim in shock,

"Pinkie, we have to go, it's Star Pony." Maud Pie said,

"What's wrong?" Pinkie Pie asked, Maud Pie gives Pinkie Pie a letter, she puts it on the nearest table and opened her eyes in horror,

Pinkie, Maud

This is Limestone, the abuse Star Pony received from his parents have caught up to him, he collapsed when we tried to have him do the full work on the rock farm, he's in the hospital, hurry up and come home, he needs our support, the doctor said he's dying.

Pinkie Pie was in utter shock at what the letter said,

"Let's go, Pinkie, we have to hurry." Maud Pie said, and the two dashed to their destination, going faster than a train, and headed to the hospital.

Igneous Rock Pie, Cloudy Quartz, Limestone Pie, and Marble Pie were sitting out of Star Pony's room, Cloudy Quartz and Marble Pie had tears in their eyes'. The door flies open and the four look to their rights, they saw Pinkie Pie and Maud Pie running to them,

"We're here." Pinkie Pie said,

"Pinkamena Diane Pie, Maudileena Daisy Pie, Star Pony hast stopped breathing, he is unconscious." Igneous Rock Pie said,

"How long has he been here?" Maud Pie asked,

"Three days, he stopped breathing this morning." Limestone Pie replied,

"Is he...?" Pinkie Pie asked with tears in her eyes,

"Not yet." Cloudy Quartz replied,

"Mm-mm." Marble Pie said while shaking her head, Pinkie Pie was still shocked. The doctor walks out and goes to them, it was a male earth pony,

"He's not doing well, it doesn't look like he'll pull through, you all are welcome to see him now." the doctor said, and the six run into the room.

The Pie family enters and sees he had an oxygen mask on his face, and his heartbeat was very faint, Pinkie Pie sees Star Pony no longer had visible wounds on him, but was still a little anorexic,

"Star Pony, can you hear me?" Pinkie Pie asked very worriedly as she held his front left hoof with her front hooves and with tears in her eyes, Star Pony did not respond.

Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack walk into Sugarcube Corner,

"Pinkie, it's almost time for our friendship picnic." Twilight Sparkle said, but they see she was not present,

"Where in tarnation did that Pinkie go this time?" Applejack asked,

"I'm sure she's here, she would never miss a time to hang out with us." Rarity replied,

"Pinkie Pie, we're about to do our friendship picnic." Rainbow Dash said loudly, no response came,

"Uh, Pinkie, are you in your secret planning cave?" Fluttershy asked as she was on the floor,

"Hey, there's a letter there, y'all." Applejack said,

"That is strange, I wonder what it says." Twilight Sparkle replied, and the five go to the table, they read the letter and gasp in horror.

Pinkie Pie was still in tears while she tried to communicate with Star Pony,

"Star Pony! Star Pony! Star Pony, please answer me!" Pinkie Pie said, she began to cry softly as he did not respond, Maud Pie and Marble Pie pulled her back and comforted her as she cried. The door burst open and Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack ran in,

"Sorry we're late, we came as fast as we could." Rarity said,

"Pinkamena Diane Pie, what is the meaning of tis?" Igneous Rock Pie asked,

"I left in such a hurry to come here, I must've forgot to put the letter away." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Where's Star Pony?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and they look and see him, the five run to him, Fluttershy gasped softly,

"No." Rainbow Dash said,

"Please, please, please, please, please." Twilight Sparkle said as she desperately tried to use her magic to heal him, they all had worried faces,

"Hang on, y'all, Ah'll go get Granny." Applejack said, and she ran off. Hours pass and Applejack came with Granny Smith,

"Where is the wounded at?" Granny Smith asked,

"Over here, Granny." Applejack replied, and she sees Star Pony, she began to feel him with her front left hoof,

"Oh, this ain't good, some ol' hospital ain't gonna be enough to bring him back, the only thing y'all can do is call out to him, and hope he hears ya." Granny Smith said,

"Star Pony! Please! Hear me!" Pinkie Pie said with her voice breaking, he did not respond, and she began crying her eyes out, so did Rarity, and then Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash cried a little, while Applejack and Granny Smith looked on sadly, Marble Pie and Cloudy Quartz watched with tears in their eyes'.

Star Pony was in space and walking around, he hears a male voice up ahead,

"Big bro. Big bro. Over here." Star Pony realized it was Ragdoll, Star Pony walks forward and looks at his memories as they floated around, he was constantly getting beaten and belittled by Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker, he also saw Strong Muscle beat Ragdoll to death and Mind Breaker said it was his own fault, the two were always close, and Star Pony cried his eyes out when he buried him. Star Pony keeps walking and saw Ragdoll run to him, he looked just like him, but smaller, the two hugged one another,

"I missed you, big bro." Ragdoll said,

"I missed you, too." Star Pony replied,

"Come on, I'm at a peaceful and comforting place, it's a lot of fun there, come on, let's go." Ragdoll said, Star Pony smiled and he ran with Ragdoll, they saw Star Pony's memories and looked away until they saw Pinkie Pie appear, Ragdoll was surprised to see it, she and her family did what they could to protect Star Pony, won custody, changed his name, educated him, nursed him, and took Strong Muscle's and Mind Breaker's lives to protect him,

"I forgot about them, they saved me from our parents." Star Pony said, Ragdoll was surprised,

"Star Pony! Come back!" Pinkie Pie's voice echoed through the area, Star Pony looked back,

"I'm sorry, Ragdoll, but I have a loving family now, they'll miss me if I go." Star Pony said,

"But you promised we will always be together." Ragdoll replied,

"We will, in each other's hearts, I'm sorry I couldn't save you, but when I'm ready, I'll come join you, have a good time while you wait." Star Pony said, Ragdoll smiled and they hugged one another, Ragdoll ran happily while Star Pony turned around and ran back.

Pinkie Pie was still holding Star Pony's front left hoof and crying while the others watch worriedly and tearfully, unable to bear to see Pinkie Pie in such a state. Star Pony groaned and opened his eyes, surprising the others,

"Pinkie Pie?" Star Pony asked weakly, Pinkie Pie stood up and looked on in surprise,

"Igneous, Cloudy, Limestone, Maud, Marble, you're all here." Star Pony said weakly, the family was surprised and Cloudy Quartz and Marble Pie soon cried tears of joy and hugged him, the doctor soon came in,

"I'm surprised he pulled through, leave now, Star Pony needs his rest, I'll let you all know when he's ready to leave." the doctor said, and they all leave.

Pinkie Pie and her family hugged one another and Pinkie Pie, Marble Pie, and Cloudy Quartz cried tears of joy,

"I can't believe it, he pulled through." Limestone Pie said,

"He must've heard Pinkie Pie's voice in his coma, and he came back." Granny Smith replied, the others smiled, and they all go home, with Pinkie Pie's friends asking about who he was, Pinkie Pie and her family explained everything,

"That poor foal, he must've been happy when Pinkie Pie found him." Twilight Sparkle said,

"He was, we did what we could to take care of him." Maud Pie replied,

"Y'all should take him to Ponyville, Ah'm sure lots of ponies would like to befriend him." Applejack said, they all smiled and headed home.

The doctor contacted them a week later, and that Star Pony has fully recovered and was ready to leave, so they all waited for him outside his room. The door opened a few minutes later and Star Pony walked out, the others ran to him and hugged him,

"Oh, I can't believe you pulled through." Twilight Sparkle said as she hugged him with her wings, she was crying tears of joy and rubbing her snout on him,

"Congratulations, little buddy." Rainbow Dash said, and they all let go,

"I don't remember the family being this big." Star Pony said,

"Oh, they're friends of mine, I made them after I left the farm." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'm Twilight Sparkle, that's Rainbow Dash, this is Fluttershy, that's Rarity, and that's Applejack." Twilight Sparkle said,

"And this is Granny Smith, mah grandmother, and believe it or not, Star Pony, Pinkie's family and mah family might actually be distant relatives of one another." Applejack said, Star Pony smiled,

"Star Pony, how were you before you met Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy asked,

"I don't want to talk about it." Star Pony replied,

"Is the memory painful?" Rarity asked,

"Very painful." Star Pony replied, Pinkie Pie's friends were sympathetic,

"Well, come on, we have to go to Ponyville and prepare your party." Pinkie Pie said, the others agreed and they board the train and went to Ponyville.

The ponies arrive in Ponyville and Pinkie Pie threw a congratulatory party for Star Pony,

"This is the very first time I ever had a party." Star Pony said,

"Wait, your parents didn't celebrate your birthday?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Never." Star Pony replied,

"Did anything happen on your birthday?" Maud Pie asked, Star Pony began to tear up a bit,

"Extra beatings." Star Pony replied, the others were shocked and Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy quickly get his spirits back up.

Applejack came in with Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, and Apple Bloom,

"Star Pony, come meet the rest of the family." Applejack said, and he walked over to them with Pinkie Pie,

"Howdy, Ah'm Apple Bloom, and this is Big Mac, he don't talk much." Apple Bloom said,

"He doesn't?" Star Pony asked,

"Eenope." Big Macintosh replied,

"I see, just like Marble." Star Pony said, the Apple family chuckled, and they partied.

The party finished and Limestone Pie walked over to Star Pony,

"Star Pony, remember, we can't take care of you forever, we still have to find a family to adopt you." Limestone Pie said,

"I know, but there aren't any." Star Pony replied,

"Wait, adoption? I think there might be one in the Crystal Empire." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Crystal Empire?" Star Pony asked,

"Yeah, come on, we'll take you there." Rainbow Dash replied, and they boarded the train.

The ponies arrive at the Crystal Empire and Star Pony just looked around, he did not have a happy face on, he was just stoic,

"Come on, my brother and sister-in-law rule this empire." Twilight Sparkle said, and they walk together.

Shining Armor hears Star Pony's story from Pinkie Pie and some of the females with her were almost crying,

"I see, but don't worry, Star Pony, I think I know just the family, come with me." Shining Armor said, and he takes them to a manor, it had many toys for foals there, they see a couple, they had bluish-white coats, blue manes and tails, the stallion's mane and tail were short while the mare's was long, they both had blue eyes, and the stallion's cutie mark was a toy robot while the mare's was a stuffed doll, they were both earth ponies,

"Star Pony, meet Toy Maker and Doll Maker." Shining Armor said,

"Wow, you're young, we've always wanted a child, but because of body complications, we can't have one of our own." Toy Maker said,

"So, why exactly do you want to live with us?" Doll Maker asked, Star Pony began to cry, the couple become shocked, Pinkie Pie explains the situation to them,

"Oh my, that is horrible, we'll be more than willing to adopt him." Doll Maker said,

"Thank you, he was in the hospital a week ago because the abuse he received caught up to him, and working on the rock farm is too much for his body to handle, he literally almost died." Limestone Pie replied,

"What do you guys do?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They make toys for foals to play with, they retired a few years ago." Shining Armor replied, the others smiled,

"Come now, Star Pony, my wife and I will give you a tour." Toy Maker said, and they showed him the home, he liked it,

"Okay, we'll fill out the paperwork now." Shining Armor said, and Toy Maker and Doll Maker went with Shining Armor, Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz went along as well,

"This is going to take a while, let's head home." Twilight Sparkle said, and they all go to Ponyville.

A week passes and Star Pony stayed at Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie Pie, the Cake family were also kind enough to nurse him back to health, and luckily for Pinkie Pie, she got in touch with her amputated friend, Cloudy, who would come over and watch over Star Pony when nopony else was available. Pinkie Pie asked her if she wanted to adopt him, but Cloudy refused and said she prefers to live alone. Star Pony was almost a healthy weight, he was no longer having nightmares about his biological parents either, he was eating mashed cake while Pinkie Pie stood by him to his left. Princess Cadence entered Sugarcube Corner and walked to the two,

"Star Pony." Princess Cadence said, he and Pinkie Pie looked at her,

"Your new family's outside, waiting for you." Princess Cadence said, he stood up and was about to walk, Pinkie Pie placed her front right hoof on his back to comfort him and he looked at her, she smiled and Star Pony smiled back, Princess Cadence smiled at what she saw and the three walk to the exit. Princess Cadence and Star Pony head out and they saw Toy Maker and Doll Maker waiting for him and smiling, Pinkie Pie smiled and cried tears of joy as Star Pony went to them and left to go live a new and happy life with his new guardians.

Orphan

Pinkie Pie was at the Crystal Empire and was seeing a special friend, she arrives at where he was staying,

"Star Pony!" Pinkie Pie said happily, he saw her and ran to her, the two hugged each other tightly, she let go of him,

"Where's Toy Maker and Doll Maker?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They're visiting an old friend of theirs." Star Pony replied,

"Oh, well, I actually brought several visitors to see you today." Pinkie Pie said,

"Really?" Star Pony asked, Pinkie Pie nodded, he looked and saw a mare, Apple Bloom with two other fillies, and a male griffon. The mare walked to him,

"This is Sugar Belle, she's Big Mac's girlfriend, she was busy when you met my distant cousins." Pinkie Pie said,

"So you're Star Pony, I've always wanted to meet you, Big Mac told me everything, I'm very sorry, Star Pony, if you want, I can bring you some things from my bakery." Sugar Belle said,

"Thank you." Star Pony replied, Sugar Belle smiled,

"You remember Apple Bloom, right?" Pinkie Pie asked, Star Pony nodded and smiled. Apple Bloom walked to him with the other two fillies,

"Howdy, Star Pony, this is Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, mah two best friends." Apple Bloom said,

"A Pegasus and a unicorn, there were none at where I lived." Star Pony replied,

"You know, Star Pony, my parents are almost always away, and they don't support me, but they never hurt me like how they did with you, I'm also here to make sure you're okay." Scootaloo said,

"Thank you. What about you?" Star Pony asked,

"My parents love me and support me, I have a great relationship with them." Sweetie Belle replied,

"Lucky you." Star Pony said,

"And this is Gallus, you know I work as a teacher sometimes, too, he's one of my students." Pinkie Pie said,

"Pinkie Pie told us about you in class, I don't have a family, but hearing about you made me rethink about it, I thought maybe I'm lucky in a way, too, I'd rather not have parents than have the parents you had." Gallus said,

"Yeah, same here." Star Pony replied,

"How's your body been, Star Pony?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"It's still recovering." Star Pony replied,

"That's strange, the others should've been here by now." Pinkie Pie said,

"I have more visitors?" Star Pony asked,

"Three more." Pinkie Pie said, they hear flying and the person lands, Star Pony sees it was Cloudy,

"Star Pony!" Cloudy said happily as Star Pony ran to her, she hugged him with her metallic wings and rubbed her muzzle against his left cheek. They hear slow walking and they saw Merrick come, much to Cloudy's and Star Pony's shocks,

"Hello." Merrick said,

"This is Merrick, he's another friend of mine, don't let his appearance scare you, he's actually very friendly." Pinkie Pie said,

"What happened to you?" Cloudy asked,

"I was born like this." Merrick replied,

"I'm lucky I wasn't born like you, my parents would've hurt me even more." Star Pony said,

"Yes, Pinkie Pie talked about you, my parents were nice and supportive of me, you have my condolences, the memories must still haunt you." Merrick replied,

"Not as much as before." Star Pony said, Merrick smiled, they hear running and see a male earth pony come, he had a dark brown coat, his short mane and tail were black, his eyes were a reddish-brown, and his cutie mark was a silver shovel with a brown handle in a dark brown lump of soil, he sees Pinkie Pie and goes to her,

"This is Treasure Hunter, another special friend of mine." Pinkie Pie said,

"I heard you have a lot of special friends." Star Pony replied,

"I do, and you're one of them, they're special to me because they're all either physically or mentally deformed, or have problems regular people don't have." Pinkie Pie said,

"What's special about you?" Scootaloo asked,

"My parents passed away when I was a colt, Pinkie Pie took care of me at that time." Treasure Hunter replied,

"You didn't go to an orphanage?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"The area I lived in didn't have one." Treasure Hunter replied,

"So what happened to kids with no parents?" Apple Bloom asked,

"They were sent to their relatives, I didn't have any." Treasure Hunter replied,

"So... what exactly happened?" Cloudy asked,

"I can explain." Pinkie Pie replied, and she talks about when she met Treasure Hunter.

Pinkie Pie was hopping around in the middle of nowhere, looking for people to make happy, she sees a town up ahead and continues hopping, but she stops when she hears faint crying to her right. Pinkie Pie looks and sees no one, so she trots to where the crying was coming from, she keeps going and sees Treasure Hunter, he was a colt at that time.

Pinkie Pie trots to him and he looks back at her, he did not have his cutie mark yet,

"Oh, hey." Treasure Hunter said, he turned around, Pinkie Pie walked to him and stood beside him to his right,

"What's the matter?" Pinkie Pie asked, she looked and saw two gravestones,

"My parents passed away this morning." Treasure Hunter replied, Pinkie Pie was shocked and sad, she knew how much the loss of parents can affect a child, she decided to rub his upper-back with her front left hoof, Treasure Hunter felt better,

"I'm Pinkie Pie. What's your name?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Treasure Hunter." Treasure Hunter replied,

"What were your parents like?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Mom and dad were the best ponies in the world, they took care of me when I was sick, helped me with my homework, ditch work to spend time with me, take me on their treasure hunting adventures, and buy me the things I wanted, no matter how expensive, they also sold the things they liked so they could buy what I wanted." Treasure Hunter replied, Pinkie Pie was even more sad, she realized Treasure Hunter has lost some good parents,

"What are you going to do now?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Usually, orphaned foals are sent to live with their relatives, but I don't have any, I only had my four grandparents, they passed away before I was born." Treasure Hunter replied,

"What orphanage are you going to?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"My hometown doesn't have one." Treasure Hunter replied,

"Then where are you going?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Nowhere, I have to stay at my old home, that means not only do I have to take care of it, but I also have to get a job, I'm still in elementary school." Treasure Hunter replied, he began to cry, Pinkie Pie stood there and was a bit shocked, she knew Treasure Hunter was too young to get a job, and she could not ignore a sad foal,

"You know, Treasure Hunter, I do need a place to stay, and if you let me stay at your place, I can handle the money part, my job is a very high paying one." Pinkie Pie said,

"What is it?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"I'm a party planner." Pinkie Pie replied, Treasure Hunter smiled,

"That sounds fun." Treasure Hunter said,

"It is." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Can I help?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, Treasure Hunter smiled,

"It's a deal, come on, my house is this way." Treasure Hunter said, and he leads her to his home.

Pinkie Pie arrives at the home and sees Treasure Hunter had a lot of ancient jewels and artifacts in his home,

"Wow, you have quite the collection." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thanks, mom and dad collected them when they were alive, I got a few of those artifacts, myself, as well." Treasure Hunter replied, Pinkie Pie saw a big blue diamond, an oval shaped emerald, keys that looked like pony hooves, there were ten different ones, they were made out of coral, diamond, ebony, emerald, glass, gold, iron, ivory, ruby, and sapphire, there was also a rose, a yak helmet with the painting of a skull on it, a white bow, a red sword, black weighing scales, and a pale scythe. Pinkie Pie loved the collection of items she saw,

"I'd thought you would have more." Pinkie Pie said,

"As I said, my parents sold them so they could buy the things I wanted." Treasure Hunter replied, Pinkie Pie was happy, but she had one really important thing to ask,

"How are you treated in school?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Why you ask?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"Because I have helped several foals in the past, and they were bullied in school, they had mean and uncaring teachers, too." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, I see, well, I'm mostly neutral in school, I don't have friends, but I don't have any bullies, either." Treasure Hunter replied, Pinkie Pie was still worried, she knew the loss of his parents was going to affect his behavior in school,

"Well, I won't be leaving often, parties are kind of rare to pop up around here, but they pay super high amount of bits." Pinkie Pie said,

"That's fine, as long as we can cover the expenses." Treasure Hunter replied smiling,

"Don't worry, I promise to help until you are fine, I'll try my best." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thank you, I still miss my parents, though." Treasure Hunter replied,

"I'm sorry, let's head to bed, it's almost dark." Pinkie Pie said, and the two slept, Treasure Hunter slept in a bed, while Pinkie Pie slept in a bright pink sleeping bag she took out of her mane.

The next day comes and Treasure Hunter headed to school, he was a bit sad already, because his parents always walked to school with him, this was his first time walking to school alone. Pinkie Pie watched Treasure Hunter from his home and noticed something was wrong, she hopped to him,

"What's wrong?" Pinkie Pie asked as she stood to his right and smiled,

"My parents would walk me to school together, this is my very first time going alone." Treasure Hunter replied, he was crying a little, Pinkie Pie stopped smiling and was empathetic, she came up with something,

"Hey, why don't you and I walk there together?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"That won't make me feel any better." Treasure Hunter replied,

"Well, that's how you feel right now, it might change if you do, let's give it a try." Pinkie Pie said, and they did, Treasure Hunter was not feeling any better,

"Was there anything your parents did with you in particular when walking, Treasure Hunter?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They would hold my front hooves as we walked, mom held my right hoof, while dad held my left hoof." Treasure Hunter replied, Pinkie Pie went to Treasure Hunter's right and held his front right hoof, they tried walking together and he felt Pinkie Pie's hoof on his front left hoof, but he saw nopony holding his front left hoof,

"What the?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"It's just me using my magic, Treasure Hunter." Pinkie Pie replied, much to Treasure Hunter's surprise, and they go to school.

Pinkie Pie arrived at the school and Treasure Hunter's teacher looked at her, she was an earth pony,

"Are you a relative of his?" Treasure Hunter's teacher asked,

"No, but I'll be watching over him for some time." Pinkie Pie replied,

"How long?" Treasure Hunter's teacher asked,

"I'm not so sure, myself." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Okay, good luck, and feel free to ask for help if you need any." Treasure Hunter's teacher said, and class started.

Pinkie Pie stayed with Treasure Hunter in class, the students offered him their condolences, which made Pinkie Pie smile, she realized Treasure Hunter's classmates and teachers were friendly and caring ponies, she thought it was a nice change from dealing with mean classmates and uncaring teachers,

"Will you be fine by yourself, Treasure Hunter?" Treasure Hunter's teacher asked,

"I'm... not sure." Treasure Hunter replied,

"I see, make sure you accompany him, losing parents is hard for anypony." Treasure Hunter's teacher said to Pinkie Pie,

"Yes, ma'am." Pinkie Pie replied, and they did class, Treasure Hunter was too distracted and grieving over the death of his parents during class, Pinkie Pie did her best to comfort him and try to get him to focus, so did the other classmates,

"Ma'am, I think it would be best if you take Treasure Hunter home." Treasure Hunter's teacher said to Pinkie Pie,

"Come on, Treasure Hunter, let's take you home." Pinkie Pie said, and they leave the school while the classmates and teacher watch Treasure Hunter with great concern.

Pinkie Pie and Treasure Hunter were out of the school and Treasure Hunter looked forward, he began to have flashbacks and began crying a bit,

"What's wrong, Treasure Hunter?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Whenever I finished school, mom and dad would be waiting for me in that very spot, smiling and happy to see me again, they would hug me, pick me up, and spin me around, we would then walk home together while talking about our days." Treasure Hunter replied, Pinkie Pie was very empathetic and sad, that was one thing she could not replicate,

"Come on, Treasure Hunter, let's go home together." Pinkie Pie said, and they walked to his home while Pinkie Pie held his front right hoof with her front left hoof.

Pinkie Pie and Treasure Hunter arrive at Treasure Hunter's home and Pinkie Pie helps him with his homework,

"Mom and dad always helped me with homework, they never got mad at me if I goofed up or got distracted." Treasure Hunter said,

"Well, tell me what they did, and I might be able to replicate it." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, we would read the problems out loud, I would answer out loud, and write it down in the process." Treasure Hunter said,

"I can do that, let's give it a try." Pinkie Pie replied, and they do,

"Strawberry Twist has ten strawberries, she has to use five strawberries to make one strawberry shake, how many strawberry shakes can she make in total?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Two." Treasure Hunter replied as he wrote it down,

"What is the term used to compare something using the words like or as?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Simile." Treasure Hunter replied as he wrote it down,

"What is the term used to compare something without using like or as?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Metaphor." Treasure Hunter replied as he wrote it down,

"Is negative one greater than, less than, or equal to positive one?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Less than." Treasure Hunter replied as he drew the symbol,

"What is a faster way to add?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Multiply." Treasure Hunter said as he wrote it down, he was not enthusiastic as before that time,

"What's wrong, Treasure Hunter?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It's just not the same with you as it was with my parents." Treasure Hunter replied,

"Oh, do you want to take a break?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, it just doesn't feel the same with you." Treasure Hunter replied, Pinkie Pie's feelings were hurt, but she understood why. Pinkie Pie and Treasure Hunter sat together with Treasure Hunter to Pinkie Pie's left,

"What were your parents' names, Treasure Hunter?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"My mom's name was Jewel, and my dad's name was Gemstone." Treasure Hunter replied,

"What were their occupations?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Finding treasures in ancient architecture, both sides of my family have been doing it for generations, my parents eventually developed a rivalry with Daring Do." Treasure Hunter replied,

"Wow, my parents are rock farmers, I don't look like it, but I'm very strong physically." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm not surprised, earth ponies are stronger than Pegasi and unicorns." Treasure Hunter replied,

"I travel the country helping anypony in need, but I have encountered those who have problems that normal ponies don't, they're my special friends, you're one of them." Pinkie Pie said,

"How many special friends do you have?" Treasure Hunter asked, Pinkie Pie counts,

"You're my sixth one." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Who were the other five?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"My two most recent ones were Letter and Number, twin brother and sister, Letter couldn't read numbers, and Number couldn't read letters, and their schools did nothing to help, so I made a chart to help them, and got them into a better school, they're passing now." Pinkie Pie replied, Treasure Hunter looked interested in hearing about them,

"Who's next?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"My third special friend was Rock Candy, she had bladder problems, her classmates called her Wet Works, I tried my best to help her, she was a bit stubborn, though." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Maybe she was embarrassed by her symptoms." Treasure Hunter said,

"Yeah, you're probably right." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Who's next?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"My second special friend was Ice Blower, he was scared of girls, so he and I had trouble communicating, I was the first girl who was truly friendly to him, I tried to get him to befriend the girls in town, but they were mean to him, so I got Limestone, Maud, and Marble to help them, they're my sisters, Limestone and Maud are my big sisters, and Marble's my baby twin sister." Pinkie Pie replied,

"You don't have any parents?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"I do, Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz, Igneous Rock is my dad, and Cloudy Quartz is my mom, I went to go see Ice Blower and his family because my parents were friends with his parents, we're both farmers, my family are rock farmers, while his family were ice cutters and preservers." Pinkie Pie replied, Treasure Hunter smiled,

"Who's the last one?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"Star Pony, he's super special to me, I found him one evening while on my way home from the grocery store, he was heavily injured, so I took him home, I went back the next day, I felt I did the wrong thing because I heard his parents yelling at him the previous day, I took him home, I heard his parents yelling at him again, I heard them yell he doesn't deserve friends, and he was ugly and deserved to be hated, along with calling him a slave, he tried to defend me, but he raised his voice, which resulted in his father beating him, that was when I realized he got his wounds from his parents, and what I did wrong, I then saw he had to do heavy labor outside, he had to move carts for adult ponies, with heavy tools and rocks in it, and he had to drink dirty water from the ground, and eat trash in the yard, that was when I decided to intervene and take him to my place." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Wait, it wasn't just you involved, was it?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"No, my sisters, my parents, all of us got involved, this was before I moved out, I took Star Pony to my home, at that time, his name was Punching Bag." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What wounds did he have?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"My mom checked him and saw he had blisters on his hooves from caning, cuts on his back from getting hit by a belt, cuts on his flank from a wooden paddle, and cuts from knives on several parts of his body, he was also sick and underweight, and uneducated, we did our best to nurse him back to health and educate him." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What happened to his parents?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"We took them to court and won a custody battle, but a few months later, they broke out of jail and were coming to our farm to hurt Star Pony, and... pa took their lives in order to protect him." Pinkie Pie replied, Treasure Hunter had a surprised face,

"What is it, Treasure Hunter?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"There was a filly that was being abused by her parents around here when I was really young, mom and dad always took her to this home to feed her and nurse her, her parents eventually found out and attacked my parents, but my parents fought back and overpowered them, mom and dad ended up killing them during the struggle, and they were willing to go to jail as long as the filly got to get a newer and happier family, that was when I developed the respect I have for my parents." Treasure Hunter replied, Pinkie Pie was surprised,

"No wonder why you wanted to know." Pinkie Pie said, Treasure Hunter nodded,

"Well, I'll go ahead and finish my homework." Treasure Hunter said, and he did, he works but stopped for a minute, he began to cry a bit over the fact his parents were not there to help him this time, but he managed to finish. It was bedtime and Pinkie Pie was about to sleep on the floor, which was comfortable, Treasure Hunter walked to her,

"Yes, Treasure Hunter?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Mom and dad always let me sleep with them, it was so I would feel protected and not be alone, they thought I would be lonely if I had my own room, so all three of us slept together as a family." Treasure Hunter replied, Pinkie Pie smiled and unfolded her tail,

"You can sleep on my tail." Pinkie Pie said, and Treasure Hunter did, it was fluffy, he rubbed his face against it, Pinkie Pie chuckled a bit and he fell asleep shortly afterwards, Pinkie Pie fell asleep a few minutes later.

The next day comes and Treasure Hunter was already awake, Pinkie Pie woke up and walked around his home,

"Good morning, Pinkie Pie." Treasure Hunter said,

"Good morning." Pinkie Pie replied, she asks "Where is the bathroom?"

"I'll take you there." Treasure Hunter replied, and he leads her, Pinkie Pie was about to enter, but Treasure Hunter tried to enter with her,

"No, Treasure Hunter, I need privacy." Pinkie Pie said, Treasure Hunter frowned,

"But it's so lonely without my parents." Treasure Hunter replied,

"I know how you feel, but there are some places you can't follow me, I promise I won't be long." Pinkie Pie said, and she entered, Treasure Hunter waited while sad and lonely, the toilet flushed after about four minutes and Pinkie Pie came out,

"See? That wasn't long, was it?" Pinkie Pie asked, Treasure Hunter still frowned, he was still sad,

"Oh, I'm sorry, Treasure Hunter, I know you're lonely without your parents, and I'm trying my best, but there are some things I can't do that your parents did." Pinkie Pie said, Treasure Hunter did not respond, he just looked on sadly,

"Come on, let's take you to school." Pinkie Pie said, and they walk together while holding hooves.

The two arrive at school and Treasure Hunter tries to focus on his work in school, but could not,

"How was he yesterday?" Treasure Hunter's teacher asked,

"He had trouble focusing, but he got his homework done." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I see, would you like to have see a counselor?" Treasure Hunter's teacher asked,

"Not yet, he hasn't been too bad recently, just lonely." Pinkie Pie replied,

"How do you feel now, Treasure Hunter?" Treasure Hunter's teacher asked,

"Same as yesterday." Treasure Hunter replied,

"Take your time, Treasure Hunter, and remember, your classmates are here to help as well." Treasure Hunter's teacher said, Treasure Hunter nodded and tried to work, he was behind right now, his classmates watch him with sympathy and concern, Treasure Hunter manages to finish just before the bell rung, class was dismissed and everypony went home, they had no homework today.

Treasure Hunter walks to a nearby pond and just stand there looks on while fog enshrouded the area,

"On days I had no homework, mom and dad always took me here, they would hop around and go far away to where I can't see them, I would be scared that they were not coming back, so I would cry and yell at them to come back, my parents would holler back and say they're fine." Treasure Hunter said,

"Why would they do that for?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"This town is also the town mom and dad grew up in, they played here all the time when they were kids." Treasure Hunter replied,

"Did you enjoy it?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I was too scared to hop on the rocks in the water." Treasure Hunter replied,

"But didn't you go on adventures with your parents?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, but they didn't involve water." Treasure Hunter replied,

"Water can be fun, Treasure Hunter, get on my back." Pinkie Pie said, and Treasure Hunter did, Pinkie Pie ran and jumped into the water. Pinkie Pie swam around happily while Treasure Hunter clang onto dear life, he was scared of being close to the water,

"See, how are you feeling?" Pinkie Pie asked, she looked and saw Treasure Hunter holding onto her with fear,

"You're not having fun?" Pinkie Pie asked, Treasure Hunter shook his head,

"Well, wait just two more days, my next birthday to host is that day." Pinkie Pie said, Treasure Hunter's mind was caught, he was excited and wanted to participate,

"Uh, can we get out of the water, Pinkie?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and she swam out and shook herself, she hopped home with Treasure Hunter on his back, he was actually having fun with her hopping around as he hung onto her.

Two days pass and Pinkie Pie checked Treasure Hunter out of school, she took him to the party she was hosting, it was a birthday party for an elderly male earth pony. Pinkie Pie was playing music and hosting the birthday party for everypony there, many foals and adults were at the party,

"Okay, everypony, time to sing happy birthday." Pinkie Pie said, and everypony did, including Treasure Hunter, she kept a close eye on him since she was worried he would get thoughts of his parents. Everypony has cake and ice cream, Pinkie Pie made sure to get everypony's allergy so she could bake the right cake and ice cream that everypony can have, she brought juice and soda as well, Treasure Hunter was enjoying himself,

"Attention, everypony, as tradition of birthdays in my family, it is time we all dance, and remember, everypony, no fighting over your dance partner, as you can switch at anytime, and dance with as many partners as you want, let the music start." the elderly birthday stallion said, and music begun, everypony began dancing,

"Come on, Treasure Hunter." Pinkie Pie said, and she pulled him forward with her front hooves. The two dance together along with the other ponies and foals, everypony has fun and Treasure Hunter enjoyed himself, he did not think about his parents and had fun with the other foals, he and Pinkie Pie danced together until the music ended. Everypony clapped at the ponies who played the music and Pinkie Pie and Treasure Hunter enjoy themselves until the party ended.

Three days pass and Treasure Hunter was not better, so the school decided to give Treasure Hunter counseling, Pinkie Pie sat to his left in case he wanted to be comforted. A female earth pony was counseling Treasure Hunter, she had a light pink coat, long light blue mane and tail, deep red eyes, and a brain as her cutie mark, she had on purplish blue eye shadow, a white flower shaped earring in each ear, and a white collar on her neck,

"Hello, Treasure Hunter, my name is Ainsworth, I'm new here, and you're my first patient, so I hope we get along." the counselor said,

"I hope so, too." Treasure Hunter replied, and she sat,

"Okay, let's start by talking about your parents." Ainsworth said,

"My parents were everything to me in the world when I was young, they were my best friends and never got mad at me, my entire world turned upside-down when they got sick and passed away." Treasure Hunter replied,

"How have you been holding up?" Ainsworth asked,

"I'm enduring, been a bit lonely to be honest." Treasure Hunter replied,

"How about you, Pinkie Pie, have you noticed any changes in his behavior?" Ainsworth asked,

"No, he wants to be with me no matter where I go, he's been lonely." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I see, this is normal for a child who has lost their parents, but I notice you don't blame yourself for their deaths." Ainsworth said,

"That's because I know my parents caught an illness while traveling, it's nopony's fault." Treasure Hunter replied,

"Hmm-mm, that's true, Treasure Hunter, you seemed to have taken the five stages of grief pretty well as well." Ainsworth said,

"Actually, I didn't go through it." Treasure Hunter replied, surprising Ainsworth and Pinkie Pie,

"So you didn't deny they were gone, felt angry, bargained for them to come back, or become depressed over them?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Nope, mom and dad taught me to accept it right away, they said the other four stages of grief are a waste of time." Treasure Hunter replied,

"I see, one way children cope with the loss of parents is to recreate the things their parents did for them that made them happy." Ainsworth said,

"Uh, Ainsworth, I already tried that, it didn't work." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, I see, another alternate is try to forget the things your parents did to you or for you." Ainsworth said,

"No way, my parents did a lot to make me happy, I don't want to forget those." Treasure Hunter replied,

"I see, then maybe creating a memento will help." Ainsworth said,

"How do I do that?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"Simple, just gather the things about your parents that makes you happy to remember them, and bundle them up together." Ainsworth replied,

"Well, it's going to be huge then." Treasure Hunter said, Ainsworth and Pinkie Pie chuckle,

"Don't worry, I can help you put it together." Pinkie Pie said, Treasure Hunter smiled,

"Well, Treasure Hunter, I think we're at a good stopping point, you should try to create a memento, good luck." Ainsworth said, and Pinkie Pie and Treasure Hunter left.

Pinkie Pie helps Treasure Hunter make a memento of his deceased parents, but Treasure Hunter was actually having a hard time, he was tearing up and crying whenever he found something that reminded him of his parents, but Pinkie Pie comforted him whenever he cried, she kept note of his behavior, the one thing she noticed the most was his loneliness, he wanted to be with her no matter where she went, Pinkie Pie and Treasure Hunter decided to take a break and continue another time.

Two days pass and Pinkie Pie hosted another party, it was a birthday for a colt in the neighborhood, and one of Treasure Hunter's classmates, the foals were worried Treasure Hunter would start grieving, but he did not, he tried to have fun with the others, even though the other ponies were worried about him, it was just a regular birthday party with nothing special.

Pinkie Pie and Treasure Hunter go home and try to create the memento again, but Treasure Hunter still had trouble, knocking was heard at the door and Pinkie Pie opened it, she saw a filly, she notices she was one of Treasure Hunter's classmates,

"Uh, hi there, is Treasure Hunter home?" the filly asked,

"What's going on?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I just wanted to make sure he was okay, and my parents are willing to adopt him." the filly replied, Pinkie Pie gasped,

"You guys aren't moving, are you?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, Treasure Hunter's still going to live here, they're just going to be his guardians." the filly replied, Treasure Hunter walked to the door,

"Do I have to move in with you guys?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"Well, if you want to, but you can stay in this home, and we can come visit you, my house is pretty close here." the filly replied, Treasure Hunter knew her, and where she lived, everypony lived closely to one another,

"I'll think about it." Treasure Hunter said,

"Okay, I'll be waiting." the filly replied, and she left. Treasure Hunter continues trying to create a memento, but could not focus and cried whenever he found something that reminded him of his parents.

A few days pass and Pinkie Pie noticed a change in Treasure Hunter's diet, he was binge eating comfort food and gaining weight, she decided to schedule another appointment with Ainsworth,

"Treasure Hunter, you've gained weight." Ainsworth said, Treasure Hunter was almost overweight due to his binge eating,

"Sorry, Ainsworth, but Treasure Hunter's been turning to comfort food." Pinkie Pie replied,

"How have things been with making the memento?" Ainsworth asked, Treasure Hunter was too distraught to answer, thinking about his parents,

"Not so well, he cries whenever he finds something that reminds him of his parents." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, well, I guess that is to be expected, grieving takes time to get over, sometimes years, but there are some who never get over the loss of a loved one." Ainsworth said, Pinkie Pie felt sad by what she just said,

"Maybe, taking him away from the home will do better, I hate to suggest it, though." Ainsworth said,

"What do you say, Treasure Hunter?" Pinkie Pie asked, Treasure Hunter did not respond,

"Well, give him time, he needs time to grieve, that is all I can say today, dismissed." Ainsworth said, and Pinkie Pie left, Treasure Hunter did not move, Pinkie Pie put him on her back and walked to his home.

A week passes and Treasure Hunter was still binge eating, he just followed Pinkie Pie wherever she went, he has even tried to walk into the bathroom with her,

"No, Treasure Hunter, I need privacy in here." Pinkie Pie said as she gently pushed him out, she continues to watch him and noticed him getting worse and worse every day, she did not schedule to meet Ainsworth due to Treasure Hunter not responding. Pinkie Pie noticed Treasure Hunter was not around when she got out of the bathroom, she hears choking sounds and runs to where she heard it, she saw Treasure Hunter trying to hang himself with a rope, much to her horror,

"TREASURE HUNTER!!" Pinkie Pie yelled with worry as she ran to him, she jumped and knocked the rope down,

"What are you doing?!" Pinkie Pie asked,

"My parents were the best things in my life, and I lost them, and no matter how much I want it or beg, they will never come back, nopony can replace them, nopony can surpass them, nothing can replicate the joy I felt when I spent time with them, nothing will bring them back, and I have no family now, I wish they can come back to me one more time." Treasure Hunter replied, Pinkie Pie was shocked, she was almost crying as well, Treasure Hunter began to cry a bit,

"It's okay, Treasure Hunter, let it out, but remember, even if your parents are gone, there will still be good ponies to take care of you, look at me, for example." Pinkie Pie said, Treasure Hunter began to tear up and cry his eyes out while he and Pinkie Pie hugged one another, they let go after a few minutes,

"Do you want to stay here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I wish to move in with that filly, the happy memories I had with my parents here make me sad." Treasure Hunter replied, Pinkie Pie felt sad as well, but understood,

"Okay, I'll stay here until you're adopted." Pinkie Pie said, and Treasure Hunter smiled while the two tried to play together.

Three days pass and Treasure Hunter was going to move in with the filly and into her home,

"My time is done, Treasure Hunter, I have to get going." Pinkie Pie said, and she and Treasure Hunter hugged one another,

"Alright, hope we meet again one day." Treasure Hunter replied,

"I hope so, too." Pinkie Pie said, and she hopped away while Treasure Hunter watched her, he began to tear up a bit with her not being around anymore.

Pinkie Pie, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Sugar Belle, Gallus, Merrick, Cloudy, Star Pony, and Treasure Hunter were all together,

"I continued seeing Ainsworth for about a year, we always talked about my parents, and my new life, I moved after I finished school, I live in Fillydelphia now, it's not too bad." Treasure Hunter said,

"What about that family that adopted you?" Gallus asked,

"They're still living in the neighborhood I grew up in, it's a peaceful place." Treasure Hunter replied,

"Uh, guys, it's getting late, I'll have to head back in soon." Star Pony said, they look at the sky and saw it was. Everypony hears trotting and they see Toy Maker and Doll Maker come,

"Oh, Pinkie Pie, it's always great to see you." Toy Maker said,

"Nice to see you too, Toy Maker." Pinkie Pie replied,

"You all should head home, it's almost dark." Doll Maker said, the ponies agree and everyone except Star Pony boarded the train. Pinkie Pie watches and sees Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, and Flurry Heart with Star Pony, Flurry Heart landed on his head, Shining Armor hugged him, and Princess Cadence kissed him on the forehead, Pinkie Pie could not help but smile, happy that Star Pony was living a new, happy life,

"Pinkie Pie?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"Yes, Treasure Hunter?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Can I stay with you tonight?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and the trained arrived in Ponyville, Pinkie Pie and Treasure Hunter entered Sugarcube Corner and slept.

Pinkie Pie finishes her job for the next day,

"I have something to show you, Pinkie Pie." Treasure Hunter said, and he reaches into his saddlebag and shows her, Pinkie Pie gasped happily, it was the memento, but Treasure Hunter's parents were not the only ones in the center, Pinkie Pie was there as well, so was the filly and her parents,

"It's a thank you, I wish to leave this one here, I made one for the filly and her parents, and I have one at my new home, this is for you." Treasure Hunter said, Pinkie Pie was elated, she put it on the wall. Treasure Hunter cried a bit, the two then hugged one another,

"You've been with me for so long." Treasure Hunter said,

"I always will be." Pinkie Pie replied, and they let go, Treasure Hunter walked out and boarded the train and headed to his home while Pinkie Pie smiled and watched him leave.

Widow and Widower

Pinkie Pie worked in Sugarcube Corner with Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake playing with one another, Carrot Cake and Cup Cake came in shortly afterwards,

"Pinkie, you have a letter." Mr. Cake said, Pinkie Pie dashed to in front of them,

"Who is it? Is it from Yakyakistan? Canterlot? Cloudsdale? Seaquestria? Mount Aris? I wanna know!" Pinkie Pie replied excitedly,

"Actually, Pinkie, it's from another pony, one we don't know of." Cup Cake said, Pinkie Pie's excitement died down,

"Oh, well, thank you, I'll read it now." Pinkie Pie replied, and she took the letter and went behind the shelf while Mr. and Mrs. Cake left.

Pinkie Pie was excited on who gave her mail, she looks and saw it was from a mare named Fiery Heart, Pinkie Pie's excitement died down a bit, she sensed she knew what it was about, she opens the envelope and reads the letter,

"Dear, Pinkie Pie,

This is Fiery Heart, Cool Head passed away four days ago, his funeral is tomorrow, and he wanted you to attend.

Your friend,

-Fiery Heart"

Pinkie Pie was very sad at what she read, those two were special friends of hers, they were both very special to her, their problems when she met them still saddened her to this very day. Pinkie Pie still remembers how they looked, Fiery Heart was a Pegasus, she had a dark red coat, long bright orange mane and tail, yellow eyes, and her cutie mark was a red heart, she was about the same age as Pinkie Pie, and Cool Head was a unicorn, he had a pale sky blue coat, short gray mane, tail, beard, moustache, and sideburns, dark blue eyes, he wore glasses over them, and his cutie mark was a pink brain, he was very old when Pinkie Pie met him, he looked like he was around Granny Smith's age when she met him many years ago, she was not surprised he has passed, but was still sad.

The next day comes and Pinkie Pie told Mr. and Mrs. Cake she had to take the day off,

"Is something wrong, Pinkie?" Mrs. Cake asked,

"I have to attend a funeral today." Pinkie Pie replied, Mr. and Mrs. Cake were surprised, so were the ponies around them, who overhead her, among them were her five friends,

"Did something happen?" Mr. Cake asked,

"One of my friends before I moved to Ponyville passed away five days ago." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, go on, Pinkie Pie." Mrs. Cake said, and Pinkie Pie began trotting to the location of the funeral.

Pinkie Pie arrived at the funeral and saw Fiery Heart sitting in a chair, she looked exactly the same as when Pinkie Pie first met her, she sat with her,

"How you been holding up?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm managing, but still sad." Fiery Heart replied,

"How did Cool Head pass?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Old age, passed away peacefully in his sleep." Fiery Heart replied, Pinkie Pie was still sad, but happy he passed away peacefully,

"Well, I hope he's reunited with his wife." Pinkie Pie said,

"Me too, I still miss my spouse." Fiery Heart replied, she was on the verge of tears, Pinkie Pie comforted her until she got herself back together, Pinkie Pie sat and looked back while a male earth pony read the eulogy.

Pinkie Pie got a letter from Frosty while she was traveling Equestria, she wanted Pinkie Pie to help a friend of hers, the letter said this friend of hers was going through a rough time, and did not say what it was. Pinkie Pie goes to where the address on the paper was, and all it said was the mare's name was Fiery Heart, Pinkie Pie headed to where the mare lived. Pinkie Pie arrived at the address and heard bawling in the house, Pinkie Pie knocked on the door three times,

"Fiery Heart, if you're in there, my name's Pinkie Pie, Frosty sent me." Pinkie Pie said, the door opened and Pinkie Pie saw Fiery Heart, she was a crying mess, she had black mascara running down her face,

"Can I come in?" Pinkie Pie asked, she was very worried about Fiery Heart already,

"Sure." Fiery Heart replied, she sniveled a bit and let her in. Pinkie Pie walked in and saw the inside of the house was mostly dark and gray,

"Hey, this house is a bit dull." Pinkie Pie said,

"Sorry, I haven't had the time to decorate." Fiery Heart replied, she still had tears in her eyes, Pinkie Pie looked at her,

"I'll get to the point, I was sent here to help you since you're so upset, I need you to tell me what's wrong." Pinkie Pie said, Fiery Heart began to cry a bit,

"My husband passed away." Fiery Heart replied, Pinkie Pie's feelings sank,

"What happened?" Pinkie Pie asked, Fiery Heart began to tear up and was almost crying uncontrollably,

"I don't want to talk about it." Fiery Heart replied tearfully, Pinkie Pie was skeptical, she got the feeling something really bad happened to her husband,

"Sorry, but I need some time alone, can you buy me some groceries, Pinkie Pie?" Fiery Heart asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Okay, the list is by the door, the store's just on the edge of town to the west." Fiery Heart said, and Pinkie Pie grabbed the grocery list and headed out. Pinkie Pie walks to the store while looking around town, she smiled even though she felt gloomy in the town, the entire town was shrouded with white fog, and every house and building was gray, she sees the store was a regular store, it was not gray like the other parts of the town, and she entered. Pinkie Pie pushed a shopping cart around and bought what Fiery Heart wanted,

"Where is everypony?" Pinkie Pie asked herself, she keeps pushing the shopping cart around until she came across an elderly unicorn stallion, he looked sad, so she went to him,

"Excuse me." Pinkie Pie said, the stallion looked at her,

"Are you alright?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sorry, I was just thinking about my wife." the stallion replied, Pinkie Pie sensed something was wrong,

"Where is she?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"She... passed away from illness six days ago." the stallion replied, Pinkie Pie began to feel sad,

"Oh, I'm sorry, is there anything I can do to help?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Not at the moment, but I do wish for some time alone right now." the stallion replied,

"I'm Pinkie Pie, by the way." Pinkie Pie said,

"Cool Head." the stallion replied,

"Well, it was nice meeting you, but I have to go now." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, hope we meet again." Cool Head replied, and Pinkie Pie went over to where she checks out the groceries,

"Huh? Where's the cashier?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Oh, uh, about that." Cool Head replied as he walked over to her,

"You see, this is the time of the year when our town starts to lose its 'color', the other ponies have left to see their families, they'll be back next season." Cool Head said, it was currently the end of autumn, and winter was about to start,

"So, how do I buy the groceries?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Just write down what you bought on that paper there, how much it cost, and put your bits on the counter." Cool Head replied, and Pinkie Pie did, she reached into her saddlebag to put money on the counter, the two walk out together,

"I'll be going this way." Cool Head said,

"Okay, take care." Pinkie Pie replied, and she walked to the east while Cool Head headed west.

Pinkie Pie arrived at Fiery Heart's home with the groceries,

"Fiery Heart, I'm back." Pinkie Pie said, she heard Fiery Heart crying in a room, she put the groceries down and walked to where she heard the crying. Pinkie Pie opens the door and sees Fiery Heart laying in a double bed, she was on the right side, she cried her eyes out with her head on the pillow,

"Fiery Heart?" Pinkie Pie asked, Fiery Heart just kept crying with her head on the pillow, Pinkie Pie walked over and was about to touch Fiery Heart with her front right hoof to check on her,

"I see you, Pinkie Pie, please, I want to be alone for now." Fiery Heart said, and Pinkie Pie exited the room while Fiery Heart cried her eyes out, Pinkie Pie sat on the couch and listened to Fiery Heart grieve, she could not help but feel bad for her, she began to think about Cool Head and wondered how he has been, so she goes to the bedroom door and knocks on it,

"Fiery Heart, I'm going to be leaving for sometime, I'll be back." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, I'll let you know when I feel better." Fiery Heart replied, and Pinkie Pie left while Fiery Heart continued to grieve.

Pinkie Pie headed back to the store and went west afterwards, she looked for Cool Head's house to see how he has been, she looks for his house and sees him in a window, he was looking at something wistfully, she went over to his house's door and knocked on it, Cool Head stood up and walked over, he opened the door,

"Yes? Oh, hi, Pinkie Pie." Cool Head said,

"Can I stay with you for sometime?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Is something the matter?" Cool Head asked,

"My roommate wants some time alone." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Did something happen?" Cool Head asked,

"She's grieving, she lost her husband." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, I see, tell her she has my condolences." Cool Head said, Pinkie Pie smiled, happy that he was willing to offer his sympathy to someone he does not know,

"Can I stay?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sure, make yourself at home." Cool Head replied, and Pinkie Pie entered.

Pinkie Pie entered and sat, Cool Head gave her hot chocolate for her to drink since it was starting to get cold,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie said as she took the drink, Cool Head sat across from her with his own drink,

"Do tell me, Pinkie Pie, what brings you here?" Cool Head asked,

"Well, you're the only other person I see here, and I was hoping I could get to know about your wife." Pinkie Pie replied, Cool Head smiled,

"My wife was a very kind and sweet mare, I think you would have liked her." Cool Head said,

"What was she like?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"My wife would help out whoever was in need, she and I kept our home open to travelers for them to stay during the night, and they would leave the next day, she and I had many visitors, I usually kept them entertained with stories of my youth, while my wife would take care of the sickly, and give them meals, we had a good time with all of our visitors." Cool Head replied, Pinkie Pie smiled and listened with great interest,

"How did you two meet?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"During a royal guard ball, many years ago, we would dance and have fun, and some of the civilian ponies who wanted to join were welcomed to participate, one of them was my future wife, we danced together with one another, we talked and discovered we liked many of the same things, so we conversed and had fun all night, and after about three years of hanging out and bonding, we began dating, and two years after that, we got married." Cool Head replied,

"Wait, a royal guard ball?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"When I was young, the royal guard did balls and parties, it's a shame we don't do them anymore." Cool Head replied,

"Were they fun?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Oh yes, it made ponies become friends more often than any other area in Equestria." Cool Head replied,

"Did you and your wife have children?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, when we married, we decided not to have children." Cool Head replied,

"Why not?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Because we were moving from one place to another when I was in the royal guard, it would've been stressful if we had to take care of children as well." Cool Head replied,

"What did you two while married?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"A lot, there are some things I can't do anymore because my wife's not around anymore." Cool Head replied,

"Can you do them with me?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm sorry, Pinkie Pie, but some of those things are private, and only between me and her." Cool Head replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said,

"What do you do for a living, Pinkie Pie?" Cool Head asked,

"I'm a party thrower." Pinkie Pie replied, Cool Head chuckled,

"My wife would've liked you." Cool Head said, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Would you like to see pictures of me and my wife when we were young?" Cool Head asked,

"Sure!" Pinkie Pie replied,

"This way then." Cool Head said, and he took her to his living room.

Cool Head took out a photo book and showed her the pictures, she saw Cool Head's mane and tail were dark purple when he was younger,

"This was when we got married." Cool Head said as he showed Pinkie Pie the first picture, she saw Cool Head's wife was also a unicorn, she had a dark blue coat, purple eyes, and her mane and tail were dark blue, she had on a white wedding gown,

"This picture was when we went fishing, we fell into the water shortly after we took this picture." Cool Head said as he showed Pinkie Pie the second picture, she saw the two on a brown wooden boat and were fishing,

"What were you two doing fishing out there?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We just wanted some peace and quiet, and to have fun alone." Cool Head said, Pinkie Pie looked at the picture,

"My wife took this picture when I was trying to impress her." Cool Head said as he showed her the third photo, Cool Head had orange slices on his eyes, whipped cream shaped like a mohawk on his mane, he also had lemon skin in his mouth that was shaped like vampire teeth, Pinkie Pie laughed at the picture,

"I do the same thing at my parties for the little kids." Pinkie Pie said, Cool Head chuckled,

"Yes, foals love this picture, makes them laugh every time." Cool Head replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"This one is my wife's birthday." Cool Head said as he showed Pinkie Pie the fourth photo, Pinkie Pie saw she was happy in the picture,

"This picture is another royal guard ball." Cool Head said as he showed her the fifth photo, Cool Head was wearing the royal guard uniform,

"This one is when my wife and I visited her parents." Cool Head said as he showed Pinkie Pie the sixth photo, Pinkie Pie noticed they were all happy, she realized Cool Head's mother-in-law and father-in-law genuinely liked him,

"What about your parents?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They passed away before I married my wife." Cool Head replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said,

"This one is when my wife and I played with other couples our age." Cool Head said as he showed Pinkie Pie the seventh photo, they all looked happy,

"This photo was taken when my wife and I helped a friend of ours give birth to a foal." Cool Head said as he showed the eighth photo,

"Aw, the foal looks so cute." Pinkie Pie said,

"He was, he's a grown stallion now." Cool Head replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"This one was taken when I retired from the royal guard." Cool Head said as he showed the ninth photo, Cool Head now had a gray mane and wore glasses, so did his wife,

"This picture was taken when my wife was on her death bed, she wanted to have one last photo with me before she passed." Cool Head said as he showed the tenth and last photo, Pinkie Pie saw the two were smiling and happy, even though Cool Head's wife was dying. Cool Head closed the photo album afterwards,

"You should head home and check on your roommate, Pinkie Pie, losing a spouse is very painful." Cool Head said, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"I know." Pinkie Pie said sadly,

"Have you lost a spouse before, Pinkie Pie?" Cool Head asked,

"No, I'm single, I plan to stay that way for all of my life." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I see, then you will be spared from the pain of losing your spouse if you do stay single, you should go now, your roommate needs your support." Cool Head said, and Pinkie Pie left.

Pinkie Pie headed back to Fiery Heart's home and entered, she saw her crying with her head on the table, Pinkie Pie trotted to her,

"Fiery Heart?" Pinkie Pie asked, Fiery Heart turned her head to the right,

"Oh, hi, Pinkie." Fiery Heart said, Pinkie Pie sat next to her,

"Are you in the mood to talk about your husband?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"A little." Fiery Heart replied,

"What was he like?" Pinkie Pie asked, Fiery Heart began to tear up,

"He was a kind pony, a thrill seeker, but a kind hearted and caring stallion, he always tried to see the good in people, and forgave those who did bad things, he would also let travelers in our home for them to rest while he and I took care of them." Fiery Heart replied,

"What were you two planning to do together?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We were going to have a baby, raise a family, and travel Equestria for our child to see." Fiery Heart replied tearfully,

"How did you two meet?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We were childhood friends." Fiery Heart replied, Pinkie Pie began to feel bad,

"Oh, so you two grew up together." Pinkie Pie said, Fiery Heart nodded while crying silently,

"Do you two know how to take care of a baby?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Of course, I was a foalsitter before I married my husband, and he worked at a daycare when he was a teenager, we both also took parenting classes when we were teenagers." Fiery Heart replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"What was your wedding like?" Pinkie Pie asked, Fiery Heart began to cry her eyes out, Pinkie Pie noticed something was wrong,

"The best day of my life turned into the worst day of my life!" Fiery Heart said, she bawled as she remembered, Pinkie Pie began to feel bad, so she stopped asking her questions,

"I'll... be heading to bed now." Pinkie Pie said, Fiery Heart did not respond and just cried her eyes out, Pinkie Pie took a pink sleeping bag with two yellow balloons and a blue balloon on it out of her mane, she put herself in it and slept.

Pinkie Pie woke up the next morning and saw Fiery Heart sleeping at the table, it was wet from her tears, Pinkie Pie realized Fiery Heart cried herself to sleep, which made Pinkie Pie feel really bad for her, she decided to use some of her tricks and made two of herself appear, one stayed at Fiery Heart's place, and the other stayed at Cool Head's place, she thought she should get to know them better, the two woke up around the same time,

"Good morning." both Pinkie Pies said,

"Oh, morning, Pinkie Pie." Fiery Heart replied,

"Whoa, what are you doing here, Pinkie Pie?" Cool Head asked,

"Well, my roommate wanted some time alone again, and you left your front door unlocked, so I thought I can come in and stay with you." the Pinkie Pie with Cool Head replied,

"I left the front door unlocked? I really am getting old." Cool Head said, Pinkie Pie laughed a bit,

"Are you in the mood to talk about your husband?" the Pinkie Pie with Fiery Heart asked,

"Yeah, better than yesterday." Fiery Heart replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Can I get to know more about you and your wife?" the Pinkie Pie with Cool Head asked,

"Of course, it is fun to look back sometimes." Cool Head replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"My husband was born into a poor family, the other foals picked on him and bullied him for fun." Fiery Heart said,

"My wife was born from an upper-middle class family, a few foals bullied her out of jealousy when she was young." Cool Head said,

"He did poorly in school, and his teachers refused to help him on any of his work, his classmates did the same thing to him." Fiery Heart said,

"My wife excelled in school, she helped those who were failing." Cool Head said,

"I was my husband's first friend, I acted as his tutor to help him." Fiery Heart said,

"My wife had a lot of friendly rivals in school, they were always competing for the best grades." Cool Head said,

"When my husband and I became teenagers, we became romantically involved." Fiery Heart said,

"My wife had her first boyfriend as a teenager, but they broke up when her boyfriend moved to the country." Cool Head said,

"My husband and I grew up in this town together, we started dating when we were young adults, neither of our parents approved." Fiery Heart said,

"My wife's father was thinking about getting my wife another romantic interest since she missed her first boyfriend so much, he wanted her to be happy." Cool Head said,

"My parents and his parents had a huge fight over us marrying, my parents hated my husband for being a lower-class pony, and his parents hated me for being a middle-class pony." Fiery Heart said,

"My wife graduated and left home to roam Equestria, she came to the royal guard ball and met me, I was serving as a royal guard for my fifth year during that time." Cool Head said,

"When my husband and I graduated, we spent time together, which led to a fight with our parents, we were disowned, and my parents never looked or spoke to me ever again." Fiery Heart said tearfully,

"My parents approved of our marriage, and we all got along happily." Cool Head said,

"Is that all?" the two Pinkie Pies asked together,

"Yes, you know the rest through my pictures." Cool Head replied,

"All that's left is the day of our marriage, I don't want to talk about it." Fiery Heart replied tearfully,

"Well, I'd like to see you at that area of green grass in the town." the two Pinkie Pies said,

"You mean the park?" Cool Head asked,

"Uh-huh." the Pinkie Pie with Cool Head replied,

"I'll race ya!" the two Pinkie Pies said, and they ran out of the door, Fiery Heart sighed while Cool Heart shrugged, the two trotted out and went to the park.

Fiery Heart and Cool Head headed to the park and the two met one another,

"What the? Pinkie Pie said to meet here." Fiery Heart said,

"She told me the same thing." Cool Head replied, much to Fiery Heart's confusion,

"Good, you're both here." Pinkie Pie said as she walked to them,

"Go on, introduce yourselves." Pinkie Pie said,

"Uh, I'm Fiery Heart." Fiery Heart said,

"Cool Head." Cool Head replied,

"There, now that you two are together, I was hoping you two could comfort and support one another, since you both lost your spouses." Pinkie Pie said,

"Uh, Pinkie, I never met him until now." Fiery Heart replied,

"It's alright, my wife and I helped whoever we came across." Cool Head said,

"See, you're already getting support, Fiery Heart, you don't have to go through the pain alone." Pinkie Pie said,

"You said you lost your wife, right?" Fiery Heart asked,

"Yes, I miss her to this day." Cool Head replied,

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but I have things to do myself." Fiery Heart said,

"No, Fiery Heart, I think you and Cool Head are lonely without your spouses, so maybe if you two spent time together, you all might be able to heal faster." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, I guess it's worth a try." Fiery Heart replied, almost crying,

"I think Pinkie Pie told me about you." Cool Head said,

"Yes, Cool Head, this is my roommate." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Ah, yes, Pinkie Pie stays with me on days you wish to be alone, it's nice to meet you in person." Cool Head said, Fiery Heart smiled,

"Oh, right, Fiery Heart, Cool Head said a few days ago you have his condolences." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thank you, you have mine as well." Fiery Heart replied, Cool Head looked at her, Pinkie Pie realized Cool Head was trying to see what Fiery Heart's body language was saying, Fiery Heart was tearing up as well,

"I'll come by to check on you every now and then." Cool Head said,

"Thank you." Fiery Heart replied,

"Well, do you two want to start a conversation or something?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, it's fine, Pinkie." Fiery Heart replied,

"I'll be heading back now, I live on the westernmost part of the town, you're welcome to come by anytime." Cool Head said, Fiery Heart nods,

"I live to the east, my house is easy to find." Fiery Heart replied, and the two began to part ways, Pinkie Pie followed Fiery Heart. Pinkie Pie watches Fiery Heart and they come to an area in the town, Fiery Heart looks at the place and begins to tear up, she fell to her hind knees and sobbed loudly. Pinkie Pie becomes very worried and runs to her, she did her best to comfort her,

"What's the matter, Fiery Heart?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"This is where my husband lost his life." Fiery Heart replied tearfully, Pinkie Pie became very shocked and looked at the area, it was mostly gray like the rest of the town, and white fog concealed most of it, Fiery Heart kept sobbing loudly,

"Hey, let's go." Pinkie Pie said as she shook her, Pinkie Pie carried Fiery Heart while she covered Fiery Heart's vision from seeing the place, Pinkie Pie carried Fiery Heart home while she cried her eyes out. Fiery Heart continued to cry when Pinkie Pie got her home, she tried her best to comfort Fiery Heart while she cried her eyes out on the table. Knocking was heard on the door and Pinkie Pie opened it, she saw Cool Head,

"I can hear her all the way from my home, is everything alright?" Cool Head asked,

"We just went to the area where her husband passed away." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh my, her grief must've overrode her senses, I still become sad when I visit the hospital room where my wife passed." Cool Head said, Pinkie Pie's empathy kicked in instantly,

"Can I see her?" Cool Head asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied in a sad tone, and Cool Head entered, he went to go comfort Fiery Heart, Pinkie Pie went over and comforted the two of them,

"Thank you, I feel better now, you two can let go." Fiery Heart said, and they do,

"You never did say how your husband lost his life, Fiery Heart." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm still not in the mood to talk about it." Fiery Heart replied,

"Give her time, Pinkie Pie, she needs to come to terms with it, I'll be heading home now, I'll stop by when I have the time." Cool Head said, and he left, Fiery Heart stood up without saying anything and went to her bedroom. Pinkie Pie decided to examine the house to see if she can find anything, the house only had five rooms, the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom, the bathroom, and a fifth room behind a locked door, Pinkie Pie believed something important was back there, so she decided to ask Fiery Heart tomorrow, she went to sleep in the living room and slept in her sleeping bag.

The next day comes and Fiery Heart walked to the living room after using the bathroom,

"Good morning." Pinkie Pie said,

"Morning, Pinkie." Fiery Heart replied,

"Can I ask you something, Fiery Heart?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes?" Fiery Heart asked,

"What's behind that locked door over there?" Pinkie Pie asked, Fiery Heart began to tear up uncontrollably,

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked worriedly,

"That's... my memento room." Fiery Heart replied tearfully, Pinkie Pie was able to deduce that the things in the room were what reminded her of her husband,

"Don't you have work?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I couldn't bear being a foalsitter after my husband's passing." Fiery Heart replied, Pinkie Pie's heart sank,

"Well, can I enter that locked room?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, it's very special to me." Fiery Heart replied,

"I was sent here to help you recover, Fiery Heart, if you don't tell me, I can't help you." Pinkie Pie said,

"I know, but that room is kind of private to me." Fiery Heart replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, if you really want to take a look, the key is under my pillow in my room." Fiery Heart said,

"Okay, I'm going to go check on Cool Head now." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Alright, tell him I hope he gets better." Fiery Heart said, and Pinkie Pie left.

Pinkie Pie walked through the town and saw the fog has gotten thicker, and the town looked grayer, but she went to Cool Head's house. Pinkie Pie knocks on the door and Cool Head opened the door,

"Why, hello, Pinkie Pie." Cool Head said happily,

"Hi, Cool Head, I'm just here to check on you." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I've been fine, I came to terms with my wife's passing before you and I met." Cool Head said,

"Really? You sound like you're still sad to me." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I am, but I had time to get over it in a few days, I keep myself happy by looking at the good times my wife and I had together." Cool Head said,

"What? I think that would make you sadder." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Everypony's different, Pinkie Pie." Cool Head said,

"Is there anything to share?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I already told you everything about my wife." Cool Head replied,

"I know that, I was asking about you." Pinkie Pie said,

"Oh, well, I'm just an average pony, I was born in a regular family, learned magic, and joined the royal guard, that's pretty much all, you learned about most of my life through the photographs." Cool Head replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said,

"You look cold, would you like some hot cocoa?" Cool Head asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Come on in, then." Cool Head said, and Pinkie Pie entered his house.

Pinkie Pie drank hot cocoa with Cool Head and thanked him for the drink,

"Do you wish for your wife to come back, Cool Head?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sometimes, but she and I have already come to terms to one of us passing away before the other long ago, I mean, we are elderly now, and we knew that day would come eventually, but we didn't know which one of us would pass away first." Cool Head replied,

"I'm surprised you're not grieving very often." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, it was taboo for colts and stallions to cry when I was a foal, I guess I still hold onto that belief." Cool Head replied,

"It's okay to cry, Cool Head, go on, let it out." Pinkie Pie said,

"I already did." Cool Head replied,

"Did you cry when your wife passed?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"A little bit." Cool Head replied,

"Wow, you're just like my ma and pa, they wouldn't cry if one of them passed away." Pinkie Pie said,

"Not even your mother?" Cool Head asked,

"No, my mother is very strong, she gave birth to me and three other children." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Impressive, my wife wouldn't want to give birth to four kids, just one would've been enough for her." Cool Head said, Pinkie Pie chuckled,

"How about Fiery Heart, how has she been?" Cool Head asked,

"Still crying, she has a memento room, she said I can go in there if I want to." Pinkie Pie replied, Cool Head's attention was caught,

"Be really careful in there, Pinkie Pie, that room is likely a room to help her remember her dead husband, don't touch anything in there, and more importantly, don't break anything, those things in there are things she holds onto dearly, it would break her heart even more if you break them." Cool Head said,

"I will make sure to be extra careful." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Good, go on and leave now, I wish to grieve alone." Cool Head said,

"Okay, see you next time, Cool Head." Pinkie Pie replied, and she got out of his house and hopped to Fiery Heart's home.

Pinkie Pie opened the door to Fiery Heart's house and entered,

"Fiery Heart." Pinkie Pie said, there was no response, she looks and saw Fiery Heart was not at the table anymore, she checks Fiery Heart's room and saw her asleep, her pillow was wet, Pinkie Pie realized Fiery Heart cried herself to sleep again, much to her sorrow. Pinkie Pie decided she needed to enter the memento room if she wanted to help Fiery Heart, so she puts her front right hoof under Fiery Heart's pillow, she was very gentle and slow so she does not wake her, she feels the key and grabs it, she left the room afterwards.

Pinkie Pie went to the locked door and unlocked it, she entered a room with several items, there were two balloons to the far sides of the room,

"It's a boy" the blue balloon to the right said,

"It's a girl" the red balloon to the left said,

Pinkie Pie walks forward and looks at the items, she saw a picture of Fiery Heart and her husband, he was a Pegasus, just like her, he had a bright red coat, a short yellow mane, and orange eyes, his cutie mark could not be seen in the picture, the two were smiling and happy. Pinkie Pie saw a gray stroller to her left, which saddened her, she saw two gold wedding rings to her right, Pinkie Pie closed her eyes in sorrow. Pinkie Pie looks forward and saw a black tuxedo and a white wedding gown in front of her, she realized it was the outfits of Fiery Heart and her husband on their wedding day. Pinkie Pie walks forward and saw a newspaper article, she looks at it and reads, she saw Fiery Heart's name in it, and it was about her wedding, she keeps reading and gasps loudly in extreme shock, Fiery Heart's husband was murdered. Pinkie Pie's mouth was wide open and her eyes began to tear up, she closed her eyes and her tears fell down her cheeks, Pinkie Pie exited the room and closed it, she went onto the couch and began to cry at what she has read, she fell asleep in a few minutes.

Pinkie Pie wakes up the next day and saw Fiery Heart sitting across from her at the table,

"Good morning, Pinkie." Fiery Heart said, Pinkie Pie got off the couch and sat on the floor across from Fiery Heart,

"Fiery Heart, I saw the newspaper article on your wedding day." Pinkie Pie said, Fiery Heart began to tear up,

"Fiery Heart, I know it's hard for you, but if you don't tell me what happened, I won't be able you to help you." Pinkie Pie said, Fiery Heart pulled herself together while she still had tears rolling down her cheeks,

"My husband and I already planned our future, we were going to have a baby and travel Equestria, we prepared the wedding, there was a bunch of people there, we said our vows, and then we kissed one another, but as soon as we did, a unicorn shot a zap out of his horn and hit my husband in the back of his head and took his life, I looked on with shock, but I saw the pony who killed my husband, he was one of his childhood bullies, he picked on him everyday, stole his lunch, wouldn't let him befriend anyone, try to get him in trouble for things he didn't do, and follow him home, but my husband improved and turned his life around, and that bully of his got stuck with a dead end job and was having money problems, so he was mad, and killed my husband, I also saw him when I grieved at my husband's grave, he saw me in tears, he smiled at me, he laughed, he was happy about the pain he caused me." Fiery Heart replied, she began to bawl again, Pinkie Pie became sad and hugged her in an attempt to comfort her. Fiery Heart cried on Pinkie Pie's left shoulder while Pinkie Pie patted Fiery Heart's back to comfort her the best she could.

Pinkie Pie creates a doppelganger of herself outside the home and heads to Cool Head's house, he lets her in and the doppelganger explains the situation about Fiery Heart's husband,

"Goodness gracious, you need to be with her whenever possible, Pinkie Pie." Cool Head said,

"Why?" Pinkie Pie's doppelganger asked,

"I cannot imagine the pain she is going through now, it sounded like they were going to have a wondrous and blissful marriage together, only for it all to be snatched away from her just like that, their marriage ended before it could even begin." Cool Head replied, Pinkie Pie's doppelganger was nearly crying,

"You should tell her to try to look at photos at the times they had together." Cool Head said,

"I don't think she has any." Pinkie Pie's doppelganger replied,

"Oh my, I'll be heading there shortly." Cool Head said, and Pinkie Pie's doppelganger exited his house and disappeared when he was not looking.

Pinkie Pie continued to comfort Fiery Heart the best she could, knocking was soon heard at the door,

"Fiery Heart, it's me, can I enter?" Cool Head asked,

"Come in." Fiery Heart replied, and Cool Head opened the door, he entered and trotted to Fiery Heart, he sat down and hugged her to comfort her,

"I am sorry, Fiery Heart, I can't imagine how you feel right now." Cool Head said, Fiery Heart continued to cry,

"Where is the pony who took your husband's life?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"He's already been caught." Fiery Heart replied, Fiery Heart continued to cry her eyes out while Pinkie Pie and Cool Head attempted to comfort her. Fiery Heart calmed down a bit and sniveled a bit,

"I think you two should go for a walk together." Pinkie Pie said, the two agreed and they left, the two walked around the park and Pinkie Pie followed them from behind to watch them, Fiery Heart talked about her husband while Cool Head talked about his wife, the two grew sad as they spoke, they began to comfort one another, Pinkie Pie wanted to join, but decided they should have some time alone to bond, so she watched from afar.

Fiery Heart and Cool Head began seeing one another every day and they walked around the park while talking about their marriages, Fiery Heart talked about the plans she and her husband had while Cool Head talked about what he and his wife went through together, Pinkie Pie would join them every once in a while. Cool Head began visiting Fiery Heart at her house every day to check on her and would sometimes bring her gifts to make her feel better, while Fiery Heart would sometimes visit Cool Head to see how he has been, he was coping with the loss of his spouse a lot better than she was. Pinkie Pie was with Fiery Heart one day and watched Cool Head comfort her,

"Wow, you're really going out of your way to make her feel better, Cool Head." Pinkie Pie said,

"My wife would've done the same thing." Cool Head replied, Pinkie Pie and Fiery Heart were touched by his words, and he went back home.

Pinkie Pie was leaving the next day and Fiery Heart and Cool Head were wishing her goodbye,

"The snowstorm's about to come, Pinkie Pie, you should head back." Cool Head said,

"But what about you two?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We go through it every year, newcomers can't handle it, you should head home, Cool Head and I will stay in touch and visit one another." Fiery Heart replied, Pinkie Pie smiled, but soon began to tear up,

"Don't cry, Pinkie Pie, you can visit us anytime." Cool Head said,

"That's not why I'm sad, I'm sad because I promised Frosty I'd help Fiery Heart get over her problem, and I failed." Pinkie Pie replied,

"It's not your fault, Pinkie Pie, getting over the loss of a loved one takes time, years, and some people never get over it." Cool Head said,

"It's alright, Pinkie, Cool Head can support me now, and I met him because of you, for that, you have my gratitude." Fiery Heart said, Pinkie Pie was still sad,

"Go on now, Pinkie Pie, you're welcome to come visit us anytime." Cool Head said, the three hugged one another and Pinkie Pie walked out of the town when it began to snow, sad that she was unable to help Fiery Heart and Cool Head get over their problems.

Pinkie Pie and Fiery Heart sat at the funeral and the eulogy ended,

"Can I stay with you, Pinkie Pie?" Fiery Heart asked,

"Of course." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two went to Sugarcube Corner. Fiery Heart stayed in Sugarcube Corner and still grieved over her husband, and now grieved over Cool Head, Pinkie Pie was sad as well, but she did not grieve at the moment,

"You still haven't gotten over your husband?" Pinkie Pie asked, Fiery Heart shook her head,

"No." Fiery Heart replied, she had tears roll down her eyes, Pinkie Pie trotted to her and the two hugged one another.

The next day comes and Fiery Heart still stayed at Sugarcube Corner, Mrs. Cake and Sugar Belle were with her,

"Oh, dearie me, I am so sorry, Fiery Heart, you should thank Pinkie Pie, she did all she could." Mrs. Cake said,

"I know, but it wasn't enough, things never been the same ever since he was murdered." Fiery Heart replied,

"Oh dear, I am so sorry to hear that, feel free to help yourself around the shop, Mrs. Cake's husband will be around to help you as well." Sugar Belle said, and they comforted Fiery Heart while Pinkie Pie watched with sorrow. Fiery Heart saw the Cake twins and teared up since she was planning to have children of her own before her husband's death, she began to cry and Pinkie Pie ran to her and comforted her along with Mrs. Cake and Sugar Belle, Fiery Heart grieved while the three mares did the best they could to help her.

Two weeks pass and Fiery Heart left Ponyville two days after Cool Head's funeral, Pinkie Pie was at Carousel Boutique to see Rarity's new dresses, she was planning to show them at a fashion show, Pinkie Pie was enjoying the new dresses while Rarity watched from her desk. Knocking was heard at the door,

"I'll get it!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly, and she opened it, she saw Fiery Heart has come back, with tears in her eyes,

"Fiery Heart? What are you doing here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I wanted to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Cake said you'd be here." Fiery Heart replied,

"What is it?" Pinkie Pie asked, Fiery Heart began to tear up,

"Today's the day my husband was murdered." Fiery Heart replied, Pinkie Pie was empathetic while Rarity let out an exclaim of shock and ran to them,

"Pinkie, darling." Rarity said as she touched Pinkie Pie's back with her front right hoof, Pinkie Pie looked at her,

"I think it'll be best if you let me handle this." Rarity said, she focused on Fiery Heart,

"Please, come on in, dear." Rarity said, and Fiery Heart walked in. Rarity and Fiery Heart sat across from one another at a small table and drank tea, Pinkie Pie realizes she never told her friends about Fiery Heart, so Rarity had to hear everything from the beginning. Rarity was careful with her words and Pinkie Pie watched with worry, but she saw Rarity was able to comfort Fiery Heart more than she was ever able to, and she was able to read Fiery Heart's mood and emotions through her body language, which Pinkie Pie was unable to do, she watched Rarity and saw her feel the same emotions as Fiery Heart. Fiery Heart was soon out of tea,

"Sweetie Belle, darling." Rarity said, Sweetie Belle ran down the stairs to them,

"Yes, Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Can you get this grieving lady some more tea?" Rarity asked,

"Yes, Rarity." Sweetie Belle replied, and she did, the two continued to converse and the conversation came to end, Rarity and Fiery Heart hugged one another while each one cried,

"Take it easy, darling." Rarity said,

"I'll try." Fiery Heart replied, and she walked to Pinkie Pie,

"I need to stay at your place again for tonight." Fiery Heart said,

"Oki doki loki." Pinkie Pie replied, and she left,

"I'll come check on her later." Rarity said,

"I'll be waiting." Pinkie Pie replied, and she continued looking at the dresses.

Pinkie Pie went home later that afternoon and saw Fiery Heart sitting on the floor, Pinkie Pie went to her and comforted her while Fiery Heart just cried a little and did not react, Pinkie Pie went to bed while Fiery Heart stayed up all night and grieved.

Pinkie Pie wakes up the next morning and goes to Fiery Heart, she was still sad, Pinkie Pie went to her and saw Fiery Heart's eyes were dried, Pinkie Pie comforts her while Fiery Heart just looked down. The door opens and Pinkie Pie saw her five friends enter, they trot to her,

"Is this Fiery Heart?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"Yes?" Fiery Heart asked,

"These are the rest of my friends, Fiery Heart." Pinkie Pie said,

"Oh, hello." Fiery Heart said,

"We heard from Rarity bout yer husband, so we thought we should come check on ya." Applejack said,

"I've been fine, Pinkie Pie's been comforting me." Fiery Heart replied,

"Really? You don't look fine to me." Rainbow Dash said,

"Yes, your eyes are all dried." Fluttershy said,

"It is?" Fiery Heart asked,

"I'm sorry, Fiery Heart, but yes, it is." Pinkie Pie replied, Fiery Heart looked down and tried to cry, no tears fell out,

"We heard about your husband, we are very sorry about your loss." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Thank you." Fiery Heart replied,

"I've tried my best to comfort her, but I haven't been able to help her get over it." Pinkie Pie said,

"That is why we're here, Pinkie, darling, maybe we can all help her together." Rarity replied, and they sat, Rarity and Fluttershy acted as her therapists, Fiery Heart did not cry, she just looked down with sorrow,

"There, there, sugar cube, take yer time." Applejack said, and they talk things out, they get to the part when Fiery Heart's husband was murdered, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack had shocked faces, Pinkie Pie and Rarity already heard it, but Pinkie Pie remembers Rarity's face when she first heard it, Rarity had a face of like she saw something really bad happen,

"Do you still think about it?" Fluttershy asked,

"Yes." Fiery Heart replied,

"What do you do for a job now, Fiery Heart?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Cooking, I'm a chef now, I couldn't go back to being a foalsitter." Fiery Heart replied,

"Have things been alright at home?" Rainbow Dash asked,

"Yeah, I'm managing." Fiery Heart replied,

"Why did you come out here to seek Pinkie Pie for?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"Because she tried to help me before, and the other pony who helped and comforted me is dead, I thought Pinkie Pie was the only pony I had left for support." Fiery Heart replied,

"Well, she isn't, we're her friends, so you have us as well, and I'm sure there are other ponies who will be willing to help you." Twilight Sparkle said, Fiery Heart was surprised, and they continued talking to the point when Pinkie Pie left,

"So that's what happened. Why didn't ya go see Frosty for?" Applejack asked,

"She wasn't available." Fiery Heart replied,

"Well, Pinkie's not just here to help you, all of us are, and we'll help you anyway we can, a problem for Pinkie is a problem for us, and we'll gladly help." Twilight Sparkle said, Fiery Heart smiled,

"Thank you." Fiery Heart said,

"You should go rest, you didn't sleep last night." Pinkie Pie said,

"Alright, I'll be leaving tomorrow." Fiery Heart replied, and she went to sleep in Pinkie Pie's bed, Pinkie Pie's five friends leave and Pinkie Pie sleeps on the floor.

The next day comes and Fiery Heart was already leaving, Pinkie Pie hugged her and Fiery Heart walked out and headed home while Pinkie Pie hoped that she can fully recover from the loss of her husband.

Divorce

Pinkie Pie was at Sugarcube Corner and selling cupcakes, she was baking at the moment. Knocking was heard at the door and Pinkie Pie was excited to have a visitor, she put the whisk in Gummy's mouth,

"Hold this for me, Gummy." Pinkie Pie said, and she trotted to the door while taking the chef's hat and apron off, Gummy fell onto the counter. Pinkie Pie arrived at the door and opened it, to her surprise, it was Letter and Number,

"Hi, Pinkie Pie." Letter and Number said together,

"*gasp* Letter and Number!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly and happily, she hugged the two tightly, she let go of them,

"How are your educations coming?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We've improved greatly, ponies are helping us, our disabilities don't really hinder us anymore." Letter replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"It's all thanks to you, Pinkie Pie, if you haven't gotten us into that new school when we were kids, we wouldn't have had received help." Number said,

"What are you two doing now?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We're on vacation, so we thought we should come pay you a visit." Letter replied,

"Why, thank you." Pinkie Pie said,

"We also brought someone with us, she said she was a friend of yours, but we don't know her." Number replied, and the pony walks forward, it was an earth pony, she had a light red coat, light purple mane and tail, pink eyes, and her cutie mark was three flowers, the left and right flower were roses, while the center flower was a violet. Pinkie Pie was surprised to see her,

"Hi, Pinkie Pie." the teenage filly said,

"Flower Viola!" Pinkie Pie said happily, and the two hugged one another,

"Flower Viola?" Letter asked,

"My parents named me that, my father was a bouquet seller, and my mother was a string instrument player, I played it too, and liked the viola the best." Flower Viola replied,

"Actually, viola is also the name of a flower." Number said,

"I know, that's another reason why I was given the viola part in my name, but the main reason was because my mom played it, and I liked to play it, too." Flower Viola replied,

"I remember when I first met you, you didn't have a cutie mark." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yeah, I got it shortly after you left, it turned out my special talent was being able to find out what kind of flowers somepony wanted by just looking at them." Flower Viola replied,

"So you're not playing the viola?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I am." Flower Viola replied,

"You know, Flower Viola, one of my friends is a deaf music composer." Pinkie Pie said,

"I know, Beethooven, he talked about you after I played at a concert with him conducting." Flower Viola replied, Pinkie Pie was happy to see her friends getting along with one another,

"So, how have your parents been?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Well, it's still the same, I still live with mommy, and daddy still comes to see me on the weekends." Flower Viola replied,

"Wait, your parents are separated?" Letter asked,

"Uh-huh, they divorced when I was a filly, that was also when I met Pinkie Pie." Flower Viola replied,

"She isn't like the others, usually, I go to see other ponies when they're upset and try to help them, the opposite happened, she came to me for help." Pinkie Pie said,

"Can we hear the tale?" Number asked,

"Sure, go ahead and have a seat." Pinkie Pie replied, and the four sit together and Pinkie Pie begins to talk about Flower Viola.

Pinkie Pie just finished helping a group of ponies she considered some of her special friends, they were Tati, an illusionist, Houdini, an escape artist, Duo, a ventriloquist, Back Flip, an acrobat, Bozo, a clown, and Double Joint, a contortionist, Pinkie Pie met them and learned since times and entertainment were changing, their popularity and talents have faded, and were no longer able to entertain ponies like how they used to, so Pinkie Pie asked them to teach her their tricks, so she can preserve their talents and traditions in their memories for future generations. Pinkie Pie was able to perform some of Tati's tricks with ease, and Duo was not too hard, and Bozo was super easy, but Back Flip's, Houdini's, and Double Joint's performances were very hard to recreate, especially Double Joint's, Pinkie Pie has hurt herself several times attempting the things he could do.

Pinkie Pie was walking with a pink wagon on her that carried her party materials, she came to a small village where everypony lived a little far away from one another, the ponies wave at her and greet her, which made Pinkie Pie smile and greet them back. Pinkie Pie performed as a clown and ventriloquist for the foals that came to pay her to watch her perform, she was still injured from trying to do acrobatic and contorting moves, she also gave out candy and sweets to the foals, their parents were already starting to like her. Pinkie Pie had so much candy and sweets, there was more than enough for everypony, the adults came to buy from her as well.

Pinkie Pie was done selling sweets for one day and was packing up for the day,

"Excuse me." a filly's voice said, Pinkie Pie turned around and saw Flower Viola, who was still a foal at that time, and did not have a cutie mark, she was holding a football,

"Hi, how can I help you?" Pinkie Pie asked with a smile,

"Can you play with me?" Flower Viola asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two walk away from the wagon and stand across from one another.

Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola play catch while throwing the football at one another, they keep playing until the sun begins to set,

"Uh, I never got your name." Pinkie Pie said,

"Flower Viola." Flower Viola replied, Pinkie Pie could not help but feel warm and cozy inside, she thought it was a very pretty name,

"I'm Pinkie Pie." Pinkie Pie said, Flower Viola smiled,

"I just made a new friend." Flower Viola said,

"Yes, I'm glad, too, but you should head home, it's getting dark." Pinkie Pie replied, Flower Viola stopped smiling,

"Something wrong, Flower Viola?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"My parents... aren't who they used to be." Flower Viola replied, Pinkie Pie was suspicious,

"Come on now, let's get you home, we don't want to worry your parents." Pinkie Pie said, and her Pinkie Sense told her where Flower Viola's home was and took her there. Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola arrive at Flower Viola's home, she lived in a two story tall house, it was spring, so there was a lot of flowers blooming in Flower Viola's front yard,

"Wow, what a nice yard you have." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thank you, daddy and I made it together." Flower Viola replied,

"Where are your parents?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They're... inside the house." Flower Viola replied,

"Well, go on, I'm sure they're worried about you." Pinkie Pie said, and Flower Viola walked into her house with her head down, Pinkie Pie was suspicious.

Pinkie Pie watched Flower Viola enter her home and she closed the door,

"Mommy, daddy, I'm home." Flower Viola said, there was no response,

"Mommy? Daddy?" Flower Viola asked, it was still silent, Pinkie Pie became worried and trotted to their house to look through the window, she saw Flower Viola walking around in the home, her parents were nowhere to be found. Pinkie Pie continues to watch Flower Viola through the windows and saw two earth ponies in two separate beds, the left bed had a stallion, he had a dark pink coat, long light pink mane and tail, bright red eyes, and his cutie mark was a bouquet of roses, the right bed had a mare, she had a bright red coat, long light purple mane and tail, orange eyes, and her cutie mark was a violin, a viola, a cello, and a double bass. Pinkie Pie sensed animosity between the two, since they looked away from one another and were glaring at the walls,

"Mommy, daddy, I'm back." Flower Viola said as she walked into their bedroom, but she was ignored and the two just kept glaring at the walls, Flower Viola became sad and walked out with her head down, she went to her bedroom and laid in her bed, looking at the ceiling wistfully, Pinkie Pie felt sad but went back since she had to get sleep as well, she lays down inside her sleeping bag and looks at the ceiling, worried about Flower Viola, and soon fell asleep.

Pinkie Pie wakes up the next day and headed to Flower Viola's home quickly before she opened her shop to sell candy and other sweets to the foals, she arrives at Flower Viola's house and saw the stallion watering the flowers, she also heard a violin being played in the house,

"Excuse me." Pinkie Pie said, the stallion looks at her, the door opens and the mare walks out, they look at her,

"Is Flower Viola home?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, she's playing at the river stream." the stallion replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said,

"Wait a minute, you must be Pinkie Pie, the foals have been talking all day recently about the candy and sweets you've been selling." the mare said,

"Yes, I am, I'm a party planner, but I hurt myself doing some of my stunts, so I have to make money another way while I heal." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I see, are you a friend of Flower Viola?" the stallion asked,

"Yes, I'm friends with everypony I meet." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'm her mother, Fiddler." the mare said,

"I'm her father, Gardener." the stallion said,

"I'm here to see Flower Viola." Pinkie Pie replied,

"She's down that path over there, keep following it, and you'll find her eventually." Fiddler said as she pointed her front right hoof to an exit at the left side of the yard,

"Okay, thank you." Pinkie Pie said, and she trotted down the path.

Pinkie Pie trots down the path and saw Flower Viola at the river stream, throwing rocks into the water slowly, Pinkie Pie can tell she was sad,

"Flower Viola?" Pinkie Pie asked, Flower Viola turns around and sees Pinkie Pie, she walks to her,

"What are you doing?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I used to play with mommy and daddy here all of the time when I was younger, we stopped once when mommy and daddy began arguing and fighting, they don't play with me anymore." Flower Viola replied, Pinkie Pie felt sad,

"Well, I have to open shop now, I'll be back when I'm done." Pinkie Pie said, and she ran back to her wagon.

Pinkie Pie sold candy and sweets to the foals, and tried to do tricks to entertain them, the adults enjoyed her as well, the village already liked her, the ponies said she was a joy to have around, but Pinkie Pie noticed Flower Viola did not show up, which made her sad. Pinkie Pie finished selling for the day and went back to go see Flower Viola, she was still sitting at the river stream,

"Flower Viola." Pinkie Pie said, Flower Viola turned around and saw Pinkie Pie hopping to her,

"You're still here, is something wrong?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I still miss playing with mommy and daddy here." Flower Viola replied, Pinkie Pie felt sad and walked down to go see her, she saw green grass and a lot of blooming flowers everywhere, Pinkie Pie heard crickets chirping and saw butterflies flying around, Pinkie Pie loved the spring season, the scenery made her feel happy inside,

"What did you three do here back then?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We would run around, play ball, and look at the scenery while guessing what kind of plants and animals we see." Flower Viola replied, Pinkie Pie felt sad again,

"Well, come on, it's getting dark, let's take you home." Pinkie Pie said, and Flower Viola walks with her with her head down.

Pinkie Pie brings Flower Viola home but stopped with surprise when she heard Fiddler and Gardener arguing, they were loud,

"What do you mean you'll work harder to pay the bills?! You're rarely home on weekdays and don't spend time with us anymore!" Fiddler said angrily,

"Look at you, you're not making any money! You're just staying home and pursuing your hobby while I have to work to keep a roof under our heads!" Gardener replied angrily, Flower Viola just walks in sadly, Pinkie Pie heads to the southern exit but turns around, she saw Fiddler and Gardener arguing on the second floor of the house, she saw them through a window to the right side of the house,

"You rarely see Flower Viola now, you're letting overtime get to your head!" Fiddler said angrily,

"Neither are you! You're just practicing playing the instruments on your own, you're not spending time with Flower Viola, either!" Gardener replied angrily,

"I don't have the time! I'm at an important part in my music! I need complete concentration!" Fiddler said angrily,

"We're low on money! That's why I have to work longer hours!" Gardener said angrily,

"Mommy, daddy, stop!" Flower Viola said tearfully as she ran into the room, the two stop and regret arguing, they go to Flower Viola and comfort her, they apologize as well, Pinkie Pie had her mouth open a bit and put her front left hoof on her own heart, and let out a groan of sorrow, the three head to bed and Pinkie Pie went back to her wagon and laid down while thinking about Flower Viola, worried about what will happen between her parents.

The next day comes and Pinkie Pie continues selling candy and sweets, several adults began buying from her as well, Pinkie Pie thanked the ponies who paid her, they all left and went to school, Flower Viola went to go see Pinkie Pie shortly after everypony left,

"Don't you have school, Flower Viola?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I'm home schooled." Flower Viola replied,

"You don't have any friends around here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Not really, only the cool kids have friends around here, I'm considered uncool because of my father's job." Flower Viola replied,

"What do the cool kids' fathers do?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Serve in the royal guard." Flower Viola replied,

"What about their moms?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"The cool kids don't care too much about what the mother does." Flower Viola replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said,

"I was hoping you could play with me again." Flower Viola said,

"Of course, I'm on break right now." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two play tag, Pinkie Pie was having a lot of fun with Flower Viola, but she soon felt and heard a crack in her front right hoof,

"Ooh, sorry, Flower Viola, but I have to rest." Pinkie Pie said, and she sat, Flower Viola trotted to her,

"Are you injured?" Flower Viola asked,

"Yes, you see, Flower Viola, I'm a party planner and a party performer, I met these six circus stallions before I came here and they taught me their talents, I've injured myself trying some of them, I'm selling candy and sweets now to cover expenses." Pinkie Pie replied, Flower Viola was empathetic,

"Can I help you sell?" Flower Viola asked,

"Why?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Because of mommy and daddy fighting all the time now, daddy forgets to go to work sometimes." Flower Viola replied, Pinkie Pie sensed something very serious was going on,

"Okay, you can help." Pinkie Pie said,

"Oh, thank you, Pinkie Pie, thank you." Flower Viola replied as she hugged Pinkie Pie, Pinkie Pie smiled and patted her head with her front left hoof,

"Come on now, the foals are about to finish school." Pinkie Pie said, and they go to her wagon.

Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola sell sweets and candy to the foals, but they laugh at Flower Viola,

"What's wrong, Flower Viola, are your parents too poor to pay the bills now?" an earth pony colt asked, the other foals laugh,

"Did your mom force you to work for Pinkie Pie to be more popular, cause she's a loser herself?" a Pegasus filly asked, the other foals laugh, Flower Viola's feelings were very hurt,

"Are your parents arguing because they're debating over to abandon you or kill you?" a unicorn colt asked, Flower Viola was driven to tears while the foals laugh and cheer when she begins to cry,

"Enough! Stop it! No!" Pinkie Pie said sternly, the foals stop laughing and cheering and look at Pinkie Pie,

"If you're going to make fun of her and hurt her feelings, I will not sell my candy anymore." Pinkie Pie said very sternly, and the foals were silent, seeing Pinkie Pie was very serious, they just bought what they wanted and left,

"Pinkie Pie, my parents are planning to separate, I found out last night." Flower Viola said,

"Oh, well, that's unfortunate." Pinkie Pie replied,

"No, Pinkie Pie, they're separating because of me." Flower Viola said tearfully, Pinkie Pie was shocked to hear that,

"No, they're not, Flower Viola, they're just having different opinions, it's not because of you." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yes, it is! Mommy wants daddy to spend more time with me, and daddy wants mommy to get a job so she can help him support me, it's because of me they're separating." Flower Viola replied tearfully, Pinkie Pie was a little shocked, but can see why Flower Viola thought that way,

"I was hoping you could help." Flower Viola said,

"How?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"By convincing mommy and daddy not to separate, and spend time with me like how they used to." Flower Viola replied,

"Well... that won't be easy, but I can try." Pinkie Pie said, Flower Viola holds Pinkie Pie's front hoofs with her front hoofs,

"Please, promise me you'll make them stay together and have all three of us hang out together as a family." Flower Viola said, Pinkie Pie can tell Flower Viola did not understand divorce since she was a filly, but saw she had little choice,

"Okay, I promise I'll make them stay together." Pinkie Pie said, Flower Viola hugged Pinkie Pie,

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie, I knew I could trust you." Flower Viola said, Pinkie Pie rubbed her mane with her front left hoof and smiled,

"It's getting late, you should head home." Pinkie Pie said,

"Can you walk with me?" Flower Viola asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied happily, and they walk together. Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola walk around and admire the flowers blooming in the spring season,

"Wow, this place has a lot of flowers in the spring." Pinkie Pie said,

"Aren't they beautiful?" Flower Viola asked,

"Yes, they're pretty." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Daddy and I planted them here when I was younger, all of those flowers and plants you see in this neighborhood during the spring were planted by us." Flower Viola said,

"It must've took a long time." Pinkie Pie replied,

"It did, I wanna plant more in the future." Flower Viola said,

"I'll help if you need it." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Thank you, this is my favorite time of the year, seeing all of the flowers bloom and the pretty butterflies fly everywhere." Flower Viola said, Pinkie Pie smiled and they keep walking. Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola keep walking and come across a field of tall yellow flowers, Flower Viola was in awe at the place,

"You okay, Flower Viola?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, I'm fine, it's just that this is the very first spot daddy and I planted flowers together." Flower Viola replied,

"Wow, they have grown." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yes, they have, mommy and daddy used to chase me around in this flower field a few years ago." Flower Viola replied,

"How old are you, Flower Viola?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Eight." Flower Viola replied,

"And when did your parents start arguing?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"About a year ago." Flower Viola replied, Pinkie Pie felt her empathy override her senses,

"Can I ride you in the flower field?" Flower Viola asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and she let Flower Viola get on her back. Pinkie Pie walks through the flower field with Flower Viola on her back, Flower Viola cheered as she rode Pinkie Pie,

"Faster, Pinkie Pie!" Flower Viola said, and Pinkie Pie began trotting,

"Faster!" Flower Viola said, and Pinkie Pie began running, the two were having a lot of fun,

"Ow! I have to rest, Flower Viola." Pinkie Pie said as she felt pain in front right hoof, along with pain in her back left knee, and she sat while Flower Viola walked off of her,

"You okay, Pinkie Pie?" Flower Viola asked,

"Yeah, my body's still healing from all of the acrobat and contorting I've been practicing." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh." Flower Viola said while realizing why Pinkie Pie was in so much pain,

"I'm going to take a while to heal, so I might be here for sometime." Pinkie Pie said,

"When did you get injured?" Flower Viola asked,

"About a week before I came here." Pinkie Pie replied,

"That gives me an idea, I practice the viola in my free time sometimes, maybe you and I can perform together when you get better." Flower Viola said,

"Ooh, that sounds like a great idea." Pinkie Pie replied, Flower Viola smiled,

"Well, I'm better, I think I can play a little longer before I have to take you home." Pinkie Pie said, and she stood up, Flower Viola jumped onto her back and Pinkie Pie ran around in the flower field,

"Yay!" Flower Viola said as she rode on Pinkie Pie, the sun began to set and Pinkie Pie noticed,

"Come on, it's time to head home." Pinkie Pie said, and she walked to Flower Viola's house while Flower Viola continued to ride her.

Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola headed home and saw Fiddler and Gardener arguing in their front yard, Pinkie Pie was baffled while Flower Viola got off of Pinkie Pie and ran to the two,

"Mommy, daddy, I'm back." Flower Viola said, but the two ignore her and keep arguing,

"Mommy, daddy." Flower Viola said, but they keep arguing,

"Mommy, daddy, I'm home." Flower Viola said loudly, but the two continue arguing, Flower Viola began to cry, Pinkie Pie becomes shocked and empathetic and trots to her,

"Come on, you can stay at my place." Pinkie Pie said, and she takes Flower Viola to her wagon while Fiddler and Gardener keep arguing, not paying attention to Flower Viola. Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola stay in the wagon and try to sleep,

"I'll speak with your parents tomorrow, I'll find out why they are arguing so much." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, thank you." Flower Viola replied, and the two go to sleep.

Pinkie Pie slept in and woke up in the afternoon, she walked out of her pink wagon and saw foals coming to buy more candy and sweets,

"I'm sorry, everypony, but I'm closed today." Pinkie Pie said, the foals groan with disappointment,

"I'm still a pony, just like the rest of you, I need to take breaks every now and then, too. I've also been hurting from doing acrobat and contortionist practice before I came here, so I'm injured as well." Pinkie Pie said, the foals and adult ponies who were there to buy candy and sweets from her were empathetic as well, they left and Pinkie Pie watched them leave,

"Okay, Flower Viola, I'll be seeing your parents now." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay." Flower Viola replied from inside the wagon, and Pinkie Pie trotted to her home. Pinkie Pie walks to Flower Viola's house and saw Gardener working on the flowers in the yard,

"Oh, you again, hello." Gardener said,

"Hi." Pinkie Pie replied, and she looked around,

"Where's Fiddler?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Inside the house, go on and see her, I'm about to head to work." Gardener replied,

"Okay, see you later." Pinkie Pie said, and Gardener left the yard and trotted to his workplace. Pinkie Pie knocked on the door and Fiddler came out,

"Yes? Oh, hi." Fiddler said,

"Can I come in?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Right this way." Fiddler replied, and the two enter the house, Pinkie Pie saw a violin, viola, a cello, and a double bass,

"I remember hearing you playing these the other day." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yes, I mainly play the violin, Flower Viola loved the viola when she was a baby." Fiddler replied,

"Are you and Gardener separating?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, we'll be divorcing soon, he's rarely home now, and doesn't spend as much time as he used to with me and Flower Viola." Fiddler replied,

"Have you ever wondered what the reason is?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I already know the reason, our house bills have went up, and he's working overtime at the flower shop to make more money, but when he works, he's usually coming home around two in the morning." Fiddler replied,

"What time does he leave?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Six in the morning, he left a little later today because he was called in at the last minute this morning." Fiddler replied,

"What is he doing when he's home?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sleeping." Fiddler replied,

"Well, he does have to cover the expenses." Pinkie Pie said,

"I know, but he's working like twelve, thirteen hours overtime every day recently, our bills only went up by five percent." Fiddler replied,

"He wanted you to get a job, too." Pinkie Pie said,

"I know, but he's making way more than enough money to cover the bills by working overtime, he's always loved his job, I think he's staying late on purpose so he can keep doing his job." Fiddler replied, Pinkie Pie realized what was wrong,

"What job would you get if you have to?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"The only thing I'm good at is playing string instruments, I'm terrible at everything else." Fiddler replied,

"Really?" Pinkie Pie asked with surprise, Fiddler nodded,

"Why don't you practice your music with Flower Viola anymore?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Because she's more interested in planting flowers with Gardener now, she doesn't play the viola as much as she used to, it is a bit disappointing, but that's what Flower Viola wants to do, I just want her to be happy." Fiddler replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said slowly with realization,

"Well, that's all I have to say about why we're divorcing, you'll have to hear the rest from my husband, if you're lucky, he's on break right now." Fiddler said,

"Where does he work?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Just go south, there's only one flower shop in the entire town." Fiddler replied,

"Okay, bye now." Pinkie Pie said, and she ran out and headed south.

Gardener was selling a bouquet of flowers to a female Pegasus,

"Here you go, that'll be five bits." Gardener said, and Pegasus paid him and left, Gardener started his break and Pinkie Pie was waiting for him at the table,

"Oh, you again, hello." Gardener said,

"How long have you been working here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Fifteen years, I've been making bouquets since I was a colt." Gardener replied,

"I was wondering why you and Fiddler were separating." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, since our bills went up, I have to work overtime, and she's not doing anything." Gardener replied,

"But I heard you're working way longer than you need to." Pinkie Pie said,

"Sorry about that, it's just I love this job so much, I lose track of the time, happens every time." Gardener replied,

"Fiddler also said she wants you to spend more time with Flower Viola." Pinkie Pie said,

"Flower Viola used to come here to watch me work all the time when she was younger, and I would tell her what type of flowers are here, those light pink roses over there are her favorite." Gardener replied, Pinkie Pie looked at it and liked the flowers as well,

"Why don't you continue to bring her here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"She doesn't want to come anymore, she's always at home working on the flowers there now." Gardener replied, Pinkie Pie realized just how stuck up he and Fiddler were in their arguing, they did not pay attention to what Flower Viola was doing,

"Why don't you spend time with your family when you get home?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm very tired when I get home, and I sleep, and have to work when I get up, I am trying to come home earlier, though." Gardener replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Do you have a clock here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Well, yes, but I'm usually so busy, I don't have time to look at it." Gardener replied,

"Oh. Well, what do you want Flower Viola to have?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"A stable finance, I don't want her to have money problems like how I did growing up." Gardener replied,

"Wait, you had financial problems as a colt?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, my mother and father were materialistic, they bought what they wanted on impulse." Gardener replied,

"Aw, that sucks." Pinkie Pie said,

"It did, well, my break time's over, I have to get back to work, nice talking to you, Pinkie Pie." Gardener replied, and he went back to making bouquets, Pinkie Pie also saw Gardener growing his own flowers at the shop, she thought it was pretty, but Pinkie Pie knew she could not be distracted, so she headed back to her wagon.

Flower Viola was eating the candy in the wagon that Pinkie Pie left out, she loved candy very much, the wagon's door opens and Pinkie Pie entered,

"Flower Viola, I'm back." Pinkie Pie said, and Flower Viola smiled, Pinkie Pie trotted to her,

"Well?" Flower Viola asked,

"Your mommy and daddy are separating, but the two have their reasons, it's mainly due to them having different ideas on what they what's best for you." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I was right, it really is my fault on why they're separating." Flower Viola said, and she began to cry, Pinkie Pie walked to her and comforted her,

"No, it's not, Flower Viola, I can promise you, you have nothing to do with your parents separating." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'm never going to see them ever again." Flower Viola said,

"Yes, you will, once when everything settles down after they separate, you can see both of them again." Pinkie Pie replied, Flower Viola was still sad,

"Well, it's getting a bit late, we should rest." Pinkie Pie said, and she and Flower Viola went to sleep.

The next morning comes and Pinkie Pie sold more candy and sweets to the foals and ponies who came to buy, break time came and she went into her wagon,

"Hey, Flower Viola." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yes?" Flower Viola asked,

"Don't eat too much of the candy, I have to sell them as well." Pinkie Pie said,

"But they're so delicious." Flower Viola replied,

"I know, they taste good, but you have to restrain yourself." Pinkie Pie said, Flower Viola groaned in disappointment,

"That reminds me, your father said he misses having you watch him at work." Pinkie Pie said,

"I already know all of the flowers there." Flower Viola replied,

"He's still upset you don't come anymore." Pinkie Pie said,

"I told him I already know all of the different types of flowers there." Flower Viola replied,

"Oh, well, I'll let him know later." Pinkie Pie said,

"Flower Viola." Fiddler said,

"I'm here." Flower Viola replied, and she and Pinkie Pie step out, Fiddler and Gardener were together,

"There you are, we noticed you weren't home last night." Gardener said,

"You came home earlier, daddy?" Flower Viola asked,

"Yes, your father came home four hours earlier than usual." Fiddler replied,

"Then, why are you two here?" Flower Viola asked,

"We were worried." Gardener replied,

"Oh." Flower Viola said,

"Well, I'll be heading to work now, see you two tonight." Gardener said, and he went to work while Fiddler went home,

"Go on, Flower Viola, go see your parents." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'd like for you to come, too." Flower Viola replied, Pinkie Pie smiled and the two walk out of the wagon and Flower Viola goes to go see Fiddler first.

Fiddler was playing the violin in her home and Flower Viola trotted inside, Pinkie Pie entered with her, Fiddler sees her daughter,

"Oh, Flower Viola, you came, I've always wanted to play again with you." Fiddler said, and Flower Viola picked up the viola, she and Fiddler played while Pinkie Pie nodded her head side to side,

"You wanna play, Pinkie Pie?" Flower Viola asked,

"No, it's fine, I already play ten different instruments." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Ten instruments?!" Fiddler asked,

"Uh-huh, one of them is a banjo." Pinkie Pie said,

"No, I don't play string instruments like that." Fiddler replied,

"Oh, that's too bad." Pinkie Pie said, and Flower Viola and Fiddler play several songs together, Pinkie Pie knew the songs and sang the lyrics to them, Fiddler and Flower Viola smile, they thought Pinkie Pie had a great singing voice, the two chuckle,

"Okay, mom, I'll go see dad now." Flower Viola said,

"Okay, have fun." Fiddler replied, and Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola exited the house and headed to where Gardener works.

Gardener sells a bouquet of flowers to a couple and they leave,

"Daddy!" Flower Viola said, and Gardener saw her with Pinkie Pie,

"Oh, Flower Viola, what can I get you?" Gardener asked,

"Actually, I'm here to help around the shop." Flower Viola replied,

"Wonderful, I'll tell you about the type of flowers we have." Gardener said,

"I told you, daddy, I already know all of them." Flower Viola replied,

"Oh, I actually don't remember you saying that at all." Gardener said, Flower Viola was surprised, but she and Pinkie Pie went back to help Gardener. Pinkie Pie stayed back and got the flowers while Flower Viola and Gardener sell them,

"Isn't this fun?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Actually, it is, the flowers are so pretty." Flower Viola replied, Gardener smiled, they all work together and have fun, Pinkie Pie made a bouquet of three flowers, one represented Flower Viola while the other two flowers represented her parents,

"It's lovely, Pinkie Pie, I think you'd make a good bouquet maker one day." Gardener said,

"Thank you, cheering up ponies is what I do." Pinkie Pie replied, Gardener chuckled. The three finish selling flowers for the day and the sun was setting,

"I'll be watering the flowers now." Gardener said, and he does,

"This is daddy's favorite time, he won't be done for a while, we should go back." Flower Viola said, and they do.

Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola stay in the wagon for the night and they were wondering about Fiddler and Gardener,

"I'm going to go check on mommy and daddy." Flower Viola said,

"Let me go with you, it's dark outside." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two head out. Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola go to Flower Viola's home and hear Fiddler and Gardener arguing, Flower Viola began to feel sad while Pinkie Pie listened,

"You're still coming home late! You rarely spend time with me and Flower Viola!" Fiddler said angrily,

"She came to see me today, and we worked together!" Gardener replied angrily,

"She went to see you?! You didn't go to her?!" Fiddler asked angrily,

"I'm busy at work! I don't have time to be looking around!" Gardener replied angrily,

"You're all about money, what about Flower Viola being happy?!" Fiddler asked angrily,

"She is happy!" Gardener replied angrily, the two growl at one another,

"You're lucky court is tomorrow, it's about time we went through with the divorce." Fiddler said,

"I couldn't agree more." Gardener replied, the two panted heavily at one another,

"Where's Flower Viola?" Gardener asked, and the two see her outside with Pinkie Pie, they head out and stand at the front door's entrance after opening it,

"Good, you're here, Flower Viola, we're going to court tomorrow, you need to come with us." Fiddler said, Flower Viola felt sad,

"Come now, it's past your bedtime." Gardener said, and she reluctantly enters her home, Pinkie Pie walked back to her wagon while looking down, she slept sadly, unable to keep her promise to Flower Viola.

The next day comes and Pinkie Pie told the foals and ponies she cannot sell today, because she was having personal problems, she asks where the courthouse was, and she was directed there by the adult ponies, she entered the courthouse and saw Fiddler standing at a booth to the left, while Gardener was at a booth to the right, and Flower Viola at a podium between them. Pinkie Pie saw a seat and she sat in it,

"Court is now in session." the judge said, it was a male earth pony with a green coat, orange mane and tail, and light blue eyes,

"I am ready, your honor." Fiddler said,

"I am also ready." Gardener said,

"Okay, I have already received the paperwork, you two are divorcing, correct?" the judge asked,

"Yes, your honor." Fiddler and Gardener replied together,

"I see, I also see you two have a daughter, I will hear both sides before deciding who should have custody. Fiddler, you go first." the judge said,

"Thank you, your honor, I'd like Flower Viola to come with me because I wish for her to pursue her hobbies and interest, I believe the best way for her to live is to be happy. I want Flower Viola to have as many good and happy times as she can, I wish for her to be that way because she can look back and be happy when she gets older." Fiddler replied,

"I see, but why do you think that way?" the judge asked,

"Because I grew up unhappy." Fiddler replied,

"Care to elaborate?" the judge asked,

"I couldn't do what I wanted as a filly, I was forced to work by my parents, I had to shovel manure as a job when I was a filly, I hated it. I home school Flower Viola because I was bullied in school all the time, I didn't want her to endure the same thing. I couldn't learn magic either because I'm an earth pony, and I couldn't pursue my interest in music because my parents wouldn't let me because I was a girl, and they gave all of their attention to my little brother, I just don't wish Flower Viola to go through the same things." Fiddler replied, Flower Viola was touched by her words,

"Hmm, you don't seem to be lying." the judge said,

"She has never lied during our marriage, your honor." Gardener replied,

"I see, your turn, Gardener." the judge said,

"Very well. I want Flower Viola to have a stable financial life, I don't wish for her to throw all of her money away as an adult, I also don't want her to spend everything on clothes and jewelry as a teenager. I wish for Flower Viola to understand that sacrifices have to be made at times as well, like she will have to do something she isn't happy about in order to have a good outcome in the future, as well as sacrifice her desire to want things in order to keep a stable finance." Gardener replied,

"Can you explain why you think that way?" the judge asked,

"Because my parents were materialistic, we were always having financial problems, and they kept buying on impulse, I tried to tell them to restrain themselves, but they didn't, so I had to get a job as a colt, which was making and selling bouquets, but luckily, I grew to enjoy it, and continued to this day." Gardener replied,

"What kind of things did your parents buy?" the judge asked,

"My mom was always buying the latest fashions and trends, while my dad was mostly buying pieces and customizing parts for our wagon." Gardener replied,

"Oh my, both of them are expensive, no wonder why you were always in a financial crisis." the judge said, Gardener nodded,

"I see, you both have valid reasons, I am honestly having trouble deciding which one should have Flower Viola, I'd like you two to talk things out, and have a chance of not divorcing." the judge said,

"Okay, Fiddler, I know we always argued, but I want us to talk peacefully this time." Gardener said,

"About what? We already decided to divorce." Fiddler replied,

"But what about Flower Viola?" Gardener asked,

"I just want her to be happy growing up." Fiddler replied,

"Yeah, I get that, I want that, too, but I also wish for her to have a stable finance." Gardener said,

"She's too young to understand how money works." Fiddler replied,

"It's better if she learns sooner." Gardener said,

"You should put her happiness before money!" Fiddler replied while slamming her front hooves on the booth,

"She can't have what makes her happy without buying them!" Gardener said while raising his voice,

"She can pick flowers from outside!" Fiddler replied,

"But she also likes playing instruments, those are expensive!" Gardener said,

"STOP!!" Flower Viola yelled, everypony looked at her,

"This is what it is every day and night I come home, mommy and daddy arguing, so much, they ignore me and don't spend time with me anymore. I'm tired of it! If mommy and daddy are separating because of me, then I want Pinkie Pie to be my guardian." Flower Viola, everypony gasped,

"What? But what about your parents?" the judge asked,

"They're separating because of me, and I won't see them ever again, I don't want that life, I want to be with Pinkie Pie, she has spent time with me and played with me while mommy and daddy haven't." Flower Viola replied, everypony was speechless,

"Do you two still wish to divorce?" the judge asked, Fiddler and Gardener nod,

"Very well, but... where's Pinkie Pie?" the judge asked, Pinkie Pie hopped to Flower Viola,

"Right here, your honor." Pinkie Pie said,

"Would you take Flower Viola as your adopted daughter?" the judge asked,

"I'm sorry, but I can't." Pinkie Pie replied, Flower Viola was beginning to tear up,

"Well, you two should decide on who's leaving, and who's staying at home, as for you two, you two should head home, court adjourned." the judge said, and he hits his gavel while everypony left.

Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola were in the wagon and Flower Viola was crying,

"I can't believe it, they're leaving because of me!" Flower Viola said,

"No, they're not, Flower Viola, you have nothing to do with it." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What do you know?! You promised me you'd keep them together!" Flower Viola said angrily, and she grunted while she ran out of the wagon. Pinkie Pie felt her mane and tail partially deflate, sad she was unable to keep her promise, she just decided to sleep for the day.

Pinkie Pie woke up the next day and sold more sweets while her mane and tail were a little deflated, and she was a darker pink than usual, Pinkie Pie finished and she went to go look for Flower Viola. Pinkie Pie trots slowly since her body was still recovering from all of the acrobat and contorting moves she tried before she came, she comes to Gardener's and Fiddler's home, she saw Gardener was packing, she went past them and went to the field of flowers Flower Viola liked, she was not there, so she went to the river stream.

Flower Viola just sat at the river stream and was looking at the river wistfully,

"Flower Viola?" Pinkie Pie asked as she saw her,

"Go away." Flower Viola replied, Pinkie Pie walked to her,

"Flower Viola, listen to me, I'm sorry I couldn't fulfill the promise I made, but things don't always work out the way you want them to." Pinkie Pie said, Flower Viola looked at her,

"Really?" Flower Viola asked, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"You're still young, Flower Viola, but when you get to my age and your parents' age, there will be times in your life when you didn't get what you wanted, look at me, I want to throw a party, but I can't because I have to perform, and I'm healing from injuries from practicing new moves." Pinkie Pie replied, Flower Viola was touched,

"Do you forgive me, Flower Viola?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes." Flower Viola replied, Pinkie Pie smiled and hugged her, Flower Viola hugged her back,

"Flower Viola." Gardener said, they see him and Fiddler come, the two trot to them,

"Your father will be leaving soon, Flower Viola, we won't be able to spend time with you until this divorce stuff is over, you will have to choose which one of us you want to live with after we finish, but until then, can you look after her, Pinkie Pie?" Fiddler asked,

"Of course." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Thank you, we'll try to get this divorce thing settled out as fast as we can, Flower Viola, we'll let you know when we're done." Fiddler said, and she and Gardener left,

"Come on, Flower Viola, it's getting dark, let's get some sleep." Pinkie Pie said, and she and Flower Viola headed to the wagon and slept inside of it.

The next day comes and it was a weekend, Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola did a puppet show to entertain the foals, they clapped and cheered as they watched, the foals eventually left,

"Pinkie Pie?" Flower Viola asked,

"Yes, Flower Viola?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Can we buy some toys?" Flower Viola asked,

"Sure, show me the way." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two go the toy store.

Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola arrived at the store and Flower Viola wanted to buy dolls, Pinkie Pie loved the toy store, she wanted to buy some toys on her own, she got the dolls for Flower Viola since she could not reach them, Pinkie Pie paid for them and Flower Viola was elated, the two started playing immediately when they got back to the wagon, they have fun and keep playing until the day ended.

Three weeks pass and Pinkie Pie has fully healed, she does parties and shows again for the foals, everypony enjoyed it, she had Flower Viola join in as an assistant, she had great fun hosting the parties with Pinkie Pie, they entertained everypony,

"And now, the grand finale." Pinkie Pie said, and fireworks appeared to put on a show, everypony cheered. Fiddler and Gardener clapped and they walked to Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola after everypony left,

"Flower Viola, the divorce stuff are through, your father is leaving, you'll have to decide which one of us you want to live with, and your other parent will come visit you on the weekends." Fiddler said,

"When do I have to decide?" Flower Viola asked,

"This evening." Gardener replied,

"Okay, I'll be there soon." Flower Viola said, the two smile and left,

"Have you decided?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Actually, no, I've been having so much fun with you, I've forgot about them separating." Flower Viola replied,

"Do you still blame yourself?" Pinkie Pie asked, Flower Viola nodded,

"Come on, let's go." Pinkie Pie said, and they do.

Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola go to Flower Viola's home and saw Gardener was packing up and outside, with Fiddler at the front door. Flower Viola walked to them,

"Have you decided which one of us you want to come with?" Fiddler asked,

"What were the reasons again?" Flower Viola asked,

"I just want you to do what you want and be happy." Fiddler replied,

"I want you to have a stable finance and not have any money problems." Gardener said, Flower Viola thought about it,

"Sorry, daddy, but mommy sounds better." Flower Viola replied,

"Well, you are that age, you'll understand my reasons better as you get older." Gardener said, Flower Viola nodded while smiling,

"I'll be here on the weekends, Flower Viola, have fun with your mother, I taught her a few finance tricks." Gardener said, and he began to pack up,

"Okay, I now have to find a job." Fiddler said,

"You can perform music at my shows." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Okay, I guess I can start there. Flower Viola has to stay here tonight." Fiddler said,

"Okay, I'll be at my wagon." Pinkie Pie replied, and she hopped back and slept in the wagon.

A week passes and Flower Viola and Fiddler performed with Pinkie Pie, ponies eventually began going to Fiddler's house to hear her play, and the divorce thing was over,

"Pinkie Pie, I have to go back home now." Flower Viola said,

"I'll go with you." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two did.

Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola arrive and saw Fiddler and Gardener together, Gardener just finished putting his things on a wagon,

"You're leaving now?" Fiddler asked,

"Yeah, the area I'm going to has the same flower store company I work at, I'm just transferring." Gardener replied,

"You got everything?" Fiddler asked,

"Yeah." Gardener replied, the two look and saw Flower Viola in tears, they knew she blamed herself for them leaving, Gardener trotted to her,

"Sweetie, please don't be upset, mommy and daddy are just living in different areas now." Gardener said,

"But you two are separating because of me." Flower Viola replied,

"Flower Viola, it's not your fault, none of it is, it's between mommy and daddy, we may not love each other anymore, but we love you, and always will, you are the sunshine in our lives." Gardener said, Flower Viola was still in tears, but moved by her father's words,

"I'll be here every weekend, Flower Viola, I'm not going away, you just won't see me very often anymore, I wish you good luck with your mother, Flower Viola, see you this weekend." Gardener said, and he hugged Flower Viola, put the wagon on himself, and walked out of the yard.

Flower Viola was still in tears as she watched Gardener leave,

"Come on, Flower Viola, let's rest for today." Fiddler said, and they go in the house, Pinkie Pie went back to her wagon and slept.

Two days pass and it was weekend, Pinkie Pie trotted to Flower Viola's house and saw Gardener entering the yard,

"Daddy!" Flower Viola said happily as she ran to Gardener and the two hugged one another,

"Has mommy found a job?" Gardener asked,

"Uh-huh, ponies are coming here to hear me and her play." Flower Viola replied,

"That's nice to hear, well, let's plant some flowers today." Gardener said,

"Yay!" Flower Viola replied happily, Pinkie Pie smiled and went back to her wagon, she was packing up to leave,

"You're leaving, Pinkie Pie?" a colt earth pony asked,

"I'm sorry, but I'm out of candy." Pinkie Pie replied, the foals groan with disappointment,

"I know, but I'm traveling all over Equestria and performing shows, you'll know where to find me, I'm famous all over the country, if you do come to my shows, I'll be looking forward to seeing you all." Pinkie Pie said, the foals cheered,

"Well, I have to get going, hope to see you guys at my parties." Pinkie Pie said, and the foals said bye while Pinkie Pie left with her wagon, she saw Flower Viola, Fiddler, and Gardener together, they wave bye at her while smiling, she waved bye back at them and left the village.

Pinkie Pie sat with Flower Viola, Letter, and Number,

"I never went back to the village after that, so I don't know how things are there now." Pinkie Pie said,

"Pinkie Pie was always special to me, I still would've liked having her as a mother, though." Flower Viola replied,

"Maybe every foal would." Letter said, the four chuckle,

"So, what brings you here?" Number asked,

"I wanted to go back to that flower field." Flower Viola replied,

"Sure, I actually miss that place." Pinkie Pie said, Flower Viola smiled,

"Well, we have to get going now, take care, you two." Letter said,

"Bye." Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola replied and waved at them while they left,

"Want to hear me play the viola?" Flower Viola asked,

"Tomorrow, it's getting late." Pinkie Pie replied, Flower Viola nodded and the two went to sleep.

Morning comes and Pinkie Pie was taking the day off so she can go back to the flower field with Flower Viola, who was sitting at a table and playing the viola for Pinkie Pie, which she loved.

Pinkie Pie and Flower Viola hear the doors open and saw Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack come in,

"Is that you playin', Pinkie Pie?" Applejack asked, they realized they overheard the music, the five see them and trot to them,

"Oh, Flower Viola, I didn't think you'd be here." Twilight Sparkle said,

"You know her?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Only her name, her music is popular in Canterlot, I used to listen to her music whenever I was studying." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"I play her music at my cottage, too, her viola soothes my pets when they're upset." Fluttershy said,

"I listen to her, too, she is great to hear at concerts." Rarity said,

"So, all of you except me and Applejack listen to her?" Rainbow Dash asked,

"Actually, I don't have her music, either." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Then why is she here?" Applejack asked,

"I met Pinkie Pie when I was a filly, she and I went to a flower field back then, I wanted to go back with her." Flower Viola replied,

"Really? I'd like to see it, too, see all of the pretty little bees there." Fluttershy said,

"I'd like to go as well, maybe I can use those flowers for my fashion." Rarity said,

"Well, let's all go together, it'll be more fun with more people." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Hold on, Ah'll go get Apple Bloom." Applejack said,

"I believe Sweetie Belle would like it, too." Rarity said,

"I'll see if Scootaloo wants to come." Rainbow Dash said, and they leave the shop, they wait and came back with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they all board the train and go to the flower field. Everypony arrives at the village and Pinkie Pie leads them to the flower field while Flower Viola was on her back,

"Wow, it's beautiful." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Thank you, my daddy and I planted all of it together." Flower Viola replied,

"Can I pick one?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Sure, there's plenty." Flower Viola replied,

"Ah must say, the bright yellow is a nice color." Apple Bloom said,

"I like it, too." Scootaloo said,

"Come on, Flower Viola, just like old times." Pinkie Pie said, and she runs into the flower field with Flower Viola on her back,

"Yay!" the Cutie Mark Crusaders said as they played in the flower field with the others, everypony was having fun. Fluttershy was flying around and looking for any bugs that pollinate flowers, while Rarity was drawing ideas for an outfit, inspired by the yellow flowers everywhere, and everypony else was playing,

"Say, Flower Viola, how have your parents been?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"My mommy's still playing music, she's traveling Equestria now, and my daddy's making bouquets all over Equestria, they're doing just fine, they now see me together at my new home on the weekends." Flower Viola replied,

"New home?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Uh-huh, I live in Los Pegasus now, I play the viola at night, and make bouquets during the day." Flower Viola replied,

"Say, do you have any outfits for your concerts?" Rarity asked,

"Yes, I have plenty of dresses at home." Flower Viola replied,

"Can I go to your home?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sure, my parents are visiting today." Flower Viola replied, and they board the train and go to Los Pegasus.

Flower Viola leads them to her home and they see she had black dresses and shoes everywhere,

"My, what lovely dresses." Rarity said,

"Thank you." Flower Viola replied,

"Where are your parents?" Rainbow Dash asked,

"They should be here soon." Flower Viola replied, knocking is heard at the door,

"Flower Viola?" Gardener asked, and she opened the door, Fiddler and Gardener looked mostly the same, they only had gotten older. The two hug her and they see Pinkie Pie,

"Pinkie Pie, I didn't think you'd be here." Fiddler said,

"I was wondering how she's been, so I went to go check on her." Flower Viola replied,

"Hey, wait a minute, you said you still live with your mother." Pinkie Pie said,

"I do, she lives here with me." Flower Viola replied,

"Where are you living, Gardener?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Close by." Gardener replied,

"If it's okay with you, Pinkie Pie, can we perform with you again?" Flower Viola asked,

"Sure!" Pinkie Pie replied happily,

"Alright, you and your friends can stay here for the night." Fiddler said,

"Why, thank you, darling, that is very generous of you." Rarity replied, Fiddler smiled,

"Well, it's late, we should rest." Gardener said, the others agreed and they rested.

Morning comes and they all go back to Ponyville, Pinkie Pie hosts a party with Flower Viola and Fiddler playing, Flower Viola played the viola while Fiddler played the violin, and Gardener was giving out bouquets, with Rarity helping him choose which flowers go best for the outfits, it was a great time for everypony,

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie, I really enjoyed living with you for that short time." Flower Viola said,

"You're welcome." Pinkie Pie replied,

"We never did properly thank you for looking after our daughter, you have our gratitude." Fiddler said, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Well, till next time, Pinkie Pie." Gardener said, and they all left. Pinkie Pie was happy to see Flower Viola's family was not arguing anymore, she goes back into Sugarcube Corner and gets on with her day, feeling happy for the rest of the day.

Loss of Child

Pinkie Pie worked in Sugarcube Corner and was having an easy day, there was almost no customers today, so she was resting. The door opens and Pinkie Pie looks, she sees a familiar looking teenage colt enter, she recognized him and was happy to see him,

"Treasure Hunter!" Pinkie Pie said happily and excitedly, he trots to behind the counter and the two hug one another,

"How have you been, Pinkie Pie?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"Great! How about you?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Alright, just thought I'd come and check on you, I never did thank you for looking after me shortly after my parents passed." Treasure Hunter replied, Pinkie Pie's smile widened,

"Pinkie Pie?" a female voice asked, Pinkie Pie looks and saw Rock Candy and her family enter,

"Rock Candy!" Pinkie Pie said elatedly, she runs to her and the two hug one another,

"How have you been?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Great, my husband, son, and daughter wanted to come along as well." Rock Candy replied,

"Hi there." Pinkie Pie said, Rock Candy's family waves at her,

"Quiet ones, aren't they?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, my husband doesn't talk much, and my children are shy." Rock Candy replied,

"It's okay, I won't bite." Pinkie Pie said, Rock Candy's son and daughter hide behind her husband,

"Who's the older one?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Neither, they're twins." Rock Candy replied,

"Who was born first?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They both came out of me at the exact same time." Rock Candy replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said, and she walks back to behind the shelf and continues her work until it was closing time. Pinkie Pie finishes and then goes to the cupboard to her left and looks through the glass at a picture of a red male unicorn, his mane and tail were bright purple, and his eyes were sky blue, his cutie mark was not in the picture,

"Who is that, Pinkie Pie?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"Oh, that's Sky Glider, today's his birthday." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Is he a friend of yours?" Rock Candy asked,

"No, his picture was given to me by his teacher, he already passed long before I met her and his parents." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What happened?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"He drowned while saving a filly, so basically, he sacrificed himself." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Can you tell us what happened when you met his parents?" Rock Candy asked,

"Sure, but this might be a bit hard to swallow." Pinkie Pie replied, and she begins to talk about Sky Glider's parents, Vulture and Dove, they were more special to Pinkie Pie than most because she knew how painful losing a child is, it is one of most devastating things to happen to anyone, she and the others sit and Pinkie Pie begins to tell her tale.

Pinkie Pie just left Cloudy's home and was traveling Equestria again, she was walking through the blazing hot summer, she was in an area of Equestria where there was nothing but grass, it was one hundred fifteen degrees Fahrenheit, the humidity was ninety five percent, and Pinkie Pie just walked out of a jungle. Pinkie Pie pants heavily while sweating as she walked with her supplies, her two saddlebags, bags, chest, and some of her musical instruments have partially melted from the summer heat, she was also out of sugar water, lemonade, soda, cider, juice, slushes, ice pops, sorbets, freezies, ice cream, and snow cones, as she has already eaten and drank them all for herself. Pinkie Pie pants as she walks slowly, exhausted from the jungle and heat, she collapses and becomes unconscious. An elderly unicorn couple was nearby and saw her, the stallion had a light brown coat, short white mane and tail, yellow eyes, and his cutie mark was a white vulture's head, and the mare had a white coat, long white mane and tail, blue eyes, and her cutie mark was a white dove, they trot to her and the stallion uses his telekinesis to pick her up and carry her to their home.

Pinkie Pie groans and wakes up, she saw she was laying on a couch with a round wooden table in front of her, there was a lot of empty glasses on the table, she looks and sees the elderly stallion in front of her,

"Dove, she's up." the stallion said, the mare comes and looks at her,

"Good morning, we found you passed out on the road, so we took you here." Dove said,

"Thank you, I'm Pinkie Pie." Pinkie Pie replied, the stallion chuckles,

"I'm Vulture, and this is my wife, Dove." the stallion said,

"Hello, Pinkie Pie." Dove said as she bowed, Pinkie Pie waved her front left hoof at her,

"Where are my supplies?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Oh, sorry about that, but we had to put them in the shade, the sun melted them." Vulture replied,

"Where are they?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Just outside the door to my right, dear." Dove replied, and Pinkie Pie runs out. Pinkie Pie runs out and sees her supplies were almost completely melted from the summer heat, she groaned with sorrow,

"Curse you, summer heat!" Pinkie Pie said loudly, Vulture and Dove chuckle as they walk out of their house,

"You should wait until it cools down, your things will melt even more if you go out into the heat now." Vulture said,

"Yes, please, Pinkie Pie, come on in, you should stay with us until it cools down." Dove said,

"Okay." Pinkie Pie replied sadly and entered their home. Vulture and Dove feed Pinkie Pie several cakes and she eats them, she was grateful for the two,

"Thank you, I've been so hungry ever since I woke up." Pinkie Pie said, Vulture and Dove chuckle,

"Getting you to drink all of that water when you were unconscious was tough for us, you were so dehydrated." Dove replied, Vulture nodded while smiling,

"Well, thank you very much, both of you, but I should get going, I don't want to burden you two with having to take care of me." Pinkie Pie said,

"No, please stay with us, Pinkie Pie, having you here feels like a second chance for us." Vulture replied,

"Huh? A second chance?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, Pinkie Pie, you see, we once had a son, he passed away two years ago." Dove replied, Pinkie Pie's eyes and mouth opened widely, she felt tears roll down her eyes and she cried impulsively, she thought someone outliving their children was the saddest thing in the world,

"Are you alright, dear?" Dove asked,

"Sorry, it's just... losing a child is the saddest thing ever." Pinkie Pie replied while crying uncontrollably,

"It is sad, we're still trying to get over the loss of our son." Vulture said,

"Also, Pinkie Pie, our son wasn't a foal when he passed, he was a fully grown stallion." Dove said,

"But still." Pinkie Pie replied as she cried uncontrollably,

"Are you willing to stay with us, Pinkie Pie? So we can try to have a chance of trying again for sometime?" Vulture asked, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied as she pulled herself together,

"Thank you, we'll try to make you feel at home." Dove said, and the two left the room. Pinkie Pie stood up and trotted around the room, she looks and sees pictures across from her, they were pictures of a foal, a teenager, and a stallion, it was a red male unicorn, his mane and tail were bright purple, and his eyes were sky blue, his cutie mark was a light blue sky. Pinkie Pie guessed the pony was the couple's children, she looks and sees the last photo was a tombstone with the pony's name on it, she saw his name was Sky Glider,

"Loving son, loving friend, may your sacrifice bring good fortune to your loved ones." the tombstone said, Pinkie Pie felt sad instantly, but she sees more pictures and sees pictures of Vulture and Dove with their house guests, they were all smiling and happy, which made Pinkie Pie happy to see,

"Enjoying the pictures?" Dove asked, she startled Pinkie Pie and she turned around, she saw her and Vulture,

"Uh-huh." Pinkie Pie replied happily since she sensed no malevolence from the couple, the two walk to her,

"We've been taking in travelers and those in need ever since we were married, we only started taking pictures of them after our son passed away." Vulture said,

"Why?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Ever since our passed, we have felt like there has been this void or empty spot in our family, our visitors fill in that spot for a temporary amount of time, it's back when they leave, we take pictures to remind ourselves of how they made us feel like we had another chance of having a child again." Dove replied, Pinkie Pie became sad,

"What was Sky Glider like?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"A sweet boy, he always looked up to me and his father, he joined the royal guard just like how we did." Dove replied,

"Wait, you're both ex-royal guard?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"That's right, that's how we met." Vulture replied, Dove nodded,

"Go on and stay as long as you like, Pinkie Pie, make yourself at home." Dove said,

"Really? Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, I can't thank you two enough." Pinkie Pie replied as she was on the floor and began kissing Vulture's front right hoof,

"Okay, that's enough." Vulture said as he took his hoof away from Pinkie Pie,

"You can sleep in that bed there, Pinkie Pie, but you have to work here while you stay." Dove said,

"Okay." Pinkie Pie replied, and she jumped back into the bed while Vulture and Dove smiled, they walked away,

"Whee!" Pinkie Pie said as she jumped up and down on the mattress like it was a trampoline while she laid down,

"Careful, Pinkie Pie, you'll break the bed if you land on it too hard." Vulture said from afar, Pinkie Pie continues jumping on the bed and was having fun, she got out of bed a few minutes later and explored the house. Pinkie Pie went to the left side of the room and found the hallway, she looks to her right and sees one room, she trots to it and saw it was the bathroom, she goes to her left and sees another corridor, she goes to it and looks to her left, she saw the kitchen,

"Oh, you're up, Pinkie Pie." Dove said, Pinkie Pie looks and sees the kitchen had two entrances, the one to the left side of the kitchen, and the one to the back, which was currently to Pinkie Pie's left,

"Yeah, I had nothing to do." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Feel free to look around, our home is your home as long as you stay." Dove said,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie replied, and she decides to look at the room to her right. Pinkie Pie opens the door and sees Vulture, he was painting, she looks and saw a double bed, she realized it was Vulture's and Dove's room,

"Hello, Pinkie Pie." Vulture said, Pinkie Pie trotted inside,

"What are you painting?" Pinkie Pie asked, she looks and saw it was a painting of herself,

"You're painting a picture of me?!" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly,

"Yes, I started doing this after Sky Glider passed, taking pictures of our guests was mainly my wife's idea, that's her way of filling in the void of missing our child, this is my way." Vulture replied, Pinkie Pie's excitement died down and she became sad again, she looks at the paintings of the guests and got more and more sad as she looked,

"Do you wish I could stay?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, but my wife and I know you have your life to live out, and can't stay here forever." Vulture replied, Pinkie Pie was sad again,

"You want to watch me paint?" Vulture asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and she does. Vulture paints Pinkie Pie based off of his memory and was almost perfect, much to Pinkie Pie's surprise, but she focused and was trying to think of a way to cheer up Vulture and Dove, she did not know how to help somepony become happier when they have lost a child,

"What do you do for a living, Pinkie Pie?" Vulture asked,

"I'm a party planner, and a party thrower, birthday parties are my specialty." Pinkie Pie replied, Vulture stopped painting abruptly and looked down with sorrow. Pinkie Pie realized she has saddened Vulture and trots to him, she stands to his right and hugs him while he looks down with his eyes closed,

"There, there, Vulture, I know losing your son hit you hard, I can't imagine how much pain you're feeling right now." Pinkie Pie said,

"You should go see my wife instead, our son's death hit her harder than it hit me." Vulture replied, Pinkie Pie was still sad at what she was hearing, and was worried about them,

"Can you let go now, Pinkie Pie? I wish to resume painting." Vulture said, and she did. Vulture continues painting and Pinkie Pie exited the room to go see Dove in the kitchen, she was cooking some kind of vegetable stew,

"Oh, hello there, Pinkie Pie." Dove said,

"Hi, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'm fine right now, thank you." Dove said, Pinkie Pie smiled and watched Dove cook,

"What are you cooking?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Vegetable stew, my husband and I ate it ever since our days in the royal guard." Dove replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"What do you do for a living, Pinkie Pie?" Dove asked, Pinkie Pie was uncomfortable to answer,

"It's okay, go on and tell me." Dove said,

"Um, I'm a party planner and a party thrower, I mainly do birthday parties." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What kind of birthday parties?" Dove asked,

"Um... parties... for foals." Pinkie Pie replied, Dove stopped working abruptly, tears began to form in her eyes and Pinkie Pie ran to her. Pinkie Pie tried to comfort her and turned the oven off since she left it on,

"I'm so sorry, Dove, I wish I could do something to help." Pinkie Pie said, Dove continued to grieve. Vulture comes out of his bedroom and sees his grieving wife, he walks to her and comforts her while she cried,

"See, as I said, my wife is still grieving deep down." Vulture said,

"What about you?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, but not as much as her." Vulture replied, Pinkie Pie began to tear up as well,

"It's okay, Pinkie Pie, you don't need to grieve." Vulture said,

"No parent should have to bury their child." Pinkie Pie replied while almost crying, Vulture and Dove look at her with surprise, Pinkie Pie could not help but cry, it was so sad for her, Vulture and Dove went over to comfort her,

"There, there, Pinkie Pie. Thank you for your support and empathy, but you're sad yourself, you should go sleep it off." Dove said, Pinkie Pie decided to comply and went to the bed and slept in it. Pinkie Pie wakes up the next morning, which was to her surprise, she hears crying and trotted, she saw Dove crying while Vulture comforted her,

"I can't believe today's the day again." Dove said,

"Yes, I can't believe it's been two years already." Vulture replied, Pinkie Pie went to them and the two saw her,

"Good morning, Pinkie Pie." Dove said,

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"You see, Pinkie Pie, today's the day our son passed away." Vulture replied, Pinkie Pie becomes surprised and sad at the same time. Knocking was heard at the door and Pinkie Pie went to it and opened it, she saw a teenage mare, she had a light teal coat, long sky blue mane and tail, light green eyes, and her cutie mark was a sewing needle,

"Uh, hi, is Vulture and Dove home?" the teenage mare asked,

"Who are you?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm Seamstress, I'm here to see Vulture and Dove." the teenage mare replied,

"It's alright, Pinkie Pie." Vulture said from within the house,

"Yes, go on and let her in." Dove said, and she did. Seamstress goes to Vulture and Dove and she hugs them,

"Are you two alright?" Seamstress asked,

"Not really, can't believe it's been two years." Dove replied,

"Am I missing something here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Our son saved a filly from drowning two years ago, but he drowned himself, Seamstress was that filly." Vulture replied, Pinkie Pie becomes surprised,

"I come here twice a year, today is the day Sky Glider passed away, the other day is on Sky Glider's birthday." Seamstress said,

"Wait a minute, if Sky Glider was a unicorn, then why didn't he teleport himself out of the water?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sky Glider had a habit of living in the moment and leaping before thinking, he forgot he knew the spell when he saved Seamstress." Dove replied, Pinkie Pie was starting to get very sad from what she was hearing,

"Come, Pinkie Pie, we're going to go pay our tributes to Sky Glider, you should come as well." Vulture said, and the four leave the house. Pinkie Pie follows Vulture, Dove, and Seamstress and they go up a hill, Pinkie Pie sees the gravestone and recognized it was the one from the picture inside the house,

"Look who's here, Sky Glider." Dove said, Seamstress put her head on the gravestone,

"I can never thank you enough for saving my life that day, if it was possible, I would go back in time to save you." Seamstress said while crying, she continued to cry while she kept her head on the gravestone, Pinkie Pie was distraught by just watching. Seamstress stops and Vulture and Dove put their heads on the gravestone, they cried silently as well,

"Okay, Pinkie Pie, your turn, you're a part of the family until you leave." Vulture said, and she did, Pinkie Pie still felt sad about what has happened, even though she did not know Vulture and Dove, Pinkie Pie finishes grieving,

"Come on, we have work to do outside today." Vulture said, and they go back home. Pinkie Pie and Seamstress do manual labor outside while Vulture helped them, and Dove worked in the kitchen, Pinkie Pie and Seamstress helped Vulture mow the grass around the area, the three stayed beside one another, Pinkie Pie was sweating profusely and was about to collapse, but Seamstress catches her while Vulture holds her up with her telekinesis, his magic aura was brown,

"You alright, Pinkie Pie?" Vulture asked,

"I think so." Pinkie Pie replied, and they continue working,

"Where do you live, Seamstress?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"In the town to our rights, Sky Glider came quite often." Seamstress replied,

"Really?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, Sky Glider went to school there, he made a lot of friends, they liked to pretend to be superheroes when they were kids." Vulture replied, Pinkie Pie and Seamstress chuckled and continued to help him do the manual labor around the house. Pinkie Pie finishes the labor with Seamstress and Vulture, Dove came out to give them lemonade, they drink it,

"Pinkie Pie, Seamstress, if you two can, can you two go to the store and buy me some supplies, my legs aren't what they used to be." Dove said, the two chuckled,

"Sure!" Pinkie Pie replied,

"Of course." Seamstress said,

"Thank you, show her the way, Seamstress, since Pinkie Pie's still new here." Dove said,

"Okay." Seamstress replied, and the two trot to the town. Pinkie Pie and Seamstress head to town but begin panting and sweating from the summer heat,

"So hot." Pinkie Pie said,

"You can say that again." Seamstress replied,

"IT'S TOO HOT!! IT'S DRIVING ME CRANKY!!" Pinkie Pie yelled, Seamstress laughed a little and the two continue to town. Pinkie Pie and Seamstress arrive into town while they sweated profusely, Pinkie Pie panted and sighed with relief that she was at the town, but her relief soon became surprise,

"Huh?" Pinkie Pie asked as she looked around, she saw the ponies looked sad,

"Why is everypony so sad?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sky Glider contributed a lot to this town, this isn't a sad day for just me and his parents, this is a sad day for everypony." Seamstress replied, Pinkie Pie became very sad again,

"Come on, Pinkie Pie, let's buy the groceries." Seamstress said, and they go to the store. Pinkie Pie and Seamstress enter the store and see it had everything,

"I'll do the shopping, why don't you buy us some drinks on the way back home?" Seamstress asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and they separate. Pinkie Pie hops around the shop and looks for the soda and sweet drinks section, she saw sweet tea, lemonade, and many different types of soda, she also saw sugared water, she takes them and hops to the clerk, a female unicorn that had a light red coat, a long orange mane and tail, and yellow eyes, her cutie mark could not be seen due to the bench,

"Hi, are you buying those?" the clerk asked, Pinkie Pie nods, she looks and sees a picture of Sky Glider in the back,

"You knew Sky Glider, too?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, he found me when I was at my lowest in my life, he helped me get this job, I'll forever be grateful to him for that." the clerk replied, Pinkie Pie felt sad again, but she pays for the drinks and wishes the clerk a good day,

"Oh, hello, Seamstress, I hope today hasn't been too hard for you." the clerk said,

"Not really, I still wish Sky Glider was alive, though." Seamstress replied,

"We all do, we all miss him." the clerk said, and she buys the items, Seamstress and the clerk hug one another and Seamstress heads to the exit and saw Pinkie Pie waiting for her,

"Did you get the drinks?" Seamstress asked, Pinkie Pie shows her and Seamstress was a little surprised,

"Not what I usually drink, but it'll do." Seamstress said, and they head back. Pinkie Pie and Seamstress drink all of the drinks Pinkie Pie bought and were back, they give the supplies to Dove,

"Oh, thank you, you two, now I can make us some dinner." Dove said, and she kisses the two on their foreheads, which made them smile and blush. Pinkie Pie and Seamstress sit in Vulture's and Dove's room while Vulture continued painting the picture of Pinkie Pie, she looks and was liking it,

"Can you do Seamstress too, Vulture?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Already did." Vulture replied, Pinkie Pie looks and saw the painting of her, she and Seamstress sit and watch Vulture paint until it was dinner time,

"Dinner's ready." Dove said, and the three leave and go to the room just behind the kitchen, it was the living room and dining room put together, they all have vegetable curry with rice,

"Hmm-mm, delicious." Pinkie Pie said, and she gobbled it down, Vulture, Dove, and Seamstress chuckle,

"Seconds please." Pinkie Pie said with her mouth full and food all around her mouth,

"Sorry, Pinkie Pie, but I didn't make extra." Dove replied, Pinkie Pie groans,

"I understand why you're so hungry, Pinkie Pie, all that manual labor outside must've got to you." Vulture said,

"It's more than that, I grew up farming rocks." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Ah, that's a tough job, requires lots of energy." Dove said,

"What's rock farming?" Seamstress asked,

"You see, Seamstress, some earth ponies farm rocks instead of crops, they move rocks from one farm to another, and have to crack them open to find jewels and geodes, they have to work everyday with no break." Vulture replied, Seamstress was surprised,

"I didn't just farm rocks, I had to eat them for every meal, too." Pinkie Pie said,

"No thank you, my teeth would break if I tried that." Seamstress replied, the other three laugh,

"Well, go on and enjoy your meals." Dove said, and they finish the curry. Pinkie Pie and Seamstress finish the meal and do the dishes together, they brush their teeth and lay down together,

"Goodnight, Pinkie Pie and Seamstress." Dove said,

"Goodnight." Pinkie Pie and Seamstress replied together, Dove kisses them on the forehead and Pinkie Pie rubs her head on Dove, feeling like a filly again, Dove chuckles,

"See you in the morning, Pinkie Pie." Dove said, and she goes to her bedroom while Pinkie Pie and Seamstress sleep. Morning comes and Seamstress was getting ready to leave,

"I'll be leaving now." Seamstress said,

"Okay, see you around, Seamstress." Vulture replied, and she hugs them while the two kissed her on her forehead, she also hugged Pinkie Pie,

"See you around, Pinkie Pie." Seamstress said,

"Goodbye." Pinkie Pie replied, and Seamstress left. Pinkie Pie walks around and helps Dove in the kitchen, Pinkie Pie works really fast and was baking cupcakes,

"My, Pinkie Pie, you're quite the baker." Dove said,

"Thank you, I'm self taught." Pinkie Pie replied, Dove chuckles and Pinkie Pie helps Dove while Vulture worked outside. Pinkie Pie finished helping Dove and went outside to go see Vulture,

"I'm fine, Pinkie Pie, and thanks for helping my wife." Vulture said,

"You're welcome." Pinkie Pie replied, and she trots to town. Pinkie Pie went to town and decided to explore, it was cooler than yesterday, she heads to town and begins exploring, she saw an elderly female unicorn up ahead, she had a purple coat, a white mane and tail tied into a bun, orange eyes, and her cutie mark was a ruler, she was looking at a picture of Sky Glider, she trots to her,

"Excuse me." Pinkie Pie said, the elderly mare looks at her,

"You a friend of Sky Glider?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I was his teacher when he was a colt, he was such a nice and sweet foal, also one of my best students at work, I enjoyed teaching him, and I miss him everyday, I really enjoyed teaching him." the mare replied, Pinkie Pie becomes sad,

"What was he like in class?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Very sociable and friendly, he helped whoever fell behind, and he was one of the smartest students I've ever had." the mare replied, Pinkie Pie was even sadder,

"I'm sorry, but it brings back memories of him, and it makes me sad, I'm going to stop talking about Sky Glider now." the mare said, Pinkie Pie feels bad and she walks away. Pinkie Pie walks around and sees everypony missed Sky Glider, it was making her sad, she wanted to make the ponies laugh, but could not think of how to cheer them up, she especially did not know how to cheer up Vulture and Dove, she keeps looking and sees several ponies looking at pictures of Sky Glider and looking down, she realized they were his friends, she keeps trotting around and sees foals in an orphanage grieving as well, she trots to them and sees a plaque of donors who gave bits to build the orphanage, Sky Glider's name was on it, Pinkie Pie's mane and tail deflate and was beginning to cry, so she headed back, unable to bear the sadness in the town.

Pinkie Pie arrives back and saw Vulture and Dove working inside the house,

"What's the matter, Pinkie Pie?" Dove asked,

"I met Sky Glider's teacher, I saw his friends, and saw the orphanage." Pinkie Pie replied sadly,

"That orphanage was built because of us, Sky Glider donated the most bits to have it built, he was planning to donate more bits to build an animal shelter before he passed." Vulture said sadly, Pinkie Pie began to tear up and cried at what she heard since it made her sad, Vulture and Dove hug her and comfort her while she cried, the two look down with sorrow as well,

"I think it'll be best if we sleep for tonight." Dove said, and they all rest.

Pinkie Pie wakes up the next morning and was still sad, she decided today should be the last day she stays since it was her third day staying with them,

"Good morning, Pinkie Pie." Dove said,

"Good morning." Pinkie Pie replied, she looks and sees breakfast in her bed,

"Ooh, breakfast in bed." Pinkie Pie said,

"The ponies we take care of love it, especially the foals." Dove replied, and Pinkie Pie tries it and loved it,

"Best breakfast in bed ever!" Pinkie Pie said, and she eats it all quickly, Dove chuckles and takes the trays and cleans them. Pinkie Pie gets out of bed and went outside to see how it was, it was blazing hot again, but she knew she had to leave tomorrow, she sees Vulture mowing the grass again and Pinkie Pie ran to help him,

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie, you really are a joy to have around." Vulture said,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie replied happily and she helps Vulture with the yard work, they finish after two hours and Vulture took a break while Pinkie Pie went in to go help Dove, she was cleaning the house today. Pinkie Pie found cleaning the house easier than working outside, but still tiring,

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie, you really are different from most of our guests, you're willingly helping us, just like how our son used to when he was a colt." Dove said,

"What did Sky Glider want to do when he grew up?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"He was going to join the royal guard, just like the two of us." Vulture replied,

"What was his favorite meal?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sky Glider had a sweet tooth, but his favorite was probably a vanilla cake with white icing, ice cream cones on top, and sprinkles around the sides of it." Dove replied,

"Ooh, that sounds like a birthday cake." Pinkie Pie said,

"It is, I made it for his birthday every year." Dove replied, Pinkie Pie's mouth watered,

"How about favorite party drink?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Why are you asking all of a sudden?" Vulture asked,

"Because I'm a birthday party planner, and I'm leaving after today, it's so I can come here and put the cake and ice cream on his grave every year on his birthday." Pinkie Pie replied, Vulture and Dove smile briefly, but then frown,

"You're leaving tomorrow?" Vulture asked,

"Yes, visitors stink after three days." Pinkie Pie replied,

"So you follow that rule, too." Dove said,

"Doesn't everypony?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, most foals don't, the ones we let stay here want to stay instead of leaving with their parents." Vulture replied,

"Oh, well, moving on, I need you two to tell me what Sky Glider liked for his birthday." Pinkie Pie said, and they do, Pinkie Pie took mental notes and hears Sky Glider liked Neapolitan ice cream, lemon-lime soda, chips and dip, and cheese puffs,

"Ooh, I love cheese puffs." Pinkie Pie said,

"Everypony around here does." Dove replied,

"Well, go ahead and rest today, Pinkie Pie, we'll make this a day for you to remember." Vulture said,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie replied, and they get on with their days. Pinkie Pie trots around while Vulture sits with Pinkie Pie on the floor and reads her a fairy tale, Pinkie Pie was enjoying it, a few hours pass and Dove comes with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies,

"Who wants a cookie?" Dove asked,

"I do!" Pinkie Pie replied happily and ran to her, she begins eating like a pig and gets chocolate all over her face, Dove chuckles,

"Oh, Pinkie Pie, you got chocolate all over yourself." Dove said, and she holds a towel in her front left hoof and wipes Pinkie Pie's face, she makes grunts and tries to resist Dove,

"Oh, hold still, you." Dove said, and she uses telekinesis to hold Pinkie Pie, her magic aura was white, she finishes and Vulture continues spending time with Pinkie Pie. Vulture and Pinkie Pie play a board game and they have fun, Dove finished in the kitchen and joined them, the three have fun, Vulture and Dove begin to feel sad and Dove began to cry,

"We used to do this all the time with Sky Glider when he was a foal." Dove said,

"Yes, I miss those days, too." Vulture said, Pinkie Pie looks at them with a baffled face and sets the board game aside, she trots to them and hugs the two, Pinkie Pie could not express how sad she was to see the two in such a state, Vulture places his front left hoof on Pinkie Pie's back while Dove placed her front right hoof on her back, the three hug one another,

"I make it my life cheering up other ponies and making them smile, but I literally don't know how to cheer up you two." Pinkie Pie said sadly, the three continue hugging one another for comfort since they were sad, they finish after a minute,

"Let's try to enjoy the day." Vulture said, and they do. Pinkie Pie, Vulture, and Dove were at the bed where Pinkie Pie slept and Vulture and Dove treated her like a child, showering her with sweets and reading her fairy tails, Pinkie Pie was having a lot of fun,

"And this is when Vulture and I first met." Dove said as she showed Pinkie Pie a picture of the two together when they were young, they were both wearing their royal guard uniforms,

"This is our wedding." Vulture said, and he shows Pinkie Pie the picture, Vulture wore a black suit while Dove wore a white gown, Pinkie Pie thought the gown looked lovely,

"Can I see some other pictures?" Pinkie Pie asked, and Vulture and Dove show her pictures of Sky Glider on his birthdays, Pinkie Pie was enjoying them and was inspired to try some of the birthday themes in some of the pictures,

"As you can see, Sky Glider was a bit picky with his birthday, he wanted every birthday theme to be different, he also wouldn't want to eat the same meal two days in a row." Vulture said, Pinkie Pie continues looking and was enjoying the pictures,

"Well, that's all of the pictures we have, aside from those I hang on the wall." Dove said,

"You want to see my painting of you, Pinkie Pie?" Vulture asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two trot to Vulture's and Dove's room. Pinkie Pie looks and sees Vulture has already finished his picture of her,

"Wow, it looks almost completely accurate, it's like looking into a mirror." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thank you, I've been practicing for a while." Vulture said, Pinkie Pie continues looking and admiring the picture,

"Can you do another one?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Only one per visitor, Pinkie Pie." Vulture replied, Pinkie Pie groaned,

"Come on, Pinkie Pie, let's go try to have fun." Vulture said, and they leave the room, they see Dove had a ball with her,

"Want to play catch?" Dove asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied happily, and the three go outside. The three play catch for sometime while Pinkie Pie has fun, the summer heat made it harder to play since they had less energy, but they still try to have fun and catch the ball while it was in midair, Pinkie Pie had more stamina since she was still young and an earth pony, Pinkie Pie was fast while Vulture and Dove were slow, they were panting and sweating, they eventually had to start using their magic to throw the ball, but wherever they threw the ball, Pinkie Pie was there to catch it,

"What? How are you doing that, Pinkie Pie?" Dove asked,

"I just move fast." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Move fast? There has to be a secret." Vulture said,

"Nope, just running fast." Pinkie Pie replied, Vulture and Dove were confused but continued playing with Pinkie Pie until the sun began to set. Pinkie Pie had broth for dinner with Vulture and Dove, the three have fun while Vulture and Dove recalled events of their lives, Pinkie Pie also talked about her upbringing and the rock farm,

"Oh my, you sound like you didn't have a happy childhood, Pinkie Pie." Dove said,

"I didn't... until I threw my first party!" Pinkie Pie replied happily,

"*chuckle* Well, it's good things got better for you, well, eat up, we still have to do your last picture." Vulture said, and she did. Pinkie Pie laid in bed while Vulture and Dove stood by her, Dove set up a camera to go off by itself,

"Smile for the camera, Pinkie Pie." Dove said, and she did, the camera goes off and the three smiled in the picture, the photo comes out and the three see it was developed, Dove takes the picture with her telekinesis and trots around, she gets a picture frame from her and Vulture's room and places it in, she then hangs it on the wall with the pictures of the other visitors, Pinkie Pie felt tired and closed her eyes for a brief second, but fell asleep.

The next morning comes and Pinkie Pie was getting ready to leave,

"Pinkie Pie, wait." Dove said as she ran to her, Pinkie Pie looks at her,

"At least let me make you some breakfast before you go." Dove said,

"Oh, thank you." Pinkie Pie replied, and she has breakfast and was getting ready to leave, she opens the door and saw Sky Glider's teacher, which surprised her,

"What are you doing here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I heard you were leaving today, I got something for you." Sky Glider's teacher replied, she gives her a picture of Sky Glider,

"What? For me?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Just take it, it makes me sadder the more I look at it." Sky Glider's teacher replied, Pinkie Pie felt bad and took it,

"Hope you come back one day, Pinkie Pie." Dove said,

"Don't worry, I will." Pinkie Pie replied,

"We never did tell you when our son's birthday is." Vulture said,

"It's fine, I already know when it is." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What? How?" Vulture asked,

"Your photos of his birthdays had the date on them." Pinkie Pie replied, and she gets her partially melted supplies and leaves to go elsewhere since the day was cooler than others while Vulture and Dove look at their pictures of Sky Glider's birthdays and saw the date was not on them, which confused them, they look and see Pinkie Pie was gone, they just go in their house and close it while Sky Glider's teacher leaves to go home.

Pinkie Pie was in Sugarcube Corner with Treasure Hunter, Rock Candy, and her family,

"Why were they named after birds, and one who flies, even though they were unicorns?" Rock Candy asked,

"I don't know, maybe because they liked flying with their magic." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Maybe, or just coincidence." Treasure Hunter said,

"Yeah, that too." Pinkie Pie replied, they hear snoring and see Rock Candy's son and daughter have fallen asleep,

"I have to get home, Pinkie Pie, it's past their bedtimes." Rock Candy said,

"Okay, have a safe trip." Pinkie Pie replied, and Rock Candy carries her daughter on her back while her husband carried her son,

"I have to go, too, the last train to Fillydelphia is about to go." Treasure Hunter said,

"Okay, see you later." Pinkie Pie replied, and she and Treasure Hunter hug one another and Treasure Hunter trots out. Pinkie Pie sees it was closing time and she took her picture of Sky Glider and put it in her saddlebag, she got a vanilla cake with white icing, ice cream cones on top, and sprinkles around the sides of it, Neapolitan ice cream, lemon-lime soda, chips with dip, and cheese puffs, she also got two balloons, she heads out and everypony sees her, her friends look at her with confusion,

"Pinkie?" Twilight Sparkle asked, her five friends follow her. Pinkie Pie arrives at Sky Glider's grave and saw Vulture, Dove, and Seamstress standing there, who was now an adult, the three have left presents on Sky Glider's grave. Pinkie Pie ties the balloons on the top of the grave,

"Happy birthday, Sky Glider." Pinkie Pie said,

"Pinkie?" Twilight Sparkle asked, she turns around and saw her five friends, they see the grave, they become shocked and trot forward, they look and see the birthday items, they also see the pictures of Sky Glider on his birthdays and figure out the two elderly unicorns to their lefts were his parents,

"What happened?" Rarity asked,

"I fell into a river and was drowning, he got me out and saved my life, but he drowned in the process." Seamstress replied, Pinkie Pie's five friends look at the grave with shock and sorrow,

"Pinkie... I never knew." Twilight Sparkle said,

"I don't talk about it much, it still makes me sad to look back on." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Ah wonder about those two, they're probably feelin' the same thing mah Granny felt when ma and pa passed." Applejack said,

"You lost a child, too?" Vulture asked,

"No, but mah Granny lost her son years ago." Applejack replied,

"So, today's his birthday?" Rainbow Dash asked,

"Yes, our son was born on this day, Pinkie Pie comes here yearly on this day." Dove replied,

"Oh my, it must be hard for you all." Fluttershy said,

"It is, it never gets easier for us, no matter how many times we come here on this day." Vulture replied,

"Me neither, I'm sorry to you two, but this is the most I can do." Pinkie Pie said with her voice almost breaking,

"It's okay, Pinkie Pie, we appreciate it." Dove replied, and they all pay their tributes to Sky Glider and Pinkie Pie and her friends hug Vulture, Dove, and Seamstress,

"I am so sorry this happened, if you two need any support, we're in Ponyville." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Thank you, Princess Twilight." Vulture replied, they all look begin to go home, they look back at the grave one more time and then turn back around and continue to head home while the sun sets behind them.

Single Parent

Pinkie Pie was teaching at the School of Friendship and talking about how to make kids laugh, she was surprisingly very knowledgeable on how to make kids have fun,

"Now, everycreature, children are curious about everything, but it is important to support their interests on what they truly like, and can make them laugh by doing tricks and talking about previous experiences if you've done the same things, yourself." Pinkie Pie said, the students write while Sandbar groans and sways side-to-side,

"You okay, Sandbar?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sorry, but playing with my sister until she fell asleep took hours last night." Sandbar replied tiredly,

"Do you need rest, Sandbar?" Ocellus asked,

"I'm fine." Sandbar replied,

"You sure? You don't look or sound good." Ocellus said,

"I can manage." Sandbar replied tiredly, he groans and falls out of his chair, onto his left side,

"Apparently, you can't." Gallus said,

"Wow, his sister must be full of energy." Silverstream said,

"She is, she's only four years old." Sandbar replied tiredly,

"Yona like to meet Sandbar sister." Yona said,

"Maybe another time." Sandbar replied tiredly,

"What's she like when she falls asleep?" Smolder asked,

"She doesn't sleep long, she's back up and already to play, it gets annoying sometimes." Sandbar replied tiredly,

"Come on, Sandbar, get up, there's still some time in class left." Pinkie Pie said, and Sandbar groans as he gets up and was almost falling asleep,

"Do you have any stories to share about your time with kids, Pinkie Pie?" Silverstream asked,

"Why, yes, in fact, I do." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I wanna hear it." Ocellus said,

"Me too." Gallus said,

"Well, here goes." Pinkie Pie replied, and she talks about a time she had to babysit a family.

Pinkie Pie was carrying her wagon around after leaving Flower Viola's home, she goes forward and was looking for a way to make money since she still could not do her old tricks from being injured, and she was out of treats to sell,

"Ooh, what's this?" Pinkie Pie asked as she looked at a poster,

"Foalsitter Wanted, foalsit three foals until evening, oldest child's name is Pink Diamond, she is a romantic at heart and likes fairy tales, middle child's name is Gilmore, he is a prankster and likes golf, he's the troublemaker of the family, youngest child's name is Purple Grace, she is four years old and a sweetheart, she likes having fun and playing, dog's name is Wilfred, he is Gilmore's dog, and a loving pet, make sure to feed him with Gilmore and he likes to play." the poster said, Pinkie Pie takes the poster with her front right hoof and sees the address at the bottom, she goes to it.

Pinkie Pie trots to the address and saw a male earth pony, he had a yellow coat, he had a short black mane and tail and was bald on the top of his head, Pinkie Pie sees his cutie mark, it was a stack of dollars,

"Excuse me." Pinkie Pie said, the pony turns around and Pinkie Pie sees the stallion had green eyes,

"Are you the pony looking for a foalsitter?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, I'm Drifter, I've been looking for foalsitters ever since my wife passed." the stallion replied,

"What happened?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Complications from birthing Purple Grace." Drifter replied, Pinkie Pie felt sad,

"Can I meet them?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sure, what's your name?" Drifter asked,

"Pinkie Pie." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Alright, this way, Pinkie Pie." Drifter said, and he leader into his house. Pinkie Pie was led into Drifter's house and it was noisy,

"Pink Diamond, Gilmore, Purple Grace, Wilfred, over here." Drifter said, Pinkie Pie hears trotting and walking, she saw three earth ponies, the tallest one was a female, she had a light pink coat, long white mane and tail, and dark pink eyes, her cutie mark was pink heart shaped diamond, she was a mare, the one in the middle was a male, he had a light grayish green coat, short dark orange mane and tail, and yellow eyes, his cutie mark was a gray golf club, he was a colt, the shortest one was a female, she had a dark purple coat, long dark blue mane and tail with small white stripes in them, and light blue eyes, she did not have a cutie mark, she was a filly, and the dog was a bulldog that was white with brown spots, and a black snout,

"This is Pinkie Pie, your new foalsitter, she's going to watching over you three until I get home, and don't drive this pony away, I don't have the time or energy to look for another one after this, so please don't drive her away, especially you, Gilmore." Drifter said, Pinkie Pie smiles with her eyes closed,

"She'll be watching over you three, taking care of you three, and helping you with your homework, so be nice to her." Drifter said,

"Wait, I also don't have a home." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Okay, you can stay here, then." Drifter said,

"Yay! You three are going to have the bestest time of your lives!" Pinkie Pie replied elatedly, Drifter's children were suspicious of Pinkie Pie,

"Well, I have to go work now, hope you all get along." Drifter said, and he leaves. Pinkie Pie looks at the three foals and the dog, she was excited to be with them,

"Okay, let's start with introductions, I'm Pinkie Pie, what are your names?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Do we have to tell you?" the pink mare asked,

"Well, I have to know your names to call you, then yes, or I can give you all my own names." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Okay, what names do you have in mind for us?" the colt asked,

"I'll call you Spanky since I might have to spank you since your father said you're the troublemaker. I'll call that pink one Pooh Bear since she looks all sweet and cuddly, and I'll call you Baby Bunga Boo since you're younger than the other two." Pinkie Pie replied, shocking the three ponies,

"On second thought, let's tell you our names." the pink mare said,

"Yeah, it'd be so embarrassing to be called those out in public." the purple filly said,

"Good, so, what are your names?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm Pink Diamond, I'm the pony in charge when daddy's gone, and there are some days I'll be home late." the pink mare said,

"Why?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I have a boyfriend." Pink Diamond replied,

"Will he be coming here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sometimes." Pink Diamond replied,

"What's his name?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Gold Digger." Pink Diamond replied,

"Okay, I'll say hi to him when he comes here. How about you, what's your name?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Gilmore." the colt replied with a mischievous smile on his face,

"Okay, nice to meet you, Gilmore. What's your name?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Purple Grace." the purple filly replied,

"Ooh, what a pretty name, and that must be Wilfred." Pinkie Pie said, Wilfred barked while panting happily, Pinkie Pie smiled at seeing them,

"Well, *yawn* I'm tired, I haven't slept in a while, I'll see you four in the morning." Pinkie Pie said, and she goes to sleep in the back of the room behind the foals and dog, the three foals smile mischievously while Pinkie Pie slept. Pinkie Pie wakes up the next morning and felt rejuvenated,

"Good morning." Pinkie Pie said, there was no response, she gets up and sees the three foals she had to foalsit with Drifter,

"Okay, I'm off to work now." Drifter said,

"Bye, daddy." Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace said,

"Bye." Drifter said as he waved held his front left hoof up and went out the door and closed it on his way out. Pinkie Pie watched them and they look at her,

"What?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"You're supposed to make us breakfast." Pink Diamond replied,

"Aren't you old enough to do that yourself, Pink Diamond?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Daddy will pay you more if you do it." Pink Diamond replied, Pinkie Pie thought about it and decided to do it,

"Sure, what do you three want?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Strawberry and banana pancakes, five, each one stacked, soaked in butter and maple syrup." Pink Diamond replied,

"Peanut butter, grape jelly, banana sandwich." Gilmore said,

"Cinnamon and honey cereal with milk, three teaspoons of sugar, and lots of maple syrup." Purple Grace said,

"Okay, here I go." Pinkie Pie said, and she dashed into the kitchen while the three foals were excited,

"Ooh, I can't wait." Purple Grace said,

"Me neither." Gilmore replied,

"I'm still surprised she just accepted it without complaining, we've got a tasty meal if she gets it right." Pink Diamond said, Gilmore and Purple Grace nod,

"Breakfast's ready!" Pinkie Pie said loudly from the dinner table, surprising the three, they trot there and to their surprise, Pinkie Pie has made all three of their breakfasts in less than a minute. The three foals trot to the table and look at their breakfasts. Pink Diamond looks and sees she had five thick pancakes with strawberries and bananas cooked in them, and they were completely soaked in butter and maple syrup. Gilmore looks and sees his sandwich had a whole jar of peanut butter in it, and a whole jar of grape jelly, along with banana slices, the bread was also thick and coated in powdered sugar, and glazed in caramel, which surprised him, it was almost like Pinkie Pie knew he was going to ask her to put the sugar and caramel on when he looked at it. Purple Grace had a bowl full of cinnamon and honey cereal with milk, she saw the sugar at top of the cereal, and the maple syrup at the top that soaked to the bottom, and to her surprise, Pinkie Pie added even more syrup to the top after pouring the milk, as if she knew that was what she wanted,

"Enjoy." Pinkie Pie said, and they do. Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace eat like pigs while Pinkie Pie looked for dog food and saw it, she dumps it into the tray in front of it,

"Here you go, Wilfred." Pinkie Pie said, and the dog walked to the tray and began eating, she trotted to the kitchen afterwards to make her own breakfast. Pinkie Pie looks around and sees there was more than enough to make cupcakes, so she bakes them quickly and puts chocolate and sprinkles on them,

"Wow, Pinkie Pie, how do you do that?" Purple Grace asked,

"Practice." Pinkie Pie replied while grinning, the three were confused, they all enjoy breakfast and the three foals brush their teeth,

"Ooh, is that candy flavored toothpaste?" Pinkie Pie asked, the three foals nod, she looks and sees the three were brushing with cotton candy flavored toothpaste,

"Ooh, I love cotton candy." Pinkie Pie said, and she begins to eat the toothpaste, the three restrain their laughter, they were enjoying her already,

"Pinkie Pie, we have to rinse our mouths." Pink Diamond said with the toothbrush in her mouth and with her mouth full of toothpaste, Pinkie Pie moves aside and the three spit out their toothpaste and rinse their mouths while Pinkie Pie continued eating the toothpaste,

"Um, Pinkie Pie, you have to walk Purple Grace to school." Pink Diamond said,

"Okay, lead the way, Purple Grace." Pinkie Pie replied, and they leave together. Purple Grace trots to her school while Pinkie Pie followed her,

"Where does Gilmore go for school?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Same school, but he walks to school on his own, Pink Diamond goes to the high school, it's her first year there." Purple Grace replied,

"What about you?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm in kindergarten, Gilmore's in second grade, and Pink Diamond's in ninth grade." Purple Grace replied,

"How's school for you?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I like it, Gilmore hates it, and Pink Diamond seems to like it." Purple Grace replied, Pinkie Pie smiled and the two keep trotting,

"How about you, Pinkie Pie, how was school for you?" Purple Grace asked,

"I didn't go to school." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What, no school?" Purple Grace asked,

"I grew up on a rock farm, there's nopony for miles around." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, well, I hope it won't be a problem when you help us with our homework." Purple Grace said,

"I'll see what I can do." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Thank you, we're here." Purple Grace said, and Pinkie Pie saw the school, it was small,

"Alright, off you go." Pinkie Pie said, and Purple Grace trots into the school while smiling, Pinkie Pie smiled when she saw her enter and then headed back to the house.

Pinkie Pie entered the house she was staying at and saw Pink Diamond and Gilmore were gone,

"Okay, what am I supposed to do now?" Pinkie Pie asked herself, she hears a bark to her left and looks, she saw Wilfred beside her, he was panting with his tongue hanging out of his mouth,

"Wilfred!" Pinkie Pie said happily, and she begins petting him and rubbing her snout on him, Wilfred rubbed his snout on Pinkie Pie as well, the dog walks away and comes back with a red leash in his mouth,

"Oh, you want to go for a walk? Sure." Pinkie Pie said, and the two go out. Pinkie Pie puts the red leash around her right front hoof and she stood on her hind hoofs while she walked Wilfred,

"Lead the way, Wilfred." Pinkie Pie said, Wilfred barks and he walks. Wilfred walks and leads Pinkie Pie while she memorizes the route Wilfred walked, he begins to walk faster and had his tongue sticking out,

"Whoa!" Pinkie Pie said as she stumbled, she begins to walk faster as well, Wilfred begins speed walking and Pinkie Pie kept up with him, he sped up and Pinkie Pie was almost falling,

"Slow down, Wilfred!" Pinkie Pie said, and he began running, Pinkie Pie screams as she fell and was dragged on the road while Wilfred ran. Wilfred runs and has fun while Pinkie Pie was dragged on the road, he continues running and soon arrives back at the home and stops, Wilfred pants with his tongue sticking out while Pinkie Pie was relieved,

"Phew, I need a break, Wilfred." and she takes the leash off of her hoof and removes it from Wilfred's neck, she goes in while Wilfred follows her. Pinkie Pie lays down on her abdomen while Wilfred walked to her and licked her face, Pinkie Pie smiled and Wilfred then begins to rub his face on hers, which comforted her. Pinkie Pie slept until Wilfred barked, she woke up and looked and saw the foals were still not home, she looks and Wilfred showed her a picture of the family,

"Am I supposed to do something?" Pinkie Pie asked, Wilfred barks once,

"Is school over?" Pinkie Pie asked, Wilfred barks once,

"Both schools?" Pinkie Pie asked, Wilfred barks twice,

"One?" Pinkie Pie asked, Wilfred barks once,

"Oh, and I'm supposed to pick them up." Pinkie Pie said as she stood up, Wilfred barked once,

"Gilmore." Pinkie Pie said, Wilfred barks twice,

"Purple Grace!" Pinkie Pie said as she ran outside, Wilfred barked once after she left.

Purple Grace stood in front of her school and waited for Pinkie Pie,

"Purple Grace!" Pinkie Pie said, and she ran to her, she panted heavily,

"I'm so sorry, I fell asleep!" Pinkie Pie said,

"It's okay, Pinkie Pie, you're not late, school ended a minute ago." Purple Grace replied, Pinkie Pie calmed down,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said with a little embarrassment,

"Come on, let's go home, I have homework." Purple Grace said,

"Wait, where's Gilmore?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"He walks home on his own, now come on, I'm hungry." Purple Grace replied, and they begin to head home. Pinkie Pie and Purple Grace head home and they saw Drifter walking by,

"Daddy!" Purple Grace said as she ran to him, Pinkie Pie ran after her and Drifter turned to face them,

"Ah, Purple Grace, nice to see you, are you enjoying your new foalsitter?" Drifter asked, Purple Grace nods, Pinkie Pie arrives at them and pants,

"Are you having fun, Pinkie Pie?" Drifter asked,

"So far, I'm still tired from walking Wilfred." Pinkie Pie replied, Drifter laughs,

"Yeah, Wilfred can be a bit wild sometimes, but he's a good dog, and be ready to see him at home, he'll jump on you and lick your face once when you open the door." Drifter said, Purple Grace smiled while Pinkie Pie kept it in mind,

"I have to get back to work now, I'll see you two tonight." Drifter said,

"Okay, bye, Drifter." Pinkie Pie said,

"Bye." Purple Grace said, Drifter kisses her on the forehead and he walks away,

"Come on, let's go home." Purple Grace said, and they do. Pinkie Pie and Purple Grace arrive home and Purple Grace opens the door, Wilfred runs to them and jumps on them, Purple Grace laughs,

"Okay, Wilfred, get off, I have to use the bathroom." Purple Grace said as she patted his head with her front left hoof, he got off of her and went to Pinkie Pie,

"Good boy." Pinkie Pie said as she patted his head with her front left hoof, Wilfred licked her, they went in shortly afterwards. Purple Grace uses the bathroom, has a snack, and sits at the dinner table to do her homework while Pinkie Pie sat with her to help, she watches Purple Grace do her homework and got stuck on fractions, Pinkie Pie leaned over to look at what she was doing, she had to draw a shape and shade in the fraction part,

"Okay, Purple Grace, fractions are not too hard if you know what to do, let's start with the first one." Pinkie Pie said, and she took a chocolate bar out,

"Okay, Purple Grace, this is a while chocolate bar, what would one half of a chocolate bar look like?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Oh, half of it would be gone." Purple Grace replied,

"Very good, you can take half of the chocolate bar." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yay!" Purple Grace said, and she did, she ate one half while Pinkie Pie ate the other half. Pinkie Pie looks and sees the next question, she got another chocolate bar,

"Alright, now show me one quarter of a chocolate bar." Pinkie Pie said, Purple Grace looks at the chocolate bar carefully,

"Hurry, Purple Grace, before the chocolate bar melts." Pinkie Pie said, Purple Grace thinks and looks at the problem again,

"Oh." Purple Grace said as she realized the answer, she broke three quarters of the chocolate bar and ate it while Pinkie Pie ate the other quarter, Pinkie Pie saw Purple Grace had one more fraction problem and she would done, she got another chocolate bar,

"Alright, Purple Grace, now show me one eighth of a chocolate bar." Pinkie Pie said, Purple Grace thinks for a while and the chocolate bar begins to melt,

"Oh, I got it." Purple Grace said, and she takes seven eighths of the chocolate bar and eats it while Pinkie Pie eats the last part, Purple Grace draws rectangle bars on the paper and shades in the smaller parts of the fractions,

"Good job, Purple Grace." Pinkie Pie said, Purple Grace smiled, but she yawned,

"I'm tired, I'm heading to bed." Purple Grace said,

"No, Purple Grace, the chocolate has to set, you have to wait three hours." Pinkie Pie replied,

"But I wanna go to bed now." Purple Grace said,

"No, not until the chocolate settles." Pinkie Pie replied, and Purple Grace heads to her bedroom, but she shrieks when she saw Pinkie Pie in front of her bedroom's door,

"Not yet, Purple Grace, nappy time will come after three hours." Pinkie Pie said,

"Let me sleep now." Purple Grace said in a stern tone,

"You have to wait." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I won't let you in my room if you don't let me through." Purple Grace said,

"Then I am staying here until three hours pass." Pinkie Pie replied, Purple Grace groans angrily while puffing up her cheeks,

"Don't be like that, there's a lot of things you can do to pass the hours." Pinkie Pie said,

"But I wanna go now!" Purple Grace replied,

"Come on, Purple Grace, you'll tire yourself out if you continue acting like that." Pinkie Pie said,

"Then I'll just sleep here." Purple Grace replied,

"No!" Pinkie Pie said sternly, Purple Grace groans loudly in annoyance while puffing up her cheeks again. The door opens they hear walking,

"I'm home." Gilmore said, Purple Grace runs to him,

"Big brother, Pinkie Pie won't let me into my room." Purple Grace said, the two go back to Pinkie Pie,

"Come on, Pinkie Pie, my sister needs her sleep." Gilmore said,

"No, not until the chocolate she ate settles down." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Chocolate? I want chocolate." Gilmore said, Pinkie Pie takes a chocolate bar out of her mane and gives it to him,

"Here, since I also gave it to your sister." Pinkie Pie said, and Gilmore ate the entire chocolate bar without undoing the wrapper or chewing it, much to Pinkie Pie's bafflement,

"Can I have another?" Gilmore asked,

"Sorry, but I'm only got one left, it's for Pink Diamond." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Can you please let Purple Grace into her room before she gets all cranky and throws a tantrum?" Gilmore asked,

"Purple Grace, you better not, you won't get what you want if you do throw a tantrum." Pinkie Pie said, Purple Grace puts on a sad face,

"No, Purple Grace, that won't work, either." Pinkie Pie said, Purple Grace pretended she was about to cry,

"No fake crying, either, you'll only embarrass yourself." Pinkie Pie said,

"Come on, Pinkie Pie, Purple Grace is tired." Gilmore said,

"No, we've been through this, she has to wait for three hours." Pinkie Pie replied, Gilmore left to go check the time, he came back,

"Actually, Pinkie Pie, it's 5:05 in the afternoon now." Gilmore said,

"Let's see, Purple Grace and I started homework around 1:30, and it took her about fifteen minutes, so it was 1:45. Oh, I'm sorry, Purple Grace, go ahead and enter." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yay!" Purple Grace said as she ran into her room,

"I'll be doing my homework in my room." Gilmore said,

"Okay, call me if you need my help." Pinkie Pie replied, and he went to his room while Pinkie Pie walked back. Pinkie Pie trotted back and Wilfred went to her and licked her, Pinkie Pie smiled and petted his head with her front left hoof, she sees a small clock on the wall and looks, she saw it was actually 2:22 in the afternoon. Pinkie Pie screams with shock at the fact that Gilmore lied to her,

"GILMORE!!" Pinkie Pie yelled angrily as she ran to his bedroom door, she tries to open his bedroom's door and saw it was locked,

"OPEN THE DOOR!!" Pinkie Pie yelled angrily, there was no response, she puts her left eyeball through the keyhole and saw Gilmore was not doing his homework, he was looking at a magazine. Pinkie Pie stretches her right eyeball to the keyhole of the door to her right and saw Purple Grace was sleeping inside her room, Pinkie Pie's eyeballs retract back and she growls. Gilmore was looking at a magazine and admiring the pictures inside,

"GILMORE!!" Pinkie Pie yelled angrily, he jumped up and yelped, he turned around and saw Pinkie Pie was in his room, she was glaring at him, he looks and saw his bedroom's door was still locked, much to his shock,

"How did you get in here?" Gilmore asked,

"Never mind that, you're grounded." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Grounded?" Gilmore asked,

"Yes, grounded, you have lied to Pinkie." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I was just helping my sister." Gilmore said,

"No, lying is bad, whether you're helping somepony or not." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What's my punishment?" Gilmore asked,

"Stay here, in your room." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Does that mean no dinner for me?" Gilmore asked,

"Well..." Pinkie Pie said as she thought about it, she was silent for a minute,

"I need time to think about it, but stay in here for the rest of the day." Pinkie Pie said, and she walked out of Gilmore's vision to his right, he looks and saw she was gone, even though she did not open the door, which confused him, but Gilmore shrugged and continued to look at his magazine.

Pinkie Pie sighed and sat at the table and was bored since Wilfred was asleep at the moment, the door opens a few minutes later and Pinkie Pie looks to her right,

"I'm home." Pink Diamond said, and she walked forward while Pinkie Pie saw a stallion with her, he had a dark orange coat, short blue gelled back mane and tail, and his cutie mark was a gold coin, he wore sunglasses over his eyes and a black long-sleeve leather jacket,

"Is that your new foalsitter?" the stallion asked,

"Yes, that's Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie, this is Gold Digger, my boyfriend." Pink Diamond replied,

"Hi." Pinkie Pie said, Gold Digger smiled,

"Where's Gilmore and Purple Grace?" Gold Digger asked,

"Gilmore's grounded, Purple Grace is asleep." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Grounded? For what?" Pink Diamond asked,

"For lying to me." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What happened?" Pink Diamond asked,

"I helped Purple Grace with her homework that involved fractions, and used chocolate bars as examples, then she wanted to go to bed, but I said she'd had to wait three hours, and we argued, then Gilmore came home and sided with her, then he lied to me about the time and Purple Grace is now asleep, so I grounded him." Pinkie Pie replied,

"That's kind of your own fault." Gold Digger said,

"That's not the point, the point is he lied, and lying is wrong." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Not always." Pink Diamond said,

"*sigh* Do you have any homework?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, but I can do it on my own, come on, Gold Digger." Pink Diamond replied, and they went, Pinkie Pie hears the door open,

"Gilmore?" Gold Digger asked,

"Gold Digger." Gilmore said, Pinkie Pie trots to them and saw Gold Digger hug Gilmore, he picks him up and spins around, the two laugh,

"I'm grounded right now, Gold Digger, so I can't come out of my room." Gilmore said,

"Alright, I'll come check on you later." Gold Digger replied, and Gilmore closed the door. Pink Diamond opens Purple Grace's door and the two enter,

"Purple Grace, looks who's here." Pink Diamond said, Purple Grace yawns and wakes up,

"Gold Digger?" Purple Grace asked,

"Yes, it is." Pink Diamond replied,

"Gold Digger!" Purple Grace said as she ran to him, the two hugged one another and Gold Digger kissed Purple Grace on the forehead,

"You want to spend time with us?" Pink Diamond asked,

"No, I'm still tired." Purple Grace replied,

"Okay, I'll wake up when daddy comes home." Pink Diamond said, Purple Grace smiles and went back to bed. Pink Diamond and Gold Digger walk back and saw Pinkie Pie sitting at the table and drinking hot cocoa, she smiles at them, the two smile back,

"Wilfred." Pink Diamond said as she woke him up,

"Gold Digger's here." Pink Diamond said, Wilfred woofs and walks to him, Gold Digger hugs him and pets him,

"Good boy." Gold Digger said, he lets go and Wilfred pants happily with his tongue hanging out,

"Wait, this is for you, Pink Diamond, I already gave them to Gilmore and Purple Grace." Pinkie Pie said as she held out her last chocolate bar with her front right hoof,

"Oh, thank you." Pink Diamond said, and she takes with her front left hoof and she and Gold Digger then go to her room and the door closes. Pinkie Pie sleeps a little and she hears Wilfred bark, she wakes up and saw he had a white ball with red stitches on it, she realized it was a baseball,

"What is it, Wilfred?" Pinkie Pie asked, Wilfred barks, Gilmore comes out of his room and walks forward,

"This is the time of the day he and I play fetch outside." Gilmore said,

"Fetch? I love fetch, come on, Wilfred." Pinkie Pie said, and she got the ball while Gilmore walked forward,

"No, Gilmore, you're still grounded, go back to your room." Pinkie Pie said, and she and Wilfred went outside while Gilmore glared at her. Pinkie Pie throws the ball while Wilfred ran after it and brought it back,

"Good boy." Pinkie Pie said as she rubbed his head,

"Fetch." Pinkie Pie said as she threw the ball with her front right hoof, Wilfred ran and got the ball, he drops it and pants with his tongue out,

"Go get it." Pinkie Pie said as she threw the ball, Wilfred ran and got the ball, but he walked to the left and Pinkie Pie saw Drifter was home, he got down and patted Wilfred,

"Wilfred, it's unusual to see you out playing fetch this late." Drifter said, and the two walk back to their home and saw Pinkie Pie there,

"How are the kids?" Drifter asked,

"Purple Grace's asleep, Pink Diamond's with her boyfriend, and Gilmore's grounded." Pinkie Pie replied,

"For what?" Drifter asked,

"Lying." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Be careful, Pinkie Pie, Gilmore has driven away more foalsitters than Pink Diamond and Purple Grace combined, and if you anger one of them, all three of them are going to work together to drive you away." Drifter said,

"Ah, don't worry, I'm sure it's nothing bad." Pinkie Pie replied,

"You'll see what I mean, come on, let's go in, the kids are probably hungry." Drifter said, and they enter the house. Pinkie Pie and Drifter enter the house with Wilfred,

"Kids, I'm home." Drifter said,

"Daddy!" Pink Diamond and Purple Grace said,

"Dad!" Gilmore said, and the three run to him, they hug him, Gold Digger walked to them,

"Hello, there, Gold Digger." Drifter said,

"Good evening." Gold Digger replied,

"I brought dinner, pizza." Drifter said,

"Yay!" Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace said together,

"It's going to take time to make, so please wait a bit." Drifter said, and his three children went to their rooms while Gold Digger went to the kitchen with Drifter and Pinkie Pie, and Wilfred slept on the floor. Pinkie Pie and Gold Digger help Drifter make the pizza, who was having trouble,

"Ah, come on." Drifter grumbled as he tried to shape the crust right, Gold Digger and Pinkie Pie tried to help as well, they also had trouble,

"OH, COME ON!!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she could not shape the crust right, they shape it and then pour the tomato sauce in, Gold Digger let out an annoyed grunt as he spilled some of it on the floor, Drifter adds the cheese and then the onions, olives, and tomatoes, they bake it in the oven while Pinkie Pie cleaned the floor, it finishes after forty minutes and the three try to cut it, Pinkie Pie growls since the knife would not cut through the crust, she forces it through and the pizza was cut eighteen slices, they put the pizza on the table,

"Dinner's ready." and Pink Diamond and Purple Grace run out and have pizza, Pinkie Pie noticed Gilmore did not come, so she went to his bedroom door and opened it, she saw him laying down,

"Gilmore, dinner's ready." Pinkie Pie said,

"Wait, I can have dinner?" Gilmore asked,

"Yes, I've decided you can still have supper, even if you're grounded." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Alright!" Gilmore said happily, and he ran to the table and sat with his family. Drifter and his family enjoy dinner with Gold Digger, they hear walking and saw Wilfred come over,

"Here, boy." Drifter said, and he gives him a piece of cheese on a pizza slice, and Wilfred ate it, he panted happily with his tongue out, they all had dinner and each member of the family gave Wilfred a piece of the pizza, Pinkie Pie and Gold Digger did as well,

"How was school?" Drifter asked,

"The usual." Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace replied,

"Do you need our help at work tomorrow, daddy?" Purple Grace asked,

"I don't think so, but I'll let you know." Drifter replied, Purple Grace smiled,

"You should head home, Gold Digger, don't worry your parents." Drifter said,

"Yeah, thanks for the meal, Drifter." Gold Digger replied, and he headed home, they all went to sleep three hours later after playing together and Pinkie Pie slept in the back of the house again.

Pinkie Pie was dreaming about cupcakes, chocolate, cakes, lollipops, and pastries, she was smelling and eating all of them, she sighed happily as she smelled the sweets, she ate them and was having a great dream until she heard what sounded like a raspberry in her dream, she screams as the scent in her dream stank. Pinkie Pie wakes up and it was morning, she screams when she saw Gilmore was in front of her with his flank facing her, and he was farting,

"GILMORE!!" Pinkie Pie yelled angrily, Gilmore runs away while laughing and Pinkie Pie blowing air out of her mouth to get the stench away. Pinkie Pie gets up after a few minutes and saw Drifter has already left for work, she saw Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace were having breakfast, Pink Diamond was having a strawberry and banana sundae, Gilmore was having a cheesecake, and Purple Grace was having chocolate cake,

"Wow, you all made your own breakfasts." Pinkie Pie said,

"Actually, they're leftovers from before you came." Purple Grace replied,

"Yeah, go on and sit, Pinkie Pie, we made you breakfast, too." Pink Diamond said, and Pinkie Pie sat, she gasped happily at her breakfast, it was M&Ms floating in a brown carbonated soft drink, it was a type of cereal, she holds a spoon in her right front hoof and eats it,

"Hmm. Best breakfast ever!" Pinkie Pie said happily with her front legs up, the three children smile and they all have breakfast. Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace were off today, so Pinkie Pie was ready to play with them and Wilfred, she goes into the bathroom that was behind where Pinkie Pie slept,

"Where's Pinkie Pie?" Pinkie Pie asked from behind the bathroom door,

"Here I am!" Pinkie Pie said as she opened the door, she closed it again,

"Where's Pinkie Pie?" Pinkie Pie asked from behind the bathroom door,

"Here I am!" Pinkie Pie said as she opened the door, she closed it again, Purple Grace got an idea, she got a strawberry and held it in her mouth,

"Where's Pinkie Pie?" Pinkie Pie asked from behind the bathroom door,

"Here I am!" Pinkie Pie said as she opened the door, Purple Grace spat the strawberry out and hit Pinkie Pie on the head, she screamed as she fell, Pink Diamond and Gilmore laugh,

"No! Bad! Do not spit your food out, Purple Grace, that's wasting it!" Pinkie Pie said, surprising her and her siblings, she went back into the bathroom and closed the door, Pink Diamond got an idea and she ran to her room, she came back out with two bottles, they were perfume bottles, one was pink, and the other was purple, and both were full. Pink Diamond sprays both bottles on herself until they were empty while Gilmore and Purple Grace stepped back,

"Where's Pinkie Pie?" Pinkie Pie asked from behind the bathroom door,

"Here I *gag*" Pinkie Pie said as she opened the door, she fell and gagged from the stench of Pink Diamond's perfumes, she smelled like a combination of raw sewage, rotten potatoes, rotten eggs, and skunk spray. Pinkie Pie fell onto the floor while Pink Diamond smiled with her teeth exposed, while Gilmore and Purple Grace laughed,

"What is that horrible smell?!" Pinkie Pie asked, Pink Diamond held up the two empty perfume bottles,

"These, old lady scented perfume, and mothball scented perfume." Pink Diamond said, Pinkie Pie gagged from the smell while Pink Diamond laughed, Pinkie Pie decided to continue playing the game she was playing and closed the bathroom door, Gilmore got a cast iron from the kitchen and stood to the right side of the door while Pink Diamond walked back,

"Where's Pinkie Pie?" Pinkie Pie asked from behind the bathroom door, Gilmore held the cast iron up with his front hoofs,

"Here I am!" Pinkie Pie said as she opened the door, Gilmore swings the cast iron forward and hits Pinkie Pie in her snout, she screams as she fell. Pink Diamond and Purple Grace laugh while Gilmore smiled, Pinkie Pie growled and stood up,

"NO!!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she took the cast iron from Gilmore, she startled the three and Wilfred,

"Go to your rooms! All of three of you are grounded!" Pinkie Pie said angrily, the three just stood there,

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE!! GO TO YOUR ROOMS!!" Pinkie Pie yelled, Purple Grace became scared and ran to her room while Gilmore and Pink Diamond did not move, Pinkie Pie growls and pushes the two across the floor, she puts them in their rooms and slams the doors closed. Pinkie Pie cleans her face with a paper napkin and sits while sighing, Wilfred walks to her and rubs his head against her hind left leg,

"Thanks, Wilfred." Pinkie Pie said and she patted him with her front left hoof, he jumps and lands on her lap,

"Whoa, you need to go on a diet a little, Wilfred." Pinkie Pie said, Wilfred barks and sits on her, he pants with his tongue out,

"Good boy." Pinkie Pie said as she patted him with her front left hoof, Wilfred tried to touch her hoof with his snout and lick it, she has fun and they play until noon,

"You three can come back now." Pinkie Pie said, and they come out, the three smiled,

"Oh, um, Pinkie Pie, it's time to walk Wilfred." Pink Diamond said,

"Oh, okay, let's go together." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Yay!" Gilmore and Purple Grace said as they ran to the door, Pink Diamond got the leash on Wilfred and the five leave the house together. Wilfred runs while Pink Diamond, Gilmore, Purple Grace, and Pinkie Pie run with him, Pinkie Pie had the leash on him and walked him, the four run with him and Pinkie Pie was having trouble,

"Slow down, Wilfred." Pinkie Pie said, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace keep running with no problem, the three chuckle at seeing the tired Pinkie Pie, but she kept running. Wilfred barks and runs off course and Pinkie Pie screams since she stumbled and almost fell, they look and saw Drifter working. Wilfred barks and Drifter turns around, he saw Wilfred, Pinkie Pie, and his children coming to him,

"Daddy!" Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace said, they arrive and Drifter chuckles as he hugs and pets Wilfred, he smiles as he looks at them,

"Has everything been alright at home?" Drifter asked, they nod,

"Okay, I'll pay you when I can, Pinkie Pie." Drifter said,

"Okay." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, I'm about to go back to work, my break's about to end, see you all at home." Drifter said,

"Bye, daddy." Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace said as he walked back to work, Pinkie Pie was curious on what Drifter's job was, but she decided to continue walking Wilfred with Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace. Pinkie Pie and the others walk Wilfred and he runs again, they arrive home and rest for a bit, Gilmore played with Wilfred and had fun, Purple Grace joined shortly afterwards,

"I'm going to do some shopping, I'll be back in a few hours." Pink Diamond said,

"Bye, Pink Diamond." Gilmore and Purple Grace said,

"Bye." Pink Diamond replied, and she left. Wilfred rolls around on the floor while Gilmore and Purple Grace play with him and rub his belly, Pinkie Pie went over and began making an obstacle course for the three, they go through it and have fun while Pinkie Pie added more and more things, they have fun and it was soon noon,

"Lunchtime!" Pinkie Pie said loudly and excitedly, and Gilmore and Purple Grace run to the kitchen to get lunch, Gilmore had a milk chocolate spread and strawberry jelly sandwich with white bread, and Purple Grace had grape flavored lollipops,

"No, you two, eat something healthy." Pinkie Pie said,

"But healthy food tastes bad." Purple Grace replied,

"No, it doesn't." Pinkie Pie said, and she dashed away, she came back with chips and salsa,

"Here, you go, salsa's healthy." Pinkie Pie said, the two look at it and were uneasy,

"Come on, it's delicious." Pinkie Pie said,

"What do you say, Wilfred?" Gilmore asked, he walks over and smells the chips and salsa, he barks once,

"Wilfred said yes." Gilmore said,

"Well, here goes nothing." Purple Grace said, and they try a chip with salsa, Pinkie Pie smiled. Gilmore and Purple Grace chew but soon begin gagging, Pinkie Pie becomes surprised, but she heard their snouts get runny, she realized the salsa she used was too spicy for them, so she helps them chew and swallow and quickly dashed away and came back with glasses of sweet tea, the two drink them and sigh with relief,

"I'm so sorry, I thought the least spicy would be fine for you two, see, look." Pinkie Pie said, and she shows the two three bottles, one was mild salsa, one was medium salsa, and one was hot salsa, the mild one was open while the other two were closed, the two puff their cheeks and groan,

"I didn't know, I swear." Pinkie Pie said, the two did not respond and they just have what they were originally going to have, they just have them and eat in silence while Pinkie Pie watch with worry,

"Can we at least have the chips, Pinkie Pie?" Gilmore asked, Purple Grace nodded while smiling, she put the bag on the table,

"Thank you." Gilmore and Purple Grace said together,

"Don't eat all of it, save some for Pink Diamond, too." Pinkie Pie said, the two nod while Pinkie Pie went to go see Wilfred. Pinkie Pie plays with Wilfred by rubbing his belly with her front left hoof, Wilfred was rolling on the floor and moving his legs around, he was having fun with Pinkie Pie, the two keep playing and Gilmore came over with a golf ball and a golf club,

"It's time for Wilfred to play fetch, Pinkie Pie." Gilmore said,

"Huh? With a golf ball?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, Wilfred likes the balls going far, so when I play golf, I have him fetch the golf balls back, he really likes it." Gilmore replied,

"I wanna play!" Pinkie Pie said,

"Sure, the more balls, the more Wilfred has fun." Gilmore replied, and Pinkie Pie reached over to her left side and got a golf club,

"Wanna come, Purple Grace?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, it's almost my nap time." Purple Grace replied,

"Okay, see you later." Pinkie Pie said, and she, Gilmore, and Wilfred went out. Pinkie Pie, Gilmore, and Wilfred go to a wide field and Pinkie Pie let Gilmore go first since he was younger, he hits the golf ball with the golf club and it goes forward, Gilmore flexes his front legs while smiling since the ball went farther than he hoped. Pinkie Pie watched Gilmore and did the same movement to hit the golf ball, she hits the golf ball and it lands a few centimeters behind Gilmore's,

"Whoo-hoo!" Pinkie Pie said happily while standing on her hind legs with her front legs up in the air,

"Come on, Pinkie Pie, we have to go to the golf balls." Gilmore said, and Gilmore and Wilfred run there. Gilmore and Wilfred run to the golf balls and stop with surprise when they saw Pinkie Pie was already there,

"I'm ready." Pinkie Pie said, and they continue playing. Gilmore hits the golf ball and it did not go as far as he hoped,

"Darn." Gilmore said, and Pinkie Pie went next, she hits the golf ball and it goes way past Gilmore's golf ball,

"This is fun!" Pinkie Pie said, Gilmore got agitated and went to his golf ball while Pinkie Pie trotted to him to watch. Gilmore hits the golf ball while annoyed, he hits it and the golf ball goes far, Pinkie Pie becomes surprised and she stands up on her hind legs to look, it hits a window and bounces off, Gilmore becomes shocked and watches the ball, it bounces back and hits Pinkie Pie in the groin. A crunching sound was heard and Pinkie Pie screamed as she fell and clutched her groin, Gilmore turned around and restrained his laughter, he restrained it and looked back at Pinkie Pie,

"You alright?" Gilmore asked,

"I think so." Pinkie Pie replied, and she continued to roll on the ground in pain while Gilmore turned around and had to restrain his laughter again, he stops and he went to get the golf ball he hit,

"Get the other ball, Wilfred." Gilmore said, and Wilfred ran to go get it, he comes back with it and Gilmore takes it, he holds onto the golf balls and tries to carry Pinkie Pie home, he managed to after some trouble. Pinkie Pie, Gilmore, and Wilfred arrive home and saw Pink Diamond and Gold Digger,

"Oh, there you two are, I'll get Pinkie Pie." Pink Diamond said as she ran to them, they carry her to the table,

"What happened to her?" Gold Digger asked, Gilmore began to almost laugh,

"My golf ball bounced off of a window and hit her in the crotch." Gilmore replied while smiling, Gold Digger laughed, Pink Diamond was restraining her laughter,

"Stop laughing, I got hurt!" Pinkie Pie said,

"It's not you getting hurt that was funny, it's where the ball hit you." Gilmore replied, shocking Pinkie Pie. A door opens and they hear Purple Grace yawning, she walks to her family,

"Sleep well, Purple Grace?" Gold Digger asked,

"Hmm-mm." Purple Grace replied while nodding and smiling,

"We were just talking me playing golf with Pinkie Pie." Gilmore said,

"I heard from the bedroom." Purple Grace replied, and she walked over to them,

"Daddy's not home, yet?" Purple Grace asked,

"I'm sorry, Purple Grace, but no." Pink Diamond replied,

"But I'm hungry." Purple Grace said,

"I'm sorry, Purple Grace, but daddy isn't home, dinner's going to be late again." Pink Diamond replied, Purple Grace looked down with sorrow, Pinkie Pie felt bad at seeing Purple Grace sad, she decided that she will go see what Drifter does for a living tomorrow. Thirty minutes pass and Drifter comes home, he was huffing, puffing, panting, and covered in black stains,

"Sorry I'm late, I had a busy day today, and I'm sorry, you three, but I didn't have time to get dinner today." Drifter said, Gilmore and Purple Grace groan with disappointment,

"Come on, you two, we have to make our own dinner tonight." Pink Diamond said as she stood up and walked to the kitchen, Pinkie Pie decided to go and help her. Pinkie Pie and Pink Diamond work together to make pasta with tomato sauce while Gold Digger provided the ingredients,

"Thank you, Gold Digger." Pink Diamond said and she and Pinkie Pie bake the pasta while Gilmore and Purple Grace groan from hunger,

"It'll be done soon, everypony." Pinkie Pie said, and the oven dings after twenty minutes, they go to the table and put it down and they have supper. Pinkie Pie, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, Purple Grace, and Gold Digger have supper while Wilfred laid down,

"You guys aren't going to feed him?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Wilfred doesn't like pasta." Purple Grace replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'll be staying here tonight, Drifter's already asleep." Gold Digger said, and they see Drifter laying on the floor, sleeping and snoring, Pinkie Pie felt something off and finishes supper and she does the dishes with the others, Pink Diamond and Gold Digger carry Drifter to his room and tuck him in while Gilmore and Purple Grace went to bed, Pinkie Pie gives Wilfred dog food and he eats it while Pinkie Pie sleeps on the floor. The next morning comes and Pinkie Pie yawns, she saw Drifter leaving,

"Drifter, wait." Pinkie Pie said as she trotted to him,

"I'm going to work with you." Pinkie Pie said,

"Why?" Drifter asked,

"I need to know why you're home so late." Pinkie Pie replied,

"*sigh* Alright, but my kids won't be happy." Drifter said,

"Yay!" Pinkie Pie said as she jumped up and down, Drifter leaves and Pinkie Pie follows him. Pinkie Pie and Drifter trot around town and they arrive at Drifter's workplace, Pinkie Pie saw Drifter worked at a ranch,

"Ah, good morning, Drifter." a stallion said,

"Morning." Drifter replied,

"Who is this?" the stallion asked,

"Oh, this is Pinkie Pie, my most recent foalsitter." Drifter replied, Pinkie Pie waves at the stallion with her front left hoof,

"Well, hello, come on, Drifter, let's get to work." the stallion said,

"You have to help too, Pinkie Pie." Drifter said,

"Okay." Pinkie Pie replied, and they go to work. Drifter's first job was shoveling animal feces, Pinkie Pie gagged and covered her snout from the stench, Drifter chuckled,

"You'll get used to it after a while, Pinkie Pie." Drifter said, and he shovels the pig manure into a wheelbarrow with a pitchfork, Pinkie Pie tries to help, but was too grossed out to shovel the feces, the stench made her want to vomit,

"Take your time, Pinkie Pie." Drifter said, and he worked, they finish and Pinkie Pie sighed with relief,

"Over here, Pinkie Pie." Drifter said, and they go to the next area, they now had to shovel cow manure. Pinkie Pie coughed and gagged from the smell, Drifter laughed a little bit and shoveled the cow manure into the wheelbarrow, which made it stink even more, Pinkie Pie continued to gag,

"Stinky, stinky, stinky." Pinkie Pie said, the other stallions Drifter worked with overhear her and laugh,

"Come on, Pinkie Pie, the dung heaps aren't going to clean themselves." Drifter said, and he keeps shoveling the cow manure, they finish and Drifter had to go inside his boss' house and clean the litter box, it had the feces of his cats and dogs in it. Pinkie Pie coughs from the stench while Drifter was laughing a little, he cleans it with no problem,

"There, that's all of poop cleaning." Drifter said,

"Whew." Pinkie Pie said with relief while wiping her own forehead with the back of her own front left leg,

"Come on, Pinkie Pie, we have to do yard work next." Drifter said, and they go outside. Pinkie Pie and Drifter grabbed a rake and the two begin raking the leaves, sticks, and pine straws outside, they get the leaves all in one place and they begin using shovels and put them in trash bags, they finish after thirty minutes and Pinkie Pie sighs,

"Alright, next, taxi." Drifter said, and they go. Pinkie Pie and Drifter carry wagons and walk to the places the customers wanted to go,

"So, what do you do here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Just go to the destination." her first customer replied, Pinkie Pie did not like his response and went to the destination, she got her second customer after him,

"What's your name?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It should be on your file." the mare replied, Pinkie Pie looks at her papers and sees the mare's name was Poppins,

"I was a foalsitter for Drifter's children before you." Poppins said,

"Why did you quit for?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Those three are troublemakers, especially Gilmore." Poppins replied,

"They haven't been that bad." Pinkie Pie said,

"Not yet, but if you get on their bad side, they will misbehave, and it only takes one child to anger, and you will have to deal with three angry children." Poppins replied,

"Which one got mad the easiest?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Purple Grace, but it is understandable, she is the youngest of the three." Poppins replied,

"I'm really loving them, they're fun to be with." Pinkie Pie said,

"For now, wait until you upset them, my stop is here, good day to you." Poppins replied,

"Bye." Pinkie Pie said as Poppins got off the wagon and walked away. Pinkie Pie gets her next customer and it was a unicorn stallion, he gets on and Pinkie Pie pulls him forward,

"What's your name?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Head Splitter." the unicorn said in a deep and ghastly voice, Pinkie Pie becomes scared and turns back, she starts walking faster with her eyes wide open, she arrives at her destination and the unicorn gets off,

"Phew, thank goodness that's over." Pinkie Pie said, and she saw it was time to stop working the taxi job, so she went to put the wagon back and saw Drifter there,

"Are we done yet?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Oh no, Pinkie Pie, we now have to sweep the roads." Drifter replied, Pinkie Pie groaned tiredly while she rolled her eyes. Pinkie Pie and Drifter get sweepers and clean the roads that the ponies walk on, Pinkie Pie was panting while Drifter still had plenty of energy left,

"Oh, my back." Pinkie Pie said as the middle section of her back began to ache,

"Lunch break after this, Pinkie Pie." Drifter said, Pinkie Pie became motivated and began sweeping again. Pinkie Pie and Drifter finish sweeping the roads after two hours and Pinkie Pie was sweating, the two have sub sandwiches for lunch, they had hay, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles in them,

"Ooh, I love sub sandwiches." Pinkie Pie said as she checked the insides of her sub sandwich,

"Go on and eat up, Pinkie Pie, lunch break is only thirty minutes." Drifter said, and they did,

"This taste, this flavor, I love it!" Pinkie Pie said,

"Go on and finish, Pinkie Pie, you won't be able to eat more until after I finish my work for the day if you don't." Drifter replied, and Pinkie Pie ate faster and finished the sandwich in ten minutes,

"Wow, you're a fast eater." Drifter said,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie replied,

"That's not good, Pinkie Pie, there is such a thing as eating too fast." Drifter said, Pinkie Pie became surprised, Drifter finished his lunch afterwards,

"Okay, come on, it's time for my next job." Drifter said, and they go. Pinkie Pie follows Drifter to his next job and they were on a road,

"Alright, Pinkie Pie, grab a broom, we have to sealcoat the road." Drifter said,

"Ooh, that sounds fun." Pinkie Pie replied,

"It's hard and dirty, Pinkie Pie, let's get to it." Drifter said, and they begin. Drifter and Pinkie Pie scrubbing the tar based pavement seal onto the road, Pinkie Pie had fun and danced while she scrubbed the sealcoat onto the ground, she and Drifter finished after an hour,

"Alright, Pinkie Pie, time for my next job." Drifter said, and they go together. Drifter's next job was picking up trash off of the roads, Pinkie Pie was a bit uncomfortable but did the job, she held her breath since some of the trash stank, but she managed to finish and it was getting dark,

"How many more jobs?" Pinkie Pie asked tiredly,

"Just two more." Drifter replied, and they went to go do the next one. Drifter's next job was moving farm equipment, since they were broken down, they had to be moved by hoof, and were taken to the scrapyard, Drifter had to pick up and move a gravely, it had wheels designed to dig into soil instead of rubber tires, so it could not be pushed. Pinkie Pie grunts as she tried to hold it up from the back while Drifter held it up from the front, he was holding onto the rotary plow,

"Alright, Pinkie Pie, nice and easy." Drifter said as he saw she was having trouble, she grunted loudly as she moved the gravely, it was heavy, she began to lose her energy,

"Alright, set it down." Drifter said, and they do, Pinkie Pie panted while Drifter waited,

"You ready?" Drifter asked after five minutes, Pinkie Pie nods and they carry the gravely again, they get it to the scrapyard after carrying it for forty five seconds,

"Okay, next, the tractor." Drifter said, and they go, they saw it had rubber tires, so Pinkie Pie just pushed it forward, it was easy, the next thing they moved was another tractor, then another gravely that had to be carried by hoof, and then a broken wagon used by animals to plow a field, and the last one was another tractor, Pinkie Pie panted after they finished,

"Okay, Pinkie Pie, last job, and we're done." Drifter said, and he leads her. Pinkie Pie arrives at a manhole and it was flooding with sewer water, Pinkie Pie exclaimed with disgust,

"Well, stomach it, Pinkie Pie, we have to dive into the sewer water and unclog it." Drifter said, Pinkie Pie was frozen in shock at Drifter's last job,

"Come on, Pinkie Pie, the sewers isn't going to clean itself." Drifter said, and they dived into the gray sewer water and went to go fix it, Pinkie Pie struggled since the stench was almost unbearable, Drifter went through just fine and cleaned out whatever was clogging the sewers, the water begins to drain quickly and Pinkie Pie inhales deeply when the water was gone,

"I got it." Drifter said, and Pinkie Pie saw him holding a big chunk of sludge,

"Ugh!" Pinkie Pie said,

"Today wasn't that bad, come on, Pinkie Pie, let's get cleaned up and get dinner for the kids." Drifter said, and the two exit the sewers, take a shower, and go buy vegetable stew, they head home together. Pinkie Pie was exhausted while she and Drifter entered the house,

"We're back." Drifter said, and they see Pink Diamond, Gilmore, Purple Grace, Gold Digger, and Wilfred at the dinner table, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace glare at Pinkie Pie,

"What?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Where were you?" Pink Diamond asked,

"She was helping me with my jobs today." Drifter replied,

"Why?" Purple Grace asked,

"Because your daddy has been late coming home every day, and I needed to see why." Pinkie Pie replied,

"We were wondering where you were all day." Gilmore said,

"What did I miss?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Gilmore and Purple Grace had homework today, me and Pink Diamond had to help them." Gold Digger replied,

"Is that all?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, Wilfred's walks got postponed, and he was upset about that." Gilmore replied,

"Look, I'm sorry, but I had to see Drifter's jobs, I'll make it up to you all tomorrow." Pinkie Pie said,

"Oh, we're ready for you." Purple Grace replied,

"*sigh* Come on, guys, let's have dinner, I'm exhausted." Pinkie Pie said, and they all have the vegetable stew after Drifter heated it up, Pinkie Pie went to bed three hours after dinner. Pinkie Pie wakes up the next morning and yawns while she stretches, she saw Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace looking at her,

"Good morning." Pinkie Pie said, the three laugh at her,

"Ooh, did something funny happen, I wanna laugh." Pinkie Pie said, the three continue laughing at her and they fall over,

"Huh?" Pinkie Pie asked, she looks around for a mirror and does not see one, so she goes into the bathroom and sees her reflection, she screams loudly with shock, her face was all wrinkled and she looked old, her cheeks, snout, and lips were red, and the area around her eyes and mouth were white with black outlines. Pinkie Pie washes her face and the makeup was gone, so were the wrinkles, she looked normal again, she walks out saw they already made breakfast, they were peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,

"Did you three make those?" Pinkie Pie asked, the three kids nod,

"Thank you, that means a lot to me." Pinkie Pie said, and they all sit to have breakfast. Pinkie Pie went to go get a drink in the kitchen while she heard the three eating, she goes back and bites into her sandwich, her eyes widen, Pinkie Pie screams and jumps into the air with fire coming out of her mouth and snout and her head hitting the ceiling, the three laugh while Pinkie Pie landed. Pinkie Pie checks her sandwich and saw the strawberry jam in her sandwich was actually red hot sauce,

"WHO REPLACED MY JELLY WITH HOT SAUCE?!" Pinkie Pie yelled angrily, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace continue to laugh, she looks and saw Pink Diamond had a hot sauce bottle behind her, she realized it was her who did the prank, Pinkie Pie glares at her while she just ate the sandwich and finished. Pinkie Pie was ready to get on with her day but soon realized she did not use the bathroom yesterday, she fell to the floor and clutched her groin with her front hoofs, she slides her hind hoofs forward to the bathroom and saw Purple Grace in front of the door, holding a board game,

"I wanna play." Purple Grace said,

"Another time." Pinkie Pie replied,

"But I wanna play now." Purple Grace said,

"I can't." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Let's play now." Purple Grace said,

"No, Pinkie has to pee-pee." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'll let you go if you play with me." Purple Grace said, Pinkie Pie realized she cannot hold it longer and tried to slide around Purple Grace to her left, but she ran to in front of her, holding the board game's box in front of her face, Pinkie Pie tries to slide to her right but Purple Grace ran to in front of her again, she tries to slide to her left again and Purple Grace ran to in front of her again, Pinkie Pie growls and tries to slide to her right again but Purple Grace ran to in front of her again,

"Wilfred's behind you." Pinkie Pie said, Purple Grace looks back and he was not, she turns around and saw Pinkie Pie was gone, much to her confusion, she hears the toilet flush and looks back with shock, realizing Pinkie Pie somehow got in. Pinkie Pie flushes the toilet and washes her front hooves, she looks and saw the bathroom's door was locked anyway, she unlocks it and exits, she saw Purple Grace was gone, she then smells something foul and realized it was herself from cleaning in the sewers yesterday, so she gets a white towel and goes back into the bathroom and closes the door. Pinkie Pie takes a shower and sings while the steam filled the room, she hears a camera take a picture and a flash at the door, she looks and screams with shock when she saw Gilmore run out of the bathroom with black camera around his neck and was laughing,

"GILMORE!!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she ran after him. Gilmore runs across the house and Pinkie Pie chased him, he stops and was shocked when he saw Pinkie Pie in front of him,

"Give me that photo." Pinkie Pie said as she held her right front hoof out, he runs past her and was shocked when Pinkie Pie was in front of him again,

"No, no, hand it over." Pinkie Pie said, Gilmore saw the photo hang out of his camera, he takes it out and gives her the camera, she takes it,

"Can I keep the photo?" Gilmore asked,

"No." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Why not?" Gilmore asked,

"It is very rude to take pictures of mares when they're in the shower, Gilmore, you can go to jail if you do that when you're older." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Really?" Gilmore asked with surprise,

"Yes." Pinkie Pie replied,

"So... I can't keep a piece of the photo?" Gilmore asked,

"No, give me the whole thing." Pinkie Pie replied,

"But it'll make a good memory photo for me." Gilmore said,

"No, Gilmore, not when I'm in the shower, that's embarrassing for me." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Okay, you win." Gilmore said, and he gives her the photo,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie said, and she tore it apart, she trots back to the shower and saw an undone coat hanger on the floor, she realized Gilmore locked picked the bathroom's door open, she goes back in and continues her shower. Pinkie Pie finishes her shower, she dries herself with the white towel and saw she still had black stains on her front hoofs from working with Drifter yesterday, so she walks to the sink to wash it off, but she stops when she saw jumper cable clamps on the silver metal handles of the sink, the clamp on the left was red, and the clamp on the right was black, Pinkie Pie shrugs and thought nothing of it, and was ready to wash her hoofs. Pinkie Pie touches both faucet handles with her front hoofs and sparks begin to fly out, Pinkie Pie begins to scream while she got electrocuted and could not let go, she begins to scream with her voice reaching higher octaves, the electricity gets stronger and more sparks fly out, Pinkie Pie's coat burns off but her mane and tail remained, she was now a skeleton, she lets out a few high pitched screams, the electricity stops and Pinkie Pie reverted back to normal, she gasps and falls, her vision turns pitch black while she saw Gilmore walking away, and the two jumper cables connected to a red arc welder.

Pinkie Pie groans and wakes up in the bathroom, she saw her front hoofs were black, she saw the clamps on the sink's handles were gone, she walks out of the bathroom and saw Gilmore and Purple Grace, they were playing with Wilfred,

"Where's Pink Diamond?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"She left to go see Gold Digger." Purple Grace replied,

"Come on, let's get you two ready for school." Purple Grace said,

"School already ended." Gilmore replied, Pinkie Pie looks at the clock on the wall and saw she was unconscious for hours, and it was almost evening, and it was time to walk Wilfred,

"Come on, you two, let's take Wilfred outside." Pinkie Pie said, and they do. Pinkie Pie walks Wilfred with Gilmore and Purple Grace, Wilfred was having a fun time, they finish after an hour,

"Okay, Wilfred's tired, I'm going to take him home." Gilmore said, and he does while Purple Grace had money,

"Where are you going, Purple Grace?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"To buy a strawberry sundae." Purple Grace replied,

"Ooh, I love sundaes, take me, take me." Pinkie Pie said while jumping up and down, they go together. Pinkie Pie and Purple Grace go to the pony selling sundaes and Purple Grace buys one and begins eating,

"Purple Grace, remember to share." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay." Purple Grace replied, and she ate more of it,

"Purple Grace, that's not sharing." Pinkie Pie said,

"Oh, sorry, here you go, one bite for you, choose any part you want." Purple Grace replied as she held the sundae out, Pinkie Pie takes it and looks, she eats the strawberry on the top,

"Ooh, this is yummy." Pinkie Pie said,

"I was gonna eat that strawberry." Purple Grace said,

"You said I could have any part." Pinkie Pie replied, Purple Grace begins to pretend to cry in public and Pinkie Pie becomes nervous,

"Okay, here, you can have the rest." Pinkie Pie said as she gave the sundae back to her,

"Yay." Purple Grace said, and she eats it, and the two head home. Pinkie Pie and Purple Grace arrive home and saw Gilmore sitting at the table while Wilfred laid down, Purple Grace sat to his left and Pinkie Pie stood across the table,

"Did you two do your homework?" Pinkie Pie asked, Gilmore and Purple Grace become nervous, Pinkie Pie screams with shock,

"You three didn't go to school! Come here! You two are grounded!" Pinkie Pie said, but the two quickly run to the front door to go outside, but stop with shock when they saw Pinkie Pie was somehow in front of the door,

"No, no, you two are going to your rooms, Pink Diamond is grounded when she gets home." Pinkie Pie said, and she grabs the two, she puts Gilmore in his room and then put Purple Grace in her room, she closed the doors as well,

"You two are grounded until dinnertime." Pinkie Pie said, she hears Purple Grace begin to pretend to cry again,

"Stop fake crying, Purple Grace, you're embarrassing yourself." Pinkie Pie said, Purple Grace stopped and she began to let out an angry groan, Pinkie Pie sighs and walks back. Pinkie Pie lays down on the floor where she sleeps and Wilfred walked over to her, he begins to lick her left cheek,

"Hi, Wilfred." Pinkie Pie said tiredly, and she petted his head with her front left hoof, he panted happily with his tongue out, she looks and saw his dog food tray and water tray were almost full, he lays down beside her and rubs himself against Pinkie Pie's left cheek, she smiles and they relax together. Pinkie Pie relaxes and she hears Gilmore laughing in his room,

"Being grounded is sweet, I get to look at pictures of my female foalsitters when they're in the shower." Gilmore said, Pinkie Pie screamed with shock as she lifted her head up and looked to her left,

"GILMORE!!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she ran to his bedroom. Pinkie Pie opens the door to Gilmore's bedroom and saw him looking at a homemade book from folded papers and staples, she saw pictures of mares in the shower room on the front and back of the book,

"GILMORE!!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she tried to run to him, but she screamed in pain when she stepped on something and nearly fell,

"Ow, ow, ow." Pinkie Pie said, she looks and becomes shocked when she saw the entire floor of Gilmore's bedroom was covered with Legos, and stepping on them really hurt, Pinkie Pie looked at Gilmore with bafflement while he laughed like a stereotypical villain. Gilmore continues to look at the pictures of his female foalsitters that he took while they were in the shower,

"GILMORE!!" Pinkie Pie yelled from behind him, he jumps forward and turns around, he saw Pinkie Pie was on his bed,

"Hand it over." Pinkie Pie said,

"No way." Gilmore replied,

"Yes way." Pinkie Pie said,

"But this is my memory book of my foalsitters." Gilmore replied, Pinkie Pie leaned forward and glared at him,

"Then why is it only filled with mares that are taking a shower?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Um..." Gilmore said, Pinkie Pie can clearly tell he had no honest answer,

"Give me that book, Gilmore, you're too young to be looking at stuff like that anyway." Pinkie Pie said, Gilmore throws the book behind him and it lands in the Legos, Pinkie Pie becomes shocked while Gilmore smiles at her, she gets off of his bed and screams in pain when she steps on a Lego, she moves slowly to reduce the pain, she let out several yelps as she walked over the Legos, she gets the book and exits the bedroom. Pinkie Pie keeps the book and looks for bowls, they had four, Pinkie Pie fills them with water, puts ice cubes in them, and places her hoofs in the ice cold water,

"Oh, my hoofs." Pinkie Pie said since they hurt from the Legos, she waits and her hoofs begin to get numb, she gets a towel from the kitchen and dries her hoofs, she dumps the waters in the sink and rinses the bowls and puts them back. Pinkie Pie lays down on the floor again and looks at the clock, it was nine in the evening, and Pink Diamond was still not home,

"Pink Diamond." Pinkie Pie grumbled as she stood up, she walks to the hallway,

"I'll be back, you two, behave while I'm gone." Pinkie Pie said, and she exits the house to go look for Pink Diamond. Pinkie Pie walks around the neighborhood and looks for Pink Diamond,

"Pink Diamond." Pinkie Pie called out, there was no response, she becomes suspicious, she becomes focused and walks around. Pinkie Pie walks for a bit and hears music, she trots there and saw Pink Diamond was at a party with Gold Digger, they were dancing,

"Pink Diamond." Pinkie Pie said as she trotted to her, Pink Diamond stops and looks at her,

"Come on, Pink Diamond, it's late, let's go home." Pinkie Pie said,

"But I'm having fun." Pink Diamond replied,

"It's nine in the evening, Pink Diamond, your siblings are home by themselves." Pinkie Pie said,

"They can take care of themselves." Pink Diamond replied, Pinkie Pie glares at her,

"You're the oldest child, Pink Diamond." Pinkie Pie said,

"So?" Pink Diamond asked,

"When no one's around, it's your job to look after them." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Do you even have any siblings?" Pink Diamond asked,

"Yes, I have three sisters." Pinkie Pie replied, Pink Diamond becomes surprised,

"I'm still not going home." Pink Diamond said,

"Yes, you are, you have siblings to take care of when I'm away, and you're grounded for skipping school today." Pinkie Pie replied, and she pulls Pink Diamond by her right ear and they arrive home. Pinkie Pie puts Pink Diamond in her room for staying out too long and skipping school, she sighs and lays her head down on the dinner table, Wilfred rubbed his head against her hind left leg and Pinkie Pie smiled, the front door soon opens,

"I'm home." Drifter said in a tired tone, Pinkie Pie smiled and trotted to him, she helps him walk forward,

"What's for dinner?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I bought hayburgers and horseshoe fries for them." Drifter replied, and Pinkie Pie saw the bag, she places it on the table while Drifter sat on the floor and sighed with relief,

"Dinner's ready." Pinkie Pie said, and the three run out of their rooms and to the tables. Pinkie Pie and the family have dinner while Gilmore poured dog food for Wilfred, he ate it,

"Look at Wilfred, all big and healthy already." Drifter said,

"How did you all get him?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Gilmore wanted a dog, I was against it, but I caved in and got him one, I wasn't happy about it at first, but now I am, especially after seeing what Wilfred grew up into becoming." Drifter replied, Wilfred barked once,

"That reminds me, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, Purple Grace, work tomorrow is busy, I'm going to need you three to come with me to work to help tomorrow." Drifter said, the three nod,

"What about Wilfred?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"He'll be coming along, too, he's great at helping at some jobs." Drifter replied, Pinkie Pie smiled at seeing how much Wilfred loved his family, the three kids finish dinner and leave the table, they go wash their dishes in the kitchen,

"I had to ground your kids today." Pinkie Pie said,

"For what?" Drifter asked,

"All three of them skipped school today, and Pink Diamond stayed out very late today." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Yeah, those are the reasons why they drive the other foalsitters away, they're going to be like this to you until tomorrow, they'll revert back to normal the next morning." Drifter said,

"What were they like back then?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Gilmore and Purple Grace have always been like that, but Pink Diamond was once a sweet and caring mare, she was very happy, too, she started acting the way she does now when her mother passed away." Drifter replied, Pinkie Pie felt bad about it,

"Well, *yawn* I'll be going to bed now, I have to start work early tomorrow." Drifter said, and he goes to the kitchen, washes the dish, and went to go sleep. Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace begin to walk to their rooms but stopped when they saw Pinkie Pie there,

"Did you three brush your teeth?" Pinkie Pie asked, the three stand in silence for a brief second before turning around and try to run away,

"NO!! NO!!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she ran after them. Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace run to the front door in an attempt to go outside, but stopped when they saw Pinkie Pie in front of the door,

"No, no, go to the bathroom now." Pinkie Pie said, and they did. Pinkie Pie tried to brush Pink Diamond's teeth, but she moved her mouth away and kept it closed,

"Stop resisting, I wanna see pearly whities!" Pinkie Pie said, the two grunted as they fought, Gilmore and Purple Grace sneak out and try to go their rooms, but stop with surprise when they saw Pinkie Pie was also outside the bathroom,

"No, no, get back in there." Pinkie Pie said, and the two do. Pinkie Pie continues to struggle to brush Pink Diamond's teeth until the three feel Pinkie Pie's hoofs inside their mouths and they brush their teeth, the three were forced to rinse their mouths and they go to their beds while Pinkie Pie smiles, she went to sleep shortly afterwards as well. Pinkie Pie sleeps throughout the night but soon jumps up and screams with shock when she hears loud music in the house, she looks at the clock and saw it was 3:15 AM, she listens and hears the music coming from Pink Diamond's room, she growls and walks to her room. Pinkie Pie opens the door and saw Pink Diamond laying on her bed and moving her head around while she played loud music, she goes to the boombox and turns it off,

"Hey!" Pink Diamond said,

"It's three in the morning, Pink Diamond, ponies are trying to sleep." Pinkie Pie replied,

"It's not that late." Pink Diamond said,

"Yes, it is, it's three in the morning." Pinkie Pie replied,

"You only turned it off because you're jealous of my superior taste in music." Pink Diamond said,

"No, I am not, I'm asking you to go to bed, we have work tomorrow." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What work?" Pink Diamond asked,

"You know what work!" Pinkie Pie replied by raising her voice, she hears Gilmore and Purple Grace laughing in their rooms, she realized those two were awake as well, Pinkie Pie glares while Pink Diamond chuckles,

"Go to bed, all three of you." Pinkie Pie said, and she closed Pink Diamond's bedroom door and went back to sleep. Pinkie Pie wakes up the next morning and saw Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace were already awake, they were having breakfast with Drifter, and Wilfred was eating dog food and drinking water,

"Good morning, Pinkie Pie." Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace said together,

"Morning." Pinkie Pie replied, and she saw her breakfast was already made, she saw it was cereal, she moves the spoon around and saw it was normal,

"It's fine, Pinkie Pie, I watched them as they made it." Drifter said, Pinkie Pie still did not trust it but still ate anyway, she saw it was fine, they all finish together,

"Okay, come on, it's time to work." Drifter said, and Pinkie Pie went to go help Drifter at work along with Pink Diamond, Gilmore, Purple Grace, and Wilfred. Drifter works with Pinkie Pie and his children, they were all shoveling manure, there was a lot today, Pinkie Pie coughed and gagged while Drifter and his family worked, Drifter chuckled,

"Take your time, Pinkie Pie, it's okay to be slow." Drifter said, and they keep working, they finish and do yard work next. Drifter, Pinkie Pie, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace raked up the leaves and shoveled them into trash bags while Wilfred carried them on a wagon, they work a bit but Drifter suddenly stopped and collapsed,

"Daddy!!" Pink Diamond and Purple Grace said,

"Dad!!" Gilmore said, they, Wilfred, and Pinkie Pie run to him and saw Drifter was unconscious,

"Get the hospital!" a stallion from nearby said, and two mares arrive with a stretcher and carry Drifter away. Pinkie Pie, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, Purple Grace, and Wilfred were in the hospital and waiting for the news, a stallion in a white lab coat walks to them,

"Drifter's still unconscious, he's laying in bed right now." the stallion said,

"Is daddy going to be okay?" Purple Grace asked,

"We can't say, yet, we'll have to wait." the stallion replied,

"What happened?" Pink Diamond asked,

"Drifter overworked himself, he is doing too much physical activity for his body to handle, his heart stopped when he fell earlier." the stallion replied, shocking his three kids and Pinkie Pie,

"How long has he been doing all of these jobs?" the stallion asked,

"Four years." Pink Diamond replied,

"Actually, he said he's been doing all types of physical activity like that ever since he was a colt." Pinkie Pie said,

"Ah, I see what's going on, Drifter's middle aged now, his body can't handle all of that physical activity like how it used to, he's going to have to take it easy if he does reawaken." the stallion replied, Drifter's three kids were sad,

"That's all I can say for now, I'll let you all know on his condition if something changes." the stallion said, and he leaves, Pinkie Pie and Drifter's family head home. Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace sit at the dinner table with their heads down while Wilfred laid on the floor sadly, Pinkie Pie felt bad seeing them. Knocking was heard at the door and Pinkie Pie opens it, she saw it was Gold Digger,

"Is Pink Diamond home?" Gold Digger asked,

"Gold Digger? What are you doing here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Before you became the foalsitter, Drifter knew something like this might happen one day, I made a promise to him to look after Pink Diamond and her siblings and pet if this did happen." Gold Digger replied, Pinkie Pie was very touched,

"Please, Pinkie Pie, I'd like to see my girlfriend and her family." Gold Digger said, and Pinkie Pie let him in. Gold Digger sat with Pink Diamond while he held and comforted Gilmore and Purple Grace, they were still looking down silently in sorrow, Pinkie Pie trotted to Wilfred,

"Wilfred?" Pinkie Pie asked, Wilfred whimpered with sorrow,

"Well, let's go to bed, what do you two say?" Pink Diamond asked, Gilmore and Purple Grace nodded,

"You all don't want dinner?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm not hungry." Gilmore replied,

"Me neither." Purple Grace said, Pinkie Pie was shocked and sad by their sudden change in attitude,

"Before we go, can I ask you and Gilmore something, Pink Diamond?" Purple Grace asked,

"Sure." Pink Diamond replied,

"What was mommy like?" Purple Grace asked,

"I don't remember what mom was like." Gilmore replied,

"You were only two years old when mom died, Gilmore, of course you won't remember." Pink Diamond said,

"What was she like, Pink Diamond?" Purple Grace asked,

"Mom was one of the greatest ponies I ever knew, she always played with me, supported me, make time to spend with me, she was like the best friend I ever had, and she had a job as a clerk, and would take me to work, and dad had time to spend with us. All of that changed when mom died, dad was forced to get the jobs he has now, and all of those jobs is still barely enough to pay the bills, my life was turned upside-down, I had to raise you and Gilmore alone, and do school, thing's got better when I met Gold Digger two years ago, and having Wilfred watch over you two helped as well, I do wish mom could be here now, she would've loved you two as much as she loved me, especially you, Purple Grace, mom died as soon as you were born, while mom held Gilmore, she didn't hold you, I think you two would've missed her too if you got to know her." Pink Diamond replied, Pinkie Pie realized Pink Diamond was holding her tears back,

"Well, off to bed now." Pinkie Pie said, and they go to the bathroom to brush their teeth, they go to bed but to Pinkie Pie's surprise, Pink Diamond went to go sleep with Purple Grace while Gold Digger went to go sleep with Gilmore, Pinkie Pie was touched and she decided to sleep as well, Wilfred walked to her and slept with her, she smiled and fell asleep. Pinkie Pie wakes up the next morning and sees Wilfred laying on the floor while whimpering, she makes cereal with milk for the kids,

"Breakfast's ready." Pinkie Pie said, she got no response, she goes to go check on Purple Grace and saw her and Pink Diamond looking down in sorrow, she then went to go check on Gilmore in his room and saw him looking down in sorrow as well, Gold Digger was comforting him. Pinkie Pie was sad at what she saw and just sat and had cereal, she knew today was a day for school, but she decided to let Drifter's kids stay home today. Pinkie Pie hears laughing outside and wheels rolling, she realized someone was taking her wagon, she runs out and saw two earth pony stallions stealing her wagon and riding off with it,

"COME BACK HERE!!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she ran after them, a pink stream appeared behind her, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, Purple Grace, Gold Digger, and Wilfred heard the commotion and they step outside to see what was going on. Pinkie Pie runs after the thieves stealing her wagon and Drifter's kids and Gold Digger were shocked to see how fast Pinkie Pie was running, it was the fastest running they have ever seen, faster than Wilfred ever ran. Pinkie Pie runs to the left side of her wagon and jumps onto one of the thieves, the force knocks him and the other stallion off, and the wagon over, some of Pinkie Pie's belongings spilled out as well, she had musical instruments and party material with her,

"Apologize!" Pinkie Pie said, the stallions were scared of her,

"We're sorry." one stallion said,

"Yeah, we won't bother you again." the other stallion said, and the two run away in fear. Pinkie Pie repacks her supplies and goes back to the house, she sees Drifter's children and Gold Digger looking at her with shock,

"What?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"How do you run that fast?" Gilmore asked,

"Everypony in my family can do it." Pinkie Pie replied, shocking them even more,

"You all want to try an instrument?" Pinkie Pie asked, they shake their heads,

"Your loss, then." Pinkie Pie said, and they all go back into the house, they did nothing until it was dark and they slept, which made Pinkie Pie worry about Drifter's children. Pinkie Pie wakes up the next day and saw Gold Digger taking care of Drifter's children, who were still sad and not responding, they all looked down with sorrow and ate breakfast, so did Wilfred, Pinkie Pie was sad and looked at them, she comforted them, they just look at her and did not respond. Knocking was heard at the door and Gold Digger got the door, a mare was there,

"Hi, is this Drifter's home?" the mare asked, Pinkie Pie and the others look at her,

"Yes." Gold Digger replied,

"Drifter has regained consciousness, he's laying in the hospital bed, he should be out soon." the mare said,

"Daddy?" Pink Diamond asked,

"Dad?" Gilmore asked,

"I wanna see him." Purple Grace said,

"Of course, this way." the mare replied, and she leads them. Pinkie Pie, Gold Digger, Wilfred, and Drifter's children arrive at the hospital and the mare leads them,

"He's in here." the mare said, and they see Drifter, they run to him,

"Daddy!" Pink Diamond and Purple Grace said together,

"Dad!" Gilmore said,

"Hey, kids." Drifter said, and he hugs them along with Wilfred, Gold Digger, and Pinkie Pie,

"Has everything been alright at home?" Drifter asked,

"No, your kids aren't eating, and Wilfred isn't going on walks." Pinkie Pie replied, Drifter looks and sees his three kids were a little skinnier,

"You doing fine, Gold Digger?" Drifter asked,

"So far." Gold Digger replied,

"When will you be out?" Pink Diamond asked,

"Doctor says about two days from now, I'm going to have to quit several jobs because of my health, you and Gold Digger will have to start working." Drifter replied,

"But I'm still in school." Pink Diamond said,

"As a part-timer, Pink Diamond, you can start full-time when you finish school." Drifter replied, Pink Diamond was still uncomfortable,

"Well, I'm a party planner and thrower as my regular job, but I'm out of candy right now." Pinkie Pie said, Gilmore and Purple Grace groan with sadness,

"Do you have a job, Gold Digger?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No." Gold Digger replied,

"Well, I should be out two days from now, until then, I want you all to continue your days as if I'm still there." Drifter said,

"Yes, daddy." Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace said with sorrow,

"Well, time's almost up, you three should head home." Drifter said, and they do. Pinkie Pie and Gold Digger take care of Drifter's children and made them dinner while Pinkie Pie fed Wilfred, they all stay quiet and go to sleep at night. Pinkie Pie wakes up the next morning and saw Drifter's children and Wilfred having breakfast, she smiled at seeing things getting better already,

"Good morning, Pinkie Pie." Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace said,

"Good morning." Pinkie Pie replied, and she makes her own breakfast and sits with them,

"Make sure you three go to school today." Pinkie Pie said,

"Do we have to?" Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace asked together,

"Yes, you three have missed too many days, who knows how much work you three have to make up." Pinkie Pie replied, the three look down and finish breakfast, they get their saddlebags and head to school,

"Did you three brush your teeth?" Pinkie Pie asked, the three nod,

"Did you three use the bathroom?" Pinkie Pie asked, they nod,

"Okay, have fun at school." Pinkie Pie said, and they go,

"Come on, Pinkie Pie, we have to walk Wilfred." Gold Digger said, and they do. Pinkie Pie and Gold Digger walk Wilfred and they start running with him, Pinkie Pie had fun while Gold Digger remained stoic, they finish and Pinkie Pie panted while Gold Digger exhaled softly,

"That was fun." Pinkie Pie said, Gold Digger remained silent,

"Didn't you have fun, Gold Digger?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I did, but we have more things to do, we should clean the house a bit." Gold Digger replied, Pinkie Pie agreed and they enter the house. Pinkie Pie and Gold Digger clean the house, Pinkie Pie was very organized and careful on where she put the things, which surprised Gold Digger, since Pinkie Pie was mostly messy,

"And done, what do you want to do, Gold Digger?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm going to look for a job, Pink Diamond should when she comes home as well." Gold Digger replied, and he looks around,

"I'll go get a newspaper." Gold Digger said, and he left, he came back a few minutes later and saw Pinkie Pie playing with Wilfred, he smiled and began looking for a job, Pinkie Pie saw the time and left to go pick up Gilmore and Purple Grace. Pinkie Pie and Wilfred walk together and see Gilmore and Purple Grace, they were smiling at seeing Pinkie Pie, they trot to her without saying anything,

"Do you two have homework?" Pinkie Pie asked, Gilmore and Purple Grace nod,

"Let's do it, then." Pinkie Pie said, and they head home. Pinkie Pie and Gold Digger help Gilmore and Purple Grace with their homework, they were doing math homework, and Pinkie Pie used more hard candy to demonstrate, they all ate them together until they finished,

"I'll be going now, Pink Diamond's about to finish school." Gold Digger said, and he leaves, he comes back home and saw Pinkie Pie, Gilmore, Purple Grace, and Wilfred running around the house, he and Pink Diamond smile and they arrive home, Pinkie Pie helps Pink Diamond with her homework, they have fun and finish after about an hour, Gilmore then played golf outside with Wilfred running after the golf balls while Pinkie Pie read a storybook to Purple Grace, and Pink Diamond and Gold Digger were talking about their days, the day was peaceful and Pinkie Pie and Gold Digger make dinner for the family, they all had salad for dinner, they played tag until it was bedtime, Pinkie Pie slept and she felt bumps to the sides of her face, she wakes up and saw Gilmore to her right and Purple Grace to her left, she also felt Pink Diamond's front legs on her mane, and Wilfred was in front of her, she smiles and the five sleep together.

Pinkie Pie wakes up the next morning and everything was the same, Pinkie Pie made peanut butter and banana sandwiches for them, they all go to school and Pinkie Pie walks Wilfred again, he began to lick her, she laughs and they all continue walking, they then ran together and arrived home, Pinkie Pie then picked up Gilmore and Purple Grace from school an hour later, she helps them with their homework while Gold Digger left to go pick up Pink Diamond, they arrive home and do homework together with Pinkie Pie helping them. Knocking was heard at the door afterwards and Pinkie Pie trotted to the door and opened it, it was the same mare from before,

"Drifter has recovered, he's leaving the hospital now." the mare said, Drifter's children, Gold Digger, and Wilfred's attentions were caught, they and Pinkie Pie run to the hospital. Pinkie Pie and Drifter's family wait and they see Drifter walk out,

"Daddy!" Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace said as they ran to him and hugged them, he hugged them back, he hugged Wilfred as well, Pinkie Pie and Gold Digger walked to him, they let go,

"I fully recovered, I can go home immediately." Drifter said,

"What happened, daddy?" Purple Grace asked,

"I was exhausted and needed rest." Drifter replied, the others smiled,

"Come on, let's go home." Drifter said, and they do. Pinkie Pie threw a welcome back party for Drifter and they all celebrated until dark, they slept afterwards. Morning comes and Drifter was leaving already,

"Okay, time to quit some jobs." Drifter said, and he left, the day goes on as normal and Gold Digger stayed at the house, Drifter came home close to night time,

"Okay, I only have one job now, taxi." Drifter said, the others smile, he also got bits out,

"That reminds me, this money is from working all of those years, and this is for you, Pinkie Pie." Drifter said,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie replied as she took the bits,

"She made our meals, too, dad." Pink Diamond said, and Drifter paid her extra, much to her delight,

"Are you going to continue to be our foalsitter?" Purple Grace asked,

"Sorry, but I have to get going." Pinkie Pie replied, Drifter's three children groan with disappointment,

"Who was your favorite one out of us?" Gilmore asked as he, Pink Diamond, and Purple Grace smiled,

"Wilfred." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What?" Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace asked with surprise,

"Why?" Purple Grace asked,

"Because he's the only one who hasn't given me any trouble." Pinkie Pie replied, Wilfred barks happily,

"Well, I should get going, I have others to help." Pinkie Pie said, and they all hug her, she walks away with her wagon while Drifter, his children, and Gold Digger wave bye at her.

Pinkie Pie was in the School of Friendship and talking about her time with them,

"Shortly after I left, I think Gold Digger and Pink Diamond got jobs, I don't remember what they were, though, well, that's the end of that, class dismissed." Pinkie Pie said, and they all got ready to leave but heard snoring, they look and see Sandbar has fallen asleep in the class, which made them chuckle,

"Um, Yona will stay with Sandbar." Yona said,

"Me too." Ocellus said,

"I'll remain here, too." Silverstream said,

"Okay, class dismissed, everycreature." and everybody except Gallus, Ocellus, Smolder, Yona, and Silverstream leave, the five stayed with the sleeping Sandbar.

Pinkie Pie arrives home at Sugarcube Corner and tucks Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake into bed, she goes to bed a few minutes later and falls asleep instantly, and begun dreaming about how Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack would have handled foalsitting Pink Diamond, Gilmore, Purple Grace, and Wilfred.

Terminal Illness

Pinkie Pie was working in Sugarcube Corner and was making cupcakes, she was planning to throw a party for her students at the School of Friendship, she was working fast and hard, and had a lot of fun,

"Hold this for me, Gummy." Pinkie Pie said, and she puts the spatula in his mouth while she worked, she continued working until she heard somepony come in,

"Welcome." Pinkie Pie said, the mare walks forward, Pinkie Pie could not shake off the feeling that she knew her, she had a pale blue coat, long dark white mane and tail, purple eyes, and her cutie mark was a red boxing glove, she walks to Pinkie Pie,

"Hi, how can I help you today?" Pinkie Pie asked with a smile,

"I have a message." the mare replied, Pinkie Pie was suspicious,

"Have we met?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, my name is Lightning Strike, you knew my father, Knock Out." the mare replied, Pinkie Pie realized who she was,

"I remember Knock Out, how he's been?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"He's sick." Lightning Strike replied, Pinkie Pie became distressed,

"He was sick when I met him." Pinkie Pie said,

"It's worse now, he doesn't have long to live, he wants to see you one last time before he passes." Lightning Strike replied, Pinkie Pie becomes shocked,

"Take me to him." Pinkie Pie said, and she leaves with Lightning Strike to go see Knock Out.

Pinkie Pie arrives at a wooden house an open area and she enters with Lightning Strike, she hears Knock Out coughing,

"Knock Out!" Pinkie Pie said as she ran to where she heard the coughing, she arrives and saw Knock Out laying on a brown wooden table, he was an earth pony, he had a dark purple coat, dark brown shoulder length mane and a short tail, blue eyes, and his cutie mark was three yellow stars,

"Pinkie Pie?" Knock Out asked weakly and wheezily,

"I'm here." Pinkie Pie replied as she grabbed his front right hoof,

"Keep your distance, I don't want you catching my sickness." Knock Out said weakly,

"Where is your wife?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"She contacted my illnesses and passed three years ago." Knock Out replied weakly and he begins coughing, Lightning Strike began to tear up,

"I'll soon be joining Boxer, I still regret giving him my sickness." Knock Out said, Pinkie Pie remembered Boxer, he was a very special friend to her, she still missed him to this day, he was the second-to-last special friend she made before she settled down in Ponyville,

"You never did talk much about Boxer, daddy." Lightning Strike said,

"He's the reason why Knock Out got the life he has now." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Can you tell me the tale, daddy, before you go?" Lightning Strike asked, Pinkie Pie and Knock Out agree and they begin to talk about Boxer.

Pinkie Pie was trotting to Ponyville and enjoying the scenery, she saw grassland everywhere, and butterflies flying around, she trots into a small town and hears coughing, she trots to where she heard it. Pinkie Pie looks and saw a middle aged earth pony struggling to walk, he had a light red coat, short brown mane and tail, a short beard, moustache, and sideburns that were connected to one another and his mane, yellow eyes, and his cutie mark was a boxing ring with red, blue, and yellow ropes around it.

The stallion coughs and was almost falling, Pinkie Pie runs to him and holds him up,

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Do I look alright?" the stallion asked, Pinkie Pie looks at him and sees he looked a little pale,

"No, you don't." Pinkie Pie said,

"See, there ya go, now if ya would stop worrying and help me home, I'd appreciate it, if not, then get lost." the stallion replied, Pinkie Pie did not like his tone, but she helped him home while he gave the directions. Pinkie Pie arrives at a small wooden cabin isolated from the town and Pinkie Pie lays him down, he coughs violently while Pinkie Pie watches with worry, she looks around and sees many first place trophies, she sees the name Boxer everywhere,

"Is your name Boxer?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Can't you read, woman?" the stallion asked,

"Yes, I can." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Then quit askin' and look at the trophies." the stallion said, Pinkie Pie saw he was Boxer, even though she was not liking his attitude so far,

"I'm sure you know me, I'm famous throughout Equestria for throwing parties." Pinkie Pie said,

"Sorry, but yer name tag must've fallen off." Boxer said, Pinkie Pie was speechless for a minute,

"I don't wear a name tag." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Then I assume yer forgettable." Boxer said,

"Hey!" Pinkie Pie said,

"What?" Boxer asked, he then began to cough again,

"Well, since you don't know me, I'm Pinkie Pie, party planner and birthday party thrower, I'm traveling to Ponyville." Pinkie Pie said,

"Ponyville? Is it a village full of ponies?" Boxer asked,

"No, silly, it's a town with only the best parties ever!" Pinkie Pie replied, streamers went off and fell along with confetti,

"Where are ya from, Pinkie Pie?" Boxer asked,

"Rockville." Pinkie Pie replied,

"So you grew up learnin' how to play rock 'n' roll music." Boxer said,

"No, silly, I harvested rocks, I ate rocks for our meals, too." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Ate rocks? Are ya a dragon in disguise?" Boxer asked,

"No, I'm a pony." Pinkie Pie replied, Boxer smiled and chuckled a little,

"How about you, Boxer, where are you from?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Appleloosa." Boxer replied, and he coughed again,

"Are you okay?" Pinkie Pie asked as she went near him,

"Don't come near me, you'll get mah sickness." Boxer replied, he coughs again, he covers his mouth with his front left hoof, he falls off of the table he was laying on,

"Boxer!" Pinkie Pie said with worry as she ran to him, he continues coughing, he coughs more while on his knees and facing the floor, Pinkie Pie was very worried,

"What's wrong?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Can't you tell? I'm sick." Boxer replied,

"With what?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I got tuberculosis in one lung, and pneumonia in the other." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie gasped while Boxer continued to cough, brown and red phlegm came out of his mouth, Pinkie Pie saw Boxer was in pain, and could not bear to stand around, so she helped him up and carried him around,

"Come on, Boxer, let's get you to bed." Pinkie Pie said,

"Sleep isn't gonna cure my sickness." Boxer replied,

"Come on, it's better than nothing." Pinkie Pie said,

"Save yer energy, woman, my time's almost up, anyway." Boxer replied,

"What do you mean?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm dyin'." Boxer replied, and he coughs again, Pinkie Pie was speechless,

"Come on, let's get you to bed." Pinkie Pie said, and she laid him down, she gets her pink sleeping bag and white pillow and sleeps on the floor. Pinkie Pie was sound asleep until she heard coughing and woke up, she hears Boxer coughing violently again and she runs to him, she wraps her front hoofs around him and he felt better, he stops coughing for a bit and lays on his abdomen and falls asleep while Pinkie Pie kept her front hoofs wrapped around him.

The next morning comes and Boxer grunts, Pinkie Pie feels shaking and wakes up,

"Let go of me, woman, I've got a whole day ahead of me." Boxer said and he coughs while Pinkie Pie backs away from him, he gets up and walks and coughs a bit, he falls to his knees and Pinkie Pie ran to him, she helps him stand up, she looks and sees pus on the floor, Boxer walks to the bathroom and Pinkie Pie looked for a towel, she wipes the pus off of the floor and she hears Boxer coughing in the bathroom, he begins gagging and wheezing, Pinkie Pie runs to the door and knocks on it with her front right hoof,

"What?" Boxer asked,

"You okay in there?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, just a little mornin' sickness." Boxer replied, and he coughs loudly,

"That doesn't sound like morning sickness." Pinkie Pie said,

"It's mornin' sickness!" Boxer replied with his voice raised a little, Pinkie Pie was suspicious and tackled the door, she opened it after one tackle and saw Boxer with shaving cream on his face,

"I'm fine, Pinkie Pie!" Boxer said,

"No, you're not, come on, let's have you take your medicine." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I don't have medicine." Boxer said,

"What?" Pinkie Pie asked, and she opens Boxer's medicine cabinet, he did not have any medication for his sickness, he did not have any, all he had in his medicine cabinet was toothpaste, a toothbrush, a disposable razor, mouthwash, and dental floss,

"I told you I don't have any medicine." Boxer said, he coughs again,

"I know, mom's home remedies." Pinkie Pie said,

"Like ya got somethin' to help with mah illness." Boxer replied, and Pinkie Pie dashed away. Boxer shaves his face but does not shave his beard, moustache, and sideburns, but he did shave the facial hair off of the sides of his face, under his chin, and his neck, he washes his face and looks at himself,

"Yup, good as new." Boxer said, and he walks out of the bathroom and saw Pinkie Pie,

"Remedy's ready." Pinkie Pie said, she had a bowl full of peppermint broth that had raw honey, garlic, bananas, sliced pineapples, sliced oranges, and walnuts in it,

"Did yer mom really come up with this?" Boxer asked,

"No, I improvised, but my mom had home remedies on many illnesses." Pinkie Pie replied,

"That explains a lot, go ahead and put it on the table behind ya." Boxer said, and she did and Boxer sat. Boxer eats and drinks the components of the potion while Pinkie Pie watched, he still coughed and gagged when he finished, Pinkie Pie patted his back to let the coughs out,

"Hey, stop that, I ain't a baby." Boxer said, and he stopped coughing,

"God dang it, mah nose is all runny now." Boxer said, Pinkie Pie became a little embarrassed,

"Um, how did you get sick?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It's that darn pony who costed me my career, frickin' Knock Out coughed on me." Boxer replied, he then coughed violently again,

"What happened?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I was about to win the match, but he then coughed on me and got me sick, and the match was forfeit, that frickin' cheater I tell ya." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie was a bit skeptical,

"Where does Knock Out live?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"In a blue house on the left, can't miss it." Boxer replied, and Pinkie Pie left to go see Knock Out.

Knock Out coughs while he laid on the table and Pinkie Pie and Lightning Strike become worried,

"You okay, daddy?" Lightning Strike asked, Knock Out coughed a bit more and stopped,

"Alright, I'm fine now." Knock Out said,

"Well, Knock Out, it's your turn, I'm done for now." Pinkie Pie said, Knock Out nodded and he began to talk about himself.

Boxer and Knock Out were doing a boxing match and the bell was rung. Boxer and Knock Out stood on their hind legs with their front legs up, Boxer wore red boxing gloves while Knock Out wore blue boxing gloves. Boxer lands the first hit on Knock Out's head with his front right hoof, Knock Out focused and punched Boxer next, landing a few punches onto his head, but Boxer did not flinch, much to Knock Out's surprise. Boxer proceeds to land several punches onto Knock Out's face, Knock Out was having double vision and could not see Boxer properly, Boxer lands more hits on Knock Out and he coughs multiple times, Boxer continues the fight and was winning, but he began to feel nauseous after a while, the ponies watching notice and Boxer collapsed, the referee counts to ten and Knock Out won the match.

Knock Out realized what has happened and looked down in shame with his front hoofs over his face, the ponies wondered what were wrong,

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept this win, I quit." Knock Out said, and he took his gloves off while the audience gasped and Knock Out walked out of the ring.

Knock Out was at home and sitting at a table, he looked down in shame and regret while he had his front hoofs over his face,

"What have I done?" Knock Out asked himself, and he looked down in shame for a while before he began to take down pictures of his previous victories, threw away his boxing gloves, his trophies, his pictures of his friends in boxing, and the pictures of his parents congratulating him whenever he won a boxing match as a colt.

Knock Out had a lot of sorrow in his voice as he talked about it,

"Do you still think about it, daddy?" Lightning Strike asked,

"Yes, I still regret it to this day, I stayed like that until Pinkie Pie came to my house." Knock Out replied, his throat was getting scratchy again,

"Well, I met Knock Out, and he wasn't doing good." Pinkie Pie said, and she talks about her first meeting with him.

Pinkie Pie walks around town and sees the house Boxer was talking about, it was dirty and the paint on the outside was chipping off, she walked to it and knocked on the door three times with her front right hoof,

"Is somepony home?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Go away." Knock Out said, Pinkie Pie shrugged and she entered the home,

"Excuse me, I was sent to check on you, Knock Out, are you here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Leave me be." Knock Out replied, Pinkie Pie walks through Knock Out's home and sees cobwebs everywhere, along with dust on everything, she walks around slowly and sees food and spilled drinks on the floor, she walks forward and saw Knock Out sitting at a table, Pinkie Pie stopped for a minute with shock, Knock Out sat at the table and was dirty, he had a full beard and his mane and tail were outgrown, his mane grew down to his flank, and his beard touched the floor. Pinkie Pie was shocked and trotted to him, she saw Knock Out had an empty glass of root beer with him,

"Um, are you Knock Out?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"What do you want?" Knock Out asked,

"Well, I'm here to see hi, since I'm new here." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Go, there's nothing here for you." Knock Out said, Pinkie Pie's senses told her something was very wrong, so she sat across from him,

"Well, if you're willing to talk why you're like this, Knock Out, I'm willing to listen." Pinkie Pie said,

"I don't want to talk about it." Knock Out replied,

"I also came because I was worried, Boxer was talking about you, he's mad at you." Pinkie Pie said,

"He has every right to be, it's my fault he got sick." Knock Out replied,

"Sick?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, that tuberculosis and pneumonia he has, he got it from me." Knock Out replied, Pinkie Pie becomes shocked,

"Come on, Knock Out, let's get you cleaned up." Pinkie Pie said,

"No, let me wallow in my own shame and regret alone." Knock Out replied, Pinkie Pie looks and sees Knock Out's filthy house, and his unhygienic appearance, it made her a little sad to see how he looked,

"I'll be going now." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, good day." Knock Out replied, and Pinkie Pie left and went back to go see Boxer. Pinkie Pie trots to Boxer's home and saw it was locked, she knocks on the door with her front right hoof,

"Boxer, I'm back." Pinkie Pie said, there was no answer,

"Boxer?" Pinkie Pie asked, she appeared in his house and saw he was not home, so she appeared outside and trotted around to look for him. Pinkie Pie trots around town and saw Boxer walking with shopping bags, he coughed and dropped the bags,

"Dang it." Boxer said as he picked up the bags,

"Boxer." Pinkie Pie said as she trotted to him,

"You again, don't cha have better things to do?" Boxer asked,

"No, I got nowhere to go." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Nowhere, you say? Why don't cha go back to yer mommy and daddy then?" Boxer asked,

"I've outgrown home." Pinkie Pie replied, Boxer scoffs while he picks up his shopping bags,

"I saw Knock Out, he's miserable, his house is a mess, he's messy, and he's so full of shame and regret, he won't move from where he's sitting." Pinkie Pie said,

"Full of shame and regret, ya say? Can ya hold onto my shopping bags real quickly while I give him a beating?" Boxer asked, Pinkie Pie screamed with shock,

"No, Boxer, you're supposed to make amends." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Make amends? Why would I do that for?" Boxer asked,

"So you two can live together happily." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'll be happy when he's dead." Boxer said,

"But, Boxer, it'll be better if you forgive him, it'll make him happier, too, he's all miserable and lonely in that messy house over there." Pinkie Pie replied, Boxer looks and sees Knock Out's house,

"Knock Out, I forgive you for makin' me sick because I am glad that you now live in a house I wouldn't take a dump in." Boxer said,

"No, Boxer, that is not how forgiveness works." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I thought that's the only way it works." Boxer said, and he coughs again, Pinkie Pie runs to him when he was about to fall over and carries him home while she carried the bags. Pinkie Pie carries Boxer home and he sits, Pinkie Pie was baking in the kitchen,

"I made cupcakes." Pinkie Pie said as she put them on the table, Boxer eats one slowly,

"Well?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It's too sweet." Boxer replied,

"I made it with love." Pinkie Pie said while smiling,

"Well, if this is what love tastes like, it's disgusting, hate tastes better." Boxer said,

"What does hate taste like?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Hot, spicy, sour, salty, and bitter." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie was speechless,

"Hold on, I'm gonna get some coffee, ya want some?" Boxer asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and Boxer got two mugs and poured coffee into them, he comes back and gives to Pinkie Pie,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie said while Boxer sipped his coffee, Pinkie Pie takes a sip and screams with shock, she spits the coffee out and begins rubbing her tongue with her front hoofs to get the extremely bitter taste off, dropping the mug in the process and spilling the coffee, Boxer laughs at seeing her,

"What is this?!" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Super strong black coffee, wakes you up and keeps you up." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie finishes rubbing her own tongue and saw her mug still had some coffee in it, she pours sugar into it, and drinks it, she screams again since it was still bitter, which made Boxer laugh again, Pinkie Pie pants heavily from the bitter taste,

"I'm never ever drinking coffee ever again!" Pinkie Pie said, Boxer laughed again,

"Well, don't just stand there, clean up the floor." Boxer said, and Pinkie Pie did while Boxer drank his coffee with no problem, they go to sleep shortly afterwards and Pinkie Pie hugged Boxer, he farted in response, Pinkie Pie screamed while Boxer laughed,

"BOXER!!" Pinkie Pie yelled, Boxer laughed while Pinkie Pie gagged, Boxer began to cough afterwards and the two went to sleep. The next day comes and Boxer was coughing in his sleep and almost choking, Pinkie Pie sits him up and he exhales deeply, she then left and went to go check on Knock Out.

Knock Out coughs again and begins to wheeze, Pinkie Pie and Lightning Strike look on with worry,

"Daddy?" Lightning Strike asked,

"I'm fine, I still got a little time left." Knock Out replied, he coughed again,

"I also remember that day, that was actually when I began to clean myself up because of Pinkie Pie." Knock Out said, and he begins to talk about what happened.

Knock Out woke up the next morning and was still full of shame and regret, he walks slowly and has hay for breakfast and drinks cider, he continued to sit at the table in regret, thinking about his match with Boxer, knocking was heard at his door,

"Knock Out!" Pinkie Pie said,

"Leave me be." Knock Out said, and the door opened, Pinkie Pie came in and she had a tray of cupcakes with her,

"I brought you some food." Pinkie Pie said, and Knock Out ate slowly,

"Well?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It's good." Knock Out replied with strain in his voice, Pinkie Pie smiled, and he finished the cupcakes, Pinkie Pie moved the tray to the side,

"Come on, Knock Out, let's get you cleaned up." Pinkie Pie said as she grabbed his front left hoof with her front right hoof,

"No." Knock Out replied as he pulled his hoof away, Pinkie Pie was surprised,

"Nothing will ever undo what I have done, I can't even bring myself to go outside." Knock Out said,

"Come on, you'll never get better if you act like that." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Then I'll stay like this forever." Knock Out said,

"No, you won't, come on, you'll feel better when you come with me." Pinkie Pie replied, and she grabs his front hoofs and carries him since he refused to walk. Pinkie Pie takes Knock Out outside and he looks away since the sun hurt his eyes, Pinkie Pie keeps walking while carrying him and the other ponies look at Knock Out with surprise, Pinkie Pie can tell by looking at the ponies that some of them were sad with what Knock Out has become,

"Look, Knock Out, there are people who are sad with what you've became." Pinkie Pie said, Knock Out looks and sees the ponies looking at him with surprise and sorrow,

"Knock Out?" a filly asked, he looks and sees a pink filly and a yellow colt walking to him,

"Don't look at me." Knock Out said,

"What happened to you?" the colt asked,

"I said don't look." Knock Out said,

"What happened, you just stopped suddenly, we looked up to you, we admired you, we wanted to be strong like you." the colt said,

"I said go away!" Knock Out said sternly, scaring the colt, Pinkie Pie looks at Knock Out with shock, he begins to cough and falls onto the ground, the filly walks to him,

"Don't come near me!" Knock Out said, and he coughs violently and begins wheezing, Pinkie Pie was worried since he sounded worse than Boxer, he stops and the ponies look at him with surprise,

"It was you, you got Boxer sick." the filly said,

"It was an accident." Knock Out replied, he coughs again,

"We know you, Knock Out, you would never do something like that on purpose." the colt said, the ponies in the town nodded with agreement while smiling,

"Your smiles aren't helping, I've regretted and lived in shame ever since I got Boxer sick." Knock Out said,

"Come on, it's just an illness, Knock Out." the filly replied,

"No, I gave him a terminal illness, two to be exact, there is no cure, Boxer is basically already dead, he's just living on borrowed time." Knock Out said, the ponies gasp,

"I've been living on borrowed time, too, I don't know how long I've got, but it's longer than Boxer." Knock Out said, and he coughs again,

"Are you going to do boxing again?" the filly asked,

"No, I'd rather live in shame and regret for the rest of my life than do boxing again." Knock Out replied, shocking the town's natives,

"But boxing was your dream." the filly said,

"Well, it isn't anymore, I took a pony's life with it, I no longer have any dreams, I'm just sitting at home and waiting for my day to die." Knock Out replied,

"No, don't do that, there's still a lot of good things in the world." Pinkie Pie said,

"Not in my world." Knock Out replied, and he coughs again, Pinkie Pie holds him up,

"Oh, don't give up now, Knock Out, let's find you something to do, seeing you like this makes me so sad." Pinkie Pie said, Knock Out looks at her with surprise, he looks and sees the ponies who were once his fans were sad as well,

"No, that is not my life anymore, I'm going home." Knock Out said, and he gets Pinkie Pie off of him and heads home, Pinkie Pie runs to in front of him,

"No, you can't give up like that, you're making your family and friends sad." Pinkie Pie said,

"My family is dead." Knock Out replied,

"What about your friends?" Pinkie Pie asked, Knock Out stood still for a second,

"I'll think about it." Knock Out replied, and he went back home while Pinkie Pie was hopeful.

Knock Out continued to cough and lifted his back up a little, Lightning Strike and Pinkie Pie become worried,

"Daddy!" Lightning Strike said, Knock Out laid back down on the table,

"I don't have long, so let's speed things up a bit, Pinkie Pie." Knock Out said,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and she begins to talk about what happened afterwards.

Pinkie Pie heads back home and saw Boxer eating nachos,

"Ooh, I wanna try one." Pinkie Pie said as she hopped over,

"Choose yer favorite." Boxer replied, and Pinkie Pie took a chip, she bites it and screams while she felt her tongue on fire, she jumped back and fell onto the floor, Boxer laughs while Pinkie Pie composes herself,

"What is that?!" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Spicy nacho chips with pepper jack cheese sauce, spiciest there is around here." Boxer replied,

"I WANT SOMETHING SWEET!!" Pinkie Pie yelled,

"Well, you ain't gonna find it here, all of my stuff are either bitter, sour, or spicy." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie had a shocked face, she dashed away and quickly came back with cookies, she eats them and the spiciness in her mouth was gone, she finishes and tries to give one to Boxer,

"Here you go, Boxer." Pinkie Pie said,

"I don't want it." Boxer replied,

"But it's chocolate chip." Pinkie Pie said,

"I don't like sweet stuff." Boxer replied,

"Why not?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I just don't, ever since I was a kid, it made me feel sick." Boxer replied,

"Then what am I supposed to give you for your birthday?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Don't worry about it, I'll most likely be dead before that day comes." Boxer replied,

"What would you want for your birthday, though?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Knock Out's head on mah wall would be nice." Boxer replied,

"No, Boxer, I'm not giving you that." Pinkie Pie said,

"Then I would like for everypony Ah don't like to gather in line and kiss mah..." Boxer replied,

"No, Boxer, your birthday party is supposed to be a time for everypony to be happy, not just yourself." Pinkie Pie said,

"Not just mahself? Then it isn't just mah birthday, it's everypony's birthday." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie was baffled by what he just said,

"What do you usually get for presents?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Boxin' gloves, I use 'em for the birthday hit." Boxer replied,

"Birthday hit?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, I find the pony I dislike the most, and hit that pony the amount of times to what mah age is." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie screamed out of shock,

"No! I am not doing that!" Pinkie Pie said, Boxer laughs a little,

"Well, you should, maybe you'll like it." Boxer said, Pinkie Pie glared at him,

"Well, I gotta get some rest, it's almost dark." Boxer said, and he and Pinkie Pie lay down, Boxer has coughing fit in the middle of the night but he stopped after a while and he and Pinkie Pie slept.

Knock Out coughs more and begins wheezing, she stops after a while,

"I thought about what Pinkie Pie said, and that was when I decided to change my life around." Knock Out said,

"You became a rancher." Lightning Strike replied,

"Yeah, but I had to work another job before that." Knock Out said, and he talks about what happened.

Knock Out was at home and thought about his fans and the ponies who once admired him, they were distraught to see what he has become, he could not help by feel bad for them,

"No, this is my punishment, it's too late for me to change." Knock Out said, but he kept feeling the temptation to move on with his life,

"No, I must resist." Knock Out said, and he tried to sit at the table but could not, Pinkie Pie's words were cutting through him as well,

"Ah, I can't help it." Knock Out said, and he leaves his house. Knock Out looks around and tries to find a place that will hire him, he sees ponies baking pasta,

"Excuse me." Knock Out said, he coughed again shortly afterwards, the stallions walk to him,

"Are you all hiring?" Knock Out asked,

"Of course, Knock Out, but make sure you wear a mask so you don't cough on the pasta, we'll show you the basics." a tall and muscular light tan stallion replied, and Knock Out walked to them. Knock Out learns how to make pasta while the stallions taught him, he wore a white surgical mask over his face to prevent his germs from getting into the food, he started with spaghetti noddles, he was taught how to season the noddles and how to cook it properly, he messed up every try so far.

Knock Out coughs even more and was wheezing more as well, he sounded much worse than before,

"Finish the story, Pinkie Pie, I ain't got much time left." Knock Out said weakly with strain in his voice,

"What about your parts?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'll try to tell them, now, tell your part on what happened next." Knock Out replied, and Pinkie Pie continues her part.

Pinkie Pie was awake and asleep throughout the night due to Boxer's coughing, morning comes and Pinkie Pie yawns while stretching,

"Good morning." Pinkie Pie said, and she reaches over to her left and takes out a tray with cookies on it, she eats it and saw Boxer was eating more spicy nachos,

"That's bad for your breathing, Boxer." Pinkie Pie said,

"It don't matter, I'm gonna be dead soon anyway." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie had an idea,

"Why don't you reminisce on your life?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I already did." Boxer replied,

"What was the happiest part of your life?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Any part of my life where yer not in it." Boxer replied,

"Hey, I'm being serious." Pinkie Pie said, Boxer chuckles,

"Well, in that case, mah happiest time would be when I discovered mah love for boxin' when I was a kid." Boxer replied,

"How did you discover it?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Boxin' was the biggest sport in town when I was a kid, everypony did it, I tried it, and I loved it." Boxer replied,

"Were you happy before then?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, but it wasn't until I discovered boxin' that I had the time of mah life." Boxer replied,

"That's good to hear, I grew up on a rock farm, and it was always unhappy... until I threw my first party!" Pinkie Pie said with her front legs raised, streamers go off and fall,

"And you unfortunately grew up and continued to spread it." Boxer replied,

"Didn't you ever have a birthday party?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Not a big one." Boxer replied,

"What was a typical birthday like for you?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Cake, ice cream, one present, that's it." Boxer replied,

"What kind of cake did you have?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Vanilla fruit and nut cake." Boxer replied,

"Huh? Fruit and nut cake?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Like I said, I don't like sweet stuff." Boxer replied,

"What about ice cream?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Just plain ol' vanilla ice cream." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie was a little disappointed because she found that to be boring,

"If you're gonna ask me what mah presents were, it was different each year." Boxer said, and he takes a sip of his coffee, Pinkie Pie eats her cookies and drinks tea with them,

"I'll be leaving now, Boxer." Pinkie Pie said,

"Alright, don't get lost in mah yard." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie smiled and she finished her breakfast and left Boxer's home.

Pinkie Pie walks outside and saw the ponies gathering around, she looks and trots over, she saw Knock Out was making pasta, and Knock Out's fans were happy, so was Pinkie Pie, he sees her and waves at her with his front right hoof, she waved back with her front left hoof, Knock Out made pasta and gave it out to his fans, they cheer and take it,

"Ooh, I wanna try." Pinkie Pie said as she hopped to the bakers,

"What are you doing?" Knock Out asked,

"I'm a baker, too." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What do you make?" a stallion asked,

"Pies, cakes, cookies, doughnuts, chocolate..." Pinkie Pie replied,

"No, we just make simple pasta, we don't make stuff like that." another stallion said,

"But regular pasta is so boring." Pinkie Pie replied,

"This is only the basics, Pinkie Pie, now please, we got work to do." Knock Out said, and they work while Pinkie Pie left, while sad she could not help, she was happy to see Knock Out back on his feet again, she decided to watch and Knock Out finished for the day, he goes back to Pinkie Pie,

"I wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday, I'm back on my feet now thanks to you." Knock Out said,

"You're welcome." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, I'll go get cleaned up now, I have to clean my house as well." Knock Out said,

"I wanna help." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Sure, I could use a hoof, let's go." Knock Out said, and they do. Pinkie Pie helps Knock Out clean up his home and his fans arrive to help him, Knock Out coughed and fell a few times due to his illnesses, and Pinkie Pie had to help him up, they saw his illnesses have also made him have less physical energy, but he tried to get the job done, they finish after a while and Knock Out takes a shower and shaves, he cut his mane to shoulder-length as well, and his tail short,

"Wow, you look much better, Knock Out!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly,

"Thank you, this is what I looked like before I got Boxer sick." Knock Out replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"You want to stay here for the night?" Knock Out asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and she entered his house and saw everything was clean,

"Are you going to resume boxing?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Oh no, that life is long over, I'm going to try ranching after I make enough money." Knock Out replied,

"You sure? Because of your sicknesses..." Pinkie Pie said,

"I know, but it's a family tradition, it's what my parents wanted me to do when I was a foal." Knock Out replied,

"Where are your parents?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They died a long time ago, my dad died from pneumonia, and my mom died from tuberculosis, I got it from them." Knock Out replied,

"Were they old when they got sick?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Oh yes, very old, I was already a stallion when they passed." Knock Out replied, Pinkie Pie smiled, Knock Out yawned,

"Well, I'm tired after today, I need to get some rest." Knock Out said,

"Okay, see you in the morning." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two slept for the night, Knock Out woke up a few times and coughed and wheezed, it woke Pinkie Pie up as well, but the two managed to fall back asleep and rest.

Pinkie Pie wakes up the next morning and saw Knock Out was already awake and moving,

"Morning, Pinkie Pie." Knock Out said,

"Good morning." Pinkie Pie replied, and she used the bathroom and brushed her teeth with her tongue, she left afterwards and went to go see Knock Out, he was drinking from a white mug,

"What is that?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Bitter black coffee." Knock Out replied, Pinkie Pie becomes uneasy and decides to have her own drink, she had fruit punch while Knock Out drank his coffee,

"Well, off to work, it starts early." Knock Out said,

"Okay, see you later." Pinkie Pie replied, and Knock Out left after he finished his coffee, Pinkie Pie and went to go see Boxer. Pinkie Pie arrives at his home and entered, she saw Boxer was drinking bitter black coffee,

"Did you get lost in mah yard?" Boxer asked,

"No, I stayed with Knock Out." Pinkie Pie replied,

"How's that degenerate been?" Boxer asked,

"Um, he's out, he now works as a pasta baker." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What?! He's out?!" Boxer asked as he stood up,

"Yeah, he's making pasta as his job now." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, in that case, I'm going to go pay him a little visit." Boxer said as he began to walk to his door,

"No, what are you doing?" Pinkie Pie asked as she held onto Boxer,

"Tell Knock Out that Tartarus is comin' to breakfast." Boxer replied, and he opened the door and exited,

"No!" Pinkie Pie said as he closed the door, she fell onto the floor.

Boxer walks to where the pasta was made while the ponies look at him, he sees Knock Out was outside and Boxer punches him in the face with his front right hoof, the ponies gasp and exclaim and Boxer got on top of Knock Out and begins punching him in the face, he grunted from each punch,

"Say hi to yer past, Knock Out." Boxer said, and he continues to beat him until he eventually throws him to his right and Knock Out landed on the ground. Boxer walks to him and he begins punching him in the face even more with his front hoofs,

"You think you can just move on and pretend nothin' happened? You think you can forget that you got me sick?!" Boxer asked as he continued to punch Knock Out in the face, Knock Out began to cough,

"It won't matter now, cause I'm already sick, I'm dead anyway, I hope you're burn in Tartarus and rot in the Everfree Forest!" Boxer said as he continued to beat Knock Out,

"STOP!!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she pulled Boxer off of Knock Out. Boxer and Knock Out look at Pinkie Pie and saw she had tears in her eyes,

"How can you do something like this?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"How could I not?! This stallion basically killed me." Boxer replied,

"But you never bothered to look for a cure." Pinkie Pie said,

"There is no cure for me." Boxer replied,

"He went to the doctor shortly after our match, Pinkie Pie, they couldn't cure him." Knock Out said,

"Come on, Knock Out, you and Boxer should make amends." Pinkie Pie said,

"No, this is my punishment, I will take it." Knock Out replied,

"Well, good, cause you're in for the beating of your life." Boxer said,

"No, please, Boxer, Knock Out moved on, you should, too." Pinkie Pie said,

"Not until he's dead." Boxer replied,

"No! How are you okay with doing this?" Pinkie Pie asked tearfully,

"You know why." Boxer replied, and he was ready to beat Knock Out even more,

"No, don't." Pinkie Pie said as she held him back,

"How do you want to be remembered when you pass?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"As the famous boxer I was." Boxer replied,

"Then stop hurting him, you'll go down in history as a big bully." Pinkie Pie said while trying not to cry,

"Me? A bully? That's baloney." Boxer replied,

"Please, stop, Boxer, young ponies who learn about you after you're gone will think you were a meanie if they learn about this." Pinkie Pie said, Boxer's attention was caught,

"See, Boxer, I don't think you want to be remembered that way." Pinkie Pie said,

"What do ya suggest?" Boxer asked,

"Forgive him, and be his friend." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Forgive him? We ain't married, though." Boxer said,

"No, silly, anybody can forgive, regardless of their relationship." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Truth be told, Pinkie Pie, you sound like a marriage counselor right now." Knock Out said,

"Really?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, a marriage counselor with the voice of an opera singer." Boxer replied,

"Thank you, I love singing." Pinkie Pie said,

"I bet you do, you're fat enough to be an opera singer." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie screamed with shock at what he said,

"D... Don't change the subject, you two should help one another." Pinkie Pie said,

"Help him? You must be out of yer mind." Boxer replied,

"No, I'm not, you'll be remembered as a nice and friendly pony and others will look up to you." Pinkie Pie said, Boxer thought about it,

"Oh, alright." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie watched and wondered if she had go get her baking powder to have them be friends,

"Come here, Knock Out." Boxer said, and the two shake hoofs with one another while Pinkie Pie smiled widely at seeing Boxer forgive him,

"Do we start huggin' and kissin' one another now?" Boxer asked,

"No, that's enough, you two start helping one another now." Pinkie Pie replied, and they let go of one another,

"I wish to be a rancher, Boxer, and I'll need a house built." Knock Out said,

"Okay, I'll see what I can do." Boxer replied, and he begins to walk away,

"Can't believe I'm helpin' the guy who got me sick." Boxer grumbled to himself, Pinkie Pie hopped and followed Boxer.

Boxer was with a pony who sold lumber and he asked how much bits they cost,

"That's a bit much, but I think the bits from mah boxing career might be able to cover it." Boxer said, and he went home and came back with his saddlebag, which was black, he takes his bits out and saw he had enough, he bought the lumber he needed and then went to go see Knock Out at the bakery,

"Hey, Knock Out." Boxer said, Knock Out walked over to him,

"Yeah." Knock Out said,

"Where do you want yer ranch?" Boxer asked,

"Over there, away from the town." Knock Out replied as he pointed his front right hoof to the west, and Boxer carries the lumber there, Pinkie Pie helped him, they saw Knock Out's fans come over to help as well, Boxer begins to cough and falls, dropping the lumber, Pinkie Pie ran to check on him while Knock Out's fans went over to pick up the lumber, she saw some of Knock Out's fans come over to check on him as well,

"Boxer?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm fine, it's just a cough." Boxer replied, and he got back up and carried the lumber again after it was put back on the wagon, Boxer coughed again a few minutes later and fell again, Pinkie Pie helped him stand up while the other ponies put the lumber back in the wagon,

"Where are your fans, Boxer?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Most of 'em were fans of Knock Out as well, so they're already here." Boxer replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said with realization,

"Well, you gonna stand there or help?" Boxer asked, and Pinkie Pie did, she and the other ponies help Boxer carry the lumber and place it down at a place where there were no houses or people to be seen,

"I think here is good." Boxer said, Pinkie Pie and the others agreed, and they settle down, Knock Out's and Boxer's fans come over with nails and hammers,

"Alright, that's good, y'all, y'all can go, thanks." Boxer said, and they leave,

"So, what now?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We wait for Knock Out, I ain't buildin' all of this on mah own." Boxer replied, they hear walking and see Knock Out arriving, he looks around the area,

"Yeah, this is a good area." Knock Out said,

"Well, let's get buildin'." Boxer replied, and the two begin placing the lumber where they wanted it and hammered nails in, Pinkie Pie watched the two while swaying side to side to the sound of nails hitting the hammers,

"Wait, you two will need something to eat, here you two go." Pinkie Pie said, and she threw a can to Boxer, he caught it and he and Knock Out look at it,

"Semi-sweet chocolate cake in a can. Dyin' from starvation would be preferable." Boxer said, Knock Out nodded while Pinkie Pie screamed out of shock,

"But it's only a little sweet." Pinkie Pie said,

"I don't like a little sweet, either, I like 'em not sweet at all." Boxer replied,

"How about you, Knock Out?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Nope, I don't like sweet stuff, either." Knock Out replied, Pinkie Pie becomes shocked and the two went back to work. Boxer and Knock Out work together to build the house and sleep at night, they continue early in the morning while Pinkie Pie gave them chips and dip, which they ate, the two coughed and fell at times, and Pinkie Pie would have to take over for the one resting, they all work for several days and finish after a long time,

"That's everything." Knock Out said, Boxer chuckles as he looked,

"Come on, let's get you some cattle and crops growin'." Boxer said,

"No, it's fine, I'll get them on my own, you two can go back, thank you both." Knock Out replied, and Boxer and Pinkie Pie head back to Boxer's home.

Three days pass and Boxer was laying on the floor and coughing, Pinkie Pie was there to comfort him,

"Well, looks like it's the end of the road for me." Boxer said,

"Do you forgive Knock Out?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually grew to like him." Boxer replied, he coughs again,

"I'm sure you will be remembered nicely, Boxer, a pony who forgave his enemy and became his friend." Pinkie Pie said,

"I hope so, cause I didn't like buildin' that house, but now that I look back, I'm glad that I did." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie smiled, Boxer coughs even louder,

"It's okay, Boxer, you worked hard, it's time for you to rest." Pinkie Pie said, Boxer chuckles,

"I don't even know why you're still here, you still got yer whole life ahead of you." Boxer replied,

"Because you're my friend, and I'm always around for my friends." Pinkie Pie said,

"I didn't think you would consider me a friend." Boxer replied, he coughed more,

"You should get goin', I'm glad with the legacy I'm going to leave behind." Boxer said, Pinkie Pie smiled, Boxer coughed more and then stopped, he let out a groan and stopped moving,

"Boxer?" Pinkie Pie asked, he did not respond, she checks for his pulse and saw he did not have one, Pinkie Pie began to tear up a bit and cried as she put her head on Boxer's chest, she cries for several minutes, she leaves his house while in tears and the ponies noticed, they run into the house and saw Boxer, they carry him out and go to bury him. Pinkie Pie attends Boxer's funeral and Knock Out stood to her left, he looked down with sorrow while an eulogy was given, it finishes and Pinkie Pie stayed at the town for a few days and grieved, she sees Knock Out was now a rancher and was busy, she finishes grieving and continues heading to Ponyville.

Knock Out coughs and wheezes a lot while Pinkie Pie and Lightning Strike become worried,

"A few years after that, I found a wife and had Lightning Strike, even though Lightning Strike looks like a mare, she is still a filly." Knock Out said,

"What happened to you?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Worked on the ranch, I grew muscular, that's why I look like an adult." Lightning Strike replied,

"She was born taller than usual as well." Knock Out said, he coughs and wheezes,

"Knock Out!" Pinkie Pie said,

"It's fine, Pinkie Pie, my time is up, I'll be joining Boxer soon, thank you for coming back to see me in the last moments of my life." Knock Out said weakly, he coughs and wheezes more,

"What about Lightning Strike?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I want you to look after her from now on, a lot of my fans have moved away, and help her however you could." Knock Out replied weakly, he coughs and wheezes more,

"Don't worry, I will." Pinkie Pie said, Knock Out lets out a cough and a wheeze,

"Thank... you." Knock Out said in a barely audible voice, he exhales quietly and stops moving. Pinkie Pie and Lightning Strike look at Knock Out,

"Daddy?" Lightning Strike asked, she begins to tear up,

"Daddy?!" Lightning Strike asked, she cries even louder as she looks on,

"DADDY!!" Lightning Strike said loudly, she begins to cry with her front hoofs over her face, Pinkie Pie cried as well, the two continue to cry but stop minutes later. Pinkie Pie and Lightning Strike bury Knock Out next to Boxer's grave and the two look down with sorrow,

"What am I supposed to do now?" Lightning Strike asked with sorrow,

"I'll be at Sugarcube Corner if you need me, I know several ponies who can help you." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Really?" Lightning Strike asked, Pinkie Pie nods with a smile, Lightning Strike smiled back,

"I have to get going, I have to close the shop." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, till next time." Lightning Strike replied, and Pinkie Pie headed home and closed Sugarcube Corner. Lightning Strike was outside early the next morning and was milking the cows, she hears a wagon coming and she turns around, she saw Big Macintosh coming with Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith on it,

"Howdy, you Lightnin' Strike?" Applejack asked,

"Yes." Lightning Strike replied,

"Well, let us introduce ourselves, we're Pinkie Pie's cousins, Ah'm Applejack, and this here is Big Mac..." Applejack said, Pinkie Pie was far back and watching as she saw Applejack and her family get ready to help Lightning Strike with her ranch, she smiles and turns around and walks back to Ponyville.

Cerebral Palsy

Pinkie Pie was at Sugarcube Corner with Carrot Cake and Cup Cake, they were watching Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake who were both playing with one another,

"Aw, aren't they sweet together?" Cup Cake asked, Carrot Cake and Pinkie Pie smiled, even though Pinkie Pie was uneasy, since she has met several foals in the past that could not move freely like Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake. Pinkie Pie and the Cakes hear crutches,

"Pinkie Pie?" a male voice asked, they realized it was Merrick, he walks into Sugarcube Corner and looks around,

"Over here, Merrick." Pinkie Pie said, he goes over to them slowly and she and the Cakes hug him,

"What brings you here, Merrick?" Carrot Cake asked,

"Just wanted to see my friends again." Merrick replied, he looks at Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake, they smile at seeing him, he smiled back,

"What are you doing now, Merrick?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Staying at a nursery home, they've been taking good care of me." Merrick replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Pinkie... Pie?" a female voice asked from outside, with noticeable strain in her voice, Pinkie Pie recognized it,

"I'm coming, Tulip." Pinkie Pie said as she ran outside, she comes back and they saw a filly with crutches on her front legs, and a wheelchair with a single wheel for her hind legs, Pinkie Pie carried her own, the filly had a light pink coat similar to Pinkie Pie's own color, long slightly light purple mane and tail, and reddish-pink eyes, she did not have a cutie mark, and she was a Pegasus, her wings were open and had rods on them as well that were connected to a black harness she wore,

"Who is this, Pinkie Pie?" Cup Cake asked,

"Tulip, another special friend of mine." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Hi." Tulip said with strain and pain in her voice, her right front leg suddenly twitches to the side and she almost falls, but Pinkie Pie holds her up,

"What's wrong with you?" Carrot Cake asked,

"I have cerebral palsy." Tulip replied, she struggled to speak and her voice was a bit raspy,

"Where are your parents?" Cup Cake asked,

"Away for work, they throw parties." Tulip replied while struggling to make the sentence,

"Who are you staying with?" Cup Cake asked,

"My aunt and uncle." Tulip replied,

"How have Aunt Bright Coat and Uncle Dark Mane been?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Great, they say hi to you." Tulip replied, Pinkie Pie smiled, Tulip looks around and her right front leg and right hind leg twitch to the sides,

"Are you okay, Tulip?" Cup Cake asked,

"Sorry, but the right side of my body is worse than my left." Tulip replied, and she moves forward slowly while Pinkie Pie held her so she did not fall, she went over to Merrick,

"Who is this?" Tulip asked,

"This is Merrick, another special friend of mine." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Hello." Merrick said, Tulip was shocked by Merrick's deformities, the right side of his face was two times bigger than his left, the right side of his nose was swollen, his face was stretched to the sides, his teeth were misaligned, both of his front hooves were proportionately bigger than his front legs, his hind legs were as small as a filly's hind legs, the center of his spine was inwards and made his back curved, his wings were bent and crooked, and thus, he could not fly, and his ears were on the back of his head, he had crutches on his front forelegs, and a wheelchair on his hind legs just like her,

"What happened to you?" Tulip asked,

"I was born this way." Merrick replied,

"Aw, I'm sorry to hear that, you okay?" Tulip asked,

"Yes, I have no pain." Merrick replied, Tulip smiled,

"Where are your aunt and uncle at, anyway?" Carrot Cake asked,

"Home, I wanted to come here on my own to show Pinkie Pie how much I've improved." Tulip replied,

"Really? I wanna see." Pinkie Pie said, and Tulip begins walking across the room, but she still had trouble, but she made it, Pinkie Pie clapped,

"Yay! You did improve." Pinkie Pie said,

"Is she one of your older friends, Pinkie?" Cup Cake asked,

"Actually, no, she's kind of recent." Pinkie Pie replied, Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake make excited baby noises,

"Oh, you two wanna know?" Pinkie Pie asked, Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake nod, Pinkie Pie sat and Carrot Cake, Cup Cake, Merrick, and Tulip joined her, and Pinkie Pie begins to talk about when she first met Tulip.

Pinkie Pie was living in Ponyville and had a job at Sugarcube Corner, she had to head out of town to buy supplies, she was walking to the store but stopped when she saw Tulip in front of her, she was having trouble moving, Pinkie Pie also noticed the wheelchair on her hind legs. Tulip was struggling to walk and was paralyzed in the entire right half of her body due to her cerebral palsy, she was paralyzed in the back of her body as well, she was trying to head home. Tulip moves her front left leg slowly and was careful, every step she took hurt, she keeps walking and has a spasm in her front right leg, she was about to fall, but front hoofs grab her chest and her back, she looks to her right and sees Pinkie Pie,

"Where do you live?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'll lead the way." Tulip replied, and she heads home while Pinkie Pie held her to support her. Pinkie Pie arrives at Tulip's home, she saw Tulip lived in a wooden house, and was on a farm, but there were no animals,

"Aunt Bright Coat and Uncle Dark Mane, I'm home." Tulip said while just barely able to raise her voice, Pinkie Pie heard strain in her throat, Pinkie Pie hears running and saw Bright Coat and Dark Mane, Bright Coat had a white coat, long bright gold mane and tail, and blue eyes, her cutie mark was a white knight's helmet, Dark Mane had a black coat, long dark purple mane and tail, and red eyes, his cutie mark was a black knight's helmet. Bright Coat and Dark Mane run to Tulip and Pinkie Pie,

"Who is this?" Dark Mane asked,

"I don't know, but she helped me come home today." Tulip replied,

"I'm Pinkie Pie, I was heading to the store to buy baking ingredients, and I saw this pony on the road." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thank you for bringing her home, this is Tulip, our niece." Bright Coat said,

"Huh? Where's her mommy and daddy?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They're at work, they have to leave a lot." Tulip replied,

"What do they do?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They're party hosts, they're always leaving and throwing parties." Tulip replied,

"Ooh, I'm a party thrower, too." Pinkie Pie said,

"Still, it's not fair, I can never attend their parties." Tulip said, Pinkie Pie gasps,

"They leave foals out of their parties?!" Pinkie Pie asked with shock and anger,

"My sister and her husband throw adult parties, they're not appropriate for kids." Bright Coat replied, Pinkie Pie's anger died down,

"Well, I'll be going in, I have homework." Tulip said,

"Okay, I'll make you some cookies later." Bright Coat replied, and she walks slowly into the house and had trouble, her front left hoof twitches and she begins to fall, Pinkie Pie, Bright Coat, and Dark Mane hold her up, they carry her into the home and lay her down,

"I really have to get going, I have supplies to buy, I'll be back another time." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, thank you for helping me come home." Tulip replied, and Pinkie Pie left to go buy supplies for Sugarcube Corner and headed home for the rest of the day. Tulip wakes up the next morning and has trouble getting out of bed, she struggles until somepony grabs her and helps her up, she looks to her left and saw Pinkie Pie,

"Good morning." Pinkie Pie said,

"How did you get in here?" Tulip asked,

"Your window was unlocked." Pinkie Pie replied, Tulip looks and sees the window to her right was actually locked,

"Where's your aunt and uncle?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They already left for work, they always leave before I wake up." Tulip replied,

"What do they do?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Aunt Bright Coat and Uncle Dark Mane are merchants, they sell crops." Tulip replied, Pinkie Pie then remembered all of the food growing around the home,

"Well, come on, I have to have breakfast and go to school." Tulip said with sadness in the last part of her sentence, Pinkie Pie noticed it and helped her out of bed and get her crutches, she saw Tulip slept with the wheelchair on her hind legs, the two move together and Tulip gave directions. Tulip sat at a table and had oatmeal for breakfast, she was having a lot of trouble grabbing the spoon, so Pinkie Pie held it in her front left hoof and fed Tulip, she chewed slowly since eating and chewing was painful for her, which Pinkie Pie noticed, and felt bad about it, Tulip continued to have trouble chewing and was in pain, Pinkie Pie could not bear watching any longer and dashed away and came back with icing,

"Here, go ahead and lick these." Pinkie Pie said, Tulip got excited and began licking the icing, which she loved,

"Thank you." Tulip said,

"You're welcome." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Come on, I have to go to school." Tulip said, and she walked to school with Pinkie Pie holding her to support her. Pinkie Pie walked Tulip to school and saw it was actually a little far, the walk was about five minutes, but Tulip's cerebral palsy made it seem much longer, she walks to school with her head down, Pinkie Pie wondered why she was so sad, and decided to watch to find out why.

Pinkie Pie sneaks around the school grounds and sees Tulip entering class, she was having trouble walking to her desk,

"Hurry up." Tulip's teacher said, Tulip was going her fastest to her desk, and she had trouble,

"Tulip the slowpoke." a colt said, the other foals laugh a little while Tulip made it to her desk. Tulip sits and the teacher begins a lecture, Tulip has trouble writing and was falling behind in class, she had to lean down and write with her mouth, which really hurt her, she strained herself as she wrote on her classwork and was in pain, she moves back and pants while sweating,

"Get back to work, Tulip, you're the laziest pony I've ever seen." Tulip's teacher said,

"But..." Tulip said,

"No buts, Tulip, get working, or I'll give you extra work." Tulip's teacher said, Tulip becomes sad and tries to write while her classmates laugh at her. Tulip writes and struggles, she began to grunt and then her neck muscles twitch and she puts a black mark on her paper,

"Again, Tulip? You're such a klutz." Tulip's teacher said, Tulip tries hard to do her work but she could not bend down to write down her answers on the paper, so she uses her front left hoof to move the paper, she writes and finishes, she sighs and sits back,

"You actually finished earlier than usual, Tulip, that's a record." Tulip's teacher said, Tulip felt angry while the students laugh, a few minutes pass and it was time for recess. Tulip was the last one in line and the last one outside, she tries to go play with the other students but they shoo her away, which made her sad, Pinkie Pie felt bad at seeing Tulip sit and look at her class longingly since they would not play with her or spend time with her, she just sat while the others played and she had nothing to do, some of the ponies throw the balls at Tulip and hit her in the face with them, they laughed at her as well, recess ends and they go back into class, they work more and Tulip had trouble since she could just barely read and fell behind again,

"Lunchtime, everypony, and take your work with you, Tulip." Tulip's teacher said, and they all leave. Tulip was in the cafeteria and had trouble carrying her lunch, she could not reach down far enough to eat, and the other ponies take her food before she can eat, she tries to go after them but falls over while the ponies laugh at her and Tulip cried, which made Pinkie Pie feel bad, Tulip did not work during lunch since her body hurt, they go back to class and Tulip still had trouble until the bell rung,

"See you all tomorrow, and Tulip, make sure that assignment is done when you come in tomorrow morning." Tulip's teacher said, and she walks out while upset. Tulip tries to walk home and she sees her classmates run to their parents and were happy, Tulip looks down with sorrow and begins to walk home,

"That's the disabled classmate right there, daddy." a filly said, and he looks at Tulip,

"Don't be friends with ponies like her, they are imperfect and inferior, ponies like her deserve to be bullied." the filly's father said,

"Stay away from foals like that, foals like her only slow you down in life, and they grow up to be weaklings and idiots." a colt's mother said, Tulip had tears come out of her eyes as she walked home, a foal's father pushes her down and she screams as she falls into mud, her classmates and their parents laugh as they head home. Tulip cries in the mud and nopony came to check on her, Pinkie Pie was very sad at seeing what school was like for Tulip, and trotted to her, Pinkie Pie picks up Tulip and hugs her while she cried,

"There, there, Tulip, come on, let's get you home and cleaned up, I got sweets for you." Pinkie Pie said, Tulip stopped crying and headed home while Pinkie Pie held her to support her. Pinkie Pie takes Tulip home and Bright Coat and Dark Mane were not home, so Pinkie Pie decided to help Tulip, she feeds her icing since she did not have to chew it, Tulip liked the taste, and Pinkie Pie helped her with her homework, Tulip gave out the answers while Pinkie Pie wrote down the answers and they finished early,

"Oh, thank you, Pinkie Pie." Tulip said as she cried tears of joy and hugged her with her front left hoof, Pinkie Pie hugged her back and smiled, the two let go,

"I have to go home now, Tulip, I have a shop to run." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, see you next time." Tulip replied, and Pinkie Pie trotted to Sugarcube Corner for the rest of the day.

The next day comes and Pinkie Pie trotted to Tulip's home, she saw Bright Coat and Dark Mane outside,

"Oh, you again." Bright Coat said,

"Is Tulip home?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, she'll be waking up soon." Dark Mane replied,

"We heard about yesterday, thank you for looking after our niece while we were gone." Bright Coat said,

"You're welcome." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, we have to go to work, see you later." Dark Mane replied,

"Wait, do you all know how Tulip is treated at school?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, we have tried to get her to attend school elsewhere, but the closest one besides that one is miles away." Bright Coat replied, Pinkie Pie felt bad for Tulip,

"Well, sorry, but we have to get going, see you later." Dark Mane said, and the two fly away, Pinkie Pie enters their home to go see Tulip. Pinkie Pie enters the home and heard Tulip trying to get her crutches on, she soon hears them and saw Tulip walking forward and was having trouble, she has a muscle spasm in her front left hoof and she begins to fall down the stairs,

"Whoa!" Tulip said while Pinkie Pie gasped and ran to her, Pinkie Pie grabs her before she falls, she helps Tulip walk down and she sits. Tulip sat while Pinkie Pie made breakfast for Tulip, she gave her cookie dough while she waited, Pinkie Pie tries to make something for Tulip, but could only come up with mashed fruits, she made mashed bananas, mashed strawberries, mashed blueberries, and mashed grapes, she puts them on the table,

"Sorry, but this is the best I can come up with." Pinkie Pie said,

"It's okay, it looks good." Tulip replied, and Pinkie Pie helps Tulip eat since she was still having trouble, she also drank water, Pinkie Pie held the plastic cup for her,

"Okay, let's head to school." Pinkie Pie said, Tulip looked down in sorrow, Pinkie Pie helps her walk while the two head there. Pinkie Pie takes Tulip to school and saw she had her head down, she heads to class and falls over when she was on school grounds, she gets back up and walks to class while sad, Pinkie Pie saw Tulip in class and turn in her work from yesterday,

"You actually finished, I'm surprised you didn't die from a heart attack." Tulip's teacher said, Tulip's feelings were hurt while her classmates snickered, Tulip sat and continued to struggle, Pinkie Pie watched and saw the day was basically the same as yesterday, Tulip still could not play at recess, her lunch was stolen, she fell behind in work, her classmates bullied her, and her teacher does nothing to help, Tulip walks out of the school and her classmates and their parents throw items at her while laughing at her, Tulip gets away as fast as she could while crying, Pinkie Pie dashed to her and carried her home while the students and their parents continue to throw things at her and laugh at her.

Pinkie Pie tends to the crying Tulip and puts an ice pack on where she was hurt,

"Shhh, it's okay, Tulip, you're home." Pinkie Pie said, Bright Coat and Dark Mane walk over and give Tulip melted ice cream, they feed her while Tulip had a little trouble eating it,

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie, but you should head on home, Tulip has to practice walking again." Bright Coat said,

"No, I wanna watch." Pinkie Pie replied,

"You sure?" Dark Mane asked,

"Yes." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Alright then, let's head outside." Bright Coat said, and they do. Bright Coat and Dark Mane have Tulip walk around the yard slowly while Pinkie Pie watched,

"Come on, Tulip, you can do it." Dark Mane said,

"Go, Tulip!" Bright Coat said to cheer her on, Tulip walks to them slowly and was having trouble, Pinkie Pie smiled at seeing her, and Tulip made it, the two hug her and Tulip smiled,

"You know the next route." Dark Mane said, and Tulip walks across the yard, she went slowly,

"Go, Tulip, go! Go, Tulip, go! Go, Tulip, go!" Pinkie Pie cheered on as Tulip walked, Bright Coat chuckled and Tulip made it to her goal after a long, slow walk, and muscle spasms that made her fall a few times, Pinkie Pie took note of it and became worried, Tulip made it to where she was going and her aunt and uncle cheered, Tulip continues walking around and Pinkie Pie watched, she finished after several hours and Bright Coat and Dark Mane cheered,

"Come on, Tulip, let's have dinner and do your homework." Bright Coat said,

"Oh, I have to go home, I got a shop to run." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Good day, Pinkie Pie." Dark Mane said, and Pinkie Pie dashed home to run Sugarcube Corner, she decided that she will need extra help to help Tulip with her problem, she runs Sugarcube Corner after getting reprimanded by Mr. and Mrs. Cake for being late, and she slept shortly after she finished.

Tulip wakes up the next morning and did not see Pinkie Pie in the room,

"Pinkie Pie?" Tulip asked, she got her crutches and walks down to the kitchen while struggling, she was about to sit to have breakfast, but knocking was heard at the door,

"I'm coming." Tulip said as she walked to it, she opens it by grabbing the knob with her teeth and sees Pinkie Pie,

"Sorry, I'm late, I brought a friend of mine over to help you." Pinkie Pie said, and she steps to her left and Tulip sees Fluttershy,

"Is this the pony, Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked, Pinkie Pie nods,

"Oh my, what happened to you?" Fluttershy asked,

"I was born with cerebral palsy." Tulip replied, Fluttershy was sympathetic,

"This is Fluttershy, Tulip, she's going to help me and you today." Pinkie Pie said,

"Really?" Tulip asked,

"Yes, Pinkie Pie called me to help you with your walks." Fluttershy replied,

"Oh, thank you." Tulip said,

"You're welcome, now come on, let's make you some breakfast." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two enter. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy make mashed fruits for Tulip to eat and she did, there were hard chunks in them this time, and Tulip grunted with pain when she had to chew,

"Oh, dear." Fluttershy said as she watched, Pinkie Pie watched with worry as well, but Tulip managed to finish breakfast,

"Okay, we've got plenty of time before school, let's get started." Pinkie Pie said, and the three go outside.

Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Tulip were outside and Tulip begins walking around in the yard,

"No, Tulip, use your other hoofs, too." Pinkie Pie said,

"But I can't move my hind hooves at all." Tulip replied,

"That's okay, use your front right hoof, too." Pinkie Pie said, and Tulip tried. Tulip lifts up her front right leg slowly and groans with pain, she has a muscle spasm in her leg, which made a cracking sound and Tulip screamed as she began to fall. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy go to her and Pinkie Pie held her up while in front of her and Fluttershy held her up while flying above her, Tulip continued to scream in pain while having tears flow from her eyes,

"Oh, this is bad." Fluttershy said, Pinkie Pie reaches into her mane and pulls out an ice pack and presses it against Tulip's front right leg, she begins to stop crying and was panting,

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked, Tulip shook her head, Pinkie Pie looks at the sun and becomes distressed at seeing the fact that Tulip now had to go to school,

"Let's keep you home today." Pinkie Pie said,

"I wish I could stay home, but I have to go to school so I don't miss a day, my teacher will fail me for the entire year if I even miss one day." Tulip replied with tears in her eyes, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy become shocked, and she begins to walk to school while crying,

"Are the students mean to her?" Fluttershy asked, Pinkie Pie nods, the two decide to follow her.

Tulip walks to school while in tears and there were three unicorns standing in front of the school, the colt had an azure coat, short white mane and tail, and blue eyes, he did not have a cutie mark, the stallion had a dark royal blue coat, long dirty white mane and tail with pale blue streaks in them, and dark green eyes, his cutie mark was a black tome, and the mare had a light cerulean coat, long white mane and tail, and purple eyes, her cutie mark was a white lab coat,

"Is this my new school?" the colt asked,

"That's right, you'll be going here from now on." the mare replied,

"Is that a student over there?" the stallion asked, they look and see Tulip coming,

"Excuse me, are you a student here?" the colt asked, Tulip nodded,

"What's wrong with you?" the mare asked,

"I have cerebral palsy." Tulip replied, the three become sympathetic,

"I'm Rainstorm, that's White Mage, my mom, and that's Thunderstorm, my dad. What's your name?" the colt asked,

"Tulip." Tulip replied,

"Well, hello, Tulip, we have to go now, though, have a good day at school." White Mage said, and she and Thunderstorm head home while Rainstorm headed to school and Tulip looked on sadly, she walks to the school and starts the day. Tulip goes into class and saw Rainstorm was in her class,

"Alright class, we have a new student today, his name is Rainstorm, go on and introduce yourself." Tulip's teacher said, and Rainstorm did, he sat and the day goes on. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy see Tulip having trouble working and could not keep up, a student walks by Tulip's desk and takes her pencil away,

"HEY!!" Tulip yelled,

"No talking during class, Tulip." Tulip's teacher said,

"But he took my pencil." Tulip replied,

"Well, boo-hoo, you'll just have to do your classwork as homework, then." Tulip's teacher said, Tulip looks down with sadness while her classmates laugh at her, Rainstorm becomes shocked at seeing how his classmates treated Tulip, he goes over and gives her one of his pencils,

"No sharing, Rainstorm." Tulip's teacher said,

"What?" Rainstorm asked,

"You can share your supplies with the other students, but you are forbidden to share things with her." Tulip's teacher replied,

"Why?" Rainstorm asked,

"Because she is an imperfect pony who can't even do the simplest things, she deserves the hardships." Tulip's teacher replied, Rainstorm looks at her with disbelief while the students laugh, Rainstorm throws a pencil into Tulip's lap and she manages to pick it up after having trouble bending down. Tulip writes with the pencil in her mouth and manages to finish her morning work, the teacher takes the paper and rips it apart, she gives Tulip a new one and the pencil back to Rainstorm,

"No lunch and recess for you today, Tulip." Tulip's teacher said, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy watch with shock while Tulip cried and the students except for Rainstorm laugh at her, the day goes on and Tulip is constantly picked on by the other students, the day ends and Tulip had to do all of her work from school at home today. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy see Thunderstorm and White Mage come back to pick up Rainstorm, they begin to leave and they see a crying Tulip coming, Thunderstorm and White Mage become uncomfortable at seeing Tulip, they see Rainstorm trot to them and Tulip was in front of them,

"Is she one of your classmates?" Thunderstorm asked,

"Yeah, the students and teacher are picking on her." Rainstorm replied,

"What? They're not offering her any support?" White Mage asked,

"No, I tried to give her my pencil and the teacher said not to." Rainstorm replied, Thunderstorm and White Mage look at Tulip. Tulip walks home slowly and the parents of her classmates begin throwing rocks at her, Tulip screams while Thunderstorm and White Mage use telekinesis on her to bring her to them, they both had sky blue auras, Thunderstorm holds the rocks back while White Mage covered Tulip with her body and made a shield appear around her and herself, Thunderstorm throws the rocks back at the parents of Tulip's and Rainstorm's classmates, they scream and run away. Pinkie Pie runs to Tulip while Fluttershy flies to her, the two take her,

"Are you two her guardians?" White Mage asked,

"No, I'm just a visitor, this is my friend." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh." White Mage said,

"Come on, Tulip, let's get you home." Fluttershy said, and they take Tulip home and hold her up to support her. Fluttershy comforted the crying Tulip while Pinkie Pie got ice packs ready and made her lunch,

"You poor, poor filly, they do nothing to help you, well, it's okay now, try to relax, Tulip, Pinkie Pie and I are here." Fluttershy said, Pinkie Pie finishes making the meal and gives it to Tulip, she eats and drinks a lot since she did not have lunch. Knocking was heard at the door and Pinkie Pie opened it, she saw Rainstorm and White Mage,

"Is Tulip here?" Rainstorm asked, Tulip walks to the door slowly and arrives,

"Good, you're here, let me see." White Mage said as she examined Tulip,

"What is she doing?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"My mom's a doctor." Rainstorm replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said, and White Mage finishes examining Tulip,

"Where are her guardians?" White Mage asked,

"They're usually home by now." Tulip replied,

"What do you two do?" White Mage asked,

"I throw parties all over Equestria, I run a store in Ponyville now." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I take care of animals in Ponyville." Fluttershy said,

"Ooh, I love animals, we see them here a lot in the summer and spring." Tulip replied,

"That's wonderful, maybe you'll like my cottage, then." Fluttershy said,

"Well, I brought medicine for Tulip, it should numb the pain of her cerebral palsy." White Mage replied, and she hands them over,

"Don't you have any healing magic?" Tulip asked,

"Sorry, but I don't have a spell to heal what you have." White Mage replied, Tulip groans with disappointment and looks down,

"I'll come by to check on her every now and then, I have to help my son with his homework." White Mage said,

"Okay, bye." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Goodbye." Fluttershy said, and Rainstorm and White Mage head home, Pinkie Pie saw the medicines were painkillers and baclofen, she has Tulip take them, she continues to eat and stopped after thirty minutes,

"Hey, the pain is gone." Tulip said,

"Really?!" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes." Tulip replied,

"The medicine's working!" Pinkie Pie said happily,

"Come on, Tulip, let's try walking again." Fluttershy said, and the three head outside. Tulip walks around while Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy stood in front of her and watched,

"Remember, Tulip, use your front right hoof, too." Pinkie Pie said,

"Come on, Tulip, you can do it." Fluttershy said, and Tulip walks. Tulip walks slowly and still had trouble moving her front right leg, but there was no pain this time, she walks with her front right leg as well while moving her front left leg, she had muscle spasms while walking but did not fall, she walks slowly and arrived at Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy,

"Yes, you did it!" Pinkie Pie said happily while Fluttershy just smiled,

"Come on, Tulip, let's practice a little more." Pinkie Pie said, and they do. Tulip continues to walk around the yard while Pinkie Pie stood to her left and Fluttershy flew above her, the two hold her up whenever she was about to fall, Tulip moves her front right leg and it was still hard for her, they hear flying and see Bright Coat and Dark Mane coming home,

"Who is this?" Bright Coat asked,

"Fluttershy, a friend of mine." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Um... hello." Fluttershy said in a barely audible voice,

"How was school today?" Dark Mane asked,

"A little better than usual." Tulip replied,

"How so?" Bright Coat asked,

"I have a new student in my class, his name is Rainstorm, he's actually really nice and friendly, his mom's a doctor, she gave me medicine to help me with my cerebral palsy." Tulip replied,

"Wait, what kind of medicine?" Bright Coat asked,

"I'll show you, it's in the house." Tulip replied,

"Well, I'll be heading home now, I have to run the shop now." Pinkie Pie said,

"Me too, the animals at my cottage are waiting for me." Fluttershy said,

"Okay, good day to you two." Dark Mane replied, and the two head home while Tulip went into her house.

Pinkie Pie was in Ponyville the next day and running Sugarcube Corner, she watches for customers and sees Tulip, Bright Coat, and Dark Mane come in, which surprised her,

"What are you three doing here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I heard you sell candy, and my birthday is near." Tulip replied, Pinkie Pie gasps,

"Really?!" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Mommy and daddy are coming to visit me, too." Tulip replied, Pinkie Pie becomes happy,

"When is your birthday?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Tomorrow." Tulip replied,

"I'll be there." Pinkie Pie said, Tulip smiled,

"I must say, this is a nice place to work." Bright Coat said,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What would you like, Tulip?" Dark Mane asked,

"Um..." Tulip said as she looked around, Pinkie Pie hands her a lollipop,

"Here you go, you don't even have to chew these, just let it melt on your tongue." Pinkie Pie said, Tulip smiled and Dark Mane took it while Bright Coat paid for it,

"Thank you." Tulip said,

"You're welcome, please come again." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Come on, let's go see Fluttershy now." Bright Coat said, and they leave, Pinkie Pie stayed at Sugarcube Corner for the day.

Pinkie Pie went to Tulip's home the next day and threw a party, Bright Coat and Dark Mane were there, Pinkie Pie threw the party while Tulip had a lot of fun, knocking is heard at the door and Bright Coat flew there, she opens it and sees two Pegasi, the male Pegasus had a pale red coat, short dark pink mane and tail, and blue eyes, his cutie mark was a cake covered in white icing, the female Pegasus had a dark pink coat, long light orange mane and tail, and pink eyes, her cutie mark was a bowl of ice cream. The two enter and Tulip become excited,

"Mommy! Daddy!" Tulip said, the two walk inside,

"Hope we're not late, happy birthday, Tulip." Tulip's mother said,

"Not at all, Pinkie Pie here kept her entertained." Dark Mane replied,

"Wait, Pinkie Pie?" Tulip's father asked,

"Yes?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It's honor to meet you, I'm Cake Cream, and this is my wife, Aroma, we've heard about your many parties throughout Equestria." Tulip's father said,

"Thank you, but where have you two been?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Work, we have almost no time to spend with Tulip, we were actually supposed to throw another party and work today." Aroma replied, much to Tulip's sorrow,

"Well, we got you a party set up, Tulip, and presents." Cake Cream said,

"Yay!" Tulip replied, and the throw their own party for Tulip and brought her cake and ice cream, Tulip's presents were mostly more candy, which she liked, Pinkie Pie celebrates Tulip's birthday and heads back home at the end of the day while Cake Cream and Aroma left to throw their next party.

The next day comes and Pinkie Pie went to go see Tulip, she arrived at her home and saw White Mage was there and checking on Tulip, she had Tulip walk a little and examined her a bit,

"Are the painkillers working?" White Mage asked,

"Yes, I can speak and chew with no problem." Tulip replied,

"Good, the other medicine should come in effect in about five days." White Mage said, Tulip smiled,

"Go ahead and stretch a bit, Tulip." White Mage said, and she did,

"Okay, good." White Mage said as she watched Tulip, she uses telekinesis to take the wheelchair off of her hind legs,

"Try to move your hind legs." White Mage said, Tulip could not, Pinkie Pie trotted over and tried moving Tulip's hind legs around,

"I don't feel a thing." Tulip said, Pinkie Pie looks at Tulip with surprise,

"I see, put the wheelchair back on her, Pinkie Pie." White Mage said, and Pinkie Pie did,

"That's all I can do this morning, I have to head to work." White Mage said,

"Bye, White Mage." Tulip said as White Mage left. Pinkie Pie was about to help Tulip get to school until she saw Fluttershy flying around and feeding the animals around the area, she finishes and flies to Tulip,

"I have free time right now, Tulip, I was wondering if you can fly." Fluttershy said,

"Well, I haven't been able to fly all of my life." Tulip replied,

"Try it." Fluttershy said, and Tulip tried to fly, the rods bent along with her wings, she got off the ground for a few seconds before falling back down,

"What was flying like before you started taking your medicine?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Just simply moving my wings would hurt." Tulip replied, surprising Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy,

"Has school been any better for you?" Fluttershy asked,

"Little bit, Rainstorm's staying with me at all times now." Tulip replied,

"Well, come on, let's have you walk a bit more." Pinkie Pie said, and Tulip did, she was walking with her front right leg and improving, which made Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy smile,

"I have to go to school now." Tulip said, and she begins to walk there, they see Rainstorm come and the two go together. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy went back home and returned later that afternoon, they see Tulip was home and walking on her own, they saw Tulip was covered in fruits, she arrives home and Fluttershy cleans her,

"How was school?" Bright Coat asked,

"It's getting better, I can walk with my other front leg now, and I'm not having spasms recently." Tulip replied,

"How are the students and teacher treating you?" Dark Mane asked,

"Still the same." Tulip replied, Pinkie Pie felt bad and gave her a lollipop to make her feel better, Tulip licked it,

"Would you like to have a pet, Tulip?" Fluttershy asked,

"Nope, we don't have the time to take care of them, Tulip has to train herself." Dark Mane replied,

"We could at least get Tulip a dog." Bright Coat said,

"Tulip's not blind, Bright Coat, she doesn't need one." Dark Mane replied,

"But it could make her happier." Bright Coat said,

"Did mommy and daddy let you have pets, Tulip?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No." Tulip replied,

"Do you want a pet, though?" Fluttershy asked,

"Well, I always did want a kitten." Tulip replied,

"No way, Tulip, cats destroy the home." Bright Coat said, Tulip groans with disappointment while looking down, Pinkie Pie gave her another lollipop, which made her happy again and she licked it with her tongue,

"We'll be leaving now, Tulip, Pinkie Pie and I got work to do back at home." Fluttershy said, and the two leave while Tulip said bye to them.

The next day comes and Tulip was practicing walking again with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy helping her, Tulip was improving and walking faster, she had less muscle spasms as well, but she was still walking the same distance, the two tried to have her walk a little farther than usual, but she fell from exhaustion when walking the usual amount, the two pick her up and help her walk a little more than usual, it was hard for Tulip,

"Thanks, you two, but I have to go to school now." Tulip said,

"Huh? But it's a weekend." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Schools are only out on Sundays around here." Tulip said, and she heads to school, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy become worried and follow her to school. Tulip arrives at school and was doing better in class, she finishes on time and the students glare at her. Recess was earlier today and Tulip tried to play with Rainstorm, she could not catch the ball or keep up, the classmates throw dodge balls at Tulip and hit her in the head with each ball, Tulip screams while the other students laugh at her, Rainstorm uses his telekinesis to hold the dodge balls back and he carries Tulip away, who was whimpering in fear. Fluttershy glares at seeing the ponies bully Tulip, she communicates with the animals around the area and they go into the playground, the animals latch themselves onto Tulip's classmates and they exclaim and scream with fear while the animals jumped onto them, and recess had to end early.

The day ends two hours early and Tulip begins to head home, her classmates' parents throw empty cans at her, which made her uneasy as she headed home, one of her classmates' father goes to her and hits her in her front right leg with a baseball bat, Tulip screamed loudly in pain while Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy become horrified and run to her. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy look at Tulip, who was crying and on the ground, the two look and see her classmates and their parents were smiling,

"Why?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"She can't do the things the rest of us can, that is why she deserves to be picked on." one father replied,

"But she was getting better!" Pinkie Pie said,

"She doesn't deserve it, she should stay that way." one mother replied,

"Her front right leg was improving!" Pinkie Pie said angrily,

"Then the leg shall be broken." the father who hit her replied while smiling, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had very shocked faces,

"Tulip!" Bright Coat said as she and Dark Mane flew and came to her, they see Tulip's injured leg,

"No, what have you all done?!" Bright Coat asked,

"Stop your complaining, Bright Coat, ponies like her should be killed, not raised." Tulip's teacher said, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy gasp at what she said,

"What? Don't agree with me? Then you two should be broken with her." Tulip's teacher said with a smile on her face, Tulip's classmates and their parents smile as well, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were still looking on with shock at how the ponies treated Tulip. The ponies run towards them and were ready to attack them, Bright Coat and Dark Mane try their best to hold off the ponies, Rainstorm, Thunderstorm, and White Mage cast magic to hold them back while the animals ran to them to protect Fluttershy, White Mage casts a sleeping spell and makes the ponies sleep while she and the others take Tulip home.

Tulip laid on the floor and cried while White Mage put a cast on her front right leg,

"How is it?" Fluttershy asked,

"Broken, it's going to take a while for it to fully heal." White Mage replied, Tulip was in tears while the others did the best to comfort her,

"Can you still walk, Tulip?" Bright Coat asked, Tulip tries and saw she could not,

"She's going to have to rest, you all will have to carry her." White Mage said,

"What about her classmates and the adults?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm calling the royal guards on them, I have never seen such cruel ponies in my life." Thunderstorm replied,

"Who would do stuff like this, father?" Rainstorm asked,

"Ponies who have no hearts." Thunderstorm replied,

"We'll be staying here tonight, I'll keep an eye on Tulip." White Mage said,

"Thank you, you two should head home." Dark Mane replied, and Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy head home.

The next day comes and Pinkie Pie arrived early, she helps Tulip move around and knocking was soon heard at the door, Pinkie Pie opens it and saw Fluttershy with a potion,

"Is Tulip still here?" Fluttershy asked, she sees her and walks to her,

"Here, drink this, it's supposed to make you heal faster." Fluttershy said, and Tulip did, the two carry her around and take her outside to see if she could walk, she could not move her front right leg, which made her cry, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy carry her and heard a commotion, they go over and see the royal guards arrest the parents of her classmates, and the foals were complaining,

"We saw the filly who was injured, why do you all behave that way?" a male royal guard asked,

"Our parents told us to." a colt replied, the other foals nod,

"Do you all feel good about the pain you cause to that disabled filly?" a second male royal guard asked,

"Yes." the foals replied, the royal guards glare at them, they see Tulip's teacher was being arrested as well,

"TULIP!!" Tulip's teacher yelled as she ran to her and was about to strangle her, but the royal guards hold her back while Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy stood in front of Tulip and were ready to defend her,

"This is injustice! You all would fire me over a disabled and imperfect foal! This is injustice, I tell you, injustice!" Tulip's teacher said angrily, the royal guards restrain her. Thunderstorm walks by and gives crutches and wheelchairs to Tulip's classmates, he casts a spell to make them paralyzed in their hind hooves, and their muscles less responsive, the foals exclaim,

"I don't have an exact spell, but it is close enough to what Tulip has, you all will spend the day just like her to see how hard she has it." Thunderstorm said,

"But what about our parents?" a filly asked,

"My parents are never home." Tulip replied, surprising the foals,

"You all will be like her today, and see how hard this foal you all pick on really has it, I'll revert you back to normal at the end of the day, now go." Thunderstorm said, and the foals do, they did not know how to use crutches and fell over, but they got back up and went home. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy take Tulip home and help her walk more, she could not move her injured leg,

"What was in that potion, Fluttershy?" Tulip asked,

"A bunch of leaves and plants from the forest behind my home." Fluttershy replied, and Tulip continues, she feels her leg healing already, but she still could not move it, she continues walking and called it a day after she fell. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy carry her inside and Pinkie Pie gave her regular fruits since the painkillers got rid of the pain she felt when she chewed, Tulip was happy to eat regularly, they finish and Tulip stayed home for the rest of the day, Pinkie Pie played a board game with Tulip until Bright Coat and Dark Mane came back home, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy left when they came home.

Pinkie Pie goes back the next day and saw Tulip was home and walking, her front right leg was moving again, she trots to her and Tulip smiled,

"How's your leg?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Still injured, but I can walk with it again." Tulip replied,

"Why are you so happy?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"My classmates moved away, they had to leave to live with their aunts and uncles while their parents serve time in jail." Tulip replied,

"Did Thunderstorm heal them?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, but unfortunately, it didn't work, they continued to harass me after he fixed them, they said it's because they found bullying me to be fun." Tulip replied, Pinkie Pie frowned more,

"So... what are you doing for an education now?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It's okay, I'm going to be home schooled now, Rainstorm's parents are going to help." Tulip replied, Pinkie Pie becomes surprised,

"Really?!" Pinkie Pie asked with a smile, Tulip nodded with a smile,

"Hold on, I'll go get the snacks." Pinkie Pie said, and she dashed home. Pinkie Pie arrived back and was in the house with Tulip, Rainstorm, Thunderstorm, and White Mage, Pinkie Pie handed out sweets while Thunderstorm and White Mage tutored them, Bright Coat and Dark Mane arrive home and go over to help, they all have fun and Pinkie Pie left after a while to run Sugarcube Corner.

A few weeks pass and Tulip was no longer having muscle spasms from the medicine, her front right leg fully healed, and she was walking again, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy help her, they had Tulip try to fly a few times, but she always fell,

"Maybe we should try flying later." Fluttershy said, and the two continue to help Tulip move around, she begins to improve and Tulip no longer needed painkillers to move her front right leg, she keeps walking and was faster and better than before, but she continued to have a few muscle spasms, she walks short distances and improved,

"Very good, Tulip, I think your mommy and daddy would be proud." Fluttershy said,

"That reminds me, we're writing to one another now." Tulip replied,

"Really? That's wonderful." Fluttershy said, Tulip smiled. Bright Coat and Dark Mane arrive home and fly to them,

"Thank you both, Tulip has greatly improved with her motor skills, I don't think she'll need help from you two anymore." Bright Coat said,

"But I like having them here." Tulip replied,

"I'm sorry, Tulip, but I got a store to run, and my bosses are going to fire me if I keep leaving in the afternoon like this." Pinkie Pie said,

"I have animals to take care of, they're missing their feeding times." Fluttershy said, Tulip looked down,

"It's alright, you two, we'll take it from here." White Mage replied as she, Thunderstorm, and Rainstorm walked to them,

"You two should head home and do your jobs, thanks for everything." Dark Mane said, and Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy say bye, the six ponies say bye back to them and wave at them while the two walk back home.

Pinkie Pie was in Sugarcube Corner with Carrot Cake, Cup Cake, Pound Cake, Pumpkin Cake, Merrick, and Tulip,

"So that's why Pinkie Pie kept leaving early, I always wondered about that." Carrot Cake said,

"Yeah, sorry about that." Tulip replied while straining her voice,

"Did you take your medication today?" Cup Cake asked,

"Yes, but the effects wore off when I was on the train." Tulip replied,

"How are things at home?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Still the same, Rainstorm and I are hanging out now." Tulip replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"You're actually a better flyer than me." Merrick said,

"I still can't fly for long, though." Tulip replied,

"Has your flying improved?" Pinkie Pie asked, Tulip shook her head,

"I have to leave for the train soon, I'd like to Fluttershy before I have to go." Tulip said,

"Sure, let's go." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two head outside. Pinkie Pie and Tulip head outside and Pinkie Pie stood to Tulip's left, she was about to walk down the steps, but she has a muscle spasm in her front right leg and it twitches, she begins to fall,

"Whoa." Tulip said as she began to fall, but front hoofs appear in front of Tulip and hold her up, she and Pinkie Pie look and see Fluttershy,

"Are you alright, Tulip?" Fluttershy asked,

"Yes, I was about to see you, Fluttershy." Tulip replied, Fluttershy chuckles,

"Why, thank you, come on, I'll show you my new cottage." Fluttershy said, and the two leave while Pinkie Pie smiled and went back into Sugarcube Corner. An hour passes and Pinkie Pie went to the train station to say bye to Tulip, they wave bye at her while she waved bye at them while smiling and the train left, the two smiled and go back home since they were happy that Tulip's cerebral palsy has improved greatly, and they hope that she will continue to improve and be able to fly one day.

Anger Issues

Pinkie Pie was teaching at the School of Friendship and handed out graded papers, Smolder saw her grade and saw she failed, she grabbed her paper and ripped it apart, the other students looked at her with bewilderment. Pinkie Pie gave out the next assignment and everycreature does it, Smolder did not know what the things were and growled, she kicked her desk with her left leg and it fell,

"Smolder?" Silverstream asked, Smolder picked up the paper and ripped it apart, she balled it up and threw it into the trash,

"You okay, Smolder?" Ocellus asked, Smolder growled under her breath, Pinkie Pie took note of it while the students worked. The next day came and Smolder stomped into the classroom, Pinkie Pie noticed her trying to study by reading a book, she growled while trying to read since she did not understand it, she slammed the book closed and threw it across the classroom,

"Smolder, calm down." Sandbar said, Pinkie Pie handed out the next assignment and the students worked,

"Ooh, Yona like assignment about what yaks do for fun." Yona said,

"I don't even know why we have to do assignments on yak culture for." Gallus said, and they worked, Smolder seethed since she did not know anything about yak culture, she growled and broke her pencil by squeezing it very hard, she let out another angry groan and kicked her desk down with her left leg,

"Smolder, no, I'm going to have to ask you to stay after class today." Pinkie Pie said, Smolder glared and sulked, she waited until the bell rung, and everybody except her left, Smolder picked up her desk while Pinkie Pie walked to her,

"Okay, Smolder, you're not in trouble, I just want to know why you're mad all of a sudden." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm failing every class with the most recent subjects, and I'm not improving, no matter how much I study!" Smolder replied while raising her voice,

"Calm down, Smolder, why don't you take a break and focus on doing something for fun?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I can't." Smolder replied,

"Why not?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Because of that incident with Rockhoof, Spike and I can't do fire breathing competitions anymore." Smolder replied,

"Oh, well, find something else you do for fun." Pinkie Pie said,

"Why are you saying that all of a sudden?" Smolder asked,

"Your anger is reminding me of a pony I met years ago, his temper was bad." Pinkie Pie replied,

"How bad was it?" Smolder asked,

"Get ready to hear it." Pinkie Pie replied, and she began to talk about a pony she met years ago.

Pinkie Pie has just left Fiery Heart's home and was traveling through the winter cold, she saw a town up ahead and it looked a little gloomy, she trotted through the light fog and heard foals playing and laughing, she saw the foals playing in a front yard, she trotted to them. Pinkie Pie goes to the yard and saw the foals running around and having fun,

"GET OFF OF MY LAWN!!" a stallion yelled from inside the house, gunshots were heard and the windows broke, the foals ran away and screamed while the stallion inside continued shooting at them. Pinkie Pie looked on with her eyes and mouth wide open, she heard the door open and a stallion came out, he had a peach coat, a light brown mane and tail, his mane was in the style of a buzz cut, he was wearing a white short-sleeve collared button-up dress shirt with a pocket on the left side, he had three pens in his pocket, the left and right pens were black while the center pen was red, he was also wearing a tie that was black with white diagonal stripes on it, his shirt was tucked into black khakis, which was held up by a black leather belt with a silver buckle, he wore black dress shoes on his hind hoofs, and glasses with black frames, he was reeled up on his hind hoofs, he had a black briefcase in his front right hoof, and a sawed off pump-action shotgun with a cut down stock in his front left hoof.

Pinkie Pie looked at him carefully and the stallion glared at her, Pinkie Pie walked away slowly. Pinkie Pie backed away from the stallion while watching him, she felt something behind her and heard a grunt, she realized it was a filly, she turned around and saw an earth pony filly, she had a pure white coat, bright yellow eyes, bright blue eye shadow, a long yellow mane and tail, her mane went down to her front knees while her tail touched the ground, she wore a bright white long-sleeve dress that covered her hind legs and went past her body, the dress also had gold trimmings and gold jewelry embedded in it, and there was no space in the front of the dress like most pony dresses, she also had three gold drop earrings in each ear,

"Oh, sorry." Pinkie Pie said,

"Hi." the filly said in a soft and sweet voice,

"Hello." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'm Angelique, who are you?" the filly asked,

"My name's Pinkie Pie." Pinkie Pie replied, Angelique chuckled,

"Can I meet your parents?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Oh, um, my parents passed away in a carriage accident two years ago." Angelique replied,

"Oh, uh, who are you living with?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Nopony, I'm living alone." Angelique replied,

"How did you get this house?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"My parents owned it." Angelique replied,

"Shouldn't you be in school?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm home schooled, well, I was." Angelique replied,

"Oh, well, I have to get going, I don't have a place to stay." Pinkie Pie said, Angelique grabbed Pinkie Pie's front legs with her front hoofs

"Please, oh please, stay with me, Pinkie Pie, I am very lonely here on my own." Angelique said,

"Don't you have any friends?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I do, but I only see them twice a day, so I get lonely here at home." Angelique replied, Pinkie Pie thought about it and made her decision,

"Okay, I'll stay here since I have nowhere to go." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie, I promise to make you feel like you're at home." Angelique replied as she hugged her, Pinkie Pie smiled and hugged her back,

"Well, come on, let's go in." Angelique said, and the two entered her home. Pinkie Pie looked around and saw Angelique's home,

"*gasp* What are these?" Pinkie Pie asked as she hopped to a bunch of folded papers on a desk,

"Origami, Pinkie Pie, I make those in my free time." Angelique replied,

"Can you make one of me?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Well, I can try, but origami is made with one piece of paper, I'll need at least six different colors to make you." Angelique replied,

"Six?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, I'll need light pink for your body, dark pink for your mane and tail, black for your pupils and eyelashes, white for your eyes, light blue for your cutie mark and irises, and yellow for the rest of your cutie mark." Angelique replied,

"Oh, well, just one color is fine." Pinkie Pie said,

"You sure?" Angelique asked, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"Alright, I'll show you the rest of my house, then." Angelique said, and the two walked together. Pinkie Pie was shown the rest of Angelique's house and she saw Angelique had paintings hung on the wall, she soon felt something on her front left hoof,

"What is this?" Pinkie Pie asked as she looked down, she looked and saw a yellow bag of potato chips,

"Oh, sorry, I don't clean often, so there's going to be some bags of potato chips on the floor." Angelique said, Pinkie Pie looked and saw bags on the floor everywhere,

"What's with all of the potato chips?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It's my favorite food." Angelique replied, Pinkie Pie looked at Angelique and saw she was average weight for a filly. Pinkie Pie walked more and saw sheet music and a violin,

"You play music?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Hmm-mm, my mother taught me before she passed." Angelique replied, Pinkie Pie looked around more and saw several cookbooks,

"Do you cook?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, those are my mother's, I don't know the first thing about cooking." Angelique replied,

"Well, maybe I can teach you some baking." Pinkie Pie said,

"Sure, I always wanted to make a cake." Angelique replied,

"Ooh, I can teach you how to make one." Pinkie Pie said,

"Really?" Angelique asked, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"Great, my birthday is coming up, I'm going to turn thirteen this year." Angelique said,

"Ooh, I know, birthday cake making party!" Pinkie Pie said loudly,

"Shh, shh, Pinkie Pie, keep your voice down, you'll make Foster mad." Angelique said,

"Foster?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"That pony you saw before you met me, he has a very bad temper, so stay quiet." Angelique replied,

"Oh, right, right, right, right." Pinkie Pie whispered,

"Come on, I'll show you my bedroom." Angelique said, and they went there. Pinkie Pie went into Angelique's bedroom and she saw a quilt blanket,

"Did you make that?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"That's right, I made that blanket with my own hoofs." Angelique replied, Pinkie Pie looked around more and saw a sewing machine,

"You make your own clothes?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, that's my mother's." Angelique replied,

"What about that dress you're wearing?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It's my mother's dress, it was my favorite one of the dresses she made." Angelique replied, Pinkie Pie looked at Angelique's dress and saw the sleeves on her front legs were folded upwards,

"It looks too big on you." Pinkie Pie said,

"It is, but I still like it." Angelique replied,

"What about those earrings of yours?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They're presents from my sixth birthday." Angelique replied,

"Oh, so... what do you want to do?" Pinkie Pie asked, Angelique checked the clock next to her bed,

"Well, I can teach you a little origami." Angelique said,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie said, and Angelique taught her for sometime, Pinkie Pie growled and screamed as she could not get the folds right,

"This is impossible!" Pinkie Pie said,

"Calm down, Pinkie Pie, this takes a lot of practice." Angelique said, and they continued folding until it was dark,

"Hold on, I'm going to go get supper." Angelique said, and she left and came back with bags of potato chips. Pinkie Pie looked at the potato chips while Angelique opened her bag and ate,

"Is something wrong?" Angelique asked,

"No, I'm just not used to eating potato chips." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, what do you usually eat?" Angelique asked,

"Cupcakes." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Ooh, I love cupcakes, too." Angelique said, Pinkie Pie smiled and she ate the potato chips and actually liked them, she and Angelique washed the grease off of their hoofs after they finished,

"Well, I need to rest, see you in the morning, Pinkie Pie." Angelique said,

"Goodnight." Pinkie Pie replied, and Angelique went to bed while Pinkie Pie sat next to her and soon fell asleep. Pinkie Pie opened her eyes and saw the sun rise, she saw Angelique was awake and eating potato chips,

"Good morning." Angelique said,

"Morning." Pinkie Pie replied, and she took toast out of her mane and ate it,

"Come on, Pinkie Pie, let's go see how my friends are." Angelique said, and the two went outside. Angelique trotted while Pinkie Pie followed her, the two arrived at a home and saw a colt, he had a dark green coat, short black mane and tail, and purple eyes,

"This is Emerald, he's growing up to be an appraiser." Angelique said,

"Morning, Angelique." Emerald said,

"Good morning." Angelique replied,

"Who is this?" Emerald asked,

"I'm Pinkie Pie." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Hi, Angelique and I have been friends for years." Emerald said,

"Where are your parents?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They already left for work." Emerald replied,

"When will they be back?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"6:00 PM." Emerald replied,

"Oh, that's kind of late." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yeah, that's why Angelique sees me often, it's so I don't get lonely, but I have to go to school now." Emerald replied,

"See you this afternoon, Emerald." Angelique said, and he walked to school,

"My next friend's this way." Angelique said, and she walked to her next destination while Pinkie Pie followed her. Angelique walked to her destination and Pinkie Pie saw a filly, she was small, she had a light pink coat, a long light blue and white striped mane and tail, and purple eyes,

"This is Haute Coture, she's working to be a fashion designer." Angelique said,

"Hi, my parents made that dress Angelique's wearing." Haute Coture said,

"Really?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, her parents are training her to be their next heir." Angelique replied,

"Do you like it?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Hmm-mm, making clothes is actually very fun." Haute Coture replied,

"Ooh, I know, maybe you can make an outfit for Angelique's upcoming birthday." Pinkie Pie said,

"Actually, no, Pinkie Pie, I'm just going to wear this dress." Angelique replied,

"Wait, you're Pinkie Pie? I've heard about you, your parties are famous throughout Equestria." Haute Coture said,

"From whom?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"A friend of my parents." Haute Coture replied,

"Wow, I didn't think anypony would know me here." Pinkie Pie said, Haute Coture chuckled,

"Well, Haute Coture, I'll go take Pinkie Pie to my other friends now." Angelique said,

"Okay, see you later." Haute Coture replied, and the two walked. Pinkie Pie and Angelique trotted to the next foal, it was a colt, he had an orange coat, short white mane and tail, and brown eyes,

"This is Tempo, he's learning to become a musician." Angelique said,

"Ooh, maybe I can teach him, I play ten different instruments." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'm learning to play the trumpet." Tempo said,

"Ooh, I know how to play that." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Really? Cool, maybe you and I can play together." Tempo said,

"I would love to." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, school's about to start, I have to get going." Tempo said,

"Later, Tempo." Angelique replied, and he walked to school while Angelique went to go see her next friend. Pinkie Pie walked with Angelique and she went to a filly who was walking on the road, she had a light blue coat, long dark blue mane and tail, and sky blue eyes,

"Angelique!" the filly said as she ran to her,

"Hi, Aquarius." Angelique replied as the two hugged one another, the two let go,

"This is Aquarius, Pinkie Pie, she's studying to be a marine biologist." Angelique said,

"Ooh, I know, marine animal party." Pinkie Pie replied,

"*chuckle* That would be nice, but I doubt that's possible." Aquarius said,

"I can make it happen." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't have time for conversation, I have to go to school." Aquarius said,

"Okay, later, Aquarius." Angelique replied, Aquarius walked by them,

"I have two more friends, follow me." Angelique said, and the two trotted. Pinkie Pie and Angelique went to the next foal, it was a colt, he had a light brown coat, dark brown mane and tail, and tan eyes,

"This is Taco Bell, he gets lonely all on his own, so I come by to check on him every now and then." Angelique said,

"Hi, who are you?" Taco Bell asked,

"I'm Pinkie Pie." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Thanks for coming by, I have a certain... problem that leaves me all by myself." Taco Bell said,

"Problem?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Pinkie Pie, don't bring it up, it's embarrassing." Angelique replied,

"Do you find it embarrassing, Taco Bell?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"A little bit." Taco Bell replied,

"Do your parents know?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I don't have any parents." Taco Bell replied,

"Oh, you're an orphan, too?" Pinkie Pie asked, Taco Bell nodded,

"Taco Bell's father passed before he was born, his mother passed giving birth to him, my last friend watches over him and me." Angelique said,

"Wait, your last friend's not a foal?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, he's a stallion, come on, let's go meet him, I'll see you later, Taco Bell." Angelique replied, and the two left. Pinkie Pie followed Angelique and she goes to her last friend, Pinkie Pie sees him, it was a stallion, he had a peach coat, short light brown mane and tail, a full mustache, and he was wearing a gray winter coat, his cutie mark was a white paper with black writings on it,

"Good morning, Angelique." the stallion said with a Russian accent,

"Morning. This is Zhivago, Pinkie Pie, he's a war veteran, he's also a doctor and a poet." Angelique replied,

"Really?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, he lets me and the others read his poems whenever he makes a new one." Angelique replied,

"What do you write about?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Well, mostly about my experiences during the war." Zhivago replied,

"I'm Pinkie Pie, I'm a party planner." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, welcome, I think you'll like it here." Zhivago replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Let's go, Pinkie Pie, Zhivago has to get ready for work." Angelique said,

"I'll be available later today, good day to you two." Zhivago said, and Angelique left, Pinkie Pie followed her.

Angelique arrived home and Pinkie Pie was with her,

"I'll be going to the store today, Pinkie Pie, the train will be here soon." Angelique said, Pinkie Pie nodded but stopped when she heard Foster grunting and growling,

"Work, you stupid toaster!" Foster said from inside his house, banging was heard and Pinkie Pie closed her eyes and clenched her teeth at the loud bangs,

"I said work!" Foster said as more banging sounds were heard, a sound of metal being smashed was soon heard,

"Stupid piece of junk." Foster said, and a loud thud was heard,

"Is he okay?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Foster's always like that." Angelique replied, the door flew open and Foster stomps away,

"Come on, Pinkie Pie, the train will be arriving soon." Angelique said, and she left while Pinkie Pie followed her. Pinkie Pie arrived at the train station and Foster was standing while looking around impatiently,

"Come on, where is the train?" Foster grumbled,

"Attention all passengers, I'm sorry to say this, but the train will be a little late today." a mare inside the office said on an announcement system, Foster growled angrily while he pulled his mane, the train arrived five minutes late and everypony ran to board, Foster shoved whoever was in front of him, Pinkie Pie and Angelique boarded the train last. Pinkie Pie and Angelique walked while Angelique held the bottom of her dress up so nopony stepped on it, the two sat near the front and Pinkie Pie saw Foster sitting on the other side and a little farther back,

"I'm going to do some shopping when we get off, you want anything, Pinkie Pie?" Angelique asked,

"No, thank you." Pinkie Pie replied, Angelique smiled,

"*groan* Sorry, excuse me." Taco Bell said as he walked slowly, he let out a loud fart shortly afterwards. Pinkie Pie just barely contained her laughter at the sound, but she stopped after a few seconds,

"Is he okay?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"That's the problem with him there." Angelique replied,

"Oh, so that's his problem." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yeah, he has chronic flatulence." Angelique replied, Pinkie Pie looked and saw Taco Bell clutching his abdomen. The train continued for a short time and Taco Bell's fart could be smelled throughout the train, everypony gagged and covered their snouts',

"Stinky. Stinky. Stinky." Pinkie Pie said, the smell goes through the train and Foster gagged loudly,

"It's too early for this!" Foster said, the conductor was heard gagging in the front of the train a few seconds later, the train went off the tracks and everypony screamed until the train crashed. Everypony stood up and saw the conductor was unconscious, they stepped out and saw the train crashed into a tree, everypony glared at Taco Bell, who just looked down. Foster tackled Taco Bell down and began punching him in the back of his head,

"You stupid colt!" Foster said, Pinkie Pie ran to Foster and began to hold him back,

"Stop it. Calm down." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm going to be late to work because of this stupid foal!" Foster said angrily,

"Foster, please, he has no control over it." Angelique said,

"I don't care if he doesn't, this foal shouldn't be on the train in the first place." Foster replied,

"What do you mean he shouldn't ride the train?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"When I was his age, ponies with disabilities or anything chronic things like him were not allowed on the train, they had to get to their destination by hoof." Foster replied,

"What about taxis?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Ponies like him were not allowed on them back then, either." Foster replied,

"What?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Now move, I'm late for work." Foster said, and he shoved her to the side while Pinkie Pie screamed and Foster walked to work. Pinkie Pie watched him with disbelief while Foster stomped to work,

"What's with him?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"He's always had a nasty temper." Angelique replied,

"Tell you what, do your shopping without me for now, Angelique, I've got something I wanna see." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, I'll see you later then." Angelique replied, and she left while Pinkie Pie followed Foster. Pinkie Pie followed Foster and watched him carefully, Foster nearly stumbled on a foal's toy truck, he growled and kicked it with his front left hoof, the toy truck breaks apart from the impact, Pinkie Pie gasped silently in shock at what she saw him did. Foster kept walking to work and he saw a bunch of foals play tag and run in front of him,

"Celestia! Move! I have to get to work!" Foster said angrily as he shoved the foals to the sides, the exclaimed and some of them fell over, Pinkie Pie ran to them and helped the foals get up,

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked as she helped the foals up, she looked at a filly's face,

"*gasp* You have a boo-boo." Pinkie Pie said, she looked at the cut on the filly's face and saw she was bleeding, Pinkie Pie touched it and the filly yelped and then cried from the pain,

"Get her home, I'll go have a talk with him." Pinkie Pie said, and the foals took the filly home while Pinkie Pie followed Foster. Pinkie Pie watched Foster enter an office building and she went in, she watched Foster walk to an office and she saw a unicorn, he had a dull gray coat, he was bald and had a black tail, his eyes were purple, and his cutie mark was a pink brain,

"You're late, Foster." the unicorn said,

"That's because some idiot crashed the train." Foster replied,

"Well, serves you right, you stupid Pegasi and earth ponies deserve to have bad luck for being inferior ponies." the unicorn said, Foster seethed and he began to throw the papers off of his boss's desk and smashed a picture of his boss,

"As usual, easy to provoke, you're so easy to manipulate, Foster, you know that, right?" the unicorn asked,

"That's because everything is upside-down and twisted, society was different before I joined the royal guard." Foster replied,

"Like how?" the unicorn asked,

"First of all, society rewarded those who did hard work through manual labor instead of going to school and getting a degree, if things were still like that, I'd be your boss instead." Foster replied,

"Well, manual labor doesn't equal intelligence, so you wouldn't be able to run a business." the unicorn said,

"That's another difference, we didn't have white collar jobs when I was a foal, it was all blue collar." Foster replied,

"Well, all brawn and no brain will get you nowhere, now use your muscles and start writing, you earth pony buffoon." the unicorn said, and Foster stomped out of his office, he stopped and seethed, he turned around and threw his saddlebag at his boss' door, he picked it up and stomped away while Pinkie Pie followed him. Pinkie Pie watched Foster and he stomped to his office, Foster sat in his chair and took a pen out, he tried to write with it but the ink did not come out, Foster began to hit his pen on the paper and soon threw it, Pinkie Pie screamed and ducked just when the pen was about to hit her. Foster looked for another pen and found one, he wrote with it and ink came out, he wrote with it while seething,

"I can't believe I have to work for that moron, he would've been fired if things were as they used to be." Foster grumbled,

"Foster?" Pinkie Pie asked as she walked to him,

"WHAT?!" Foster yelled, Pinkie Pie jumped back while startled,

"Um, you hurt a filly on your way here." Pinkie Pie said,

"So?" Foster asked,

"She's bleeding on her face." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, she was in my way, and foals should know better not to play in the road." Foster said,

"Didn't you play in the road when you were a foal?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, never, we always played in the front yard or back yard, we'd be grounded if we played in the road." Foster replied,

"Did you ever want to play in the road?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"WILL YOU GET OUT OF HERE?! I'M TRYING TO WORK!!" Foster yelled angrily, Pinkie Pie screamed for a brief second but walked backwards slowly, she turned around and began to head back,

"I swear, ponies these days have no common sense." Pinkie Pie heard Foster grumble, he got up afterwards and began to walk away. Pinkie Pie turned around and saw him walking to get a can of soda from a vending machine, he let out an annoyed groan and went back to his desk, he tried to open the can but could not,

"Grrr, open you stupid little..." Foster grumbled, and he began hitting the can on his desk until it burst open and the soda flew out everywhere, the can was thrown out of his office and Foster stood up and stomped to the bathroom. Pinkie Pie followed him and heard Foster grumbling in the bathroom,

"Stupid soda, what happened to having water in the workplace?" Foster grumbled while in the bathroom, Pinkie Pie then heard loud banging in the bathroom, the door opened and Foster walked out, Pinkie Pie looked and saw dents in the hoof dryer, she looked on with discomfort while the door closed, she decided to watch Foster later and headed back. Pinkie Pie walked back to the train station and saw Angelique waiting at the station with ingredients to make a cake,

"Pinkie, there you are." Angelique said as she trotted to her and held the bottom of her dress up,

"Sorry, I was busy." Pinkie Pie said,

"I've been waiting for you, I was hoping we would buy the things together." Angelique replied,

"Sorry, I was very busy, what did you get?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Well, I got some flour, some eggs, baking powder, some salt, some butter, some sugar, vanilla extract, and milk." Angelique replied,

"Are you making a vanilla cake?" Pinkie Pie asked, Angelique nodded,

"You have everything, come on, let's head home." Pinkie Pie said, and the two waited for the train. Pinkie Pie and Angelique sat and waited for the train,

"Where were you, Pinkie?" Angelique asked,

"I was watching Foster." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What for?" Angelique asked,

"Well, I was wondering how bad his anger was." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, it's really bad, a lot of ponies are scared of him." Angelique said,

"Don't you worry, Angelique, I've got just the thing to calm him." Pinkie Pie replied,

"You do?" Angelique asked,

"Yes, ta-da, here it is." Pinkie Pie replied as she held her front right hoof out, she had a light blue pill with ice on it,

"What is it?" Angelique asked,

"A chill pill, made by me." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Wow, I didn't know you had one." Angelique said,

"*chuckle* It's a secret ingredient, well, let's get started on the cake when we get home." Pinkie Pie replied, and train headed to its destination. Pinkie Pie and Angelique arrived at the train station and walked home, Angelique ate a bag of potato chips and went to the kitchen,

"Okay, Angelique, first, let's preheat the oven." Pinkie Pie said, and the two did,

"Alright, I need two cake pans, we need to put parchment paper in them." Pinkie Pie said,

"Um, parchment paper?" Angelique asked,

"You know, those grayish-white baking papers." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, I know what you're talking about, I think I have some left." Angelique said, and she trotted around the kitchen, she got it and put it in the cake pans,

"Okay, now we add the butter, and then the flour." Pinkie Pie said, and the two put them in the cake pans, Pinkie Pie shook the pans around to get the excess out,

"Alright, Angelique, now that's done, we need three cups of flour, baking powder, and salt, we need to whisk them until they combine." Pinkie Pie said, and Angelique got a whisk and the two began. Pinkie Pie and Angelique whisked the flour, baking powder, and salt while Pinkie Pie hummed a tune,

"Pinkie?" Angelique asked, Pinkie Pie stopped whisking and looked at her,

"What are you humming?" Angelique asked,

"It's a song about making cake." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Are there any lyrics?" Angelique asked,

"Actually, yes." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I wanna learn." Angelique said,

"Okay, here we go. It's a piece of cake to bake a pretty cake." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two sang the song while they worked,

"Alright, now we need two sticks of butter, sugar, a large bowl, and a mixer." Pinkie Pie said,

"Hold on, I think I have a mixer here somewhere." Angelique replied, and she looked around for a mixer, and she found a small red one and plugged it in. Angelique began mixing while Pinkie Pie watched,

"Careful, Angelique, go too fast, and we'll have a mess everywhere." Pinkie Pie said, Angelique nodded and mixed the ingredients until they were light and fluffy,

"Slow down a little now, Angelique." Pinkie Pie said, and she did, she finished,

"I'll do the next step." Pinkie Pie said, and she began breaking the eggs open and beating them one at a time, she added the vanilla extract next and beat it in, she then added flour and milk in three times, alternating between the two, Pinkie Pie worked while Angelique watched. Pinkie Pie finished when the batter was smooth,

"Okay, now we put the batter in the pans." Pinkie Pie said, and she poured the batter into one pan while Angelique poured it into the other pan,

"Okay, now we bake for thirty minutes." Pinkie Pie said, and Angelique put the pans in the oven. Pinkie Pie and Angelique waited while Angelique began making origami of Pinkie Pie,

"Ooh, is that me?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, please give me time, Pinkie, this takes a long time to make." Angelique replied, and Pinkie Pie watched, she eventually tried to make her own origami, she messed up and grumbled while Angelique looked at her with distress,

"Sorry, but this is making me mad." Pinkie Pie said,

"Please don't get mad, Pinkie, it'll remind me of Foster." Angelique replied, the two made origami while Pinkie Pie messed up and grumbled, the timer dinged after thirty minutes,

"Oh, cakes are done." Pinkie Pie said, and the two went to the kitchen. Angelique opened the oven and looked at the cake, Pinkie Pie stuck a toothpick in the center of it,

"Yup, it's done." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yay." Angelique said,

"Now we wait ten minutes." Pinkie Pie said, and they did, they took the cake out of the oven and Pinkie Pie made the cake stop sticking from the pan by moving a knife around the edges, she takes it out and puts it on a board, she then removed the parchment paper from the pans,

"Do you want to cut the top of the cakes?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sure." Angelique replied, and they did. Pinkie Pie and Angelique ate the tops they cut off,

"This is good." Angelique said,

"Wanna decorate it?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Tomorrow, my friends will be coming over soon." Angelique replied, and Pinkie Pie put the cakes in the refrigerator.

Pinkie Pie and Angelique went to the door and knocking was soon heard,

"I'm coming." Angelique said, and she opened the door, Emerald, Haute Coture, Tempo, and Aquarius came to visit,

"Hello." Emerald, Haute Coture, Tempo, and Aquarius said,

"Hello, come on in." Angelique replied, and they did, Emerald brought a jewel, Haute Coture brought a new dress she made, Tempo played the trumpet, and Aquarius brought a bag full of fish,

"Ooh, can I see?" Pinkie Pie asked, and they showed them to her,

"Well, Tempo, I can start teaching you a few things with the trumpet now if you're interested." Pinkie Pie said,

"Sure." Tempo replied, and Pinkie Pie got her trumpet. Pinkie Pie and Tempo played together while Angelique helped Emerald, Haute Coture, and Aquarius on their homework however she could,

"Thanks, Angelique, you really are good at math." Aquarius said,

"You're welcome." Angelique replied, and she trotted to Pinkie Pie and Tempo and sang to the song they were playing, Emerald and Haute Coture went over to dance after finishing their homework, and Aquarius joined Angelique on the singing, they all had fun until a can of peas was thrown into the house, it broke a window and hit the wall, they all screamed and ducked just before the can hits them,

"PIPE DOWN!! I'M TRYING TO WORK!!" Foster yelled from his home, and they all looked on with silence. Pinkie Pie, Angelique, Emerald, Haute Coture, Tempo, and Aquarius looked on with disbelief,

"Aw, Foster won't let us have fun again." Aquarius said, a thick book is thrown through the window and it hit Aquarius on her head, she screamed as she slid across the floor,

"I SAID QUIET!!" Foster yelled, Pinkie Pie glared at Foster's home,

"Excuse me a minute." Pinkie Pie said, and she walked outside. Pinkie Pie walked to Foster's home and knocked on the door, Foster growled and grumbled from inside his house,

"Who is it?" Foster asked,

"Um, it's Pinkie Pie, party planner and candy seller." Pinkie Pie replied with a nervous smile, the door opened and Foster came out, he held a baseball bat in his front right hoof,

"What do you want?" Foster asked,

"Um, can I come in?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Why?" Foster asked,

"I was hoping I could get to know you better." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'm busy doing work at home right now, come see me another time." Foster said,

"It's also about a filly you hit." Pinkie Pie replied,

"She brought that onto herself, she shouldn't be so loud to begin with!" Foster said while he raised his voice,

"Weren't you like that when you were a foal?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, we always quiet and doing homework the entire afternoon." Foster replied,

"What about pursuing hobbies?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We only did that on the weekends, and we didn't play music or sing so loud that the neighbors can hear us." Foster replied,

"But it's fun." Pinkie Pie said,

"FUN?! That's what you all say! When I was a foal, it wasn't fun! It was distracting and the entire neighborhood would complain!" Foster replied angrily,

"Really?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"YES!!" Foster yelled,

"Okay, um, I'm sorry to bother you, but I also came to give you a treat." Pinkie Pie said, and she held out the chill pill,

"What is this?" Foster asked,

"Um, it's candy." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Hmm, thanks, I guess some ponies still give out treats to every home like when I was a foal." Foster said, and he went back into his house and closed the door. Pinkie Pie trotted to the left side of his house and looked through a window, Foster swallowed the pill and shivered from how cold it was, he growled for a minute but soon calmed down, he sighed and went back to work, Pinkie Pie smiled and went back to Angelique's house. Pinkie Pie entered and the foals looked at her,

"Well, Pinkie?" Angelique asked,

"It's alright, Foster took the chill pill, he'll be calm for sometime." Pinkie Pie replied, Angelique and her friends looked through the window and they saw a calm and relaxed Foster writing, they smiled and they all went back to what they were doing, Pinkie Pie and Tempo played the trumpet, Angelique and Aquarius sang, and Emerald and Haute Coture danced, they all had fun until it was time for them to go home, Emerald, Haute Coture, Tempo, and Aquarius said bye and went home while Pinkie Pie and Angelique waved bye at them,

"Where's Taco Bell?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Oh, about that, due to Taco Bell's farting problem, nopony wants to spend time with him, if he comes here, the others will leave." Angelique replied, Pinkie Pie frowned,

"I know, I feel bad for him, too." Angelique said,

"Come on, let's go visit him." Pinkie Pie said,

"Pinkie, it's dark, he's asleep right now." Angelique replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said,

"I have to go to bed, too, goodnight, Pinkie." Angelique said,

"Goodnight." Pinkie Pie replied, and Angelique entered her house and went to bed. The next morning came and Pinkie Pie woke up early,

"Good morning." Pinkie Pie said, she looked and saw Angelique was still asleep, she headed outside and set up a stand. Pinkie Pie stood in the road and sold sweets and candy to whoever came, Foster walked to her a few minutes later,

"Hi, take your order?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, I'd like a coffee, please." Foster replied,

"What kind of coffee?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Regular black coffee, please." Foster replied, and Pinkie Pie filled a white mug,

"Here you go." Pinkie Pie said, and Foster drank it but spat it out,

"What's wrong?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I SAID REGULAR BLACK COFFEE!! NOT COFFEE WITH MILK, CREAMER, AND SUGAR IN IT!!" Foster yelled, Pinkie Pie reeled back and saw foals behind Foster looking at him with fear,

"What?!" Foster asked,

"We're want our breakfast." a filly replied,

"WHAT?! PONIES EAT JUNK FOOD FOR BREAKFAST NOW?!" Foster asked,

"Didn't you?" a colt asked,

"No! We ate eggs, hay, and vegetables and drank water." Foster replied,

"What about cereal?" a second filly asked,

"My family didn't eat cereal." Foster replied,

"Um, Foster, we'd like our breakfast, please." a third filly said,

"What? You still want to eat this junk and damage your own health?" Foster asked, the foals nodded,

"Why don't you kids go back home and have what your parents made for breakfast?" Foster asked,

"It tastes bad." a second colt replied,

"Tastes bad? Don't you all appreciate what your parents make for you?" Foster asked,

"We do, but it tastes horrible." a fourth filly replied,

"And you all can just go have something else just like that? When I was your age, you have to eat your breakfast, even if it tastes terrible, or you wouldn't be allowed to eat anything else in the house until you finish that horrible tasting breakfast." Foster said,

"What?!" the foals asked,

"Seriously?!" a fifth filly asked,

"Yes, now go back home and eat what your parents made for you, show some gratitude." Foster replied,

"But their breakfast tastes horrible." a third colt said,

"Yeah, we want sweets." a sixth filly said,

"Really? Well? Here's my answer!" Foster replied, and he took a baseball bat out of his saddlebag and began smashing Pinkie Pie's stand. Pinkie Pie screamed while Foster smashed her stand with his baseball bat,

"Good luck getting your unhealthy breakfast now!" Foster said angrily, and he stomped away,

"NOOOOOO!!" Pinkie Pie said, she looked and saw crying foals looking on,

"Don't cry, I think there's something here." Pinkie Pie said, and she scavenged through her destroyed candies, she found several candy bars and cereal bars,

"Here, sorry, but that's all I have." Pinkie Pie said, and the foals shared them with one another, they all left while Pinkie Pie looked at her broken stand and groaned, she headed home afterwards. Pinkie Pie walked home and saw Foster leaving, a filly ran to him,

"Excuse me." the filly said, Foster looked at her,

"Can you buy a flower?" the filly asked,

"I don't have any money." Foster replied as he walked by, the filly ran to him,

"But please, my family's struggling, I need the money." the filly said,

"I said I don't have any money!" Foster replied angrily,

"Sir, please, take at least one, my family won't let me in the house if I don't sell all of them." the filly said, Foster snatched the basket away and threw it onto the ground, he smashed it and the flowers with his front right hoof. The filly screamed while Pinkie Pie ran to him and restrained him,

"No!" Pinkie Pie said while she restrained him, the filly screamed at seeing her destroyed basket and smashed flowers, she fell to her knees and began crying with her front hoofs over her face,

"Take your chill pill!" Pinkie Pie said, and she forced it into Foster's mouth, he shivered from how cold it was, but calmed down,

"Where am I? Oh, right, I've got to get ready for work." Foster said, and he trotted away. Pinkie Pie went to the crying filly and got her destroyed basket and flowers, she looked at Pinkie Pie while she handed her destroyed basket and flowers to her,

"Here, you can have these." Pinkie Pie said as she reached into her mane and took bits out and handed them to her,

"Thank you." the filly said as she took the bits,

"Is it true about what you said your family not letting you come home if you don't sell all the flowers?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, I can't return home until I sell all the flowers, I'll be forced to stay outside." the filly replied, Pinkie Pie thought for a second,

"Come on, I think I know somepony who can help you." Pinkie Pie said,

"Really?" the filly asked,

"Hmm-mm, follow me." Pinkie Pie replied, and they walked together. Pinkie Pie and the filly walked and they went to go see Zhivago,

"Ah, you again, what brings you here?" Zhivago asked, he looked and saw the filly,

"Oh, you're the flower girl, where are your flowers?" Zhivago asked,

"A stallion I asked smashed it and my basket." the filly replied, Zhivago looked and saw it,

"Was it Foster?" Zhivago asked,

"Hmm-mm." the filly said while she nodded,

"I see, Foster's been like that ever since he and I came home from the royal guard, society has changed a lot from before he left for the military, he's been having a hard time adjusting." Zhivago said,

"You served in the royal guard, too?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, I was a doctor, and Foster was a weapons developer, he and I also grew up together." Zhivago replied,

"What was Foster like back then?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Happy, he developed his bad temper after coming back, everything he once thought was right and perfect has become twisted and turned upside on its head." Zhivago replied,

"Did you all sell flowers back then to make money?" the filly asked,

"Sorry, but no, we either mowed lawns or sold lemonade and Popsicles, we didn't sell flowers." Zhivago replied,

"Can you please take me in, my parents won't let me in the house if they find out somepony smashed them." the filly said,

"Come on, then, let's have a talk with them." Zhivago replied, and they walked together, Pinkie Pie headed back to Angelique. Pinkie Pie headed back to Angelique's home and saw she was not home, she waited a bit and Angelique came back after a while,

"Pinkie, there you are." Angelique said as she trotted to her,

"Where were you?" Angelique asked,

"I was trying to sell candy and sweets, but Foster got mad when I gave him sweetened coffee, he also smashed my stand when other foals wanted to eat my yummy treats for breakfast, and there was this flower filly trying to sell flowers, Foster got mad and smashed her flowers and basket." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, the flower girl, that's Rose Lily, she's a nice pony." Angelique said,

"Well, anyway, are you ready to see your friends?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I just did." Angelique replied,

"Oh, then let's work on your birthday cake." Pinkie Pie said, Angelique smiles and the two entered the house.

Pinkie Pie and Angelique went to the kitchen and Pinkie Pie looked around the kitchen,

"Okay, Angelique, is there any specific pattern you want for your icing?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, anything's fine." Angelique replied, and Pinkie Pie put the icing on Angelique's birthday cake while she watched. Angelique watched Pinkie Pie decorate her birthday cake and smiled, she watched Pinkie Pie spread the icing with a palette knife, she finished and gave the palette knife to Angelique, who licked the icing off of the knife. Pinkie Pie put one cake on top of another and then got an icing bag and began putting flower shaped icing on the top of the top cake and on the sides of the two cakes, Angelique left and came back with a bag of potato chips and ate them, Pinkie Pie continued to put the icing on and finished,

"Finished." Pinkie Pie said, Angelique looked and smiled,

"Wow, it's beautiful." Angelique said,

"Come on, let's put it in the fridge." Pinkie Pie said, and they did,

"Well, what do you wanna do now?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Well..." Angelique said as she looked around,

"Can I try learning to play one of your instruments?" Angelique asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and she got her instruments,

"Take your pick." Pinkie Pie said,

"Um..." Angelique said as she looked at the instruments,

"I'll try the trombone." Angelique said,

"You sure? That's a pretty hard one." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'll give it a try." Angelique replied, and she took it while Pinkie Pie got another trombone. Pinkie Pie taught Angelique how to play and the scales for warming up, Angelique slid the slide either too far out or not far out enough and messed up the notes, Pinkie Pie corrected Angelique as they went along and played, she noticed Angelique remain calm and she kept playing, the two continued playing for a few minutes and Angelique put the trombone down,

"I have to rest, my lips hurt." Angelique said,

"You'll get used to it." Pinkie Pie replied, and Angelique rested, she picked the trombone back up after a few minutes and began playing again, she and Pinkie Pie played until knocking was heard at the door.

Angelique trotted to the door and Emerald, Haute Coture, Tempo, and Aquarius came to visit,

"Is school done already?" Angelique asked, her four friends nodded,

"Come on in, then." Angelique said, and they did. Angelique and her friends sat and played a board game since they all had no homework today, Pinkie Pie joined them, they all played and laughed for the entire afternoon, they played until they heard exhaling outside, they stood up and went to the side of the house, they looked and saw Foster was sitting on the grass of his backyard and meditating,

"You all should head home, we'll make him mad if we make noise." Angelique whispered, and her friends left,

"I'm going to go take a nap." Angelique whispered, and she went to her bed, Pinkie Pie watched Foster and saw him meditate peacefully without getting angry, he finished after about two hours and went into his house, Pinkie Pie yawned and laid down besides Angelique's bed,

"You tired too, Pinkie Pie?" Angelique asked,

"Yeah, say, when is your birthday?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Day after tomorrow." Angelique replied,

"Okay, I'll be going to sleep now." Pinkie Pie said,

"Alright, see you when you wake up." Angelique replied, and Pinkie Pie fell asleep.

Pinkie Pie woke up in the middle of the night and saw it was almost morning, she walked around and checked Angelique,

"You couldn't sleep either, Pinkie?" Angelique asked, Pinkie Pie becomes a little startled,

"How long have you been awake?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"About an hour." Angelique replied, Pinkie Pie chuckled. Loud and angry grunts were heard and the two realized it was Foster,

"I woke up too early again!" Foster said, and a loud bang and glass breaking was heard, the two were startled and Pinkie Pie trotted to the right side of Angelique's house, she looked and saw a broken clock on the floor in front of a wall in Foster's house, Pinkie Pie reeled back while clenching her teeth tightly, she walked back and saw Angelique walking around,

"Do you want to read a book?" Angelique asked,

"Okay." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two read a book together until the sun came up. Morning came and Pinkie Pie and Angelique looked at Foster, he was outside at the moment, Angelique trotted to him,

"Excuse me, Foster." Angelique said, Foster looked at her,

"Are you off today?" Angelique asked,

"Yeah. Why?" Foster asked,

"I was hoping to play a board game with you." Angelique replied,

"Don't you have school?" Foster asked,

"I'm home schooled, well, I was until my parents passed away." Angelique replied,

"Oh, I see, sorry I brought that up." Foster said,

"Wanna play chess?" Angelique asked,

"Alright." Foster replied, and Angelique got the board from her house and went back to Foster. Angelique came with a game of chess and the two sat at a table in Foster's front yard, the two played and Foster watched while Angelique did her first move, Foster thought for a while and made his first move, the two played and Pinkie Pie noticed Foster getting more and more irritated as the game went on, the two played for a while until only Foster's king was left,

"Checkmate." Angelique said, Foster kicked the table over while Angelique shrieked at the board falling over,

"I'm going to go meditate." Foster said as he walked into his house. Pinkie Pie helped Angelique pick up her board game and she watched Foster, she saw him sitting on the floor and meditating,

"Come on, Angelique, let's leave as fast as possible." Pinkie Pie whispered, Angelique nodded and she picked up her board game and its pieces, she and Pinkie Pie left afterwards. Pinkie Pie and Angelique put the board game away in Angelique's home and they walked around the neighborhood together, the two walked and admired the views,

"Do you like it here, Pinkie?" Angelique asked,

"Yes, it's a nice neighborhood." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'm glad to hear that, I was about to think you'd want to leave because of Foster." Angelique said,

"It's okay, I've got plenty of chill pills ready for him." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Maybe you should give them to him at work, I heard he has a nasty temper at work." Angelique said,

"I saw it, say, have you ever met his boss?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, he was mean, he called me a lower-class savage once for being an earth pony." Angelique replied,

"How often does he come here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Not often, but he does come over to see Foster sometimes." Angelique replied,

"For what?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Usually job or business related, I usually can't hear them." Angelique replied,

"Oh, well, do you wanna go see Taco Bell?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Oh right, he can't come to my birthday party tomorrow because of his condition, I should go apologize to him." Angelique replied, and she trotted to his home while Pinkie Pie followed her, but the two saw he was not home,

"Huh. That's unusual, I wonder where he went." Angelique said,

"Should we look for him?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, let's just keep walking, I want to do more origami soon, too." Angelique replied, and the two walked a little more, and they do, the two walked and saw Zhivago with Taco Bell,

"Oh, there's Taco Bell." Pinkie Pie said, Taco Bell groaned and farted,

"What have you been eating, Taco Bell?" Zhivago asked,

"Um, yogurt." Taco Bell replied, he farted again, Pinkie Pie restrained her laughter while Angelique watched her,

"Have you ever had trouble eating dairy foods, Taco Bell?" Zhivago asked,

"Yeah." Taco Bell replied, he farted again,

"I think you may be lactose intolerant, Taco Bell." Zhivago said, Taco Bell groaned,

"Excuse me, Doctor Zhivago." Angelique said as she and Pinkie Pie trotted to them,

"Is Taco Bell alright?" Angelique asked,

"He has more flatulence then usual, but other than that, he's been fine today." Zhivago replied,

"Well, my birthday's tomorrow, and Taco Bell can't come because of his condition, so I wanted to see him and make sure he wasn't too upset." Angelique said, Taco Bell looked down,

"I'm sorry, Taco Bell, I really wish I could invite you, I'll give you some cake and ice cream after tomorrow." Angelique said,

"Um, about that, I don't think my body can digest those." Taco Bell replied,

"Oh, well, I don't know what to give you then." Angelique said,

"It's okay, Angelique, I'm sure I got something for him." Pinkie Pie said,

"Really?" Taco Bell asked, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"Thank you." Taco Bell said,

"You two should go, I need to continue treating Taco Bell." Zhivago said, and Pinkie Pie and Angelique continued their walk. Pinkie Pie and Angelique walked together and Pinkie Pie looked at her own shadow to determine what time it was, she saw her shadow was right below herself, Pinkie Pie turned around and headed to Angelique's home,

"Wait, Pinkie." Angelique said as she tried to trot to her, she tripped over her dress, she stood up and picked up her dress and trotted to her,

"Why are you heading back?" Angelique asked,

"Your birthday's tomorrow, we can celebrate it first thing in the morning if we sleep now." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Um... okay, if you say so." Angelique said, and Pinkie Pie slept.

Pinkie Pie slept an she woke up at midnight,

"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie said, Angelique shrieked and woke up,

"Happy birthday, Angelique." Pinkie Pie said,

"*chuckle* Thank you." Angelique replied,

"Come on, let's get your friends and celebrate." Pinkie Pie said, and the two ran outside. Pinkie Pie threw Angelique's birthday and Emerald, Haute Coture, Tempo, and Aquarius were in her yard, they all sat at a table that Pinkie Pie got and each one gave Angelique a present,

"Thank you, all of you." Angelique said, and Pinkie Pie played music while they all partied and had fun,

"Don't you like the night sky, Angelique?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, it's beautiful." Angelique replied, and they all danced and had fun until a gunshot was heard and Angelique's birthday cake exploded. Angelique panted and crawled to pieces of her birthday cake on the ground, she exclaimed and whined as she looked at her birthday cake and began to cry, Pinkie Pie looked and saw Foster looking through a window while cocking his shotgun and a shell fell out, Pinkie Pie growled and stomped to Foster's house. Pinkie Pie pushed the front door open with her front hoofs as hard as she could and it hit the wall,

"FOSTER!!" Pinkie Pie yelled angrily, she stomped in her home and found him,

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Foster yelled,

"YOU RUINED A BIRTHDAY!!" Pinkie Pie yelled,

"IT'S TWELVE THIRTY IN THE MORNING, PONIES ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!!" Foster yelled,

"Didn't you do birthdays late at night?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"NO!! WE ALWAYS DID BIRTHDAYS IN THE AFTERNOON!!" Foster yelled,

"What time?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Usually around three in the afternoon, birthdays done at night were done indoors." Foster replied with his voice just below yelling,

"What?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Don't tell me you didn't know that! It's common sense!" Foster said,

"But we have parties all the time, no matter what time it is." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, when I was your age, we didn't, and we only got one present." Foster said,

"That's what they did, one present for Angelique from each of her friends." Pinkie Pie replied,

"No, one present for the entire birthday." Foster said,

"*gasp* One present? What kind of birthday party only has one present?!" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Every party when I was a kid, now leave, I need my sleep." Foster replied, and Pinkie Pie walked out with her head down. Pinkie Pie went back to Angelique's home and saw her crying over her destroyed cake while Emerald, Haute Coture, Tempo, and Aquarius comforted her, Pinkie Pie trotted to the sobbing Angelique and hugged her,

"Angelique?" Zhivago asked from far away, he walked to her house and saw her, he ran to her and comforted her as well,

"I'll have a talk with Foster in the morning." Zhivago said, and they comforted Angelique while she cried, she and the other foals soon fell back asleep and Pinkie Pie carried Angelique into her bed while Zhivago carried her friends home and Pinkie Pie slept again as well.

Pinkie Pie woke up early the next morning and saw Angelique's pillow was wet,

"Angelique?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes?" Angelique asked,

"Oh, I thought you were asleep." Pinkie Pie said,

"No, I'm up." Angelique replied,

"Come here, Angelique." Pinkie Pie said, and she got out of her bed, Angelique walked to Pinkie Pie and hugged her, Angelique closed her eyes while thinking about her destroyed cake,

"If you want to, we can try again." Pinkie Pie said,

"No, I think Foster will destroy that one, too." Angelique replied,

"Come on, let's go see your friends." Pinkie Pie said, and the two went outside. Pinkie Pie and Angelique headed outside and saw Zhivago at Foster's home, he knocked on the door and Foster opened it,

"Good morning, Foster." Zhivago said,

"Hey, Zhivago, how have you been?" Foster asked with a smile on his face, Pinkie Pie's attention was caught,

"I heard about last night, I think you should apologize to Angelique." Zhivago said,

"WHAT?! You're taking her side, too?!" Foster asked,

"Now, now, Foster, you were right about her celebrating her birthday too late, but that doesn't mean you can destroy her cake, she's been very upset about it." Zhivago replied,

"Well, if she had her birthday party in the afternoon, I wouldn't have done that." Foster said,

"You still shouldn't have, you should've just had a talk with her and Pinkie Pie, and explain you and the others were trying to sleep, it would help if you stayed calm at times, Foster." Zhivago replied,

"What are you saying?" Foster asked,

"I want you to control your anger, not just for everypony, but for me as well, I would be happy if you remained calm, Foster." Zhivago replied,

"I already took up meditating." Foster said,

"Good, you're on the right track, I'll be here to help you control your anger as well." Zhivago replied, Foster smiled,

"Wait, I wanna help." Pinkie Pie said,

"It's alright, Pinkie Pie, I can help Foster on my own." Zhivago replied,

"But I got chill pills." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yeah, I might need those for now, so go on and give them to me." Foster said, and Pinkie Pie handed them over,

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie, I'll help Foster with his anger, and tell Angelique I got her a new cake and we'll celebrate after Foster's temper gets better." Zhivago said,

"Really? Thank you, Doctor Zhivago." Angelique replied,

"Come on, Foster, let's get started." Zhivago said, and the two entered his home. Pinkie Pie tried to look for a window to see what they were doing and eventually found one, she saw the two meditating and she decided to leave them be, she went back to Angelique and saw her enter her home, she entered with her and saw her making origami, Pinkie Pie joined her and tried and Angelique brought potato chips for her and Pinkie Pie to eat, Pinkie Pie looked and saw Angelique made origami of Emerald, Haute Coture, Tempo, Aquarius, Taco Bell, Foster, Zhivago, and Pinkie Pie,

"Where's you?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm making myself now." Angelique replied, and she made herself and put it on display with the others,

"*yawn* I'm a bit sleepy, I'm heading to bed." Angelique said,

"Have a nice nap, Angelique." Pinkie Pie replied, and Angelique slept. A few days passed and Pinkie Pie watched Foster try to control his own temper while Zhivago did his best to calm him, a pony with a cart hit him on his left side with his cart one day and Foster exclaimed from the pain, he growled and took a sub-machine gun out of his saddlebag and was about to fire at the cart,

"No, Foster, calm down, it was an accident." Zhivago said as he tried to put Foster's gun down, Foster growled and was about to pull the trigger, Zhivago gave Foster a chill pill and Foster refused, so Zhivago forced it into his mouth and he calmed down, he sighed and put his gun down,

"I'm sorry, Zhivago." Foster said,

"It's alright, you just started, let's keep trying." Zhivago replied, and the two left. Two days passed and Pinkie Pie and Angelique watched Foster, he managed to calm down a bit,

"It's working, Pinkie." Angelique said,

"Yes, it is, I'll be going now." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Wait, you're leaving?" Angelique asked,

"Not the neighborhood, I'm going to go see if I can help Taco Bell." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, so you'll still be here, okay, I'll come pay you a visit when I have the time." Angelique said, Pinkie Pie smiled and she left Angelique's house to go see Taco Bell.

Pinkie Pie and Smolder sat together and Pinkie Pie finished talking about Foster,

"Wow. So, did he get better?" Smolder asked,

"Yes, but it took him a while, I didn't see all the progress because I went to go help Taco Bell after Zhivago took over." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Taco Bell was the one constantly farting, right?" Smolder asked, Pinkie Pie nodded, Smolder laughed a little,

"Well, head on to your next class, Smolder, and try relaxing your mind with something fun, it might make studying easier for you next time, too." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, I still didn't know you met such a short tempered pony, a pony with a temper that bad is unusual, well, it was nice to know, I'll be going now." Smolder replied,

"Okay, good luck." Pinkie Pie said, and Smolder left, Pinkie Pie did paperwork on her desk and took a break after a few minutes, she went back to it and began to feel tired, so she began to do the things she liked to relax herself, she had fun for about fifteen minutes and went back to work and was rejuvenated, she finished and went home for the day.

Obesity and Anorexia

Pinkie Pie was at the School of Friendship and taking a break at the moment, she sat at the field and watched the students run across the track. Sandbar, Gallus, Ocellus, Smolder, Yona, and Silverstream ran together and Yona fell behind the others while they continued to run, she panted while her friends continued to run, she finished after them and was the most exhausted of the six. Lunchtime came and Pinkie Pie had lunch with the others, she saw Yona had a bigger meal than the rest of her friends and ate faster,

"Hmm, Yona like today's lunch." Yona said, and she ate the rest of her lunch. Pinkie Pie taught her class and Yona held onto her stomach while sitting in class, Pinkie Pie watched her class work and heard Yona release a small fart, she had a relieved face before it quickly changed to a face of shock and widened eyes. Gallus and Smolder were behind her and tried not to laugh at what they saw, the two had their mouths wide open but no sound came out, the two put their heads on their desks and tried not to laugh. The bell rung and everybody except Yona left while Pinkie Pie watched, Pinkie Pie turned around and began writing on the board for her next class, she heard Yona running out of the classroom and turned around, she screamed when she saw brown liquid on Yona's chair, she looked outside and saw there were no students in the hallway, so she headed to Twilight Sparkle's office,

"Oh, Pinkie, what brings you here?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"I need Yona, Smolder, and Gallus to come back to my class." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Yona, Smolder, and Gallus, please report to Pinkie Pie's class." Twilight Sparkle said on the announcements, Pinkie Pie went back to her classroom. Yona came back and cleaned her body waste off of the chair while Gallus and Smolder watched,

"There, now Gallus and Smolder, apologize to Yona." Pinkie Pie said,

"Huh? What did Gallus and Smolder do?" Yona asked,

"Yeah, see, we didn't do anything." Gallus said,

"Stop playing dumb, I saw you two laughing at Yona when she had her accident." Pinkie Pie said, Yona screamed,

"Gallus and Smolder were laughing at Yona?!" Yona asked,

"Look, I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself." Smolder said,

"Me neither, I just found it to be so funny." Gallus said,

"Well, don't laugh, you'll hurt the person's feelings, now go to class, you two." Pinkie Pie replied, and Gallus and Smolder went to class. Yona felt her own stomach and looked down,

"Yona fat, Yona have accident, Yona cannot keep up with friends in gym." Yona said,

"No, you're not, Yona, you're not overweight, you're probably just not used to physical activity like your friends." Pinkie Pie replied,

"But Yona eats more than friends." Yona said,

"That's because you're bigger than them, you have to eat more for your body to have energy, anyways, you're not overweight, I met an overweight pony a few years back, and oh, let me tell you, she was big." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Bigger than Yona?" Yona asked,

"Yup, much bigger, she had a twin brother, but he was really skinny, both were unhealthy." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Yona wanna hear." Yona said,

"Alright, here goes." Pinkie Pie replied, and she began to talk about two ponies she once met.

Pinkie Pie was walking around Equestria and saw a town, she smiled since she was out of party supplies, she trotted to the town and went to the candy store. Pinkie Pie entered the candy store and was excited, but it died down shortly after she entered,

"Huh?" Pinkie Pie said as she looked at the store,

"Where is all of the candy?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"The fat mare that lives in the cave north of here ate it all, she eats anything sweet and deep fried." the cashier replied,

"Don't you mean big boned?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I mean fat, you can't miss her." the cashier replied,

"What's her name?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Bright Smile, she's better known in this town as Fat Pig." the cashier replied, Pinkie Pie gasped,

"That's a mean name." Pinkie Pie said,

"But it suits her perfectly." the cashier replied,

"No! I am not calling her that!" Pinkie Pie said,

"Anyway, she also has a younger twin brother, his name's Joy Bringer, he lives with her." the cashier said,

"Is he overweight, too?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, he's very skinny, you can see his skeleton, we call him Bones." the cashier replied,

"Well, I'll go see them." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, make sure Fat Pig sees you so she doesn't end up sitting on you." the cashier replied, and he chuckled to himself while Pinkie Pie scowled, she left the store and headed north.

Pinkie Pie trotted north and saw a cave,

"Hello? Anypony here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Who is it?" a female voice asked,

"Um... Pinkie Pie, party planner and thrower." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Come on in." the female voice said, and Pinkie Pie entered. Pinkie Pie walked in and she heard rumbling and the ground shook, she looked and saw an earth pony coming,

"Hi there, I'm Bright Smile." the pony said, she had a teal coat, long dark orange mane and tail, purple eyes, and her cutie mark was a white plate with a whole chicken on it, Pinkie Pie gasped with her hoof on her own heart when she saw her, she had folds of fat on her entire body, and her hoofs could not be seen, and she was crawling on the ground,

"Who is it, sister?" a male voice asked, and Pinkie Pie saw another earth pony, he had a dark gray coat, long white mane and tail, gray eyes, and his cutie mark was a yellow tape measure, Pinkie Pie's eyes widened at seeing how slim he was, his bones could be seen through his skin,

"This is Joy Bringer, my little brother." Bright Smile said, Pinkie Pie looked on while a little speechless,

"Um... what happened to you two?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"My sister loves eating, she has a big appetite." Joy Bringer replied,

"I'm big boned." Bright Smile said,

"No, you are not, you don't have bones in your tummy, you have to lose weight, but don't worry, I've got food that's both nutritious and delicious." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Really?" Bright Smile asked,

"Uh-huh, you'll be slimmer in no time." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Yeah, that's not going to help me." Joy Bringer said,

"Yes, it will, you need to gain weight, so you have to eat more." Pinkie Pie replied,

"But I don't get hungry often." Joy Bringer said,

"Don't worry, I have a way around that." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What did you bring?" Joy Bringer asked,

"Well..." Pinkie Pie said, and she reached to her right side and brought forward a booth of sweets,

"Ooh, are those cupcakes? I love cupcakes." Bright Smile said and she crawled to Pinkie Pie quickly and ate the cupcakes, Pinkie Pie watched with a dropped jaw at Bright Smile eat them all,

"My sister's always like that." Joy Bringer said,

"Do you have anymore?" Bright Smile asked,

"Um, well..." Pinkie Pie said, and she walked away. Bright Smile waited and a fruitcake hanging from a string appeared in front of Bright Smile, she crawled around as fast as she could as she tried to get the cake, she crawled around the cave while Pinkie Pie sat on top of her head, she screamed when she began to sink into her fat, the cake moved up and Bright Smile jumped up and tried to grab it, but she could not jump very high, and bounced around on the ground. Bright Smile bounced around the cave while Pinkie Pie screamed, Joy Bringer moved away and Bright Smile soon landed on the back, she licked the area around her lips,

"Hmm, yummy." Bright Smile said, Pinkie Pie crawled out of her fat and had an unkempt mane and tail, she panted while she laid on the ground. Pinkie Pie watched Bright Smile gobble up the cake like a pig and got another idea,

"I've got more over there, Bright Smile." Pinkie Pie said as she held out a banana and nut muffin, Bright Smile crawled to it quickly and ate and swallowed the entire muffin without chewing it,

"Over here, Bright Smile." Pinkie Pie said as she held out a strawberry pie from the other side of the cave, Bright Smile crawled to it as fast as she could and ate it,

"Come on, Joy Bringer, you too." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm not hungry." Joy Bringer replied,

"But you're really skinny, you have to eat." Pinkie Pie said,

"Another time." Joy Bringer replied, Bright Smile gobbled up the pie,

"You have anymore?"Bright Smile asked,

"No." Pinkie Pie replied, Bright Smile groaned,

"I'll be in the back if you need me." Joy Bringer said, and he walked away. Bright Smile ate the pie and licked her own face, Pinkie Pie watched her and wondered how she will get her to lose weight, and how to get Joy Bringer to eat,

"Um... Joy Bringer, Bright Smile, can you two come with me for a minute?" Pinkie Pie asked, the two went to her,

"What is it?" Bright Smile asked,

"Come on, outside." Pinkie Pie said, and the two followed her. Pinkie Pie trotted outside and led the two to her wagon,

"Come on, Bright Smile, try sitting in it." Pinkie Pie said, and Bright Smile did, and Pinkie Pie screamed when her weight smashed the wagon, Bright Smile had an embarrassed grin while Pinkie Pie looked on with her jaw dropped,

"Sorry." Bright Smile said,

"Come on, Bright Smile, you need to exercise." Pinkie Pie said,

"I hate exercising." Bright Smile replied,

"Don't worry, I can make it fun." Pinkie Pie said, Bright Smile looked at her,

"Come on, Joy Bringer, try to pick the wagon pieces up with me." Pinkie Pie said, and he did. Joy Bringer grunted loudly as he struggled to pick up the wagon pieces for Pinkie Pie,

"Don't worry, Joy Bringer, I got some hay for you to eat in order to build some muscle." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm not hungry." Joy Bringer replied,

"No, you need to build muscle, you're almost as skinny as an apple that only has its core left, we have to get you to a healthy weight." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, I have tried eating to gain weight in the past, but my metabolism burns it all off." Joy Bringer replied,

"Don't worry, I'll think of something." Pinkie Pie said,

"Sure, just don't keep me waiting long." Joy Bringer replied,

"Come on, Bright Smile, I have an idea for you to exercise." Pinkie Pie said, and she trotted back to the cave while Bright Smile crawled on the ground and Joy Bringer walked with her. Pinkie Pie went back into the cave and waited for Bright Smile and Joy Bringer to arrive,

"Do you like music, Bright Smile?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Of course." Bright Smile replied,

"Good, then I've got just the thing to get you into shape." Pinkie Pie said, and she got earphones and a music player,

"Here, listen to this, and let your body move to the beat." Pinkie Pie said, and Bright Smile put an earphone in her right ear, she tried to put the left earphone into her left ear but it could not reach, Pinkie Pie took it away and came back with a longer one, the two fit into her ears.

"Alright, here goes." Pinkie Pie said, and she chose a song for Bright Smile to listen to. Bright Smile listened to the music and slowly tapped her hoof, she soon began to dance and then began to jump around to the music, the ground shook and Pinkie Pie and Bright Smile flew into the air, Pinkie Pie screamed as she fell up and down,

"Whoa!" Joy Bringer said as he flew into the air, Bright Smile continued to dance and she left craters in the ground and soon went outside while dancing to the beat, she continued to jump and dance but soon panted and fell. Pinkie Pie trotted outside and got took the earphones and music player,

"I'm pooped, I need to rest." Bright Smile said, and she fell asleep and snored, Joy Bringer came outside and pushed her into the cave while grunting, Pinkie Pie pushed her in with him and they were in the cave,

"Thank you." Joy Bringer said,

"You're welcome." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Our food is in the back, Bright Smile eats them, and I have the leftovers." Joy Bringer said,

"I wanna see them." Pinkie Pie replied, and Joy Bringer led the way while Pinkie Pie followed him. Pinkie Pie arrived at the back of the cave and gasped when she saw the food, she saw bubblegum, hard candies, chocolate, donuts, cookies, marshmallows, s'mores, and ice cream,

"Ooh, I want some." Pinkie Pie said,

"You have to let Bright Smile eat first, and you and I can have the leftovers." Joy Bringer replied,

"Well, you should eat some more, too." Pinkie Pie said,

"Not hungry at the moment." Joy Bringer replied,

"Your mouth doesn't water at what you see?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No." Joy Bringer replied,

"So, um... how did you and Bright Smile get the way you two are now?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Funny now that I look back, we were both healthy as kids, but once when we became teenagers, my appetite decreased, while hers increased, Bright Smile just kept eating and eating until she gained weight, her hunger never went down, and mine never went up, I just kept losing weight while she kept gaining weight, and that's how we became the way we are." Joy Bringer replied,

"It must've been hard for you two." Pinkie Pie said,

"What do you mean?" Joy Bringer asked,

"Seeing how you two are, you two must've been picked on." Pinkie Pie replied,

"We were, but my sister is picked on more than I am." Joy Bringer said, Pinkie Pie frowned,

"Well, can I eat those snacks you have there?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sure, don't eat all of it." Joy Bringer replied, and Pinkie Pie ran and began eating the snacks, Pinkie Pie munched on the sweets and ate on impulse,

"Hey, you're going to upset Bright Smile is you eat like that." Joy Bringer said, Pinkie Pie continued to eat and ate most of the chocolate, she stopped after a few minutes,

"Yum, I could go for seconds." Pinkie Pie said as she patted her own abdomen, Joy Bringer walked over to the snacks and began eating, but he chewed very slowly,

"Still not hungry?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Nope, I'm actually forcing myself to eat right now." Joy Bringer replied, Pinkie Pie watched him and tried to think of a way to get him healthy, Joy Bringer only ate two pieces of candy before switching to a different one,

"Um... what do you like to eat, Joy Bringer?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Grains, hay, and vegetables, I can't buy them due to me and my sister not having a job." Joy Bringer replied,

"Why don't you two go out and look for one?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We both got disqualified due to our weights, the rejection letters are behind me." Joy Bringer replied, Pinkie Pie looked and saw them, she trotted to them. Pinkie Pie looked through Bright Smile's and Joy Bringer's rejection letters, she looked through them and saw every letter was a rejection letter from the jobs the two applied for, and each reason was because either Bright Smile was too fat and Joy Bringer was too skinny, Pinkie Pie's heart sank when she saw one rejection letter from a job Bright Smile applied for was being a clown to entertain foals. Pinkie Pie looked back and saw Bright Smile waking up and crawling to her snacks,

"What happened to my snacks, Joy Bringer?" Bright Smile asked,

"Pinkie Pie ate some of it." Joy Bringer replied,

"Ah, okay, hope she liked them." Bright Smile said, and she began snacking on her sweets while Pinkie Pie watched her,

"What happened to all of my chocolate?" Bright Smile asked,

"Sorry, chocolate's my favorite." Pinkie Pie replied embarrassingly,

"It's alright, a lot of foals like chocolate, too, they come to me sometimes to get it." Bright Smile said, and she ate her snacks,

"Um... Bright Smile, what's your favorite thing to eat?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sugar." Bright Smile replied, Pinkie Pie got an idea,

"Um, Bright Smile, do you like fruits?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Of course." Bright Smile replied,

"Ooh, goodie, I'll be right back." Pinkie Pie said, and she dashed away and came back with more fruits,

"I got fruits, Bright Smile." Pinkie Pie said,

"Ooh, I want some." Bright Smile said as she crawled to her and began eating her apples, oranges, strawberries, bananas, pineapples, blueberries, grapefruits, grapes, watermelons, melons, tangerines, and cherries,

"Come on, Joy Bringer, you too." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm not that big of a fan of fruits." Joy Bringer replied,

"What do you like the most?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Vegetables." Joy Bringer replied,

"Um... I don't think I have any." Pinkie Pie said,

"It's fine, there's green onions growing just outside the cave." Joy Bringer replied, Bright Smile continued eating and soon stopped,

"Well, I might have you do some exercise later, build up some muscle." Pinkie Pie said,

"I lost my muscle when I became a teenager, too." Joy Bringer replied,

"Well, it's almost dark, I'm going to sleep." Pinkie Pie said,

"Goodnight." Bright Smile said,

"Goodnight." Pinkie Pie said, and she slept.

Pinkie Pie woke up the next morning and heard loud chewing, she looked and saw Bright Smile and Joy Bringer having breakfast, Bright Smile ate like a pig while Joy Bringer ate very little,

"Morning." Joy Bringer said,

"Good morning." Pinkie Pie replied, and she joined them for breakfast. Pinkie Pie took several of the sweets and ate while Bright Smile continued eating like a pig, and it distracted Pinkie Pie,

"Bright Smile, I hate to say this, but if you want to lose weight, you have to eat less." Pinkie Pie said,

"But I'm really hungry." Bright Smile replied,

"It's okay, I got tasty food that are low in calories and high in fiber, it'll make you feel full." Pinkie Pie said, Bright Smile smiled,

"Come on, Bright Smile, exercise time, time to listen to more music." Pinkie Pie said, and Bright Smile crawled to her and Pinkie Pie put the earphones back in her ears and they headed outside. Bright Smile danced to music while Pinkie Pie watched her to make sure she did not lose herself and cause destruction at nearby towns, she began to jump and shook the ground, Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she flew into the air and fell onto the ground several times. Bright Smile continued to dance and jump to the music she listened to and was oblivious to Pinkie Pie being on her head at the moment. Bright Smile lost herself to the music and danced, she began to sweat a lot while Pinkie Pie stuck to her skin. Bright Smile panted and fell onto the ground and slept, Pinkie Pie struggled to get herself unstuck and got out of Bright Smile's fat, she went back to the cave to go see Joy Bringer.

Joy Bringer was sitting on the ground and Pinkie Pie entered,

"Come on, Joy Bringer, let's get you back into shape, too." Pinkie Pie said,

"What do you have in mind?" Joy Bringer asked,

"Well, why don't we try to get you eat a bit more, little by little every day." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Sure, that sounds good." Joy Bringer said,

"Alright, I'll be giving you my treats, too." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay." Joy Bringer replied,

"Well, let's get started." Pinkie Pie said, and Joy Bringer walked to her. Pinkie Pie gave Joy Bringer foods that were high in sugar and fats, Joy Bringer forced himself to eat them so he could get healthy,

"Don't push yourself too hard, Joy Bringer." Pinkie Pie said, Joy Bringer nodded while he continued to chew slowly, he ate and swallowed slowly, he ate a cupcake next while Pinkie Pie had a rack full of them, he smiled at how they tasted and chewed slowly,

"I must say, this is the best cupcake I've ever eaten. Where did you buy this?" Joy Bringer asked,

"I didn't, I made it myself." Pinkie Pie replied,

"You're a baker?" Joy Bringer asked,

"Hmm-mm." Pinkie Pie replied while nodding,

"I could get used to this." Joy Bringer said,

"I got pies, too." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'd like to try one." Joy Bringer said, and Pinkie Pie gave him lemon pie, he ate it and smiled,

"This is good." Joy Bringer said, Pinkie Pie smiled. Crawling was heard and Bright Smile came into the cave,

"Ooh, you brought some pies and cupcakes, gimme, gimme, gimme." Bright Smile said as she crawled to them and ate them,

"*chuckle* Don't worry, Bright Smile, I got special recipes for weight loss confectioneries, they'll taste mostly the same as my usual things." Pinkie Pie said, Bright Smile nodded while smiling,

"Thanks, Pinkie Pie, my sister will greatly appreciate it." Joy Bringer said,

"Come on, Joy Bringer, let's continue on getting you to a healthy weight." Pinkie Pie said, and Joy Bringer ate a little more, Bright Smile's mouth watered at seeing Pinkie Pie with the cupcakes and pies, she tried to restrain herself but could not, she crawled to the cupcakes and pies and began eating them while Pinkie Pie exclaimed,

"One reason why my sister got big, she can't restrain herself from sweets." Joy Bringer said,

"Alright, um, we're going to have to work on that, I have trouble resisting sweets, too." Pinkie Pie replied, and Bright Smile ate the confectioneries. Pinkie Pie got her non-sweet ingredients and gave them to Joy Bringer, he was eating cheese now,

"What kind of cheese is this?" Joy Bringer asked,

"Cheddar cheese, good for apple pie." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Bleh, I don't like cheese." Bright Smile said, Joy Bringer ate and he stopped after a while and sighed,

"I'm full." Joy Bringer said, and Pinkie Pie put the remaining cheese with the other food. Bright Smile and Joy Bringer rested while Pinkie Pie smiled and watched, clamoring was heard outside and their attentions were caught,

"*gasp* The foals are here." Bright Smile said, and she got her snacks and went outside, Pinkie Pie headed outside. Pinkie Pie went outside and saw Bright Smile with excited foals,

"Quiet, one at a time please." Bright Smile said, and she handed out her candies,

"Alright, Mallomars for Sugar Plum, peanut butter chocolate for Angel, marshmallows for Starry Night." Bright Smile said as she gave out her confectioneries to the foals, Pinkie Pie watched and saw the foals having snacks while Bright Smile handed them out, Joy Bringer walked out and saw the foals,

"Bright Smile always gives the foals her snacks after school, she has to do it in secret, though." Joy Bringer said,

"Why?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Their parents don't want them to be anywhere near us because of how we look." Joy Bringer replied, Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped a little while Bright Smile gave her snacks out,

"Thank you." the foals said,

"You all are welcome, just don't tell your parents." Bright Smile replied, and the foals walked away. Pinkie Pie watched Bright Smile crawl back into the cave and she yawned and laid down on her back,

"I'm tired, little brother, wake me up when the sun begins to set." Bright Smile said,

"Okay." Joy Bringer replied, he then looked and saw Bright Smile was almost out of snacks,

"Come on, Pinkie Pie, we have to buy snacks for Bright Smile, she wants to eat when she gets up." Joy Bringer said,

"Ooh, I know, let's get some fruits." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Alright, I'll show you the way, but you'll have to pay since I'm currently low on bits." Joy Bringer said, Pinkie Pie looked and saw they only had four bits,

"Okay." Pinkie Pie said, and the two walked out of the cave.

Pinkie Pie and Joy Bringer traveled to town and the adult ponies took their foals into their homes,

"Look, everypony, Bones is here." a stallion said, and the adult ponies came out of their homes and threw sweet and unhealthy food at him,

"Here's your food, Bones, go on and eat up." a mare said in a condescending tone, Joy Bringer shielded himself from the food thrown at him while Pinkie Pie grabbed him and the two went to the store. Pinkie Pie and Joy Bringer went to the store and looked for fruits,

"Here they are." Pinkie Pie said, and she got them, the two went to the cashier,

"You sure you don't want any trans fat food, Bones?" the cashier asked,

"Yeah, I'm sure." Joy Bringer replied,

"Really? You'll gain weight faster if you buy trans fats and deep fried food." the cashier said,

"I'm fine, you know I don't like that stuff." Joy Bringer replied,

"Well, alright then, the fruits will be twenty five bits." the cashier said, and Pinkie Pie paid him,

"Wait, I thought I recognized you, so you're actually hanging out with him and his sister." the cashier said,

"They're very friendly." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, nonetheless, stuff are yours now, good day." the cashier said, and she and Joy Bringer left the store. Pinkie Pie and Joy Bringer went back outside and the stallions and mares began throwing food and drinks at him,

"Here, eat up, Bones." a stallion said, the other ponies then laughed, a stallion threw a dumbbell at Joy Bringer and he grunted when it hit him in the head and knocked him down, Pinkie Pie gasped and checked him,

"Don't forget to lose the weight and get in shape." the stallion who threw the dumbbell at him said, and the other adult ponies laughed, Pinkie Pie picked up Joy Bringer and took him to the cave while the adult ponies threw food and dumbbells at them.

Pinkie Pie and Joy Bringer arrived back at the cave and Joy Bringer ate a little bit of the fruits,

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, my sister has it worse, though." Joy Bringer replied,

"How's your head?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Throbbing." Joy Bringer replied, and he ate more fruits before going to lay down,

"I need to rest, my head hurts." Joy Bringer said,

"Okay." Pinkie Pie replied, and Joy Bringer fell asleep. Pinkie Pie watched Joy Bringer sleep and his head still throbbed, Pinkie Pie ate a few fruits while she watched, she heard loud yawning behind her and saw Bright Smile wake up,

"Ooh, you all got me fruits, you shouldn't have." Bright Smile said, and she ate them quickly and only chewing about two or three times before swallowing, Pinkie Pie watched with discomfort at seeing Bright Smile eat so quickly, she soon finished all of the fruits and went to eating her snacks. Pinkie Pie watched and Bright Smile was soon out of snacks,

"Oh, I'm out." Bright Smile said,

"That's good." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Huh?" Bright Smile asked,

"You can now focus on fruits and lose weight." Pinkie Pie said,

"I guess, I'll give it a try." Bright Smile replied,

"Okay, I'll go buy some more fruits." Pinkie Pie said, and she left. Pinkie Pie went to the store and bought more fruits, she came back with more fruits and Bright Smile ate them,

"Ready to dance some more?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I'm tired." Bright Smile replied, and she sat a bit and watched her brother sleep while Pinkie Pie smiled.

Two days passed and the days were still the same and Bright Smile has stopped eating her snacks and Joy Bringer ate more, Joy Bringer was eating fruits and Bright Smile groaned,

"I don't feel well." Bright Smile said, Pinkie Pie and Joy Bringer looked at her and saw her sweating and shaking, her snout was runny as well,

"You'll just have to endure it, Bright Smile, it'll go away after a few days or weeks." Pinkie Pie said,

"A few weeks?! That's too long!" Bright Smile said,

"Okay, um, I'll give you something sweet every once in a while." Pinkie Pie replied,

"But I want it now." Bright Smile said,

"You're just going to have to wait, I'll give you your fruits soon." Pinkie Pie replied,

"No, I don't want fruits, I want sugar." Bright Smile said,

"Oh, well, I don't have any." Pinkie Pie replied, Bright Smile groaned sadly while Joy Bringer continued to eat slowly,

"I'm full." Joy Bringer said, and he walked away while Pinkie Pie gave the fruits to Bright Smile,

"Here you go." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thank you." Bright Smile said, and she ate the fruits while Pinkie Pie watched. Bright Smile ate the fruits slowly as she chewed them thoroughly,

"Don't like them?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Not really." Bright Smile replied, and she chewed the fruits slowly and struggled to swallow them. Pinkie Pie watched Bright Smile chew slowly and she swallowed the last fruit and sighed with relief,

"Wanna dance?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sure." Bright Smile replied, and Pinkie Pie got her music player and earphones and put them on Bright Smile and played a song. Bright Smile jumped up and down to the music while Pinkie Pie watched her carefully, she danced and shook the ground, Pinkie Pie and Joy Bringer flew into the air and fell every time Bright Smile jumped,

"Whoa!" Pinkie Pie said as she fell onto the ground, Bright Smile continued dancing to the music,

"What songs do you have on there anyway?" Joy Bringer asked,

"Songs played, sang, and recorded all by myself." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Are they covers of other songs?" Joy Bringer asked,

"Nope, all original songs by me." Pinkie Pie replied, Bright Smile continued dancing and jumping around to the music,

"*chuckle* I haven't seen her that happy in years." Joy Bringer said, Pinkie Pie smiled and she watched Bright Smile dance with a smile on her face. Bright Smile danced a bit and stopped and panted shortly after, she crawled back into the cave and fell asleep,

"Well, I guess we found a speed we're comfortable with." Joy Bringer said, Pinkie Pie smiled and she continued to help the two with their weights.

A week passed and Joy Bringer was eating oranges and pears, Pinkie Pie was getting food for them from the town and the foals stopped coming by since Bright Smile no longer had any snacks with her, she groaned and sweated as she watched Pinkie Pie and Joy Bringer,

"You okay, Bright Smile?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I need sugar." Bright Smile replied while slurring,

"Okay, I'll give you the fruits after your brother's done." Pinkie Pie said,

"No, white sugar." Bright Smile replied while slurring, Pinkie Pie continued to watch Joy Bringer eat fruits,

"Argh! I can't take it anymore!" Bright Smile said, and she crawled out of the cave as fast as she could,

"Wait. Bright Smile." Pinkie Pie said as she ran out for her. Bright Smile crawled into the town while Pinkie Pie went after her, the stallions and the mares in the town began throwing junk food at Bright Smile,

"Here's your weight gain diet, Fat Pig." a mare said, and they continued to throw food at her,

"Come on, Fat Pig, eat." a stallion said, and he began making pig sounds, Bright Smile covered herself while the ponies threw food at her. A stallion ran to her and shoved chocolate cake into her mouth,

"Here, eat like the pig you are." the stallion said and she gagged as he force fed chocolate cake into her mouth and the adult ponies laughed, Pinkie Pie ran to Bright Smile and pushed her back to the cave while tears fell from her eyes and the ponies in the town laughed. Pinkie Pie brought Bright Smile back into the cave while she cried, Joy Bringer ran to her and comforted her,

"See, Pinkie Pie? That's why Bright Smile doesn't go out often." Joy Bringer said, Pinkie Pie checked Bright Smile's mouth and wiped the chocolate cake off, Joy Bringer comforted her while she cried,

"Where are the foals?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Their parents told them not to befriend us since we're freaks, they won't be seeing us anymore now that Bright Smile no longer has any candy." Joy Bringer replied, Pinkie Pie frowned while she watched Joy Bringer comfort Bright Smile, she looked and saw Bright Smile did not gain any weight, the two rested and Pinkie Pie fell asleep.

A week passed and Bright Smile and Joy Bringer stayed in the cave while Pinkie Pie traveled out to get food for them, she got watermelons from the store and gave them to Joy Bringer to eat first,

"Thank you." Joy Bringer said, and he ate the watermelons. Bright Smile watched as her mouth watered, her muscles still ached from not having sugar, she groaned in pain while her muscles hurt,

"Hold on, Bright Smile, I'll be there shortly." Pinkie Pie said, Bright Smile groaned a little more and Joy Bringer finished eating. Pinkie Pie gave the remaining fruits to Bright Smile and she struggled to eat,

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I don't have the energy to do anything." Bright Smile replied, and she ate very slowly, she stopped and groaned while some of the chewed up strawberries fell out of her mouth, Pinkie Pie checked her and saw she was tired, Bright Smile laid down and Joy Bringer went to lay with her, Pinkie Pie looked and her attention was caught, Bright Smile was getting thinner and Joy Bringer was gaining weight,

"Bright Smile, Joy Bringer, your bodies are changing." Pinkie Pie said,

"I don't feel well, though." Bright Smile replied,

"Me neither." Joy Bringer said,

"Give it time, you two, it'll go away." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I hope so, I'm going to sleep now." Bright Smile said, and she fell asleep and snored, Joy Bringer laid down next to her and he soon fell asleep, Pinkie Pie trotted to them and slept with them.

Two days passed and Pinkie Pie bought a new wagon that morning,

"Bright Smile, Joy Bringer, I need you two out here." Pinkie Pie said, the two walked outside,

"I need you two to sit on the wagon and see how it holds." Pinkie Pie said, Joy Bringer sat on the left side and the wagon was stable, Bright Smile sat on the right side and the wagon leaned and fell over onto its side,

"Sorry." Bright Smile said embarrassingly,

"It's okay." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two got out of the wagon while Pinkie Pie pushed it back up,

"It's alright, Bright Smile, no damage." Pinkie Pie said, Bright Smile smiled,

"Well, I have to get going, I have to throw somepony's birthday today." Pinkie Pie said,

"Do you really have to go, Pinkie Pie?" Bright Smile asked,

"Sorry, but yes." Pinkie Pie replied, Bright Smile frowned,

"Hi, Bright Smile." a bunch of foals said, she looked and saw them waving at her, she waved back,

"Wow, you and Joy Bringer look a little different." a filly said,

"Yes, Pinkie Pie helped us get a little healthier." Joy Bringer replied,

"I have to get going, so it's up to you foals to start helping them now." Pinkie Pie said, the foals smiled,

"Are you going to come back?" a colt asked,

"I'll try to." Pinkie Pie replied, and she turned around,

"Well, time for me to go, bye, everypony." Pinkie Pie said, and she walked out of town while Bright Smile, Joy Bringer, and the foals said bye to her and waved at her.

Pinkie Pie and Yona were sitting in class together,

"I would go on longer, but I shouldn't keep you from your next class." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yona wanna know what happened to Bright Smile and Joy Bringer." Yona said,

"They're still not a healthy weight, but not as bad as before." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Ponies not average weight yet?" Yona asked,

"No, of course not, curing obesity and anorexia takes a very long time, some ponies never fix it in their entire life." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Does Bright Smile exercise?" Yona asked,

"Through dancing, I think cardio and weight lifting is too tiring for her, and Joy Bringer doesn't have the energy." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Yona feel better now, thanks." Yona said,

"You're welcome, head to your next class now." Pinkie Pie replied, and Yona left the classroom. Pinkie Pie looked at her sweets and snacks and smiled, while she did enjoy them, she moderated herself on how much she ate, and hoped Bright Smile and Joy Bringer would contact her eventually.

The Mute Singer

Pinkie Pie was working at Sugarcube Corner and was baking while her friends sat and relaxed, Star Pony was there to help her, he grunted loudly as he walked with a bag of flour on his back, he panted and sweated as he walked slowly,

"Whoa!" Star Pony said as he got tired and began to fall, Pinkie Pie grabbed him from the sides and held him up, more hoofs grabbed him from the front and he saw Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack holding him up,

"Take a break, Star Pony, you will exhaust yourself at this rate." Rainbow Dash said, Star Pony looked down,

"The abuse from your parents made you weaker and have less stamina than the average earth pony, you shouldn't push yourself too hard." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Come on, Star Pony, let's take a break." Pinkie Pie said, and Star Pony sat in a chair while Pinkie Pie and her friends helped him walk,

"There, nice and easy now." Applejack said as she lifted him into the chair,

"Thanks." Star Pony said,

"Yer welcome, we'll be back for ya later." Applejack replied, and the five mares left. Pinkie Pie worked around Sugarcube Corner while Star Pony sat and got up after several minutes, she heard rubbing and looked at Star Pony, he was painting,

"What are you painting, Star Pony?" Pinkie Pie asked as she walked to him,

"Just blotches, my guardians decided I should try it." Star Pony replied, Pinkie Pie looked and saw Star Pony just pressing the paintbrush against the canvas,

"I know a pony who can possibly help, Star Pony." Pinkie Pie said,

"I know, you already told me about Ross." Star Pony replied,

"What about Beethooven?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"You already talked about him, too." Star Pony replied,

"How about Callas?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, you never mentioned that person." Star Pony replied,

"Well, she's a childhood friend of Beethooven and Ross, she lost her voice due to an illness." Pinkie Pie said,

"Was she a public speaker?" Star Pony asked,

"No, she was a singer." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, that's a bummer." Star Pony said,

"Anyway, I helped her, too, so get ready for a story." Pinkie Pie replied, and she talked about Callas.

Pinkie Pie was heading to somepony's home after getting a letter of request from Beethooven to help a friend of his, she arrived at the address on the paper and knocked on the door, it opened and a female earth pony came out, she had a peach colored coat, long black mane and tail, brown eyes, and her cutie mark was a pair of red lips that was open and black musical notes were coming out of it,

"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, are you Callas?" Pinkie Pie asked, the mare nodded,

"Beethooven sent me." Pinkie Pie said, Callas smiled and stepped aside and held her hoof out to welcome Pinkie Pie in and she entered. Pinkie Pie entered the home and saw many trophies, she looked and saw they were all for having a good singing voice,

"You're a singer?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas nodded slowly while looking down,

"What's the matter?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas pointed at a diagram and Pinkie Pie looked, she saw a picture of Callas' throat, her vocal chords were abnormal, she looked and saw a doctor's note on there and read it,

"Oh, you lost your voice from an illness." Pinkie Pie said, Callas nodded,

"Are you in therapy?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas shook her head,

"Well..., I'll see what I can do." Pinkie Pie said, Callas smiled and Pinkie Pie walked to her kitchen. Pinkie Pie went through Callas' kitchen and looked for ingredients while trying to remember Cloudy Quartz's home remedies,

"Did cinnamon... no, I don't think cinnamon worked for getting voices back. Ginger... no, that doesn't sound right." Pinkie Pie said as she went through Callas' ingredients and spices, she walked and saw Pinkie Pie was making a mess,

"Uh-huh, here it is, garlic." Pinkie Pie said, and she walked to the exit but stopped when she saw Callas glaring at her,

"*chuckle* Sorry, I'll clean up the mess when I'm done, I promise." Pinkie Pie said, Callas continued to glare while Pinkie Pie held her hoof out and Callas took the garlic and walked out of the kitchen. Pinkie Pie went through more of Callas' ingredients in hopes of finding other things she can use to help Callas get her voice back,

"Let's see... ooh, honey, I remember that working." Pinkie Pie said and she put it on the counter, she went through more of the kitchen and found some salt, she finished going through and cleaned up, she finished cleaning and left the kitchen to go check on Callas. Pinkie Pie walked to the living room and saw Callas eating the garlic, she forced herself to eat the garlic and managed to without coughing,

"You feel any better?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas stood up and walked to her kitchen and saw it was all neat and tidy, she smiled and turned back and nodded,

"Well, I also found some things that could help, too, I thought honey might help." Pinkie Pie said, Callas smiled,

"Also, this, salt, gargle this in water, and your voice should come back." Pinkie Pie said, Callas got a sheet of paper and a pencil and wrote, she showed the note to Pinkie Pie,

"How do you know all of this?" the note read,

"My mom made these at home for medicine." Pinkie Pie said, Callas had a surprised facial expression,

"Well, come on, Callas, let's get you some water." Pinkie Pie said, and she filled a cup of water and gave it to Callas. Pinkie Pie and Callas were in the living room and Pinkie Pie went through Callas' picture book while she sat on the couch and drank the glass of water,

"Wow, you, Beethooven, and Ross must've been really good friends." Pinkie Pie said, Callas nodded while smiling, Pinkie Pie continued looking into the picture book and saw the three change as they got older, she saw Ross lost his eyesight after a while and began wearing sunglasses,

"Did you lose your voice before Ross lost his eyesight?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas shook her head,

"After?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas nodded,

"What about Beethooven? Did he lose his hearing before you lost your voice?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas shook her head,

"Oh, so he lost his hearing after you lost your voice." Pinkie Pie said, Callas nodded, Pinkie Pie continued looking through the pictures and soon got to the end, the three looked just like how they did now,

"Um... who's the oldest between you three?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas pointed at Beethooven,

"Who's the youngest?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas pointed at Ross,

"And you're the one in the middle." Pinkie Pie said, Callas nodded and drank more warm water,

"Say, um, Callas, what have you been taking for your voice before I came here?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas walked to get a bottle of pills and showed it to Pinkie Pie, she looked and saw it was ibuprofen,

"Anything else?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas shook her head,

"Well, I'll try to recall my mom's remedies in the meantime, I'll be practicing tricks outside for my next party until lunchtime." Pinkie Pie said, and she trotted outside while Callas sipped her warm water.

Pinkie Pie was outside and began dancing to a song that she played on a record player, Pinkie Pie did a dance routine and began adding in materials to her dance, she began using pompoms first, and then a ribbon wand, and then a rose in her mouth, Pinkie Pie kept dancing by throwing her front legs around and balancing herself on her hind legs, she jumped up and down while kicking her hind legs up. Callas went outside and saw Pinkie Pie practicing her dance routine, she watched her as Pinkie Pie continued practicing, Pinkie Pie stopped and panted, she turned off the record player,

"Okay, break time." Pinkie Pie said as she panted, she sat on the ground and looked at the clouds in the sky, she guessed what shape the clouds were while Callas watched her, she smiled and went back into her home while Pinkie Pie looked at the clouds in the sky, knocking was heard to Pinkie Pie's left and she looked and saw Callas, she held a plate of food,

"Lunchtime?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas nodded, Pinkie Pie stood up and walked into the house with Callas.

Pinkie Pie sat at a table with Callas and she served fruits, nuts, and a jar of honey, she began to eat like a pig while Callas glared at her,

"Tasty." Pinkie Pie said, and she ate quickly and stuffed her mouth while Callas continued to glare at her, Pinkie Pie finished and swallowed every food at once,

"Ah, hit the spot, I'm going to go take a nappy now." Pinkie Pie said as she walked away, Callas threw an almond at Pinkie Pie to get her attention, she looked and held her hoofs out to the plates,

"Oh, sorry." Pinkie Pie said, and she took her dishes to the kitchen to wash them and then took a nap. Pinkie Pie slept and woke up a few hours later, she stretched and yawned,

"Wow, I slept like a log." Pinkie Pie said, she looked and saw Callas drinking more water,

"Oh, right, that reminds me, Callas, I remembered one of my mom's home remedies, you can cure your voice faster by inhaling steam." Pinkie Pie said, Callas raised an eyebrow,

"I'm serious, my mom really did say that." Pinkie Pie said, Callas remained suspicious but left to the kitchen heated up a pot of water, she finished and began inhaling the steam, she noticed her vocal chords felt relieved, Callas smiled and inhaled a little more steam, she heard Pinkie Pie singing in the living room and went to go see her. Pinkie Pie sang to practice rehearsing for her next song to sing, she warmed up her voice and began singing the words, Callas touched her shoulder from behind and Pinkie Pie looked at her, she shook her head and inhaled and exhaled slowly through her snout,

"What are you doing?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas got a piece of paper and wrote on it and showed it to Pinkie Pie,

"If you wish, I can teach you how to sing better." the note read,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie said, Callas smiled and she breathed through her snout, Pinkie Pie copied her, Callas opened her mouth and showed her tongue being on her palate, Pinkie Pie did the same thing,

"Hey, this changed my voice." Pinkie Pie said, Callas smiled and touched her own throat with her hoof and pressed on it very lightly, Pinkie Pie put pressure on her throat and vocalized, her voice sounded different, Callas nodded while smiling, Pinkie Pie continued practicing on improving her singing while Callas gave her advice and used sign language and wrote down notes to help her. Pinkie Pie sang while Callas listened and instructed her non-verbally, she began to cough and could not sing anymore, Callas smiled and touched Pinkie Pie's shoulder and let her sit, she left to make tea and brought it to Pinkie Pie, she smiled and drank it and let her voice rest. Pinkie Pie rested until it was time to have dinner, she had vegetables, nuts, and more water, she ate slower than before while Callas watched her, Pinkie Pie chewed slowly since she did not like vegetables as much as she liked the fruits,

"This is good, Callas." Pinkie Pie said while straining her own vocal chords, Callas shook her head and touched her own throat, Pinkie Pie nodded and ate the vegetables, she finished and swallowed the last vegetable, she began to eat the nuts slowly as well, she finished and took the dishes to the kitchen to wash them, she finished and laid down on the floor and slept while Callas went to bed shortly after she did.

Pinkie Pie woke up the next morning and heard a soprano voice singing, she walked forward and saw Callas sitting in front of a record player while drinking water and the record player played,

"Is that your voice?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas nodded,

"Wow, your voice is beautiful." Pinkie Pie said, Callas smiled and Pinkie Pie sat with her to listen to the singing, Pinkie Pie tried to mimic the singing but could not, Callas smiled while she watched her, they listened and it finished while Pinkie Pie clapped, Callas smiled and put the record away and got her saddlebag, she told Pinkie Pie to come with her with a gesture of her hoof,

"Where are we going?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas walked outside and Pinkie Pie followed her. Pinkie Pie and Callas were at a store and Callas was buying fruits, Pinkie Pie looked for candy to buy for her next party, she bought a few streamers and confetti as well, she found several balloons and took them, she continued getting party supplies while Callas was trying to buy the fruits, she held her hoof up to do sign language,

"Can't you speak?" the cashier asked, Callas opened her mouth and pointed at it with one hoof and had her other hoof on her throat,

"You lost your voice?" the cashier asked, Callas nodded,

"Okay, what are you buying?" the cashier asked, Callas pushed the fruits forward,

"How many?" the cashier asked, Callas gave him an unamused look,

"All of them?" the cashier asked, Callas nodded,

"Okay, um... go ahead and pay." the cashier said, and Callas put her bits on the counter, the cashier looked at them,

"Um... can you count up the bits for me?" the cashier asked, Callas clutched and shook her head and looked down, Pinkie Pie dashed over to help,

"Do you work here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, today's my first day." the cashier replied,

"Okay, I'll count the bits." Pinkie Pie said, and she did,

"Fifteen bits." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, um... that sounds right, hold on." the cashier said, and he put the fruits in a brown bag,

"Here you go." the cashier said, and Callas took the bag while smiling,

"That reminds me, I'm your next customer." Pinkie Pie said, and Callas reeled back in shock at seeing how many things Pinkie Pie was going to buy since her groceries were stacked to the ceiling,

"Relax, Callas, I got my own money." Pinkie Pie said, and she took bits out of her mane and gave it to the cashier,

"Hold on... yeah, that looks like the right amount, have a good day." the cashier said, and the two left the store.

Pinkie Pie put her things outside and continued practicing for her next party while Callas watched while drinking a glass of warm water, Pinkie Pie did her dance routine and pulled it off almost perfectly, she then began to sing the way Callas taught her and her singing improved, she continued to practice singing and dancing and eventually finished, she went on to put the party supplies she bought into her party cannon and to Callas watched with surprise to see it all fit into her party cannon,

"There, I think I got it all down." Pinkie Pie said, and she put her things away and went into the house to have lunch with Callas. Pinkie Pie ate the fruits messily but slower than yesterday, she finished and began eating the nuts but chewed them slower,

"I'm not used to eating nuts by themselves like this." Pinkie Pie said with her mouth full while she examined the taste, Maria got a pencil and paper and wrote a note to Pinkie Pie,

"What did you eat growing up as a child?" the note read,

"You really wanna know?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas nodded,

"Rocks." Pinkie Pie said, Callas' eyes widened,

"I'm serious, I really did grow up eating rocks." Pinkie Pie said, Callas' jaw dropped a little, Pinkie Pie began eating the nuts again and drank the water, she finished and went to go wash the dishes while Callas put a bit of honey on her fruits and nuts. Pinkie Pie washed the dishes while she looked outside through a window and saw nothing but a field of grass, she finished washing the dishes and went back to go see Callas,

"Is your voice back yet, Callas?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas shook her head,

"Oh, well, I'll be sitting around if you need my help." Pinkie Pie said, and she walked away and sat on the floor. Pinkie Pie sat on the floor and looked at the pictures on the wall, she saw pictures of Callas with those she sang with along with more pictures of Beethooven and Ross, she focused on a picture of the three and saw Beethooven was conducting music with others playing, Ross was painting the background of the concert, and Callas was in front of the symphony and singing into a microphone,

"Ooh, that looks like a fun night." Pinkie Pie said, Callas walked into the room and saw Pinkie Pie looking at the picture of her doing a concert with Beethooven and Ross, Callas smiled at seeing the picture,

"Must have been a great day." Pinkie Pie said, Callas nodded while smiling even wider, she left and came back with a note and gave it to Pinkie Pie,

"That was the only concert Beethooven, Ross, and I ever did together, I was the singer, Beethooven was the music composer and conductor, and Ross was the stage and costume designer, the concert was a big hit and Beethooven and I rose to fame and stardom while Ross was already famous with his paintings, we never did another one because Ross lost his sight shortly afterwards." the note read, Callas got the record player back out and got the record player of that picture out, she played the song and Pinkie Pie swayed side-to-side to listening to the music, the music finished and Pinkie Pie clapped,

"I wanna learn how to sing like that." Pinkie Pie said, Callas smiled and did sign language and gestures with her hoofs to teach Pinkie Pie, she focused on positioning her throat right and let out a sound each time to see how her voice sounded, Callas instructed her non-verbally and nodded when Pinkie Pie let out the sound of an opera singer, Callas smiled while Pinkie Pie sang and she stopped after a while,

"I need a drink." Pinkie Pie said, and Callas let her take a sip of her water, she tried to sing again but could not, Callas touched her shoulder that told her to take a break and she did. Pinkie Pie rested while Callas continued to drink warm water and inhale the steam, she felt her own throat to see if her vocal chords were healed yet,

"Well?" Pinkie Pie asked with strain in her voice, Callas shook her head, Pinkie Pie smiled while she waited and Callas walked out of the room. Pinkie Pie got her energy back and went outside to practice her dance routine, she made sure not to make a sound so she does not end up hurting her own vocal chords, she did a dance that was a cross between ribbon dancing and ballet, Callas arrived outside and watched her practice, she smiled as she saw Pinkie Pie do the dance moves almost flawlessly, Pinkie Pie spun around and twirled the ribbon around above her head after she finished spinning, she sweated and turned the music off, she panted and walked back into the home slowly while Callas gave her a glass of water and she drank it. Pinkie Pie had dinner with Callas and ate and drank slowly again,

"Say, Callas, is there a reason why you live all the way out here on your own?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas wrote a note and showed it to Pinkie Pie,

"I just like the peace and quiet, I'm not a people pony." the note read,

"Do you get many visitors here?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas shook her head,

"Well, I'll try to leave soon, I still have parties to throw." Pinkie Pie said, and Callas went to the kitchen to get another cup of water while Pinkie Pie rested and passed out on the chair, Callas saw her asleep and covered her with a blanket and stayed up a little before going to bed when the sun set.

Three days passed and Pinkie Pie was having breakfast with Callas, she finished and felt her own throat, she tried making a few sounds and noticed her voice was back,

"*gasp* It worked!" Pinkie Pie said, Callas did a gesture that told her to wait, she began to warm up her voice and began vocalizing with her voice, she stopped a few seconds later,

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked, Callas nodded,

"I need to rest my voice a little more." Callas said in a whisper, Pinkie Pie smiled and Callas continued eating fruits, nuts, honey, and a little bit of garlic and drank warm water and inhaled steam to get her voice back faster, two days passed and Callas tried to sing and she sang perfectly,

"Yay! Your voice is finally back." Pinkie Pie said as she clapped her hoofs, Callas sang a bit and stopped,

"Well, yes, but I don't have as much energy as before, I have to practice again." Callas said,

"You want me to stay and watch you get better?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, it's fine, you should get going to whatever party you're practicing for." Callas replied,

"About that, that was practice for any birthday party, there is no party for me to throw at the moment." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, you should go look for one, I think a foal will appreciate having you around." Callas replied,

"Did you like having me around?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Well, aside from an unsatisfactory first impression, yes, I did enjoy having you around a bit." Callas replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"I need to rest my voice now, Pinkie Pie, I'm still recovering, go on now, and tell Beethooven and Ross I said hi." Callas said, and she walked away, Pinkie Pie went outside, packed her things, and left.

Pinkie Pie sat with Star Pony while he took a break from painting,

"Shortly after that, Callas tried singing again, but she still has to take it easy so she doesn't lose her voice again." Pinkie Pie said,

"Can she sing again?" Star Pony asked,

"Well, yes, but she's not as good as she used to be." Pinkie Pie replied,

"How about you? I heard you sing a lot." Star Pony said,

"I do, she was one of my teachers for singing songs, I still use what she taught me for my songs here when I throw parties." Pinkie Pie said,

"What is she doing now?" Star Pony asked,

"I don't know, I haven't heard from her." Pinkie Pie replied; the door opened and Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack came in,

"We're back, Star Pony." Fluttershy said, and they went to him, they put weights on him,

"Here you go, darling, it'll hurt at first, but once when you get accustomed to it, you'll be stronger than before." Rarity said, and Star Pony walked slowly and had a little trouble, he soon began to sweat and had to rest,

"Give it time, Star Pony, I'm sure you'll get better in about a week or two." Twilight Sparkle said,

"I hope so." Star Pony said,

"Come on, Star Pony, let's try one more time." Rainbow Dash said, and he did. Star Pony tried to walk to build strength while the six mares held him and helped him move,

"There, that's all for now, let's try again tomorrow." Twilight Sparkle said, and the five mares left while Pinkie Pie took the weights off of Star Pony,

"I should head on home, my guardians will be worried if I'm not home by dark." Star Pony said,

"Alright, go on then." Pinkie Pie replied, and Star Pony walked to the train station.

Two weeks passed and Pinkie Pie was in Sugarcube Corner, she heard music and singing outside and she went, she saw a concert being held in Ponyville, she saw Callas singing and went over to watch and stood beside Rarity, they listened to Callas sing and the concert finished, everypony cheered while Callas bowed and then drank a glass of water, she waved at Pinkie Pie and she waved back, they finished the concert and everypony went home with Pinkie Pie satisfied to see Callas singing again.

Fading Talent

Pinkie Pie was doing a party in Ponyville for a foal's birthday,

"Watch this, everypony." Pinkie Pie ordered, and she lit a piece of paper on fire and it changed to a dove and flew away, the foals clapped,

"And now for my next trick." Pinkie Pie declared, and she bent and contorted her body and put her hoofs together as her knees joints bent backwards,

"Ta-da!" Pinkie Pie said, the ponies clapped, she then took out a dummy of Twilight Sparkle,

"Pinkie, return me to my original body." Pinkie Pie said in Twilight Sparkle's voice as she made it look like the dummy said it,

"Oh, relax, Twilight, it's just for the show." Pinkie Pie said in her regular voice,

"Return me to my regular body now!" Pinkie Pie demanded in Twilight Sparkle's voice, and she put the puppet away, she looked at Twilight Sparkle,

"Don't do that ever again, Pinkie." Twilight Sparkle stated sternly, Pinkie Pie went back to her show, she took out a red balloon and she tied it and began twisting and shaping it, she made it into an alicorn,

"Ta-da!" Pinkie Pie said, the ponies clapped as she gave it to the birthday foal, she then began dancing and did many flips and somersaults while Twilight Sparkle made trapezes appear with her magic, she finished and posed triumphantly while the ponies clapped,

"And now, last, but not least, I'm going to escape a death trap. Twilight, would you kindly?" Pinkie Pie asked, and she made a bed appear, she laid on it while a rope holding a dagger above her hung and was lit on fire while Pinkie Pie was cuffed to the bed. Pinkie Pie began grunting as she tried to break the cuffs, the foals cheered her on while she focused, she pulled her front right hoof back and broke the cuff's chain, she did the same with the other three cuffs and she rolled off of the bed just when the fire burned the rope and the dagger stabbed the bed, she stood up and held her front legs out triumphantly while the ponies cheered. The party ended while Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie bowed,

"You need to deliver your line a little harsher next time." Pinkie Pie stated,

"What? I can't do that to my friend." Twilight Sparkle remarked,

"Oh, relax, it's just a show, Twilight, no hard feelings." Pinkie Pie said,

"Still." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"Well, let's go, better luck next time, Twilight." Pinkie Pie stated, and Twilight Sparkle went home while she went to Sugarcube Corner.

Pinkie Pie entered her Sugarcube Corner and sighed as she went through a book that she wrote herself on illusionist tricks, ventriloquism, clown acts, acrobatic moves, contortions, and escaping traps, she soon heard knocking at the door,

"Pinkie? Ya there?" Apple Bloom asked,

"Come in." Pinkie Pie replied, and she did alongside Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle,

"What would you three like?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We're not here to buy anything." Scootaloo replied,

"Huh? Then why are you three here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"You looked kind of upset when you were heading back here." Sweetie Belle answered,

"Oh, you three noticed, hold on." Pinkie Pie stated, and she got chairs for them and they sat, they saw the book on her tricks, she came back with a chair for herself and sat,

"What's that?" Scootaloo questioned,

"It's a book on those tricks I did, I don't do those just for fun." Pinkie Pie explained,

"What do you mean they're not just for fun?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"You see, the illusions, clown acts, contortions, ventriloquism, acrobats, and escape arts are actually from ponies who used to do them, but they got unpopular as time went on, I decided to learn them so their forms of entertainment wouldn't be forgotten." Pinkie Pie explained,

"To tell you the truth, the illusion arts are kind of dull when compared to unicorn magic." Scootaloo stated,

"See, there you go right there, I met these six earth ponies that taught me these things, it's not about what looks good or what's popular, it's about making sure an old talent that was once used doesn't get forgotten." Pinkie Pie explained,

"How do we know yer tellin' the truth?" Apple Bloom asked,

"Because I got a picture of them right here." Pinkie Pie replied as she put it on the table, the Cutie Mark Crusaders saw Pinkie Pie in the picture with six elderly earth pony stallions, Pinkie Pie was in the center,

"Okay, we believe ya, so, who are they?" Apple Bloom asked,

"Grab some popcorn, this is gonna be a pretty long story." Pinkie Pie replied, and she got ready to talk about the six stallions.

Pinkie Pie was walking throughout Equestria and was looking for a place to throw a birthday party, she saw a flyer for a filly's birthday that was asking for all entertainers to arrive, she took the flyer and went to the address. She arrived at the home and she waited for her turn to come for her to perform, she was the penultimate act. She watched and clapped and cheered at every performance, her turn came and she danced around while shooting streamers and confetti out with her party cannon, she sang next while playing ten instruments at once and everypony cheered as she went back. The last group went up to perform, it was a group of six elderly earth pony stallions, but all of the ponies got up and left immediately, Pinkie Pie looked on with confusion and went to go sit,

"I'll watch you six." Pinkie Pie said,

"You will?" one earth pony asked, Pinkie Pie nodded, the six stallions smiled,

"Thank you." another earth pony stated, and they got ready to perform. The six stallions lined up together,

"Hello, everypony, we will be performing different arts tonight, I'm Tati." the first stallion announced, he had a pale red wrinkled coat, short white mane and tail, purple eyes, and his cutie mark was a black hat with a white bunny coming out of it,

"I'm Houdini." the second stallion added, he had a dark purple wrinkled coat, short white mane and tail, blue eyes, and his cutie mark was a bunch of chains,

"I'm Duo." the third stallion added, he had a yellow wrinkled coat, white mane and tail while bald on the top of his head and a moustache, blue eyes, and his cutie mark was a dummy,

"I'm Bozo." the fourth stallion added, he had a light green wrinkled coat, was bald and had a white tail, sky blue eyes, and his cutie mark was a red long balloon,

"I'm Back Flip." the fifth stallion added, he had a light orange wrinkled coat, short white mane and tail, yellow eyes, and his cutie mark was a gray trapeze,

"And I'm Double Joint." the sixth stallion added, he had a blue wrinkled coat, short white mane and tail, sky blue eyes, and his cutie mark was a joint with two white bones connected to it and bending backwards. Pinkie Pie clapped while Tati went first, he showed a bunch of cards and shuffled them,

"Take one." Tati ordered, Pinkie Pie picked out a card and saw she chose a Two of Hearts,

"Put it back in the deck, and I'll try to guess which card you picked." Tati said, and she did. Tati shuffled the cards and pulled out a random card,

"Is it this one?" Tati asked as he showed her the Two of Hearts,

"*gasp* It is!" Pinkie Pie replied,

"*chuckle* And now for my next trick." Tati announced, and the other five stallions got a table while Tati put on a tailcoat. He placed his front hoofs on the table and lifted up the table without gripping it, Pinkie Pie gasped when she saw the trick, he put it down while she clapped, he got his hat next and pulled out a white cloth, he got a lighter and lit the cloth and a flash of fire appeared and it changed to a dove, Pinkie Pie gasped while Tati grabbed the bird and made it look like he divided the dove into two doves, Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped. Tati took his tailcoat off and he got a red handkerchief, he balled up his front left hoof and shoved it down, he pulled it out from the bottom of his hoof and Pinkie Pie gasped when she saw the handkerchief was now yellow, he put the handkerchief away and bowed while Pinkie Pie clapped.

Houdini walked up next and he got a coffin with nails on the lid,

"I'm going to warn you all now, my stunts are really dangerous, do not attempt them yourselves." Houdini stated, Pinkie Pie clapped while he went into the coffin and Bozo tied his hoofs with chains and Duo lit the rope holding the coffin lid open. He began trying to free himself from the cuffs while the rope burned, Pinkie Pie gasped as Houdini looked like he was not going to break free in time. Houdini continued to struggle with the cuffs and he managed to squeeze his hoofs out of the cuffs and rolled out of the coffin as the rope burned and the lid closed. Pinkie Pie cheered loudly while Houdini called for the next trap for him to escape from, it was a big milk can, Duo and Double Joint tied him up with chains and put cuffs on his front hoofs and the put him in the jug, Back Flip and Bozo began pouring water into the can and Tati closed and locked the milk can's top. Pinkie Pie watched Houdini through a glass panel on the can and she put her front hoofs together as she watched him nervously trying to break free, she watched him struggle while he began to appear unresponsive. Pinkie Pie and the others waited, her jaw dropped as there was no response,

"Let's open the can." Bozo stated, and they did, and Houdini emerged out of the milk can with the chains and cuffs undone. Pinkie Pie gasped and was speechless as he climbed out of the can,

"Thank you, I'll show you more at my next show." Houdini said, and he walked back while Pinkie Pie clapped.

Duo walked forward with a dummy on his front left hoof,

"Look, Fido, we have a guest." Duo stated,

"More like a lonely girl." Fido responded, Pinkie Pie gasped,

"Fido, that isn't nice, pay your respects to the one who came to watch us." Duo said,

"I got her respect right here." Fido declared as he tried to raise his front right leg up as a threat to punch her,

"Now, now, Fido, there's no need for that, she looks friendly." Duo responded, Fido looked at Pinkie Pie and she waved at him while smiling,

"Oh, alright." Fido said,

"Wanna greet her and shake her hoof?" Duo asked,

"I'm not touching that filthy mare's germ covered hoof." Fido stated,

"Hey!" Pinkie Pie hollered,

"My sincerest apologies, ma'am, Fido's always like this, well, welcome to the show." Duo said as he shook her hoof, he went back to where he was performing,

"Come on, let's entertain our guest." Duo stated,

"Let's nothing we can do to entertain." Fido responded,

"Sure there is, let's try singing." Duo said, Pinkie Pie smiled excitedly, Fido began letting out death growls while Pinkie Pie covered her ears and screamed, he stopped and laughed,

"Fido, shame on you, you scared our guest." Duo stated,

"Fine, you entertain her then." Fido remarked, and Duo began to sing in a tenor voice, he finished and Pinkie Pie clapped,

"Look, I think she wants to hear more." Duo said, Fido let out an ear-piercing scream and Pinkie Pie covered her ears,

"Bad Fido, you're going back in the box." Duo stated,

"Wait, no, no." Fido begged as Duo put him in a box and took out another dummy,

"Say hi to your guest, Dandy." Duo remarked,

"My, hello, my lady, my partner is such a sore, he leaves the box in such a mess." Dandy replied, and he shook Pinkie Pie's hoof,

"Now then, how shall I entertain my guest?" Dandy asked,

"Ooh, I know, another song." Pinkie Pie announced,

"It's nice, but I don't have my instruments, so I will try poetry." Dandy answered,

"Ooh." Pinkie Pie exclaimed as Dandy cleared his throat,

"A lovely mare here, beautiful like a pink rose, with pretty blue eyes." Dandy spoke,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said as she blushed,

"Pinkie Pie her name, full of energy and fun, she makes all happy." Dandy spoke, Pinkie Pie blushed again,

"She brings us all joy, her music is here and there, her love blooms brightly." Dandy spoke, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Uh..." Dandy said as he could not come up with another poem,

"It's alright, Dandy, I think she is satisfied with your performance." Duo replied, Pinkie Pie nodded, Duo put the dummy in the box and bowed as Pinkie Pie clapped.

Bozo walked forward and had many items with him,

"Hi, kids, who wants to hear a joke?" Bozo asked,

"I do!" Pinkie Pie hollered,

"Why did the bicycle collapse? It was two tired." Bozo stated, Pinkie Pie laughed,

"You look like a good girl, I got some tricks for you, music please." Bozo instructed, and Tati turned on a radio,

"And now, for my first trick, a balloon animal." Bozo stated,

"Ooh." Pinkie Pie exclaimed as Bozo got a long blue balloon and he began twisting and tying the balloon, Pinkie Pie watched Bozo's front hoofs as he made the balloon animal,

"We have..." Bozo said as he continued shaping the balloon,

"...an elephant." Bozo added as he finished, Pinkie Pie gasped and clapped as he gave it to her,

"Encore! Encore!" Pinkie Pie hollered,

"*chuckle* Very well, time for my next animal." Bozo replied, and he got a yellow balloon and blew it up with a pump. He began shaping it while Pinkie Pie watched enthusiastically,

"Next up is..." Bozo said as he continued shaping the balloon,

"...an octopus." Bozo added when he finished, Pinkie Pie took it,

"Alright, time for my next trick." Bozo stated as he got a unicycle and bottles with papers stuffed in them. Tati lit the papers on fire while Bozo got on the unicycle,

"I will juggle the Molotov cocktails while I ride my unicycle, if I drop one, it will shatter on the ground and start a fire." Bozo explained, Pinkie Pie gasped,

"Remember, this is very dangerous, and I'm a trained professional, do not try this at home." Bozo said, and Tati threw the Molotov cocktails, and Bozo grabbed them while riding his unicycle. Pinkie Pie watched nervously as Bozo rode on his unicycle and juggled the six Molotov cocktails, he threw all six of them in the air and did a back flip off of his unicycle and held his front legs out, all six Molotov cocktails landed on his front legs perfectly,

"Ta-da!" Bozo said, Pinkie Pie just watched with her jaw hanging down,

"Okay, now last but not least, bubble tricks." Bozo announced, and he got a bottle, two blowers, a transparent bubble wand, and a fog machine,

"I'll show you the caterpillar bubble first." Bozo stated, and he blew bubbles together, he put the fog machine in his mouth and inhaled, it blew fog into the bubbles and turned them into smoke bubbles. He alternated the bubbles between regular bubbles and smoke bubbles, there were six bubbles and began wiggling them around with his two blowers on the top bubble, he popped them while Pinkie Pie clapped,

"Alright, now, time for the volcano bubble." Bozo stated, and he made a smoke bubble that was on a blower, he popped the top and smoke erupted from the bubble until it was gone, Pinkie Pie clapped again,

"I will now do the love bubble." Bozo said, Pinkie Pie gasped as he made a regular bubble on one blower and a smoke bubble on the other. Bozo began hitting the bubbles against one another softly, the two bubbles fused together on the third hit,

"Yay! Whoo-hoo!" Pinkie Pie hollered,

"Okay, now, for smoke bubbles inside a bubble." Bozo announced, and he blew a bubble and kept it on the blower, he inhaled from his fog machine and blew smoke bubbles into it, Pinkie Pie clapped while he popped the bubbles,

"Alright, and now last, but not least, the bubble cube." Bozo announced, and he blew a bubble and a second one over it, he then blew four bubbles on their sides, he then blew the fog machine into it and Pinkie Pie gasped when the fog took the shape of a cube,

"Whoo-hoo!" Pinkie Pie hollered as Bozo blew again and made the cube smaller, he then popped the bubbles and bowed, he walked back with his things while Tati turned the music off.

Back Flip walked forward and stretched a little,

"I'm going to be doing some acrobatic moves, and remember, I'm a highly trained professional, don't try these at home." Back Flip said, and he did a few somersaults and back flips to warm up,

"I need a partner." Back Flip stated, and Double Joint walked forward and laid on his back. Back Flip ran to him and jumped, he did a back flip in the air while Pinkie Pie gasped, he landed on Double Joint's hoofs in a sitting position, Pinkie Pie clapped as Back Flip jumped off while doing another back flip, he ran back while Double Joint stood up and Tati, Houdini, Duo, and Bozo ran to Double Joint and they held each other up, Back Flip jumped while doing another back flip in the air and landed at the top of the stack. Pinkie Pie clapped while Back Flip jumped down, Tati, Duo, and Bozo stood in front of him with Tati standing on Bozo's back and Duo on his back, Back Flip ran forward and jumped and did a somersault, Tati jumped up and Back Flip went through the gap between the two and Tati landed back on Bozo's back, Back Flip then jumped back while doing a back flip in the air and Duo jumped up and Back Flip went through the gap and landed back at where he started. Pinkie Pie cheered loudly while Back Flip did another back flip and landed on a table with one hoof and balanced himself, he did a somersault while Duo grabbed his front hoofs and Back Flip kept himself in a handstand position while he held onto Duo's hoofs tightly, he did a back flip and jumped down, Pinkie Pie clapped while Back Flip bowed and they all walked back.

Double Joint walked forward and stretched his body a bit,

"Remember, don't attempt what I'm about to do at home, you will break your bones without proper training." Double Joint stated, and he bent his knees backwards, Pinkie Pie gasped while Double Joint laid on the ground and bent his shoulder and hip joints backwards while he bent his knee joints forward, he bent his joints back to normal and he stretched his front legs out and then stretched his lower body over his own upper body and touched his front hoofs with his hind hoofs. Pinkie Pie clapped while Double Joint bent back, he then laid down on his stomach and lifted his abdomen up, he bent his body under his groin region and emerged from inside his thighs while facing Pinkie Pie, her jaw dropped while Double Joint smiled, he reverted back to normal and reeled up on his hind legs and twisted them together, he held his front legs above his own head and twisted them together, he then twisted his upper body to his left, he reverted back to normal while Pinkie Pie clapped and he did a hoofstand with his front hoofs and bent his lower body forward and touched his front hoofs with his hind hoofs, Pinkie Pie gasped. He reverted back to normal and bent his lower body and went below his own head while doing the hoofstand, he reverted back again and stood on all fours while Pinkie Pie clapped,

"And now, my last trick." Double Joint announced, and he lifted his lower body up and crossed his hind legs together at the knees, he did the same with his front legs, he moved his hind legs to the sides of his head and then bent his hind knees backwards and touched his front hoofs with his hind hoofs, Pinkie Pie gasped when she saw it, he reverted back to normal and Pinkie Pie cheered loudly while Tati, Houdini, Duo, Bozo, Back Flip, and Double Joint bowed,

"Best show ever!" Pinkie Pie declared,

"Thank you, but that's all, catch us next time." Tati said, and they left while Pinkie Pie clapped and cheered.

Pinkie Pie finished clapping and packed her things, she looked for the birthday foal and eventually found her, she walked to her,

"Excuse me." Pinkie Pie stated as she walked to her, the filly faced her,

"Why did you and everypony else leave when those six stallions were about to perform?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Their acts are boring and outdated, unicorns can replicate what they do with their magic." the filly answered,

"But it's rude to just up and leave like that." Pinkie Pie said,

"Nopony wants to watch them, their time has long passed." the filly replied,

"Where can I find them?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Why? You like them?" the filly asked,

"Actually, I'm a bit curious on how they do their stunts." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, they live in a wagon to the south of here, can't miss it." the filly answered, and she trotted there.

Tati, Houdini, Duo, Bozo, Back Flip, and Double Joint were practicing their tricks while helping one another if they needed it, Pinkie Pie walked over and watched them, she saw Tati show off an empty hat and put it on a table, he reached into it and pulled out a rabbit, Houdini broke out of a strait jacket, Duo made different voices with his own, Bozo shot water out of a flower, Back Flip did flips, and Double Joint stretched and bent his body. She clapped and the six looked at her,

"Why, hello again, Pinkie Pie, what brings you here?" Duo asked,

"I was wondering if the birthday foal talking about you six not being popular anymore is true." Pinkie Pie replied, the six looked down,

"It is true." Back Flip said, Pinkie Pie frowned,

"Is it because you all are old?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Well, that's one reason, but the main reason is because unicorns and Pegasi have changed ways to do entertainment, alongside what is popular, even people our age don't want to see us perform anymore." Tati replied,

"How popular were you six back then?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Very popular, we were all the rage sixty or seventy years ago." Double Joint replied,

"I wanna see." Pinkie Pie stated as she hopped up and down,

"Come on in then." Tati replied, and the six let her into their wagon. Pinkie Pie entered their wagon and saw promotional posters for all six of them, they were a group simply known as The Entertainers,

"That's a pretty simple name." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, we were the first of our kind at the time." Houdini replied,

"*gasp* Really?" Pinkie Pie asked, Tati nodded,

"When we started, our forms of entertaining were original, nopony did the tricks we did, at first, our audience were earth ponies only, but word quickly spread and we had unicorns and Pegasi in our crowds, and we got extremely popular, Duo, Bozo, Back Flip, and Double Joint actually got another role because of our popularity." Tati explained,

"What was it?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Bozo and Duo became comedians, and Back Flip and Double Joint became dancers." Bozo replied,

"We have pictures right here, Pinkie Pie." Back Flip stated, she trotted to him and looked at the photos. She saw pictures of the six when they were younger, the pictures were all white and black, she saw assistants with them on the shows,

"I didn't know you six had other performers with you." Pinkie Pie stated,

"They're assistants, they helped us with some of our tricks, they quit when we got less popular, we can't perform some of our tricks without them." Double Joint replied,

"They look like all girls." Pinkie Pie said,

"They are, they were there for eye candy." Bozo replied,

"Ooh, I love candy." Pinkie Pie said,

"No, Pinkie Pie, it's not literal candy." Bozo replied,

"I know, that was a joke." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Oh." Bozo said,

"Anyway, as we said, nopony likes us anymore." Houdini said,

"I'm sure there is somepony who does." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Only a few, almost nopony wants us to see us." Duo replied,

"Come with me, I'm a traveling party pony, so maybe I can find a crowd for you all to perform to." Pinkie Pie stated,

"What do you guys say?" Back Flip asked,

"I think it's worth a try." Double Joint replied, the other five nodded,

"Lead the way." Houdini ordered,

"No, silly, I have to wait for a request first." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Hope it doesn't take too long." Duo said,

"It shouldn't, my parties are famous throughout Equestria." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, let's wait for now." Tati remarked, and the six went back to practicing. Pinkie Pie waited and a mailpony came and gave an envelope to her the next day, she opened it and read, she went to go see The Entertainers,

"Good news, everypony, I just got a request to perform at a birthday party, let's go." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Wow, that was quick." Back Flip remarked,

"Like I said, I'm quite popular, let's go." Pinkie Pie replied, and she carried their wagon to the location.

Pinkie Pie arrived at a stallion's birthday party and she performed alongside a band, she shot out streamers and confetti with her party cannon and the band finished playing, everypony cheered,

"Alright, everypony, I also bring a group of ponies to perform, too, please welcome, The Entertainers." Pinkie Pie announced, the six stallions walked out of the wagon and everypony began booing them,

"Go back to your nursing home, geezers." the birthday stallion stated, Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped,

"Your boom is over, and unicorns can do your magic tricks better, take your boring acts elsewhere." an elderly mare hollered,

"But they also do comedy and dancing." Pinkie Pie replied, the stallions and mares booed,

"Those are for losers." a second stallion hollered, Pinkie Pie just looked on speechless,

"Balloon animal, anypony?" Bozo asked as he held out a balloon twisted and tied into the shape of a monkey, the ponies booed and threw food at them and Pinkie Pie quickly left. The seven ponies cleaned the food off of themselves, they waited and Pinkie Pie soon got another envelope to perform two days later and they went. Pinkie Pie performed at a colt's birthday and the foals booed at the six stallions,

"Unicorn magic is better!" a colt stated,

"But you're an earth pony and can't use magic." Double Joint replied,

"I got a unicorn friend to cast the spells for me." the colt remarked,

"But don't you want to learn how to do it without the magic?" Tati asked,

"Nah, it takes too long." the colt replied, the other foals nodded,

"We can still show you." Houdini said, the foals booed,

"Unicorn magic. Unicorn magic. Unicorn magic." the foals chanted, Pinkie Pie and the six stallions just left. Three days passed and Pinkie Pie got another letter requesting her to perform, she and the others went to a birthday party full of elderly ponies around the stallions' ages, a group of unicorns do magic tricks and they all cheer while Pinkie Pie played music and danced for them, The Entertainers went up next when they were done,

"You guys look familiar." a stallion said,

"We're The Entertainers, we were extremely popular about fifty to sixty years ago." Back Flip explained,

"Oh, I remember you guys now, you all should hang your stuff up, those tricks of yours are not very impressive anymore." the stallion stated,

"Can they at least perform a little?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Alright, let's see what you all can do." a mare replied, and they got ready. Tati shuffled a deck of cards and held it out to a mare,

"Take one." Tati said, and she did, she looked at the card,

"Memorize it and put it back in the deck." Tati ordered, and she did, he shuffled the cards and picked one out,

"Is this your card?" Tati asked as he showed her a Two of Hearts card, she nodded, he saw the audience was unimpressed while the unicorn performers snickered. Houdini got tied to a chair by Bozo, Back Flip, and Double Joint, they tied his hoofs and body to the chair alongside looping the rope around the chair, Houdini wiggled around and freed his hind legs as the chair fell over, he freed himself and stood up, nopony clapped. Duo got Fido and walked forward,

"Fido, greet the guests." Duo said,

"Bah, those pompous twits can smell my gas for a living." Fido remarked, the crowd glared,

"Sorry, everypony, he's always like this." Duo remarked, and he looked back at him,

"Fido, look at what you did, you just upset the crowd." Duo spoke,

"You mean those geezers there who have no taste? They were always upset even before we started." Fido retorted,

"Fine, let's see what Dandy has to say about them." Duo remarked, and he got him out,

"What do you think of the crowd, Dandy?" Duo asked,

"My, what a refined crowd full of class, I believe they are worthy of my highbrow tastes." Dandy replied,

"What?! You're going to entertain a bunch of geezers?!" Fido asked,

"Oh, hush, you're just a filthy dog barking nonsense right now." Dandy replied,

"Really? Last week you were all round and made from blubber." Fido retorted, Dandy became speechless, the crowd remained silent while Duo quit. Bozo put on his clown makeup and walked forward,

"Do you all know why monsters don't eat clowns?" Bozo asked, nopony answered,

"Because they taste funny." Bozo said, nopony laughed, Bozo got a flower,

"Anybody like flowers?" Bozo asked, nopony responded,

"Really? This is no ordinary flower, watch." Bozo said, and water shot out of it, the crowd remained unimpressed,

"Tough crowd, I see, let's try a balloon animal." Bozo decided, and he got a white balloon and filled it with air, he twisted and tied the balloon until it was the shape of a fish, nopony clapped,

"I give up." Bozo said, and he walked back while looking down. Back Flip did a somersault and landed in front of the crowd, he jumped and turned his body around while in the air, he did it again and faced the crowd, the five stallions lined up and Back Flip went to their rights, he ran and jumped, he did a somersault and landed past all five of them, the crowd looked on unimpressed. Back Flip went back while the other five stallions got on their backs on held their hoofs up, Back Flip jumped and did a somersault, he landed onto Tati's hind hoofs first while standing upright and balancing himself, he did a somersault and landed on his front hoofs, he did the same with the other four and jumped down when he got to the end, the crowd was still unimpressed,

"It's hopeless." Back Flip stated, and they went back. Double Joint stretched and he began bending his body, he bent his back backwards and placed his hind hoofs to the sides of his own head and placed his front hoofs under his own chin, the crowd glared at him, he did a hoofstand and placed his hind legs over himself and touched his hind hoofs against one another when they were under his chin, the crowd did not clap. Double Joint bent his front knees down and touched the ground with his face, he stretched his hind legs forward and touched the ground with his hind left leg while he stretched his hind right leg out as far as it could go while touching the ground, the crowd still did not clap or cheer,

"Yeah, I think it's best you all hang up your stuff and let the unicorns do the tricks now." a second mare said, Double Joint reverted his body back to normal,

"But a lot of their tricks just require them to cast spells and they don't use actual talent." Tati replied,

"Yeah, my escape arts are meant to wow the audience, just teleporting out is unimpressive." Houdini added,

"I think I know what the problem is, your shows are simple, it's not flashy and bright like how the unicorns make it." another stallion remarked,

"I've got flash paper right here." Tati remarked as he showed it,

"No, that's not flashy enough, it needs to be bigger, brighter, and each a different color." a third stallion explained, Tati became speechless,

"Can I perform for the rest of the party?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"You have anything else besides your cannon?" another mare questioned, she got out her ten instruments and played them all rhythmically. She played a song while everypony looked on speechless, she finished while everypony clapped,

"Good show overall, thank you, all of you." the birthday stallion stated, they all smiled and bowed and headed home.

Pinkie Pie waited for the next request to come and she got it, it was to perform at a foal's birthday, she went but was immediately booed when she was about to introduce the six performing stallions, they left and she waited for the next request, it was a birthday party for a middle aged stallion, young adults and other middle aged ponies were there, they threw food at her and the six stallions when she was about to introduce them, they left afterwards, she got another letter the next day and it was to perform at a party with ponies of all ages there, but a band of Pegasi were playing music there and just kept playing until the party ended, Pinkie Pie and the six stallions did not perform.

Pinkie Pie waited for her next envelopes and she got hundreds two days later, she gasped while opening them excitedly, she read them and gasped again when her joy went away, she went outside to the stallions and was almost crying,

"What's the matter, Pinkie Pie?" Bozo asked as they walked to her, she showed them the letters, they saw they were requests telling Pinkie Pie to stop bringing the stallions with her or they will no longer hire her to perform at their birthday parties,

"Well, guys, I guess we're done for, we have to retire and let the other ponies entertain the audiences now." Tati remarked, and they got ready to pack their things while Pinkie Pie thought about what he said,

"No." Pinkie Pie said, the stallions looked at her,

"Teach me your tricks, I'm still young and popular, I can pass your tricks on by adding my own touches to it." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Now that you mention it, you do seem to break physics when you do your tricks." Back Flip replied,

"Uh-huh, maybe I can make your tricks popular again, so teach me, please." Pinkie Pie begged,

"That's risky, we might not be able to teach you." Duo stated,

"Why? Because I'm a girl?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, because you might be too old, we started when we were colts." Houdini explained,

"Oh, well, I still think it's worth trying." Pinkie Pie replied, the six thought about it,

"Okay, but we can't perform with you, you've seen how the crowd treats us now, it's all up to you." Double Joint said,

"I won't let you six down." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Okay, I'll start first, come with me." Tati said, and she followed him.

Tati got his coat and a small piece of cotton,

"Alright, Pinkie Pie, I'll show you my secrets, but you must not reveal them to the audience, as it'll ruin the trick." Tati explained, Pinkie Pie zipped her own mouth closed,

"*chuckle*, no need for that." Tati said, and her mouth unzipped itself,

"Alright, Pinkie Pie, first is that dove trick I did for you, that paper I burn is flash paper, it is used to hide the secrets." Tati explained,

"Where are the doves?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Look inside the sleeves and coat." Tati replied, she did and saw secret pockets with the doves in them,

"How do you pull them out?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"There's an invisible thread tied to them." Tati answered, he grabbed one and pulled a dove out slowly,

"See, right here, but you have to be fast when performing, or the fire flash will disappear and the crowd will see how it's done." Tati instructed, and he lit the flash paper, it made a bright flash appear and he quickly pulled the thread to get the dove out,

"Here, you try." Tati said as he put the dove back in the secret pocket. Pinkie Pie put the tailcoat on while Tati gave her flash paper and a lighter, she lit the flash paper and shrieked as she jumped back from the flash,

"You'll get used to it." Tati remarked, and he handed her another piece of flash paper, she lit it and got ready to pull the thread,

"Huh? Wha?" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she tried to find and feel where the thread was at, she found it while Tati gave her another piece of flash paper, she lit it and got the dove out of the sleeve behind the flash,

"Good job, but you need to be faster." Tati instructed, and Pinkie Pie tried again but could not find the invisible thread again, Tati moved Pinkie Pie's hoof to it. She lit another piece of flash paper and pulled four doves out of the sleeve, Tati became speechless, she reached into the other sleeve and pulled out four more doves, she hid them behind the four doves and made it appear she pulled them apart and divided them in half. She let them fly off and they came back and landed on Tati's table,

"You ready to learn the next trick?" Tati asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and he got his hat,

"This is a simple one, this is making a rabbit come out of a hat." Tati explained, he showed the inside of the hat to show it was empty, he placed it down and then pulled a rabbit out. She walked over and saw a black handkerchief in the hat,

"I see that there." Pinkie Pie stated as she pointed to it,

"Very good, Pinkie Pie, there is a black handkerchief containing the rabbit hanging off the table where you can't see it from the audience, you put it in when you turn the hat upside-down." Tati explained, and he showed her how to do it and unwrapped the handkerchief and then pulled out the rabbit,

"Wait, I have an idea." Pinkie Pie stated, and Tati wrapped the rabbit back in the handkerchief. Pinkie Pie showed off the hat and put the handkerchief in the hat, she opened it and reached into the hat and pulled a doppelganger of herself out,

"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie's doppelganger hollered, Tati reeled up in shock while the doppelganger went back into the hat,

"I wanna learn the card tricks next." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Alright, here's the deck." Tati replied as he got it,

"Hold on, I know you asked me and that mare to pick card and I got a Two of Hearts and she got a Two of Hearts, something's really fishy about this deck." Pinkie Pie said,

"You're right." Tati replied as he showed the cards and held them out, Pinkie Pie gasped when she saw all fifty two cards were Two of Hearts,

"They're all the same card." Tati explained,

"That's cheating!" Pinkie Pie declared,

"It's part of the illusion." Tati explained,

"What else can you do?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Bozo?" Tati asked, he walked to them and took one of his cards, he went into their wagon and Tati stood in front of a window, he threw his cards at the window and one stuck to it on the other side,

"Oh, I get it, you throw it and make it look like it went through the window and stuck to it." Pinkie Pie deduced,

"Exactly." Tati replied,

"What other tricks do you have?" Pinkie Pie questioned, Tati put a device on his front hoofs, he swung them out and rods came out and locked them in place, he placed them in holes on his table and lifted it up,

"Oh, that's how you did it." Pinkie Pie said, he put the table down,

"That's all I can teach you for now, go ahead and practice the tricks." Tati said, and she did while he watched her and helped her when she made mistakes,

"Um, do you have any other tricks?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, but I need assistants to perform them." Tati replied,

"Do you have any other tricks that don't involve assistants?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Yes, I'll show you two more when you get the hang of these." Tati replied, and she continued practicing until the day ended.

The next morning came and Pinkie Pie sent out letters throughout Equestria saying that she will not be available to perform at parties for a while as she was trying to come up with new ideas for parties, she continued practicing the tricks with the doves and the rabbit, she did the table trick and the card trick easily,

"Alright, I'll now show you the color changing handkerchief trick." Tati announced, and he got a red handkerchief and a yellow one, he stuffed the yellow one in a tube and held it in his hoof to hide it,

"Oh, that's how it's done." Pinkie Pie spoke, Tati nodded and made it look like the handkerchief changed from red to yellow, Pinkie Pie tried it and got it right on the first try,

"Very good, that is one of my easier tricks, I'll show you another one." Tati spoke and he got a Styrofoam cup and filled it with coffee, he showed it to her, the coffee began to disappear and Pinkie Pie gasped when she saw the cup was now full of coins,

"The secret is at the bottom." Tati explained, he took the coins out and turned the cup over and revealed a hole was cut into it and there was a sponge inside the cup,

"Just press the sponge up and let it absorb the coffee, easy one." Tati stated, Pinkie Pie tried it and got it right on the first try,

"Not bad, well, it is one of my easier ones." Tati said,

"I'll go learn from another pony now." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Okay, make sure you keep practicing." Tati replied as Pinkie Pie walked away.

Pinkie Pie walked over to Houdini and saw he already had his items ready for his tricks,

"Alright, Pinkie Pie, my tricks are hard to perform, they take years of practice." Houdini explained,

"I wanna start now." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Okay, we'll start with my most famous trick, escaping from the straitjacket." Houdini said, and he put it on her. She began grunting and struggling to break free from the straitjacket, she struggled and could not get it off, Houdini undid the straps and took it off,

"It takes years of practice, Pinkie Pie, don't be upset if it takes you a while to get it off." Houdini stated,

"I wanna see you try it." Pinkie Pie said, and Bozo and Duo put the straitjacket on him. He began moving around and managed to free his own front right leg and then freed his other front leg, he reached back and undid the buckles and took the straitjacket off,

"Keep practicing, you're going to be using it for a few tricks." Houdini said as he put it back on Pinkie Pie. She grunted loudly as she tried to break out of the straitjacket, she continued grunting as she could not get herself free, she grunted as she tried to pull her front hoofs apart, but sat and panted. Houdini walked to her and took the straitjacket off,

"I'll tell you how to escape then, before I do the straps, cross your dominant front hoof across your other front leg." Houdini explained, and he put the straitjacket back on her while Pinkie Pie kept her front right hoof over her front left leg,

"Next, use your dominant hoof to grab a hoofful of the fabric on the inside." Houdini added, Pinkie Pie did,

"Now, fill your lungs with air, but slowly, you doing a big inhale will let the audience know the secret, so inhale through your snout slowly." Houdini instructed, Pinkie Pie did until her abdomen expanded,

"Now, stand up straight until I do the last strap, when I do, bend yourself down to give yourself room to escape." Houdini instructed, and he tightened the buckles and Pinkie Pie bent her shoulders down when he finished,

"Okay, now, move your dominant hoof to your weak front leg's shoulder and move your other front leg down." Houdini instructed, Pinkie Pie grunted as she struggled but got it,

"Good, now rest your hoof on that shoulder, now, this is the hard part, throw your dominant leg up and try to move your head between the gap." Houdini instructed, Pinkie Pie threw her front leg up and put her head in the gap, she bounced backwards and grunted loudly as she tried to get her head through, she fell on the ground and struggled to get her head through, she grunted and began throwing her body back and forth, she took a deep breath when she got her head through and panted,

"Alright, now undo the sleeve buckle with your teeth." Houdini instructed, and she did,

"Next, undo all buckles with your hoofs." Houdini said, and she did,

"And lastly, put the straitjacket on the ground and push it off with your hind hoofs while moving your upper body back." Houdini instructed, and Pinkie Pie did and got it off,

"Phew." Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she wiped sweat off of her own forehead,

"Let's take a break, Pinkie Pie, you need to practice, for some of my tricks, you need to escape from the straitjacket while hanging upside-down." Houdini spoke, Pinkie Pie screamed,

"We'll try again later, let's see if you can escape being tied to a chair." Houdini said, and he got one. He put Pinkie Pie in the chair while Duo and Back Flip got rope,

"Okay, first, clench and flex your hoofs, that'll give you more space to free yourself." Houdini explained, and she did while she got tied,

"Okay, now relax your muscles." Houdini instructed, she did and gasped,

"I have more space to move." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Yes, now try to free yourself." Houdini replied, and she began wiggling her legs around, she freed her own hind legs and fell on the ground while undoing the rope on her front legs, she managed to free herself and stood triumphantly,

"I did it!" Pinkie Pie hollered as she jumped up and down,

"Yes, but you need to be faster, there are some of my tricks where you have a time limit." Houdini replied,

"As in?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Death traps, if you don't escape in time, you die." Houdini answered, Pinkie Pie gasped,

"Come on, you need to keep practicing." Houdini stated, and she did. Pinkie Pie tried to escape from the straitjacket faster than before, she flexed her muscles and every buckle on the back undid itself while she ripped the sleeves at the shoulders when she pulled them apart, she took it off,

"Not bad, but you can't do that during a show." Houdini said,

"Sorry about your straitjacket." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"It's alright, I have plenty of spares." Houdini replied, and he got another one and put it on her, she tried to escape again but had trouble getting her head through the gap when she lifted her front right leg up, she screamed and stopped, the six stallions took the straitjacket off and Pinkie Pie clutched her right shoulder while in pain,

"I see, let's rest for the rest of the day." Houdini said, and they all went into the wagon.

The next day came and Pinkie Pie rested a little since her shoulder hurt, she went over to Duo while he cleaned his two dummies,

"I'm ready to learn, Duo." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Okay, first, you need to make it look like you're not speaking when you make the dummy speak, you need to put your teeth together lightly, and then part your lips slightly in a small smile, and move your tongue around." Duo instructed,

"Like this?" Pinkie Pie asked in a muffled voice,

"Yes, now, practice saying these letters without moving your lips: A, C, D, E, G, H, I, J, K, L, N, O, Q, R, S, T, U, X, and Z." Duo instructed,

"Hold on, I need to write that down." Pinkie Pie said as she got paper and a pencil out of her mane, she wrote down the letters while Duo repeated them,

"Okay, how long do I practice?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Thirty minutes." Duo replied, and she began, she practiced the sounds for thirty minutes while the other six stallions went on with their days. Thirty minutes passed and she went back to him,

"I'm ready for the next lesson." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Alright, the letters B, F, M, P, V, W, and Y are different, you can't pronounce them without moving your lips, so we do it differently, for B, M, and P, we use different letters, substitute B with D, M with N, and P with T; for F, V, W, and Y, we use sounds to substitute them, the sound 'eff' substitutes F, and V is substituted with 'thee', for W and Y, we combine two sounds to make them, for W, we combine O and E, and for Y, we combine O and I." Duo explained, Pinkie Pie wrote it down,

"How long do I practice?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Twenty minutes for each one of those." Duo answered, and she began. Two hours and twenty minutes passed and Pinkie Pie exhaled and went back to Duo,

"Wow, it's nice to see how dedicated you are, next is operating a dummy, which one would you like to use, Fido or Dandy?" Duo asked,

"Fido, please." Pinkie Pie responded, and he gave it to her,

"Alright, the lever and bar to move his head, eyes, and mouth is in his back, place your hoof in him, and you'll feel the lever." Duo instructed, she did and felt it,

"*gasp*, I do." Pinkie Pie said,

"Move that lever up and down to open and close the mouth, use the wires under it to move his eyes, and use the bar itself to move his head around, also, when you give him a voice, make it a voice similar to your own." Duo instructed,

"Like this?" Pinkie Pie asked in a voice lower than her regular one,

"Very good, and remember, you have to open the dummy's mouth with each syllable of each word." Duo replied,

"I wanna move his hoofs around." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Sorry, but I can't do that with my dummies." Duo replied,

"Maybe I can try something." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Alright, here, you can have Dandy for your practice." Duo replied, and he walked away. Pinkie Pie held Fido and Dandy up and they looked at each other,

"What are you looking at, pompous snob?" Fido asked with Pinkie Pie using a tone lower than her actual voice,

"Why, our new controller, she looks rather friendly." Dandy replied with Pinkie Pie using a tone higher than her actual voice,

"I'd rather have Duo, he made us sound more fitting." Fido spoke,

"Fido, that's no way to greet a lady." Pinkie Pie replied in her normal voice,

"A lady? You look more like a spinster." Fido retorted,

"*gasp* Fido, I'm in my twenties." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"I bet it's just your makeup." Fido retorted,

"Fido, do calm yourself, that is no way to treat a lady." Dandy spoke,

"Do you have any new poems for me, Dandy?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Not at the moment." Dandy replied,

"Oh, um, my jaw and mouth are starting to hurt, that's for today." Pinkie Pie said,

"Good, I'm getting tired of seeing you around." Fido replied,

"Please, Pinkie, my lady, allow me to lead you to your room." Dandy spoke,

"It's alright, Dandy, I can go there on my own." Pinkie Pie replied, and she gave the puppets back to Duo and rested for the rest of the day.

The next morning came and Pinkie Pie's mouth and jaw muscles were sore, she rubbed it and went to her next teacher,

"Bozo, I'm ready to learn." Pinkie Pie hollered as she trotted to him,

"How's your shoulder?" Bozo asked,

"Still hurts, but I can manage, oh, and before we start, I already know how to ride a unicycle and juggle." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Alright, first, we need to get your clown makeup and outfit on." Bozo instructed, and he painted his own face white, painted big black eyebrows above his own eyes, put a red round nose on his snout, put a red wig that made it look like he had his mane on the sides of his head and was bald at the top of his head, and he wore a light blue long-sleeve shirt and pants, the shirt had two white buttons and white cuffs on it, he also wore white ruffles on his neck, white gloves on his front hoofs, and long brown shoes on his hind hoofs,

"Alright, Pinkie Pie, let's get your clown appearance ready." Bozo stated, and he stopped when he saw Pinkie Pie already had an outfit,

"How's this?" Pinkie Pie asked, her face was completely white with red paint on her lips that went all the way past her cheeks to form a big smile, her mane and tail were green, and had on contact lenses to make her eyes brown, she was wearing a purple blazer, a green vest, a brown silk tie with diagonal zigzag patterns on it with a few spots lighter than other areas, a light blue long-sleeve button-up collared shirt with hexagons on it, purple pants, black leather gloves on her front hoofs, and socks with black, purple, green, and dark orange rectangles on them and brown shoes on her hind hoofs,

"You might scare a few foals with that, but let's start." Bozo replied, and she got ready to learn. She watched Bozo as he got his clown material,

"Alright, Pinkie Pie, I have the most diverse set of lessons, I'll start with two basic ones, first one here is this flower." Bozo explained as he showed it to her,

"Ooh, very pretty." Pinkie Pie stated as she got a closer look, water shot out and went on her face,

"First basic, squirt water, I have a pump and a tube connected to the flower under my outfit." Bozo explained,

"What's the second basic?" Pinkie Pie asked, Bozo pressed his own nose down and it made a honking sound,

"My nose honks." Bozo replied, Pinkie Pie pressed down on it and it honked,

"Okay, let's get started, hold on, I feel welcoming gift for you, here you go." Bozo said as he took a coin out from behind his ear and gave it to Pinkie Pie,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, I'll start with my most famous tricks, the balloon animals." Bozo stated, and he got several,

"Alright, Pinkie Pie, you have to shape the balloon animals by twisting and turning them, and some use more than one balloon." Bozo explained, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"I have several cheap tricks, too, I'm doing one right now." Bozo stated,

"Really?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Yup, for your first balloon animal, we have..." Bozo replied, and he filled up the balloon and tied it closed,

"...a snake." Bozo added, Pinkie Pie laughed as she took it,

"Alright, let's start with something easy, we'll begin with a dog." Bozo instructed, and he twisted and turned the balloon slowly while Pinkie Pie did it with him, the two made a dog together,

"*gasp* I did it! I did it! I did it!" Pinkie Pie hollered,

"You did, but there's still more for you to learn." Bozo replied, and he got more balloons,

"Next, another dog, a french poodle." Bozo stated, and he showed her how to make it, she got it after a few tries,

"Very good." Bozo said,

"I wanna make another dog." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Alright, I'll show you how to make a wiener dog." Bozo replied, and he showed her while she copied him,

"Good work, I'll now show you more animals." Bozo said, and he showed her how to make a bear, a butterfly, a monkey, a giraffe, an elephant, a rabbit, a flamingo, a crab, a lizard, and an octopus, Pinkie Pie had trouble on the octopus,

"Keep practicing, octopus takes time, now then, onto the next ones, the ones that take two balloons to make." Bozo instructed, and he showed her how to make a horse, a unicorn, a monkey on a tree branch, and a duck, she made them all with ease,

"There, we're done." Pinkie Pie stated,

"No, you're not, time to make objects." Bozo replied,

"Objects?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yup, first up is..." Bozo replied, and he shaped a balloon,

"...a sword." Bozo added, he handed it to her and Pinkie Pie began swinging it around,

"Alright, I'll now show you the two balloon sword, alongside the flower and the rose." Bozo said, and he made them and Pinkie Pie copied him and got them after a few tries,

"I did it!" Pinkie Pie hollered,

"Alright, now onto the next tricks, the bubbles." Bozo said,

"*gasp* That was my favorite part of the show!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed,

"Good, now I'm going to show you how it's done, so get a fog machine, you're going to need it." Bozo replied, and she did,

"Alright, first, let's see how good you can blow bubbles." Bozo said, and she blew one bubble after another while they struck to one another,

"*chuckle* You can already do the caterpillar bubble." Bozo stated,

"Really?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yup, use the fog machine so the bubbles alternate between regular bubbles and smoke bubbles, and when you finish, put a second blower beside the first one." Bozo instructed, and she did, she made the caterpillar bubble, she wiggled it around to make it dance, she popped the bubbles afterwards,

"Okay, next is the volcano bubble, it's very simple, make a smoke bubble, and pop the top." Bozo instructed, and she made it, she popped the bubble at the top and smoke flew out,

"Alright, time for another cheap trick, the inside-out bubble." Bozo said, and he blew a bubble, touched its top to make it go back into the blower, turned it around, and blew the bubble back out. Pinkie Pie laughed while Bozo popped it,

"Okay, a bubble inside a bubble, but before I do, a warning, Pinkie Pie, you need to have bubbles in your mouth for this trick, and they taste terrible." Bozo instructed,

"I'll give it a try." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Okay, let's see if you can handle it." Bozo said, and he blew a small bubble and put it on his tongue, he blew a big bubble and blew bubbles out of his mouth into it, Pinkie Pie tried and put the bubble on her tongue, she gagged and rubbed her own tongue with her front hoofs,

"Yeah, I didn't think so, it took me about two to three years to get used to the taste." Bozo stated,

"What's next?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"The love bubble, simple, use your two blowers, one has a regular bubble, and the other has a smoke bubble, hit them against one another until they form together into one bubble." Bozo explained, Pinkie Pie made them and tried it, the regular bubble popped,

"Aw, it's they don't." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Blow another one and see if they do get together." Bozo instructed, and she blew another bubble and hit them together and they fused into one bubble,

"*gasp* They do!" Pinkie Pie rejoiced, and she popped it,

"Okay, here's one to blow smoke out, watch carefully." Bozo instructed, and he blew a bubble and with two blowers and then put them beside one another, he then got a bubble blowing wand and blew a smoke bubble at the bottom of it, he popped it and the smoke moved up in a swirling pattern, he then popped the bubble at the two blowers and smoke blew out of both of them, Pinkie Pie tried it and it popped the first time, she tried again and got it the second time, she popped the bubble at the two blowers and the smoke flew out,

"Okay, time for the bubble cube." Bozo said,

"That was my favorite, I wondered how you made that." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, watch and learn." Bozo spoke, and he blew a bubble with his two blowers, he moved one while the bubble hung off of the other, he blew another bubble and it was over the first one, he blew four more to the sides of the two bubbles and then inhaled his fog machine and used his bubble wand to blow smoke into the six bubbles and it formed a cube, he blew on it and the cube changed to a smaller one in the center of the six bubbles. Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped while Bozo popped the bubbles,

"Okay, you try." Bozo said, and Pinkie Pie tried and could not get the second bubble,

"Keep practicing, you'll get it one day, I'll show you one more." Bozo stated, and he blew two bubbles again with one on top of the other, he then blew eight small bubbles between the two and then blew smoke into it to form a rectangle, he blew more and Pinkie Pie gasped when the eight small bubbles began spinning around. He popped the bubbles while Pinkie Pie practiced for hours and Bozo stood by to help her when she had trouble,

"Tell me, Bozo, how did you do that coin behind your ear trick?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I placed it there before I started teaching you." Bozo replied,

"Oh, why don't you do any magic tricks?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"That's Tati's job." Bozo replied,

"What about dancing?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Back Flip does that." Bozo replied,

"And the jokes?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I usually make them up on the spot." Bozo replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, go ahead and keep practicing." Bozo instructed, and she did while he helped her, the two took off their clown outfits and makeup at the end of the day and they slept.

The next morning came and Pinkie Pie went to go see Back Flip,

"I'm ready, Back Flip." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"How's your shoulder?" Back Flip asked,

"Much better." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Good, but before I begin, Pinkie Pie, acrobat training is hard, my and Double Joint's training are the hardest ones." Back Flip warned,

"I'm ready to learn." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Alright, but before you can do acrobats, you need to build strength and flexibility, it might be easier for you than me since girls are usually more flexible than boys." Back Flip said,

"I’m really strong for my age." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Let's see how strong you really are then, lay on your back and hold your hoofs up." Back Flip stated, and she did. Pinkie Pie laid down on the ground and Back Flip jumped onto her hoofs while doing somersaults in the air, he landed on her hoofs and jumped down,

"Hmm, you're strong enough to hold me up, we can skip the strength training then." Back Flip stated,

"I grew up working on a rock farm." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Ah, no wonder why, you're definitely strong enough then, let's loosen your muscles by doing some stretching." Back Flip instructed and they did. They stretched their backs side-to-side, touched their hind left hoofs with their front right hoofs and hind right hoofs with their front left hoofs, did splits, Pinkie Pie could not go down all the way, they did reverse lunges next and stretched their front legs forward, and the last stretch was stretching their front legs down their backs while holding their knees’ with their other front hoof,

"Alright, stretching the abdomen is one a lot of ponies can't do, we're going to do a hoofstand and stretch our hind legs out." Back Flip instructed, and they did, Pinkie Pie grunted and fell over after two minutes,

"That's long enough, now for exercising." Back Flip stated,

"There's more?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Only three exercises, squats, running in place, and jumping jacks." Back Flip replied,

"Oh, I can do those." Pinkie Pie remarked, and she did got back up. She did the squats, running in place, and jumping jacks and finished quickly,

"Alright, now for the jumps, hold on a minute, I'll go get the mats." Back Flip said, and he got them,

"Alright, we'll start with the basics, first, a back flip, watch and copy me." Back Flip instructed, and he did one,

"Alright, your turn." Back Flip said, and she began. Pinkie Pie reeled up on her hind legs and held her front legs up above her head, she kept her hind legs shoulder-width apart, she bent her hind knees a little and then swung her front legs up while she jumped, she could not do the back flip and landed face first on the mat,

"I was like that when I started, too, keep practicing." Back Flip instructed, and she did. Pinkie Pie continued to try to do the back flip but kept landing face first on the mat, she inhaled and exhaled sharply and tried again, she pulled her hind knees up towards her chest while in midair, she stretched her hind legs out, she landed with her hind legs straight and exhaled sharply as the shock from the landing traveled through her body,

"Good, but you need to bend your knees when you land, Pinkie Pie, it'll absorb the shock." Back Flip explained, and she tried again but landed face first on the mat again, she tried again and had trouble tucking her hind knees in while in midair, but she got it and landed with her hind knees bent and the landing was less painful,

"Alright, keep practicing, we'll do the somersault when you get the hang of it." Back Flip instructed, and Pinkie Pie kept practicing while he acted as her spotter, she got the back flip several times but messed up on most attempts, she got up slowly and panted,

"Let's rest for today, Pinkie Pie, you'll make mistakes exhausted like that." Back Flip said, and they did, she laid down for the rest of the day.

The next day came and Pinkie Pie groaned as her muscles ached, she forced herself to get up and went to go see Double Joint,

"You alright? Your muscles ache." Double Joint said,

"I still wanna learn." Pinkie Pie replied,

"You sure?" Double Joint asked, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"Okay, we'll take it easy so you don't hurt yourself, contortionist training is painful, since you have to bend your joints and spine in unnatural ways." Double Joint explained,

"I'm ready." Pinkie Pie declared,

"Alright, we'll start with something basic, try repeating what I do." Double Joint said, and he laid on his stomach, he lifted his hind left leg up while pressing his hind right hoof on the knee, he reached back with his front left hoof and grabbed his own hind left hoof,

"Go ahead and try." Double Joint instructed, and Pinkie Pie stretched a little and groaned in pain from sore muscles, but she managed,

"Okay, now try to pull your hind leg over your head and face." Double Joint instructed, Pinkie Pie tried but screamed since trying to stretch her leg hurt,

"Endure the pain, Pinkie Pie." Double Joint said, she grunted as she tried to move her hind leg past her own head, she stopped and panted,

"Not everypony can get it first time, come on, let's try another one." Double Joint said, and they stood up and walked together. They went into the wagon and Double Joint did a hoofstand, he pressed his hind hoofs against the wall and began bending his back down, Pinkie Pie tried and grunted loudly as her sore back ached more and more as she bent down farther, she fell and panted,

"Can you continue?" Double Joint asked, Pinkie Pie panted and stood up,

"Yeah." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Alright, let's try another one." Double Joint said, and he went to a stand, he placed his front right hoof on it and lifted his entire body up, he tucked that leg’s knee into his hip and held his body up to his right side, he did a split while in midair and held his hind right leg forward with his front left hoof, Pinkie Pie gasped at seeing it,

"You try." Double Joint stated, and she did. Pinkie Pie grunted but could not do the split, she fell over and screamed when she fell on the floor, Double Joint stopped what he was doing,

"Hmm, maybe you should try after your muscles aren't sore anymore, let's try a simple one." Double Joint said, and he reeled up on his hind legs and bent his back as far back as he could, his entire upper body touched his lower body and he touched the back of his hind hoofs with his front hoofs, Pinkie Pie tried it and could not bend back as far as he could,

"Let's stop for now, you'll need to be able to do those before I show you more." Double Joint spoke, and he walked away while Pinkie Pie tried again, she exclaimed as she fell on her back, she crawled back into the blanket and rested for the rest of the day.

A few days passed while Pinkie Pie waited for her muscles to heal, she went back to performing for birthday parties, everypony cheered at seeing her back,

"Alright, everypony, as you all know, I've been practicing new tricks, but to do those tricks, I need assistance, so those six I've had with me are going to be setting up the stage for me, are you all okay with that?" Pinkie Pie asked, the ponies nodded,

"Great, well, let's get started." Pinkie Pie declared, and she did. She got a spool of yellow thread and took out a long length of it, she tore it into pieces while hiding a ball she made before the trick behind her hoof, she broke the thread off and hid it in her hoof, she moved the ball to her other hoof while secretly throwing the broken pieces of thread behind herself, she undid the knot and the thread appeared to be back together, but everypony's jaw dropped when they saw the yellow thread was now multiple colors, it was now red, sky blue, light pink, light green, and purple with yellow ends,

"If you all liked that, I'm just getting started, Houdini, Double Joint, put the straitjacket on me." Pinkie Pie instructed, and they did while the ponies looked unimpressed,

"I know, I know, you all don't like this, but I promise, I'm going to break out of this a different way." Pinkie Pie assured, and the straitjacket was put on her. Pinkie Pie bent her body down and began grunting as she flexed her back muscles, the buckles and straps undid themselves a little while the crowd's attention was caught, she flexed her front legs next and the ponies heard tearing, she grunted as she flexed, she soon lifted her upper body up and grunted loudly as she ripped the sleeves apart from the straitjacket while the buckle broke, the straitjacket tore open at the front and Pinkie Pie took it off while the crowd gasped,

"Ta-da!" Pinkie Pie hollered, the crowd looked on with dropped jaws but soon began clapping,

"Now, for my next trick." Pinkie Pie said, and Duo gave her Fido and Dandy,

"Say hi to the crowd, you two." Pinkie Pie ordered,

"Bah, a bunch of hooligans are watching us." Fido replied in Pinkie Pie's voice a tone lower,

"I'm sorry, everypony, he's always like that." Dandy spoke in Pinkie Pie's voice a tone higher, Pinkie Pie then let go of the two dummies,

"Ha-ha, I'm free at last!" Fido spoke, the crowd screamed as the dummy moved on its own, Duo's jaw dropped at seeing the dummy's hoofs move as well,

"No, you are not, Fido, you still have me to watch over you." Dandy replied on his own,

"Catch me if you can." Fido declared, and he began to run away and Dandy tackled him down, the two began fighting,

"Alright, that's enough, you two." Pinkie Pie said as she picked them up, they stopped acting on their own and she handed them back to a speechless Duo. Pinkie Pie went back and got long balloons and bubbles,

"Watch this, everypony." Pinkie Pie stated, and she blew up one of the balloons and shaped it into a butterfly, the crowd remained silent, she flicked her hoofs back while a flash of fire appeared and the balloon changed to a real butterfly, she flicked her hoofs again and another flash of fire appeared and it changed back to the balloon butterfly. The crowd looked on shocked and speechless while she got another balloon, she blew it up and shaped it into a dog, another flash of fire appeared while she flicked her hoofs and it changed to a real dog, she did another flick with her hoofs and the flash of fire appeared and the dog was now a balloon animal again. She gave the balloon animals to the birthday pony,

"Alright, everypony, my last trick, bubbles!" Pinkie Pie announced, and she blew a big bubble,

"Hi, everypony." Pinkie Pie's reflection in the bubble said with a gurgled voice, the crowd jumped back while screaming,

"Ooh, you all look so wavy from inside here." Pinkie Pie's reflection spoke, the crowd looked on speechless while Pinkie Pie popped it,

"That's all I have for now, everypony, I'll try to come up with new stuff while I'm on break." Pinkie Pie stated, the crowd looked on with stunned silence before they clapped slowly and they all soon applauded her while Pinkie Pie bowed,

"Till next time, everypony." Pinkie Pie said, and she and the six stallions left.

Pinkie Pie was back in the town and the six stallions were around her,

"How did you do all of that?" Back Flip asked,

"I have my ways." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What are the secrets?" Tati asked,

"Oh, um... about that, there are no secrets." Pinkie Pie explained, the six stallions exclaimed with confusion,

"You mean... you're not using any secrets?" Houdini asked, Pinkie Pie shook her head,

"I'm using a power and sense that has been passed down my family for generations that allows me to break the laws of physics." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Is it from your mother's side of your family or your father's?" Bozo asked,

"Both." Pinkie Pie replied, the stallions' jaws dropped,

"I know, it's a shock." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Wait, this is perfect, you can use that to make our talents popular again." Duo spoke,

"What about you six?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We're going to retire. Pinkie Pie, our talents now lie within you, we hope you can pass it down to future generations." Tati replied,

"I won't let you down." Pinkie Pie declared,

"Thank you, come on, Pinkie Pie, we got more to teach you." Double Joint stated, and they went back to training her. Houdini had Pinkie Pie hang upside-down from a tree branch while restrained in a straitjacket, she struggled to break free since there was a time limit with a custom-made bear trap to her sides ready to squash her if she didn't escape, she ripped the straitjacket off and then the ropes, she fell to the ground as the rope holding the trap burned away and it closed,

"Let's keep trying." Houdini stated, and he and the other five stallions set up another trap, there were spiked walls to Pinkie Pie's sides while she was tied to a chair with rope, she tried to break free and relaxed her muscles, she fell to the ground while trying to free herself, she managed to free herself and heard the walls coming, she jumped back while they hit one another,

"No, Pinkie Pie, like this." Houdini said as he walked forward and the stunt was restarted. He worked to break free from the ropes and the walls began moving forward, he jumped up and landed on top of the spiked walls when they hit one another,

"Oh, that's how it's done." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Yes, come on now, there's more to teach you." Houdini replied, and he got more. He came back with the milk can,

"The secret to this is in the top here, there is no water up there, I can breathe there, and the chains can be slid out of, and a little force will open the cuffs, you just have to wait when you're out of them." Houdini explained,

"Can I try?" Pinkie Pie asked, and Tati and Bozo tied her up while Duo and Houdini put her in the milk can and Back Flip and Double Joint poured the water in, they then put the lid on. Pinkie Pie kept her head above the dome while Houdini removed the rivets, she slid out of the chains and took the cuffs off easily, she pushed her head up and was outside,

"See, simple just like that." Houdini said,

"What else do you have?" Pinkie Pie asked, and he got a glass rectangular chamber filled with water and a glass coffin,

"There's a few secrets to the water chamber escape, but no secrets to the coffin escape." Houdini explained, and Tati and Back Flip put Houdini in the chamber with his front hoofs cuffed and his hind hoofs shackled to the lid, they then put padlocks on the lid and slid the pins out of the hinges. Houdini struggled while Pinkie Pie watched nervously, he lifted himself up with a handle hidden in the lid and took a breath, he went back into the water and took the cuffs off easily, he went back up again and escaped,

"That was scary." Pinkie Pie stated,

"It's all in the act of convincing, I'll show you my last trick after I dry up." Houdini replied, and he did,

"Alright, last one, this is dangerous, you need speed and strength to do this one, it's escape from being buried alive, the coffin is made from glass so the audience can see what you're doing." Houdini explained,

"Where's it going?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"In a bigger glass chamber." Houdini answered, and Double Joint rolled it out. Houdini put himself in the glass coffin while Tati and Duo nailed it shut, it was put into the glass chamber carefully and the five stallions poured a big bucket of dirt over the glass coffin, it was six feet of dirt. Houdini controlled his breathing while Pinkie Pie watched very nervously, he began kicking the center of the coffin’s lid with his hind right hoof as hard as he could and the dirt began falling in, he created an arch to move the dirt to his sides, he kept kicking and broke the glass, he crawled out and began digging his way out of the dirt while Pinkie Pie gasped, he emerged at the top of the dirt and jumped down,

"See, like I said, there's no tricks or secrets to that one." Houdini stated,

"Uh... can we skip that one? I'm not comfortable being buried alive." Pinkie Pie remarked nervously,

"Of course, that's for advanced escape artists, I've had a lot of training with that one." Houdini replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Well, let's get back to escaping from the straitjacket while upside-down." Houdini said, and she tried for the rest of the day and failed.

A few days passed and Pinkie Pie was learning how to do a somersault while Back Flip taught her,

"There you go, keep your back straight." Back Flip instructed, and Pinkie Pie did a somersault roll first,

"Good start, but you have to jump when you perform, try to do the somersault while you're in the air." Back Flip instructed, Pinkie Pie tried and failed,

"Keep trying." Back Flip instructed, and she did and got it a few times,

"Not bad, let's rest for now." Back Flip spoke, and they did,

"Back Flip, did you and Double Joint do shows together?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Of course, we were the most popular duo, we were the group's dancers, my acrobatic skills and Double Joint's contortions made us an instant hit." Back Flip replied,

"Who was the least popular?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Um, that's kind of hard to say, we were all famous, some were more or less famous than others depending on where in Equestria we were at." Back Flip replied,

"How much more do you have to teach me?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"A lot, there's still the hoofsprings, landing on front hoofs, acrobats with hula hoops and trapezes, and side flips." Back Flip replied, Pinkie Pie groaned,

"Don't be sad, we'll take it one at a time." Back Flip spoke, and they rested.

The next day arrived and Double Joint was teaching Pinkie Pie,

"Alright, let's see if you can walk, do what I do." Double Joint instructed, and he laid on his stomach, bent his lower-body upwards, and placed his hind hoofs beside his front hoofs and began walking around, Pinkie Pie looked on with shock and tried, she grunted loudly as she tried to stretch her own body, she gave up and panted,

"What else can you do, Double Joint?" Pinkie Pie asked, he grabbed his own front right leg and dislodged it at the shoulder and spun it around while her jaw dropped, he then bent his entire leg back, he locked it back in place, he then bent his spine backwards and walked to Pinkie Pie on all fours, she watched fearfully as he came near her,

"These are some basic moves." Double Joint stated, and he straightened his back,

"I'm kind of too scared to continue training." Pinkie Pie said,

"Let's continue another time." Double Joint replied, and they finished for the day.

A few days passed and Pinkie Pie had to leave and go perform elsewhere, Bozo decided to do a little comedy for her, he and Duo were sitting and waiting for a train and had lunch, they got ready to eat until Tati walked to them,

"Duo, you have a letter from your wife." Tati said, and they walked together. They left the scene and Bozo began to take Duo's food and started eating it,

"*gasp* Bozo!" Pinkie Pie scolded, he stopped when they came back and Duo looked at his meal, he shrugged and was ready to start eating until Tati arrived again,

"Duo, you also have a letter from your daughter." Tati said, and he walked with him. Bozo took Duo's tray and began eating his lunch with a spoon, he ate quickly and Duo came back and saw him eating his lunch, he watched him while trying not to laugh,

"Hope you're full now." Duo stated while chuckling, Bozo spat out some of the food and coughed, Bozo finished the meal and began coughing from having too much food in his mouth, Pinkie Pie laughed at seeing how his face looked, the scene finished and the three bowed,

"Aren't you mad, Duo?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Of course not, it's part of the show." Duo replied,

"But he ate your lunch." Pinkie Pie stated,

"It's fine, Pinkie Pie, we're just acting." Duo replied,

"It looked real, though." Pinkie Pie said,

"That's what made it funny back then, anyway, I'll do one more scene before you go." Bozo stated, and he did. Duo and Bozo were standing together and they shivered,

"It's freezing, Bozo, I don't know when this blizzard is going to stop." Duo spoke,

"Hold on, I'll be back." Bozo replied, and he left, he came back a few seconds later,

"Here." Bozo spoke as he gave running shoes to Duo,

"Thanks." Duo stated as he put them on, he did and then looked at Bozo while he put on heavy duty winter boots, he narrowed his eyes as he looked at him,

"What?" Bozo asked,

"You gave me no good shoes while giving yourself good quality winter boots." Duo said,

"I'm sorry, but this was literally the last thing they had in the store." Bozo replied,

"Oh, never mind, I'm still cold." Duo stated,

"Hold on, I'll go get you some clothes." Bozo responded, and he trotted away, he came back with clothes,

"Here." Bozo stated as he gave Duo a vest, he put it on and sighed with relief, he stopped when he saw Bozo put on a heavy duty winter coat and tied it closed with a sash, the coat covered his entire body, he wore a hood and had fur trimmings on it,

"Hey, give me that, I'm still cold." Duo demanded as he took it off, Pinkie Pie gasped when she saw Bozo was also wearing a thick long-sleeve shirt, pants, and a balaclava with built-in goggles, they were all black. Duo took them off and Pinkie Pie screamed when she saw Bozo was also wearing long johns, she noticed Tati, Houdini, Duo, Back Flip, and Double Joint were trying very hard not to laugh. Duo threw the clothing away and his and Bozo's stomachs growled,

"Hold on a minute." Bozo stated as he left, he came back and gave Duo an ice cream cone,

"Thank you." Duo said as he began eating the ice cream, he heard sizzling and looked, he saw Bozo cooking hot broth on a portable stove and was making himself soup. Pinkie Pie screamed when she saw what he was doing. Duo snatched the pot away and began eating the soup while Bozo just got another and began putting soup in that one, they finished and bowed while Pinkie Pie clapped,

"There you go, Pinkie Pie, still a shame you have to go, just make sure you look at our instructions and booklets on how to do our tricks." Bozo stated,

"Don't worry, I will, but what about you guys?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Oh, relax, Pinkie Pie, we have more than enough money for a lifetime from when we were famous, we don't need jobs." Back Flip replied,

"Alright, I'll be going now, buh-bye." Pinkie Pie said, and she left while the six stallions said bye to her.

Pinkie Pie was sitting in Sugarcube Corner with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, the three fillies were eating popcorn as they listened,

"Wow, Ah never knew ya had party teachers, Pinkie." Apple Bloom spoke,

"They taught me a lot, and I treasure them." Pinkie Pie replied with her voice breaking,

"Where are they now?" Sweetie Belle asked, Pinkie Pie tried not to cry as she got newspapers and showed them the articles, they saw all six of them have already passed away,

"Oh, so they're no longer around." Scootaloo said, Pinkie Pie nodded while wiping a tear away,

"I'm the only one who now knows about their tricks and their secrets, due to them not being popular when I met them, they had nopony to pass their tricks down to, so it's up to me to do it." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Wow, that is heavy, well, we have to get goin', Pinkie, thanks for tellin' us." Apple Bloom remarked, and they left.

A week passed and it was time to perform at another pony's birthday, Pinkie Pie went there and began performing, she did everything Tati, Houdini, Duo, Bozo, Back Flip, and Double Joint taught her in their memories, she did all of their moves that she could do and did them at every party so their talents would not be forgotten.

Parental Favortism

Pinkie Pie was in Sugarcube Corner and getting ready to sell confectioneries for the day, it was a quiet day and she heard familiar voices at the entrance. She listened and realized it was Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace, they ran into the store,

"Pinkie!" Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace called out as they ran to her and hugged her, Drifter walked in shortly afterwards with Gold Digger and Wilfred,

"Hey, Drifter, what brings you all here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They missed you throughout the years and wanted to see you again, my children still think you're the best foalsitter they ever had, Pinkie." Drifter answered,

"Aw, thank you." Pinkie Pie said,

"We missed you so much, Pinkie Pie." Purple Grace stated,

"I missed you all, too." Pinkie Pie replied, and they let go,

"What were you doing for a living again, Pink Diamond?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"I work at a mane salon now, it's not the most fun job, but it's easy." Pink Diamond answered,

"And I'm working in a metalworking factory, job's dangerous, and the factory's hot, but I'm finding it enjoyable, the ponies there are nice, too." Gold Digger added,

"How about you, Gilmore, what have you been doing?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Well, I've been walking Wilfred and helping Purple Grace through school, so busy." Gilmore responded,

"I've had more time to spend with my kids now that Pink Diamond and Gold Digger are working, no visits to the hospital recently." Drifter stated, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Well, go ahead and pick out the pieces of candy you three want." Drifter stated, and his children cheered. Drifter's children and Gold Digger bought candy, Drifter then checked to make sure each one of them did not forget,

"It's still quite a bit before my first job for today starts, so you three can spend time with Pinkie for a bit, and remember to share, don't hog her for yourself, I'll take away your candy if you do." Drifter spoke, and his three children trotted to her. Gilmore and Purple Grace climbed onto her back while Pink Diamond tried to teach her how to waltz, she looked and saw Drifter and Gold Digger smiling,

"Okay, that's enough, I might have customers anytime." Pinkie Pie spoke, and they stopped. Drifter and Gold Digger began holding Gilmore and Purple Grace up high in the air while Pink Diamond petted Wilfred,

"Wow, Drifter, you sure like to spend equal time and treat your kids fairly." Pinkie Pie commented,

"I think that's what every parent is supposed to do." Drifter responded,

"I wish, Drifter, I wish." Pinkie Pie commented,

"Wait, you actually met a family where a child wasn't treated fairly when compared to their siblings?" Purple Grace asked,

"I hate to say this, but yes." Pinkie Pie lamented,

"I wanna hear." Purple Grace said, the others agreed,

"Okay, this is a special friend of mine, her name's Butterfly Azalea, she's still not fully grown yet, but she's still a special friend." Pinkie Pie stated,

"So let me get this straight, this is a foal who wasn't treated fairly by her family." Pink Diamond remarked,

"Oh no, her family treated her unfairly, her brother got all the good things in growing up while she didn't." Pinkie Pie answered,

"So, where did you two meet?" Purple Grace asked,

"Right here, in Ponyville." Pinkie Pie replied, and she began to tell them the events.

Pinkie Pie was in Ponyville and working in Sugarcube Corner, she and her friends have just defeated Nightmare Moon and they were all the center of attention by Equestria's paparazzi,

"Thank you, come on now, picture time." Pinkie Pie announced, and she posed and smiled and they soon left Sugarcube Corner. She began working while Mr. and Mrs. Cake experimented with ingredients and cooking methods in an attempt to make new confectioneries, her Pinkie sense went off and she dashed to the window, she saw a family of four coming into Ponyville. She gasped and smiled when she watched them, she also looked at them closely to memorize their appearances, the father had a dark orange coat, short black mane and tail with a beard and mustache connected to his mane, light purple eyes, and his cutie mark was a hammer; the mother had a light purple coat, long dark purple mane and tail, blue eyes, and her cutie mark was a velvet flower, she also had white necklaces on; the son was a teenager, he had a blue coat, short light blue mane and tail, green eyes, and his cutie mark was a sword; the daughter was a foal, she had light pink coat, long pink mane and tail that were unkempt, red eyes, and no cutie mark.

Pinkie Pie watched them while smiling but it soon turned into a frown when she noticed the daughter was behind her family members and looking down, she also noticed that she was covered in dirt, she continued to watch them arrive in Ponyville while sensing something was off,

"Is something wrong, Pinkie?" Mr. Cake asked as he and Mrs. Cake walked to her, they looked where she was looking and saw the family of four,

"Oh, dear, looks like a family that favors one sibling over the other." Mrs. Cake commented,

"Huh? Wha...? What do you mean favor one sibling over the other?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Pinkie, I know you didn't grow up in that kind of environment, and it may seem alien to you, but there are some parents around the world that don't treat their siblings equally, one is treated kindly while the other is treated badly, if my wife is right, then that is the case with that family." Mr. Cake explained,

"But why? Why would parents do that?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Well, Pinkie, there can be a number of reasons, one is because they like the personality of one sibling more than the other, or one has done more impressive things than the other, age is a factor sometimes, too." Mrs. Cake answered,

"Well, I sure hope they don't exclude her from my welcoming party." Pinkie Pie said,

"They might, Pinkie, but until then, we need you to handle any customers we might get." Mr. Cake stated, and they went back to work.

Pinkie Pie dealt with customers while Mr. and Mrs. Cake continued experimenting on creating new confectioneries to put on sale in their store, everything slowed down when everybody was on break in the afternoon,

"Okay, time to arrange my 'Welcome to Ponyville' party." Pinkie Pie said, and she dashed away. She began organizing her party in her secret party cave, she organized everything and looked at the list of the new family, the father's name was Master Carpenter, the mother's name was Bellflower, the son's name was Swordsmith, and the daughter's name was Butterfly Azalea. She continued organizing and got everything sorted and set, she then slid up the slide that led into her cave and headed outside.

Master Carpenter, Bellflower, and Swordsmith headed outside and Pinkie Pie's party cannon went off with confetti flying everywhere,

"Welcome to Ponyville, you four!" Pinkie Pie hollered,

"Three." Bellflower corrected, the music stopped and Pinkie Pie stopped playing,

"Where's Butterfly Azalea?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Don't... mention that name." Master Carpenter fumed while gritting his teeth,

"Come on now, my parents took me here to enjoy one of your parties, let's have fun now." Swordsmith spoke,

"Hold on now, not without your sister." Pinkie Pie responded,

"She's grounded right now." Bellflower stated,

"No, everypony should participate in the welcoming party." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"She did something really bad and we had to punish her." Master Carpenter explained,

"Oh, I see, well, I can give her some leftovers then." Pinkie Pie responded, and she continued the party. Another Pinkie Pie hid behind the homes and watched, she noticed that Applejack was able to tell they were lying, she quickly trotted away and headed to the new family's home.

Butterfly Azalea stood at the window and watched her family have fun at the welcoming party while longing to join in with them, she heard trotting behind her,

"Butterfly Azalea?" Pinkie Pie called out, she jumped while turning around,

"Don't scare me like that." Butterfly Azalea spoke with a soft voice similar to Fluttershy's,

"Sorry, I just wanted to know why you're not at my 'Welcome to Ponyville' party." Pinkie Pie explained,

"My parents won't let me." Butterfly Azalea answered, Pinkie Pie looked around and saw pictures of Swordsmith everywhere, their refrigerator was also covered with Swordsmith's academic grades and drawings, there was not a single picture of Butterfly Azalea nor any of her schoolwork or art on the refrigerator,

"Come on, join in the party." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"My parents are going to get mad." Butterfly Azalea warned,

"Now, now, every member of the family should participate, come on now." Pinkie Pie said, and she grabbed her hoof and walked her outside.

Pinkie Pie and Butterfly Azalea arrived outside and saw another Pinkie Pie hosting the party,

"Wha? Is there more than one of you or something?" Butterfly Azalea questioned,

"It's complicated to explain." Pinkie Pie responded, and Butterfly Azalea continued watching,

"Go on, have fun, do whatever you want, this party is to welcome you, too." Pinkie Pie stated, and she hopped behind the houses and went out of sight. Butterfly Azalea walked around slowly while she saw Swordsmith throwing darts at a board and Master Carpenter and Bellflower cheering him on, she looked around and saw other foals trying to break open a piñata, she walked over and the foals let her join. Apple Bloom wrapped the blindfold on her eyes while Sweetie Belle gave her a stick, and Scootaloo held the piñata up with a string. She began to swing the stick around while the other foals cheered her on, she hit the piñata a few times and it broke open. The foals cheered while Butterfly Azalea moved the blindfold up and saw the candy falling,

"Come on, Butterfly Azalea, you'll miss all of the candy." Sweetie Belle stated, she looked back and noticed her parents did not hear Sweetie Belle and they still focused on Swordsmith winning games, she walked over and picked up some of the candy.

Pinkie Pie trotted around and saw Butterfly Azalea playing with other foals of her age, she smiled at seeing her happy, she noticed that Swordsmith has won the darts game and Master Carpenter and Bellflower cheered for him. They walked around Ponyville but stopped when they saw Butterfly Azalea,

"WHAT THE?!" Master Carpenter hollered,

"STOP THE PARTY!!" Bellflower demanded, and Pinkie Pie did. The family ran to Butterfly Azalea and they grabbed her while she screamed, they carried her to their home and threw her into the house while putting a wooden plank on the doorknob on the outside to barricade it,

"Okay, let's continue." Bellflower stated while smiling, they looked and saw everypony looking at them with shocked expressions,

"What?" Swordsmith asked,

"Ain't she related to you three?" Applejack questioned,

"What of it?" Master Carpenter asked,

"The welcoming party is supposed to be attended by all members of the new family." Twilight Sparkle explained,

"Forget her, just focus on our son." Master Carpenter stated,

"What are we supposed to do about Butterfly Azalea then?" Apple Bloom questioned,

"Ignore her, just pretend she's not there." Bellflower responded,

"Wait, is she going to be attending the school?" Scootaloo asked,

"Yes, she will." Bellflower replied,

"Then we can't ignore her, she's going to be a classmate and a student." Scootaloo remarked,

"Then try not to interact with her. Come on, Swordsmith, let's continue partying." Master Carpenter spoke, and they did while everybody left.

Pinkie Pie worked in Sugarcube Corner while she heard Master Carpenter and Bellflower cheering Swordsmith on from outside,

"Is everything alright, Pinkie?" Mrs. Cake asked as she walked to her,

"I don't understand, why won't they let Butterfly Azalea participate in my 'Welcome to Ponyville' party?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Like my husband and I said before, there are some families where siblings are not treated fairly by their parents, that family is one of them." Mrs. Cake explained,

"But still, it's not fair, nopony should be excluded like that." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Well, Pinkie, I think they're here to stay for now, maybe they'll treat Butterfly Azalea better as time goes on." Mrs. Cake spoke,

"My Pinkie Sense is telling me they won't." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it, let's just hope they can change their ways." Mrs. Cake said, and she walked away. Pinkie Pie worked slower than usual while wondering why Butterfly Azalea is treated as such, the customers noticed and tried to cheer her up. Business was slow for the day while Butterfly Azalea remained on Pinkie Pie's mind and distracted her a bit,

"Pinkie, you're holding up the line." Mr. Cake called out, she came back to her senses and began working at her regular pace again, she worked until there were no more customers, she then headed outside.

Pinkie Pie noticed Swordsmith still trying the party's activities while Master Carpenter and Bellflower cheered him on, she headed to their home and saw Fluttershy there,

"Oh, Pinkie, I didn't think you'd come." Fluttershy spoke,

"Of course I would come, nopony is going to be left out in my 'Welcome to Ponyville' parties." Pinkie Pie replied, and she knocked on the door. Butterfly Azalea opened the door and saw the two,

"Hello, Butterfly Azalea, I'm Fluttershy, I live in that house with all of the animals there if you want a pet." Fluttershy stated as she pointed to her home,

"What brings you two here?" Butterfly Azalea questioned,

"No way am I going to straight up ignore you, Butterfly Azalea, any other welcoming party I throw, you participate and have fun, same with birthdays, when I throw the party, you're welcome to participate, too, especially if it's your own birthday." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Really?" Butterfly Azalea asked while smiling, Pinkie Pie nodded while smiling,

"By the way, Butterfly Azalea, I'm here because I have leftovers from the party and wanted to give it to you." Fluttershy stated,

"Oh, yes please." Butterfly Azalea chirped,

"I'm here for that, too, Butterfly Azalea, I have leftovers from planning, too." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Can I have it?" Butterfly Azalea asked,

"Of course." Pinkie Pie answered, and she and Fluttershy gave her leftover candy and popcorn,

"Thank you." Butterfly Azalea said,

"You're welcome." Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy replied together,

"I start going to school tomorrow, I hope I see you all there." Butterfly Azalea stated,

"Well, not us, but our friends attend school." Fluttershy responded,

"That's great, I hope I can make friends here." Butterfly Azalea spoke,

"Us too, well, see you later, Butterfly Azalea." Pinkie Pie replied, and she and Fluttershy left while Butterfly Azalea closed the door. Pinkie Pie tried to sleep that night but was kept up by Master Carpenter and Bellflower still cheering Swordsmith on as he tried all of the party's activities,

"There, I win at everything." Swordsmith stated,

"Yes, come on now, Swordsmith, it's late, you got school tomorrow." Master Carpenter spoke, and they walked home while Pinkie Pie fell asleep.

The next day came and Swordsmith and Butterfly Azalea were sent to school, Swordsmith was dressed fancily in a tuxedo with his mane combed back while Butterfly Azalea was dressed in wet and dirty rags with her mane and tail down and unkempt, Swordsmith also had a pristine silver lunchbox while Butterfly Azalea had a wrinkled brown paper bag with holes in it to carry her lunch, the two went to their schools while their parents waved bye at Swordsmith. Pinkie Pie watched them from afar and followed Butterfly Azalea to school, she arrived in class and everypony looked at her,

"Butterfly Azalea, what happened to you?" Cheerilee asked,

"My parents dressed me this way." Butterfly Azalea lamented, Cheerilee's and her students' eyes' widened while their jaws dropped a little,

"Go ahead and take it off, Butterfly Azalea, you'll get cold and sick if you keep it on, and does anypony have a towel?" Cheerilee asked, the foals looked at one another,

"Go ahead and sit, Butterfly Azalea, I'll try to get you a towel to warm yourself." Cheerilee said, and she trotted out of class. Butterfly Azalea sat next to Sweetie Belle and opened her brown paper bag, she dug through it,

"Oh, I knew my parents wouldn't pack me any supplies." Butterfly Azalea grumbled,

"Here, Butterfly Azalea, use mine, I have a spare." Pipsqueak spoke as he held a pencil out to her,

"Thank you." Butterfly Azalea responded as she took it, she began doing her classwork while Cheerilee came back and gave her a towel to warm herself, Butterfly Azalea wrapped it around herself and worked while Pinkie Pie went elsewhere. She went out of Ponyville and saw Swordsmith in a school full of older kids, he had all of the supplies he needed to get through the day, it was then lunchtime and Swordsmith opened his lunchbox, he had a meal that looked like it was made for a gourmet, he had grape juice as well, Pinkie Pie went back to Cheerilee's school to check on Butterfly Azalea.

Pinkie Pie arrived back in Ponyville and watched Butterfly Azalea from afar, she and the kids had lunch and Butterfly Azalea opened her paper bag. She reached into it and took out a very small salad, she held her bag up and shook it but nothing came out, she groaned while looking down,

"Here, Butterfly Azalea." Sweetie Belle stated as she gave some of her lunch to her,

"Thank you." Butterfly Azalea responded, and she ate, she finished and went through her bag again,

"What are you looking for, Butterfly Azalea?" Cheerilee asked,

"A drink." Butterfly Azalea answered,

"Here, you can have a sip from mine." Cheerilee spoke, and let her take a sip of apple juice,

"Would you like more?" Cheerilee asked,

"No, I'm fine, thank you." Butterfly Azalea answered, and everypony had lunch, they then worked until the bell rung,

"Come on, Butterfly Azalea, let's go see my sister, she'll make a new outfit for you and fix your mane and tail." Sweetie Belle spoke, and they headed outside. They arrived outside and saw Pinkie Pie in front of them,

"Is everything okay, Butterfly Azalea?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"So far, the ponies here are actually kind of nice." Butterfly Azalea answered,

"I'm about to take her to Rarity so she can have a new outfit made and get her mane and tail fixed." Sweetie Belle commented,

"I'll come with you two." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Okay, this way." Sweetie Belle stated, and they followed her.

They arrived at Carousel Boutique and Sweetie Belle knocked on the door,

"In a minute." Rarity called out, she soon opened the door,

"Yes." Rarity said, she then looked at Butterfly Azalea and let out a few high pitched exclaims,

"That's why I brought her here, Rarity, I was wondering if you can make a new outfit instead of this cold and wet one her parents gave her to wear at school." Sweetie Belle explained,

"What? They made her wear this wet and dirty outfit to school, along with this messy and unkempt mane and tail of hers?!" Rarity exclaimed, Sweetie Belle nodded,

"My, that is most unacceptable, a lady's got to look her best when she's in public. Come on, darling, I'll make you something comfortable and fashionable, free of charge." Rarity declared,

"Really?" Butterfly Azalea asked,

"Why, of course, it wouldn't be very generous of me to charge someone who looks very poor and has no money my usual asking price, let alone a kid." Rarity responded,

"Come on, Butterfly Azalea, let's get you into some nice, clean clothes." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Indeed, come on now." Rarity added, and they did.

Rarity led Butterfly Azalea to a chair and she sat in it while Rarity got a comb and began straightening her mane and tail,

"I'll fix your mane and tail first, you'll be more comfortable after I do." Rarity spoke and she continued combing Butterfly Azalea's mane and tail. Her comb got stuck and she pulled her comb down hard,

"Ow!" Butterfly Azalea exclaimed, Rarity looked at her comb and exclaimed when she saw a knot and realized Butterfly Azalea's mane and tail were tangled,

"Knotted mane, this is going to take some of my heavier grooming supplies, don't fear, my dear, I'll get those knots undone." Rarity spoke, and she ran. Rarity came back with a mane straightener and heated it up, she used it on Butterfly Azalea's mane and tail and finished after several minutes,

"There, now, to make you a new outfit, just wait a little, this will take a while." Rarity spoke, and she trotted into another room. Butterfly Azalea sat while she felt her own mane with an awestruck expression at how soft it was,

"You feel better, Butterfly Azalea?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Yes, I do." Butterfly Azalea responded,

"Do you know why your parents treat your brother so nicely but don't treat you like that?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"I don't know, but I think it's because he's the older sibling and I'm the younger sibling, I've wondered if him being a boy and me being a girl is a factor, too." Butterfly Azalea explained,

"Oh, I doubt that, I think you being the younger sibling is the more likely reason of the two, them treating you as such because you're a girl wouldn't make sense, especially your mom treating you the way your family does." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Still, I don't know why I'm treated as such at home." Butterfly Azalea stated,

"Maybe you should ask them." Sweetie Belle suggested,

"They're not going to answer." Butterfly Azalea responded, Rarity came back into the room,

"In a minute, Butterfly Azalea, I will start sewing your new outfit soon." Rarity said, and she trotted around, she got everything in place and then measured Butterfly Azalea's body, she then began sewing. She hummed a tune while the three girls watched her,

"There, it's finished." Rarity stated after several minutes, and she trotted over. She began to put the red dress with light pink fur trimmings on it onto Butterfly Azalea,

"There, a nice red color to go with your coat's pink, and a warm comfy fabric, should be much better than that wet, dirty outfit your parents made you wear." Rarity stated,

"It is, thank you." Butterfly Azalea responded,

"Well, you should go around town and try to make friends, they will really provide you comfort and support if you have it hard at home." Rarity explained,

"I would, but I have to start my homework." Butterfly Azalea responded,

"I'll help you." Sweetie Belle suggested,

"No, I have to get home or my parents will be upset, I'll see you all later." Butterfly Azalea responded, and she trotted out of Carousel Boutique and to her home. Pinkie Pie headed outside and watched her from afar, she saw her go into her home and into a room, she hid her new outfit behind a bookcase where the candy and food she got from Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were also there, she then got started on her homework. She watched Butterfly Azalea have trouble while Swordsmith soon came home,

"I'm home." Swordsmith said, Master Carpenter and Bellflower welcomed him back home and Bellflower kissed his cheek, Swordsmith had a piece of candy as a snack and then started on his homework with his parents helping him. Butterfly Azalea walked into the room with her homework in her hoof,

"I need help with my homework." Butterfly Azalea stated, her family ignored her while they helped Swordsmith with his homework and they all smiled and laughed while Swordsmith also talked about his day, Butterfly Azalea looked down and walked away. Pinkie Pie continued watching while two stallions arrived and knocked on the door, Master Carpenter opened the door,

"Hi, we're from Swordsmith's school, we're here to help him with his homework and hang out with him." one stallion explained,

"Come on in, he's working right now." Master Carpenter responded, and they entered the house. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle walked to the house a while later and knocked on the door, Master Carpenter and Bellflower opened the door,

"Hi, we're here to see Butterfly Azalea and help her on her homework." Apple Bloom stated,

"Go on, get out of here." Bellflower spoke,

"But can we at least see her?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"No, go home now, shoo." Master Carpenter responded, and they left while looking down, he closed the door while Swordsmith had fun with his friends and Butterfly Azalea sat in a room all by herself. Pinkie Pie continued watching as Swordsmith's friends left while the family had dinner, they both got hay and a salad, but Swordsmith got a big meal with new food while Butterfly Azalea got a small serving of expired food. Swordsmith ate like a pig while Butterfly Azalea ate slowly, they finished and headed off to bed, Swordsmith slept in a bed while Butterfly Azalea slept on a wooden floor with no blanket or pillow, Pinkie Pie's eyes widened a little and she went back to Sugarcube Corner.

The next day came and the family was outside,

"What do you want to do today?" Bellflower asked,

"Games at the fair." Swordsmith suggested,

"See the animals at Fluttershy's home." Butter Azalea suggested,

"Alright, son, to the fair, it is." Master Carpenter spoke, and they walked,

"Hey." Butterfly Azalea called out, Bellflower grabbed her and threw her back, she grunted as she fell on the ground and they left. Butterfly Azalea stood up and watched her family leave while Pinkie Pie trotted to her,

"Come on, Butterfly Azalea, let's go." Pinkie Pie said, and they walked to Fluttershy's cottage together. They arrived at Fluttershy's cottage and Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack helped her tend to her pets,

"Why, hello, Butterfly Azalea, would you like a pet?" Fluttershy asked,

"No, I'm just here to see the animals." Butterfly Azalea answered,

"That's okay, go ahead and see whichever one interests you." Fluttershy spoke, and Butterfly Azalea trotted around. She watched the birds fly around and looked on in awe as they soared through the sky,

"You like them?" Fluttershy asked as she and her friends went to her,

"Yes, they're pretty." Butterfly Azalea replied, she focused on the one flying the fastest,

"That's a peregrine falcon, Butterfly Azalea, that's my fastest animal out of all of the ones I have." Fluttershy stated,

"Yeah, but he's still nowhere near as fast as I am." Rainbow Dash boasted,

"Where's your family?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"They... went to the fair at my brother's suggestion and left me behind." Butterfly Azalea explained,

"Oh, um... I have board games in my cottage if you want to play, Butterfly Azalea." Fluttershy suggested,

"Sorry, but board games bore me." Butterfly Azalea responded,

"Come on, I think I know where you'll have fun." Pinkie Pie said, and she led her. They arrived and saw other foals playing tag,

"Come on, Butterfly Azalea, we're about to start another round." Scootaloo called out, and they walked over. Butterfly Azalea played tag with the other foals and Pinkie Pie,

"You're it." Sweetie Belle stated as she poked Apple Bloom, they continued playing,

"Tag, yer it." Apple Bloom spoke as she poked Butterfly Azalea, they continued running around,

"Tag, you're it." Butterfly Azalea said as she poked Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie gasped while the foals ran away,

"Come here! I'm gonna getcha!" Pinkie Pie hollered as she ran after them with a pink trail behind herself. She dashed after Truffles while the foals laughed and ran away from her, she went out of sight and soon began popping out from the ground, the walls, and behind trees,

"Tag! All of you are it!" Pinkie Pie hollered as the foals stopped running,

"How did you do that?" Butterfly Azalea questioned,

"It's no use questioning her." Snips responded,

"Yeah, even if she does reveal how, it's complicated to understand." Snails added,

"You wanna keep playing, Butterfly Azalea?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sure." Butterfly Azalea responded, and they played more and Rainbow Dash joined them shortly afterwards,

"I'm gonna get all of you!" Rainbow Dash declared and she flew around and tagged anypony in seconds whenever she was tagged, only Pinkie Pie was able to evade her, they played until the sun began to set,

"Thanks, guys, I had fun, but I have to head home." Butterfly Azalea spoke, and she walked home while the others said bye to her,

"We should head home, too." Pipsqueak stated,

"Yeah, it's almost dark." Scootaloo said, and they all went their separate ways and got on with their days until the sun set.

The days passed and Butterfly Azalea was still left out and treated worse than her brother while Master Carpenter did carpentry work in Ponyville and Bellflower arranged flowers while she made Butterfly Azalea assist her, Swordsmith was playing with his friends. Butterfly Azalea arranged flowers while Bellflower instructed her and constantly demanded her to go faster, she worked as fast as she could until it was time to rest, she was given an apple that was past its expiration date for lunch,

"Go on, I can finish the rest on my own from here." Bellflower spoke, and Butterfly Azalea left. She walked around Ponyville and noticed everypony was busy,

"Sorry, Butterfly Azalea, but I have to work right now." Pinkie Pie called out, and she dealt with the customers at Sugarcube Corner and then had her picture taken by the paparazzi,

"Thank you, that's enough for today, everypony." Pinkie Pie stated, and they walked away while she noticed Fluttershy looking away and hiding from them. She trotted to Butterfly Azalea who was walking around town,

"What do you want to do today?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Um... I'd like to read." Butterfly Azalea answered,

"Come on, let's go see my friend Twilight." Pinkie Pie spoke, and she led her. They arrived at Golden Oak Library and Twilight Sparkle showed Butterfly Azalea her books,

"Anything you like in particular?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"I like that flower book." Butterfly Azalea spoke, Spike got the book,

"Here you go." Spike stated, and she began going through the book. She flipped through the pages and looked at the pink flowers,

"Here it is, my mom wants me to be a flower arranger when I get older, mainly pink flowers." Butterfly Azalea stated,

"What about your brother?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"He's talented at making swords, but my parents let him be whatever he wants to be when he gets older." Butterfly Azalea answered,

"Wait, so you can't choose to be what you want to be when you grow up but your brother can? That doesn't sound right to me." Spike stated,

"It doesn't, you should try asking your parents to let you be what you want to be." Twilight Sparkle suggested,

"I doubt they'll listen." Butterfly Azalea responded,

"At least give it a try." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Yeah, you never know until you do." Spike added,

"Okay." Butterfly Azalea said, and she continued reading for a few minutes shortly before closing the book and headed outside.

Bellflower worked and her break time came a few minutes later,

"Excuse me, mommy?" Butterfly Azalea asked as she trotted to her,

"This better be good." Bellflower warned,

"I was wondering if you and dad would let me choose to be what I want to be growing up like how you two do with Swordsmith." Butterfly Azalea explained,

"No, you are going to be arranging flowers when you get older whether you like it or not, you will carry out the family's tradition, and do nothing else, don't worry about what your brother is doing." Bellflower responded,

"But why does he get to choose his future and I don't?" Butterfly Azalea inquired,

"I just said not to worry about it, how we treat you and how we treat your brother shouldn't even be brought up." Bellflower answered,

"But..." Butterfly Azalea said,

"Zip it." Bellflower demanded, Butterfly Azalea looked down and left while Bellflower went back to work. She walked around and saw Master Carpenter conversing with his coworkers and having fun, she looked back and saw Bellflower conversing with her coworkers and smiling, she walked around and stopped when she saw Pinkie Pie in front of her,

"It didn't work, did it?" Pinkie Pie asked, Butterfly Azalea shook her head,

"Just wait a bit, if you're still here when it's your birthday, I will throw your party no matter what." Pinkie Pie declared,

"My brother's birthday is before mine." Butterfly Azalea responded,

"We'll celebrate that one, too, but you should go see the other foals, you seem to be friends with your classmates." Pinkie Pie stated,

"I guess, they are pretty nice." Butterfly Azalea commented,

"Go on, I'll go ahead and start planning your brother's birthday." Pinkie Pie said, and they went their separate ways.

The days passed and Butterfly Azalea and her family arrived in Sugarcube Corner,

"Hi there, what would you all like today?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Which one do you want, Swordsmith?" Bellflower asked,

"That one." Swordsmith answered as he pointed to a lollipop,

"Five bits please." Pinkie Pie spoke, and Master Carpenter gave bits to Swordsmith and he bought it,

"I want that one." Butterfly Azalea stated as she pointed to a bag of candy, but her family walked out without giving her bits,

"Hey! What about me?" Butterfly Azalea hollered, there was no response, Mr. and Mrs. Cake grabbed the bag of candy and gave it to her,

"Here you go, dearie." Mrs. Cake said,

"But I don't have money." Butterfly Azalea replied,

"It's alright, if your parents are going to act like that, they're going to have no say here, you can buy whatever you want whenever you want." Mr. Cake stated,

"Just keep in mind you have to pay next time." Mrs. Cake spoke,

"Okay." Butterfly Azalea said,

"See you later, Butterfly Azalea." Pinkie Pie commented, and she left.

A few days passed and it was Swordsmith's birthday, everypony celebrated while Master Carpenter and Bellflower watched with big smiles on their faces, Pinkie Pie looked around while hosting the party and did not see Butterfly Azalea anywhere. She hosted the party and played music while she moved around Ponyville to look for Butterfly Azalea, she was nowhere to be found, she continued hosting and passed by the new family's home, she quickly looked out the corner of her left eye and saw Butterfly Azalea watching through a window. She continued throwing the party while everypony else partied,

"Hold on, everypony, I'll be right back." Pinkie Pie stated, and she dashed away. She appeared in the house and Butterfly Azalea looked back,

"Your family won't let you participate again?" Pinkie Pie asked, Butterfly Azalea shook her head,

"Wait a little, I'll try to get you some of the ice cream and cake." Pinkie Pie spoke, Butterfly Azalea nodded while Pinkie Pie dashed away. She continued hosting the party and games for everypony while Swordsmith made everybody focus on him playing every game and winning, everybody cheered as he won each game, Pinkie Pie cut a piece of the birthday cake and took a scoop of the ice cream while everybody was distracted and hid it, the party went on for the entire day. Night time came and everypony was asleep, Pinkie Pie appeared in Butterfly Azalea's room,

"Butterfly Azalea, wake up, it's me." Pinkie Pie whispered, she woke up and saw her,

"Pinkie Pie?" Butterfly Azalea asked, Pinkie Pie shushed her,

"I brought you some cake and ice cream from the party, eat quietly so your family doesn't wake up." Pinkie Pie whispered, and she did,

"Thank you as always." Butterfly Azalea whispered,

"You're welcome, I'll get your birthday party ready in a few weeks from now." Pinkie Pie whispered, and she dashed out of the house while Butterfly Azalea fell asleep.

Butterfly Azalea's birthday came about a month and two weeks later, Pinkie Pie threw a party but Butterfly Azalea was nowhere to be found, she ran into her home and saw her watching from a window, she dashed into the house,

"Come on, Butterfly Azalea, it's your birthday, let's have fun." Pinkie Pie spoke, and brought her outside. The party started and Butterfly Azalea was greeted by everybody in the town, she smiled and began dancing with the other foals, the party went on while Butterfly Azalea enjoyed herself and had cake and ice cream,

"STOP!!" Master Carpenter yelled, everypony stopped partying while he, Bellflower, and Swordsmith walked to Pinkie Pie and Butterfly Azalea,

"What is the meaning of this?!" Master Carpenter inquired,

"It's your daughter's birthday, and I throw a birthday party for everypony in town." Pinkie Pie explained,

"You were only supposed to celebrate my birthday party." Swordsmith stated, the ponies gasped,

"What?! You refuse to let me celebrate somepony's birthday?!" Pinkie Pie thundered,

"You shouldn't have in the first place, she's not even worth noticing." Master Carpenter spoke,

"Then why do y'all even have her livin' with y'all?" Applejack asked,

"Because we'll need somepony else to look after the house when we're at work after Swordsmith moves out." Master Carpenter explained,

"That is not a reason to treat her worse than her brother, we have seen what you all do to her, dirty clothing, expired food for lunch, not letting her make friends, and I bet you don't give her presents on her birthdays or on Hearth's Warming, that is not how raising siblings is supposed to work!" Rarity fumed,

"She's right, look at me, Ah got three grandkids to look after, and Ah try mah best to treat 'em fairly, y'all obviously don't, Ah won't be surprised if Butterfly Azalea doesn't take care of y'all two when y'all get to mah age." Granny Smith added, Master Carpenter and Bellflower glared and then looked at Pinkie Pie,

"Cancel the party." Bellflower demanded,

"NO!!" Pinkie Pie shouted,

"She doesn't deserve to have her birthday celebrated." Master Carpenter spoke, Pinkie Pie's facial muscles contorted and twitched as her face turned red, she growled while steam came out of her ears, she snorted and fire came out of her nostrils and her mouth,

"You dare defy me from throwing a foal a party on their birthday?!" Pinkie Pie fumed in a deep, male, demonic voice that echoed, Butterfly Azalea's family reeled back a little,

"You will not interrupt or cancel my birthday parties, they are for the birthday pony, you don't decide whose birthday I can and can't celebrate." Pinkie Pie continued in her scary voice, Butterfly Azalea's family stepped back a little and then turned around and quickly ran into their home,

"Okay, let's continue." Pinkie Pie said in her regular voice in a cheery tone, and the party continued while the foals cheered. Butterfly Azalea had more cake and ice cream and then began playing with the other foals, she enjoyed herself while she played games and danced to Pinkie Pie's music, it went on all day and Butterfly Azalea headed home at the end of the day.

The next day came and Butterfly Azalea and her family were not heard or seen that day, Pinkie Pie looked into their home and saw they and all of their belongings were gone, she headed outside,

"They're gone." Pinkie Pie reported, the ponies murmured,

"Just wait a bit, everypony, we'll see if they write a letter to us or not." Twilight Sparkle spoke, and everybody got on with their days. Pinkie Pie worked in Sugarcube Corner and the paparazzi took more pictures of her,

"Thank you, come again." Pinkie Pie stated as they left, Derpy then flew into Sugarcube Corner and crashed. She got up while Pinkie Pie trotted to her alongside Mr. and Mrs. Cake,

"You got an envelope." Derpy said, and she gave it to her,

"*gasp*, it's from Butterfly Azalea." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Let's go outside, Pinkie." Mrs. Cake suggested, and they did. Mr. Cake began hitting a bell with a spoon,

"Can everypony gather around, please?" Mr. Cake asked, and they did,

"We just got a letter from Butterfly Azalea." Pinkie Pie spoke, the ponies began demanding her to read it, she opened the letter and cleared her throat,

"Dear, Pinkie Pie,

My family has left last night and took me with them, we're far away from Ponyville now, I wanted to thank you and the other ponies in the town for standing up for me and all of your kindness, I'm sorry I left suddenly, but I wish I can come back one day, thank you and everybody else in the town for being nice to me and welcoming me.

-Sincerely
Butterfly Azalea

P.S.
Don't write to me, my family will be checking the letters and throw away any letters for me from you guys." Pinkie Pie read, the ponies looked on wistfully,

"We'll write to her, everypony, but let me do the deliveries, we're not gonna be able to just put it in their mailbox, I'll look for Butterfly Azalea, too." Pinkie Pie stated, and they all left and began writing letters. Pinkie Pie dashed around Ponyville and looked for Butterfly Azalea and her family, she found them in Baltimare, she watched them from afar and saw her put the outfit Rarity made for her on the floor where she slept. She left the room and Pinkie Pie put the letters under the outfit and headed back to Ponyville.

Pinkie Pie was standing across from Drifter, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, Purple Grace, Gold Digger, and Wilfred,

"We still write to Butterfly Azalea and she responds back every now and then, but since she's not old enough to live on her own yet, she still has to put up with the unfair treatment she gets from her family." Pinkie Pie stated,

"How much longer until she can move out?" Pink Diamond asked,

"Hmm, I think one or two more years from now." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Still, some parents they are, I couldn't bring myself to treat my children like that." Drifter spoke,

"It's a shame she left early, I was planning on introducing her to my parents and sisters if she stayed." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Well, thanks for the story, Pinkie, but I have to get going, my first job for the day is about to start." Drifter said,

"Alright, see you all later." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Let's go." Drifter said, and he walked out with his family, Gold Digger, and Wilfred. Pinkie Pie went behind the table and saw she had a letter from Butterfly Azalea that arrived earlier today, she read it and read that she was busy and had to do everything ever since Swordsmith moved out, and would be able to move out and live on her own too alongside writing about planning to come back to Ponyville. Pinkie Pie smiled and began writing a letter to her, she finished and then went to Baltimare quickly without anyone noticing and put the letter under an old, worn out blanket with holes in it and then headed back to Ponyville.

Chronic Flatulence

Pinkie Pie was teaching in the School of Friendship and has brought banana oatmeal muffins and soda,

"Since you all had good grades and behavior this week, I have decided you all deserve an award, so I brought some yummy tasting drinks and snacks." Pinkie Pie spoke, the class cheered and Pinkie Pie walked around. She gave two muffins and a bottle of soda to everybody,

"Okay, everybody, let's begin!" Pinkie Pie hollered and fired her party cannon, everybody cheered and began eating and drinking. Pinkie Pie joined in and everybody celebrated and conversed, they finished their snacks and drinks before class ended and looked at Pinkie Pie,

"Wow, you all sure are some fast eaters and drinkers, but I don't have anymore snacks or drinks for today." Pinkie Pie said, the students groaned,

"Don't be so down now, free period until class ends." Pinkie Pie declared, the students cheered and conversed. They talked about their days and laughed while Pinkie Pie smiled at watching them and began grading their papers, Ocellus felt her stomach grumbling and groaned while clutching it, she began to fart loudly and everybody looked at her. She groaned and farted again loudly, the students looked on with shock,

"You okay, Ocellus?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I think... the oatmeal... and soda... is making my stomach grumble." Ocellus answered, and she farted again,

"*gasp* Ocellus!" Silverstream exclaimed while Sandbar had a shocked expression, Yona struggled not to laugh, and Gallus and Smolder burst out laughing. Pinkie Pie barely restrained herself from laughing at the farts,

"Gallus, Smolder, please don't laugh at your friend's distress." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"It's not that that's making me laugh." Smolder answered while laughing,

"Yeah, me neither, I just find farts funny." Gallus added, and he and Smolder continued laughing,

"Come on, you two, I think you two laughing have overstayed their welcomes." Sandbar commented, Ocellus farted again and Gallus and Smolder laughed again while she blushed,

"Yona... struggling... to... not... laugh." Yona said straining her voice, Ocellus farted loudly and Gallus and Smolder laughed while Pinkie Pie barely restrained herself,

"Ocellus, stay after class, I have a tale that might make you feel better." Pinkie Pie stated, the bell rung seconds later and everybody except Ocellus left.

Pinkie Pie held her breath while Ocellus trotted to her and held her abdomen and farted again,

"I think I know what made you gassy, it's likely the oatmeal and soda, I once met someone who had a lot of flatulence like how you do right now, and I may not show it, but ever since I was a foal, I have always found farts to be funny and would break out laughing, I'm literally struggling not to laugh right now." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Well, thank you for not laughing, Professor Pinkie." Ocellus responded and farted again a few seconds afterwards,

"I won't be surprised if the oatmeal and soda are causing your flatulence, they make some people really gassy, and I got a story to tell you to cheer you up." Pinkie Pie said,

"You're not going to send me to the nurse?" Ocellus inquired,

"If this is like a usual bout of oatmeal and soda gas, it'll be gone by tomorrow." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh." Ocellus spoke,

"Well, let's begin, this is about a friend of mine who couldn't stop farting, I probably could've helped him better, if I stopped laughing at his farts a bit." Pinkie Pie said, and she began her tale.

Pinkie Pie was hopping on a road and has just left Angelique's home, she decided to go see Taco Bell from earlier and headed to his house. She arrived and knocked on his door with her snout, she heard him groaning and he farted while coming to the door, Pinkie Pie laughed under her breath and the door soon opened and Taco Bell came out,

"Oh, hey, you're that mare that's staying with Angelique." Taco Bell commented,

"Well, not anymore, I'm finished with helping Foster calm down, so it's now your turn, I wanna see what causes your flatulence." Pinkie Pie responded, Taco Bell farted uncontrollably and very loudly and Pinkie Pie burst out laughing,

"Are you laughing at my condition?" Taco Bell fumed,

"No, I just find farts really funny." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Oh." Taco Bell said, Pinkie Pie continued laughing but soon gagged,

"Pee-yew, that stinks." Pinkie Pie commented, Taco Bell laughed a little,

"Well, I'm here to help, I wanna see if I can do something about your... condition." Pinkie Pie said,

"Doctor Zhivago is already taking care of me." Taco Bell replied,

"I wanna see if I can find something he missed." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Oh, well, come on in then." Taco Bell responded, and they entered his home.

Pinkie Pie looked into Taco Bell's home and saw several portraits on his wall with a stallion and a mare in each one, they were both earth ponies, the stallion had a light brown coat, short black mane, and red eyes, and the mare had a dark pink coat, long dark red mane, and purple eyes,

"Are those your parents?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yup, my dad's Wood Designer, he was a carpenter when he was alive, and my mom's Love Hotel, she was a matchmaker before she passed." Taco Bell answered,

"Where is everypony's parents in this town?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Oh, um... about that, you see, Pinkie Pie, some parents are working out of town and won't be back for a long time, only adults in this town as of now are Doctor Zhivago and Foster, and as Angelique said, my parents are dead, dad died before I was born, and mom died as soon as I was born, Zhivago is the one who raised me." Taco Bell explained,

"It's still pretty sad, they all get to go out and see the world while you kids have to remain here." Pinkie Pie lamented,

"I still wish I could've met my parents, I wanted to know how they were, what they did, but I probably never will." Taco Bell answered, he farted again and Pinkie Pie laughed a little,

"Do you think your parents would've truly loved you?" Pinkie Pie questioned while trying not to laugh,

"Yes, Doctor Zhivago said my parents were excited to have me when they were alive and were going to spoil me." Taco Bell responded,

"Oh, that's sad that didn't happen, well, come on now, let's see what I can do with your problem." Pinkie Pie stated,

"I'm on medication right now to reduce my farting, it's much worse without it." Taco Bell replied,

"How often do you have to take your medication?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Three times a day, Doctor Zhivago comes here every morning after the time I'm scheduled to take my first medication for the day." Taco Bell replied,

"Alright, well, it's almost dark, I'll see what your diet is tomorrow when we wake up." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, goodnight, Pinkie Pie." Taco Bell spoke,

"Goodnight, Taco Bell." Pinkie Pie responded, and he went to his bed while Pinkie Pie laid down on the floor and slept.

Pinkie Pie slept well and snored loudly until she got startled awake by loud flatulence, she looked back and saw Taco Bell walking around and farting loudly with one fart after another. She laughed loudly at the big and loud farts before gagging at their foul stench a few seconds later,

"Sorry." Taco Bell spoke while blushing,

"It's alright, show me what you have for breakfast." Pinkie Pie responded, and she trotted to him while laughing at his farts. Taco Bell got breakfast out of his refrigerator which consisted of oatmeal, raisins, apples, and water,

"There's one reason right there, Taco Bell, all of this except water causes flatulence, especially the oatmeal." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Really?" Taco Bell questioned, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"I used to have milk, but Doctor Zhivago discovered that I'm lactose intolerant." Taco Bell stated,

"Lactose intolerance can cause a lot of flatulence, too." Pinkie Pie explained,

"It has gone down a bit ever since I stopped having lactose, but I'm still having problems." Taco Bell said, he farted again and Pinkie Pie laughed. He had breakfast and ate slowly, he farted while eating and Pinkie Pie laughed hysterically, He finished breakfast and washed his dishes, he then took his medicine and swallowed it with water, his flatulence reduced but farted still loudly.

Knocking is heard at the door and Pinkie Pie and Taco Bell looked,

"I'm here." Zhivago said, and Taco Bell opened the door. He walked into the house and saw Pinkie Pie,

"Hello, Ms. Pie, I assume you're still staying with Angelique." Zhivago commented,

"Nope, I'm here to help Taco Bell now." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Yeah, she's going to be watching my diet." Taco Bell added,

"Oh, okay, let's hope she and I can help you with your problem." Zhivago said, and he put his things on the table,

"Did you take your medication?" Zhivago asked,

"Yes, just did." Taco Bell replied,

"Good, I will go ahead and have a look at your stomach once when I unpack my things." Zhivago stated, and he did. He walked over to Taco Bell and got his equipment,

"Say 'Ah', Taco Bell." Zhivago instructed,

"Ah." Taco Bell said as he opened his mouth. Zhivago put a gastroscope into Taco Bell's mouth and saw images of the inside of his stomach, he saw the food he had for breakfast and his stomach's acid,

"I see bubbles in your stomach, you're going to be burping soon, but no signs of flatulence yet." Zhivago commented, he took the gastroscope out and picked up the duodenoscope. He put the duodenoscope in Taco Bell's mouth and moved it down, he looked into the first section of Taco Bell's small intestine,

"I see some bubbling, but not too bad." Zhivago stated, and took the duodenoscope out. Zhivago put gloves on and got a colonoscope,

"Do you have flatulence right now?" Zhivago asked,

"Yeah." Taco Bell responded,

"Go ahead and let it pass." Zhivago instructed, Taco Bell farted loudly and Pinkie Pie laughed while Zhivago proceeded to use the colonoscope,

"I see a lot of bubbling, Taco Bell, you're going to pass gas again soon." Zhivago commented, and he took colonoscope out and put all of his medical equipment and gloves in two trash bags and then left.

Pinkie Pie walked to Taco Bell while he stretched,

"Is that all?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"For my examination, he left to discard of his medical equipment since my germs are all over them and can't just be thrown away." Taco Bell explained,

"He can't just put it in your trash bin?" Pinkie Pie suggested,

"No, he said he has procedures he has to follow in discarding the used equipment." Taco Bell responded,

"Hmm, I wonder what they are." Pinkie Pie commented, Zhivago came back in and walked to a table,

"Do you have any new poems for me to read, Doctor Zhivago?" Taco Bell asked,

"Not yet, the one I'm working on is pretty far from done as well." Zhivago answered, and he began writing on a paper. Pinkie Pie and Taco Bell looked and saw Zhivago writing poetry,

"Ooh, what are you writing about?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Pretty much anything that comes to my mind, I share my poems with the foals in this town for them to read in their free time to entertain themselves." Zhivago explained,

"Doctor Zhivago publishes his poems in our town's newspapers, it's very popular with kids and adults." Taco Bell stated,

"Ooh, I'll have to read them one day." Pinkie Pie responded,

"You'll have to be patient, then, at this rate, my next poem won't be for a while." Zhivago said,

"Wanna play outside, Taco Bell?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sure." Taco Bell answered,

"Alright! Last one to the door's a rotten egg." Pinkie Pie declared, and they ran,

"Make sure you don't go out the yard and onto the road, Taco Bell." Zhivago said, and Pinkie Pie and Taco Bell ran outside.

Pinkie Pie and Taco Bell played tag in Taco Bell's yard while they laughed and had fun, they also played hide and seek and tried building things in the yard with sticks and leaves. They built small structures and Taco Bell farted again and blew a structure down while Pinkie Pie burst into laughter, Taco Bell tried building another small structure and farted again and it blew leaves into the air,

"Pinkie Pie?" Taco Bell asked when he did not hear her laugh and looked around, he saw she was nowhere to be found,

"Oh, Taco Bell." Pinkie Pie called out, he turned around and became startled when he saw her standing on a house made of sticks taller than his own home,

"How did you make that?" Taco Bell inquired,

"I have a certain way of doing things, it's complicated to explain." Pinkie Pie answered, Taco Bell inspected the big structure and saw a bed, bookshelf, toilet, and stove inside,

"Whoa." Taco Bell exclaimed,

"Go on, go ahead and have a look inside." Pinkie Pie said as she jumped on top of the structure, and Taco Bell entered. He looked and saw a bed and mattress, a functional sink, a functional toilet, and functional electrical lights,

"Wow, I can't imagine how many wires and pipes you put in to make these work." Taco Bell commented,

"Um, about that, Taco Bell, there are no electrical wires or pipes inside." Pinkie Pie said,

"Wha...? How are they working then?" Taco Bell inquired,

"I'm using my own Pinkie magic." Pinkie Pie explained, and Taco Bell continued examining the interior, he farted again and blew all of the sticks down while Pinkie Pie landed on her feet and laughed,

"Wow, I didn't fart until after I stopped being active." Taco Bell commented,

"See, there you go, Taco Bell, physical activity and exercise can reduce flatulence." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Oh, wow." Taco Bell stated, he farted again and Pinkie Pie had stifled laughter,

"You wanna keep playing?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Nah, I'm a bit tired, I wanna go inside." Taco Bell answered,

"Alright then." Pinkie Pie said, and they entered his house.

They walked forward and saw Zhivago working on his poems at the table,

"Did you have fun outside, Taco Bell?" Zhivago asked,

"Yeah, I did." Taco Bell replied,

"I taught Taco Bell that being active can reduce his gas." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Good, looks like you have an answer to your flatulence, Taco Bell." Zhivago spoke,

"I hope so, it's a lot more fun playing outside with someone than by myself." Taco Bell responded,

"It's settled then, you and me play outside daily from now on." Pinkie Pie declared while Taco Bell smiled,

"I believe it's time for you to make lunch, Taco Bell." Zhivago stated,

"Oh, it is, thanks, Doctor Zhivago." Taco Bell said, and he walked to his kitchen. He went through his refrigerator and got his lunch, he got a sandwich full of daisy flowers, strawberries, cabbage, and a glass of water,

"Wait, Taco Bell, cabbage causes a lot of flatulence, too." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Really?" Taco Bell asked, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"I love cabbage." Taco Bell lamented,

"I'm sorry, but cabbage makes you fart like crazy." Pinkie Pie stated,

"What do you suggest as a replacement then?" Taco Bell asked, Pinkie Pie dashed away and came back holding a wooden board with kale, carrots, and tomatoes on it a second later,

"Uh... Those don't keep me full very long." Taco Bell commented and a small fart came out of his flank afterwards,

"They will if you chew them a lot and slowly." Pinkie Pie responded while having stifled laughter,

"Well, I guess I'll give it a try, as long as my farting goes down." Taco Bell stated, and he took the vegetables. He put the cabbage aside and ate the vegetables Pinkie Pie offered him alongside the sandwich and strawberries, he then took his medication and downed it with water,

"How's your stomach feeling, Taco Bell?" Zhivago asked,

"I feel fine." Taco Bell answered,

"Good, I trust you know what to have for dinner, and it's time for me to leave, see you tomorrow, Taco Bell and Pinkie Pie." Zhivago said,

"Bye, Doctor Zhivago." Taco Bell chirped,

"Goodbye." Pinkie Pie said, and Zhivago left. Taco Bell trotted to his table and began doing math problems,

"What are you doing?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Homeschooling, nopony in this town goes to school, so we learn at our own pace and comfort at home instead." Taco Bell responded,

"So you just do this until dinner?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"No, I do little by little a day, I hate schoolwork, math is my worst subject, too." Taco Bell replied, Pinkie Pie looked and saw the entire sheet were all multiplication, division, and exponent problems,

"Grrr, I hate complicated math." Pinkie Pie vented,

"Me too, Pinkie Pie, me too." Taco Bell stated, and he got a calculator and worked while he farted loudly again. Pinkie Pie laughed hysterically and soon gagged from the stench,

"Sorry." Taco Bell said, and he kept working until his eyes got tired. He walked back into the kitchen and started to make his dinner, he had hay, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, bread, pasta, and a glass of water,

"Whoa, hold on, Taco Bell, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, bread, and pasta all cause flatulence." Pinkie Pie explained,

"What do you suggest then?" Taco Bell asked, Pinkie Pie dashed away and came back with a cutting board that had lettuce, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, and brown rice,

"What if I'm still hungry after supper?" Taco Bell questioned,

"No worries, I have foods and drinks for dessert, too." Pinkie Pie answered,

"How do you know what causes flatulence and what doesn't?" Taco Bell asked,

"Well, you see, my mom was an expert on what's healthy for us and what isn't, I'm also a party preparer, so I need to know what you're allergic to and what your body can't handle when I'm preparing your birthday party, and some of it is just a hunch." Pinkie Pie explained while smiling after her last words,

"So, you're finding out what's reduces my farting based on instinct?" Taco Bell inquired,

"Partially, most of my knowledge is from my past experiences dealing with foals on learning what foods makes them pass gas and what doesn't, there's also the fact that every body is different, some ponies can eat a ton of beans and not fart at all, and some can a teensy tiny bit of beans and fart like crazy." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Oh, well, I guess I'll keep doing what you suggest, everything you suggested to do so far has worked." Taco Bell spoke,

"Good, I promise I won't let you down." Pinkie Pie declared, Taco Bell smiled and he took his last medicine for the day, he then picked up papers and begin reading them. Pinkie Pie trotted and saw he was reading poems written by Zhivago, she watched Taco Bell flip through them and each poem was on a different subject, he read a little and soon yawned,

"I'm going to sleep, goodnight, Pinkie Pie." Taco Bell spoke,

"Goodnight." Pinkie Pie responded, and they slept.

Taco Bell was snoring loudly while he slept and slept peacefully,

"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie hollered while ringing a bell loudly and her party cannon went off, Taco Bell screamed as he jumped out of bed and farted extremely loudly, it blew his bed behind him and made his house shake. Pinkie Pie laughed hysterically and fell to the floor while Taco Bell glared,

"Okay, I'm done." Pinkie Pie said, and she stood up,

"What was that for?" Taco Bell inquired,

"I thought if I surprised you, you would let all of the gas out of your body at once and you wouldn't fart until much later in the day." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Well, now that you mention it, my stomach does feel completely empty of gas." Taco Bell commented,

"Alright, so it did work, I'll need to work on this for making you pass gas." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Can you please not? That almost gave me a heart attack." Taco Bell pleaded,

"Oh, sorry, I'll see if I can find another way to get the gas out in the morning." Pinkie Pie said, she gagged from the stench afterwards. Taco Bell made his breakfast and Pinkie Pie replaced his oatmeal with hay,

"I don't eat hay until lunch or dinner." Taco Bell spoke, she replaced the oatmeal with brown rice, he ate them alongside blueberries, grapes, pineapples, raspberries, and strawberries, he took his medicine and downed it with water after breakfast,

"Okay, after your checkup, I wanna see if going for a walk will reduce your farting." Pinkie Pie said,

"Sounds good." Taco Bell replied, Zhivago came in a few minutes later and checked Taco Bell's body, he finished his checkups after a few minutes,

"Pinkie Pie wants to take me walking today." Taco Bell said,

"Okay, just stay safe." Zhivago replied,

"*laugh*, Oh, Zhivago, this neighborhood looks very safe." Pinkie Pie responded,

"It is most of the time, but there are still troublemakers every now and then." Zhivago answered,

"You ready, Taco Bell." Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yup." Taco Bell responded,

"Well, come on, let's go." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Just be back by lunchtime." Zhivago stated, and the two ponies went outside.

Pinkie Pie and Taco Bell walked around the neighborhood and heard a familiar voice singing and a trumpet, they trotted and saw Angelique and Tempo making music together,

"You wanna go see them?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Not right now, my farting usually makes me unwanted, too." Taco Bell replied,

"Okay, we can see them after your gas problem is gone." Pinkie Pie stated, and they walked. They arrived near Angelique and Tempo and they stopped making music and looked at them,

"Pinkie Pie?" Tempo asked, she waved at him while smiling,

"What are you doing, Taco Bell?" Angelique questioned,

"Pinkie Pie and I are just going for a walk, she and I discovered yesterday that physical activity reduces my farting." Taco Bell explained,

"Really? That's great, maybe you can join me and the other kids in our activities." Angelique suggested,

"That would be nice." Taco Bell answered and Angelique smiled,

"How's Foster been, Angelique?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"He's calmed down a bit, but he's still having some trouble keeping his temper in check, but he's much better at it after meeting you." Angelique responded,

"Foster's temper scared me." Taco Bell added,

"Foster's temper scared everybody." Tempo reminded,

"I would love to talk, but I have to help Taco Bell and bring his farting down." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, just trust her, Taco Bell, she helped Foster with his temper, so you're in good hoofs." Angelique spoke, Taco Bell smiled and he and Pinkie Pie continued walking. They walked at a slow pace while looking around the town and saw Emerald looking at jewels, he waved at them and they waved back while they passed him, they saw Haute Coture next and she was making clothes, she smiled at them and they smiled back at her and walked past her, they walked for a few minutes and saw Aquarius up ahead and she was reading a book on marine animals, she waved at them and they waved back and kept walking.

They kept walking while Pinkie Pie watched the sun and kept track of the time, Taco Bell stopped walking when he saw Foster in front of them, Pinkie Pie stood between them while Foster glared and seethed,

"What are you doing near my house, you farting machine?" Foster inquired,

"Wait, Foster, I'm helping him reduce his flatulence." Pinkie Pie explained,

"That's not the point, you think I'd forgive him for the time he farted on the train and made it crash and made me late for work? You think I'd just up and forget that?!" Foster fumed while raising his voice,

"Foster, Taco Bell can't control it." Pinkie Pie reminded,

"I don't care! He still got me in trouble at work! I'm going to punch his stomach to get all of his gas out if that's what it takes to get him to stop farting!" Foster thundered while Pinkie Pie's and Taco Bell's eyes' widened and jaws dropped. Foster began to stomp forward to Taco Bell and cracked his own neck muscles,

"Okay, that's enough, Foster, you need another chill pill." Pinkie Pie spoke, and she shoved her hoof into his mouth and the ice-cold pill down his throat, he calmed down and panted,

"On second thought, I shouldn't waste my energy, I don't think my method of getting rid of that foal's gas would work, I leave everything to you." Foster spoke calmly, and he walked home,

"Thank you." Taco Bell said,

"You're welcome." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I think that's enough walking for today." Taco Bell spoke,

"Yeah, we should head back, it looks like it's almost lunchtime." Pinkie Pie responded, and they walked back to his house. They arrived back home and saw Zhivago sitting at the table and writing a poem,

"Right on time, Taco Bell, lunchtime literally came once when you came into the house." Zhivago commented,

"We spoke with Tempo and Angelique, too, and we almost had a confrontation with Foster, he's still mad at me for being on that train I crashed with my farting and made him late for work." Taco Bell explained,

"Did he hurt you?" Zhivago asked,

"He was about to, I had to give him one of my chill pills to calm him down." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Give him time, he's still trying to control his temper after my talk with him, but he's been doing pretty good so far, I just hope he doesn't have a relapse with his rage." Zhivago spoke,

"He seems to only listen to you, Doctor Zhivago, why is that?" Taco Bell asked,

"Well, if I had to take a guess, it's probably because I'm the only adult besides him in this town, so he probably understands me better than you and all of the other kids, I think another reason is because I'm a veteran like him, so he understands completely when I talk about discipline and restraining his anger so it doesn't lead to problems in the future." Zhivago explained,

"You're a veteran?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, like Foster, I served in the royal guard as well, but we were not in the same unit, Foster was building weapons, I was a medic, we didn't meet one another until after we got out, but I do think that's a big reason on why Foster listens to me, he respects me as a fellow veteran." Zhivago responded,

"Well, I hope he'll be in a better mood the next time we see him." Taco Bell stated,

"I hope so, too, if he tries to attack you again, let me know, go ahead and have lunch, Taco Bell, it's almost time to take your next medication as well." Zhivago said, and Taco Bell went to his kitchen. He made his lunch and had hay, celery, carrots, apricots, raspberries, blackberries, watermelon, whole wheat bread, and water, Pinkie Pie checked every type of food and nodded, Taco Bell smiled and had lunch. He ate slowly and drank water, he took his medicine with his last sip,

"Well, it's time for me to go, see you two tomorrow." Zhivago said, and he left while Pinkie Pie and Taco Bell said bye to him. Taco Bell did more academic work while Pinkie Pie thought about how to wake him up tomorrow morning without scaring him, he finished his academic work for the night and took his last medication for the day, he then made his bed and laid in it while Pinkie Pie laid on the floor and they slept.

The next morning came and Taco Bell's alarm went off, he pressed it and yawned, he got out of bed and stretched,

"Good morning." Pinkie Pie said, he looked at her and saw her smiling,

"Going to try to scare me again?" Taco Bell questioned,

"No, I wanna try something else." Pinkie Pie responded,

"What do you have in mind?" Taco Bell asked, he let out a small fart afterwards and Pinkie Pie laughed under her breath for a second,

"I wanna see if I can get all of the gas you built up overnight out by squeezing your stomach reaaaalllllly hard." Pinkie Pie stated,

"I guess I'll give it a try, just don't hurt me." Taco Bell said after about a minute of silence, and Pinkie Pie trotted to behind him. She grabbed him by his abdomen and lifted him up,

"Alright, on three. One, two, three." Pinkie Pie spoke, and she pressed Taco Bell's abdomen down as hard as she could, Taco Bell let out a very big and loud fart that blew Pinkie Pie's mane and tail back and shook the house, she shrieked when she lost her grip and got blown away.

Taco Bell stood up and sighed with relief while Pinkie Pie gagged at the stench,

"Thanks, Pinkie Pie, I feel a lot better now." Taco Bell stated,

"You're welcome." Pinkie Pie responded in a hoarse voice tone and gagged again, Taco Bell then used the bathroom and then started making breakfast. He had strawberries, blueberries, and whole wheat bread, he ate them and then took his first medication for the day while downing it with water. He and Pinkie Pie got ready to walk but stopped when they heard knocking at the door,

"Wow, Zhivago's early today." Pinkie Pie said,

"I don't think that's Doctor Zhivago, he always comes at the same time." Taco Bell replied,

"Hmm, I wonder who it is." Pinkie Pie remarked, and she trotted to the door. She opened the door and saw Angelique,

"Angelique!" Pinkie Pie hollered joyfully,

"I'm not here to hang out, Pinkie Pie, I'm here because I'm worried." Angelique responded, Pinkie Pie stopped smiling,

"Is everything okay? I can hear loud noises here in the morning and I hear shaking, the ground around here's vibrating, too." Angelique spoke,

"Oh, that, you see, Angelique, since gas builds up in my body while I sleep, Pinkie Pie has been trying to unleash it as soon as I wake up, she squeezed my stomach as hard as she could and got all of the gas out." Taco Bell explained,

"It was hard to hold onto him, though, really stinky, too." Pinkie Pie added,

"Well, can you two try to keep it down? It's scaring me and my friends." Angelique said,

"Well, Pinkie Pie?" Taco Bell asked,

"I'll see what I can do." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Thank you, you two are scaring me and the others awake, too, we'd like to get more sleep." Angelique commented,

"Sorry about that, I'll try to find a quieter way, I promise." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Okay, and Taco Bell, I brought you some snacks." Angelique stated, he trotted to her and she gave him bags of chips and candy bars. Pinkie Pie trotted to him and checked them,

"Hmm, these do cause gas, Taco Bell, but I think a little bit a day will be okay." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"Sure, I'd hate for these to go to waste, too." Taco Bell commented, and he ate a little of each and put them in his refrigerator.

Zhivago walked to the house and Angelique looked back,

"Oh, good morning, Doctor Zhivago." Angelique said,

"Morning, Angelique." Zhivago replied, and she stepped aside and he went into the house. He examined Taco Bell's body and found almost no bubbles,

"Your flatulence is going down, Taco Bell, I don't see as much bubbling in your body as before, you will fart every now and then like everybody, but I'm seeing a great reduction." Zhivago spoke,

"Yes!" Taco Bell hollered as he jumped,

"You wanna go for another walk, Taco Bell?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sure." Taco Bell chirped,

"Come on, Taco Bell, Tempo wants us to help him in practicing a song today, maybe your reduced farting will let you join us." Angelique suggested,

"Sure, I'd like to hang out with you guys then." Taco Bell responded,

"Come on then." Angelique spoke,

"Be home by lunchtime." Zhivago said, and Pinkie Pie, Taco Bell, and Angelique went outside.

They walked together and Angelique led the way, they arrived at Tempo's house and saw him there alongside Emerald, Haute Couture, and Aquarius,

"You're bringing Taco Bell to join us?" Emerald asked,

"Yeah, his farting has greatly reduced thanks to Pinkie Pie and Doctor Zhivago." Angelique responded,

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt." Haute Couture suggested,

"Yeah, if he doesn't fart, we'll be fine." Aquarius added,

"Go ahead and line up with us, Taco Bell." Tempo stated, and he walked and stood between Emerald and Haute Couture, he watched himself carefully so he did not step on Haute Couture's dress. Tempo and Angelique walked and stood with the others,

"What are we singing?" Pinkie Pie asked as she stood across from them,

"Some choral lines, each one of us sing in a different voice range." Tempo explained,

"Ooh, sounds fun, I'll conduct." Pinkie Pie decided,

"Sure, that'll probably help us, too." Tempo responded,

"Okay, everypony, here we go. And a one, and a two, and a one, two, three, four." Pinkie Pie stated, and she began conducting. The foals began singing and Pinkie Pie almost got distracted by everypony except Tempo singing off key, they listened to Tempo sing and they began copying the words he sang and sang at the same time as him. Angelique looked around and her voice began to die down,

"Wait, stop, everypony." Pinkie Pie instructed, and they did,

"What's the matter, Angelique? Why did you stop singing?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"These grey clouds and cold wind blowing is kind of killing my mood to sing, I wish for a brighter and cheerier environment." Angelique explained,

"What do you have in mind?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Well, I was kind of hoping to make the scene more uplifting, maybe some light will help." Angelique suggested,

"You mean like a lamp?" Pinkie Pie suggested,

"I was thinking candles." Angelique spoke,

"Uh..." Pinkie Pie drifted off while her eyes looked to her left and at Taco Bell,

"I think it'll be okay, let's give it a try." Haute Couture spoke, the others agreed,

"You all sure? I'm getting a really bad feeling about this." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Taco Bell hasn't farted at all." Tempo responded, the others nodded in agreement,

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you." Pinkie Pie said, and she dashed away and came back a second later with candle stands and white candles, she placed them and lit the candles. Angelique looked around and smiled,

"I like it." Angelique spoke,

"Okay, let's continue. And a one, and a two, and a one, two, three, four." Pinkie Pie said, and she began conducting while the foals sang. Tempo led the singing and everypony else copied him, everything went well while Pinkie Pie could not shake off her bad feeling, Taco Bell suddenly let out a short but big fart that blew leaves up behind him and the candles near him created a fire. Haute Couture's dress caught on fire and she screamed while Tempo and Aquarius worked quickly to get water and put the fire out, they doused the small fire after a few minutes with black smoke coming out of Haute Couture's dress,

"TACO BELL!!" Haute Couture screamed,

"I'm sorry, it just slipped out suddenly and I had no control over it, I didn't feel it building up either." Taco Bell explained,

"What time is it?" Pinkie Pie asked, Aquarius looked up at the sun,

"It's afternoon, looks like lunch time." Aquarius spoke,

"Oh, shoot, come on, Taco Bell, you gotta take your medicine." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Oh, that's why, I lost track of the time, sorry, everypony." Taco Bell spoke,

"Maybe you should bring your medicine with you next time." Emerald advised, the others nodded and agreed,

"Well, come on, Taco Bell, Doctor Zhivago is probably worried." Pinkie Pie stated, and Taco Bell got on her back and she dashed to his home while leaving a pink trail behind herself.

They arrived at Taco Bell's home and Zhivago heard them enter while he was writing a poem,

"You two sound like to be in a hurry, what is the matter?" Zhivago asked without turning around,

"I noticed that it was time to take my medication and didn't have lunch." Taco Bell answered,

"We were doing music with the other foals and lost track of the time, Taco Bell farted and started a fire as well." Pinkie Pie added,

"What? Is everything alright?" Zhivago asked as he turned around,

"Well, nopony was hurt, but I did set Haute Couture's dress on fire." Taco Bell explained as he looked down,

"The fire was put out before it spread." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"I think it'll be best if you just walk or play in your yard for now, Taco Bell." Zhivago suggested,

"Yeah, especially after what happened today." Taco Bell responded, and he went to his kitchen.

Taco Bell began making lunch and had hay, lettuce, beets, carrots, ginger, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and water,

"Okay, all of these are fine." Pinkie Pie spoke, and Taco Bell ate his lunch slowly and then took his medication with water, he then sat and thought about the fire he caused,

"Not gonna do anything else today?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I just wanna take a break for now." Taco Bell replied,

"Will you be alright on your own, Taco Bell?" Zhivago questioned,

"Yeah, I'll probably sleep early today." Taco Bell answered,

"Okay, I'll come back if you're feeling bad, call me if you need me." Zhivago stated, and he left. Taco Bell just sat quietly for the night and thought about today, he then went to the kitchen and made his supper, he had hay, celery, carrots, beets, cucumbers, tomatoes, baked potatoes, and brown rice,

"They're fine." Pinkie Pie spoke, and he ate slowly and quietly and then took his last medicine for the day while downing it with water, he then laid in his bed and slept, Pinkie Pie watched him worriedly and she soon went to sleep.

The next day came and Taco Bell woke up early, he stretched and yawned and walked forward,

"Good morning." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Morning." Taco Bell replied in a low voice,

"Still bummed out over yesterday?" Pinkie Pie asked, Taco Bell nodded,

"Well, come on, let's see if I can get the gas out of your body quietly." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Wait, I wanna see if I can let them out on my own." Taco Bell responded, and he began farting a lot and got some of the gas out and soon began grunting while Pinkie Pie had stifled laughter, he struggled to get the gas out of his body but could not. Pinkie Pie trotted to him and grabbed his abdomen from behind, she squeezed him a little and a quiet hissing sound came out while Taco Bell farted, he sighed with relief while Pinkie Pie chuckled but soon gagged,

"Stinky, stinky, stinky." Pinkie Pie exclaimed,

"You know what they say, Pinkie Pie." Taco Bell remarked while smirking,

"Yeah, I know, silent but deadly." Pinkie Pie responded, she gagged again, Taco Bell then used the bathroom and began making his breakfast. He had apricots, blueberries, a slice of watermelon, and hay,

"You're good." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Pinkie Pie, I know you're trying to help, but I'm getting hungry much earlier than before you started changing my diet, I'm getting a bit tired eating the same thing daily, too." Taco Bell spoke,

"Hmm, well, tell you what, let's try having you eat the stuff you used to eat, but a little bit and slowly." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"Okay." Taco Bell chirped while smiling and he got a small bowl of oatmeal. He ate his breakfast and saved the oatmeal for last, he chewed very slowly and put a little bit in his mouth each time, he finished his breakfast and then took his medicine and downed it with water while Pinkie Pie washed the dishes. Zhivago came into the house a few minutes later and he began examining Taco Bell,

"Did you eat oatmeal this morning?" Zhivago asked,

"Uh-huh." Taco Bell replied in a muffled voice,

"I would recommend against it, but seeing how well chewed and how little you have eaten, I think you will be fine." Zhivago commented, Taco Bell smiled and Zhivago finished examining him,

"You wanna exercise today?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sure, but I wanna stay in the yard, my body's a bit sore, too." Taco Bell responded,

"Okay, we'll take it easy today then." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"You two might as well go now, it's still a bit cool." Zhivago stated, and the two trotted outside.

They arrived outside and Pinkie Pie began running around the yard, Taco Bell tried but he panted and walked slowly, Pinkie Pie stopped running and looked at him,

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"I don't have the energy right now, my legs feel sore, too." Taco Bell responded,

"Oh, you're sore from exercising the previous days, let's take it easy today." Pinkie Pie said, and they did. They walked around the yard slowly while Taco Bell took a few breaks and Pinkie Pie stood by his side, he got back up a minute later and they continued walking around the yard,

"You still bummed out about yesterday?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, but I feel a bit better." Taco Bell replied,

"Good, give it time, and the bad feeling will go down." Pinkie Pie stated, Taco Bell smiled and they continued walking. They walked slowly and stopped when they saw Angelique, Emerald, Haute Couture, Tempo, and Aquarius watching them,

"You wanna see them?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I wanna keep exercising, they can come over if they want to." Taco Bell answered, and they kept walking around, the foals walked to them and Pinkie Pie and Taco Bell stopped walking,

"You all still mad at me?" Taco Bell asked,

"Yes, I am." Haute Couture answered while gritting her teeth,

"Calm down, Haute Couture, I'm sure Taco Bell doesn't want things to get ugly." Angelique spoke,

"I really am sorry about that, I didn't mean to set your dress on fire like that, Haute Couture." Taco Bell spoke,

"It still doesn't change the fact that you have damaged hours worth of work." Haute Couture snapped while glaring,

"Didn't you make that with a sewing machine?" Taco Bell questioned,

"No! I sewed that dress with a needle! By hoof!" Haute Couture thundered,

"What about Angelique? She's the one who suggested putting the candles in the first place." Taco Bell reminded,

"She's not the one who set my dress on fire!" Haute Couture fumed, Taco Bell glared while Haute Couture growled,

"What is the matter?" Zhivago asked as he walked to them, and Pinkie Pie explained everything,

"I see, Haute Couture, I am going to ask to calm down a bit and think things through." Zhivago said,

"But Taco Bell almost destroyed my outfit!" Haute Couture thundered,

"I understand that, but you know that he has no control over his flatulence, and if you stay angry like that, your thinking will be clouded and you will do something that you will regret later." Zhivago explained, Haute Couture looked at him with her mouth partially opened,

"Truth be told, we're all to blame." Emerald said,

"Yeah, we thought it'd be okay since Taco Bell's farting has gone down considerably." Tempo added,

"I did warn you guys about it." Pinkie Pie reminded,

"I think it'd be best if you all just go home and try to relax and think about it, and try not to get angry, it will cloud your judgements." Zhivago stated, and Angelique, Emerald, Haute Couture, Tempo, and Aquarius left,

"Come on, Taco Bell, we got time to do more walking." Pinkie Pie said,

"I don't feel like it anymore." Taco Bell replied,

"I think it'd be best if Taco Bell takes it easy for the rest of the day." Zhivago spoke, and they went into the house.

They all gathered around the table and looked at Zhivago's poem,

"I'm getting a little close to the end of this one." Zhivago spoke,

"Can I read it?" Taco Bell asked,

"After I finish." Zhivago replied,

"Well, I'll go ahead and make lunch then." Taco Bell stated, and he went to his kitchen. He went through his refrigerator and got hay, potato chips, a candy bar, pineapples, and a little bit of cabbage, he ate them and farted a little and Pinkie Pie laughed under her breath,

"I'll make an exception today, Taco Bell, go ahead and indulge, and starting tomorrow, we'll try to find a balance in your diet." Pinkie Pie said, Taco Bell smiled and ate his lunch while farting a lot and Pinkie Pie laughed, he then took his medicine and downed it with water.

Pinkie Pie and Taco Bell trotted to Zhivago and looked at his poem,

"Almost done, you two." Zhivago said, and he wrote one more line,

"There, done." Zhivago stated,

"I wanna read!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed excitedly,

"Not yet, I still have to proofread and publish it in the newspaper." Zhivago remarked,

"Oh, how long will that take?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Usually a day or two, Zhivago proofreads and fixes much faster than actually writing his poems." Taco Bell answered,

"Oh, okay, I can wait." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Okay, just a little longer, Pinkie Pie, and I'll be done, see you two tomorrow." Zhivago remarked, and he left. Taco Bell rested for the day and soon went to go make his supper, he had hay, potatoes, oatmeal, green beans, cabbage, and an apple, he ate them and farted more while Pinkie Pie chuckled, he then took his last medicine for the day and downed it with water. He went to the table and began his academic studies, Pinkie Pie trotted over and saw him doing history,

"I can't help you much with unicorn history and Pegasus history, Taco Bell." Pinkie Pie said,

"That's fine, any help is better than no help." Taco Bell replied, and they worked together until Taco Bell finished a chapter full of blanks,

"Okay, I think that's enough for tonight." Taco Bell remarked,

"I agree, I'm tired, too." Pinkie Pie responded,

"I'm going to bed, good night, Pinkie Pie." Taco Bell stated,

"Good night." Pinkie Pie spoke, and he turned off the light and laid in his bed while Pinkie Pie laid on the floor and they slept.

The next morning came and Taco Bell farted nonstop while Pinkie Pie turned back and laughed under her own breath,

"I can hear you." Taco Bell spoke, Pinkie Pie continued to laugh until Taco Bell stopped farting,

"Okay, okay, I'm done." Pinkie Pie stated a few minutes later,

"I still got some gas inside that won't come out." Taco Bell said, Pinkie Pie trotted to behind him and squeezed his abdomen slowly, a hissing sound came out and it stopped after about seven seconds,

"Okay, that's all of the gas." Taco Bell stated, and Pinkie Pie laughed and soon gagged from the stench while Taco Bell went to go make breakfast. He began making his breakfast and he became startled when he saw Pinkie Pie standing to his left,

"Don't scare me like that." Taco Bell said,

"Sorry, but as I said before, I wanna see if I can find a balance in your gas reduction food and the stuff you like that give you gas." Pinkie Pie stated,

"What are you thinking right now?" Taco Bell asked,

"Well, I was thinking maybe eighty percent your gas reduction diet, and twenty percent the stuff you like but make you fart." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Why can't it be fifty-fifty?" Taco Bell inquired,

"Because you will still fart like crazy if we do that, I don't think your medication will stop it very much either." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Oh." Taco Bell said while looking down,

"Let's give it a try, we'll readjust if it doesn't work." Pinkie Pie spoke, and he had a lot of hay, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, and a little bit of oatmeal and raisins, he ate them very slowly and then took his medication and downed it with water. Zhivago came in a few minutes later and began examining Taco Bell's body,

"I see a little bubbling, but it's not much, if you have any gas, it's likely going to be small." Zhivago commented while Taco Bell smiled, he finished examining him and then left to discard his medical equipment. Pinkie Pie watched Taco Bell walk around a little and he farted a few times, she smiled and tried not to laugh while Taco Bell sniffed the air,

"Hey, no stench, maybe this will work." Taco Bell commented,

"Yes! I did it!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed while jumping,

"Uh... Pinkie Pie, I think it's too early to celebrate." Taco Bell said,

"Oh, nonsense, keep doing what you did, and you'll be fine in no time." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, if you insist." Taco Bell spoke, Zhivago came back in and looked at the two,

"You sounded rather happy, Pinkie Pie." Zhivago spoke,

"I found a balance in Taco Bell's diet and the foods he likes, so he can eat both without farting too much or stinking." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Ah, I see, good work, Pinkie Pie." Zhivago said,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie replied, and they went through their day peacefully with Taco Bell getting lunch and dinner and Pinkie Pie readjusted the portion sizes and he ate happily while also feeling full.

The next day came and Pinkie Pie made a list for Taco Bell on what foods made him fart and what reduced them, Zhivago came in and examined him and finished,

"Well, my poem is finished and published." Zhivago spoke,

"I wanna read!" Pinkie Pie hollered,

"Come on, Pinkie Pie, I'll take you to where we get newspapers." Taco Bell replied, and they go outside while Zhivago watches them with a smile.

Taco Bell led Pinkie Pie to the newspaper stand and saw the other foals and Foster there,

"Oh, there you two are, we were wondering if you two would come." Aquarius spoke,

"We wouldn't miss Doctor Zhivago's poem even if the end of the world was happening." Taco Bell responded, Foster bought a newspaper and he held it down and everybody read the poem,

"Here in this town I live, I am at peace.
Dealing with these foals, I am at ease.
After watching my home crumble to dust,
Taking care of these foals, I must.

I have also met a stallion who has seen war,
He and I do not wish to see more,
We may not have had the same goals in the end,
But we were able to become friends.

A pink mare has also arrived, her arrival has not caused a rift
As her desire to help others is a gift,
Her presence here brings me and others joy,
Reminds me of happy times when I was a boy.

In a long time, I have not smiled,
The people here make me as happy as a child,
These foals growing into good ponies, I am faithful,
And getting to meet them, I am grateful.",

Pinkie Pie, Angelique, Emerald, Haute Couture, Tempo, Aquarius, Taco Bell, and Foster all smiled at Zhivago's poem,

"That was very sweet of him." Angelique spoke,

"Yeah, Doctor Zhivago always seems happy when he sees us." Tempo added,

"I'm glad, too, always happy to help a fellow veteran." Foster said, Taco Bell farted again and everybody looked at him, Foster growled while Haute Couture scowled,

"Will you please stop farting, Taco Bell?" Aquarius demanded,

"Sorry." Taco Bell spoke, everybody sniffed the air,

"Wow, no smell." Emerald stated,

"Yup, I rearranged Taco Bell's diet so he farts less and it doesn't stink." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Well, I guess it's better than before." Tempo said,

"Agreed, he's farting a lot less, too." Aquarius added,

"But it might still set my clothes on fire." Haute Couture refuted,

"Haute Couture, it was an accident, I think you'll be fine as long as there are no flames around." Angelique responded,

"Grrr, my Celestia, you all are annoying." Foster fumed, everybody looked at him while he continued reading the newspaper,

"Come on, everypony, let's leave him be." Pinkie Pie stated, and they walked away.

They walked together and saw Zhivago outside,

"Oh, Doctor Zhivago." Angelique spoke,

"Did you all like my poem?" Zhivago asked,

"Yes." everypony answered together,

"It was very touching." Angelique stated,

"It was, we love having you around, too, Doctor Zhivago." Haute Couture said and the others smiled,

"I'm glad you all like it, writing those poems takes me a while, too." Zhivago replied,

"Are you going to be seeing me, Doctor Zhivago?" Taco Bell asked,

"Of course, I need to get your flatulence under control, and since Pinkie Pie has found a balance in your diet that works, we'll stick to it, I can do portion sizes by percentage, too, and now that my poem is done, I can do physical activity with you and the others." Zhivago explained,

"And with that, my work here is done." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Wha...?" the foals exclaimed,

"You're leaving, Pinkie Pie?" Angelique inquired,

"Of course, I got parties to throw all around Equestria." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Well, can we at least do one more song before you leave?" Tempo questioned,

"I would love that, go ahead, and line up, everypony." Pinkie Pie instructed, and they did, Foster walked to them and joined them.

Pinkie Pie began conducting and Angelique, Emerald, Haute Couture, Tempo, Aquarius, Taco Bell, Foster, and Zhivago began singing goodbye to her, they finished and said goodbye while waving at her while Pinkie Pie walked out of town.

Pinkie Pie was sitting at her desk with Ocellus across from her,

"And after I left, Taco Bell began seeing the others again and he farted, but less and no smell." Pinkie Pie said,

"Wow, I hope farting all the time like that doesn't happen to me." Ocellus stated and she farted again,

"Go on to class, Ocellus, I'll take a look at you if you're still farting tomorrow." Pinkie Pie stated, and Ocellus left, she heard her fart in the hall and she burst out laughing.

The next day came and Ocellus entered the class,

"Were you gassy this morning, Ocellus?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Nope, you were right, it was just a one day thing, and your story did cheer me up a bit." Ocellus answered,

"Okay, let's start class, everybody." Pinkie Pie said, and they all worked until the bell rung, Pinkie Pie then thought about Taco Bell and heard his farting in her mind and she laughed.

Ageusia

Pinkie Pie was in Sugarcube Corner and making many confectioneries for an upcoming festival, Carrot Cake, Cup Cake, and Sugar Belle were helping her but unable to keep up. They finished for the day and a few customers came in, Cup Cake tended to them and they closed for the day. Pinkie Pie cleaned the place while she heard someone enter the shop,

"Pinkie?" a familiar male voice called out, Pinkie Pie's ears and mane stood up,

"*gasp* Is that you, Weight Lifter?!" Pinkie Pie hollered as she turned around, she saw the teenage colt and it was him, he had a light green coat, short bright yellow mane and tail, light blue eyes, and his cutie mark was a black dumbbell with four gray weight plates on each side of it. Weight Lifter looked around and had a sad expression when viewing the confectioneries,

"Still can't taste, can you?" Pinkie Pie lamented,

"I can after what you tried, but it's still very weak." Weight Lifter answered,

"Come on, I think I know somepony who can help." Pinkie Pie suggested, and he followed her.

Pinkie Pie knocked on the Castle of Friendship's door and Twilight Sparkle opened it,

"Oh, hi, Pinkie, what brings you here?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"I need your help, Twilight, I tried to help this colt here my own way when he was younger, but it didn't work completely." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Come on in." Twilight Sparkle said, and they went into her castle. Twilight Sparkle led them to her library while Spike and Starlight Glimmer stood by her,

"So, what's the problem?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and Pinkie Pie began to explain.

Pinkie Pie was working as a street vendor one day and selling her sweets to foals and a few adults, word of her sweets being extremely delicious spread throughout Equestria and she got many customers who could not resist her confectioneries. She was working one day and Derpy crashed into her food stall,

"Derpy! I just had everything cleaned and rearranged neatly!" Pinkie Pie reprimanded,

"Sorry, but my eyesight's getting worse, I can't tell depth perception anymore either." Derpy responded, Pinkie Pie examined her eyes and noticed they were more misaligned than before,

"Hmm, I'm not sure if I can help you with your condition or not, Derpy." Pinkie Pie said,

"Anyway, I have a letter for you from a family, they said something about their son having a condition." Derpy stated, and she gave her the letter and flew away. Pinkie Pie tore the envelope's top open and took the paper out and read it,

"Dear, Pinkie Pie,

I don't know if you remember us, but we're husband and wife and have been your customers a few times, we haven't brought our son over because he has a condition, after seeing what you can do to make ponies taste your confectioneries and make them like your stuff, we have also seen signs that your sweets make their tastes stronger too, we want you to come to the address we put at the bottom, we're waiting for you.

-Powerlifter and Callisthenics"

Pinkie Pie looked below the letter and saw the address was close by, she closed her cart and ran to the address with a pink trail behind herself.

Pinkie Pie arrived at the house and saw many gym equipment in the front and back yards, she knocked on the front door with her snout and a stallion and mare walked out, the stallion had a bright red coat, bright orange short mane and tail, light pink eyes, and his cutie mark was a gray barbell with five big red weight plates on each side, and the mare had a light pink coat, pale gray shoulder-length mane and a short tail, orange eyes, and her cutie mark was a black treadmill, both were muscular and very physically fit. They looked at Pinkie Pie and smiled,

"Oh, I remember you two now, I never forget how my customers look." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Good you remember us, I'm Powerlifter, and this is my wife, Callisthenics, we hope you can help our son with his problem, he has ageusia." the stallion explained,

"Lead the way." Pinkie Pie said, and they did. They entered their home and went to the dining room, Pinkie Pie saw a colt sitting at the table, he was muscular for his age,

"This is our son, Weight Lifter, we wish to take him to your shop, but his condition prevents us from doing so. Say, hi, Weight Lifter." Callisthenics remarked,

"Uh, hello." Weight Lifter said weakly while sweating,

"Weight LIfter's shy meeting new people, give him time, and he'll warm up to you." Powerlifter remarked, Pinkie Pie dashed to Weight Lifter and shook his hoof quickly,

"Why, hello, my name's Pinkie Pie, and I am super, duper, hyper, mega, ultra, extremely excited to meet you! I came here from a rock farm and worked on rocks, it was so boring and miserable with nopony smiling, I then saw a rainbow and found my true calling by throwing a party, I then traveled through Equestria and got trained by a troupe of six elderly stallions who teached me the arts of performing and entertaining and..." Pinkie Pie said quickly,

"Alright, that's enough, Pinkie Pie, you're making our son uncomfortable." Powerlifter reminded, and Pinkie Pie stopped talking,

"Will you help our son now, Pinkie Pie?" Callisthenics requested,

"Sure, but first, a welcome party!" Pinkie Pie declared while throwing her front legs up and her party cannon went off. She dashed into the kitchen and came back with a fully baked cake a second later, she dashed back and came back a second later with ice cream, she then brought chips, dipping sauce, cupcakes, cookies, doughnuts, and brownies all in that order. Powerlifter and Callisthenics tried samples while Weight Lifter did not,

"Come on, Weight Lifter, you're only a kid once, try to have fun so you can look back on happy memories when you're older." Pinkie Pie requested, and Weight Lifter took one bite out of everything while having a disheartened expression,

"What's wrong, Weight Lifter?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"That's what we wanted your help on, we hope you can cure his ageusia." Powerlifter explained,

"Which is...?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"He has no sense of taste." Callisthenics answered, Pinkie Pie remained silent for a few seconds and then screamed at the top of her lungs while her mane and tail exploded like nuclear bombs with mushroom clouds appearing while they deflated like balloons and became straight while her entire body turned gray, the family quickly held onto something since Pinkie Pie's scream and explosions triggered an earthquake,

"No sense of taste? No sense of taste?!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, Powerlifter and Callisthenics nodded,

"I'm already using it to my advantage by eating and drinking healthy and nutritious stuff that taste bad, but I miss being able to actually taste and enjoy delicious stuff." Weight Lifter explained, Pinkie Pie's mane and tail poofed up and she returned to being pink again,

"Don't you worry, Weight Lifter, I'll get your sense of taste back, no matter what it takes, I'm going to make you something that tastes so good, your taste buds will tingle and make you able to taste stuff again!" Pinkie Pie declared, the three ponies smiled,

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie, you're the only pony we believe is up to this task." Callisthenics said,

"I'll see what I can do, and you can just call me Pinkie for short." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Great, we wish you good luck." Powerlifter stated,

"Thank you, come on, Weight Lifter, to the kitchen." Pinkie Pie stated and she dashed there while he trotted.

They arrived into the kitchen and Pinkie Pie turned around,

"Okay, Weight Lifter, say 'Ah'." Pinkie Pie instructed,

"Ah." Weight Lifter said while opening his mouth, Pinkie Pie pulled his tongue forward and her eyes stretched out of their sockets. Her eyes slid on his tongue at fast speeds while she examined it in great detail, they went back into their sockets after a few seconds,

"Hmm, it seems your taste buds are basically dead, don't you worry, I'm going to make something that is so sweet and so good, they're going to be up and jumping again." Pinkie Pie declared,

"Thanks, all the cooking and baking utensils are behind you, and the ingredients are in the cabinet above the sink." Weight Lifter responded, and Pinkie Pie began. She worked in the kitchen with afterimages behind her while Weight Lifter's eyes widened,

"What's this?" Pinkie Pie questioned while she held up two white medicine bottles,

"That's my medicine for my problem, the doctors prescribed them to me, but my sense of taste hasn't come back." Weight Lifter answered,

"How long has your sense of taste been gone?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"A year." Weight Lifter replied,

"Anything else you tried?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"I brush my teeth and floss daily, that's supposed to bring my sense of taste back, but it hasn't been working." Weight Lifter responded,

"Mm-mm, hold on a bit, I'm going to make your favorite dessert and add my own special touch to it, I hope it'll be that simple." Pinkie Pie stated, and she continued. She made a melted peanut butter, chocolate, and marshmallow pudding and handed it to Weight Lifter,

"How did you know this was my favorite?" Weight Lifter asked,

"Just a hunch." Pinkie Pie responded while smiling. Weight Lifter took a bite out of the pudding and rolled it on his tongue slowly,

"Well?" Pinkie Pie asked with an anticipation, Weight Lifter shook his head and she frowned,

"Mom, dad, can you two come in here for a minute?" Weight Lifter called out, and they entered the room. They looked at the pudding and tried it,

"Wow, this is good, it's better than whenever I've made it." Callisthenics commented,

"It really is, what did you put in this, Pinkie?" Powerlifter asked,

"Well, the stuff mentioned in the recipe book and some of my own secret ingredients." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Which is?" Callisthenics questioned,

"Love and passion." Pinkie Pie answered,

"So it does taste better." Weight Lifter commented in a distraught tone,

"Don't you worry, Weight Lifter, I'm going to try something else." Pinkie Pie stated and she went back to work. She dashed around and put extra sweeteners and sugar into the pudding, she also rubbed her front hooves together and added pink sprinkles into it,

"Okay, go ahead and try it now." Pinkie Pie stated, and they did,

"Wow! You made it taste even better, my taste buds are dancing!" Callisthenics exclaimed,

"Whoa, I wanna eat more and never stop eating this." Powerlifter stated, Pinkie Pie looked at Weight Lifter and saw him chewing slowly,

"Well, Weight Lifter?" Pinkie Pie asked, Weight Lifter shook his head, Pinkie Pie pulled his tongue out again and her eyes came out of their sockets. She examined his tongue again with her eyes sliding across it, she noticed his taste buds were moving up and down slightly and her eyes went back into their sockets,

"Okay, we're on the right track, your taste buds are moving, so just a little more of my usual stuff, and your sense of taste should be back." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thanks, Pinkie, I really hope I can taste things again soon." Weight Lifter replied,

"I'll be back tomorrow, I probably got customers outside waiting for me." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Okay, go on then, Pinkie, see ya, and thanks for helping." Callisthenics responded, and Pinkie Pie dashed out of the house. She returned at night and looked through a window, she saw Weight Lifter brushing and flossing his teeth, he then took his medication and went to bed, she smiled and walked away.

The next day came and Pinkie Pie tended to her customers with Powerlifter and Callisthenics being among them, she finished working for the afternoon and headed to their home. She arrived and saw the family exercising outside, she watched Weight Lifter lay down and lift a heavy barbell with three big plates on each side, Powerlifter stood behind him and acted as his spotter. He did 10 reps and finished, he and Callisthenics then did lunges together while holding dumbbells, Weight Lifter panted and sweated while his mother did not and smiled while doing the exercises easily, they finished and Weight Lifter panted while laying on the ground, his parents brought him a dish with hay, a bowl with a salad in it, and a water bottle. He ate and drank everything quickly and they saw Pinkie Pie,

"Oh, good, right on time, Pinkie, we just finished our afternoon workout." Powerlifter said,

"I saw." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Oh, you did? You're free to join us." Callisthenics suggested,

"I'm good, moving around while baking is a big exercise on its own." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, I'm ready to try to get my sense of taste back." Weight Lifter commented,

"Good, let's get started then." Pinkie Pie stated and they entered the house.

They went to the kitchen and Pinkie Pie made the pudding again, she rubbed her front hooves again and pink sprinkles went into the mix, she then kissed the mix and it sparkled, she then proceeded to make the melted chocolate, peanut butter, and marshmallow pudding,

"Now, for a little extra touch." Pinkie Pie announced, and she rubbed a chocolate and marshmallow spread on top of the pudding. The family tried it and Powerlifter's and Callisthenics' manes and tails stood up while their tongues exploded with flavor,

"Oh, my Celestia, this is the best thing I've ever tasted!" Callisthenics chirped,

"My tongue is filled with flavor, the aftertaste is even better!" Powerlifter added, Weight Lifter continued rolling the pudding on his tongue,

"Well, Weight Lifter, do you taste anything?" Pinkie Pie asked, Weight Lifter shook his head, his parents looked at him with shock,

"Hmm, I see this is going to take more than my usual amount of Pinkie magic." Pinkie Pie commented,

"Pinkie magic?" Weight Lifter asked,

"It's what I add to give my sweets their super duper yummy delicious flavors." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Oh." Weight Lifter said, and Pinkie Pie tried again. She did the same process and then put peanut butter in the spread on top, the family tried it and Powerlifter and Callisthenics jumped around while Weight Lifter shook his head,

"Oh, this taste stealing condition is being stubborn!" Pinkie Pie vented while clutching and shaking her head,

"Does that mean you can't help?" Weight Lifter inquired,

"No, I'm not done yet, I'll have to use some of my strongest flavor enhancers I have." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I hope what you have in mind works." Weight Lifter said,

"Me too, I'll be going now, I'll be back tomorrow." Pinkie Pie replied, and she left.

Pinkie Pie tended to her customers for the rest of the day and the next morning, she went back to the house and saw Weight Lifter doing pull-ups while his parents watched him, he did five of them and jumped off of the pull-up bar while panting. His parents then gave him hay and a salad and he drank a protein shake that was made of blended fruits and milk, they saw Pinkie Pie coming and smiled,

"You ready, Pinkie?" Powerlifter asked,

"You bet your flanks I am." Pinkie Pie responded, the family chuckled,

"Good, we'll let you work then." Callisthenics said, and Pinkie Pie entered the home while Weight Lifter followed her.

Pinkie Pie made the same melted peanut butter, chocolate, and marshmallow pudding and spread it on its top while also putting extra sugar and adding very sweet milk chocolate chips into it, she also rubbed her front hooves to put sprinkles in it and kissed it, she then hugged the mix and rubbed her cheek on it, she let go and her tongue stretched out and she ate the mix on her body. She put it in the oven and baked it and the mix rose much higher than before,

"Pinkie?" Weight Lifter called,

"Hmm?" Pinkie Pie asked while she turned around,

"How does that taste enhancing stuff of yours work?" Weight Lifter questioned,

"Well, the sprinkles from rubbing my hooves is just a flavor enhancer, the other stuff is like a parent showing love and affection to their child, it helps my confectioneries taste better and grow bigger." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Can I try it?" Weight Lifter requested,

"Sorry, but it only seems to work when me or a member of my family does it." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Huh, that's strange." Weight Lifter commented, the oven dinged and Pinkie Pie opened it. She gasped excitedly when she saw the pudding has grown much bigger than before and was shining with glitter on it, she took it out of the oven and put it on the counter while Weight Lifter's jaw dropped at its size,

"Mom, dad, you two might wanna see this." Weight Lifter called out, and they entered the kitchen. They looked at the pudding and their jaws' dropped,

"My Celestia, Pinkie, I have never seen pudding like that before." Callisthenics exclaimed,

"I put in extra ingredients and love this time." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Well, let's give it a try, dear." Powerlifter remarked, and they tasted a sample. Pinkie Pie and Weight Lifter watched them chew and swallow, they then smiled and began bouncing up and down, they then exploded and flew through the air while yelling out exclaims of excitement, they then flew out of the house's roof and through the sky, they landed back inside the house while smiling a minute later,

"That. Was. Amazing!" Powerlifter hollered,

"Best thing I've ever tasted!" Callisthenics chirped,

"Come on, Weight Lifter, give it a try." Pinkie Pie requested, and he did. He rolled a sample of the pudding on his tongue and chewed slowly while he tried to taste anything, he stopped for a second with his mouth slightly opened,

"My tongue is tingling." Weight Lifter stated with his mouth full,

"Do you taste anything?" Pinkie Pie inquired, Weight Lifter moved his tongue around and it continued to tingle, his eyes widened and Pinkie Pie smiled with anticipation,

"I can taste the pudding." Weight Lifter said,

"YES!!" Pinkie Pie hollered as she jumped and threw her front legs up,

"Wait, hold on." Weight Lifter stated, and Pinkie Pie stopped jumping and smiling,

"My... taste buds are very weak, but I can still taste the pudding." Weight Lifter stated,

"Come on, son, let's try other stuff." Powerlifter suggested, and he opened the refrigerator. He got celery, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and radishes out of the refrigerator and his son tried all of them,

"I can taste them, but very weak." Weight Lifter reported,

"Try the other things, dear." Callisthenics requested, and Powerlifter got apples, oranges, pears, avocados, bananas, grapes, plums, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, melons, watermelons, bread, spaghetti, brown rice, and cheese out of the refrigerator. Weight Lifter tried all of them and nodded,

"I can taste all of them slightly." Weight Lifter said, his parents smiled and Powerlifter let him try samples of milk, water, energy drinks, and homemade protein shakes,

"I can taste these, too." Weight Lifter chirped, and he opened the freezer and began eating the chocolate chips and ice cream,

"Whoa there, Weight Lifter, careful, I know you're happy you can taste again for the first time in a year, but you still have to be careful on what you consume and how much you consume, it will undo your years of hard work to get your body in the physically fit shape it is now, so everything in moderation." Powerlifter warned, and Weight Lifter stopped eating the sweets,

"Thanks, Pinkie, we'll take it from here." Callisthenics said, and Pinkie Pie left. She worked as a vendor for the rest of the day and went back the next day, she saw Weight Lifter was eating a little bit of junk food while his parents helped him moderate it, they saw her outside and walked to her,

"It's not perfect, but thanks for your help, Pinkie." Callisthenics stated,

"So, can you taste again?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Yup, it's weak, but I can taste stuff again." Weight Lifter responded,

"Sorry I couldn't cure his condition." Pinkie Pie lamented,

"It's alright, Pinkie, a little help is better than no help." Powerlifter responded, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Thanks for helping, Pinkie, Weight Lifter is just happy that he can taste again, your help is much appreciated." Callisthenics said, and Pinkie Pie left while the family smiled and waved bye at her.

Pinkie Pie and Weight Lifter were standing across from Twilight Sparkle while Spike stood to her right and Starlight Glimmer stood to her left,

"And that's the basics, Weight Lifter's parents took care of him afterwards, but I don't know what they did." Pinkie Pie said,

"Pinkie, ageusia is a fungal infection, I'm surprised your usual antics actually managed to partially cure him." Twilight Sparkle explained,

"Can you help me, Princess Twilight?" Weight Lifter requested,

"Of course. Spike, would you get my book on fungal infections?" Twilight Sparkle requested,

"Right away, Twilight." Spike replied, and he flew away,

"You need my help as well, Twilight?" Starlight Glimmer asked,

"Yeah, we might be able to cast the healing spell faster and it might work better if we work together." Twilight Sparkle answered, she nodded and Spike came back with a big book,

"Good work, Spike, I'll take it from here." Twilight Sparkle said, and she flipped through the pages with her magic. She found the page and she and Starlight Glimmer stood beside each other,

"Okay, Weight Lifter, go ahead and stick your tongue out. Starlight, on my mark." Twilight Sparkle instructed, and he did. She and Starlight Glimmer looked at the spell and they cast it together, a light purple and light blue auras appeared on his tongue. Weight Lifter felt a lot of tingling on his tongue and it became numb, they stopped after a few seconds and Twilight Sparkle made an apple appear,

"Okay, Weight Lifter, go ahead and taste." Twilight Sparkle instructed, and he did,

"Hmm, I can taste more than before, but it's still not back to normal." Weight Lifter reported,

"Should we try again?" Starlight Glimmer asked, Twilight Sparkle nodded and they did, they cast the spell and Weight Lifter ate a piece of the apple again,

"No improvement." Weight Lifter commented,

"Did you two cast the spell right?" Spike asked,

"Of course we did, Spike, his tongue is still normal." Twilight Sparkle remarked,

"So, does that mean even we can't cure it?" Starlight Glimmer questioned,

"No, there's still a chance, come on, everypony, let's go see Zecora." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they left the castle.

They walked through the Everfree Forest and Weight Lifter held onto Pinkie Pie, they arrived at Zecora's hut,

"Zecora, we need your help, this colt here has lost his sense of taste and we haven't been able to heal his tongue completely with our magic." Twilight Sparkle explained,

"While you were not able to completely bring back his sense of taste, your efforts did not go to waste." Zecora replied,

"Can you help, Zecora?" Spike asked,

"Indeed, while your magic has made yourselves busier, your efforts will make my job easier." Zecora answered,

"Oh, good, I hope what you have in mind works." Weight Lifter commented,

"Come now, young one, but if you wish, you can reconsider, since the potion I will administer will taste bitter." Zecora said,

"I'm ready." Weight Lifter declared,

"Very well, as for the rest of you, be ready with your magic, in case the potion does more than knock him out and make this tragic." Zecora warned, and Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer stood by. Zecora got dandelion, mugwort, yarrow, and wormwood, she began smashing them and made them into mush, she then poured them into water and it turned into a brown liquid,

"There, it is ready, while its taste on your tongue will be bitter, it will help it get better." Zecora stated, and Weight Lifter drank the potion. Weight Lifter's eyes went into the back of his head and he began gagging from the very bitter taste, he grabbed his own neck and stuck his tongue out while enduring it, he wheezed afterwards and then passed out,

"Weight Lifter!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, he groaned and opened his eyes,

"Are you okay?" Spike asked,

"Quick, give me something to taste." Weight Lifter said, and Twilight Sparkle made an apple appear. He bit into it and rolled it on his tongue,

"It's back. My sense of taste is back!" Weight Lifter announced,

"YES!!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she jumped into the air and her party cannon went off,

"Thanks, Zecora, I knew we could count on you." Twilight Sparkle stated,

"Wait, what if I lose my sense of taste again?" Weight Lifter asked,

"Do not worry, that potion is very strong, I highly doubt that your tongue will ever again become wrong." Zecora replied,

"You wanna eat that pudding I always made you, Weight Lifter?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sure!" Weight Lifter answered, and they left Zecora's hut.

Pinkie Pie made the same melted peanut butter, chocolate, and marshmallow pudding, she also rubbed her front hooves to put sprinkles in it, kissed it to make it shiny, and hugged it and rubbed her cheek on it to make it grow bigger, she licked the food off of herself, it finished baking and she then put a spread of melted peanut butter, chocolate, and marshmallow on top of it. She gave Weight Lifter a spoonful and he jumped up and down, he shot up like a rocket and through the roof, he cheered very loudly and soon landed in back in Sugarcube Corner,

"That was the best thing I've ever tasted!" Weight Lifter announced,

"Go on then, the rest is yours." Pinkie Pie replied, and he gobbled up the pudding extremely quickly, he licked his front hooves and around his mouth and finished,

"Thank you, my parents are going to be happy, so thank you, Pinkie, and tell Princess Twilight, Spike, Starlight, and Zecora I said thanks to them as well." Weight Lifter said,

"You're very welcome, Weight Lifter, and tell your parents to come over, I think you three will like the other stuff I make, too." Pinkie Pie stated, Weight Lifter smiled and left. Pinkie Pie resumed making confectioneries for the upcoming festival and taste checked all of her sweets, she looked at Weight Lifter walking outside and smiled at the thought of having him and his parents as customers.

Insomnia

Pinkie Pie had closed up Sugarcube Corner for the night and was ready to sleep, she laid in her bed but could not fall asleep,

"*yawn* Wow, I still can't sleep even after how busy today was." Pinkie Pie said to herself, she walked around her room and looked at her things, she still could not sleep and began running around outside and around Ponyville in hopes of making herself tired. She dashed around Ponyville quickly for about ten minutes and went back home while panting. She tried to sleep again but could not, Pinkie Pie growled and walked around her room,

"This is almost like when I met that unicorn who made wine from grapes for a living, she couldn't sleep, either." Pinkie Pie commented, and she laid in her bed and looked up at the ceiling and began to remember.

Pinkie Pie was hopping around and became thirsty,

"Whoo-wee, it sure is hot today." Pinkie Pie remarked, and she continued hopping. She looked around while panting and sweating since she was out of fruit punch,

"Huh? What's that?" Pinkie Pie asked, she trotted to a building made of wood and 'Arcana's Winery' was written at the top in black letters,

"I usually don't serve wine at my parties unless it's a very formal occasion, but I don't think a few sips will hurt." Pinkie Pie commented, and she trotted. She arrived and knocked on the door with her snout,

"In a minute." a mare said on the other side, she opened the door and Pinkie Pie saw a unicorn,

"Yes?" the unicorn asked, she had a light blue coat, long, wavy, dark yellow mane and tail with bangs across her forehead, and purple eyes, she was wearing a blue long-sleeve lace dress with flower patterns on it and a white long-sleeve dress under it, they were closed in front of her hind legs and went all the way down to her hoofs, and she had black high heel shoes on all four of her hoofs. Pinkie Pie looked inside and saw many green and purple grapes and wooden barrels,

"Um, do you have anything I can drink?" Pinkie Pie requested,

"Sure, I normally charge my wine, but since you look on the verge of collapse, I'll give you a discount." the unicorn answered,

"You will? Oh, thank you! What's your price?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Normally, fifty bits, but I'll give you a ten percent discount, so forty five bits." the unicorn responded,

"Well, still quite a bit, but better than nothing, I'll buy." Pinkie Pie said,

"Take your pick, red wine or white wine?" the unicorn questioned,

"Whichever one's sweeter." Pinkie Pie replied,

"That would be white wine." the unicorn remarked,

"I'll take it." Pinkie Pie responded, and she quickly paid the unicorn and she came back out with a glass of white wine. Pinkie Pie grabbed the wine and chugged it,

"Hey, slowly, you'll run me out of business like that." the unicorn remarked,

"Sorry, I haven't drank in hours." Pinkie Pie responded, and she gave the glass back,

"You got a place to stay for the night?" the unicorn questioned,

"No, I'm a drifter." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Well, come on in, you can stay here for the night." the unicorn said,

"Oh, thank you! I really can't thank you enough!" Pinkie Pie hollered, the unicorn smiled,

"I'm Arcana, by the way." the unicorn stated,

"I'm Pinkie Pie." Pinkie Pie responded, and they shook each other's front right hoofs, Pinkie Pie trotted into the winery while Arcana walked in and closed the door.

Pinkie Pie looked at all of the grapes and fermenting machines in awe,

"Wow, you must be really popular at social gatherings." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Well, my wine's popular, but I'm not really one to interact much at parties." Arcana responded,

"Maybe I can buy and order some from you, organizing and throwing parties is my specialty." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Wait, are your parties for kids or adults?" Arcana questioned,

"Both." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Let me know when you're doing an adults only party, I'm not allowed to give wine to kids." Arcana said,

"I know, Equestrian laws, but I don't think one sip will hurt." Pinkie Pie stated,

"I'm still not willing to break the law." Arcana responded,

"Fair enough, I'll go ahead and look for a place to sleep now." Pinkie Pie stated,

"There's extra space in my study room in the back there, you can sleep there." Arcana replied,

"Oh, thanks, I'll go ahead and get ready." Pinkie Pie spoke, and she went while Arcana smiled.

Pinkie Pie entered the back room and stopped with surprise when she saw many books, runes, a chart for stars and constellations, a chart on moon phases, five small statues of a white tiger, a blue-green dragon, a red bird, a black tortoise, and a yellow dragon, a set of Tarot cards, and a map of a place called 'Astral Plane'. Pinkie Pie looked on with confusion and awe at the items and looked at the statues closely,

"Taken an interest?" Arcana asked from behind, Pinkie Pie became startled and turned around,

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to pry into anything personal." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"It's fine, a lot of those things are from my magic training back at home." Arcana explained,

"Ooh, looks like you were serious in your studies." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"I am, it's also why I came out here, my home was too loud for me to focus on my meditations, I needed somewhere peaceful and quiet." Arcana explained,

"And the wine?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"It's how I make a living outside of home, grapes are my favorite food, and I have lots of it, so I figured, might as well use them to make money." Arcana answered,

"Oh, I would've thought of using them to make jam instead of wine." Pinkie Pie commented,

"Jam doesn't sell for as much bits as wine does, anyway, I'm going to be closing up my winery for today, it's starting to get dark and we should get ready to try to sleep." Arcana stated,

"Okay, I'll go ahead and get comfy, see ya later." Pinkie Pie said, Arcana smiled and she went to go close up her winery, Pinkie Pie dashed around and got a pink sleeping bag, she laid on it and zipped it up, Arcana came in a few seconds later and laid in her bed,

"Goodnight, Pinkie Pie." Arcana said,

"Goodnight, Arcana." Pinkie Pie replied, and she fell asleep.

Pinkie Pie was asleep but opened her eyes when she heard tossing and turning to her right, she saw Arcana struggling to sleep and let out an annoyed groan, she reached under her bed and took a medicine bottle out,

"Bad dream?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I have insomnia, always had trouble falling and staying asleep ever since I was a kid." Arcana replied,

"Don't have a magic spell to help with it?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Already tried, didn't work." Arcana answered,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'll go ahead and leave the room so I don't keep you awake." Arcana spoke, and she got out of her bed and walked out of the room. Pinkie Pie tried to sleep but could not and worried about Arcana, she peeked out the door and saw her meditating behind her desk with fire, water, rocks, and wind floating around her. She looked on in awe and saw Arcana floating in the center with her front hoofs on her waist with her front left hoof under her front right hoof and her hind legs crossed together, she also saw a red, blue, yellow, and green aura around Arcana's horn. She watched her meditate and the fire burned brighter, the water moved faster, the rocks got bigger, and the wind became more aggressive,

"Whoa!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, Arcana then made her body out of the four elements while she continued meditating, she then divided into four with each body being one element, she then reappeared in the center of her four elemental clones and two more clones appeared with one above her and one below her, the clone above her was transparent and light blue while the clone below her was pitch black, Pinkie Pie realized it was her ghost and her shadow. The fire, water, earth, wind, ghost, and shadow Arcanas spun around her counterclockwise and soon went into her and an explosion of the four elements appeared, Arcana opened her eyes and floated back down,

"What did you think?" Arcana questioned,

"Oh, I thought I saw something I wasn't supposed to see." Pinkie Pie replied,

"No, you're fine, I keep myself occupied at night until the medicine kicks in." Arcana answered,

"So everything in your room is stuff you do at night?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Pretty much." Arcana responded,

"I wanna see if I can help you with your sleeping problem, I've managed to help several ponies throughout my travels with their problems." Pinkie Pie stated,

"I'd appreciate that, I'll go back into the room when I feel tired, so don't wait for me, and I apologize in advance if I wake you up." Arcana responded,

"It's okay." Pinkie Pie said, and she went back into the room. She tried to sleep and opened her eyes a few hours later and saw Arcana come in, she laid in her bed and began reading one of her tomes, she sat on her bed and read quietly and soon passed out while dropping the tome onto the floor, Pinkie Pie fell asleep afterwards.

The next day came and Pinkie Pie jumped out of her sleeping bag,

"Whoo-hoo! Another day has arrived!" Pinkie Pie hollered while Arcana got startled and jumped out of her bed,

"Can you please not be that loud, it's early in the morning, loud noises give me headaches if they happen as soon as I wake up." Arcana pleaded,

"Sorry." Pinkie Pie responded,

"It's alright, I'll go ahead and get ready for today." Arcana stated, and she brushed her teeth with her magic, Pinkie Pie looked on with awe at seeing four auras around her horn, they were red, blue, yellow, and green, she rinsed her mouth and then left the room. Pinkie Pie trotted out and saw Arcana using her magic to make grapes appear and began making wine out of them while she put more through a filter and into barrels, she stored them behind herself and began to doze off. Pinkie Pie ran to her and held her up while trying to shake her awake,

"I'm awake, Pinkie Pie." Arcana said while yawning, and she let go of her. Arcana walked slowly while dozing off and got through her day using magic,

"There, everything for today's done." Arcana commented,

"When do you open for business?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Weekdays." Arcana answered,

"Okay, hold still, Arcana, I'm going to examine you and see if I can help you go nighty-night." Pinkie Pie said, and she held Arcana's face. She analyzed Arcana's eyes carefully and saw they were tired and just a little bloodshot,

"Hmm-mm, eyes are tired and droopy, you don't take in caffeine, you're on medication, and you seem to be on a consistent schedule, maybe physical movement can help." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"You mean as in exercise?" Arcana inquired,

"And manual labor." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Wait, Pinkie Pie, I'm not very strong physically, the barrels are too heavy for me to lift by hoof." Arcana warned,

"That's fine, I'll move the heavy stuff, you focus on carrying the light and medium weight stuff." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Okay, that sounds doable, let's start." Arcana said, and they did. They ran the shop and Arcana instructed Pinkie Pie where to carry the barrels, she messed up several times and Arcana glared and scowled while her facial muscles twitched but she managed to calm herself down by remembering it was Pinkie Pie's first time working in the winery. They made wine together while Arcana instructed Pinkie Pie on how to make red wine and white wine, she eventually began to become tired and Arcana carried the rest of the heavy items with her magic while Pinkie Pie sweated and panted,

"Whew, these barrels and packs of grapes sure are heavy." Pinkie Pie commented,

"Considering you're an earth pony and have super strength, that's saying something." Arcana responded,

"Do you feel tired, Arcana?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I do." Arcana replied,

"Good, let's see if you can make it through the day till bedtime." Pinkie Pie stated, Arcana smiled and then went into the back room.

Pinkie Pie watched Arcana eat grapes and had nothing else for her meal,

"No hay or salad?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"No, I'm fine with just grapes." Arcana answered,

"Oh, I'd take grapes over rocks any day." Pinkie Pie commented,

"Rocks?" Arcana asked while her eyes widened,

"Hmm-mm, I grew up on a rock farm, rocks were the only food source we had." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Ouch, I'm surprised your teeth are still intact." Arcana stated,

"Trust me, my baby teeth broke trying to eat the rocks, I cannot begin to describe how painful it was trying to chew the rocks with cavities, I was lucky my permanent teeth grew to be very strong." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I can imagine, well, break time, Pinkie Pie, we'll resume making wine after a bit." Arcana said, and she laid on her bed and almost dozed off. Pinkie Pie dashed to her with a pink trail behind her and shook Arcana awake,

"I'm fine, Pinkie Pie, I was just resting my eyes." Arcana stated,

"Mm-mm, that will throw off your sleeping schedule." Pinkie Pie spoke while shaking her head,

"What am I supposed to do then?" Arcana questioned,

"Well, you can talk about yourself and all of your tomes and statues here." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"Alright, these tomes are all of my studies from my home, I'm from a place called Dreaming Paradise, it's not on the map, we are divided by pony types and are trained to be warriors since birth, unicorns like me cast all kinds of magic, Pegasi are trained to be spies and stealth experts, and earth ponies are trained to be soldiers, we live on a very strict schedule and are on strict diets to stay in shape, we don't get visitors often, but they're welcome as long as they don't cause problems." Arcana explained,

"Oh, so everything here is part of your training." Pinkie Pie deduced,

"Yes, these books and runes are for magic training, the books have spells divided into three types: spells cast by the horns, spells that are triggered with incantations, and spells produced from the hoofs. The runes are enchanted with magic, each one has a different effect on either the carrier or the opponent." Arcana explained,

"Why does your magic aura consist of four different colors?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Each color represents the four elements of nature, red is fire, blue is water, yellow is earth, and green is air, some charts in my home separate earth into three sections, you still have earth, then there's wood and metal, there is no air in that chart, and the last element we have is aether, it is sometimes called void, it is basically the non-physical aspects of life like emotions, the element usually deals with ghosts and spells that involve it." Arcana explained,

"Wow, so you basically have seven elements." Pinkie Pie commented,

"Yup, fire, water, earth, air, wood, metal, and aether, we usually don't use wood, metal, and aether." Arcana replied,

"Wow. What's that chart of stars and constellations for?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"They're mostly labels, but they help with meditation, that's what that map of the Astral Plane there is for, as you can see, it is divided into four sections, each section representing a season, the stars and constellations is my home's way of telling which section is weak or powerful on that day, we also use them to keep time and make calendars." Arcana answered,

"I assume that's what that chart of moon phases is for, too." Pinkie Pie deduced,

"Yes, that is also used to keep time and make calendars, but that's only one half of making a calendar, we use the sun, too, we need both to make a full calendar. The moon phases are mainly for telling how powerful black magic and curses will be on that day, they're spells designed to cause harm, same with necromancy, those are spells that control the dead, how weak or strong they are depends on the moon, too, they're at their weakest on a new moon and at their most powerful on a full moon." Arcana explained,

"Ooh, that is so cool." Pinkie Pie chirped,

"Anything else you wanna know?" Arcana asked,

"What are those five statues you have there?" Pinkie Pie questioned as she pointed to them,

"They are the rulers of the astral plane, White Tiger, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and Yellow Dragon, White Tiger rules the western domain is at his most powerful in the spring, Azure Dragon rules the eastern domain and is at his most powerful in the autumn, Vermilion Bird rules the southern domain and is at his most powerful in the summer, Black Tortoise rules the northern domain and is at her most powerful in the winter, and Yellow Dragon rules the entire place and resides in the center and is at his most powerful during the midsummer." Arcana responded,

"Wow, that is some pretty neat stuff. So, um, last thing, what are those cards there?" Pinkie Pie asked while pointing to them,

"Those are Tarot cards, it consists of twenty two different cards, they're called Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Justice, Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Strength, Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judgement, and The World, the cards are magically enchanted, when I present one, I can make people show the traits of what the cards represent and change their behavior, each card has two behavioral representations, which one I use depends on whether I activate the card while it's upright or upside-down, I can use more than one card on a person, too." Arcana explained,

"Whoa! That sounds scary." Pinkie Pie said,

"It can be, well, come on, Pinkie Pie, break time's over." Arcana replied, and they left the room.

They worked on making more wine and Pinkie Pie grunted while carrying the heavy barrels and pack of grapes to be put in the fermentation machines, she panted while Arcana sweated from carrying the light and medium weight items,

"Hold on, Pinkie Pie, I need to rest for a few seconds." Arcana stated, and she did, she started working again and used her magic when she and Pinkie Pie got too exhausted to do anymore physical work,

"Okay, that's all for today, thanks for your help." Arcana said tiredly while panting and sweating, and she yawned and went into the back room while Pinkie Pie trotted and followed her. She saw Arcana eating grapes with her magic and almost dozed off, she managed to stay awake and drank some red wine, she struggled to stay awake and Pinkie Pie held her up while another pair of her front hoofs held her eyelids open from behind,

"I see you have unique magic of your own, Pinkie Pie." Arcana commented,

"Really? This is something that simply runs in my family." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Do it again the next time we work, I'd like to observe and analyze it." Arcana requested,

"Okay." Pinkie Pie said, and Arcana continued eating grapes and drinking wine. Arcana yawned and laid down but Pinkie Pie held her up,

"No, Arcana, you need to make it to the end of the day." Pinkie Pie said,

"Can you try to keep me awake then?" Arcana requested,

"Sure, I can give you a message, your muscles in your sides here are tense." Pinkie Pie stated,

"My back hurts after doing physical work today." Arcana responded,

"Okay, go ahead and turn around." Pinkie Pie instructed, and Arcana did. Pinkie Pie massaged Arcana's back, she exhaled a little hard and soon laid down,

"Wow, Arcana, I'm feeling knots everywhere." Pinkie Pie remarked, and several sets of her hoofs appeared and massaged Arcana's back, she breathed and grunted while Pinkie Pie undid her knots and cracking sounds were heard on every part of her back. She massaged Arcana's knees and more cracking sounds were heard, she then took Arcana's shoes off and massaged her hoofs, Arcana almost fell asleep but managed to keep herself awake. Pinkie Pie then massaged the back of Arcana's neck and undid more knots,

"Okay, I think that's the last of it." Pinkie Pie said,

"I do feel better, thanks, Pinkie Pie." Arcana replied,

"Hang in there, Arcana, we're almost at the end of the day." Pinkie Pie reassured, Arcana smiled and then began meditating,

"Ooh, I wanna try." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Come join then." Arcana responded, and Pinkie Pie sat the same way Arcana did,

"Clear your mind, detach yourself from reality, you must have your head completely empty to meditate properly." Arcana instructed, and Pinkie Pie tried. She saw her own head filled with everybody having fun and partying, there was sunshine, rainbows, and flowers everywhere, confectioneries and fruit punch made up the land and there was an unlimited supply of them, she shrieked and her head exploded and black smoke came out,

"You alright?" Arcana asked stoically without opening her eyes,

"Yeah, this clearing out my mind stuff is really hard." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Well, it's probably your personality type, too, you're hyper, it's easier to meditate if your natural character is a calm one." Arcana deduced, she then fell down and dozed off again, Pinkie Pie had a clone of herself appear outside and saw it was night time, she noticed Arcana has passed out and put her in her bed, she then went into her own sleeping bag and slept. The night passed and they slept peacefully until Arcana began tossing and turning, she let out an annoyed groan and took her sleeping medicine, Pinkie Pie watched her and saw Arcana about to get up and leave the room but she fell asleep immediately, Pinkie Pie smiled and went back to sleep.

The next day came and Arcana struggled to get up,

"Arcana, it's morning." Pinkie Pie said,

"I know, I'm still tired from yesterday." Arcana replied,

"Do you work today?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, I open for business today, hold on, let me get some energy and I'll get up, have breakfast, and open my winery." Arcana answered, and she rested for ten minutes and got out of bed, she had grapes for breakfast and then opened for business. Arcana moved slower than yesterday but managed to attend to her customers, she carried the wine bottles around while Pinkie Pie dashed quickly when a customer ordered a large amount,

"Is she a new hire, Arcana?" a unicorn stallion asked,

"No, she's only staying a short time, I let her stay here since she seems to have nowhere to go, she's trying to help me with my sleeping problem, she'll be leaving after she's done." Arcana explained, and she gave specific wine to the customers while ordering Pinkie Pie around, she yawned while Pinkie Pie dashed and teleported around and tended to the many customers,

"Hey, you're Pinkie Pie, aren't you?" a male Pegasus questioned,

"Sure am." Pinkie Pie responded,

"You know her?" Arcana asked,

"Yeah, her parties are famous throughout Equestria, she's really good, her parties and your wine will make for an excellent combination." the Pegasus stated,

"Thank you, but I'm still mostly a kid's party planner and thrower, can't serve wine to them, maybe I can if it's an adults only party." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Maybe you can ask Arcana to lend you some grapes so you can make jam." an earth pony mare suggested,

"Nope, I need all the grapes I have." Arcana remarked,

"Oh, that's too bad." the earth pony mare lamented,

"Well, hurry up and order, you guys are holding up the line." Arcana said, and they did. Business continued and rush hour soon came, Pinkie Pie panted while sprinting and giving out the wine bottles while Arcana ran around and filled the bottles with fresh wine, they panted and sweated while customers came in, Pinkie Pie got the barrels forward while Arcana filled the bottles with either red or white wine. Rush hour ended after a while and they panted heavily,

"There, rush hour is done." Arcana commented,

"How do you deal with that many customers daily?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Magic, it makes tending to the customers easy, I can assure you I'm having a much harder time keeping up physically than I do magically." Arcana explained,

"Oh, makes sense." Pinkie Pie commented,

"Come on, lunchtime." Arcana stated and she got a stem of grapes with her magic while Pinkie Pie made candy and chocolate appear in front of herself and stuffed her own face. Arcana stopped eating and watched Pinkie Pie gobble a large amount of junk food in seconds,

"How are you not out of shape?" Arcana inquired,

"My body works differently from a typical pony's." Pinkie Pie responded,

"I've noticed how you can break the laws of physics without casting magic, it seems you and your family could have some kind of magic inheritance that very few ponies have, it's an extremely rare gift." Arcana deduced,

"You mean like a magic spell?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"No, genetics, you probably have some extremely rare magical mutation in your genes." Arcana explained,

"Ooh, that sounds really mysterious." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"It's a very rare occurrence, but it's possible your ancestors got the mutation and it passed down to you and your current family." Arcana stated,

"Hmm, I never looked into it." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, it never hurts to check." Arcana replied, and she ate a few more grapes and went back to work. She and Pinkie Pie tended to the customers and work has slowed down, they worked at a steady pace while Arcana sweated and moved slower than before, she panted and began struggling to walk, so she began using her magic to tend to the customers while laying on the floor. She tended to one customer after another in seconds while using her magic to fill up about thirty wine bottles at once, she panted and sweated while Pinkie Pie struggled to keep up with Arcana's work speed while using her own tricks, she appeared and dashed everywhere and tended to each customer after the ones Arcana tended to and the customers watched with awe, they finished and the customers thanked them and left.

Pinkie Pie and Arcana sweated and panted while Arcana closed her winery,

"Thanks, Pinkie Pie, you were a big help." Arcana stated,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie responded,

"I'll rest for a bit and then count the bits and have dinner." Arcana said, Pinkie Pie nodded, and Arcana continued to take a break. She stood back up about fifteen minutes later and began counting the bits, she counted every coin individually with her magic and then divided them into two even piles and gave one to Pinkie Pie,

"Here, Pinkie Pie, your half." Arcana stated,

"Thank you!" Pinkie Pie chirped,

"Well, you can leave now if you want." Arcana stated,

"No, I'm staying until you can make a routine so you can sleep at night and stay asleep without needing medicine." Pinkie Pie declared,

"*chuckle* Thank you, Pinkie Pie." Arcana said happily,

"You want a massage?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'll see, but first, supper." Arcana responded, and she went behind her counter. She ate more grapes while Pinkie Pie drank a whole bottle of fruit punch, she gulped it down quickly while Arcana chewed her grapes very slowly, she finished having supper after thirty minutes and yawned,

"Going to bed?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Soon." Arcana replied,

"Can you show me how some of your magic works?" Pinkie Pie requested,

"Sure, to the back room." Arcana responded, and they went.

They sat and Arcana activated a few of her runes, some of the objects transformed into various objects while some made objects form or get destroyed out of thin air,

"Do you have any teleporting runes?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I can do that with magic from my horn." Arcana responded,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said, Arcana made her Tarot cards float and Pinkie Pie looked at the cards with awe. Arcana cast a spell on the Sun card and Pinkie Pie became energetic and ran around, she then flipped it upside-down and Pinkie Pie lost her energy and enthusiasm and laid on the floor. Arcana flipped the Sun card upright and Pinkie Pie became full of energy again, she activated the Empress card next and Pinkie Pie began hugging and rubbing Arcana, she smiled and turned the Empress card upside-down, Pinkie Pie became emotionless and distant and Arcana flipped the Empress card upright,

"You wanna try more?" Arcana asked,

"No, I'm good, I get how they work now." Pinkie Pie answered, Arcana chuckled and put her Tarot cards away. Arcana stretched and groaned a little due to sore muscles, Pinkie Pie massaged her shoulders and neck and heard more cracking,

"Thanks, Pinkie Pie, but I can massage myself." Arcana said, and she used her own magic on herself to massage her own back, she moaned and soon fell asleep, Pinkie Pie realized it was dark and she laid in her sleeping bag and slept, she woke up in the middle of the night and realized Arcana did not wake up nor take her medication, she smiled and went back to sleep.

The next day came and Arcana woke up in the morning,

"Wow, I actually slept through the night without my medicine." Arcana chirped,

"Good job, Arcana, now the final part, try to do the work of your winery without me helping you at all." Pinkie Pie stated,

"That's easy, I can do all of your work with my magic." Arcana responded,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, I'll go ahead and get ready for the day." Arcana stated, and she left the room. She ate more grapes and began making more wine,

"Um, Arcana, can you speed up your wine making with your magic?" Pinkie Pie suggested,

"I can, but it doesn't taste as good in the end." Arcana answered,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said, Arcana finished getting ready for the day and opened her winery for business. Arcana tended to the customers while doing Pinkie Pie's work with her magic while also doing manual labor,

"Aren't you going to help, Pinkie Pie?" a Pegasus stallion questioned,

"Not today, I need to see if Arcana can sleep at night with no medication after a day's work alone since I'm going to be leaving in a few days." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Oh." the Pegasus stallion said, and Arcana kept working. She had a hard time doing the physical work while the work she did with her magic was very easy for her, she tended to her customers and finished within a few minutes. There were no customers for several minutes and Arcana went back to making more wine while the ones that were on the final step of becoming wine were stored into barrels, she worked at making more wine until another customer came in, she tended to her quickly and went back to working on making more wine. Arcana used her magic to gather grapes from behind her winery, she sorted them with her magic and divided them in half, she then took the skin off of one set of grapes and began making wine with them.

Pinkie Pie watched Arcana do physical work and used her magic to get things done quickly and looked on in awe, rush hour began and Arcana stopped making wine and tended to the many customers, she took a deep breath after she finished tending to the first set of customers and sat on the floor. Arcana almost dozed off while Pinkie Pie watched worriedly, she snapped awake when she heard the door open and the next set of customers came in. Arcana tended to them really quickly while moving slowly on doing physical work, she panted and sweated but rested for a minute while moving things with her magic, she recovered and did more physical work and finished tending to the second set of customers.

Arcana sighed and sat on the floor again, she ate a few grapes and her body began to ache,

"You alright?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, I can massage myself later." Arcana responded, and she stretched her legs out and yawned a bit, she sat and continued working on making more wine with her magic until more customers came in. She got back up and gave the wine the customers wanted and they left, Arcana sat on the floor and waited for the next customer, she began to doze off a little but stayed awake until the next customer came in a few minutes later, Arcana tended to her and rush hour ended. Arcana took a deep breath and ate a few more grapes and drank a glass of red wine,

"I want some." Pinkie Pie said,

"You'll have to pay if you do." Arcana replied, and Pinkie Pie paid her fifty bits and drank a glass of sweet red wine, she shook up and down and began flying around the winery,

"Whoo-hoo!" Pinkie Pie hollered,

"Hey, careful not to knock anything down." Arcana reminded, and Pinkie Pie continued flying around and soon stopped,

"You done working for today?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I still got a few more hours before I close up." Arcana replied, and she drank a few more sips and waited for her next customer, one more customer came in a bit later and Arcana took his order and gave him his wine, he paid her and left and Arcana then closed the winery for the day. Arcana walked slowly and laid in her bed while panting,

"Wow, you actually got through the day, I'll watch you for the rest of the week and see if you can make it." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Okay." Arcana responded, and she ate a few more grapes and slept as soon as bedtime came, Pinkie Pie laid in her sleeping bag and Arcana did not wake up, she smiled and fell asleep. The next days passed and Pinkie Pie watched Arcana work on her own, she smiled at seeing her able to handle doing work physically and magically and rested for a few minutes every now and then, she slept through the nights without waking up or needing her medication. The weekend came and Arcana was off, she had trouble waking up and overslept, she yawned and stayed in bed,

"Sore?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, tired, too, give me a minute, Pinkie Pie, I'd like to rest before getting up." Arcana replied, and she laid in her bed for thirty more minutes and got up while grunting a little, she stumbled and cast telekinesis on herself to float. She began working on making more wine with the grapes behind her winery and moved slowly due to her sore muscles, she sat and massaged herself with her magic,

"Well, I guess it's okay today since you're off, I'm going to see how you are at night and whether you need your sleeping medicine or not." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Oh, so that's why you stayed here longer than I thought you would, alright then, I'll see if I can make it." Arcana remarked, and she did physical work all day at her own pace and rested when she felt tired, she read her tomes when she was done working for the day. She had a peaceful day and slept at the end, Pinkie Pie watched her and saw her wake up in the middle of the night, she groaned under her breath and took her sleeping medicine and fell asleep immediately, Pinkie Pie smiled and went back to sleep.

The next day came and Pinkie Pie stretched and yawned, she heard snoring and saw Arcana was still asleep, she left the room and looked around since today was her last day staying with Arcana, she got ready to pack her things and Arcana woke up and came out in the afternoon,

"Oh, you're finally up." Pinkie Pie commented,

"Turns out working at this winery without using my magic for everything is more exhausting for me than I thought." Arcana responded,

"Sorry I couldn't get you to sleep without needing to take medicine." Pinkie Pie lamented,

"It's fine, you managed to reduce the amount of times in a week I have to take it, and by a lot, I'm grateful for that, and I only need to take my medication one or two days a week instead of seven because of you, you really helped me, Pinkie Pie." Arcana replied while smiling,

"Really?" Pinkie Pie inquired, Arcana nodded,

"Whoo-hoo! I'll be going now, I still got places in Equestria I wanna see." Pinkie Pie said,

"Go on then, and thanks for stopping by, don't lose that part of yourself that wants to help others, Pinkie Pie, it's people like you that fill lives with happiness even on the darkest and gloomiest of days." Arcana replied,

"Thank you, well, see ya, Arcana, hope we can meet again one day years later." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Me too, Pinkie Pie." Arcana replied, and they hugged one another and Pinkie Pie left the winery.

Pinkie Pie was still laying in her bed and could not sleep, she growled and began lifting stuff in her room as makeshift weights, she panted and sweated and soon laid back down in her bed and slept. She almost overslept the next day and quickly dashed to behind Sugarcube Corner's counter, she tended to the customers in the morning until the line was gone. She looked out the window and saw Rarity was getting a wooden box delivered to Carousel Boutique, she opened it with her magic and took out bottles of red wine, Pinkie Pie's eyes widened when she saw they were from Arcana's winery. Rarity put the wine bottles on round outdoor tables with umbrellas on them and several ponies wearing newly made fashion outfits sat and posed with the tables and wine bottles while Photo Finish took pictures of them, Pinkie Pie smiled and continued working for the day.

Lactose Intolerance

Pinkie Pie was in Sugarcube Corner and Rock Candy's son and daughter, Star Pony, Treasure Hunter, Flower Viola, Rose, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, Purple Grace, Tulip, Angelique, Emerald, Haute Coture, Tempo, Aquarius, Taco Bell, Butterfly Azalea, and Weight Lifter were sitting together at a table,

"Here are your super duper yummy treats, you foals, I have arranged yours, Weight Lifter, since you're serious on having a very fit body and still can't taste stuff very much." Pinkie Pie said,

"Wait, can't taste?" Purple Grace asked,

"Yeah, I lost my sense of taste, my tongue couldn't taste any food or drink until Pinkie Pie managed to make it come back a little." Weight Lifter explained,

"Oh my, that's horrible." Angelique stated,

"I've been fine overall, my parents taught me how to use it to my advantage." Weight Lifter remarked,

"Eat up, everypony before the stuff melts." Pinkie Pie said, and they did. Star Pony grunted while he moved his front hoofs slowly and Butterfly Azalea helped him move his spoon, Flower Viola held Tulip steady while her legs twitched a bit,

"Wow, talk about having a lot of trouble." Taco Bell commented,

"Pinkie Pie tried her best in helping me with my cerebral palsy." Tulip responded,

"What's wrong with you, Star Pony?" Rose asked,

"Abuse, the doctors said all of the beatings and malnutrition my parents inflicted on me may have done permanent damage to my body, my growth seems to have been stunted as well." Star Pony explained, the other foals' jaws dropped,

"If I didn't find Star Pony on that fateful day, he wouldn't be here right now." Pinkie Pie stated,

"If our dad met his parents, he would've sent our dog after them." Gilmore said,

"Yeah, Wilfred may be friendly on most cases, but he can be violent to people he doesn't like." Pink Diamond added,

"If only Star Pony lived in our neighborhood." Emerald lamented,

"I wouldn't want to see them interact with Foster." Haute Coture remarked,

"Yeah, that would be scary." Tempo added,

"Can you imagine how explosive and angry he would get?" Aquarius asked,

"I can, I wouldn't to be around Star Pony's parents and Foster if they got into a fight." Taco Bell stated,

"I may not have been abused, but my parents playing favorites really hurt my feelings." Butterfly Azalea said,

"I still remember when my parents were divorcing, I thought they didn't love me anymore, turned out they did." Flower Viola stated,

"I was very upset when my parents passed." Treasure Hunter commented,

"Me too, I wish I could see them again every day." Rose added,

"Stuff's going to melt soon, everypony." Pinkie Pie said, and they ate their ice creams. They heard the door open and an earth pony filly came in, she had a pinkish red coat, long mane and tail with altering green and black streaks, dark red eyes, and her cutie mark was a watermelon slice,

"I'm here." the filly said in a soft, sweet voice,

"There you are, Melon Farmer, you're late." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Sorry, I got lost." Melon Farmer replied,

"Go ahead and sit, I got your ice cream ready." Pinkie Pie stated, and Melon Farmer did. Melon Farmer began eating her ice cream and the others noticed it looked more like a sherbet,

"Um, Pinkie Pie, what's with her ice cream?" Pink Diamond asked,

"I'm lactose intolerant." Melon Farmer answered,

"There you go, because of that, I can't use the usual ingredients I use in making most of the confectioneries when making something for her." Pinkie Pie explained,

"What can't you have?" Gilmore questioned,

"Milk, cheese, yogurt, pudding, cream, custard, and milk chocolate." Melon Farmer replied,

"Creams?" Purple Grace questioned,

"Yeah, anything with 'cream' in it means I can't eat it, that includes ice cream." Melon Farmer explained,

"And milk chocolate?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"Can't have it, dark chocolate's okay, though." Melon Farmer stated,

"So, what's your story with her?" Taco Bell asked,

"I'm glad you asked, here we go." Pinkie Pie replied, and she began to tell her tale.

Pinkie Pie had left Angelique's and Taco Bell's neighborhood and continued traveling through Equestria, she came to a new area and it suddenly got hotter,

"Whew, it's a bit warm here." Pinkie Pie said, she hopped forward and it became sunny, she stopped when she saw a wooden sign,

"Welcome to Melon Plantation, growing and selling Equestria's top quality watermelons for seven generations. Ooh, I can always make more fruity snacks and desserts for my parties." Pinkie Pie chirped, and she trotted into the town.

Pinkie Pie arrived and saw many earth ponies working in watermelon farms, they stopped for a second and saw her,

"Um, you all selling?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"It won't be for a while, we're still picking this year's crops." a stallion responded,

"Oh, I can help you all if you wish." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"You have any experience with watermelons?" a mare asked,

"Not harvesting, but I do in making snacks and desserts." Pinkie Pie responded,

"You can cut and carry them, right?" a second stallion questioned,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Alright then, you're hired, we can always use an extra hoof around here." a second mare said while smiling, and Pinkie Pie trotted while smiling. She carried up to eight watermelons at a time while the others watched in disbelief, she dashed with a pink trail behind her and she picked the watermelons quickly. She dashed through the big fields quickly and checked each watermelon in one second, she pulled and carried all of the ripe watermelons and put them on the stands,

"Wow, you're quite a fast worker." another stallion remarked,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie replied, a few mares checked the watermelons she picked,

"All of them are ripe." a mare reported,

"Here, your pay." another mare stated and handed Pinkie Pie several bits,

"Thank you!" Pinkie Pie chirped,

"You got a place to stay?" a stallion questioned,

"No, I'm drifting from place to place." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Well, you can stay at my place, it's this way, I'll introduce my wife and daughter there, too." the stallion responded,

"Sure! I can't wait!" Pinkie Pie chirped and she followed the stallion to his home.

Pinkie Pie arrived at the home and looked at the stallion and mare, the stallion had a bright red coat, long green mane and tail, pink eyes, and his cutie mark was a watermelon seed, the mare had a bright pink coat, long red mane and tail, pink eyes, and her cutie mark was a triangle shaped watermelon slice,

"Alright, I'm Melon Harvester, this is my wife, Melon Crops, our daughter is in that room over there." the stallion said while pointing back,

"Melon Farmer, we have a guest." Melon Crops called out, and the filly entered while hiding behind her parents,

"Hey, it's okay, I don't bite." Pinkie Pie said,

"Our daughter's shy around strangers." Melon Harvester replied,

"How long you planning to stay here?" Melon Crops questioned,

"I'll try to leave as soon as possible." Pinkie Pie replied,

"You have to work as long as you stay here." Melon Crops stated,

"That's fine, I can work in your fields and make sweets in the kitchen." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Oh, nice, I can always use an extra hoof in the kitchen." Melon Crops stated,

"Making food to feed three people must be hard." Pinkie Pie commented,

"It is, I have to start making supper now, I can use some help in the kitchen." Melon Crops responded, and they went.

They arrived into the kitchen and Melon Crops began cooking,

"Alright... um... what's your name?" Melon Crops asked,

"Pinkie Pie." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Alright, Pinkie Pie, can you cut the vegetables over there?" Melon Crops requested, and she went. Pinkie Pie looked around and saw two pots cooking on the stove,

"Can you chop the vegetables into small and thin pieces, Pinkie Pie?" Melon Crops requested,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie responded, and she got a knife out of her mane and began chopping the carrots at blinding speeds. Melon Crops watched in disbelief while Pinkie Pie finished cutting the carrots in a few seconds, she then proceeded to cut the onions and potatoes next, she then cut the celery stalk next,

"Wow, Pinkie Pie, you sure do work fast." Melon Crops said,

"Something I picked up growing up." Pinkie Pie replied,

"So, tell me, what's your background? Chef? Alchemist?" Melon Crops questioned,

"Rock farmer." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Oh, so you have a farmer background, too, we can teach you all about cultivating watermelons, Pinkie Pie, farming watermelons is completely different from farming rocks." Melon Crops stated,

"Sure, sounds good." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What do you do now?" Melon Crops questioned,

"I'm a party planner and party thrower." Pinkie Pie responded,

"What kind of parties?" Melon Crops asked,

"All parties, birthday parties for kids are my specialty." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Oh, then I guess you have a lot of experience in making snacks and desserts." Melon Crops stated,

"Hmm-mm." Pinkie Pie said while nodding,

"Some watermelon based snacks and desserts wouldn't hurt to have here." Melon Crops suggested,

"Leave it to me." Pinkie Pie replied, and she continued helping in the kitchen. She helped Melon Crops put the vegetables in the soup and then got brown bread out of the refrigerator,

"Huh?" Pinkie Pie asked as she noticed there were no milk, cheese, or yogurt in the refrigerator,

"Oh, you noticed that we don't have any diary, Melon Farmer is lactose intolerant." Melon Crops explained,

"Meaning?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Basically, she can't have any diary products, cheese is the one her body reacts to the worst." Melon Crops remarked,

"Hmm, I'll try to figure out something, a lot of my dessert dishes require milk to make." Pinkie Pie stated,

"I'll let you work in here if you want, come on, my husband and daughter are hungry." Melon Crops stated, and they finished cooking.

They served the meals to the family and ate together, Pinkie Pie ate quickly while the others looked at her, they went back to eating and Melon Farmer checked her food very carefully, Pinkie Pie also noticed her meal was different from her parents, she ate very slowly while tasting every ingredient in her soup and stew, she finished after everyone else finished their meals and drank her water,

"Melon Farmer, is it okay if I give you chocolate since several of my desserts contain a lot?" Pinkie Pie requested,

"Dark chocolate only." Melon Farmer responded,

"Here, I wanna see if you can handle white chocolate." Pinkie Pie commented, and she handed it to her,

"Now that you mention it, I never did try white chocolate." Melon Farmer commented,

"You don't have it in this town?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Nope, milk chocolate and dark chocolate only." Melon Harvester answered,

"Well, here goes." Melon Farmer said, and she ate a very small piece. Everything was fine at first but Melon Farmer soon fell out of her chair while clutching her abdomen and groaning, her parents ran to her while her abdomen bloated and they carried her out of the house. Pinkie Pie washed the dishes while she waited for the family to come home, they came back about ten minutes later and she quickly faced them,

"I'm so sorry." Pinkie Pie stated while bowing several times,

"Calm down, Pinkie Pie, our daughter's fine, we'll just have to put this on our list of what she can't eat or drink." Melon Harvester responded, she looked up at them with her mouth agape,

"We have to sleep, we start harvesting early in the morning, we got an extra room upstairs you can sleep in." Melon Crops said,

"Okay!" Pinkie Pie stated,

"Goodnight, Pinkie Pie." Melon Farmer remarked,

"Night!" Pinkie Pie replied, and she dashed upstairs and slept in an extra bed.

The next morning came and the alarm clock went off, the family got ready for the day and Pinkie Pie saw them have salads and water for breakfast and then went outside. Everybody tended to the watermelon crops while Pinkie Pie worked very quickly, she watered the watermelons and picked the ones that were ripe, everybody watched with jaws dropped while Pinkie Pie worked faster than everybody else, she then proceeded to weigh the watermelons and shook them to hear how much juice was in them,

"Okay, I'm ready to learn how to plant watermelons." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Hold on, Pinkie Pie, we still have to tend to the rest." Melon Crops responded, and the ponies pounded and shook the others,

"Alright, Pinkie Pie, we'll go ahead and teach you." Melon Crops remarked,

"Whoo-hoo!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed while jumping in the air, and Melon Harvester walked to her,

"Alright, Pinkie Pie, first off, the ideal weather, watermelons like warm and sunny environments like this, seventy to ninety degrees in the day, sixty to seventy degrees at night, and that's in Fahrenheit, by the way." Melon Harvester explained,

"Got it." Pinkie Pie remarked while holding a pencil and paper with her mane and wrote down the information,

"Alright, next, the soil, it has to be rich in nutrients and slightly acidic, the soil also has to be sandy and mostly drained of water." Melon Harvester added, Pinkie Pie wrote the information down,

"Next is planting the seeds, you have to make a mound with the soil and plant the seeds about half an inch into it, make sure you spread them a few feet apart so they can grow big and don't compete with one another for nutrients." Melon Harvester said while Pinkie Pie wrote down everything,

"After that, watering, give them one to two inches of water per week, they need a lot, but when they're almost done ripening, they need less water since too much can worsen the flavor." Melon Harvester explained, Pinkie Pie nodded while writing down the information and smiling,

"The watermelon will change color as it ripens, most ripen in about two to three months, you can thump on it to check its ripeness, if it makes a hollow sound inside, it's ripe." Melon Harvester said,

"Okay!" Pinkie Pie remarked while she finished writing down the instructions,

"You can grow your own watermelon here if you're staying." Melon Harvester offered,

"Sorry, but I likely won't be here that long." Pinkie Pie responded,

"That's fine, we'll go ahead and check the watermelons now for any worms or other bugs in them, the kids will be allowed to play now, so why don't you go have fun?" Melon Harvester suggested,

"Sure. Come on, kids, let's play." Pinkie Pie stated, and they led her to where they play.

They ran to an open field and the foals began playing tag, Pinkie Pie ran after them and tagged the foals every now and then while she disappeared and reappeared randomly. The foals got bored after several minutes and switched to playing hide-and-seek, Pinkie Pie counted to ten and looked for the foals, she found all of them easily,

"Uh-huh!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed every time she found a foal and startled them, the foals watched in disbelief at Pinkie Pie finding them easily and immediately, it was her turn to hide and the foals could not find her while Pinkie Pie hid in a tree branch full of leaves near the tree's top. She waited while the foals continued looking for her and they began calling for her, she realized her hiding spot was too hard for them and she appeared behind the tree,

"Found her!" a colt called out, and the other foals walked to them,

"Whew, it's hot today, come on, everyone, let's have snacks." a filly stated, and they did. The foals gathered at a table that had small bags of chips, small juice cartons, pitchers filled with lemon tea, packages filled with crackers, and triangle shaped watermelon slices. The foals ate the watermelon slices while Pinkie Pie tried one,

"Mmm! So juicy, so sweet, this is the best watermelon I ever had!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed,

"Yup, typical reaction from an outsider when they taste our watermelons." a colt commented, the other foals nodded. They are more watermelons for a few minutes,

"Wanna see how much, how far, and how fast we can shoot watermelon seeds out of our mouths again?" a filly suggested, the foals cheered, the filly shot black watermelon seeds out of her mouth and high into the air, they fell far away and the other foals cheered,

"I wanna go next." another filly said, and she shot watermelon seeds out of her mouth, they went high and far and the other foals watched in awe,

"Oh, yeah? Watch this." Pinkie Pie said, and she shot lots of watermelon seeds out of her mouth like a machine gun. The foals looked forward and saw Pinkie Pie shoot watermelon seeds very far and they began pelting trees and putting holes in them, she stopped after shooting out hundreds of seeds,

"Whoa!" one colt exclaimed,

"How did you do that?" Melon Farmer asked,

"Due to me growing up on a rock farm and having to eat rocks, I've developed really strong mouth and jaw muscles." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Oh, wow, I'm surprised you still have teeth." Melon Farmer remarked,

"I'm still surprised about that, too." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Pinkie Pie, you make desserts, right?" a third colt asked,

"Yes, I do." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Can you make a dessert out of the watermelons?" the colt questioned,

"Sure!" Pinkie Pie replied,

"Those watermelons there with the other snacks are leftover watermelons from last year's crops that didn't get sold, you can eat them too if you want to." a second colt stated,

"Why, thank you, but first, time to make some super, duper, yummy to the tummy watermelon treats." Pinkie Pie responded, and she dashed. She looked at the watermelons saw how much she had,

"Hmm... Uh-huh!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed and she pulled out plastic cups, she mashed the watermelons into pieces and put them in the cups, she blew cold breath on them to cool them and turned them into slushies and put straws in them,

"Here you all go." Pinkie Pie said as she handed them the slushies. The foals tried it and they were delicious,

"Wow, these are great, Pinkie Pie." Melon Farmer stated,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie responded,

"You should make desserts and sweets from last year's leftover watermelons." a filly suggested,

"I'd love to." Pinkie Pie stated,

"You know, you might not be so bad after all, I think you'll be a great addition to my home's kitchen." Melon Farmer said,

"Thank you, and because of your condition, I'll have to rearrange my desserts since several of them use milk as an ingredient." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Sounds good, I'll help you if you need it." Melon Farmer stated,

"Actually, I do." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Kids, we're done cleaning the bugs out of the watermelons." Melon Harvester called out, and they went back to the adults and everybody went home.

Pinkie Pie went into Melon Crops' kitchen and began making her snacks and desserts with Melon Farmer watching her, she got out her ingredients to make chocolate mousse,

"I can't have cream." Melon Farmer stated,

"Hmm, I might have a substitute." Pinkie Pie said, and she took out a can of coconut cream,

"I said I can't have any cream." Melon Farmer reminded, Pinkie Pie showed the nutritional facts label and she saw there was no lactose in it while she looked over its ingredients,

"Oh, this might be fine after all." Melon Farmer remarked, and Pinkie Pie then showed her the milk carton,

"You got a substitute in town for this?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Well, previous visitors have said almond milk and soy milk should be okay for me, but they're not sold in this town, we only have regular white milk, chocolate milk, and strawberry milk." Melon Farmer answered,

"Do you guys have any nuts?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, why?" Melon Farmer questioned,

"Great! With almonds, coconuts, cashews, or hazelnuts, I can make some milk substitutes." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Really?" Melon Farmer asked,

"Yes, but I'm going to need your help, it's a long process that takes lots of energy." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'm ready." Melon Farmer stated,

"Alright, let's get started." Pinkie Pie responded, and she dashed out of the kitchen and came back with the four types of nuts a second later,

"Okay, let's get started." Pinkie Pie stated, and they did. They did the coconuts first and peeled the brown outer skin off, Melon Farmer peeled slowly while Pinkie Pie used her front hoofs like a peeler to get the brown skin off, she then rubbed the white parts really fast and grated them, she then put the shredded parts in a glass of warm water and spun her front legs in it really fast and mixed them, she then poured all of the milk and coconut parts into a cheesecloth and squeezed all of the milk out and back into the glass in one go,

"And done." Pinkie Pie commented while Melon Farmer looked on with a dropped jaw,

"How do you do that?" Melon Farmer questioned,

"To be honest, I don't know either, they just happen whenever I do anything." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Oh." Melon Farmer said,

"Just a reminder, Melon Farmer, only me and my family members can make milk from nuts this fast, any other time you or anypony else tries it, it's going to take a day or two because you have to soak the nuts in water overnight." Pinkie Pie explained, Melon Farmer nodded,

"Alright, let's do the almonds next, this one's a bit faster." Pinkie Pie said, and they did. Melon Farmer copied Pinkie Pie while she put almonds in warm water and spun her front hoofs in it to make milk and then dumped it into a cheesecloth and squeezed the milk back into the glass,

"Okay, now, hazelnut." Pinkie Pie said, and she started and did the same steps,

"And last, but not least, the cashews." Pinkie Pie said, and she got them and did the same steps as the others and made the cashew milk. Pinkie Pie held the four milks out,

"Here, try them, they should be okay for you to have." Pinkie Pie said,

"Really?" Melon Farmer questioned,

"I promise." Pinkie Pie reassured, and Melon Farmer took a sip from each milk and was fine,

"Wow, I'm okay, thank you, Pinkie Pie." Melon Farmer chirped,

"You're welcome." Pinkie Pie responded,

"So, what's next?" Melon Farmer asked,

"Yogurt, it's time for me to make a substitute to it." Pinkie Pie answered,

"You know what you need?" Melon Farmer inquired,

"Milk, which we already got, cream, which we also got, and a special powder to make them ferment, be right back." Pinkie Pie responded, and she dashed away and came back a second later, she came back and put coconut milk and coconut cream in a bowl and mixed them together with her front hoofs and then heated it up in the oven, she took it out after a few minutes and poured the powder into it. She blended them with her front hoofs and then put the glass on the counter,

"This part is called the incubation period, Melon Farmer, I'm going to speed it up with my Pinkie magic, but when you do this on your own, this can take up to nine hours to complete, you just have to put it in a lukewarm environment and wait." Pinkie Pie explained,

"That's a long time." Melon Farmer remarked,

"It is, I'll speed it up now." Pinkie Pie responded, and she dashed to the right and the yogurt spun around and incubated,

"There, now the finishing touch." Pinkie Pie said, and she blew cold breath on it,

"Ta-da! Done!" Pinkie Pie chirped, and she gave the yogurt to Melon Farmer. She got a spoon and tasted the yogurt, her eyes widened and let out a surprised grunt, she groaned while her face turned red and she tried to swallow,

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked, Melon Farmer swallowed the yogurt and took a deep breath,

"Sour!" Melon Farmer reported,

"Oh, I'm sorry, you can handle sugar, right?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Of course." Melon Farmer remarked,

"Alright then, time to rearrange." Pinkie Pie stated, and she put white sugar in the yogurt and mixed it, Melon Farmer tried it and nodded while smiling,

"Okay, I got substitutes for you for milk, cream, and yogurt, now, to find a substitute for cheese." Pinkie Pie stated,

"You make cheese snacks and desserts, too?" Melon Farmer asked,

"Of course, my cheesecakes are well liked among foals." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Just to let you know, Pinkie Pie, out of all of the lactose foods I have to avoid, cheese is the one my body reacts the worst to, I can't eat cheese if it has even one milligram of lactose in it." Melon Farmer informed,

"Lactose free cheese is sold throughout Equestria." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Well, they're not sold here." Melon Farmer replied, Pinkie Pie reached into her mane and took a pot out alongside tofu, yeast, salt, vinegar, and lemon juice. She put them in a bowl and spun her front legs fast to mix them together, she took her front legs out and they were tangled within one another, she then crumbled another piece of tofu into pieces with her front hoofs and put it in the bowl and stirred it with her snout,

"Here you go, I'm not sure you'll like this, but at least try." Pinkie Pie requested, and Melon Farmer did. She chewed the homemade cheese and gagged from the taste and almost spat it out,

"No, no, no, swallow." Pinkie Pie stated, and she did,

"I don't like its taste." Melon Farmer reported,

"Alright, I'll try again later." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"I also can't eat custards and pudding." Melon Farmer stated,

"You can make lactose free custard and pudding with the ingredients I presented to you, I'll go ahead and I'll make a lactose-free eggnog now." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Eggnog? What's eggnog?" Melon Farmer asked,

"A drink that uses milk, cream, eggs, and sugar, I can add in other stuff, too." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, I see, we don't have any eggnog in this town, so nopony here will have a clue what you're talking about if you bring it up." Melon Farmer explained,

"Well, get ready to broaden your horizons, I hope your like this." Pinkie Pie stated, and she began. She took a bowl, eggs, salt, and nutmeg out of her tail and put eggs and salt in a bowl and whisked them with her tail, she then reached far away behind herself and got a saucepan, she put it on the stove and turned it on, she put almond cream, hazelnut milk, salt, and nutmeg into it and stirred it with her mane while adding spoonfuls of the eggs into it. She continued until she got all of the eggs into the mixture and then whisked it until it thickened, she blew her breath on it to cool it and then added and mixed sugar into it and poured the eggnog into two glasses,

"There, this is a basic eggnog, some of them will have vanilla or cinnamon added into them sometimes." Pinkie Pie stated,

"You sure put a lot of sugar in it." Melon Farmer remarked,

"That's because eggnog on its own is not sweet, it's mostly raw eggs and milk, they are not tasty on their own." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Oh, that doesn't sound good." Melon Farmer stated,

"Well, enjoy." Pinkie Pie spoke, and they drank it,

"Wow, this is sweet." Melon Farmer commented,

"Can you taste the nutmeg?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"A little." Melon Farmer replied,

"Good, I was worried the sweetness overpowered it." Pinkie Pie stated,

"I appreciate you finding stuff for me to eat and drink, Pinkie Pie, but I have to do homeschooling soon and leave the kitchen." Melon Farmer reported,

"In that case, I'll make one more thing, this is a bonus treat, I need some watermelon and dark chocolate chips." Pinkie Pie replied, and Melon Farmer got watermelon out of the refrigerator and a bag of dark chocolate chips out of the freezer. She smashed the watermelon into pulp with her front hoofs and got all of the seeds out, she then put it into a bowl and then added sugar and mixed them with her mane, she then poured dark chocolate chips into it and mixed it with her mane, she then blew cold breath on it and it was complete,

"Voila! Watermelon sherbet with dark chocolate chips." Pinkie Pie announced, Melon Farmer tried it,

"Wow, this is delicious." Melon Farmer reported,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Well, I gotta go do homeschooling now, thanks, Pinkie Pie." Melon Farmer said, and she left the kitchen while Pinkie Pie cleaned, the rest of the day was peaceful and they slept when the sun set.

The next day came and Pinkie Pie was outside and sharing the things she made in the kitchen yesterday, everybody tried them and they spat out the yogurt and cheese while her jaw dropped,

"Dang, these taste bad!" a colt exclaimed,

"No kidding, especially the cheese, it feels nothing like cheese either." a filly added, the others agreed,

"I had to rearrange them so Melon Farmer can eat them, you can add sugar into the yogurt, too." Pinkie Pie explained,

"What about the cheese?" a mare asked,

"You can probably eat it with something." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"Maybe with the crackers." a stallion stated, the others agreed,

"How's the other stuff?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Everything else is fine." a second stallion reported, the others agreed,

"Okay, I'll go ahead and try to make some watermelon desserts today." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Sure, here you go, Pinkie Pie, leftover watermelons from our last harvest that we didn't get to sell." Melon Crops stated while two stallions brought forth a small wagon with watermelons in it,

"Thank you." Pinkie Pie said, and she began. She divided one watermelon into triangular slices with her mane and then put chocolate spread and sprinkles on them, she then peeled the green skin off of another water melon and cut the top and bottom off and then covered it in white icing that made it look like a cake, she then made watermelon sherbet with dark chocolate chips,

"Here you all go, be careful for seeds." Pinkie Pie said as she handed the deserts to the foals. They ate the sweet watermelon desserts and spat the seeds out as far as they could, two stallions walked to her with her cheese on their crackers,

"It still doesn't taste good." one stallion reported,

"I made it out of tofu." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, that's why, maybe some salt and spices can flavor it the next time you make it." the other stallion suggested,

"I'll think about it." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Good luck next time." the first stallion said,

"Thanks." Pinkie Pie responded, and they left. Pinkie Pie saw her watermelon desserts were getting low and started making a new one, she sliced some of the watermelons into small pieces and then boiled them in a saucepan filled with water and sugar and stirred them, she then turned off the stove and let the watermelons sit for a short time and then poured them onto a parchment in a pan, she let it sit and cool for a few minutes and then put powdered sugar on the watermelon pieces. She handed them out and the foals enjoyed them,

"That's too bad, there's no seeds in these." a filly stated,

"Hard candy and seeds do not mix well." Pinkie Pie explained,

"You mean they don't taste good together?" another filly questioned,

"No, what I mean is you sometimes can't tell the difference between hard candy and seeds, and chewing on seeds can really hurt your teeth." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Oh." the second filly said, and they ate the hard candy. The adults were almost done working for the day and Pinkie Pie began making more sherbet but mixed strawberries with the watermelons, she also made watermelon ice pops and the kids enjoyed it, the adults finished and began having the things Pinkie Pie made, they smiled and conversed with one another while the foals ran around and played, Pinkie Pie smiled and it was soon time for everyone to go home and the adults home schooled the foals.

Pinkie Pie worked in the kitchen and began altering the cheese around, she added salt, garlic, onions, and herbs into the tofu and cooked them together, she tasted it and her face turned red while she breathed fire out of her mouth. She took a little bit of the garlic out and tried again, her face turned red and she panted, she quickly drank some water and removed some of the onions, Pinkie Pie did another taste test and smiled. She then proceeded to get ingredients to make cheesecake and worked quickly, she soon baked it in the oven and took it out. She did a taste test and tasted some of the spices in the cheesecake, she added in some sugar to sweeten it and tried it,

"Hmm, good like my regular cheesecakes, gonna need to use a lot more sugar than normal though." Pinkie Pie commented, and she carried it out of the kitchen,

"Melon Farmer, I just made one of my cheesecakes using the cheese from earlier, I wanna see if you can handle eating it without getting any problems." Pinkie Pie said,

"Sure." Melon Farmer responded, and she had a very small bite, they waited but she was fine,

"I can handle this, though it's very sweet." Melon Farmer reported,

"I had to add loads of sugar into it in order to replicate the taste of my regular cheesecakes." Pinkie Pie replied,

"It's probably not to eat much of it then." Melon Harvester suggested,

"Do you have anymore stuff to make?" Melon Crops asked,

"Nope, that's pretty much everything." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Can you teach us how to make your stuff?" Melon Crops requested,

"Of course." Pinkie Pie replied, and the day went on as normal and they slept.

The next day came and Pinkie Pie taught the natives of Melon Plantation how to make her watermelon dishes and Melon Crops how to make her lactose free dishes,

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie, we can enjoy more dishes and our daughter can now have more variety, that makes it easier for me on what to cook, too." Melon Crops said,

"You're welcome, it is now time for me to go, my work here is done." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Here, take these as our farewell gift." Melon Harvester stated, and they gave her several bits and watermelons,

"Thank you, these will definitely help in me making new snacks and desserts, and thanks for the payment, well, off I go now." Pinkie Pie stated, and she walked out of town while everybody said bye to her.

Pinkie Pie was in Sugarcube Corner with Star Pony, Treasure Hunter, Flower Viola, Rose, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, Purple Grace, Tulip, Angelique, Emerald, Haute Coture, Tempo, Aquarius, Taco Bell, Butterfly Azalea, Weight Lifter, and Melon Farmer eating their ice creams,

"I have stayed in touch with Melon Plantation ever since I left and throw birthday parties there, but I have to be very careful on what I serve due to Melon Farmer's condition." Pinkie Pie stated,

"What are Melon Farmer's birthday parties like?" Butterfly Azalea asked,

"It's the same as every other party in town, everybody attends, and there's special foods for me but everybody else can have them if they like them, Pinkie Pie coming to our town was one of the best things that could happen." Melon Farmer remarked,

"Guys, I don't mean to cut the conversation or fun time short, but it's getting a bit late, the others will be worried if we don't get home soon." Pink Diamond warned, and everybody finished their ice creams and left. Pinkie Pie cleaned the glasses and looked at the watermelons in the back room, she smiled and continued working at Sugarcube Corner until it was closing time.

Gluten Intolerance

Pinkie Pie was working at Sugarcube Corner and making desserts and confectioneries for the customers, she worked at blinding speeds and got every order done quickly,

"Here we go, one super sized double chocolate cake topped with shredded coconuts for you, one pie filled with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries with a graham cracker crust and topped with whipped cream for you, one mega sized neapolitan ice cream with solid chocolate, nuts, and strawberries in a glass floating in root beer for you, and one gigantic vanilla ice cream sundae topped with chocolate spread, sprinkles, extra large powder sugared and glazed doughnuts topped with chocolate and sprinkles, extra large chocolate chip cookies topped with whipped cream, and a big cherry at the very top along with an extra large soda on the side for you." Pinkie Pie said as she gave out the food to the customers. She sighed and watched the satisfied customers eat their desserts while smiling,

"Excuse me?" a familiar voice asked, Pinkie Pie looked and saw a teenage earth pony filly coming in, she had a bright yellow coat, a long bright green mane and tail, yellow-green eyes, and her cutie mark was a hand of bananas,

"Banana Tree? What are you doing here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Well, I was busy planting banana trees around here and Ponyville just happened to be close by, so I thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing and hoped you could've came up with new dishes and desserts that I could eat." Banana Tree explained,

"To be honest, Banana Tree, you weren't too bad for me in having to find alternatives, but it was a shame I couldn't give you most of my baked goods and stuff made from grains, but you were simple for me when I saw you can still have sugar and fruits." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Well, one reason I stopped by is I was hoping you could've found a way for me to try one of your famed cupcakes." Banana Tree spoke,

"Sure, let's see if I can do this." Pinkie Pie said, and she got ready. She went through her ingredients and looked at her baking powders, she found one that had no wheat starch in it, she then looked at her flours very carefully and picked a specific one, she then got xanthan gum. She used the replacement ingredients with the other regular ones and made one cupcake and gave it to Banana Tree, she bit it once and chewed it and swallowed it,

"Wow, you did it, Pinkie Pie, I can enjoy your stuff now." Banana Tree chirped,

"Yes! I'll go ahead and make more and let you choose the toppings." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Thanks, Pinkie Pie." Banana Tree responded, and she did and Banana Tree took them,

"Thank you, I'll be back later today after tending to the rest of my bananas." Banana Tree stated,

"Okay, looking forward to it." Pinkie Pie spoke, and Banana Tree walked out. The day went on peacefully and Banana Tree came back after Sugarcube Corner closed for the day,

"Sorry, Banana Tree, but I closed a few hours ago." Pinkie Pie said,

"Actually, I was hoping we could look back and catch up." Banana Tree responded,

"Oh, sure, I'm always up for that." Pinkie Pie stated, and she and Banana Tree sat beside one another,

"Been a while since you and I first met." Banana Tree spoke,

"Yeah, I remember it like it was yesterday." Pinkie Pie replied, and they began to talk about the past.

Pinkie Pie was traveling through Equestria and sold confectioneries and threw parties to make money, she arrived at one place one day and a stallion and mare earth pony couple walked up to her to buy things, the stallion had a yellow coat, long white mane and tail, yellow eyes, and his cutie mark was a banana tree, the mare had a dark yellow coat, long yellow mane and tail, green eyes, and her cutie mark was a banana, they looked at a list and at Pinkie Pie's items carefully, the stallion tried to pick up a cup of bread pudding,

"Hold on, Cavendish, if the bread's whole wheat, our daughter won't be able to eat it." the mare stated,

"It's not just that, Lady Fingers, I'm seeing quite a lot of cakes, too, our daughter can't have those, either, nor the graham cracker stuff, I guess we don't have much choice on what to buy." Cavendish remarked,

"Is something the matter?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Oh, sorry, it's our daughter, she has a condition that limits her food, we're trying to find something safe for her." Lady Fingers explained,

"Allergies?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, the doctor said it's gluten intolerance, some foods, her body can't digest." Cavendish corrected,

"Gluten intolerance? Gluten intolerance?! She can't have anything sweet or with sugar in it?!" Pinkie Pie panicked while her mane and tail got ready to deflate,

"No, no, she can, it's mostly wheat and similar she can't have." Lady Fingers responded, Pinkie Pie's mane and tail got puffy again,

"Oh, take me to her, I might be able to make something for her." Pinkie Pie requested,

"Really? You would do that?" Lady Fingers asked, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"Why, thank you, come on, our house is this way." Lady Fingers said, and she and Cavendish led her.

Pinkie Pie followed Cavendish and Lady Fingers to their home and arrived at a small town called Synthetic Industries, she saw factories everywhere making synthetic food from a malleable sludge and unicorns injected flavors and nutrients into the sludge while the Pegasi and earth ponies molded the sludge into foods they had the tastes and nutrition of,

"Are those... artificial foods?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Please, understand, our town's soil won't grow anything anymore, we have to do this to survive." Lady Fingers responded,

"Can't grow anything?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, our town's soil will not produce any food, we're suffering from a famine, we'll have no food if we don't do this." Cavendish explained,

"Oh, I see, well, go ahead and take me to your daughter." Pinkie Pie requested, and they did, she arrived at their home and entered. She saw the house was very clean and there were books on growing and cultivating bananas lying around the house,

"Banana Tree, the dessert salespony that arrived recently is here to see you." Cavendish called out, they heard walking on the second floor and a filly walked to them,

"This is our daughter, she's the one with the gluten intolerance." Lady Fingers stated,

"What? You told her about that?" Banana Tree inquired,

"Calm down, Banana Tree, I'm here to help, I need to see what you can and can't handle and rearrange my stuff accordingly for you." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Is that true?" Banana Tree inquired,

"It is, we tried to pick out something for you that you can eat with no problems, she noticed and asked us, we told her, and she now wants to help." Cavendish answered,

"See, there you go, let's head on to the kitchen, Banana Tree, I'm sure I can whip up something tasty for you without um... triggering your condition." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"You sound very confident." Banana Tree spoke,

"You're not the first pony I've had to alter my stuff for." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Oh, so you've encountered gluten intolerance before?" Lady Fingers questioned,

"No, the last pony was lactose intolerant." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, well, try not to get them mixed up, gluten intolerance is different." Lady Fingers reminded,

"Come on, Banana Tree, to the kitchen." Pinkie Pie spoke, and she led her to it.

They arrived into the kitchen and Pinkie Pie noticed there were no grains or baked goods in the kitchen,

"You only have fruits and vegetables?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I got some nuts, peanut butter, legumes, cheese, yogurt, seeds, and hay." Banana Tree responded,

"Oh, well, since you have cheese, I'm going to try making something I make regularly." Pinkie Pie said, and she began. She had a pink twirl around her and moved at blinding speeds while Banana Tree's jaw dropped, a pink tornado spun in front of her and Pinkie Pie finished the dish,

"Ta-da! Here it is! Cheesecake!" Pinkie Pie announced, Banana Tree examined it carefully and smelled it, she got a spoon and tried a very small amount of the cake and its crust. Banana Tree chewed slowly and swallowed, there were no problems at first but Banana Tree soon clutched her abdomen and groaned while falling over,

"What's wrong, Banana Tree?" Pinkie Pie inquired, Banana Tree's abdomen bloated, she groaned while Cavendish and Lady Fingers ran in and got medicine out of a drawer, they gave it to Banana Tree and she took it, her abdomen stopped bloating and she sighed with relief,

"What happened?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Something in that cake had gluten in it and triggered her symptoms." Lady Fingers explained,

"What? What did I do wrong?" Pinkie Pie questioned while she did a quick spin and made cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, lemon juice, eggs, and a graham cracker crust appear,

"Ah, here it is, the crust, graham cracker has gluten in it." Cavendish explained,

"The graham cracker? But its flavor is part of why it's popular with others." Pinkie Pie lamented,

"Sorry, but you're going to have to replace it with something else." Lady Fingers spoke, Pinkie Pie groaned while looking down, she then took out her other crusts and looked at them, she had a pretzel crust, shortbread crust, chocolate chip cookie crust, and brownie crust,

"Here are the alternatives." Pinkie Pie announced, Lady Fingers examined each one,

"Banana Tree can't eat any of these?" Lady Fingers reported,

"What? I can't make cheesecake then." Pinkie Pie lamented,

"It's not the cake itself, it's the ingredients, Banana Tree can have it if the flour to make the crust is gluten free." Lady Fingers explained,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said, and she made her flour packages appear, she looked at their nutritional facts and saw all of them had gluten in them,

"Sorry, Banana Tree, but a lot of stuff, I can't make for you." Pinkie Pie stated,

"It's fine, I'll take any energy bars with dried fruits and icing on them." Banana Tree stated, and Pinkie Pie made one appear and Cavendish checked it,

"This looks fine, I don't see any wheat, barley, or rye in it." Cavendish spoke, and Banana Tree ate it. Pinkie Pie made all of her ingredients appear and looked at each of them to see which ones had gluten in them, she checked the nutrition facts on her ingredients and noticed she had to cut out almost all of her different flour types, she then took out her snacks and desserts and Lady Fingers pointed out her breads, baked goods, and pastries all had gluten in them and had to be cut, Pinkie Pie groaned sadly and removed her cookies, cakes, doughnuts, muffins, and cupcakes,

"Alright, I think this might be fine for Banana Tree." Lady Fingers stated,

"But it's mostly fruits." Pinkie Pie lamented,

"It's still a pretty large selection to choose from." Lady Fingers replied,

"I'd still like to try one of those grains and pastry stuff one day, though." Banana Tree stated,

"I'll see what I can do, Banana Tree, and if possible, maybe I can make a banana dessert while I'm here." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Come with us, we'll show you the factories then." Cavendish replied, and they went outside.

They went outside and to the factories, Pinkie Pie saw the artificial bananas get made and then packaged and put into stores,

"No, no, no, I meant as in bananas grown from the ground." Pinkie Pie said,

"Oh, we're going to have to go out of town for that." Banana Tree spoke,

"Let's go then, I'd like to do a taste comparison, too." Pinkie Pie stated, and they left. Cavendish and Lady Fingers led Pinkie Pie and Banana Tree out of town and to several banana trees,

"Wow, a lot of trees here." Pinkie Pie commented,

"This is sacred ground for our family, we are descended from a family of banana harvesters, we all grow a banana tree here to see if we receive our cutie marks or not." Cavendish explained,

"Here's mine right here." Banana Tree boasted as she stood by a small banana tree with a few bananas on it,

"Is it okay if I take some to use to make desserts?" Pinkie Pie requested,

"Well, our ancestors may frown upon me for this, but you can go ahead and take some from my tree." Cavendish answered, and she took seven bananas from his tree,

"Thank you, you all could use these bananas as food, why leave them here?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Growing a banana tree and our family getting cutie marks from it is a longstanding tradition in our family, if one is successful at growing a tree, we wish to leave them untouched because they're mostly trophies for us and symbols as us passing our family's traditional rite of passage." Lady Fingers explained,

"Well, you might as well use them, the bananas will be wasted if you don't." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"About that, there's a nutrition in the bananas that my body mistakes for gluten, it makes it hard for me to eat and digest them, so I can only eat small amounts of it at a time." Banana Tree explained,

"Oh, I'll try to figure something out." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Are you going to get a factory made banana, too?" Banana Tree asked,

"Yes, might as well do it now." Pinkie Pie responded, and they went to a store and Pinkie Pie bought of bunch of bananas and went back to the family's house.

Pinkie Pie separated the natural bananas and the artificial bananas and then took a tub of vanilla ice cream out, she cut the banana into thin circular slices with her mane's tip and put them on top of the vanilla ice cream in a circle, she put the naturally grown bananas in three bowls and the factory made ones in the other three, the family tried them while Pinkie Pie ate the leftover bananas and realized both of them tasted exactly the same, Banana Tree only took one bite and ate very slowly while Cavendish and Lady Fingers ate their ice creams quickly,

"Are you okay, Banana Tree?" Lady Fingers asked,

"Yeah, no problems so far." Banana Tree responded,

"What do you three think?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They taste exactly the same as one another." Cavendish answered, Lady Fingers and Banana Tree nodded in agreement,

"I still don't wish to use factory made fruits for my desserts though." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Well, if you wish, you can always try the other fruits, Pinkie Pie, maybe you'll find something you like." Lady Fingers suggested,

"Okay, I guess one try wouldn't hurt." Pinkie Pie stated, and she went outside. She looked around and noticed everybody had fruits for their cutie marks, she looked into the households for any naturally grown food but did not see any,

"What are you doing?" an earth pony mare asked,

"Sorry, I was wondering if there were any naturally grown foods in this town." Pinkie Pie answered,

"No, there isn't, soil can't grow anything, our families were originally farmers that grew fruits, our ancestors immigrated here, grew fruits, and then suddenly before we were born, the soil stopped, so machines were built, we all have to travel out of town to grow our families' respective fruits in suitable soil, some of us have to travel very far, too." an earth pony stallion explained,

"How far we talking?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Up to five days one way for some of us." the mare responded,

"By hoof? By flying...?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Flying." a Pegasus mare answered,

"Why not bring the fruits here?" Pinkie Pie suggested,

"A lot of our stuff are grown in hot environments and spoil before we get back here." another earth pony stallion explained,

"Hmm, well, I was a farmer growing up, but a rock farmer, not a fruit one, so I don't know what would be wrong with you guys' soil." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Well, if you want fruits, you'll have to buy them from the stores, the factories are magically powered too, so no need to worry about malfunctions." the first earth pony stallion said,

"Might as well, I should move my shop into this town, too." Pinkie Pie replied, and she went. She bought the factory made fruits and then went out of town and came back a second later with her shop, the foals came over and began buying stuff, she sold ice cream and the end of the day came, she laid down in her shop's back and slept.

Morning arrived and she was woken up by loud foals, she jumped up and screamed loudly when she saw foals running and heard them conversing excitedly, she stood up and saw them running to a school, she looked and saw a unicorn mare teaching the foals about the town's history and how their families came to be, she watched the presentation and the mare explained that the soil in the town was once abundant and it was divided into sections on where to plant specific types of fruits until the soil lost its nutrients suddenly and would no longer grow anything, so factories to make food were made. Pinkie Pie began making desserts and baked goods all morning and began selling to the foals after school ended, she worked very fast and the foals watched with surprise at seeing her as a blur and serve them what they wanted, Banana Tree walked up to her after the others were gone,

"Come on, Banana Tree, don't be shy, come on up." Pinkie Pie spoke, and she did, she looked at many of Pinkie Pie's desserts and baked goods and bought mostly fruits while looking down and left. Pinkie Pie baked cupcakes and the foals came the next day at the same time, she handed them out and the foals tried them, they nodded and smiled while Banana Tree dropped hers and fell on the ground while her abdomen bloated, the other adult ponies ran to her and gave her medicine and her abdomen shrunk back to normal size,

"Hold on a bit, Banana Tree, I'll see if I can change the ingredients around so you can eat my desserts, too." Pinkie Pie stated, Banana Tree nodded and she stood back up. Pinkie Pie sold her confectioneries to the customers and then headed to the town's store, she looked for alternatives to her regular flour and bought almond flour, coconut flour, and tapioca, she then began baking with them and made very small cupcakes. She tried a sample of them and noticed each one tasted noticeably different from her usual cupcakes, she sold them the next time she was open and the foals did not like their tastes, Banana Tree ate it without any problems but shook her head. Pinkie Pie went back to the store and bought teff flour, she made more cupcakes and gave them out, Banana Tree noticed the nutty taste and shook her head. Pinkie Pie went back to the store but saw Cavendish there,

"Go ahead and pick out one, Pinkie Pie, I'll buy it." Cavendish spoke,

"Oh, why thank you." Pinkie Pie replied, and she looked around,

"Well, I'm not sure if legume flour will work, but I'll try them." Pinkie Pie spoke, and Cavendish bought chickpea flour and fava bean flour for her and she went back to her shop. She began baking again and made small cupcakes, she tasted them and her eyes widened from their completely different tastes, she added extra sugar into them and tasted them again, they still did not taste right, so she added extra salt into them, she served them later and the foals spat them out, they and Banana Tree shook their heads, Pinkie Pie growled and focused more. She began mixing the various non-gluten flours together and tried to produce new flavors, she served them and Banana Tree and the foals spat them out, she sighed and continued trying, she noticed her breads were not fluffy like before,

"No, you were supposed to raise higher than that." Pinkie Pie said as she tried to blow air into the baked goods to make them bigger,

"Pinkie Pie?" a mare's voice called out from behind, she looked over her shoulder and saw a unicorn,

"Is everything going well?" the unicorn mare asked,

"Yeah, I'm fine, just trying to get my baked goods bigger." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Here, this might help." the mare stated as she gave her a bag filled with a powder,

"What's this?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Xanthan gum, it should help your bread treats rise higher and be bigger, don't be fooled by its name, it has no taste, it's not chewy and you can't blow bubbles with it either. Make sure you use it in moderation, ponies like Banana Tree can't have too much of it." the mare explained,

"Okay, thank you." Pinkie Pie said, the mare smiled and walked away. Pinkie Pie put the xanthan gum in her next batch of baked goods and they looked like her normal ones, she served them and the foals had trouble eating,

"What did you put in this?" a unicorn filly asked,

"I tried mixing the flours together in hopes of producing a new and yummy taste." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Well, you're better off using one flour at a time." a Pegasus colt stated,

"Yeah, it tastes better that way." an earth pony filly added,

"The baked goods look almost normal, how did you do that?" Banana Tree asked,

"I put a little ingredient called xanthan gum in it." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Wow, I think this is nice, you should use it from now on." a Pegasus filly stated, the foals nodded, Pinkie Pie smiled and the foals bought more of her desserts and baked goods and gave them to their parents.

Pinkie Pie baked all morning the next day and experimented with her new ingredients to try to make new flavors and keeping Banana Tree's condition in mind, she tasted all of her newly made baked goods and nodded, she put them on display and the foals came in the afternoon, she sighed with relief when she finished. She decided to take a break and began walking around the town, she looked at the brown ground and the many machines in the town, she watched each one produce a different type of food, she looked down at watching the factory made food be sold in stores while seeing the ponies also had sad expressions. She continued looking around and watched the artificial material get shaped and colored into food and injected with nutrients,

"You okay, Pinkie Pie?" Lady Fingers asked as she walked to her,

"I can't help but feel sad and disturbed over this town's food being factory made and not grown with love." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"We don't like it either, but it's the only way to survive here, the soil doesn't grow food anymore, we still don't know why, the unicorns tried using their magic to grow food and couldn't produce anything." Lady Fingers said,

"So, how did you all get these machines made?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"We had help from the unicorns and Pegasi, places outside this town were generous enough to provide us with the parts needed to build them, the sludge that is used to make the food is magically made and filtered to take any toxins and poisons in them out, magic is then used to shape it and fill it with flavor and nutrients and we mold the food into shape and put non-toxic and tasteless paint on them by hoof." Lady Fingers explained,

"What was this town called back then?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Fruity Flavors, we changed it to its current name after we began making food in this town with its factories and machines." Lady Fingers answered,

"Where did you all get the other food groups?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Outside the town, our ancestors and relatives used to bring them in when they traveled outside town, once when we got the factories made, we no longer had to do that." Lady Fingers responded,

"I think you all would get lonely." Pinkie Pie said,

"Not really, we got each other, and we get visitors a bit often, so no, but the old ponies who remember Fruity Flavors do miss it." Lady Fingers responded,

"What about you?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I have no memory of it, this place was Synthetic Industries ever since I was a filly, same with my husband, he has no memory of Fruity Flavors either." Lady Fingers answered,

"Hmm, I see, so I guess the soil lost its nutrients a while ago." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Yes, before we were born, our parents also explained to us that the fruit machines are placed in the areas they're at because they are the locations where that specific fruit was grown, like the banana making machines close to my home, that's where bananas used to be grown and cultivated in this town." Lady Fingers explained,

"Well, I never farmed fruits, only rocks, that didn't require any soil to grow." Pinkie Pie said,

"It's okay, Pinkie Pie, I'm sure one visitor one day will be able to figure out what went wrong." Lady Fingers responded,

"I hope so, I'd like to see what this town looked like when it did grow fruits." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"All of us do, we'd like to see the town return to its former glory one day." Lady Fingers replied,

"I hope it does, I have to go back now, I gotta start selling to the foals soon." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Okay, good luck." Lady Fingers responded, and Pinkie Pie hopped back.

School ended and Pinkie Pie began selling her baked goods and desserts to the foals, they shook their heads and agreed that she should stick to the regular ingredients, she used the special ingredients for Banana Tree's treats and she did not like how they tasted,

"I'm at a loss then." Pinkie Pie lamented,

"It's okay, Pinkie Pie, I can still eat your fruits and toppings, I just can't have the bread stuff, but I do appreciate you trying to rearrange the stuff so I can enjoy them, too." Banana Tree replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Will you be okay without me here?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Of course, my parents already found alternatives and substitutes, they can make desserts and treats I like back at home." Banana Tree reassured,

"But can they make the stuff I make or as good as I can?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"No, they can't, I don't think anypony in this town can." Banana Tree remarked,

"Alright then, I'll go ahead and give you all tips and notes, and I'll be going, I'm popular in other places, too." Pinkie Pie stated, and she began writing down her recipes. Pinkie Pie handed out the recipes to the town's ponies and taught them how to make her snacks and desserts,

"Well, I wasn't here long, and sorry I couldn't help with you with the soil, but I have to go, other places are demanding me to throw parties for the foals." Pinkie Pie said,

"It's alright, Pinkie Pie, our visitors usually don't stay long, but we do appreciate the recipes, I'm sure our kids will enjoy them." Cavendish replied, the foals cheered,

"Oh, you all touch my heart, I'll be going now, goodbye, everypony." Pinkie Pie responded, and the foals said bye while she left the town.

Pinkie Pie and Banana Tree were sitting at a table in Sugarcube Corner and the sun was setting,

"I never forgot about you, Banana Tree, I experimented and experimented in my free time to try to create a gluten free delicious dessert in my free time." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"I can see that, and I can say from what you made earlier that you've really improved." Banana Tree stated, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"That reminds me, I did find a way to make you eat bananas in large amounts, but it required the bananas to still be green, I don't think you would've liked how they tasted." Pinkie Pie commented,

"Yeah, unripe bananas are usually sour, I requested the factory make one for me to try and I didn't like it." Banana Tree replied,

"So, how have things been at Synthetic Industries?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Same as always, we're still making food and drinks with factories and machines, we never found out what was wrong with the soil." Banana Tree responded,

"Wait until tomorrow, I think I know a family who can help." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Really? That'd be wonderful, and yeah, it's getting late, we should sleep, can I stay here for the night?" Banana Tree asked,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and they slept. Pinkie Pie took Banana Tree to Sweet Apple Acres to meet Apple Bloom, Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Granny Smith, she explained the town's soil to them and they left with a wagon and Banana Tree led them to the town, Pinkie Pie smiled and went back to work at Sugarcube Corner.

Depression

Pinkie Pie was helping Ponyville with this year's Winter Wrap Up and skating on the ice to cut it, she did many graceful and complicated moves while Twilight Sparkle watched in awe, she jumped and spun around and began appearing on ice elsewhere, she cut all of the ice and finished,

"Wow, Pinkie, you never cease to amaze me." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Oh, it was nothing." Pinkie Pie replied,

"No need to be humble, Pinkie, you really were great out there." Twilight Sparkle reassured,

"Thank you, I'll be going now, got treats to bake for Ponyville's traditional spring welcoming parties and gatherings." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Okay, I'll let you get to it then, thanks for helping." Twilight Sparkle responded, and they parted ways. She arrived at Sugarcube Corner and began baking cupcakes, pies, and cakes and made flower decorations with the icing, her biggest cake was shaped like the sun and smiling, knocking was heard at her door while she decorated a cake,

"Come in." Pinkie Pie spoke, and the pony did, it was an earth pony stallion, he had a pale blue coat, long white mane and tail, blue eyes, and his cutie mark was a round paintbrush with blue paint on it. Pinkie Pie stopped working and realized it was Winter Blues, a pony she met shortly before settling in Ponyville,

"Winter Blues. What are you doing here?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"I just wanted to see you again, remembering you brightened my mood." Winter Blues answered, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"I can see you're a lot better groomed and more in shape now." Pinkie Pie observed,

"Yeah, I'm going outside to see the foals more often now, too." Winter Blues added,

"Good, so were you able to rediscover your passion for your hobbies?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"A bit, yes, thanks to you, I'm starting to paint more often now, too." Winter Blues remarked,

"Good, you've come a long way since I first met you, Winter Blues." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Thanks, I was hoping to have a drink here if possible while catching up with you." Winter Blues said,

"Sure, this place offers coffee and tea, they go good with the sweets and snacks." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"I'll take tea." Winter Blues ordered, and she made it. Pinkie Pie worked on her baking while Winter Blues sat and drank his tea while smiling, her break came and she sat with Winter Blues and reminisced with him.

Pinkie Pie was trotting through Equestria and winter was approaching,

"Brrr." Pinkie Pie said as she walked through the cold, cloudy, foggy weather. She saw foals running outside up ahead and went over in hopes of selling baked goods, they ran to her and checked what she had, their parents came over to see what she was selling while their kids told them what they wanted,

"Now, now, she's new here, let's not overwhelm her." a unicorn father stated,

"It's fine, I'm always happy to sell my baked treats to anypony." Pinkie Pie responded,

"I wanna get Winter Blues something." a Pegasus filly spoke,

"That's a great idea, I wonder what he would like." a Pegasus mother remarked,

"Winter Blues?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Yeah, he's an artistic pony who has been locked up in his home for several months now, we and our parents have been delivering food to him and checking up on him weekly to make sure he's okay." an earth pony colt explained,

"Where does he live?" Pinkie Pie asked, the ponies pointed at an apartment that had closed curtains over its windows,

"I'll go ahead and greet him." Pinkie Pie said,

"Go on then, and don't worry, he's friendly, even though he doesn't really go out and interact with us anymore." a unicorn mare spoke,

"Did something happen?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Well, we're not sure what it is, he just suddenly changed and began feeling down with no explanation." an earth pony stallion answered,

"Well, I'll go ahead and close the shop for today and go see him, I'll be open again tomorrow morning." Pinkie Pie stated, the ponies smiled and left while Pinkie Pie went to the apartment.

Pinkie Pie entered the apartment and it got foggier outside and began sprinkling and snowing, she trotted to Winter Blues' apartment and saw his apartment's door was a dull gray color and the paint was chipping off, she knocked on the door and waited,

"Coming." a stallion's voice spoke on the other side, the door then opened,

"Yes?" a stallion asked as he came out. Pinkie Pie looked at him with surprise, he was covered in paint, dirt, and dust, his mane and tail were disheveled with split ends, he had a small pot belly and was slightly out of shape, he had bags under his eyes, and rough and uneven facial hair,

"Are you Winter Blues?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes. How can I help you?" Winter Blues asked,

"I just came here a moment ago and wanted to say hello, I'm Pinkie Pie by the way." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Well, hello, I don't go out often, I'm usually in here trying to get on with my days peacefully." Winter Blues responded,

"Can I come in?" Pinkie Pie requested,

"Sure." Winter Blues answered, and she went into his apartment. Pinkie Pie looked around and a lot of leftovers on Winter Blues' table, a piano with sheet music on it, a violin beside the piano, unfinished stories scattered all over the floor, his bed was unmade with sheets and blankets scattered, his sink was filled with unwashed dishes, frying pans, cast irons, and silverware, books about fillies going from rich and noble to servants and being mistreated scattered all over the floor, and unfinished paintings everywhere where the colors blue, gray, and black were prominent in his art and he had a lot of paintings of snow, fog, and rain, some of his paintings also had ravens and black dogs in them,

"Wow, your home's a mess." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Yeah, I haven't had the energy to do anything recently." Winter Blues replied,

"Did something happen?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I just suddenly woke up one morning where all of my passion and desire to socialize suddenly disappeared, it hasn't come back ever since." Winter Blues responded,

"Hmm, sounds like you might need a bit of a break." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"I've been trying that, I haven't gotten any better." Winter Blues replied,

"Did you lose your job or something recently?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"No, um, I make pretty decent money outside by having ponies pay me to share my forms of art, so no, I don't have any financial problems." Winter Blues remarked,

"Hmm, I wonder what's making you feel down, but nevertheless, as long as I'm here, I'll try to see if I can turn your frown upside-down." Pinkie Pie declared,

"I'd appreciate that, well, I'm pretty tired, I'll go ahead and rest." Winter Blues responded,

"Okay, see you tomorrow." Pinkie Pie spoke, and she left and baked her confectioneries and desserts for tomorrow and slept.

The next day came and Pinkie Pie sold her baked goods to the foals in the morning before they went to school, the mares who stayed home came in the afternoon while the stallions who were at work came to her during their breaks, the foals came again after school ended and arrived with their parents,

"Where's Winter Blues?" Pinkie Pie asked as she looked for him, the others looked around,

"It seems Winter Blues is still locked up in his home." a Pegasus stallion commented,

"We can take one of your sweets to him if that's what you wanna do." a unicorn mare suggested,

"No, it's fine, I'll do it myself, thanks for the suggestion, though." Pinkie Pie replied, the ponies smiled and continued buying from her,

"Thank you, come again." Pinkie Pie said while the ponies went home, she picked up three cookies and headed to Winter Blues' home. Pinkie Pie arrived at Winter Blues' apartment and knocked on the door, there was no response,

"Winter Blues?" Pinkie Pie called out, there was no response, she opened the door and saw him lying in his bed. She walked to him and saw he was awake,

"I brought you cookies." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm not hungry." Winter Blues replied,

"When did you last eat?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Three days ago." Winter Blues responded,

"Come on, you have to eat something." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"I'm not hungry." Winter Blues repeated,

"Can you at least get out of bed?" Pinkie Pie requested,

"I don't have the energy to." Winter Blues remarked,

"I'll just leave the cookies here then, go ahead and help yourself when you feel like it." Pinkie Pie spoke, and she put them in front of him. She then proceeded to dash around and clean his home and Winter Blues looked on, he saw a pink blur moving across his room and tidying up everything, all of his things got sorted and well stacked while also put neatly,

"There, clean space, clean mind." Pinkie Pie spoke, Winter Blues looked at his home and laid back down,

"Can I fix your bed?" Pinkie Pie requested,

"I'm still not in the mood to get up." Winter Blues spoke,

"That's fine, I'll come fix it later, hope you feel better, Winter Blues." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Thanks." Winter Blues remarked and Pinkie Pie left. She began scrapping and repainting his apartment's door with a brighter gray color, she smiled and trotted away while Winter Blues opened the front door and looked at the new paint job. Pinkie Pie went outside and began making desserts and confectioneries for tomorrow and slept.

Pinkie Pie woke up early and it began to get cold while the rain, snow, and fog arrived, no one was outside so she went to go visit Winter Blues, she opened the door and saw him sitting at the piano,

"Morning, Winter Blues." Pinkie Pie said,

"Morning." Winter Blues replied, and she went to go make and fix his bed. She walked over to Winter Blues and watched him try to play the piano, he pressed a few keys but stopped afterwards,

"What's the matter?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"I'm not feeling it." Winter Blues remarked,

"You wanna try something else?" Pinkie Pie suggested,

"Sure." Winter Blues responded, and he went to one of his unfinished paintings. He picked up a paintbrush and dipped it in blue paint, he began painting a blue background and then painted a black landscape and gray rain, he then began painting ravens flying in the sky and then added snow onto the landscape,

"Why is your painting sad for?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It's how I've been feeling for some time now, I've always felt down when painting a picture." Winter Blues answered,

"And the piano?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Same, I feel like composing sad music most of the time." Winter Blues replied,

"Did something happen in your life to make you like this?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Actually, yes, I was very passionate about art of all kinds growing up and my parents supported me greatly, I lost some of that passion after they passed away since I no longer have anypony to support me, I continued making art of different kinds for years because the ponies living around here like my stuff, and then suddenly, a few weeks ago, all of my passion and drive suddenly disappeared after close to ten years of making different kinds of arts almost daily, I haven't felt any passion, drive, or desire to do anything ever since." Winter Blues explained,

"Not even take care of your home or yourself?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Nope." Winter Blues responded,

"Well, you should, the ponies outside around here are worried about you." Pinkie Pie said,

"I know, and I appreciate that, but I don't feel like socializing, sorry if I'm annoying you." Winter Blues spoke,

"It's fine, my sisters aren't very big socializers either." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Really?" Winter Blues questioned,

"Hmm-mm, my oldest sister is abrasive and most don't get along with her, my other older sister is really quiet, doesn't show much feeling, and is into things most ponies find boring, and my younger twin sister very rarely talks at all." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Oh, I guess you're used to ponies like me then." Winter Blues commented,

"Kind of, but I'm seeing signs I can help you regain your passion and joys again." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Okay, I appreciate that." Winter Blues spoke while smiling,

"See, you're smiling right now, come on, let's see if we can find something you still like doing." Pinkie Pie stated, and they went around Winter Blues' home. Winter Blues went to the piano and played a few keys, he tried to play more but stopped, he then tried to play music on the violin but quit after a minute, he then tried reading one of his books but could not get into it, he then tried writing a story but could not think of anything, Winter Blues then went to his stove and got out a book on recipes and culinary arts, he tried to find something to make but could not, he looked down and laid back down.

Winter Blues looked up at the ceiling with a wistful face while Pinkie Pie watched him for a few seconds, she looked at his stories and noticed they were about fillies being poor or homeless and struggling to make money, she read them and noticed a lot of them had talking animals and magic in them,

"These sound interesting, Winter Blues." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Thanks, I stopped working on them before I lost my passion because of writer's block." Winter Blues replied,

"Give it time, you'll probably have something pop in your head suddenly one day." Pinkie Pie said,

"I doubt it." Winter Blues remarked, Pinkie Pie then looked at the recipe books and gasped when she saw they were advanced dishes,

"Wow, you could be a professional chef making stuff like this." Pinkie Pie chirped,

"The stuff's hard to make, I'm still making mistakes when I make the food in those cookbooks." Winter Blues responded, Pinkie Pie looked for sweets in the cookbooks and made them easily while Winter Blues was speechless, he looked on with a more disappointed look watching her,

"Ta-da! A perfect and freshly made brownies baked to perfection!" Pinkie Pie announced, Winter Blues got out of bed and walked to her and tried a piece,

"What? This is... perfect, I could never get brownies right no matter how much I try." Winter Blues lamented,

"I can teach you." Pinkie Pie suggested, and he went to the oven. Pinkie Pie began instructing Winter Blues on how to make the brownies and it was ready to bake,

"I'm not having the energy to do this." Winter Blues stated,

"Come on now, let's keep going, you'll probably be happy when you finish." Pinkie Pie responded, and she helped him put the brownies in the oven. They waited and Pinkie Pie decided to start playing the piano, she played a fast tempo and lively song while Winter Blues watched with confusion, she continued playing the fast and lively tune and began dancing while playing, Winter Blues then heard drums and trumpets being played even though he did not have any, he did not feel better from the music and Pinkie Pie soon finished. Winter Blues did not smile and she took notice,

"You don't feel happy or like dancing?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Not really." Winter Blues replied,

"Huh, you really do have the blues." Pinkie Pie remarked, the oven dinged and she dashed to it. She took the brownies out and shared them with him,

"Mm-mm! Now that is what I call perfect brownie goodness!" Pinkie Pie hollered, Winter Blues tried a little and smiled,

"Look, Winter Blues, you're smiling! I think I may be able to make you happy again after all." Pinkie Pie boasted, Winter Blues smiled more and finished the brownie, he and Pinkie Pie bid one another farewell and she went back to her stand, she made sweets and desserts during the night and then went to sleep.

The next day came and it was getting colder, the foals and adult ponies ordered hot sweets and Pinkie Pie also put hot cocoa on sale and the ponies had to pay an extra bit for each marshmallow in their drinks, the ponies went home and drank them happily while Pinkie Pie closed her shop for the day and went to go see Winter Blues. She walked through the apartment and it was freezing cold,

"Brrr, somepony forgot to turn on the heater." Pinkie Pie commented, and she arrived at Winter Blues' apartment. She opened it and saw him sitting at a table and trying to continue writing one of his stories, he looked at her and smiled, she smiled back while he continued writing in cursive on an expensive high quality paper with a quill. She went over to see what he was writing, she read about a filly who was once nobility and was now a servant after losing her fortune due to her father's passing, she worked at a boarding school and is treated badly while the other ponies and talking animals tried to console and help her, her animal friends were a cat, a dog, a mouse, a goldfish, and a hummingbird,

"Ooh, I'm liking this." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Thanks." Winter Blues responded,

"Um... can we turn on the heater?" Pinkie Pie requested,

"Why? I'm comfortable in the cold." Winter Blues spoke,

"Seriously? How can you like this cloudy and gloomy weather and temperature?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"I don't find the cold and clouds to be gloomy, if anything, I find it relaxing." Winter Blues responded,

"But how?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Things are quiet, slow, and it makes me feel a lot at ease, same with the dark, I feel more at ease in a dark room, too." Winter Blues explained,

"Huh, that's pretty interesting, even though I prefer the summer and bright sun, so many vibrant and happy ponies in that weather." Pinkie Pie said while smiling,

"I don't like hot weather, drains my energy faster, same with a lively environment, wears me out." Winter Blues commented,

"So you're the kind of pony who likes to take things slow." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yes." Winter Blues replied,

"Nothing wrong with that, as long as it's fun." Pinkie Pie stated, Winter Blues chuckled and continued writing. She watched him write a story and the filly getting through hard times with the help of her friends and animal companions while being mistreated at the boarding school, she is provided food and comfort in secret while the headmistress is asleep at night, Winter Blues then suddenly stopped writing,

"Not interested anymore?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, writer's block." Winter Blues responded,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said, Winter Blues then got another one of his unfinished stories but could not write,

"On second thought, I'm not feeling motivated anymore." Winter Blues remarked, and he laid in his bed, the room got colder and Pinkie Pie shivered while Winter Blues put extra blankets on, he picked up a book and tried to read it, he put it down a minute later and then tried to sleep. Pinkie Pie trotted to the book and saw it was another fairy tale and it was written over a century ago,

"Ooh, is this a book from your childhood?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, I like these century old fantasy stories better than newer stuff, I find them more engaging and creative, they also serve as inspiration in making my own stuff." Winter Blues answered, Pinkie Pie decided to read it and saw the story was about a mare who lived in the woods and was asleep after eating a poisoned apple, she read it for hours and forgot about the cold room, she finished after a while and saw it was dark,

"Oh, shoot, I lost track of the time, I gotta prepare for tomorrow's stuff to sell." Pinkie Pie said, and she dashed out while Winter Blues chuckled, Pinkie Pie worked all night and baked confectioneries for tomorrow and slept.

The next day came and the foals and adult ponies bought confectioneries from Pinkie Pie and then went on with their days, everybody began decorating the homes and buildings, Pinkie Pie realized Hearth's Warming was around the corner and she decorated her wagon with Hearth's Warming decorations, she then made new confectioneries with Hearth's Warming decorations on them as icing, she finished after a while and decided to go check on Winter Blues. She went to his apartment and noticed there were no decorations up, she opened the door and noticed him baking cookies, she smiled and went over. She saw him baking chocolate and vanilla cookies with Hearth's Warming art on them,

"Come on, Winter Blues, everypony's decorating outside." Pinkie Pie remarked while jumping,

"I appreciate it, but I'm not in the mood for it." Winter Blues replied,

"Can I do it then?" Pinkie Pie requested,

"If you want to, then go ahead." Winter Blues answered, and she did. She dashed quickly and put up many colorful Hearth's Warming decorations inside and outside the apartment and then turned on the lights while putting the switch to turn them on or off by Winter Blues' bed. He looked at the decorations and had a blank expression,

"Don't you like them?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I apparently don't see beauty in bright colors anymore." Winter Blues remarked,

"Give it time, it'll probably come back." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"I hope so." Winter Blues responded,

"What do you feel like doing today?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Nothing, I feel worn out today." Winter Blues replied,

"Okay, I'll check on you later." Pinkie Pie spoke, Winter Blues smiled and laid in his bed while Pinkie Pie left. She began baking special Hearth's Warming confectioneries and desserts and worked all night, she finished late and then went to sleep.

The next day came and it was Hearth's Warming, everyone was in a celebratory mood and Pinkie Pie listened and danced to the carols the foals sang, she gave them chocolate when they finished, the foals sang to the other adult ponies and gave them candy when they finished. Night time came and all of the lights were brightly lit, everybody got in the center of the town around the biggest tree and were ready to sing,

"Wait a minute, somepony's missing." a unicorn mare stated, everybody saw Winter Blues was not present,

"I'll go get him." Pinkie Pie said, and she dashed to his apartment. Pinkie Pie arrived at the door and noticed the lights were off, she opened it and saw Winter Blues laying in his bed,

"Winter Blues, everypony's waiting for you outside." Pinkie Pie said,

"Go ahead and do Hearth's Warming without me." Winter Blues replied,

"It's not gonna continue unless you come." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"What are you doing now?" Winter Blues asked,

"We're around this big tree in the center of town and about to sing." Pinkie Pie answered while jumping around with Hearth's Warming light trails following her,

"Oh, the Hearth's Warming Welcoming Song, it's the same every year, I've grown bored of that years ago." Winter Blues spoke,

"You can at least show up to make the others happy, Winter Blues." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to participate a little." Winter Blues spoke, Pinkie Pie smiled while he stood up on his bed, knocking was heard at the door,

"Are you awake, Winter Blues?" a filly asked, he trotted over and opened the door. He saw everypony from the town has come to meet him,

"We're all waiting for you, Winter Blues?" an earth pony colt said,

"Yeah, we're about to sing and greet Hearth's Warming." a unicorn filly added,

"I heard, I initially didn't have the energy to attend until Pinkie Pie mentioned making you all happy by going." Winter Blues spoke,

"Please do, Winter Blues, it would be a much better experience for us all if everypony attended." an earth pony stallion stated,

"Well..." Winter Blues said,

"Pretty please, Winter Blues?" the foals begged,

"I'm coming, Pinkie Pie already convinced me earlier." Winter Blues spoke,

"Yay!" the foals hollered,

"Come on now, Winter Blues, let's get you groomed, you can't attend looking like that." a Pegasus mare spoke, and she took him inside. She cleaned the dirt, dust, and paint off of him, she then combed his mane and tail and cut off the split ends and then shaved his uneven facial hair off,

"There, you look much better and healthier, Winter Blues, if only we could do something about your belly, though." the mare spoke,

"I haven't been in the mood to exercise and eat recently." Winter Blues answered,

"It's fine, come on, let's go welcome Hearth's Warming." the mare said, and everybody went outside. Everybody gathered around the biggest tree in the center of town and held hoofs, they sang a tune about welcoming Hearth's Warming and Pinkie Pie watched Winter Blues, he frowned at first but began to smile while singing, Pinkie Pie smiled bigger and continued singing, everybody finished and went home, the foals opened their presents while Pinkie Pie baked confectioneries to sell tomorrow and slept.

The next day came and it was still snowing, the foals showed off their presents and played with them in the snow while Pinkie Pie gave a big discount on all of her baked goods and confectioneries, she played Hearth's Warming music at her cart while the foals ran to her and bought her items, she watched everybody having a good time but noticed Winter Blues was not present, the ponies finished buying things from her for the moment and she went to go check on him. She arrived at his apartment and entered and she got caught by surprise to see him exercising, he was doing lunges when she entered,

"Hey, Pinkie Pie." Winter Blues called out,

"I didn't think you would exercise." Pinkie Pie commented,

"The mare's comment yesterday made me realize I'm a lot more out of shape than I thought I was, so I decided let's get back in shape and healthy." Winter Blues explained,

"Oh, that's good, I'm here to help and support you all the way." Pinkie Pie said, Winter Blues chuckled and continued exercising, she watched him and he finished after doing ten lunges with each leg. Winter Blues then began doing push-ups and got tired after doing twenty of them, he then laid down in his bed and rested, he grabbed a glass of water beside his bed and drank it. Pinkie Pie looked and noticed Winter Blues has also worked more on his paintings and stories but has not done much, he rested while she smiled and decided to read what he wrote. She saw that he worked on the same story from before and written that the filly and her friends and animal companions helped her sneak out of the boarding school to get her new and clean work clothes and food while the headmistress and her bullies were asleep at night, they all had a secret party in the attic and used their imagination to imagine themselves as dancers in a grand hall full of royals, they all daydreamed and had fun all night and then slept. The filly woke up the next day and continued working as a maid by serving food to her bullies and cleaning their clothes, they gave her impossible demands and the filly got scolded by the headmistress and denied meals as punishment,

"Alright, so... oh, it stops here." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"I hit another writer's block." Winter Blues responded, she looked at his other stories and saw he has not worked on them, she then looked around more and saw Winter Blues did also try to cook and write new music,

"Are you finding your passion again, Winter Blues?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No." Winter Blues answered,

"Hmm, tell you what, the next time you're out of bed and I'm here, let's try socializing." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"S... Socializing?" Winter Blues quivered,

"Hmm-mm, I noticed you smiling during Hearth's Warming, maybe spending time with others will make you feel better and reignite your passions." Pinkie Pie explained,

"I don't feel like it." Winter Blues remarked,

"That's fine, Winter Blues, we'll start slow and build it up." Pinkie Pie responded,

"I'm not in the mood to see people at all." Winter Blues spoke,

"I get that, but at this rate, you're not making much progress in recovering, if you make friends and socialize, maybe you will feel better." Pinkie Pie stated,

"It doesn't feel like that's the case though." Winter Blues said,

"You never know until you try." Pinkie Pie reminded,

"True, I guess one time wouldn't hurt." Winter Blues replied,

"Great! We'll try tomorrow." Pinkie Pie said, and she trotted out. She went outside and called for everybody, she talked about her plans for tomorrow in helping Winter Blues get better and all of the foals agreed to help her, she smiled and thanked them while the ponies went home, she then baked confectioneries for tomorrow and slept.

The next day came and Pinkie Pie sold her desserts and baked goods in the morning and afternoon to the ponies, she and the foals then walked together to Winter Blues' apartment and knocked on the door, he opened it and saw everybody,

"Hello, Winter Blues, take a look, every foal in town wants to spend time with you." Pinkie Pie said,

"Uh... I'm feeling overwhelmed already." Winter Blues commented,

"Come on, Winter Blues, we'll cheer you up." an earth pony filly stated, the other foals agreed,

"Come on now, Winter Blues, playing with kids will probably cheer you up like how it does with me." Pinkie Pie suggested, and she grabbed his hoof and guided him outside while following the foals. Winter Blues tried to play games outside with the foals and was slow at first, but he began to smile after several minutes and engaged in more activities with them, the foals cheered while Pinkie Pie played in the snow with them and Winter Blues began helping the foals build snowmen and participated in snowball fights, everybody had fun and went home when it began to get dark, Pinkie Pie baked more confectioneries when everyone was asleep and slept much later.

Pinkie Pie got startled awake the next morning by foals calling out to her and she yawned, she moved slowly while giving the baked goods to the foals and they paid her, she counted while tired and managed to count every bit, she then stretched and yawned and felt better. She and the foals went to go see Winter Blues again and saw him doing sit-ups when they entered his apartment,

"In a minute." Winter Blues said, and he exercised a little more and then stood up,

"What are you all here for today?" Winter Blues asked,

"We wanted to hang out with you some more." an earth pony filly answered,

"Really? I really don't know what else you foals like to do for fun." Winter Blues said,

"Foals like artistic stuff, Winter Blues, maybe you can show them your stuff." Pinkie Pie advised,

"Well, okay, I guess that wouldn't hurt." Winter Blues spoke, and he walked around. The foals went to the piano first and tried to play it, they only played one or two notes at a time and Winter Blues sat and played a song, the foals cheered and one of them tried to play the violin but got it wrong, Winter Blues showed them how and played a tune, the foals clapped and then went to go look at his paintings. The foals looked on in bewilderment and murmured about them,

"They don't look happy." a unicorn filly commented,

"They're not, I've been trying to capture a nostalgic, melancholic feel with them." Winter Blues responded,

"No wonder why you use so much blue paint." a Pegasus colt spoke,

"Well, that, and it's my favorite color." Winter Blues replied,

"I'm finding the ravens and black dogs more scary than nostalgic." an earth pony filly stated,

"They're meant to symbolize sadness and depression, but I can see why they would scare somepony." Winter Blues responded,

"What's with all of the gray rain and fog?" a Pegasus filly questioned,

"More visuals, also meant to capture a melancholic feeling." Winter Blues answered,

"I think rain is more associated with depression than sadness." another unicorn filly commented,

"Everypony interprets art differently, that is my own interpretation." Winter Blues spoke, the foals continued admiring his art and Winter Blues began to smile, the foals began voicing their opinions on what they liked and laughed with one another,

"Anything else you all wanna see?" Winter Blues asked, the foals agreed and he showed them his cookbooks. The foals looked on in awe and Winter Blues tried to cook the recipes but messed up, Pinkie Pie trotted over and helped him make the sweets and desserts, the foals cheered while they handed them out to them. The foals then read Winter Blues' fairy tale books and they got very engaged while Pinkie Pie smiled,

"What are these over here?" another Pegasus colt asked,

"My own stories, I've been hitting writer's block on them a lot, so none of them are done yet." Winter Blues responded,

"Can we read what you wrote?" the first unicorn filly requested,

"Sure." Winter Blues replied, and they did. The foals really enjoyed his stories and noticed the one with the filly being a servant in the boarding school with the bullies and cruel headmistress was his longest and most developed story,

"Wow, these are good, Winter Blues." the second Pegasus colt reported,

"Really?" Winter Blues questioned, the foals nodded,

"See, they like your stuff, I think that's enough reason for you to try to finish them." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'll see what I can do." Winter Blues stated, the foals cheered,

"It's getting late, everypony, we should head on home." Pinkie Pie stated, the foals agreed and they left while Winter Blues smiled, Pinkie Pie baked tomorrow's confectioneries and desserts and slept.

Pinkie Pie sold her baked goods the next morning and afternoon and went to go check on Winter Blues, she saw him lifting weights and finished a few minutes after she arrived, he drank a cup of water and then began working on one of his stories. She watched him write and saw him working on the same story with the filly being a servant in the boarding school, he wrote about the filly beginning to perform worse at her duties due to lack of meals and sleep, she got sick and a doctor had to be called in, the doctor examined the filly and discovered the abuse she was suffering at the boarding school, he reported the boarding school to the authorities and the headmistress got investigated and arrested with her bullies getting punished, her friends then used their families' money to pay for the medical bills and give the filly a new home, they and the animal companions lived together happily ever after with new and loving guardians,

"There, I think that might be good for this story." Winter Blues commented,

"No climactic fight or showdown at the end?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"It's not that kind of story." Winter Blues answered,

"What about your other stories?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'll think about it." Winter Blues responded,

"Oh, well, I'll be leaving now so you can work in peace." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Alright, thanks." Winter Blues replied, and she left, she made baked goods and then slept.

Pinkie Pie sold her confectioneries the next morning and her eyes popped out of their sockets when she saw Winter Blues walking around outside, he sat at a chair and was holding several papers, the foals walked to him and he began reading the story he finished yesterday while foals paid him bits to listen to him, he finished after reading for about four hours,

"Not bad, but it's a bit slow paced." a Pegasus colt commented, the other foals agreed,

"Well, it's not an action filled story, maybe my other ones will be." Winter Blues said,

"That'd be great." a unicorn filly commented, the other foals agreed,

"Well, thanks for listening and paying, I'm beginning to feel more desire to finish my stuff because of you guys' feedback." Winter Blues commented,

"Yay!" the foals hollered while cheering, Winter Blues chuckled and went home, Pinkie Pie smiled and then baked more confectioneries and slept early.

Pinkie Pie did her usual morning routine and then went to go check on Winter Blues, she saw him working on another story, she looked and saw it was about a princess being captured by an evil dragon and a stallion had taken up her father's request to slay the dragon and rescue her,

"Oh, a bit different from a typical fairy tail where it's the mare who rescues the stallion and they try to talk things out and convince the monster to change their ways and let the captive go." Pinkie Pie commented,

"I just wanted to try to make something different." Winter Blues stated, and he continued writing. Pinkie Pie read what he wrote and he wrote about the stallion wearing magical armor and wielding a magical sword and shield, he traversed to the dragon's cave and fought and slain it, he rescued the princess and married her at the end,

"There, done, something different from most of Equestria's fairy tales." Winter Blues commented,

"I don't think the foals are going to like it, though." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"We'll see tomorrow." Winter Blues stated, and Pinkie Pie went back to her cart, baked, and slept.

Pinkie Pie sold little confectioneries the next morning and saw Winter Blues reading his newly finished story to the foals while letting them listen to him for free,

"Um, I'm not liking the violent parts." an earth pony filly reported, the others agreed,

"Figured, I just wanted to try something different." Winter Blues responded,

"Are you just going to do stories, Winter Blues?" a Pegasus colt asked,

"You want something else?" Winter Blues questioned,

"Well, if possible, I'd like for you to read your old Equestrian stories, too, and show off your paintings or play music." the Pegasus colt spoke, the other foals agreed excitedly,

"I'll see what I can make." Winter Blues said,

"Oh, if possible, can you be more emotive in telling your stories? Your monotone is kind of boring to listen to." a unicorn filly suggested,

"Sorry about that, my former passion still hasn't been reignited yet." Winter Blues stated,

"Oh, really?" the unicorn filly asked, Winter Blues shook his head,

"Well, back to work, I'll see if I can make something good." Winter Blues said, and he went back home while the foals said bye to him. Pinkie Pie decided to let Winter Blues focus and looked at his apartment's window while baking, she saw he was painting, she smiled and baked and then slept.

Pinkie Pie sold more sweets and saw Winter Blues outside again and showing off a newly finished painting, it was a blue painting with gray rain and fog, white snow, and ravens and black dogs in it,

"I don't get it." an earth pony colt stated,

"It's a symbolism painting, you need to know what the weather, animals, and color mean in order to understand it." Winter Blues explained,

"Say, um..., Winter Blues, do you always paint symbols into your paintings?" a unicorn filly asked,

"I've been doing it ever since I was a foal, when I was your age and in school, it was the only form of painting and art we were allowed to make." Winter Blues responded,

"Well, maybe if you make something you like visually instead of being symbolic, maybe you'll enjoy art more." the unicorn filly suggested,

"I'll think about it." Winter Blues said, the foals smiled,

"Well, that's all I have today, hope you all liked it." Winter Blues spoke, and he went home while the foals left. Pinkie Pie baked more and saw Winter Blues painting in his apartment, she smiled and then sold more baked goods and slept.

Pinkie Pie worked the next day and saw Winter Blues showing off another finished painting that had a blue sky, a light blue ocean, black mountains with white snow on it, black plants and trees in the background growing on the mountains, black birds flying in the sky in the background, and gray fog and clouds around the mountain,

"Here you all go, turns out these colors are still the ones I like the most." Winter Blues remarked,

"It's a nice mountain, Winter Blues." a Pegasus filly spoke, the others agreed,

"Thanks, that's not the only reason why I'm here, I've also finished writing a song, come to my apartment and I'll play it." Winter Blues said,

"Yay!" the foals hollered and they followed him, Pinkie Pie finished selling for now and went with them. Pinkie Pie entered and watched Winter Blues play somber tunes on his piano and violin, she smiled and listened while the foals saw her,

"Ooh, I know, Winter Blues, why don't you and Pinkie Pie play a tune together?" an earth pony filly suggested, the other foals agreed,

"Wait, about that, Pinkie Pie plays lively music, I don't think it would mix well with my slower and more somber tunes." Winter Blues spoke,

"Maybe things can balance out." an earth pony colt stated, the other foals agreed,

"Come on, Winter Blues, let's give it a try." Pinkie Pie said, and she dashed out and came back with her ten instruments while everybody looked on in surprise,

"Well, here goes." Winter Blues stated, and he played the piano while Pinkie Pie played her ten instruments, the tune ended up being a chaotic mess and they stopped while the foals laughed, Pinkie Pie also laughed while Winter Blues smiled,

"Well, that's all I have today, I'll see if I can make something new." Winter Blues spoke, the foals smiled and left while Pinkie Pie looked at him,

"You still need me?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I think I'm fine, I'm more driven to get stuff done now, but not like before." Winter Blues replied,

"That's good, I'll be at my cart if you need me." Pinkie Pie stated, Winter Blues smiled and she left, she baked and then slept.

Pinkie Pie sold more confectioneries the next morning and saw Winter Blues reading a fairy tale to the foals and they left when it was time for school, she walked over to him and he smiled,

"I'll be fine, Pinkie Pie, I can handle everything from here." Winter Blues spoke,

"Good, my work here is done then, I'll be taking my leave now." Pinkie Pie replied, the foals and adult ponies ran to her and begged her to stay,

"Sorry, everypony, but I got other places I have to sell at and throw parties, tell you what, I'll throw a party to celebrate Winter Blues' recovery and give you all recipes on my baked goods so you all can make them yourselves." Pinkie Pie suggested, everybody cheered and Pinkie Pie threw the party and gave the ponies recipes to her confectioneries, she left and everybody said bye to her.

Pinkie Pie was standing in Sugarcube Corner with Winter Blues across from her and helped her decorate the cake,

"I got back in shape after you left, I never recovered my original passion and drive, but I still have enough to finish stuff I create." Winter Blues spoke,

"That's good, if you made any new music or stories, I'd be happy to read and play them." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Sure, I'll try to mail them tomorrow." Winter Blues said,

"Thanks, looking forward to it." Pinkie Pie stated, and they finished decorating the cake and Winter Blues left and Pinkie Pie slept. The next day came and Derpy crashed into Sugarcube Corner with a lot of mail for Pinkie Pie, she saw it was new stories and music for the piano and violin written by Winter Blues, she read them in her free time and enjoyed them, she then read them to Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy and her pets and Rarity joined them when Pinkie Pie played music on the piano and violin, she smiled widely at what Winter Blues made and began to look forward to whatever he would send her next.

ADD/ADHD

Pinkie Pie was playing with the foals in Ponyville since their parents were struggling to get them to focus on their studies,

"Okay, kids, let's play!" Pinkie Pie announced, and she got soft rubber balls and the foals cheered, they played dodgeball and Pinkie Pie dashed around at blinding speeds and threw the balls and hit every foal, she also dodged every ball easily and took out every foal,

"Yay! I won!" Pinkie Pie boasted while she saw the foals laying on the ground,

"Oh, did I hurt you all?" Pinkie Pie asked worriedly, the foals nodded,

"I'm terribly sorry, everypony, I got caught up in the moment and forgot, it's a habit of mine." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"It's okay, Pinkie, we're all pretty rough when playing at school, too." a colt answered, the other foals nodded,

"Playing rough was common when I was your age, my family and I didn't attend school, but playing rough back at home really hurt, especially when Limestone played rough, she left us with scrapes and bruises sometimes." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Oh, wow." one filly replied,

"My parents said playing like that was common when they were kids, too." another filly remarked,

"Still a shame some schools in Equestria don't allow recess anymore, you kids are really missing out on a lot of fun." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"I agree, this beats sitting at a desk and working all day." another colt spoke, the adults then began calling for them,

"Go on, everypony, don't keep your parents and guardians waiting." Pinkie Pie said, and they went while Pinkie Pie went back to Sugarcube Corner. She arrived back and saw an earth pony stallion looking around while tapping his front hoof impatiently,

"Sugar Rush, is that you?" Pinkie Pie asked, he turned around and faced her, he had a white coat, long dark white mane and tail, dark brown eyes, and his cutie mark was a white sugar cube,

"There you are, Pinkie Pie, I just found the most interesting subject back at home shortly before I came here, it's about how to craft toys and playhouses out of wood from scratch, but it's so much info and steps to process that I can't focus, I developed a sudden craving for sugar too and I then remembered..." Sugar Rush stated,

"...that I run a shop selling sugary and yummy stuff and you couldn't resist coming here and wanted to have a little so you can focus on what interests you at the moment and hope you can learn something fun and interesting so that you can try again or teach others later so you yourself don't forget what you learned, either." Pinkie Pie said, Sugar Rush nodded while smiling,

"Great, now remember, Sugar Rush, I can't give you too much since you'll become too hyper and energetic and unable to focus." Pinkie Pie stated, and she recommended sweets to him while he looked around instead,

"Sugar Rush." Pinkie Pie called out, he looked at her and saw her offering him a few muffins with fruits in them,

"Sorry, got distracted like always, I couldn't help but notice all of these sweets, I'm impressed you made them all by yourself." Sugar Rush spoke,

"Thanks, and go ahead and pay now before you lose interest." Pinkie Pie responded, and he did and ate the muffins quickly, he had a sudden jolt of energy and sprinted home,

"Ah, Sugar Rush, you haven't changed." Pinkie Pie remarked, and she stood behind the counter while Sugar Rush came back a few minutes later with a book,

"Thought you'd like to learn, too." Sugar Rush said,

"Ooh, sure." Pinkie Pie stated, and they went to a table. They sat together and Sugar Rush showed her the pictures of the crafts in the books and her eyes popped out of her sockets and slid all over the pages, he turned the pages and Pinkie Pie continued looking at the crafts,

"Ooh, these look fun." Pinkie Pie commented,

"I know, I was hoping I could make some with you as well." Sugar Rush stated,

"Sure, I'll go ahead and start buying the crafts after I finish work here today." Pinkie Pie responded, and she went back while Sugar Rush stopped reading and began looking at the sweets in the store, the customers came in and asked about him while Pinkie Pie explained he was curious and looking at the products, he looked at everything for a few seconds and then explored outside and looked around Ponyville, Pinkie Pie finished working hours later and took a deep breath,

"Sugar Rush, I'm ready." Pinkie Pie called out with her voice going through all of Ponyville and sounding like she was speaking through a megaphone, she heard running and he came back. They sat and began trying to make the crafts together, they lost focus after a few minutes and tried a new craft, they lost interest again and tried another and laughed,

"This brings back old times a bit." Sugar Rush said,

"It does, I still remember when I first met you." Pinkie Pie responded, and they began talking about the past.

Pinkie Pie was hopping to a house in a rural area of Equestria with no neighbors around because a pony living there sent her a letter and requested that she come over, she saw lots of cows outside and standing around peacefully, an earth pony mare ran to her,

"Oh, Pinkie Pie, thank Celestia you arrived." the mare said, she had a white coat, long yellow mane and tail, yellow eyes, and her cutie mark was a milk carton,

"You the one who sent the letter?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Mm-hmm, I'm Dairy Farmer, I don't need help on producing milk, it's my little brother, he's super energetic and doesn't focus, I was hoping somepony similar to him could bond with him and help him find ways to focus and get stuff done." the mare explained,

"Sure, I'd love to make a new friend, just leave it to me." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Oh, I knew you'd accept, come on, I'll take you to him right away." Dairy Farmer stated, and they went into her home. They entered the home and Pinkie Pie saw lots of glass bottles filled with milk and several cheese wheels on the counter, they walked down a hallway and they heard running and various noises,

"Sugar Rush, you have a guest." Dairy Farmer called out, they heard running and he came into their views,

"Hi, my name is Pinkie Pie, nice to meet you." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Hello, my name's Sugar Rush, I'm a dairy farmer just like my sister even though I prefer sweets and love sugar, my sister and I inherited this farm from our parents after they passed and we milk cows and make cheese to sell for a living, we've been doing it for over fifteen years now and have been enjoying it ever since, our first milk and cheese are family recipes passed down through our family for generations that incorporate..." Sugar Rush spoke quickly,

"Whoa there, Sugar Rush, remember, that's a family secret, we can't share that." Dairy Farmer reminded,

"Sorry, I got carried away." Sugar Rush stated,

"See, this is just one problem I have with him, he talks too much, he doesn't focus on work, either." Dairy Farmer remarked,

"I'd like to see how he is during the rest of the day." Pinkie Pie said,

"No different from now." Dairy Farmer spoke,

"I'd like to see so I can have the full picture." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Alright, but don't be surprised over anything." Dairy Farmer responded, and she watched him. Pinkie Pie watched Sugar Rush write, draw, cook, read, paint, build crafts, carve wood, play instruments and sing, and try to act out a scene from a play, Pinkie Pie noticed he was changing his activities every few to several minutes,

"Sugar Rush, time to milk the cows." Dairy Farmer called out, and he reached for a pouch and began pouring sugar into his mouth while Pinkie Pie's eyes widened, he suddenly became energetic and ran outside, he began helping Dairy Farmer milk the cows and he ran off after milking his first cow for five minutes,

"No, Sugar Rush, the cow's not done yet." Dairy Farmer said, Pinkie Pie dashed to him and carried him back,

"Focus now, Sugar Rush, you can play again after work is done." Pinkie Pie stated,

"But this is so boring, I wanna do something fun, milking cows is not fun, I wanna do something more engaging and physically demanding, I got lots of energy to let out and this isn't working, I want to play and have fun so I can focus better on work and get things done while happy." Sugar Rush lamented while speaking quickly,

"I get it, I really do, I don't like boring work either, that's why I try to make things fun, it makes things more engaging and we'll be done in no time, I'll see if I can make this fun somehow." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Yes please, I'd appreciate that, I'll go ahead and wait while you think of stuff to make this more enjoyable." Sugar Rush stated, and Pinkie Pie dashed. She moved around and got pans in the shape of hearts, flowers, animals, and holiday images and had Sugar Rush milk the cows and the milk formed into the objects,

"Ooh, I'm making art, I'm creating, this is fun." Sugar Rush said,

"Come on, Sugar Rush, they're just pans, it's not that different from using a pail." Dairy Farmer remarked,

"Let him have fun, Dairy Farmer, it'll make him more motivated to work." Pinkie Pie spoke, Dairy Farmer sighed and continued milking the cows. Sugar Rush watched with interest while the cow milk made various shapes in the pans and smiled at seeing them form, Pinkie Pie milked the cows with them while watching Sugar Rush closely and noticed he was having fun, she smiled and milked the other cows quickly,

"Phew, milking cows by hoof is a lot of work." Pinkie Pie stated while rubbing her own front left leg, Dairy Farm chuckled, she noticed the pans Sugar Rush were using were not big and deep enough to hold all of the milk,

"Where do you store the milk, Dairy Farmer?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"This way." Dairy Farmer responded, and they went into the house. They entered the kitchen and Dairy Farmer got glass jars out of a cardboard box and she poured the milk into them and put them in the refrigerator, Pinkie Pie saw a lot of milk jars, cheeses, and cheesecake inside,

"Ooh, I love cheesecake." Pinkie Pie commented,

"I keep a little for Sugar Rush since sweet stuff keep him focused, the cheesecake and Sugar Rush's pouch of sugar are the only sweet things we have." Dairy Farmer explained,

"Do you make the cheesecake at home?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I buy it from a mare who makes them at home and sells them in a market square pretty close to here." Dairy Farmer responded,

"I can make it if you wish." Pinkie Pie stated,

"It's fine, Sugar Rush doesn't eat much, thankfully." Dairy Farmer spoke,

"Oh, well, I'll go ahead and go help your brother finish." Pinkie Pie stated,

"I'd appreciate that." Dairy Farmer replied, and Pinkie Pie dashed out with more buckets while Dairy Farmer smiled. She arrived outside and stopped when she saw Sugar Rush holding his pouch and eating more sugar, he then tried to ride one of the cows, she watched with surprise at seeing him stay on for a few seconds before the cow threw him off, he got back up and jumped onto another cow, it began running and jumping around while he rode them and stayed on as long as he could, he got thrown off after about seven seconds,

"Come on, Sugar Rush, let's finish milking the cows, you can ride them after we're done." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm taking a break, I'll get back to work when I feel recovered and ready." Sugar Rush replied,

"Breaks are fine every now and then, let's finish now, I'll help you and try to have fun." Pinkie Pie stated, Sugar Rush smiled widely and ran to get the pans. They took turns switching and had fun watching the milk take the shapes of forms of the buckets and pans while Sugar Rush consumed more sugar, they finished after a while and went into the kitchen,

"What took you two so long?" Dairy Farmer inquired,

"Um..." Pinkie Pie and Sugar Rush said,

"Don't tell me you were riding the cows again." Dairy Farmer said,

"It was only for a short time and for me to unwind and get back in working mood again." Sugar Rush replied,

"Sugar Rush, this isn't a rodeo, the cows are to be milked so we can have food and drink and sell them for a living, plus, you should know better that riding them like a bull is dangerous." Dairy Farmer reprimanded,

"Wait, Dairy Farmer, do you take breaks yourself?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Sometimes, but I don't do anything dangerous or try riding the cows." Dairy Farmer replied,

"Sis likes to sit and read, I tried it, got bored, can't get into drama or romance, I much prefer my books which are full of action and adventure." Sugar Rush added,

"I'll see what I can do." Pinkie Pie stated,

"You can now, I've got to make our next batch of cheese, Sugar Rush gets bored easily on it, so keep him occupied until I'm done." Dairy Farmer said,

"Let's go, Sugar Rush." Pinkie Pie remarked, and he led her to his room. They entered and Sugar Rush began trying to paint while Pinkie Pie looked, her eyes widened when she saw his painting was abstract and could not tell what the image was, he stopped painting after about eight minutes and then began trying crafts, he cut thin wood with a crafting knife and glued the pieces together, he made the body of a house and stopped after it was made and did not make the roof. Sugar Rush began looking around and ran around his room while finding nothing to do,

"I'm bored of everything now." Sugar Rush remarked,

"You don't feel like doing anything?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Not right now." Sugar Rush responded,

"Tell you what, take a short break, Sugar Rush, just close your eyes and take a deep breath." Pinkie Pie instructed, and he did, he smiled and then went to a stack of books, he picked out one from the middle of the stack while also knocking the books on top of it over, Pinkie Pie trotted to him and saw he was reading about a knight fighting and slaying a dragon,

"Hmm, not something a typical pony would read." Pinkie Pie commented,

"I find all of those stories about friendship, nonviolence, and forgiveness to be boring, it's action like this I enjoy reading, I like fight scenes, chase scenes, racing scenes, stunt scenes, acrobats, and whatever else is high energy and requires lots of energy." Sugar Rush replied,

"Is the author somepony famous?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, it's an obscure pony, he never achieved fame in his lifetime." Sugar Rush answered,

"Oh, I see what you mean, I don't recognize this pony's name." Pinkie Pie commented when she looked at the book's front cover, Sugar Rush kept reading and flipped through the pages quickly, he skipped the scenes he found boring and read the parts that interested him, he read and focused while Pinkie Pie noticed he was smiling, she smiled and decided to read with him, she saw he was reading about a sword duel between two characters at the edge of a cliff with strong water tides closing in on them, Sugar Rush adjusted the book so she could read with him. They read together and got engaged in reading the scene until it ended with one character winning the duel and escaping the tides, Sugar Rush then browsed and skimmed through the pages for any parts that interested him, he did not find any and closed the book, he then put it on the table and picked up the ones that fell,

"Sugar Rush, if you're not busy, can you go out and chop some firewood for the oncoming winter?" Dairy Farmer requested,

"Well?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Might as well, I'm getting bored with everything in here." Sugar Rush responded,

"Slow down now, Sugar Rush, you'll overload your brain eventually if you don't." Pinkie Pie advised, Sugar Rush nodded while smiling and took deep breaths, he then got ready to eat more sugar,

"No, Sugar Rush, put that down, I've noticed that's making your short attention span and hyperactivity worse, you'll get a bad headache eventually, too." Pinkie Pie warned,

"What am I supposed to have then?" Sugar Rush asked, Pinkie Pie reached into her mane and took out a non-sweet cake with fruits and nuts in it, he ate it and smiled,

"Okay, I'm ready." Sugar Rush spoke, and he walked outside,

"So Dairy Farmer wants me to get him to calm down and focus on getting work done? This is going to be easy." Pinkie Pie remarked, and she headed outside.

Sugar Rush walked to a wooden stump near the back of the house and away from the cows, she looked farther back and saw more wood with painted targets on them, the outermost circle was black, the next circle was blue, the innermost circle was white, and the center was red. Sugar Rush picked up a hatchet and a small log and chopped it into smaller pieces, he cut one log into about eight small pieces and stacked them in a big pile of small wood. He got the next log and chopped it into eight pieces, he sighed and began chopping the next log, he suddenly stopped when he cut it into four pieces and began throwing the hatchet at the targets, he smiled and ran to the target, he took the hatchet out and ran back, he threw it at a different target and hit the center,

"Yes! Bullseye!" Sugar Rush boasted, and he ran back to get his hatchet and threw it more. Pinkie Pie got an idea and dashed around, she picked up the remaining logs Sugar Rush had to chop and she spray painted the targets on them while he watched, she threw one into the air and Sugar Rush threw the hatchet at it and cut it, they smiled at one another Sugar Rush walked to get the hatchet, Pinkie Pie picked up one piece of the cut log and threw it, Sugar Rush threw the hatchet and cut it in midair, Pinkie Pie picked up the other piece and threw it and Sugar Rush threw the hatchet and cut it, they repeated it with a few more logs and they had fun,

"What are you two doing?" Dairy Farmer called out, they got startled and turned around and saw her,

"You're supposed to be chopping firewood, Sugar Rush." Dairy Farmer reminded,

"We are, we're just doing it in a more fun and interesting way." Sugar Rush replied, Pinkie Pie showed her the remaining logs and the target circles she drawn on them,

"Can't you focus on work for once, Sugar Rush?" Dairy Farmer inquired,

"Dairy Farmer, please, Sugar Rush is working, we just need to find a way to make it fun for him." Pinkie Pie responded,

"If fun involves throwing the hatchet around, then I won't allow it, plus, I already warned him about throwing it before, that's dangerous, he could hit me, one of our cows, or a visitor." Dairy Farmer stated,

"Come on, sis, I'm throwing it at a spot where there's nopony or cows around or come by." Sugar Rush stated,

"You'll still scare anypony who passes by, plus, if it's local law enforcement or a royal guard, we could get in serious trouble." Dairy Farmer reminded,

"Come on, Sugar Rush, let's try to find another way to make the task fun." Pinkie Pie stated,

"How you get it done is up to you, just finish before nightfall." Dairy Farmer said, and she went back into the house. Pinkie Pie instructed Sugar Rush and she held a log in place and he threw the hatchet at it and cut it, he did not smile and continued throwing the hatchet a few more times and quit, he looked down and stopped cutting the firewood while Pinkie Pie watched him, he put the hatchet down and sat and closed his eyes, she waited and Sugar Rush got back up about ten minutes later. He began chopping firewood and got bored after about fifteen minutes,

"Come on, Sugar Rush, let's try throwing the hatchet at the logs again." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"It's not as fun as throwing it at the logs while they're in midair." Sugar Rush replied,

"Come on, let's finish so you can do something more fun." Pinkie Pie spoke, Sugar Rush sighed and chopped logs normally while Pinkie Pie swung her front legs up and down very quickly and cut the logs while Sugar Rush watched with surprise,

"There, all done." Pinkie Pie boasted as she stacked them,

"How did you do that?" Sugar Rush inquired,

"It's something that runs in my family only, come on now, Sugar Rush, just one more log to chop." Pinkie Pie encouraged, and Sugar Rush cut the last log and put it in the stack,

"Good job, now we can have fun trying something new." Pinkie Pie chirped,

"I'd like to take a break first." Sugar Rush responded,

"Sure." Pinkie Pie spoke, and they walked back into the house.

They entered the kitchen and saw Dairy Farmer was still working, Sugar Rush opened the refrigerator and took out a slice of cheesecake and ate it, he then went to his room and laid down and closed his eyes, Pinkie Pie smiled and she sat and rested as well, Sugar Rush got back up after about thirty minutes and began doing a little bit of exercising, he did push ups, lunges, jumps, and crunches, he then stretched while smiling and was about to eat more sugar until Pinkie Pie offered him a banana muffin and he ate that instead, he then began reading another book, Pinkie Pie trotted to him and read with him. They read together and Pinkie Pie saw the scene was about a bank robbery and the thieves were tying up its employees, they blew up a vault with a bomb and then began putting the money in big bags,

"Wow, this isn't something a typical pony would read." Pinkie Pie remarked, Sugar Rush got startled and began reading again, they read about the thieves avoiding law enforcement and boarding a train to escape them, they were then attacked by other robbers from inside and outside the train that wanted the money for themselves, the thieves threw the ponies in the train out and one drove the train to its maximum speed, it flew off the rails and they got out. The thieves saw law enforcement waiting for him and they began fighting one another, the thieves from earlier arrived and joined in, reinforcements for the law enforcement eventually came and they arrested all of the thieves and compensated the money,

"Okay, I'll go ahead and skim through some parts since the next many pages are about them being conditioned for jail and it's lots of dialogue and drama." Sugar Rush stated, and he skipped many pages. He got to the part where the thieves were escaping the jail and they read about them climbing over a wall,

"Sugar Rush, I'm done, it's time to make dinner, you're in charge of picking out the fruits and vegetables like always, I'll do the cooking and cutting, make sure you give our guest what she wants, too." Dairy Farmer called out, Sugar Rush put the book down and he and Pinkie Pie trotted to the kitchen.

Pinkie Pie and Sugar Rush arrived while Dairy Farmer got the cutting boards and knives ready, Sugar Rush opened the refrigerator and looked at the fruits and vegetables, he got strawberries, celery, carrots, tomatoes, and beets, Dairy Farmer took them and put them on the cutting board and then put hay in the cast iron,

"Are these okay for you, Pinkie Pie?" Sugar Rush asked,

"Of course, I'll have what you guys are having." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Go ahead and leave now, I need to work on making our meals, so go on and put the plates and glass cups on the table, and no playing around." Dairy Farmer remarked, and they left. Sugar Rush got plates out of a cabinet and put them on the table and then put three glass cups on it, Pinkie Pie then put forks and napkins on the table,

"Alright, I'll go ahead and rest now." Sugar Rush stated, and he sat and closed his eyes while Pinkie Pie heard cooking in the kitchen, she decided to sit and watch him closely. Sugar Rush exhaled a little loudly and then groaned,

"You okay, Sugar Rush?" Pinkie Pie inquired, he began rubbing his own forehead,

"Dairy Farmer, Sugar Rush isn't looking good." Pinkie Pie stated, she came out of the kitchen and looked at him,

"He's just burnt out, let him rest, he'll be back to his normal self in a few hours." Dairy Farmer spoke,

"How often does this happen?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Every few days, he'll be fine, just let him recharge his batteries." Dairy Farmer stated, and Pinkie Pie looked on worriedly, Sugar Rush rested until Dairy Farmer came with dinner and he opened his eyes, Dairy Farmer and Pinkie Pie sat with him and they had dinner together. Sugar Rush ate very slowly and Pinkie Pie noticed a bored expression on his face, he picked up his knife and began cutting and carving his food into various shapes, he also cut and carved faces into his hay and he showed them, Pinkie Pie laughed while Dairy Farmer glared at him, he continued carving his food more and made funny shapes, Pinkie Pie laughed more while Dairy Farmer glared more,

"Come on, Sugar Rush, eat your food, we gotta get ready for tomorrow afterwards." Dairy Farmer stated,

"What's tomorrow?" Sugar Rush asked,

"We're going to be selling our new and fresh milk, maybe some of our cheese too if we're lucky, Pinkie Pie will be coming to help you focus on selling." Dairy Farmer explained,

"I... have to stand behind the stand again and wait for customers?" Sugar Rush questioned,

"Yes, you do, if I get injured or can't work for one reason or another, you'll have to do everything by yourself, including dealing with customers and waiting, consider this your training." Dairy Farmer responded,

"No worries, Sugar Rush, I deal with customers all the time, I can give you several pointers." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'd appreciate that." Sugar Rush replied,

"Let's finish, we got a lot of work to do to get ready for tomorrow." Dairy Farmer remarked, and they ate dinner and washed the dishes. They got ready for tomorrow by pouring the milk into smaller jars and making sure the cheeses looked appealing, Sugar Rush began pouring the milk in and out of two jugs and checking to make sure they were even, he did the same while smiling and then began poking holes in some of the cheeses,

"Sugar Rush." Dairy Farmer scolded, he worked while Pinkie Pie got everything arranged very quickly,

"Wow, you're fast." Dairy Farmer commented while smiling,

"What can I say, I like this kind of work." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Oh, well, that's convenient, let's get ready for bed now, we leave early tomorrow morning." Dairy Farmer stated, and they brushed their teeth with Sugar Rush trying to make shapes with the toothpaste onto his toothbrush, he brushed his teeth and he and Dairy Farmer laid in their beds while Pinkie Pie went into a sleeping bag and they slept.

The next day came and their alarm clocks went off, they pushed them and Dairy Farmer yawned while Sugar Rush jumped up awake and he began dancing while making his bed, he and Pinkie Pie threw the sheets and pillows to one another and made Sugar Rush's bed, Dairy Farmer took a shower while they played around and Sugar Rush ran to the kitchen and got fruits out of the refrigerator, he laid them on plates and he and Pinkie Pie ate strawberries, cherries, and orange slices for breakfast while Sugar Rush also ate a slice of cheesecake and was about to eat more sugar out of his pouch, he stopped for a second and put it down. He and Pinkie Pie carved the fruits together to make various face and objects, they had fun and ate breakfast together, Dairy Farmer came out of the shower and began to put her makeup on while Sugar Rush entered the shower. Sugar Rush took a shower and he began singing while Pinkie Pie recognized the song, she dashed away and came back with her ten instruments and began playing music, Sugar Rush stopped for a second but realized Pinkie Pie was playing the song, he began singing again and they had fun while Sugar Rush danced in the bathtub,

"Pinkie Pie! Sugar Rush! We don't have time to fool around! We're going to be late!" Dairy Farmer hollered, they got startled and Pinkie Pie sped up her music while Sugar Rush moved faster in the shower and finished, Sugar Rush combed his mane and tail and he headed out with Dairy Farmer and Pinkie Pie.

They walked on a dirt road and Pinkie Pie pointed out various leaves and rocks on the path,

"You really find those interesting, Pinkie Pie?" Dairy Farmer inquired,

"If it keeps Sugar Rush interested and he reaches his destination, then there's nothing wrong with pointing out and enjoying stuff in nature that stand out from the rest of the scenery." Pinkie Pie answered,

"I'm finding this to be interesting, like that oddly shaped rock there, and that different colored leaf there, and the water body there, and the tree with different leaves and colors there." Sugar Rush stated,

"Suit yourself, as long as we reach the marketplace in time, that's all that matters." Dairy Farmer remarked, and they walked while Pinkie Pie pointed out more leaves, trees, and rocks. They arrived at the marketplace and Sugar Rush began waiting for customers while bored, the ponies walked by and not a single customer came,

"Come on up, everypony, freshly made and refrigerated milk and cheese right now." Pinkie Pie spoke with her voice sounding like she was speaking through a megaphone,

"Pinkie Pie, is that necessary?" Sugar Rush inquired,

"Of course, it's how you get customers." Pinkie Pie replied, no customers came and Sugar Rush began playing with the milk and cheese,

"Sugar Rush." Dairy Farmer said, he stopped and stood still, he began playing again and Dairy Farmer had to restrain him, Pinkie Pie looked at the stand and saw it was made of dark brown wood and the phrase 'Milk and Cheese Farm Products' were written on the top in black marker,

"Hmm, the stand is pretty dull and boring looking, it could use some pizzazz." Pinkie Pie stated,

"What do you mean by that?" Dairy Farmer asked,

"Your market stand needs to be attention grabbing, some color and displays will draw in more customers." Pinkie Pie explained,

"I don't have the time or patience for such activities." Dairy Farmer spoke,

"I do, step aside, Sugar Rush, I'm going to make this the most eye catching thing in the market." Pinkie Pie stated, and he did. She dashed around quickly and began holding spray paint with her mane, she painted the stand white and replaced the words 'Milk' and 'Cheese' with pictures of a sealed glass jar full of milk and a yellow slice of cheese with holes in it, she then rearranged everything very neatly and began calling for customers, they came over and examined the products. Sugar Rush began conversing and selling the milk and cheese while Dairy Farmer's jaw dropped, he smiled and enjoyed talking with the customers and he managed to sell everything,

"Wow, I can't believe it actually worked." Dairy Farmer remarked,

"See, you need to make it attention grabbing, same with your brother, from what I'm seeing, he needs to be engaged and have fun, I know every individual with your brother's condition is different, but his doesn't seem to be too bad, just find ways to make things fun and interesting for him, and he should be fine. Oh, and alternative sweets to his sugar, he'll eventually crash and have a bad headache if he keeps eating that." Pinkie Pie explained,

"That's going to be difficult for me, what he likes are usually stuff I have no interest in, and he's already got cheesecake." Dairy Farmer responded,

"Let me handle it then, I'm a bit like him, so I understand quite a bit, and I'll make the cheesecake, no sugar." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Thanks, I knew you could be helpful." Dairy Farmer stated while smiling, and they stood at the market stand until evening came and they headed home.

Pinkie Pie pulled various art and crafting tools, story books, cookie cutters, a culinary arts book, a record player, several records, and a recipe for sugar free cheesecake out of her mane and placed them on the floor,

"Here you go, Dairy Farmer, things to keep Sugar Rush engaged, as long as you let him have fun and embrace his hyperactivity and short attention span, you should be fine." Pinkie Pie instructed,

"Alright, I'll see what I can do, I'll need your help setting up everything, though." Dairy Farmer replied,

"Sure, anything to make him get his chores done." Pinkie Pie spoke, Dairy Farmer smiled and they began making a routine for Sugar Rush. He tried them and rotated around the new activities while finding each one fascinating, he had more cheesecake than usual and Pinkie Pie taught Dairy Farmer how to make the sugar free cheesecake, Sugar Rush tried it and liked it. He then listened to the different genres of music Pinkie Pie brought and enjoyed every one of them, he had fun with the new things and Pinkie Pie had him read the book on wood carving and made art on the logs with the hatchet,

"Good job, Sugar Rush, you'll be done with your chores in no time if you keep at it like this." Pinkie Pie stated, he smiled and he began milking the cows into different shaped bottles and looked at the animal shapes, he smiled and Dairy Farmer then began storing them and making cheese in the kitchen. Sugar Rush looked at the book on culinary arts and began setting up the food and smiled at the displays he made, he exercised while he waited for Dairy Farmer to finish working and Pinkie Pie taught him new exercises. Five days passed and it was time for them to go back to the marketplace, Pinkie Pie put a record player in the bathroom for Sugar Rush to play while taking a shower and he sang with it, they went to the marketplace and Sugar Rush began talking about the milk and cheese and attracted customers while Dairy Farmer bought fruits, vegetables, hay, and cheesecake, every product was sold and Dairy Farmer smiled,

"Wow, good job, Sugar Rush, you did good today, let's go home." Dairy Farmer said, and they did,

"Thanks, Pinkie Pie, I think I can handle things on my own from here." Dairy Farmer spoke,

"You're welcome, you can write to me anytime, and remember, if Sugar Rush gets tired or has a burnout, let him rest." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Right, see ya, Pinkie Pie." Dairy Farmer said,

"Thanks for everything." Sugar Rush spoke,

"You're welcome, too, Sugar Rush, I'll be going now, I think I found a place in Equestria to settle down: Ponyville, I'll be setting up shop there." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Okay, here, take these before you go as a token of my gratitude." Dairy Farmer replied, and she gave her four glass jars of milk, two cheese wheels, and three slices of cheesecake,

"Oh, thank you, I'll enjoy them when I eat and drink these, well, off my go, good luck to you two." Pinkie Pie spoke, and she walked away while Dairy Farmer and Sugar Rush waved bye to her.

Pinkie Pie and Sugar Rush were sitting at a table and crafting items from the book while conversing,

"I never forgot those days with you, some of the most fun I've had in my life." Sugar Rush stated,

"I had a lot of fun, too." Pinkie Pie responded,

"My sister's still making milk and cheese for a living, she's a bit tired now, so I'm helping more often." Sugar Rush reported,

"I don't blame her, if I had her job, I'd be tired of it by now, too." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I better get home, Dairy Farmer will be worried if I don't come home by dark." Sugar Rush spoke,

"Yeah, you should, tell her I said hi." Pinkie Pie stated, and Sugar Rush trotted out. Pinkie Pie worked at Sugarcube Corner and closed at night, she looked by her bed at the letters Dairy Farmer and Sugar Rush had sent her asking how she has been and advice on getting Sugar Rush to focus, she smiled and then laid in her bed and slept.

PTSD

Pinkie Pie was throwing a festival in Ponyville about appreciating Equestria's law enforcement, doctors, lawyers, judges, firefighters, security guards, and royal guards in keeping Equestria safe from threats smaller than the ones she and her friends deal with, the ponies partied and celebrated while Pinkie Pie thought about an old friend and could not smile for the occasion, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack noticed and wondered what was wrong, she tried to play music and dance but had trouble focusing and performing, she stopped and sighed,

"Sorry, everypony, but I'm not feeling it right now, I need to rest." Pinkie Pie said, and she walked away while the others watched. She sat and sighed while thinking about an old friend and her other five friends came,

"What's wrong, Pinkie Pie?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"I can't focus because I think about the everyday problems they face and how some of them scar and bother them, it's making me remember an old friend from before I met you guys and came here to Ponyville." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Was this pony somepony who kept the country safe, too?" Fluttershy asked,

"No, he was a deeply troubled and traumatized pony, we still write letters to one another and he's doing better now, but he still sometimes gets haunted by his memories." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Okay, so, he's bothered by his past, right? Was he badly bullied by others or something?" Rainbow Dash questioned,

"More than just bullied." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Still, darling, you shouldn't shun your duties because of that, the others are waiting for your performance." Rarity reminded,

"Yeah, Ah get days like that too where Ah don't wanna work and have to force myself." Applejack added,

"Hold on, let me recover first." Pinkie Pie spoke, and they left. She rested for about ten minutes and then went back up, she tried to focus and still had trouble but managed to finish, the others clapped and cheered while she sighed and went back into Sugarcube Corner, she reached for a box under her bed and unlocked it, she took out letters written to her by a pony named Warm Heart, tears fell from her eyes and onto his letters while she remembered him.

Pinkie Pie hopped through Equestria and there was a blizzard going on, her teeth chattered and she could not find a building anywhere,

"Brrr, this super duper snowy rainy coldy windy stormy blizzard is freezing, I've never had a blizzard this cold in my life." Pinkie Pie remarked while wearing heavy duty winter clothes and kept walking, she did not see any buildings in the blizzard but soon saw a very dim light up ahead and dashed to it. She arrived at a small house and knocked on the door,

"Hello? Is anypony home?" Pinkie Pie asked, she heard walking inside and someone panting heavily and frantically, she saw a pony look through the front door's window and opened the door, she was a little surprised to see his appearance, he had a dark red coat with scars all over his body, a long disheveled and unkempt dark pink mane and tail with split ends, light pink eyes, and his cutie mark was a big red heart, he had braces on all four of his knees, back, and neck, holding a walker with his front legs that had no wheels on it, and some of his teeth were missing,

"You need a place to stay?" the stallion asked, Pinkie Pie noticed by the sound of his voice that he was young and heard some strain in it,

"Yes, please, I'm freezing." Pinkie Pie stated while she noticed the stallion was shaking and nervous,

"R... right this way then." the stallion said, Pinkie Pie dashed in while he closed the door.

Pinkie Pie noticed the house had a lot of pictures of various animals on the walls, she wondered about them since she did not see any animals nearby outside, she looked around for a room to sleep in and saw a royal guard uniform, papers on the stallion being released from juvenile detention center and prison, she also found progress reports and report cards of him failing in school, him being suspended and expelled from schools, papers on him not getting hired for any jobs he applied for, she saw one more buried under the rest and she looked at part of it, she made out the words 'Dishonorable Discharge' on it, she began sweat a bit while feeling uncomfortable,

"Excuse me." the stallion said, Pinkie Pie screamed while turning around,

"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to startle you." the stallion spoke,

"No, it's okay, you're fine." Pinkie Pie replied quickly, the stallion was silent for a few seconds,

"I got your sleeping room ready." the stallion spoke,

"Oh, um... thank you." Pinkie Pie said nervously and he led her to it and left the room. Pinkie Pie checked the empty room for anything hidden but did not find anything, there were no hidden holes or cameras watching her and she sighed, she got her sleeping bag out and laid in it but could not sleep and looked at the ceiling all night.

The next morning came and Pinkie Pie heard noises, she peeked out and saw the stallion tossing and turning on the floor, he sprung awake and panted heavily, she noticed sweat on his body and tears in his eyes,

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked, the stallion got defensive and looked at her with rage and snarled,

"Whoa, relax, I'm not here to hurt you." Pinkie Pie said, the stallion panted and snarled but calmed down,

"What did you dream of?" Pinkie Pie asked, the stallion began panting heavily and got riled up, he stopped for a second and sighed,

"Sorry, but I have a lot of bad memories of my past." the stallion explained,

"Oh, if you wanna talk, I'm here, I'll see if I can cheer you up and make you feel better." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"I'm not sure if that will make me feel any better." the stallion spoke,

"Let's try, we haven't introduced ourselves yet, I'm Pinkie Pie, nice to meet ya." Pinkie Pie said while holding her front right hoof out, the stallion looked at her nervously,

"I'm Brain Neuron, glad to make your acquaintance." the stallion stated and shook her hoof,

"There, so, what was on your mind?" Pinkie Pie asked, Brain Neuron froze while having a horrified expression on his face,

"Oh, I guess it was a bad memory." Pinkie Pie deduced,

"Very bad." Brain Neuron stated,

"Well, take your time, and I'll be here if you wanna talk, now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go to work." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"You have a job?" Brain Neuron questioned,

"Hmm-mm, I'm a party planner, party thrower, and merchant, sweets, snacks, and desserts are my specialty." Pinkie Pie responded,

"How far is your workplace?" Brain Neuron asked,

"I don't have a fixed place, I'm a traveler and sell wherever there's people." Pinkie Pie explained,

"You sound like you're famous." Brain Neuron deduced,

"I am, almost nopony has not heard of me." Pinkie Pie boasted,

"I don't pay attention to people or the news, so I'm in the dark with about everything." Brain Neuron said,

"I noticed your papers yesterday on you not getting hired, I can have you help me if you need a job." Pinkie Pie offered, Brain Neuron's eyes widened and he froze in place again,

"Oh, um, I'll leave you be for now and go ahead and work." Pinkie Pie commented, and she headed outside. She noticed the blizzard was still going and she dashed quickly while leaving a pink trail behind herself, she arrived at a town that was pretty close to Brain Neuron's house and the ponies recognized her instantly, they trotted to her and began buying her desserts, she sold her products very well and everybody was happy, she heard walking after a while and saw Brain Neuron coming,

"You wanna work?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Might as well." Brain Neuron replied,

"Come on over behind the counter then." Pinkie Pie stated, and he went. They worked together and the other ponies stopped buying for a minute and looked,

"Hey, everypony, look, it's that outsider pony who can't get or keep a job and been to juvenile hall and prison." a stallion called out,

"You now having random people hire you out of pity?" a mare taunted,

"No, she offered me the position without me saying anything." Brain Neuron stated,

"I bet it was because of your appearance and she took pity on you." another mare remarked,

"She hasn't said anything about my appearance." Brain Neuron remarked,

"What fake name are you using this time?" another stallion questioned,

"What?" Pinkie Pie exclaimed,

"In case you didn't know, he's always using a different name with whoever gives him work and when he tried applying for jobs in our town, even we don't know what his real name is, he only used one fake name here, but ever since he failed to qualify for jobs here, he's been using multiple." a third stallion explained,

"Is that true, Brain Neuron?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Uh..." Brain Neuron stated while sweating very heavily,

"I think you can tell by his body language that it's true." the first mare remarked, Brain Neuron sweated more,

"Come on, Brain Neuron, let's just work." Pinkie Pie said,

"Brain Neuron? That's the pseudonym you're using now?" a second mare inquired,

"Really. How many names are you going to use before you reveal your real name?" the third stallion asked,

"I... can't reveal it due to my past." Brain Neuron responded,

"Same answer as always." the first stallion remarked,

"Come on, guys, let's go ahead and buy stuff, him working or not doesn't make much of a difference in the products." the second stallion spoke, and they did, Pinkie Pie became sold out of everything and they went back to Brain Neuron's home.

They entered Brain Neuron's home and Pinkie Pie stood firmly and glared at him,

"You lied to me." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"I have my reasons." Brain Neuron replied,

"What is it?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"I have made many enemies throughout my life, and I don't know who is connected to them and who isn't, I have to keep my name a secret so I don't get found by them or their acquaintances." Brain Neuron explained,

"Hmm, judging by your scars, injuries, the documents I found on you, your body language, and the way you're speaking, you don't seem to be lying." Pinkie Pie deduced,

"I promise you I'm not." Brain Neuron replied,

"Well, what is your name then?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"...Warm Heart." the stallion responded,

"You better not be lying this time." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"I'm not." Warm Heart reassured,

"Well, if that's your real name, I've never heard of you." Pinkie Pie said,

"Oh, really? Thank Celestia, can you do me a favor and keep my real name a secret from the town ponies?" Warm Heart requested,

"It's because you don't trust them and they might be connected to one or more of your past enemies, isn't it?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes." Warm Heart replied, he began to have an uneasy expression,

"Well, I won't go into questioning you since you're bothered, but I can't trust you if you're going to lie to me." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay." Warm Heart responded timidly,

"I'll stay here for now, so let's try to get along and hope we can become friends." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Friends? I... never had a friend before." Warm Heart lamented while tears fell from his eyes uncontrollably,

"Now, now, sure you have, you just don't remember." Pinkie Pie stated,

"No, I really haven't." Warm Heart replied while barely not crying,

"Oh, well, I'll go ahead and take a break for now, I'll start making my next batch of products to sell later." Pinkie Pie said, and she walked away. She looked at the dishonorable discharge certificate and saw 'Warm Heart' was written as his name, she smiled at seeing he was honest this time and decided to look at his progress reports, report cards, and papers on him being suspended and expelled from schools, she saw the name 'Warm Heart' on all of them, she got curious and read that he was suspended for arguing with the teachers and expelled for fighting his classmates, she put them back but saw papers fall out from under his school expulsion papers, she looked and her eyes widened when she saw they were hospital bills. She looked at them and saw a lot of his injuries were from serious beatings and all of their dates were very close to the expulsion dates on his school records, she also saw a record on him being injured in the royal guard and the date being several months before his dishonorable discharge. She sweated and took a deep breath while wondering what kind of enemies he has made, she heard slow walking and his walker hitting the floor with each step and she quickly put everything back,

"Trying to dig up my past?" Warm Heart asked,

"I mean, it was just laying here when I came here." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Before you get any ideas, they're not what they seem, the circumstances that led to me getting those have haunted me ever since." Warm Heart spoke with his voice breaking,

"Are you willing to talk about them?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"A... a little." Warm Heart responded,

"Why don't start from the beginning then?" Pinkie Pie suggested,

"Okay then." Warm Heart responded, and he got the photos of the animals and put them with his school suspension and expulsion documents, some of his hospital bills, and his juvenile detention center document,

"I was born in a poor village on the westernmost border of Equestria that had dragons and griffons migrating and living with us, the village adapted the dragons' and griffons' beliefs on being tough and powerful warriors. The village was also very strict on its society being orderly and structured, us ponies were divided by what pony type we were and the colors of our coats, what we can and can't do was determined by our genders, too, males had to do physical work, train to be fighters one way or another, provide money for the family, and know how to build and fix everything, females had to do mental work, take care of the kids and house, cook, do laundry, and home school the kids." Warm Heart explained,

"So females can't get jobs?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, they can, but it's optional, getting a job is mandatory if you're male, and even that's divided, males can only do blue collar jobs, females can only do white collar jobs." Warm Heart answered,

"How do marriages work?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"You can only marry someone who is same as you, unicorn can only marry unicorn, Pegasus can only marry Pegasus, and earth pony can only marry earth pony, same with dragons and griffons." Warm Heart responded,

"You're making it sound like you can't choose who to marry." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"You can't, marriages are arranged by both parents and all uncles, aunts, and grandparents in both families." Warm Heart answered,

"Oh, that's a surprise, I thought you were going to say the bride's father arranges it." Pinkie Pie said,

"No, he's just one arranger, the bride's mother decides too, so do the groom's mother and father, the bride's and groom's parents' siblings and parents have a say, too." Warm Heart stated,

"Oh, what about you saying males have to train to be fighters one way or another, what do you mean by that?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Need to become trained and experienced in combat, doesn't matter how, every male in my home was either a member of law enforcement, security guard companies, Equestria's royal guard, or criminals, ponies like me had to fight bullies in school and other people in juvenile hall and prison, and I think you can see from my injuries that I didn't fare very well." Warm Heart explained while almost breaking down,

"Did you finish your education?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No." Warm Heart replied,

"How were you treated back at home?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Really badly, my home had rules on what color coats we're born with, my coat color is only allowed for fillies, my parents, older brother, older sister, classmates, teachers, dragons, and griffons all picked on me and bullied me." Warm Heart answered,

"You mean like picking on you and calling you names?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, beatings, stuff stolen, meals stolen, locked up in dark and tight spaces!" Warm Heart spoke while getting angry and rising his voice,

"Whoa, calm down, Warm Heart." Pinkie Pie said,

"Calm?! You expect me to calm down?! I was locked in the school at night all by myself several times! That stupid dragon and his friends were the guilty ones! I didn't hide in the school! That dragon and his friends get no punishment because they're dragons and it's unfair treatment of their kind?! They were beating up other students, destroying property, and smashing eggs! They should be expelled and in jail!" Warm Heart ranted while his voice strained,

"Whoa, Warm Heart, calm yourself, getting mad and acting on it usually makes things worse." Pinkie Pie warned,

"And they get to do whatever they want and never be punished for it?! Why do they not get punished for beating up and hospitalizing others while people like me who are victims and those who try to defend themselves get punished?!" Warm Heart inquired with his voice straining more and he began to clutch his heart a little,

"Warm Heart, if you let that anger consume you, you will make your own life even worse, it's no use getting mad over the past if it was many years ago." Pinkie Pie said,

"Not in my case, I have had people mad at me and wanting to attack me even over a decade later." Warm Heart replied while calming down,

"You ready to continue talking about your past?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Yeah, sorry I lost my temper there." Warm Heart responded,

"Good, but remember, don't force yourself." Pinkie Pie reminded, Warm Heart nodded,

"When I was expelled from my first school, I had to begin going out of the village and far to go to any school that accepted me, my parents and siblings thought it was funny that I was expelled for trying to fight back against my dragon bullies even though they attacked me first and sent me to the hospital, I had to walk alone and other ponies, dragons, and griffons would attack me on the streets, my brother and sister sometimes joined in and attacked me with them." Warm Heart explained while a tear rolled down his right cheek,

"Do you wanna stop here?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"No, I'll continue, the routine was the same until I left for the royal guard, bullied, don't get along with my family and village ponies, dragons, and griffons, end up in the hospital due to beatings, suspended and expelled for the one time I did fight back, and in my last year of high school, I was sent to court and juvenile hall for fighting back against a bully." Warm Heart responded in a sad tone,

"Wow, you had it rough." Pinkie Pie commented,

"If you don't believe me, I can tell you the directions to my home village." Warm Heart said,

"It's fine, now the last thing, the photos of the animals." Pinkie Pie stated,

"They were the wild animals I took care of as a colt and teenager, they provided me comfort, me liking animals is one reason why I was bullied and beaten, because it was seen as weakness and liking animals is a girl's hobby even though the girls in my village found them disgusting, the other village natives and my family slaughtered them whenever they discovered them." Warm Heart explained, Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped,

"Is that all to your past?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Aside from my experiences in juvenile hall, yes, I left the village to join the royal guard as soon as I got out." Warm Heart stated,

"Alright, let's stop here, you look tired, it's getting a bit late, too." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Agreed, I can use some rest after looking back." Warm Heart responded, and he laid on the floor without having a meal and slept, Pinkie Pie looked at him worriedly and had chocolate cake for dinner and then laid in her sleeping bag and slept.

The next morning came Pinkie Pie was woken up by Warm Heart yelling and crying in his sleep, she went to go check on him and saw him tossing and turning on the floor, she called out to him and shook him and he woke up, he panted and wiped his tears away, he then stood up and looked around as if he did not know where he was, he rubbed his eyes and saw he was back in his current home and he went to his bathroom, he took a shower and brushed his teeth, he then looked at the photos of animals and stood there silently, Pinkie Pie left and went to the town. She began selling her baked goods and the ponies bought them, Warm Heart arrived to help her about thirty minutes later and they worked together, the ponies bought the items Pinkie Pie handed out but not the ones Warm Heart handed out, he panted a little but managed to focus and get through the day,

"Nice job, War... I mean, Brain Neuron, you got through without losing control of yourself." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thanks." Warm Heart replied,

"Come on now, I'd like to see the place you grew up at." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Uh... um..." Warm Heart quivered,

"Brain Neuron, if you don't face your memories, you may never be able to move on from them, let's go." Pinkie Pie said,

"O... okay, I'll point out the directions since I can't walk properly." Warm Heart responded, and Pinkie Pie carried Warm Heart on her back and he told her where to go.

Pinkie Pie dashed to Warm Heart's home village as fast as she could and Warm Heart struggled to hold onto her, she was still able to know where to go without him saying anything and they arrived at his childhood village,

"We're here." Pinkie Pie spoke, Warm Heart looked slowly and his eyes widened while he froze in place,

"Warm Heart?" Pinkie Pie asked, he did not respond and continued looking on in horror, she walked forward and saw the ponies, dragons, and griffons staring at her, she noticed the stallions all had either blue or green coats, blue, green, or purple manes and tails that were short, and blue, green, or purple eyes', the mares all had either red or pink coats, red or pink manes and tails that were long, and orange or yellow eyes',

"Hey, is it that soft and sensitive crybaby Warm Heart?" one male dragon asked,

"It is, any new animals you have that lay eggs so we can smash them?" another male dragon asked, Pinkie Pie gasped, Warm Heart breathed heavily and his mouth was wide open in horror,

"Look, Warm Heart's reliving another traumatic memory, I bet it's when my sister and I shot his stray puppies into the air with a catapult." one male griffon spoke, the others laugh and Warm Heart began to cry,

"Come on, Warm Heart, why don't you and I fight for old time's sake?" a Pegasus stallion asked,

"I'm injured and can't move properly anymore." Warm Heart stated,

"Good, let's get him." the Pegasus stated, and several other ponies, dragons, and griffons ran to them while cheering. Pinkie Pie tried to hold them back but a dragon and a griffon flew over her and took Warm Heart off of her back, the other dragons, griffons, and Pegasi flew to him and began beating him up, he screamed when they hit the braces on his knees, back, and neck, Pinkie Pie suddenly disappeared from everybody's sights and Warm Heart was also gone,

"Hey, where did he go?" a second griffon asked,

"Find him." an earth pony stallion ordered, and they searched the village. Pinkie Pie examined Warm Heart and noticed his legs and back were slightly bent unnaturally, she noticed tears falling out of his eyes and he panted under his breath, she saw the ponies, dragons, and griffons running around and holding baseball bats, pitchforks, and knives, she watched with a shocked expression and Warm Heart held himself tightly and sweated profusely,

"Warm Heart, you with me?" Pinkie Pie whispered, Warm Heart nodded,

"Can you point me to where your old house is?" Pinkie Pie whispered, Warm Heart nodded quickly and frantically and did. They arrived at Warm Heart's childhood home and Warm Heart began shaking his head around and panted heavily, she entered and saw photos of his family and Warm Heart was not in any of them, she noticed several dry and old bloodstains on the wall as well, she continued looking around and saw two beds in the children's room, she became uncomfortable when she saw one room had axes, machetes, hammers, and kitchen knives hanging on the wall, they all had old and dried bloodstains on them, Warm Heart looked and he had a horrified expression,

"They weren't used on you, were they, Warm Heart?" Pinkie Pie asked, he shook his head,

"The animals I used to take care of as a kid." Warm Heart replied, Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped, she noticed Warm Heart was getting worse and quickly left the room. She walked through the house and found certificates on excellent academic achievements for two people named Forewoman and Blueprint,

"Who are Forewoman and Blueprint?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"My older siblings, Blueprint's my brother and Forewoman's my sister." Warm Heart responded,

"Are your family members construction ponies?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, my family has been construction ponies for generations, my dad did it for a living, my mom would help if she had free time and everything at the home was finished, my brother followed in my dad's hoofsteps, my sister is probably taking care of the house, but since she doesn't seem to be here, she might be helping my brother at work." Warm Heart replied,

"Where are your achievements?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"I didn't get any." Warm Heart answered sadly,

"You didn't do good in school?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"That wasn't the only reason, due to my coat's color, I wasn't treated worse by my teachers, too, if I did do good, I would get nothing, no rewards of any kind, and if it was a class or group achievement, I'm only one to get nothing, and if we failed or lost at anything, everypony blamed me, I got screamed at and beatings for that, too." Warm Heart explained with his voice breaking a little, Pinkie Pie stopped asking and continued looking around, she found photographs in a drawer and saw they were Warm Heart's siblings every year as they got older, there was not a single photo of Warm Heart, she then found two papers on the counter and read them, she noticed they were Warm Hearts' parents wills and they gave everything to Forewoman and Blueprint while specifically writing not to give Warm Heart anything, Pinkie Pie had a sad expression and continued exploring the house. She looked around and looked out a window and saw the village's natives were still looking for Warm Heart, she went out the house's back door when she did not find anything else and began sneaking away, she walked out of sight and stopped when she saw many unmarked graves up ahead and Warm Heart cried silently,

"What is this?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"It's... a graveyard... for the animals I took care of growing up before... my parents, siblings, and other village natives got them." Warm Heart explained, Pinkie Pie gasped a little,

"There were my only solstice from the people here, and they took them away, the animals gave me things I craved that others didn't give me, they gave me love, they gave me friendship, they gave me affection, they gave me kindness, they gave me joy, and my family and the villagers took it all away from me, they should've been tried in court and jailed but they weren't, even the other adults laughed and mocked me when my classmates and siblings took my pets out of my life." Warm Heart ranted while slightly raising his voice in rage, he rubbed his own heart while panting,

"Warm Heart, calm down, the others will find you." Pinkie Pie whispered, and he calmed down while panting, he glared at the unmarked graves with rage, Pinkie Pie noticed and quickly left the place. Pinkie Pie hid from the villagers while sweating and looked around for any places of interest, she heard loud noises around her and noticed the villagers were now kicking doors open and turning bookshelves and tables over, she quickly dashed away before they came to her location. She looked around and saw a big building up close, she went to it and Warm Heart held onto her tightly,

"Can we skip this place?" Warm Heart requested,

"What is it?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"My elementary school, I have a lot of bad memories of this place." Warm Heart stated,

"Sorry, Warm Heart, but if you don't confront your memories or come to terms with what happened, you will not recover, let's go now." Pinkie Pie spoke, and she entered while Warm Heart begged her not to. They entered and Warm Heart kept his face down, she looked at the class photos of each classroom from each school year, Warm Heart was not in them, she looked for anything on Warm Heart throughout the school but found nothing, she entered one hallway and Warm Heart held onto her tighter than usual,

"Can we leave this place? This is where I was bullied and beaten the most." Warm Heart commented, Pinkie Pie walked around the school while Warm Heart kept his head down, she then went out the back door,

"Can you point me to your other schools?" Pinkie Pie requested, and he did. Pinkie Pie found the next one and it was far away from the village, she entered and did not find much, he then gave her the directions to his other four elementary schools and found nothing while Warm Heart began shaking when she entered the last elementary school, he shook more when she entered one room and she noticed small bloodstains on the inside of one closet,

"Is that yours?" Pinkie Pie asked, Warm Heart nodded,

"One day when I was beaten by dragons and griffons, they locked me in that closet and I was stuck in this school all night by myself." Warm Heart explained,

"Wow, I'm surprised they didn't clean this, well, let's go, to your middle schools now." Pinkie Pie stated, and she left, Warm Heart pointed her to his four middle schools and she looked around, he then pointed her to his three high schools,

"This is my last high school before I got sent to juvenile hall and then left the village entirely to enter the royal guard." Warm Heart said,

"You went to the hospital, too, right?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes." Warm Heart answered,

"Let's go there first." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"O... okay." Warm Heart spoke, and he told her the directions. They arrived at the hospital and Warm Heart told her where his room was, she looked and saw it was a regular hospital, an earth pony mare came and Pinkie Pie noticed she was a nurse,

"Ma'am, outsiders are prohibited entrance or treatment in this hospital. Wait, is that Warm Heart, you weak and crybaby pony, you here to rest in bed again so me and the others can beat you up again?" the nurse asked, Pinkie Pie gasped,

"What?" the nurse asked,

"That is not what a nurse is supposed to do!" Pinkie Pie remarked,

"When a native of this village does not fit or meet our society's standards, then yes, I have every right to deny them treatment or give them the wrong medicine." the nurse retorted,

"WHAT?! You should be fired!" Pinkie Pie fumed,

"By this village's standards and rules, me denying him treatment and letting his bullies into his room to beat him up while he is bedridden is what I am supposed to do, so if you take me to court, it will rule in my favor because they consider me doing that to be the right thing." the nurse explained,

"This village is rotten to the core! No way would I sell my stuff here!" Pinkie Pie fumed,

"Everypony, Warm Heart's over here!" the nurse called out, Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped while the nurse smirked, they heard running and Pinkie Pie quickly dashed out before the others came. Pinkie Pie dashed away and went out of sight of the others,

"Okay, Warm Heart, how many more places from your past to see here?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"One more." Warm Heart responded frantically,

"The juvenile detention center, right?" Pinkie Pie asked, Warm Heart nodded while shaking,

"Can you point me there?" Pinkie Pie requested, Warm Heart shook his head quickly,

"I promise I'll protect you." Pinkie Pie declared,

"Girls are not allowed in the juvenile center I went to." Warm Heart replied,

"Don't worry, I'll get in, just watch me, point me to it." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, but try to keep me hidden, I have a bad reputation there, too." Warm Heart responded, and he pointed the directions out and she walked, she arrived at the juvenile detention center and saw a fence around, she squeezed through the spaces and then pulled Warm Heart under the ground and to herself, she put him on her back and entered the place.

Pinkie Pie walked through the place and kept her guard up while she heard ponies pulling on the bars up ahead, she entered the area and the teenage colts began whooping and whistling at her, Pinkie Pie became uncomfortable and walked around quickly,

"Hey, look, she's brought Warm Heart back here, looks like he wants another trip to the infirmary." one juvenile stated,

"Hey, guards, look who's back." another juvenile spoke, and they opened the cells, they ran to Pinkie Pie and Warm Heart and had many makeshift weapons, Pinkie Pie screamed when they surrounded her and began attacking them, she suddenly appeared outside with Warm Heart and the guards chased after them with spears and the unicorns shot zaps at them, she ran away and pony guards hiding around the corners came out and began beating Warm Heart's joints and bracers with their nightsticks, he screamed loudly and the others began running to their location, Pinkie Pie suddenly disappeared and the others looked for them. Pinkie Pie dashed back in and looked into the cells, she saw some of the juveniles had photographs of Warm Heart being on the floor heavily injured and other ponies, dragons, and griffons celebrating,

"Oh, Celestia, that's horrible." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Can we leave?" Warm Heart requested,

"Sure, let's go before you get angry." Pinkie Pie replied, and she left. Pinkie Pie began to run out of the town and headed back to Warm Heart's home but stopped when she saw a stallion and a mare up ahead, the stallion had a blue coat, short green mane and tail, purple eyes, and his cutie mark was a blueprint, the mare had a red coat, long pink mane and tail, orange eyes, and her cutie mark was a yellow construction hat,

"Wha? Blueprint? Forewoman?" Warm Heart asked,

"Well, well, well, look who it is, our idiot little brother." Forewoman said,

"You come back here crawling to us because you're homeless again?" Blueprint asked,

"No, this mare here just wanted to see my home." Warm Heart answered,

"What? You found a girlfriend? We and the villagers now have more reason to beat you to make sure you don't have any kids." Forewoman stated,

"What? No, I'm just a party thrower and party planner, I'm just here to observe the village." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Then why is that loser and good-for-nothing on your back?" Blueprint questioned,

"Truth be told, I was traveling through a blizzard and needed a place to stay and Warm Heart's place just happened to be the closest." Pinkie Pie responded,

"So he's found a place to stay, I bet it's somepony's trash bin." Forewoman snarked while Blueprint snickered,

"Come on, let's just go." Warm Heart stated,

"Oh, no, little brother, not until sis and I beat and hospitalize you again, and you know any animals you have or adapted have to be handed to us, too." Blueprint responded, and they ran to them and Pinkie Pie dashed away, she heard clamoring and saw all of the villagers coming with weapons and her eyes popped out of her sockets, she quickly ran away and the villagers lost track of her.

Pinkie Pie arrived back at Warm Heart's home and looked at his injuries, she rubbed rubbing alcohol on his injuries with her mane and began patting the back of his head,

"I can tell you had it hard, Warm Heart, I may have not learned everything, but I can tell by how the villagers talk and how they treat you, if they're like that with everypony that doesn't fit into their standards and rules, then there is no way I'm throwing a party there." Pinkie Pie stated,

"You probably wouldn't be allowed anyway due to you being an outsider." Warm Heart replied,

"So, um, are your broken knees and scars from juvenile hall?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, my time in the royal guard and prison." Warm Heart answered,

"Wait, your time in the royal guard?! Don't tell me..." Pinkie Pie exclaimed,

"Yes, I have seen and experienced combat and war." Warm Heart stated, Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped in horror,

"Those nightmares I have at night are me reliving my times in war and prison, I thought school and juvenile hall were going to be the end at that time, but things got worse when I entered the royal guard." Warm Heart explained with his voice breaking,

"Go ahead and rest, Warm Heart, I've got to sell my stuff for today now." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Thank you." Warm Heart replied, and Pinkie Pie headed outside. She headed to the village and began selling her baked goods, the ponies asked about Warm Heart and she said that he was not feeling well and resting for the day, she worked and sold her stuff until the sun set and it got much colder, she trotted back to Warm Heart's home and the door was locked, she slid inside through the keyhole and saw him sleeping on the floor, she picked him up and put him in her sleeping bag, she hugged him and fell asleep soon afterwards. The next morning came and Pinkie Pie woke up and noticed Warm Heart was panting in his sleep and sweating, he sprung awake and panted heavily, he reached to his right side and looked like he was trying to grab a weapon, he looked at his surroundings and sighed with relief, he went to go use the bathroom and then had breakfast which consisted of two orange slices and a cup of water, he moved slowly while using his walker he went to a window and watched the blizzard outside, Pinkie Pie noticed him not moving and then headed to the town. She began selling her baked goods and desserts and only a few customers came today, the sun began to set and she went back to Warm Heart's home, she saw him looking at photos of his former pets,

"Um, Warm Heart, don't you have any hobbies to make you feel better?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No." Warm Heart replied,

"It never hurts to pick up a new one." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"Look at my condition, Pinkie Pie, I can't draw, I can't paint, I can't cook, I can't read due to me being unable to flip the pages and open and close books, I can't write due to the teeth ponies use for writing being knocked out of my mouth, I can't take pictures anymore, I'm terrible at trying to create stories or poems, I can't play instruments, I can't sing due to damages to my vocal cords, I can't craft for obvious reasons, I can't dance, and I can't do gardening, all I can do now is watching nature and look at old photographs of my pets." Warm Heart explained,

"Wait, damages to your vocal cords?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, I can still talk, but it puts a bit of strain on my neck, raising my voice a little is the most I can do, yelling and singing will really hurt my throat." Warm Heart explained,

"What about reading books?" Pinkie Pie suggested,

"I just said opening a book is hard for me, so is flipping the pages, trying to hold the cover and pages down so they don't close themselves is hard for me, too." Warm Heart responded,

"What were your hobbies before you got injured?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Photography, I lost time to take pictures during my time in juvenile hall, the royal guard, and prison, I can't set up cameras properly anymore due to my front legs' injuries." Warm Heart replied,

"Oh, that's unfortunate, surely, you can still find something enjoyable." Pinkie Pie said,

"Only nature so far, nothing else is working." Warm Heart spoke,

"Oh, well, if you want, you can keep talking about your past if that makes you feel better." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"Maybe tomorrow, I'm still tired from yesterday." Warm Heart stated,

"Alright then, I'll go ahead and get ready for tomorrow then." Pinkie Pie replied, and she dashed to the kitchen and began baking desserts, she worked all day and night and packed them away, she saw Warm Heart was asleep and snoring, she laid in her sleeping bag and slept. The next morning came and Pinkie Pie heard Warm Heart talking in his sleep, she listened to him begging for mercy and he soon began screaming, Pinkie Pie sprinted to him and shook him, he woke up and panted heavily with tears in his eyes,

"It's okay, Warm Heart, you're safe, and I'm here." Pinkie Pie said, Warm Heart panted and sighed and then wiped his tears away,

"I think we should continue talking about your past." Pinkie Pie stated,

"My time in the royal guard and prison are not as long as my time in school and juvenile hall." Warm Heart replied,

"Let's get it done then." Pinkie Pie remarked, and Warm Heart got on her back and told her where to go.

Pinkie Pie and Warm Heart went a far distance away from his home while Pinkie Pie moved faster than the train, she arrived at the recruiting office and saw the place was closed,

"My recruiter's not here anymore either." Warm Heart remarked,

"Did you have any problems here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"At the time, no, it was after boot camp training that I realized my recruiter lied about some things." Warm Heart answered,

"Oh, that's unfortunate, well, looks like there's nothing here, point me to the next place." Pinkie Pie spoke, Warm Heart began shaking but composed himself and told her where to go. They arrived at a boot camp and saw ponies training to be royal guards,

"This is where I trained, my drill instructor doesn't seem to be stationed here anymore, either." Warm Heart observed, they looked and saw some of the ponies were forced to wear diapers and suck their hoofs while being behind their groups when marching,

"Oh, that's so mean." Pinkie Pie said,

"I had to do worse here." Warm Heart lamented,

"Like what?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Let's watch and see what happens, I'll point out what happened to me if they do happen." Warm Heart responded, and they did. They watched the recruits train and some did extra exercises as punishment while Warm Heart looked at the place a bit and began sweating, Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped when she saw one recruit getting beaten by other ponies in his unit with soap bars wrapped in towels,

"That happened to me, too." Warm Heart stated while his body locked up, she continued watching and saw some of the ponies were digging for arrows in the ground, pulling grass out by hoof, forced to polish their uniforms and their drill instructors were never satisfied and yelled at them, she looked inside and saw of the recruits making their beds and the drill instructors were not satisfied and ordered them to take all of the blankets, sheets, and pillows off and redo them,

"I had to do all of those, too." Warm Heart remarked,

"Those ponies look sad." Pinkie Pie lamented,

"They likely are, their superiors will never be satisfied, no matter how well they perform." Warm Heart stated,

"What? That's mean." Pinkie Pie said,

"It's all to toughen them up mentally." Warm Heart explained,

"But still." Pinkie Pie spoke, and she watched the ponies train, her eyes widened when she saw some of them cleaning the floor and bathrooms with toothbrushes, she also saw the recruits eating low quality food for meals that made her stomach churn, she then watched the recruits get on with their days,

"Well, that's pretty much all I did here, I hope we can go back now." Warm Heart said,

"Nope, I wanna see where you went afterwards." Pinkie Pie remarked, Warm Heart quivered a little and shook,

"Warm Heart, pull yourself together, the faster you do, the faster we can finish." Pinkie Pie spoke, he did and sighed and told her where to go.

They moved through Equestria quickly and arrived at a fort stationed close to the Dragon Lands, Warm Heart panted heavily while he looked around frantically, Pinkie Pie reached above herself and touched his shoulder, he got startled and jumped while trying to reach for his back and looked like he was trying to take a weapon out,

"Warm Heart, calm down." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Don't say my name around here, I've made a lot of enemies around here." Warm Heart whispered,

"Okay." Pinkie Pie whispered, and she trotted forward. Pinkie Pie saw the place was very dirty and had a lot of barbed wire and spikes on it, she saw various royal guards stationed there and one looked at them,

"Hey, look, is that Warm Heart there on that mare?" one royal guard stallion asked, another looked,

"Hey, it is, look at him now, looks better suited now than before on carrying all of our luggage on his back and forced to crawl like before." another royal guard stallion added, the other royal guards chuckled, Pinkie Pie suddenly felt someone grab and try to pull Warm Heart off of her,

"HEY!!" Pinkie Pie yelled while she turned around and saw a unicorn stallion wearing the royal guard uniform, she heard walking and saw a stallion in an officer's uniform appear,

"Well, well, you come back for more work, have you now, Slug?" the officer asked,

"Slug?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"My nickname among the other royal guards here." Warm Heart answered,

"It makes sense considering he was the slowest one out of all of us in everything." the unicorn remarked,

"Hey, Slug, did you enjoy your time in prison?" another royal guard asked, Warm Heart began to shake,

"Begone, Slug, you're already dishonorably discharged, unless you want us to hand you over to the dragons again and make you a prisoner again." the officer stated, Warm Heart's eyes widened and his memories flooded his mind, he began snarling and threw himself off of Pinkie Pie and tried to attack her and the unicorn, his front legs made a cracking noise and he screamed while falling over, the other royal guards went to him and he threw his legs around while snarling and tried punching anyone near him. The royal guards began stomping and kicking him while smiling and Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped,

"Take him to the dragons, I bet they're still waiting for him to return." the officer said, and the Pegasi carried him to the Dragon Lands, they passed over several gravestones and Warm Heart struggled to break free but could not, the dragons saw him and they got weapons out, the Pegasi dropped him and flew away. The Pegasi flew over a settlement and the dragons glared and scowled at Warm Heart while holding swords, the Pegasi dropped him and Warm Heart screamed when he hit the ground, the dragons ran to him and they tied him up against a wooden post with ropes, they began using their swords on Warm Heart and he screamed while having flashbacks and he roared and snarled with rage while trying to break free. Warm Heart screamed in pain and rage and managed to break free from his restraints, he struggled to stand but managed and began punching, kicking, and biting the dragons, they knocked him down and began beating him while Warm Heart let out angry grunts while punching them as hard as he could and cracking sounds were heard in his legs, he screamed in pain and kept going forward, the royal guards ran to restrain him but Warm Heart punched them away, he got overwhelmed and the ponies and dragons tried to attack him with their spears and swords, they noticed he was gone and everybody began looking for him. Pinkie Pie watched in horror while the ponies and dragons competed on who could find Warm Heart first, they argued and began fighting, she looked around the place and gasped when she saw pictures of Warm Heart being tied up to wooden posts and cut with swords by the dragons, her jaw dropped when she saw more pictures of the ponies and dragons fighting one another and noticed there were pictures of injured people and pony skulls hung on the walls,

"This is awful!" Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Please, get me out of here." Warm Heart begged while clutching his heart,

"Where next?" Pinkie Pie asked, and Warm Heart told her where to go. They arrived a nearby hospital and saw a Pegasus stallion doctor filling out paperwork,

"Hey, is that Slug, you get kidnapped and hurt again?" the doctor taunted, Warm Heart panted while his anger began rising,

"He's hurt." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Slug is always getting hurt, I bet he's come back to whine to me about his back hurting after forced to carry everypony's gear on his back and crawl through volcano rocks like how he did the first time." the doctor commented, Warm Heart became frozen with fear while remembering the memory and Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped,

"You're not getting treatment here, Slug, only time I made an exception is when you got court-martialed, and since you're dishonorably discharged, you have no business being here." the doctor remarked,

"I'm just showing this mare since she wants to learn about my past." Warm Heart replied,

"Well, you're not gonna learn much about Slug here, only things that happened here is him coming in here for treatment from his injuries in fighting the dragons, I had to send him away each time, only time I took him in was when his commander told me he was being court-martialed after escaping the dragons, guy just straight up began attacking a dragon settlement with non-combatants." the doctor explained,

"That wasn't me!" Warm Heart fumed with his voice and throat getting strained,

"Warm Heart, calm yourself." Pinkie Pie instructed, he panted heavily,

"Unless you want me to tell your former comrades you're here and have you restrained to a bed and beaten by them again, get out now." the doctor commanded, Pinkie Pie looked on in shock,

"You should be fired!" Pinkie Pie thundered,

"Complain all you want, the courts will take my side, leave now." the doctor said,

"Warm Heart, tell me where to go next." Pinkie Pie ordered, he did and she left. They arrived at a royal guard base in Canterlot,

"This is where I was court-martialed." Warm Heart revealed,

"Looks closed today." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"No, it's open, there's probably court cases going on inside right now." Warm Heart replied,

"Let's try to find records." Pinkie Pie stated, and she went in. She went into the records room and Warm Heart told her the date of his case, she looked and found it, she noticed he was on court for destroying a settlement of dragon civilians and taking no prisoners, all the royal guards present and the doctor testified against him despite Warm Heart constantly claiming innocence, she found pictures of the damages and saw craters on the ground,

"Hey, these look like unicorn blast impacts." Pinkie Pie observed,

"See? They said I did it." Warm Heart responded,

"What? You're an earth pony." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Exactly." Warm Heart stated, Pinkie Pie then read the end of the record and saw Warm Heart was dishonorably discharged and sentenced to five years in a royal guard prison, he was pulled out while yelling and screaming at the ponies,

"Wow, well, let's go to the prison." Pinkie Pie said, Warm Heart's body tightened up and he quivered a little,

"Warm Heart, let's try to get this done." Pinkie Pie stated,

"O... okay, it is the last area." Warm Heart replied, and he told her the directions. They arrived at the prison and it was a fortress with wooden barricades made of sharpened sticks, barbed wires, and spikes all around it, she also saw a lot of stallions patrolling the place and armed with weapons,

"Hey, look, there's a mare, I think she's got Slowpoke Slug on her back." one guard said,

"Hey, it is, Slowpoke Slug returned, let's bring them in." another guard replied, and the Pegasi grabbed them and brought them in while Pinkie Pie got startled. They were dropped in a prison block and the prisoners began pulling and banging on the bars while Warm Heart looked down,

"Welcome back, Slowpoke Slug, what crime did you commit this time?" one prisoner asked,

"Maybe his mental capacities have finally waned, we can call him Brain Dead Slug like how we originally planned." another prisoner added, the others laughed while Pinkie Pie looked on with shock, she quickly trotted out while the prisoners whooped and wolf whistled at her, she saw pictures in some of the cells of Warm Heart getting beatings and attacked with makeshift weapons in the shower room and prison yards by the guards and fellow prisoners, she got out quickly while feeling uncomfortable and stopped when she heard screaming. She trotted to where she heard it and saw guards watching recordings of the fights in the prisons and laughing, she saw Warm Heart in some of the videos of him getting beaten and attacked with makeshift blades, she heard him scream when one prisoner hit his knees with a makeshift sledgehammer and another video where another prisoner stomped down on the back of his neck in the prison yard and onto a concrete ground and damaged his throat and neck and some of his teeth fell out, a big and muscular earth pony stallion then jumped and landed on his back and he screamed when loud crunching sounds were heard, she noticed he was being attacked by at least eight ponies in each recording, Pinkie Pie looked away while covering her own face and Warm Heart panted heavily while his memories flooded his mind, she heard him and dashed out quickly before the guards noticed them.

Pinkie Pie and Warm Heart arrived back in Warm Heart's house and he continued panting heavily and sweated a lot, she felt his chest and abdomen moving quickly on her back and Warm Heart began hyperventilating, Pinkie Pie put him down and began going through her things with her mane, she pulled out a cloth and a sleeping chemical and rubbed it onto the cloth, she put it over Warm Heart's snout and he passed out, she then sold her baked goods at the town for the day and headed home and saw he was still asleep, she laid down in her sleeping bag and slept. The next morning came and she heard Warm Heart groaned, she looked at him and saw him rubbing his own forehead,

"How do you feel?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Burnt out and sick." Warm Heart answered,

"You fought ponies and dragons yesterday, looked like you were about to have a panic attack when I brought you back here yesterday, too." Pinkie Pie explained,

"I remember, after I got out of prison, I was homeless and nopony would give me shelter, so I drifted until I found this abandoned house, I then went to the nearest town to look for jobs, but condition and appearance has made nopony wanting to hire me due to me not meeting the physical requirements, and I've been living here quietly ever since and accepting any job my visitors offered me." Warm Heart stated,

"How do you get food and drinks to survive, let alone money?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Work from whatever my visitors offer me to do, I let them stay if they really don't have anywhere to stay, I use a fake name, say I'm looking for a job, and they hire me for a short time." Warm Heart explained,

"Wow, you've had it hard, Warm Heart, and the people in your life are so mean, tell you what, I'll stay here and try to help you get better, like Equestria says, everybody needs a friend." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Friend? What does a friend do?" Warm Heart asked,

"I'll show you, if you really haven't had any true friends in your life, then allow me to be your first." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Really?" Warm Heart questioned, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"I'll be somepony you can trust and be comfortable around, I'll show you that there is somepony out there who does care about you." Pinkie Pie declared,

"O... okay, I've already been betrayed once." Warm Heart spoke,

"I promise I won't do such a thing, I'll be here with you until you start recovering and can manage on your own." Pinkie Pie replied,

"You will?" Warm Heart questioned, Pinkie Pie nodded while smiling,

"Thank you." Warm Heart said, Pinkie Pie smiled and she began. Pinkie Pie began watching Warm Heart go through his day and held him up whenever he was about to fall over, he panicked and tried to fight her off,

"Calm down, Warm Heart, I'm trying to help." Pinkie Pie said,

"It's a reflex, almost every physical contact I've had in the past was to hurt me." Warm Heart replied,

"Well, try to relax, I won't hurt you, I promise." Pinkie Pie stated, and she guided him through his house and helped him do his laundry, cook meals, held books open so he could read them, hugged him, tried to calm him down whenever his memories began appearing suddenly, and helped him clean his home, they finished at the end of the day and Warm Heart slept, Pinkie Pie put a blanket on him and slept in her sleeping bag. Pinkie Pie woke up when she heard Warm Heart tossing and turning, she trotted to him and saw him wake up and he quickly stood up and reached to his right side as if he was trying to grab a weapon,

"Why do you reach to your right side like that for when you wake up?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Royal guard experiences, we always slept with our spears by our sides in case we were attacked, me trying to get my spear is a reflex and my first response whenever I feel like I'm in danger." Warm Heart explained,

"Oh, that's why." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"I'm ready to help you work today if you're going to town." Warm Heart remarked,

"Sure, let's go." Pinkie Pie replied, and they went into town. They sold baked goods but the ponies avoided buying things from Warm Heart, they all scowled and glared at him while Pinkie Pie assigned him to rearranging the baked goods and counting the money for her, he panted a little and Pinkie Pie touched his back,

"It's okay, Brain Neuron, you're safe here, nopony's going to hurt you." Pinkie Pie assured, he calmed down and managed to focus and Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Still using that fake name?" a mare asked,

"I don't mind, he's actually not a bad pony when you get to know him." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Then why is he using a fake name? Is he in some shady business or something?" a stallion inquired,

"Well, it's because he's made enemies in the royal guards and has to hide his identity so they don't come after him." Pinkie Pie explained,

"What? You disobey orders and give other ponies a hard time?" a second mare asked,

"No, I was stationed near the Dragon Lands and had to fight them." Warm Heart answered while sweating and panting a little heavily,

"You had to fight in war?" a filly questioned,

"Not war, small battles, but they were still bad." Warm Heart responded,

"Well, if you're ex-royal guard, some of your injuries do make sense, doesn't mean you should lie about your name and ask your visitors for temporary jobs though." a second stallion commented,

"I need some way to make a living since I've been unable to gain employment." Warm Heart responded,

"You would probably have a better chance of getting a job if you used your real name if you ever seek employment outside of our town." a colt stated,

"Come on, Brain Neuron, let's work, we're not making any money like this." Pinkie Pie said, and they did, a few ponies bought from Warm Heart and he and Pinkie Pie finished and went to his home. Warm Heart helped Pinkie Pie make tomorrow's sweets and she helped him move around, they got ready for tomorrow and Pinkie Pie then made dinner for Warm Heart and he ate, he then looked at the pictures of his past pets and tears fell from his eyes,

"Warm Heart, what did you want to do when you grew up when you were a colt?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I wanted to make other ponies happy and take care of animals, I liked helping and healing others, everybody in my home village hated me for that because those are jobs for girls only there, it's one reason why everyone bullied me and went after my pets." Warm Heart answered in a sorrowful tone,

"What do you do here when you don't have visitors or a job?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I sit, lay down, have my meals, use the bathroom, and look at pictures of my pets, I don't really do anything else, my memories plague me and distract me, they mess with my emotions, too." Warm Heart explained,

"What are you like when alone?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"My emotions are more intense, especially my negative ones, my rage is greater, I cry more, I feel shame and regret too over me fighting back, I know it was in self-defense, but I don't like hurting others." Warm Heart answered,

"I'm sorry, I'm tired, Warm Heart, I'll be going to bed." Pinkie Pie responded,

"I'm tired, too, see you tomorrow." Warm Heart spoke, and he laid on the floor, Pinkie Pie put a blanket on him and then went in her sleeping bag and slept. Warm Heart talked in his sleep and begged for mercy, Pinkie Pie woke up the next morning and checked on him, he breathed heavily and panicked while sweating profusely and he soon began screaming, Pinkie Pie ran to him and shook him awake and he looked at his surroundings while he woke up, he panted slower and calmed down, he sighed and tried to stand up but could not, Pinkie Pie helped him up and got his walker for him, he went to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror, he then went to go get food out of his miniature fridge and had very little food in it and no drinks, he had one apple and a banana and sighed, Pinkie Pie looked at him and noticed he was lost in thought and decided to look around his house. She looked at his small portable refrigerator and freezer and saw no pictures or drawings on it, she then looked at his oven and stove and saw nothing, she opened the cabinets and drawers and they were all empty, she walked through the house's rooms and she noticed there were no furniture, no house decorations, no books, no board games, no toys, no treats, no pictures of family or friends, no letters, no birthday or Hearth's Warming cards, and no personal grooming items, she felt down over how little there was in the house and every floor, wall, and ceiling were a dull white color, she saw Warm Heart was still lost in thought and she went into town.

She began selling her baked goods while the ponies noticed Warm Heart was not present,

"Did he quit?" a colt asked,

"No, he's been lost in thought and unresponsive to everything." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Lazy as always." a mare remarked,

"Well, let's wait, maybe he'll be fired." a stallion added, and they bought Pinkie Pie's baked goods and she left, she arrived at Warm Heart's home and saw he was sleeping, she put a blanket on him and then slept in her sleeping bag. A week passed and Warm Heart was still having nightmares and Pinkie Pie tried her best to comfort him, the days went on quietly and Warm Heart helped her sell baked goods and desserts whenever he could focus, she helped him come back to reality whenever his memories flooded his mind and distracted him, she helped him through his day and everything went on like normal. About two weeks passed and Warm Heart showed no sign of recovery, she helped him exercise a little and conversed with him, he continued to get distracted and have nightmares, he helped her work and the ponies still did not buy anything from him,

"I think you could reveal your name now." Pinkie Pie said,

"Um... I don't think it's a good idea." Warm Heart replied,

"Come on, what's the worst that could happen?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We never did learn what his real name is now that we think about it." a filly remarked,

"Come on, Brain Neuron, go ahead and tell them, I'm sure nothing bad will happen." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"I... It's Warm Heart." Warm Heart stated, the ponies stopped everything they were doing and looked at him,

"Wait, did you say your name's Warm Heart? I had relatives in juvenile hall years ago say they beat up a pony with that name." a stallion said,

"I had a cousin in the royal guard say they called him Slug due to how slow he was." a mare added,

"Weren't you in a prison, too? My brother said he used to beat up a soft and weak pony." another stallion remarked,

"I heard about you as well, there was something about you destroying a dragon settlement and taking no prisoners." a third stallion said,

"That wasn't me!" Warm Heart responded firmly,

"So you admit you were there, I've heard about you from my cousin there, he said you were dishonorably discharged for that." the third stallion remarked,

"I was framed!" Warm Heart rebuked,

"Excuses again?" the mare asked,

"Everypony, he showed me where he went and he's telling the truth, the ponies, dragons, and griffons he met were very, very mean." Pinkie Pie explained,

"You sure it wasn't because he made them mad?" a second mare questioned,

"Yes, I'm sure, I met them in person, they were mean to me for being an outsider in his home village." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Guys, he's acting weird." a filly observed, they saw Warm Heart stood in place with his eyes and mouth wide open, Pinkie Pie shook him and he did not respond, she waved her front left hoof in front of him and he did not respond,

"Warm Heart? You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked, he did not respond,

"Did we fry his brain?" another filly asked,

"No, usually when this happens, memories of his past are flooding his mind." Pinkie Pie explained,

"He never got therapy or made friends to help him get through them?" the second mare asked,

"Nope, everypony before he came here bullied and beat him." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Wow, he must be scarred for life if he's not responding to any of us." the colt remarked,

"Well, I'll go ahead and do my job, I just have to take him home and let him rest for him to recover." Pinkie Pie stated, and they bought baked goods from her and she carried Warm Heart to his home with him being unresponsive, he stood still for a while and soon came back to reality and panted heavily, he cried a little and saw he was home, he took a deep breath and laid on the floor and slept, Pinkie Pie put the blanket over him and then slept in her sleeping bag. About two weeks passed and the days were the same with nothing out of the ordinary happening, Warm Heart began to open up to Pinkie Pie and walking closer to her, they arrived at the town and began selling baked goods, Warm Heart and Pinkie Pie got defensive when they saw Forewoman and Blue Print standing in front of them,

"Well, well, well, so this is where our idiot little brother's been living." Forewoman said,

"To think this outsider from our village would give you a job, I bet she's a weak and soft bleeding heart like you, too." Blueprint remarked,

"What are you two doing here?" Warm Heart asked,

"Traveling to our next destination for constructing a building, we're already tired enough seeing idiots and losers wherever we go, having to see you again just made our trip a thousand times worse." Forewoman answered,

"If you two are not here to buy anything, then leave." Pinkie Pie ordered,

"You dare tell us where we are and aren't welcome?!" Forewoman inquired,

"No outsider of our village tells us what to do!" Blueprint fumed,

"This is my stand and where I work, and you two are holding up my other customers and halting my business!" Pinkie Pie explained,

"Normally, I would just beat you, but since you gave our loser brother a job and he's selling stuff to the natives here..." Forewoman remarked, she and Blueprint began punching, kicking, and bucking Pinkie Pie's stand and smashing all of her baked goods and snacks, Pinkie Pie screamed while they took pieces and threw into the town ponies' windows and at the desserts they bought from her and they splattered everywhere. The towns ponies ran to them and restrained them, Warm Heart tried to restrain them and Forewoman and Blueprint broke free and began beating him up, they hit his broken knees and he screamed in agony, Pinkie Pie dashed and carried him away in a flash and Forewoman and Blueprint looked for him but quickly stopped when the town ponies chased them out of town. Pinkie Pie tended to Warm Heart's wounds knees while tears fell from his eyes,

"Why did they have to come back now?" Warm Heart asked,

"I'll protect you from them as long as I'm here, Warm Heart, I'm blacklisting them from my shop, I don't think the town ponies are gonna welcome them after that either." Pinkie Pie responded, the town ponies came and checked on Pinkie Pie, the foals looked at Warm Heart and saw him laying on the floor,

"Are those your pets in those photos there, Warm Heart?" a filly asked, he nodded,

"Did your siblings... kill them?" a colt asked,

"Some of them, the other ponies, dragons, and griffons from my home village got the rest." Warm Heart answered, the town ponies' jaws' dropped,

"My, that's awful, growing up surrounded by such people." a mare remarked,

"Indeed, perhaps we were wrong about him on some parts, let's head home, everypony, sun's about to set." a stallion added, and they went home, Pinkie Pie put a blanket on Warm Heart and she laid in her sleeping bag, she was kept up for a while by Warm Heart until he cried himself to sleep, Pinkie Pie looked down and closed her eyes and slept. The next day came and Pinkie Pie checked on Warm Heart, he was quiet but tears were falling out of his eyes, she woke him up and he wiped his tears away, they rebuilt her stand in the town and the others helped them, Warm Heart moved slowly and Pinkie Pie helped him get around, he placed the pieces where they were needed and the others put them together, everybody painted while Warm Heart tried but could not, Pinkie Pie moved his legs around slowly and had him paint a few parts, they sold Pinkie Pie's baked goods to the others and then went home, they laid down and slept. The next day came and Pinkie Pie woke up when she heard Warm Heart growling and screaming, she ran to him and saw him tossing and turning, she shook him awake and he almost panicked but remained in control of himself when he stood up and saw her,

"It's alright, Warm Heart, I'm here and you're home and safe." Pinkie Pie said,

"Alright?! Home?! Safe?! There isn't anywhere safe for me! Relatives and friends of people who harassed and beat me in the past are in that town! And now my siblings found me there, there isn't a single place I have been able to live without a problem like this happening!" Warm Heart fumed,

"Warm Heart, those ponies have not contacted them to come after you here." Pinkie Pie stated,

"How do you know that?! It'll probably be a matter of time before they come here after me! The people from my past are not the types to forgive and forget, they're going to want to kill me if they learn I'm still alive, they will hunt me down to the ends of the world if they must!" Warm Heart thundered,

"Warm Heart, you have to calm down and relax." Pinkie Pie reminded,

"How am I supposed to be calm and relax?! I now got people from my past and those connected to them here in this area! I can't get a job either! There's also me having my memories! How do you think I feel about that?! Having to remember and relive every bad thing in my life, every day, every night, and no one to help me or feel bad for me until you came into my life! It's been one bad thing after another for me with no one to help me, all I wanted to do was make other people happy and take care of animals and I was beaten, bullied, scapegoated, denied help, denied friends, denied medical treatment and punished for talking and fighting back a few times for being like that because I did not meet my home village's society's expectations while those who killed my pets, beat me up, sent me to the hospital, stole my food and school supplies, framed me for their bad behavior and crimes, and locking me in the school all by myself at night in the dark are praised and rewarded! Even my own parents and siblings sided with them, they are proud of what they did and have no regrets! It is them who should be jailed and beaten, not me!" Warm Heart ranted while raising his voice,

"Warm Heart, please, you're going to hurt yourself at this rate." Pinkie Pie warned,

"I'M ALREADY PERMANENTLY INJURED, AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THEM!! I CAN'T PURSUE MY HOBBIES OR DO MANUAL LABOR ANYMORE BECAUSE OF THEM!! I CAN'T SEEK REVENGE EITHER!! THAT'S WHAT I NEED TO RECOVER FROM MY MEMORIES, NOT COUNSELING OR THERAPY, I NEED RETRIBUTION AGAINST THEM, NOT FORGIVENESS, IT SHOULD BE THEM BURIED UNDER THE GROUND FOR WHAT THEY DID TO ME AND MY PETS, THE FACT THEY ARE PROUD AND REMORSELESS IS MORE REASON, I'LL NEVER HAVE PEACE OF MIND AS LONG AS..." Warm Heart screamed and he grasped his heart and fell onto the floor,

"Warm Heart! WARM HEART!!" Pinkie Pie called out as she checked him and saw him having a seizure and struggling to breathe, she sprinted to the town while carrying him and the doctor took Warm Heart and began treating him, he slept and Pinkie Pie stood by his side, he woke up many hours later and looked forward,

"Pinkie Pie?" Warm Heart called out,

"I'm here." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I now have more reason to be mad and desire revenge." Warm Heart remarked,

"Let's try something else, why don't you just try to live in the moment and bond with me?" Pinkie Pie suggested,

"I still have lots of rage over what happened." Warm Heart stated,

"Look at where it brought you, your head, heart, and body got into lots of pain and you're in the hospital, you being mad and wanting revenge is probably what they would want you to feel so you end up in jail again if you act upon it." Pinkie Pie responded,

"I don't care what my fate in getting revenge is as long as those people from my past die before I do." Warm Heart remarked,

"Warm Heart, you will only spread more hate if you think that way." Pinkie Pie reminded,

"The people from my past are already spreading violence and pain for no reason, and I just wanna go after them and them alone." Warm Heart remarked,

"And that makes you different, how?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"You've seen how my brother and sister acted when they were here, they targeted the town's ponies, too, the people from my home village don't care who their targets are, they will hurt anyone whenever they feel like it." Warm Heart stated,

"Give it time, Warm Heart, karma and punishment will catch up to them eventually if they don't change their ways." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Well, it's taking too long, and I'd be the one to give out the punishment if I could, and they shouldn't be jailed or fired for their actions, has to be death." Warm Heart stated,

"Well, it seems I can't change your way of thinking, all I can say is watch from afar so you don't end up in jail again." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Fair enough." Warm Heart remarked, and he laid down while Pinkie Pie stood by him. Warm Heart was discharged from the hospital three weeks later and Pinkie Pie helped him with his life, nothing bad happened and he continued helping her and she gave him all of the bits she made from selling baked goods,

"You're the longest visitor I've ever had here, the friendliest, too." Warm Heart remarked,

"I'm glad to hear that, come on, let's get you through the day." Pinkie Pie replied, and she helped him and calmed him down whenever his memories came back. A week passed and Warm Heart was crying in his sleep and Pinkie Pie woke him up,

"I'm... still here." Warm Heart stated,

"What were you crying about?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Everything that's happened in my life, how people treated me, my dead pets, me being bullied and punished for their behaviors, expelled from schools, juvenile hall, prison, denied medical treatment, treated badly in the royal guard, dishonorably discharged because of being framed for crimes I didn't do, and my own family never helping me, I... I..." Warm Heart explained, more tears fell out of his eyes and he began crying loudly, Pinkie Pie hugged him and patted his back while he bawled, he cried his eyes out for about five minutes and began to stop,

"It's okay, Warm Heart, let it all out." Pinkie Pie said, he sniveled and cried silently for about ten minutes, he stopped and Pinkie Pie took him off of herself and saw he has fallen asleep, she laid him down and put the blanket and then laid in her sleeping bag and slept. Two weeks passed and Pinkie Pie was ready to leave,

"No! Please! Don't go!" Warm Heart begged,

"Warm Heart, I have to go." Pinkie Pie said,

"Please, don't leave me! You're the nicest person I've ever met in my life." Warm Heart stated,

"I'm sorry, Warm Heart, but I got other places to be, and you have enough money to be financially secure now, I'll be fine, I'm popular throughout Equestria, I can make more money easily, goodbye now." Pinkie Pie replied, and she got ready to walk out the door until Warm Heart grabbed her hind right leg,

"No! Please! Stay with me! I... I love you!" Warm Heart spoke, Pinkie Pie reeled her head back a little while looking at him with surprise and he looked at her with a pleading expression,

"I know I'm the friendliest pony you've met, Warm Heart, but love takes a lot longer and more time for it to truly bloom, you're probably just desperate and craving affection, I'm very sorry, Warm Heart, but I have to get going." Pinkie Pie said,

"NO!!" Warm Heart cried out with tears falling from his eyes, Pinkie Pie picked him up and hugged him while he cried,

"Goodbye, Warm Heart, I'll write letters to you, I promise." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"You will?" Warm Heart asked,

"Yes, I'll write as soon as I can, goodbye now." Pinkie Pie stated, and she left his home, Warm Heart cried while Pinkie Pie trotted away with tears falling from her eyes.

Pinkie Pie was looking at the letters and read them, he saw that he moved out of the house a week after she left and traveled around Equestria and struggled to gain employment due to his dishonorable discharge and criminal record and had relapses with his memories often, friends and relatives of the ponies, dragons, and griffons who bulled, wronged, and beat him in the past were everywhere he went and he was picked on and attacked by them, Forewoman and Blueprint also went back to the town after he left his home and questioned the ponies on his whereabouts but did not know where he went, they began destroying property again and the house he lived in. Warm Heart wrote letters about where he went throughout Equestria and was not welcome anywhere, so he decided to leave the country and go live near the Changeling Hive, he stayed there and made a living by reading changeling books out loud to their kids while the parents held the books for him, and he was never going back to Equestria no matter what, she put the letters back under her bed and slept. She woke up early the next morning and dashed out, she arrived in a wooden cabin by the Changeling Hive and she knocked on the door,

"Warm Heart, you home?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Pinkie Pie?" Warm Heart asked,

"Yes, it's me." Pinkie Pie answered, he opened the door and he looked the same as before, his eyes widened at seeing her and he hugged her and cried,

"You came back." Warm Heart remarked, she hugged him back and smiled, they let go after about three minutes,

"What are you doing here?" Warm Heart questioned,

"There was a party in Ponyville yesterday to appreciate Equestria's law enforcement, doctors, lawyers, judges, firefighters, security guards, and royal guards, it made me remember you and I was very sad you didn't come, so I wanted to see you again." Pinkie Pie explained,

"I missed you." Warm Heart stated,

"I missed you, too." Pinkie Pie replied,

"So, did you... have second thoughts and still wanna date and marry me?" Warm Heart questioned,

"Sorry, Warm Heart, I don't love you, but you are my friend, just remember, if anything bad happens or your memories plague you, write to me, and I'll be here as soon as I can." Pinkie Pie answered,

"You actually helped me long-term, too, after you left, I thought about you a lot, your kindness and friendliness has helped me continue to keep living." Warm Heart explained,

"That's great, remember, no matter how far apart we are or if the mountains and sea separate us, we will always be together in each other's hearts, we share a bond and friendship that is unbreakable." Pinkie Pie stated, Warm Heart smiled warmly,

"Do you wanna come in for a meal or drink?" Warm Heart asked,

"Nope, I have to get back to Ponyville and open up shop soon." Pinkie Pie answered,

"That's too bad, well, thanks for stopping by, I hope you can come again one day." Warm Heart stated, and they hugged one another again and he went into his cabin and closed the door while Pinkie Pie dashed back to Ponyville, she opened up her shop in Sugarcube Corner and thought about Warm Heart and smiled while waiting for customers.

Unplanned Child

Pinkie Pie was watching over foals in Ponyville while their parents were away at work, they played outside while she threw gumballs at them and the foals chewed them, they were extremely sweet and they blew big bubbles, they competed over who could blow the biggest bubble and laughed. Pinkie Pie smiled while she watched the foals have fun and she looked to see if she had anymore candy to give them, she found packs of hard candy and threw them around, the foals cheered while they picked up, unwrapped, and ate the candies, their parents came afterwards,

"Thank you as always, Pinkie Pie." a Pegasus stallion said,

"You're welcome, your children were well behaved today as always." Pinkie Pie replied, they smiled and paid her bits and they left, Pinkie Pie kept smiling until they no longer looked at her and she frowned, she turned around and walked back into Sugarcube Corner. She arrived back and then looked at a picture of a mare and a filly, they were earth ponies, the mare had an olive coat, long black mane and tail, dark brown eyes, and her cutie mark was a pink heart, the filly had a light pink coat, long red mane and tail, turquoise eyes, and her cutie mark was a white sheet of paper with music notes on it, the mare was Love Giver and the filly was Woodwind, they were mother and daughter, Pinkie Pie began to remember them with a wistful expression and hoped they were okay.

Pinkie Pie was walking through Equestria and enjoying the summer breeze, she arrived at a poor small town and saw the foals were playing in the slums and running around, she smiled while seeing them have fun and walked past them, she set up a candy shop and the foals ran to her to buy things, some foals got candies other foals wanted and they began fighting one another,

"Hey! No fighting!" Pinkie Pie ordered, the foals continued beating up one another and Pinkie Pie walked to them, she grabbed and snatched the candies,

"If you all are going to argue and fight one another over the sweets, there will be no sweets at all." Pinkie Pie said sternly, the foals behaved and bought her sweets one at a time,

"There, that's more like it, stay that way, and everything will be fine." Pinkie Pie spoke, and they foals ate her sweets and candies. Pinkie Pie smiled and the foals went back to playing after finishing their snacks, she watched their mothers come pick them up and noticed one mare walking by herself with no foal, she entered a bar and Pinkie Pie looked in, there was many customers there drinking and she went downstairs without anybody paying attention to her, Pinkie Pie entered and trotted after her. She entered an abandoned room and saw a filly walking to her,

"Welcome home, mommy." the filly said,

"I'd rather you not call me that, Woodwind." the mare remarked,

"Why not?" Woodwind asked,

"We've been through this, I didn't intend to have you, you were only a result of me doing my job, I did not plan to have a child in my life ever." the mare explained,

"So you don't love me?" Woodwind questioned,

"I do, it's just... me having you was completely unplanned." the mare responded,

"Oh." Woodwind said,

"You've been practicing your music instruments?" the mare asked,

"Hmm-mm, I've been improving on playing the flute." Woodwind stated,

"Let's hear it." the mare spoke, and she sat while Woodwind got it. She began playing a song while Pinkie Pie listened and the mare watched with a bored expression, she played while messing up several notes and stopped early due to pain on her lips, Pinkie Pie clapped while the two looked at her,

"Whoo-hoo! That was amazing!" Pinkie Pie blurted,

"Wha? How did you get in here?" the mare inquired,

"I just happen to see you here and got curious." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Um... this is our living quarters." Woodwind remarked,

"Shhh, don't say that, Woodwind, we can get thrown out onto the streets." the mare spoke,

"Oh, don't worry, my lips are sealed on that, I promise." Pinkie Pie said,

"You don't look like you're from around here." Woodwind stated,

"I just came here a few minutes ago." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, no wonder why you didn't know." the mare spoke,

"I'm Pinkie Pie, by the way, you all are..." Pinkie Pie said,

"Love Giver." the mare responded,

"Woodwind." Woodwind stated,

"I just set up shop here, I'm selling sweets, candies, desserts, and confectioneries, I plan and throw parties, too, birthday parties are my specialty." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"I'm playing woodwind instruments since they gave me my cutie mark, flute is my favorite, mommy here is doing a job she hates so she can make me enough money for me to take lessons and become a professional." Woodwind explained,

"Truth be told, it's a job I've been doing before Woodwind was even born, I'm working more now to support her and try to give her money to have a good future." Love Giver said,

"I can always use help at my booth on baking and selling." Pinkie Pie offered,

"I'm already busy, so Woodwind will have to do it if she doesn't feel like practicing." Love Giver responded,

"That's fine, I'll pay you two, too." Pinkie Pie responded, Woodwind smiled,

"Go on now, we'll be kicked out onto the streets if we're found here." Love Giver said,

"Got it, I'll see you two later." Pinkie Pie responded, and she left. Pinkie Pie looked around and saw adult ponies everywhere and drinking drinks she did not notice but did not look like they were for children, she quickly trotted out and went back to her booth, she baked and made her next batch of sweets and desserts, she saw foals were still fighting one another for the sweets they bought from her and stealing from each other, her eyes widened and she quickly hid her sweets and closed the shop for the day, she did not see anybody come and she slept when nighttime came.

Pinkie Pie slept soundly until she was suddenly woken up by a bunch of clattering, she opened her eyes and saw the foals have broken into her cart and were stealing her sweets and desserts, she sprung up while screaming and the foals ran away while she looked from her booth and screamed again. She looked back and saw all of her ingredients have been stolen alongside everything she made and baked last night, she seethed loudly while her face turned red and steam came out of her ears, she screamed in a distorted voice with fire coming out of her mouth and she dashed after the thieves while destroying part of her booth. The foals conversed and ate the sweets they stole but stopped when they heard fast running from behind, they looked and saw a pink trail and white dust flying everywhere, they saw Pinkie Pie and she growled in a distorted voice with fire coming out of her nostrils and mouth. She rammed into the foals and held them down while snorting and they looked at her fearfully,

"Give back the sweets you stole!" Pinkie Pie demanded in her distorted voice while huffs of fire came out of her nostrils, the foals became fearful but did not hand over the sweets they stole,

"Hand them over or I blacklist and ban you all from my shop!" Pinkie Pie threatened, and they handed them to her slowly,

"Good, I won't be so nice next time." Pinkie Pie remarked, and she walked back. She rearranged her stolen sweets and noticed some of them have already been eaten, she exhaled sharply and began baking again, she grumbled while making new candies and she heard walking, she turned around while scowling but stopped when she saw it was Woodwind,

"Is something wrong, Pinkie Pie?" Woodwind asked,

"My stuff were stolen this morning, so I now have to make everything again." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Can I help?" Woodwind requested,

"You here to work?" Pinkie Pie asked, Woodwind nodded,

"Great, come on back then, I'll show you the ropes and how to put items on display." Pinkie Pie said, Woodwind smiled and walked to her. Pinkie Pie taught her how to make hard candy and how to make them into small pieces to be put in wrappers, Woodwind got the steps mixed up and Pinkie Pie corrected her, they worked together and Pinkie Pie smiled at seeing Woodwind learn quickly and finished before it was time for her to open,

"Good job, Woodwind, hopefully, the foals will be better behaved this time." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"This is a seedy town from what I've heard from my mom and travelers, they said this place is poor and crime ridden when compared to most of Equestria, too." Woodwind responded,

"It is." Pinkie Pie said,

"Oh, hopefully, mommy and I can move somewhere safer and more peaceful after she makes enough money to leave." Woodwind stated,

"I hope so, too, here's your payment, by the way." Pinkie Pie replied, and she gave her fifteen bits,

"Thank you, this is the first time I ever made my own money." Woodwind chirped,

"Well, I'm about to open shop, I'll pay you more if you manage to sell something." Pinkie Pie replied, and she did. The foals came and they behaved while buying things, they looked at Pinkie Pie nervously while they bought things from Woodwind and no one conversed with her,

"You don't have any friends here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Not really, I rarely interact with anypony here, I don't attend school either." Woodwind responded,

"It's because your mom's too poor and works as a lowlife who will be more than friends with any stallion she meets." one filly remarked, the others laughed while Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped,

"What do you mean?" Woodwind questioned,

"Your mom never told you about her job?" a colt asked,

"No, she never says anything about work." Woodwind responded,

"Woodwind, your mom's job is hard for kids to understand, kids your age usually don't understand until they're maybe in their teenage or young adult years, too." Pinkie Pie explained,

"What can you tell me about it?" Woodwind asked,

"Woodwind, trust me, you would be horrified if you learned how bad and dangerous your mom's line of work can be and what she has to do daily." Pinkie Pie replied,

"How dangerous?" Woodwind questioned,

"Any day can be the last day you ever see her." Pinkie Pie answered, Woodwind's eyes widened,

"Well, anyway, come on, let's not keep our customers waiting." Pinkie Pie stated, and they began selling, the foals avoided Pinkie Pie and reluctantly bought from Woodwind, some tried to taunt and make fun of her and her mother but stopped when they saw Pinkie Pie standing behind her and glaring at them, they bought the candies and baked goods silently and left quickly. Pinkie Pie split the money in half and gave one half to Woodwind, she smiled widely and hugged the bits close to herself,

"I was happy when I made my first bits, too." Pinkie Pie remarked, and Woodwind trotted back home, Pinkie Pie made her next batch to sell tomorrow and locked all of them away securely, she looked around and did not see anybody spying on her, she watched the adult ponies pass by and kept her guard up when she saw several of them eyeing her as they passed by, she saw Love Giver pass by without paying attention to her and went to the bar, Pinkie Pie quickly locked and secured her sweets and took her money with her and followed her to the bar and where she and Woodwind lived.

She entered and saw Woodwind show Love Giver the money she made today and Love Giver smiled, she stored it away with the rest of her money and Woodwind began playing her oboe, Pinkie Pie swayed back and forth while she listened but cringed when she heard several squeaks from Woodwind playing, she took a break after practicing for about thirty minutes and her lips hurt, she sighed while Love Giver patted and rubbed her head and went to go sleep while Woodwind also slept, Pinkie Pie went back to her booth and got her instruments and sheet music ready and then slept.

The next morning came and Pinkie Pie checked everything and made sure nothing was stolen, she smiled when she saw everything was in place and opened her shop for the day, the foals came to buy her candies and desserts and everything went smoothly, they left and Woodwind came about an hour later,

"Sorry, Woodwind, but I'm done selling for now." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Aw, I just finished practicing playing my clarinet, too." Woodwind lamented,

"You're coming here to take a break?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Uh-huh, this is a nice change to having to play all day." Woodwind responded,

"That reminds me, I heard you making squeaks when playing your oboe yesterday." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Oh, sorry about that, I'm still a beginner." Woodwind said,

"It's okay, I play instruments, too, I can teach you how to play properly." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Really?" Woodwind asked, Pinkie Pie dashed and came back with her ten instruments, Woodwind's jaw dropped,

"Wow!" Woodwind exclaimed, Pinkie Pie began playing all ten instruments at once while Woodwind watched in awe, the ponies covered their ears' and some threw vegetables at her, she continued playing and Woodwind danced to the music. She enjoyed Pinkie Pie's music and swayed back and forth while smiling, she finished after about seven minutes of playing,

"Ta-da!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, Woodwind clapped her hoofs,

"That was amazing, I've never seen a pony play ten instruments at once." Woodwind said,

"I can teach you how to improve your own playing if you wish." Pinkie Pie offered,

"I don't have enough money for that." Woodwind lamented,

"No, no, this one's on the house." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Really?" Woodwind asked with her eyes widening, Pinkie Pie nodded while smiling,

"Thank you, I can start now." Woodwind spoke,

"Alright then, go ahead and bring your instruments." Pinkie Pie instructed, and Woodwind left. Pinkie Pie waited and watched for anybody who wanted to buy things or try to steal from her, Woodwind arrived with her instruments, she had a flute, a piccolo, an oboe, a clarinet, a recorder, and a bassoon,

"Okay, let's hear you play each one a little." Pinkie Pie stated, and Woodwind played the flute first, she played almost perfectly until she got to a high note and could not play it, she tried and a squeak came out, Pinkie Pie looked and readjusted Woodwind's lips, she blew hard again and almost produced the right sound, Pinkie Pie instructed her to keep going and she did, she stopped for a minute to look at the sheet music and Pinkie Pie walked to her, she saw her looking at a music note she has never seen before and Pinkie Pie instructed her on how to play it, she blew into the flute but could not play the note, she put it down and panted while her lips and mouth hurt. She rested while Pinkie Pie examined Woodwind's instruments and made sure they worked properly, she put them down and Woodwind played the piccolo next. She played the notes and made more squeaks with it than with the flute, Pinkie Pie readjusted Woodwind's lips and moved her hoofs around to play the right notes, she kept blowing but could not play the high notes and put it down. She sighed and began playing the oboe next, she played well with a few squeaks here and there but she played well overall, Pinkie Pie instructed her to relax her shoulders a bit and she played better, she finished the sheet music and took a break while Pinkie Pie clapped. Woodwind rested for ten minutes and she played her clarinet next, she made several squeaking sounds and Pinkie Pie corrected her posture and showed her how to make her lips for playing the instrument, she played better while Pinkie Pie helped her play the higher notes by showing her how to blow and Woodwind finished after about twenty minutes. She played the recorder next and played the sheet music perfectly, Pinkie Pie taught her how to play faster and still played the music perfectly, she then put it down while smiling and played the bassoon next. Woodwind had trouble holding it and Pinkie Pie readjusted her, she held it and began playing and had trouble, Pinkie Pie moved her hoofs around to play the right notes and showed her with her mouth how to play it properly and how to breathe, she had trouble playing and her mouth and tongue began to hurt, she put it down and panted while Pinkie Pie clapped,

"Not bad, we need to work on your playing and proper forms though." Pinkie Pie said,

"So, which one do we work on first?" Woodwind asked,

"The bassoon, that's easily your weak spot." Pinkie Pie answered,

"That's the instrument I dislike playing the most, though." Woodwind lamented,

"I'll try to make it fun, but as for today, that's all, go ahead and rest for now." Pinkie Pie spoke, and Woodwind went home while carrying her instruments, Pinkie Pie saw no customers for the rest of the day and locked her supplies and money away and slept. Pinkie Pie heard walking and woke up in the middle of the night, she saw Love Giver walking late and she had a black eye and a red mark on her cheek, she watched worriedly while she walked to her living quarters, she arrived and Woodwind was playing the bassoon while seeing Love Giver enter,

"You're late, mommy." Woodwind remarked,

"Don't remind me." Love Giver scolded,

"Mommy! Your eye and your cheek! What happened?" Woodwind inquired,

"I don't wanna talk about it!" Love Giver responded quickly,

"But mommy..." Woodwind stated,

"Forget it, Woodwind, you wouldn't understand my job even if I explained why I have these." Love Giver responded, Woodwind's jaw dropped,

"It's late, Woodwind, I'm tired, and it's past your bedtime, get some rest." Love Giver said,

"I stayed up because I was worried about you." Woodwind explained,

"I'm fine, Woodwind, come on, let's get some sleep." Love Giver spoke, and Woodwind laid down, Love Giver kissed her on her forehead and went to go sleep, Pinkie Pie smiled and went back to her booth and slept.

The next day came and Woodwind arrived early, she and Pinkie Pie tended to the customers and managed to sell things with no problems, Woodwind then got her bassoon out and Pinkie Pie got her own. She showed her how to play it and Woodwind tried to mimic her, she watched Pinkie Pie's mouth and hoof movements and tried to play the notes she played, she could not play the high notes while Pinkie Pie tried to show her how to form her lips, she tried but could not play the notes, she struggled and took the bassoon's mouthpiece out of her mouth and panted,

"You wanna practice some more?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I'll stop here." Woodwind replied,

"Tell you what, why don't you play your best instrument and I'll see if I can help you improve." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"Sure." Woodwind responded, and she got her flute while Pinkie Pie pulled one out of her tail. They played and Woodwind still had a hard time playing the higher notes, she copied Pinkie Pie and managed to play the high notes for a second and hurt her lips, she rested for a short time and resumed playing. They played a song together while Pinkie Pie hit the high notes perfectly, Woodwind played what she could and noticed Pinkie Pie still had a little trouble playing the highest notes, other ponies came and paid them money while playing, they smiled and played more. They played music in sync and the adult ponies put money on Pinkie Pie's booth, Woodwind took her flute off of her mouth after playing for forty minutes and exhaled sharply, she stopped and the adult ponies clapped,

"Thank you, that's all for today." Pinkie Pie spoke, and they left,

"Wow, I never made money by playing music before." Woodwind stated,

"It's common throughout Equestria, street performers put on shows and play music to make money." Pinkie Pie answered,

"That's cool, I wouldn't like doing that for a living though." Woodwind remarked,

"Well, you can always learn new stuff as you get older, Woodwind, maybe you'll find something nice to do as you live your life out." Pinkie Pie stated,

"I hope so." Woodwind spoke,

"Well, go on, that's all for today." Pinkie Pie said, Woodwind smiled and left. Pinkie Pie put her instruments away and went back to selling sweets and baked goods, adult ponies began coming over and buying from her, she smiled since they were much friendlier than the foals, they paid her and bought her things with no problems, she smiled and then began baking new batches for tomorrow, she finished and then locked everything away and went to go check on Woodwind. She went to their living quarters and saw Love Giver looking at Woodwind's money,

"Where did you get this?" Love Giver inquired,

"I was just playing with Pinkie Pie and other ponies just came by and gave us money by chance." Woodwind explained,

"What? You just practice for a few hours and you make more money than I do in a day. It should be me making more money." Love Giver grumbled,

"I can try to buy things to improve our living conditions, mommy." Woodwind suggested,

"No, it's fine, you should save up that money so you can take professional lessons on playing your instruments." Love Giver responded,

"Pinkie Pie has been helping me improve for free." Woodwind spoke,

"I don't think she's a professional player, though." Love Giver remarked,

"But she is helping me improve." Woodwind spoke,

"That's good, keep playing and making money, the faster we can leave this place, the better." Love Giver stated,

"Right." Woodwind replied,

"Well, off to bed now." Love Giver said, and Woodwind laid in her bed and Love Giver kissed her forehead, Pinkie Pie went back to her booth and slept.

The next morning came and Pinkie Pie checked everything to make sure nothing was stolen, she saw Love Giver and hopped to her,

"Love Giver, fancy seeing you here." Pinkie Pie said,

"Don't follow me to work, my boss isn't going to like it, he will force you to work for him, too." Love Giver warned,

"I'll be going before you start your job." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Oh, what do you want then?" Love Giver asked,

"Why did you remain in this town all of this time?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"I was going to leave, but I suddenly got pregnant and had to spend my money to get ready to take care of Woodwind, I wasn't happy, but I couldn't leave Woodwind broke and homeless since her father skipped town before I discovered I was pregnant." Love Giver explained,

"What's Woodwind's daddy like?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"A deadbeat, good-for-nothing loser, he was a jerk, too, he skipped town once when he learned I was pregnant, Woodwind wants to meet him and get to know him, but I have to tell her not to because he's not going to be happy and I don't know what he's going to do to her." Love Giver explained,

"Where did he go?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Don't know, don't care." Love Giver replied,

"I think Woodwind should at least meet her father once." Pinkie Pie stated,

"I'd rather not, he wasn't a nice person when I had him as a client." Love Giver remarked,

"Were you... um... you know..." Pinkie Pie said,

"If you're referring to what I think you're referring to, no, I was beaten by him, he didn't pay me, either." Love Giver stated, Pinkie Pie's eyes widened,

"You should get going, my boss is up ahead." Love Giver stated,

"Okay, stay safe." Pinkie Pie responded, and Love Giver walked forward while Pinkie Pie walked back. She sold her candies and baked goods to anybody who came while Woodwind came to help her, they sold everything and Pinkie Pie then began helping Woodwind on playing her instruments, they played the bassoon first and then played the clarinet afterwards, she had trouble and took a break, they played the oboe next and Woodwind continued to have some trouble, they decided to stop after a while and they played the piccolo next, onlookers were satisfied and gave them money, they played the recorder next and they were given more money, they played the flute next and made lots of money and finished practicing for the day,

"You're getting better, but there is still some room for improvement." Pinkie Pie said,

"Did you have professional lessons in playing instruments, Pinkie Pie?" Woodwind asked,

"Nope, I'm entirely self taught." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Wow, you almost play like an expert." Woodwind exclaimed,

"Trial and error, Woodwind." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Still, wow, well, I'll be going home now." Woodwind spoke,

"Alright, see you later." Pinkie Pie responded, and Woodwind walked home. Pinkie Pie cleaned her booth and began baking tomorrow's batch, she heard walking and looked back and became surprised when she saw Love Giver coming,

"You still open?" Love Giver asked,

"You willing to pay?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Yes." Love Giver replied,

"I'll make an exception with you then, go ahead and pick out whatever you like." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Hmm, what would Woodwind like?" Love Giver asked,

"You're buying something for her?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Hmm-mm, I usually don't buy her treats or gifts, but I think she would like one every once in a while." Love Giver responded,

"Well, I haven't seen her eyeing anything when she's practicing with me. Tell you what, let's try these, gummy fruits, they're popular with foals." Pinkie Pie said, Love Giver paid for them and went home, Pinkie Pie then locked everything away and slept.

The next day came and she woke up early, she yawned and put all her batch of sweets out on display, Woodwind arrived and she helped her sell her things, they sold everything and Pinkie Pie split the money in half and gave it to Woodwind. They played their instruments and Woodwind was improving on playing every instrument and played longer, the ponies paid more money and cheered when Pinkie Pie began playing more than one instrument simultaneously, the ponies paid more money and Pinkie Pie switched between which instruments she played while playing the same song and the ponies clapped. Woodwind watched in awe and bewilderment at seeing Pinkie Pie switch between instruments on a whim and play the same song without sounding out of sync, she stopped playing while watching and speechless, Pinkie Pie finished the song and the ponies clapped and cheered loudly,

"How did you do that?" Woodwind questioned,

"Years of practice and experience." Pinkie Pie responded,

"I don't think I'll be able to do that." Woodwind stated,

"You might, never say never, Woodwind." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'll keep practicing, but I'm tired." Woodwind said,

"Figured, we practiced long today, go ahead and rest now." Pinkie Pie spoke, and Woodwind went home. Pinkie Pie began baking her next batch of sweets while everybody went on with their days and nothing happened, she smiled when she finished her last thing to bake and locked everything away so they do not get stolen, she also looked up to make sure no one was watching her and seeing where she stored her things. She watched and looked for Love Giver but did not see her until the sun set and she walked home at night, she saw bruises on her face and she was rubbing them, she trotted to her,

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Don't ask me about my job." Love Giver responded,

"I'm just checking to make sure you're alright." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm fine, the pain will likely be gone tomorrow." Love Giver replied,

"You'll worry your daughter though." Pinkie Pie reminded,

"I realize that, that reminds me, Pinkie Pie, if my job requires me to leave this place to see a client or I lose my life, I want you to look over my daughter, the others here sure won't." Love Giver requested,

"Of course, Woodwind has been very good and her practicing at playing music is improving drastically." Pinkie Pie responded,

"I noticed, I can tell when she plays at home that she's playing longer and better." Love Giver spoke,

"How much more money do you two need?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"A lot, professional music lessons are crazy expensive." Love Giver replied,

"I figured, maybe I should give Woodwind more money then." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'd appreciate that, but do what you wish." Love Giver responded, and she went to her living quarters while Pinkie Pie went back to her booth and slept.

The next day came and she saw Woodwind has already arrived, they put everything on display and sold all of the sweets while Pinkie Pie gave her all of the money,

"What?" Woodwind asked,

"I insist." Pinkie Pie stated,

"But what about you?" Woodwind questioned,

"I'll be fine, trust me, this isn't the first time I've been broke." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Well, if you say so." Woodwind remarked, and they began playing music again. Everybody came and paid Pinkie Pie lots of money over her playing while Woodwind got nothing, she began to play worse while noticing Pinkie Pie was getting all of the money, her playing worsened while Pinkie Pie ignored the onlookers and just played whatever she wanted, they finished and everybody cheered,

"Thank you! That's all for today, everypony!" Pinkie Pie announced, and they left. Pinkie Pie gave all of the money to Woodwind while she had a sad expression,

"Woodwind, what's wrong?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They're only paying to see you." Woodwind responded,

"Now, now, Woodwind, I've been playing a lot longer than you, so of course I'm going to be better, but it's not about the money, it's about your passion and desire to be the best." Pinkie Pie stated,

"But I can't play to my fullest potential unless I have money to afford professional lessons." Woodwind reminded,

"Right, until then, keep playing and try to invent your own style." Pinkie Pie advised,

"Make my own style, you say?" Woodwind asked,

"Uh-huh, and once when you take professional lessons and finish them, you can combine them with your own unique style and make something truly amazing." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Hmm, that sounds like a good idea, I'll continue playing then." Woodwind spoke, Pinkie Pie smiled and she headed home. Pinkie Pie made tomorrow's batch of sweets and noticed Love Giver walking home with more red marks on her face, she followed her and went into her living quarters, she got a pot out from the back of the room and opened it and put gruel in two bowls. They ate slowly with old wooden spoons and Woodwind did not like the flavor, they ate and then drank water out of cracked wooden bowls,

"Mommy, what were your living conditions like when you were my age?" Woodwind asked,

"No different from now." Love Giver replied,

"What? You've lived like this all of your life?" Woodwind questioned,

"Yes, I'm not happy about it either, I couldn't get an education, either, so here I am stuck doing what your grandmother did for a living." Love Giver responded,

"I wanna live in better conditions, mommy." Woodwind lamented,

"I do, too, and if I didn't get pregnant and had you, I would've been living in a middle-class home right now, having you put those plans on hold, I sacrificed all of my money to feed you and take care of you." Love Giver replied,

"Did you wanna live like royalty?" Woodwind asked,

"It would be nice, but someone as poor as us would likely never rise that high, I'm happy as long as we move into a middle-class home and neighborhood." Love Giver answered,

"I'd like that." Woodwind commented,

"Let's keep doing what we're doing then." Love Giver replied, and they finished their dinner and washed everything in a bucket filled with dirty water and put them elsewhere, they then slept and Pinkie Pie went back to her booth and slept.

The next day came and Woodwind was already at her booth and putting everything on display, Pinkie Pie smiled while she fixed the ones Woodwind got wrong, the ponies bought them but only gave the money to Pinkie Pie, they began playing instruments again and Pinkie Pie was given money,

"Alright, Woodwind, solo time!" Pinkie Pie announced, and she played but the ponies left when she began playing, she stopped and looked on in shock,

"Come on, Woodwind, let's keep practicing." Pinkie Pie instructed, and they did and Pinkie Pie got paid a lot of money, they finished and Pinkie Pie gave Woodwind all of the money after everybody was gone. They began working together with baking tomorrow's batch of sweets to sell and Pinkie Pie guided Woodwind through the harder things and did the cutting when they had to use knives, she let Woodwind do small and easy cuts while she did the ones that required cutting dough to make them the shape of inanimate objects,

"Ooh, I've never seen sweets and desserts cut and shaped like flowers before." Woodwind remarked,

"It's kind of common in some places, desserts are shaped to look like hearts, flowers, or any other objects for visual appeal." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Interesting." Woodwind stated, and they continued making the next batch of sweets until they were done and Woodwind headed home, Pinkie Pie then laid in her booth and slept.

The next morning came and she sold her sweets without Woodwind, she also did not come to play music, she got a bad feeling and went to check on her, she entered her living quarters and saw her and Love Giver arguing,

"I've said it many times, Woodwind, your father is a deadbeat loser, he's not going to be happy to see you." Love Giver stated,

"But I wanna meet him." Woodwind begged,

"I don't know where he's at now, he didn't say anything about where he went after he skipped town." Love Giver spoke,

"Can I at least have his name?" Woodwind requested,

"Ugh, fine, Freeloader." Love Giver answered,

"Thank you, mommy." Woodwind stated, and she began to leave while Pinkie Pie dashed back. She began selling her sweets and she noticed Woodwind did not come, she saw her in the distance with a paper and some of the money she got from working with Pinkie Pie, she walked back home a few minutes later while Pinkie Pie focused on selling her baked sweets to everybody and they left. Pinkie Pie watched for anything that looked out of place and the train stopped in the town, an earth pony stallion got off, he had a pale yellow coat, long unkempt pale gray mane and tail, and his cutie mark was a red couch, he was overweight and covered in sweat,

"*sigh* Can't believe I'm back in this dump again." the stallion grumbled, and he walked forward and Woodwind trotted to him,

"Excuse me." Woodwind said, the stallion glared at her,

"Um, are you Freeloader?" Woodwind asked,

"Yes, I am, what do you want? Make it quick." the stallion snapped,

"Oh, um, I'm Woodwind, your daughter." Woodwind answered, Freeloader glared at her extremely sharply,

"Did you write that letter?" Freeloader questioned, Woodwind nodded nervously, Freeloader punched her in her cheek and she yelped while she fell and Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped,

"I had to waste my time and energy for this?! Some stupid foal from some mare I loved long ago wanting see me?! I had to cancel a date with another mare today because of you!" Freeloader thundered,

"Please, daddy..." Woodwind begged,

"Don't call me daddy! I have no reason to look after you, you're just a mistake I made from a time where I became infatuated with a mare." Freeloader remarked, Woodwind's jaw dropped,

"Out of my way." Freeloader ordered as he shoved her aside and went to the bar. Pinkie Pie saw Freeloader go to where Love Giver lived and he began destroying everything and began taking all of the money he found, Pinkie Pie dashed to him and tried to restrain him but he threw her off and began to leave,

"Thief!" a stallion in the bar called out, there was a racket upstairs and Freeloader grunted while many ponies restrained him, it got quiet and Pinkie Pie went up. She saw Freeloader being restrained and ponies taking the stuff he tried to steal, Love Giver and Woodwind came in with other ponies,

"What's going on here?" Love Giver asked, she stopped when she saw Freeloader,

"You! To think you would come back to haunt me years later." Freeloader fumed,

"What?" Love Giver asked,

"I called him here, mommy." Woodwind confessed,

"You what?" Love Giver exclaimed,

"I had to waste my time and money to come here because of your offspring, you two owe me food and money!" Freeloader responded,

"If you want those, you have to work for them." Love Giver remarked,

"No, I don't! I was born into a middle-class family, having to work for a living like you lower-class filth is beneath me!" Freeloader fumed,

"Um, I'm middle-class and I have to work for a living." Pinkie Pie responded,

"SILENCE!!" Freeloader yelled as he tried to punch her and she ducked under it,

"Get your hoofs off of me." Freeloader remarked and he threw the ponies off and stomped to the train station,

"What? Isn't anypony going to report or arrest him?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"This town doesn't work that way, there is no law enforcement here, we carry out our justices and punishments here." the bartender explained,

"Why isn't anypony punishing him then?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"He didn't harm anypony seriously or take a life, he just stole things that can be replaceable by working, buying, or trading." a mare responded, Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped, Love Giver and Woodwind went into their living quarters while Pinkie Pie followed them. She saw Love Giver look at her things and saw everything was broken, Woodwind gasped when she saw Freeloader has broken her instruments, Love Giver looked at where she kept her money and saw it was gone,

"I warned you! This is why I said not to contact your father! We're broke now because of you!" Love Giver fumed,

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to meet him just once." Woodwind explained frantically,

"Well, thanks to you, we got our money stolen, we have to work more now to make up for it! I have to pay the bartender to fix damages, too! We can be kicked out and homeless now! He also broke your instruments too so you can't play, I paid good money to get those for you!" Love Giver thundered,

"I didn't know he'd act like that, I was hoping he would be happy to see me." Woodwind stated,

"Well, he wasn't, you angered him, don't contact him again, he'll likely be worse if he comes back next time." Love Giver stated, Woodwind sweated while watching Love Giver glare at her,

"What? What are you so scared of?" Love Giver asked,

"Please don't hit me." Woodwind begged, Pinkie Pie had a shocked expression and ran over and hugged Woodwind,

"Love Giver, please don't, Woodwind didn't know better." Pinkie Pie stated,

"What are you doing here?" Love Giver inquired,

"I just wanted to make sure Woodwind was okay." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Oh, she's fine, she's lucky Freeloader didn't beat her." Love Giver remarked,

"Actually, he punched her when he first arrived." Pinkie Pie spoke while Woodwind tightened her own muscles,

"Not surprising, he was always a violent and ill tempered man. You okay, Woodwind?" Love Giver asked, Woodwind nodded,

"Go ahead and stay home if you want to, Woodwind, I have to go to work now." Love Giver responded, and she left,

"You wanna take a break from practicing today?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I'll go." Woodwind replied, and they walked to Pinkie Pie's booth together. They exited the room and stopped when they saw the bartender standing in front of them and Love Giver,

"Have you all been living in there the whole time?" the bartender inquired,

"Please, don't throw us out, we have no home." Woodwind begged,

"This isn't a hotel, I want you all out, now, and get your belongings." the bartender ordered,

"But..." Woodwind said,

"It's no use, Woodwind, we'll just have to find somewhere else to stay." Love Giver said,

"You two can stay at my booth." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Oh, thank you, Pinkie Pie, I was worried we would be on the streets." Woodwind stated,

"Give me all of your money at the end of the day, I'll be using that along with my own money to pay somepony to repair the damages done to my bar." the bartender stated,

"Do we have a deadline?" Love Giver asked,

"No, just make enough money so I can fix the bar, you can use your money however you wish afterwards." the bartender responded,

"Alright, let's get on with our days, Woodwind." Love Giver stated, and they got their things out of the room and headed to Pinkie Pie's booth and Love Giver then went to work.

They began selling batches of sweets while Woodwind struggled to focus and thought about Freeloader, she spaced out and Pinkie Pie called her name to bring her back to reality, she sold the sweets but only Pinkie Pie was paid, they finished after all of the sweets were sold out and Pinkie Pie gave Woodwind her instruments to practice with while switching out the mouthpieces for clean ones. Woodwind tried to play the flute but could not focus, she thought more about Freeloader and closed her eyes with tears falling out, Pinkie Pie noticed and Woodwind's playing worsened, she took the flute off of Woodwind's mouth,

"Woodwind, I think it's best if you go ahead and finish for today." Pinkie Pie stated, and she sat at the booth. Pinkie Pie watched the ponies pass by her and she and Woodwind began baking her next batch of sweets to sell tomorrow, she saw Love Giverwalking much later than normal and watched her, she gave her money to the bartender and came to the booth, she took the money Woodwind and Pinkie Pie made and gave it to the bartender, she arrived at the booth and had dinner and with them and all three of them slept in separate sleeping bags.

Woodwind and Love Giver worked longer than usual for about three weeks and they paid all of the money to the bartender until he could afford someone to fix the damages, Pinkie Pie let Woodwind practice with her instruments for another month until they had enough money to buy Woodwind new instruments, she played and Pinkie Pie smiled while seeing she was improving and playing longer, she stayed in the area for about six more weeks and Love Giver and Woodwind had enough money to move out,

"Well, Pinkie Pie, mommy and I are moving, we're leaving this place for a middle-class town." Woodwind reported,

"Will you two be okay?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We'll see, I'll have to wait for things to settle down, I've got to get a job, too, we'll write to you after we get something going." Love Giver spoke,

"Okay, I'll be waiting, good luck, you two." Pinkie Pie stated, and they hugged her, Pinkie Pie then took a picture of them with a camera and they left. Pinkie Pie baked and sold sweets in the meantime and she got her first letter from Love Giver and Woodwind a month later, she read they were fine and Love Giver was now working as a mane and tail stylist and the job paid more and she worked shorter hours, Woodwind was now attending school while taking professional music lessons at home from music players that Love Giver paid, she was playing much better and has made many friends at her new home, Pinkie Pie smiled and put her letter away, she continued getting letters weekly that were about Woodwind improving on her playing, she eventually made enough money and announced she was leaving, no one reacted and she just left while everybody just got on with their days.

Pinkie Pie finished reminiscing and put the picture down, she decided to check on them and wrote a letter asking how they were and gave it to Derpy, she got a letter from Woodwind the next day and read it,

"Dear, Pinkie Pie,

Mommy and I are doing well, she is still a mane and tail stylist and I am now in a marching band and playing the flute, I still play the other instruments back at home, I am currently third chair for flute players in the band and am still practicing in hopes of becoming first chair one day. I miss playing with you, I still can't switch between instruments on a whim when playing a song like how you can either, but other than that, I am fine, and I am glad to be contacted by you, come pay us a visit when you have the time.

-Sincerely, Woodwind",

Pinkie Pie smiled widely and put the letter down, she worked in Sugarcube Corner for the rest of the day and then laid in her bed and slept with a smile on her face.

The Abandoned Filly

Pinkie Pie was working in Sugarcube Corner and Rock Candy's son and daughter, Star Pony, Treasure Hunter, Flower Viola, Rose, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, Purple Grace, Tulip, Angelique, Emerald, Haute Coture, Tempo, Aquarius, Taco Bell, Butterfly Azalea, Weight Lifter, Melon Farmer, and Banana Tree were helping her bake the day's confectioneries, they heard walking and Pinkie Pie gasped with surprise,

"Woodwind! Fancy seeing you here!" Pinkie Pie chirped,

"I'm on summer vacation right now, thought I'd come to see you." Woodwind responded,

"I appreciate that, and if you could, I can use an extra hoof around here." Pinkie Pie said,

"Sure." Woodwind replied, and she helped the others. Tulip struggled to move and twitched a few times and Pink Diamond and Weight Lifter held her and helped her move, Star Pony grunted while struggling to stand and Angelique and Taco Bell held him up and carried him forward, they continued helping Pinkie Pie while Woodwind watched the other foals, she remembered what Pinkie Pie taught her and finished her tasks pretty quickly,

"Wow, she learns fast." Tulip stated,

"She used to work for me." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, no wonder why she knows what to do." Gilmore said,

"Come on, Gilmore, this pie we're making won't make itself, let's finish it, you too, Purple Grace." Pink Diamond spoke, they nodded and helped her. The foals finished baking and then helped Pinkie Pie clean the shop, Star Pony sat and rested while Tulip worked as slowly as she could and Rose assisted her, they finished and Pinkie Pie got specifically made ice cream favors for them,

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie, you always do know us well." Weight Lifter spoke,

"It's easy to see when you've been doing this as long as I have." Pinkie Pie stated,

"You ever going to travel again?" Treasure Hunter asked,

"I still do, just with people this time." Pinkie Pie answered,

"So... why did you settle down in Ponyville for?" Angelique questioned,

"Because I like it here, the ponies are usually nice here, too." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Are you planning to live here the rest of your life?" Melon Farmer asked,

"Probably." Pinkie Pie said,

"Will you revisit any of us at our homes?" Banana Tree questioned,

"If I have the time." Pinkie Pie responded, they heard walking and saw skinny looking earth pony filly come in, she had a white coat, long grayish-white mane and tail, blue eyes, and her cutie mark was a snowflake,

"Snowflake!" Pinkie Pie hollered,

"Hello, Pinkie Pie." Snowflake said in a somewhat weak voice,

"Hold on, I'll go get the others." Pinkie Pie stated, and she dashed out, she returned with Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack, they looked on with surprise and trotted to Snowflake,

"Snowflake, it is you." Twilight Sparkle spoke,

"Hello, everypony." Snowflake said,

"Wow, you sure look healthier than we first found you." Rainbow Dash remarked,

"I've been better ever since I began living at my new home." Snowflake responded, the others smiled,

"Oh, Tulip, I didn't see you here at first, how have you been?" Fluttershy asked and hugged her,

"I'm still having trouble moving and twitching a bit, but I'm doing better than before." Tulip answered,

"So, what brings you back here, darling?" Rarity questioned,

"I just wanted to meet everypony again." Snowflake chirped,

"Sure, sugar cube, mah family and I are always happy to meet ol' friends and honorary family members again." Applejack spoke,

"That's great, I'd like to meet everypony in this town again." Snowflake remarked,

"I still remember when we first met." Pinkie Pie said, and they began to remember.

Pinkie Pie was in Ponyville one winter and everybody was getting ready for Hearth's Warming, she hopped around and saw everything was going smoothly. She walked around while the snow fell and everybody wore their winter clothes, she ice skated and sang while everybody was happy and some of the foals joined her, they skated until the sun was high in the sky and Pinkie Pie went back to Sugarcube Corner. She baked holiday themed snacks and desserts very quickly and she was sold out almost immediately, she pulled another batch of snacks and desserts out from under her booth and everybody bought them quickly, she counted the bits and made a lot, Mr. and Mrs. Cake smiled at seeing how much money she made. Pinkie Pie hopped outside through the snow and enjoyed the imagery of nature while everybody got ready for the winter and Pinkie Pie decided to travel out of Ponyville and go a short distance, she hopped several feet away from the town but stopped when she heard something, she listened and it sounded like somebody shivering, her jaw dropped for a short time and she ran and arrived at a small hole dug in the snow,

"Hello?" Pinkie Pie said as she looked in and saw a filly in it and shivering,

"*gasp* What are you doing out here?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"M... m... my family abandoned me." the filly responded while her teeth clattered,

"How long have you been here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"T... twenty minutes." the filly answered, Pinkie Pie was stunned with silence for a few seconds,

"What's your name?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Snowflake." the filly responded,

"Hold on, I'll get help, there's a town close to here." Pinkie Pie said, Snowflake nodded and Pinkie Pie put her jacket, hat, and shoes on her and ran back. She arrived at Sweet Apple Acres and saw Applejack and Big Macintosh working on the farm while Apple Bloom and Granny Smith cooked and made decorations in the house,

"Applejack, Big Mac, I found an abandoned filly near here." Pinkie Pie hollered,

"What?" Applejack exclaimed while she and her family looked at her,

"It's true, she's just about ten minutes north of here." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Well, Ah'll be, come on, y'all, let's go get her before she freezes." Applejack spoke, and they got one of their wagons and loaded it with warm food and clothes and Applejack and Big Macintosh ran while Granny Smith and Apple Bloom rode in it. Pinkie Pie led them to where she found Snowflake and the Apple family's jaws' dropped when they saw her,

"Quick, get her in the wagon and give her the warm food and clothes." Granny Smith ordered,

"Hang on, sugar cube." Applejack said, and she and Big Macintosh put her in the wagon and Apple Bloom bundled her up in warm clothes and blankets while Granny Smith gave her warm food, they and Pinkie Pie then ran back to Sweet Apple Acres.

Pinkie Pie looked on with Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle while Applejack, Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith gave Snowflake extra clothes and food and lit the fireplace in front of them,

"You said her family left and abandoned her in the snow, Pinkie?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"That's what Snowflake told me." Pinkie Pie responded,

"How can somepony leave their own child in weather like this?" Fluttershy lamented,

"Only parents with no hearts would abandon their child in this cold, let alone a foal." Rarity answered,

"What do we do with her?" Scootaloo asked,

"Take care of her and befriend her." Sweetie Belle answered,

"Mah family and I will handle her nutritional needs, y'all are welcome to bring her sweets and candies." Granny Smith responded,

"I... haven't eaten anything in nearly four days until I was put in the wagon." Snowflake stated, everybody's jaws' dropped,

"Hmm, you sure are abnormally skinny for a filly, you don't look like you have much energy either." Applejack observed,

"I'm tired." Snowflake replied,

"Come on, let's get you nursed back to health." Apple Bloom spoke,

"You guys will?" Snowflake questioned,

"Eeyup." Big Macintosh responded,

"You'll have to work here though, this place is always busy, and us four can't do every little thing by ourselves here." Applejack stated,

"Okay, as long as it's not hard work or I have to move heavy stuff." Snowflake said,

"Don't worry, you can help me and Apple Bloom round the house, Big Mac and Applejack will handle the heavy liftin'." Granny Smith replied,

"Alright, in case I have to work in the kitchen, I can't cook." Snowflake informed,

"It's fine, Ah'll handle it most of the time." Granny Smith spoke,

"Alright, Ah think everythin's fine so far, y'all, Ah'll go ahead and take her around town and introduce her to everypony." Applejack said, and everybody introduced themselves to Snowflake and Applejack took her outside to meet the others while the others went to their homes.

Pinkie Pie worked in Sugarcube Corner and baked confectioneries for Hearth's Warming and Applejack and Snowflake came in a little later,

"This is Sugarcube Corner, that's Carrot Cake and Cup Cake over there, they own the place, and Pinkie Pie's right there, she's their employee, and over there is Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake, Mr. and Mrs. Cake's son and daughter." Applejack spoke,

"Wait a minute, if they're earth ponies, why are their kids a unicorn and a Pegasus?" Snowflake questioned,

"My wife and I have distant relatives in our family trees who are unicorns and Pegasi." Mr. Cake explained,

"Oh, I see. Oh, that reminds me." Snowflake replied, and she trotted to Pinkie Pie and gave her winter clothes back,

"Thank you for lending these to me." Snowflake spoke,

"You're welcome." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Come on now, Snowflake, there's still a lot more ponies to introduce." Applejack stated, and they left. Pinkie Pie continued baking and watched for any customers but none came at the moment, Mr. and Mrs. Cake finished putting Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake to bed and they helped her bake the sweets, they made a lot in order to get ready for the next few days and they stored them and slept. The next morning came and customers flooded the store, Mr. and Mrs. Cake got overwhelmed while Pinkie Pie handled them easily, the customers left and only Apple Bloom and Snowflake remained,

"Go on, Snowflake, pick yer favorite." Apple Bloom encouraged,

"Um..." Snowflake said as she looked around,

"Take your time, Snowflake, I promise all of them are super yummy to the tummy." Pinkie Pie reassured, Snowflake continued looking but could not decide,

"What did your family buy for you were you were a really young filly?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They never bought me any treats." Snowflake replied sadly while looking down,

"*gasp* No treats or candies?" Pinkie Pie inquired, Snowflake shook her head,

"Tell you what, Snowflake, let's try something almost every foal likes, bubblegum, chew and blow." Pinkie Pie instructed and Apple Bloom bought it for her. Snowflake chewed slowly while tasting the very sweet gum, it was hard at first but began to soften,

"Alright, that should be good, go ahead and try to blow a bubble, Snowflake." Apple Bloom instructed, and she tried but could not, she kept trying while Pinkie Pie and Apple Bloom showed her how to move her tongue, she blew again and got a very small bubble,

"There ya go, keep blowin' till you can make it as big as ya can till it pops." Apple Bloom said, and Snowflake tried and only barely got it bigger and her jaw began to ache, she rested for a minute and blew a little more, the bubble got slightly bigger and popped,

"*laugh* Good job for first time, Snowflake, keep practicing, and you'll be able to blow big bubbles one day." Pinkie Pie said,

"Can I see you blow one?" Snowflake asked,

"Come on outside." Pinkie Pie replied, and they went. They arrived outside and Pinkie Pie chewed bubblegum while the foals cheered her on, she blew and a huge bubble appeared, she floated into the sky while Snowflake's jaw dropped in surprise and awe, she moved through the sky while everybody watched and the bubble she blew kept getting bigger, the bubble soon burst and pink bubblegum covered the entire town. Pinkie Pie dashed around the entire town and ate all of the bubblegum and let out a huge burp, Snowflake chuckled while Apple Bloom smiled a bit,

"Come on now, Snowflake, we gotta work back on the farm." Apple Bloom said, and they walked back. Pinkie Pie trotted around and helped others get ready for Hearth's Warming by putting up lights, building snowmen, making reindeer costumes for the foals, having foals practice singing carols, and putting a big tree in the center of Ponyville while others helped her, she saw Snowflake watching her from Sweet Apple Acres and looked on with sorrow, Apple Bloom tugged her a little and they did easy tasks on the ranch while Applejack and Big Macintosh did the hard and heavy work. Pinkie Pie and the others finished getting ready for the holiday and she noticed Twilight Sparkle was busy trying to find information on Snowflake,

"What'cha doin', Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm trying to find Snowflake's family and where they live." Twilight Sparkle responded,

"Um, Twilight, I don't think that's a good idea." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Well, somepony has to adopt her and take her in." Twilight Sparkle remarked,

"Give her time to settle down here, I think she needs to rest after what happened." Pinkie Pie said,

"True, I'll ask her later." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they trotted their separate ways.

A few days passed and Snowflake hung out with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle while they would come visit Pinkie Pie often to buy treats and candies after school along with the other foals, Pinkie Pie knew what every foal wanted and gave it to them while Snowflake watched with surprise, she finished and the foals left until the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Snowflake were the only ones left,

"What would you like today, Snowflake?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Um, there's so much variety, I don't know what to get, I'm also surprised you know what every foal wants." Snowflake responded,

"It all boils down to experience and knowing your customers, remember that I've been doing this for a long, long time, too." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Okay, um... that mango hard candy there looks good." Snowflake remarked, and Pinkie Pie gave it to her and Sweetie Belle paid for it, Snowflake tried it but had trouble chewing it, so she rolled it around in her mouth and waited for the candy to soften, she smiled at its sweet taste and she began chewing it,

"You want another one?" Scootaloo asked,

"No, I'm fine, thanks." Snowflake replied, and all four of them left. Pinkie Pie's break came and she left Sugarcube Corner, she looked for Snowflake to see how she was doing and saw her at Fluttershy's home and admiring the animals, she enjoyed the cats the most and the calm and quiet animals, she declined getting a pet and left, she then went to go see the others and took an interest in Rarity's outfits and job, she looked at her clothes while Sweetie Belle explained Rarity's job and Rarity smiled at Snowflake taking a notice, Pinkie Pie could not hear them from where she was from but can tell from their lip movements that Rarity asked Snowflake which outfit was her favorite and she could not decide, she pointed at the blue and white outfits while Rarity smiled, Snowflake also smiled at seeing the long-sleeve dresses and also loved the ones with flower designs, Rarity smiled and then went back in and Snowflake left while Sweetie Belle waved bye to her. Snowflake met with everybody in Ponyville and took a particular interest in the flower shops, she smiled at the view and then went back to Sweet Apple Acres.

Two days passed and Snowflake got along with everybody in Ponyville while working at Sweet Apple Acres and helped Apple Bloom and Granny Smith, she looked on wistfully from afar whenever the family played and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle joined them, Pinkie Pie suddenly showed up and walked up to her from behind and watched with her, they watched together and Twilight Sparkle flew down to them,

"Excuse me, Snowflake, I've been wanting to ask for a while, but what was your family like?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"I don't wanna talk about it." Snowflake replied,

"Can you describe them in a brief sentence or one word?" Twilight Sparkle requested,

"Mean." Snowflake responded,

"Twilight, Snowflake's tightening her body's muscles right now." Pinkie Pie warned, Twilight Sparkle noticed Snowflake glaring and her muscles clenching,

"I'll stop here, Snowflake, just wanted to get an idea what your past life was like." Twilight Sparkle said,

"I never want to go back to reliving it." Snowflake spoke,

"Can you at least tell me where you were before ending up near Ponyville?" Twilight Sparkle requested,

"Why?" Snowflake inquired,

"So I can get an idea on how easy or hard your life was by what your surroundings were like." Twilight Sparkle responded,

"Oh, it's to the southwest of here, I never learned the name of the place I lived." Snowflake answered,

"Southwest? There's quite a bit of woods and forests down that way." Twilight Sparkle remarked,

"I lived in one, I lived in a wooden house with no neighbors around." Snowflake replied,

"I see, thank you for your info." Twilight Sparkle said, and she flew to her castle,

"What is she planning?" Snowflake asked,

"If Twilight is like usual Twilight, then it's possible she's going to try to visit your family." Pinkie Pie answered,

"What? She better not bring them here." Snowflake exclaimed,

"I don't think so, it's likely she's going to go to their home and scold them for leaving you behind." Pinkie Pie deduced,

"I don't wanna see them again." Snowflake spoke,

"I'll go with you if she takes you to them." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Thank you." Snowflake replied, and Pinkie Pie walked back to Sugarcube Corner.

Pinkie Pie baked in Sugarcube Corner and the Cutie Mark Crusaders came in to help her, she instructed them carefully on what to do and would laugh with them whenever they made a mistake, they finished and went outside and saw Rainbow Dash with Snowflake and showed her the games the town's natives play, she tried throwing horseshoes on a small pole in the ground and she had fun while Applejack showed her how to throw better, she competed with Apple Bloom, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo and they had fun while Sweetie Belle cheered them on, Big Macintosh joined and threw one horseshoe and the pole broke and flew out of the acres while Snowflake's jaw dropped, Big Macintosh smiled and walked away,

"Wow!" Snowflake exclaimed,

"That's how we do it here, sugar cube." Applejack replied,

"Come on now, Snowflake, Granny and I need yer help in the kitchen today." Apple Bloom spoke, and they went in while Applejack and Big Macintosh worked outside. Pinkie Pie got a bad feeling and went to go check on Twilight Sparkle in her castle, she and Spike were working together to piece together Snowflake's background and find where she was from, she had official papers on Snowflake laying on her table and Pinkie Pie noticed they were her birth certificate and official documentations of her parents' residence,

"Where did you get these, Twilight?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"As a princess of Equestria and one of the country's rulers, I have access to everypony's personal info, birth certificates and histories of where they lived included." Twilight Sparkle responded,

"Does that include criminal records?" Pinkie Pie asked, Twilight Sparkle nodded,

"We normally don't do this, but Twilight has been wondering if Snowflake came from a less than ideal family and wondered if they could be involved in criminal activity or have criminal connections." Spike explained,

"What kind of criminal connections or activities?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Well, since it seems Snowflake is from a poor family, possibly robbery and thievery if this is a typical poor Equestrian criminal family, I hope they're not involved in anything violent or more serious, or I'll have to order them to be arrested." Twilight Sparkle spoke,

"So, what are you going to do?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm going to pay Snowflake's family a visit and get their side of their story on why they left her." Twilight Sparkle answered,

"I'm not getting a good feeling about this, I'm thinking they're going to be rude and unfriendly." Spike added,

"Can you and our other friends come with me and Spike in case things get ugly, Pinkie Pie?" Twilight Sparkle requested,

"Of course." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Thank you, Snowflake has a mother, a father, and an older brother, they seem to be living in a wooden cabin in the woods to the southwest of here." Twilight Sparkle stated, and they gathered their four other friends and went there.

Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and Spike arrived at a wooden cabin in a forest and Twilight Sparkle knocked on the door, it opened and three earth ponies came out, the stallion had a dark white coat, short dark gray mane and tail, white eyes, and his cutie mark was a trail of sleet, the mare had a bright white coat, long white mane and tail, sky blue eyes, and her cutie mark was a covering of gray fog, and the teenage colt had a dark white coat, long white mane and tail, blue eyes, and his cutie mark was a piece of hail,

"What do you want?" the stallion asked sternly,

"My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship..." Twilight Sparkle said,

"We don't care who you are, get to the point." the mare snapped,

"Are you two Snowflake's parents?" Twilight Sparkle inquired in an annoyed tone, the three ponies eyes' widened for a second and they glared at them afterwards,

"Where did you find that waste of space?" the colt inquired, the mares' and Spike's jaws dropped,

"She was found in the wilderness very close to our town." Applejack answered,

"What? See, son, this is why I told you leaving her where we left her was a bad idea." the stallion spoke,

"How was I supposed to know there was another settlement nearby?" the colt questioned,

"Uh-huh! So you all did abandon her!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she pointed to them,

"Keep that useless food stealer out of our lives!" the mare demanded,

"I just want you guys' side of the story." Twilight Sparkle stated,

"Y'all better not lie either." Applejack added,

"Fine, we raised her to help us with creating snow sculptures but she was inferior to us and her brother here, so she ended up just being another mouth to feed, she basically began changing into a food dumpster as she got older, so we decided we have to get rid of her." the stallion explained,

"That's it?! That's your reason?!" Rainbow Dash snapped,

"Do we need any more?" the mare asked,

"You two didn't try to train her?" Fluttershy inquired,

"Why? It is in our blood to know how to make art with snow from birth." the stallion replied,

"Know from birth?! What kind of logic is that?!" Rarity fumed,

"Weren't you guys and that colt there trained by others?" Rainbow Dash inquired,

"Yes, but we showed much more potential in doing great in that craft than she did." the colt spoke,

"So you all chose to abandon her and leave her homeless with no food or clothing in the winter?" Twilight Sparkle questioned,

"What is wrong with that?" the mare asked in an emotionless tone, the mares' and Spike's jaw dropped,

"She could've starved or froze to death!" Twilight Sparkle fumed while raising her voice,

"That's her problem!" the stallion retorted,

"You all didn't feed her, did you?!" Pinkie Pie thundered,

"Why should we waste our food on a foal who can't do well in our family's traditional crafts?" the mare questioned,

"Didn't it ever occur to y'all she could've been a late bloomer?" Applejack asked,

"Late bloomer is too late." the mare replied,

"So I guess you all aren't taking Snowflake back then." Rainbow Dash remarked,

"Why do you even have her, she was supposed to be dead by now." the colt said, the mares and Spike had angry expressions,

"You all nearly committed a crime!" Spike fumed,

"So what?! I've been to jail before, and I have no problem going back!" the stallion retorted,

"What is wrong with y'all?!" Applejack thundered,

"There is nothing wrong with us! It's you, now get off of our property before we get violent!" the mare threatened, and they went back in the house and the stallion slammed the door close,

"Oooooh, this family makes me so mad!" Rarity thundered,

"Let's just go, Rarity, there's no reasoning with them." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"So what do we do about them?" Fluttershy asked,

"Let's just leave them, if nothing happens, this will be the end with us dealing with them, let's go." Twilight Sparkle responded, and they left.

Pinkie Pie worked in Sugarcube Corner while thinking about Snowflake's family and it distracted her, she growled while thinking about them and the foals watched worriedly, she glared and seethed while baking and the foals backed away from her slowly, Mr. and Mrs. Cake grabbed Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake and carried them away from her, she screamed with stem coming out of her ears and it almost changed into fire,

"Ooooh, Snowflake's parents make me so mad!" Pinkie Pie fumed,

"Whoa." Truffle said,

"Come on, guys, let's go." Pipsqueak advised, and they left. Pinkie Pie panted and could not focus, Mr. and Mrs. Cake watched worriedly while Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake hid behind them,

"Pinkie Pie, we'll take over from here." Mr. Cake stated in a scared tone, and he and Mrs. Cake did while Pinkie Pie stepped back. Pinkie Pie thought about Snowflake's parents and wondered what her life was like before she found her, she looked outside and saw Snowflake was having fun playing games outside with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle while Granny Smith went over and gave them sweet snacks, she smiled at seeing Snowflake being happy in the town and she was then home schooled by Granny Smith with Cheerilee going over to visit her, Pinkie Pie then laid in her bed and slept.

The next day came and Snowflake was having fun again and helped Mayor Mare and Derpy with their duties, Pinkie Pie met with her other five friends and Spike,

"Okay, everybody, I looked up Snowflake's family, her father's name is Sleet, her mother's name is Winter Fog, and her brother's name is Hailstorm, Hailstorm has a clean record while Sleet and Winter Fog have gotten in trouble with the law in the past, most of it is tax evasion but they have been involved in several assaults as well, they've been involved in robberies and stealing money off of random ponies, too." Twilight Sparkle remarked,

"That father did mention he's been to jail before." Applejack reminded,

"It turns out his wife's been to jail, too." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"So do we report them to the authorities or something?" Fluttershy asked,

"Not yet, I hope they can change their ways this time." Twilight Sparkle responded,

"Yeah, considering the dad said he's okay going back to jail, I doubt they will." Rainbow Dash said,

"What about the son?" Rarity asked,

"I'm thinking about having him do some friendship lessons while seeing if he has any relatives or anypony wanting to adapt him." Twilight Sparkle answered,

"I don't think so, Twilight, he seemed really, really mean." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Let's give it a try, one thing I've noticed is that most foals who act mean at his age is usually due to his environment and influence from his parents and family." Twilight Sparkle remarked,

"What do we do with Snowflake?" Spike asked,

"Let's let her live here for now and hope somepony will adopt her eventually." Twilight Sparkle stated,

"Ah agree, our food's gettin' a little short with an extra member to feed, we'll run out before the crops start growin' again at this rate." Applejack said,

"I can feed her some of my food if you guys run out." Rainbow Dash suggested,

"Ah appreciate that, but we're gonna have to start rationin' food soon if she don't move out soon." Applejack stated,

"I'll start making the posters and filing papers now, this meeting is adjourned." Twilight Sparkle spoke, and they left.

A few days passed and Hearth's Warming was near, everybody got ready for Hearth's Warming Eve while nothing bad happened to anybody or Snowflake, Pinkie Pie helped with the tree in the center of Ponyville and Mayor Mare and Twilight Sparkle put the star on top and lit it and everybody cheered,

"I would like to thank everypony for their efforts in making this year's Hearth's Warming happen, with Hearth's Warming Eve tonight, may we have a happy Hearth's Warming and a smooth Winter Wrap Up this year." Mayor Mare announced, and everybody began singing Hearth's Warming carols together while holding one another's front hooves and swaying side-to-side, Snowflake did not know the lyrics and tried her best to sing and sounded out of place, she went along while Pinkie Pie smiled at watching her and everybody enjoyed Hearth's Warming Eve. Hearth's Warming came the next morning and everybody opened their gifts and enjoyed them, Pinkie Pie trotted to Sweet Apple Acres with a gift for Snowflake and saw Granny Smith giving her one,

"Oh, wow, I thought nopony would give Snowflake a gift." Pinkie Pie said,

"It's the least Ah can do." Granny Smith replied,

"Here you go, Snowflake, happy Hearth's Warming." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Thank you." Snowflake spoke as she took the gift,

"She was so happy to get a gift from Granny since she said her original family never got her any presents ever." Apple Bloom spoke,

"*gasp* No presents?!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed,

"Never, my brother got all of the birthday and holiday presents while I got nothing." Snowflake lamented, Pinkie Pie became speechless,

"Well, consider these gifts from yer current family, we put a lot of thought into thinkin' what you would like." Applejack said,

"Eeyup." Big Macintosh added, Snowflake ripped the wrapping paper and threw them everywhere, she gasped when she saw Granny Smith has gotten her a doll while Pinkie Pie has gotten her a box of candies,

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, I'll always treasure these." Snowflake said while hugging her gifts,

"It's still too bad my parents and sisters couldn't come to visit you." Pinkie Pie stated,

"What? You have a family, Pinkie Pie?" Snowflake asked,

"She does, they're far away from here, and accordin' to our family trees, our family and her family are related to one another." Applejack replied,

"Really?" Snowflake questioned, Pinkie Pie and Applejack nodded,

"Wow, I never would've guessed by looking at her and this family." Snowflake stated,

"Ah was surprised, too, Snowflake." Applejack replied,

"Still, thank you." Snowflake spoke, and she began playing with her dolls and eating the chocolate while Apple Bloom joined her, Granny Smith watched them while Applejack and Big Macintosh smiled and then went outside to go check on their animals and Pinkie Pie went back to Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie was busy selling things all day due to many customers coming in and there being a discount on all of the holiday themed treats, the foals and adults bought many and Mr. and Mrs. Cake had to help Pinkie Pie tend to the many customers, they finished and the entire shop was empty,

"Phew, that was a rough batch." Carrot Cake said,

"You said it." Cup Cake added,

"There was a lot more customers this year than normal." Pinkie Pie commented, Mr. and Mrs. Cake nodded, Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake made baby noises and Mr. and Mrs. Cake trotted to them, she looked out a window and everybody in Ponyville smiling and having a good time today, she smiled and saw Snowflake having fun with everybody in town and played with the other foals, Pinkie Pie finished her shift and joined the others while the Cake family went out to celebrate Hearth's Warming with everybody else later in the evening, everybody had cake for dessert while the foals ate their many chocolates and candies, everybody had fun until the end of the day and they slept.

The next day came and everybody saw Twilight Sparkle put up papers announcing Snowflake was up for adoption, Pinkie Pie and Snowflake read one and noticed Twilight Sparkle was calling for anyone in and out of Ponyville, Derpy then flew around and delivered the papers to every house,

"Isn't she going a bit overboard with it?" Snowflake asked,

"She's always like that." Pinkie Pie replied, Twilight Sparkle then flew up into the sky with her horn lit up and she held a megaphone,

"Attention, ponies of Equestria, there is an orphaned filly here in Ponyville named Snowflake, she is a sweet and friendly foal. The family who is currently nursing her is starting to run short on supplies and will not be able to help sustain her in the long run, so anypony wanting to adopt her will be greatly appreciated, we will do a background check on all of you and make sure you all are living in a safe and healthy environment for the filly while also checking your families' financial situation so she doesn't struggle." Twilight Sparkle spoke into the megaphone with her Royal Canterlot Voice, everybody covered their ears' while they ringed,

"There, hopefully, that will bring in some ponies willing to adopt Snowflake." Twilight Sparkle chirped and she flew to a desk in front of her castle's front door and Spike stood to her right side. Pinkie Pie saw many ponies arrive wanting to adopt Snowflake and they told her their backgrounds, occupations, home lives, where they live, Snowflake also learned about them and went to all of their homes with Twilight Sparkle inspecting them, Pinkie Pie watched from afar each time and Snowflake was dissatisfied with each one and they went back to Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle and Spike got visitors daily and they wanted to adopt Snowflake, they went to their homes and checked them and Snowflake was always dissatisfied,

"You've said no to all possible parents and families you could have, Snowflake, what are you looking for exactly?" Twilight Sparkle inquired,

"While it is nice the ponies want me to grow up happy and have freedom, a lot of their professions look like they would give them little time to actually spend time with me, it doesn't look like I can follow my family's art of carving art with snow in their home environments either." Snowflake explained,

"You still want to follow your family's craft even though they were mean to you?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"I know it didn't come from a good place for me, but the art that can be made from my family's craft is beautiful." Snowflake replied,

"This is the only time of the year there's snow in Equestria, you'll have to go up north near Yakyakistan is you wanna hone your family's craft." Twilight Sparkle explained,

"Do any of them have a snow machine?" Snowflake questioned,

"Your family had one?" Spike asked, Snowflake nodded,

"Sure, I'll go ahead and put it in the papers saying you are eligible for adoption." Twilight Sparkle stated, Snowflake smiled and Twilight Sparkle altered the papers to include the information with her magic. Less ponies wishing to adopt Snowflake came and she had more time to help the Apple family, play with foals, and be home schooled by Granny Smith, she walked just out of Sweet Apple Acres one day and stopped when she saw Sleet, Winter Fog, and Hailstorm in front of her,

"So you're still here and around after all, those adoption papers we found should've been given to us first." Winter Fog remarked,

"N... no." Snowflake muttered as she walked back a few steps slowly,

"To think somepony would actually love you and want to adopt you, you don't deserve any love." Sleet stated,

"I've never been arrested before, if it's because of hurting you, then it's worth it." Hailstorm spoke, Snowflake breathed a little heavily and began to run away,

"Come here!" Sleet yelled and they ran and jumped on Snowflake and began stomping on her while she crawled away and they ran to her, they tried to restrain and attack her but saw Applejack and Big Macintosh running to them, they got ready to fight but stopped when they saw Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash flying to them, their eyes' widened when they saw a pink trail moving to Sweet Apple Acres and Pinkie Pie was coming to them at high speeds and had an enraged expression,

"Oh, shoot!" Sleet exclaimed and he, Winter Fog, and Hailstorm turned around and ran away, they sprinted away and out of Ponyville while Pinkie Pie continued running at extremely high speeds and caught up with them easily, she jumped and knocked Sleet down and he grunted, Applejack and Big Macintosh arrived and tackled Winter Fog and Hailstorm down and Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash arrived and restrained them with Rainbow Dash using her hoofs and Twilight Sparkle using her magic,

"You three would actually come here to harm your daughter when we're trying to find a place for her to live, I'm not letting you three off the hook this time!" Twilight Sparkle said,

"Our useless and talentless daughter doesn't deserve love!" Sleet roared,

"I've heard enough last time, you and your wife are going to jail while your son is going to juvenile hall." Twilight Sparkle remarked,

"What? You can't send me there, they'll eat me alive!" Hailstorm begged,

"You should've thought about that earlier, and besides, you'll be given friendship tests and lessons first, you will only be given a hard time if you refuse to participate and cooperate." Twilight Sparkle replied, Hailstorm growled,

"Y'all could've just left Snowflake and got on with yer lives instead of comin' here and wantin' to beat her." Applejack spoke,

"This dumb foal that taints the world with her lack in our family's craft is something we cannot ignore." Winter Fog retorted,

"I think it's time you three get straightened out." Rainbow Dash stated,

"Eeyup." Big Macintosh spoke firmly, and they were restrained while Twilight Sparkle sent a report with her magic and the royal guards came and arrested them. Everybody went back to Sweet Apple Acres and Snowflake surrounded by the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike, and Granny Smith,

"How is she?" Applejack asked,

"She's fine, just a bit angry right now." Apple Bloom reported, Snowflake huffed hard while glaring and showing her teeth,

"There, there, Snowflake, it's all over now." Granny Smith said, she began to calm down,

"I'll stay up to date on how they act while in custody, if they don't improve or change their ways, I'll make sure you don't have to see them ever again." Twilight Sparkle stated, Snowflake nodded,

"I think it's best we let her rest and hope she'll be better tomorrow." Fluttershy suggested, everybody agreed and they left while Snowflake went into the Apple family's home.

Two days passed and nothing happened while Twilight Sparkle was kept up to date on Sleet, Winter Fog, and Hailstorm, Pinkie Pie and the others read the reports and saw the three were not improving on their behavior, they have gotten ruder and more violent and were refusing to cooperate with anybody,

"Ah guess they ain't gonna change after all." Applejack remarked,

"That's fine, they've got juvenile hall and jail waiting for them in that case." Twilight Sparkle responded,

"How goes the adoption process, darling?" Rarity asked,

"Nopony so far, I'm going to wait a bit longer to see if anypony comes." Twilight Sparkle answered,

"Please do, Twilight, mah family and I are extremely short on food and will be out soon." Applejack stated,

"You mean what we're donating still isn't enough?" Rainbow Dash questioned,

"It is, it's just we're goin' through them quickly due to our family now havin' five mouths to feed alongside the farm animals." Applejack responded,

"What will happen if we do run out of food?" Snowflake questioned,

"I'll take you in myself, I can give you all the food you want and could have even though the Apple family won't let me give them." Twilight Sparkle remarked,

"Us Apple family are happy with the time and hard work we put in growing our crops, makes the food tastier and more fulfilling to us." Applejack explained,

"I can understand that." Snowflake commented,

"Let's keep trying for now and hope somepony comes to adopt Snowflake soon." Twilight Sparkle stated, and everybody went to their homes. The next day came and Snowflake was still bothered and did not work much,

"Snowflake?" Sweetie Belle asked,

"Give her time, Sweetie Belle, she's still not over what happened." Pinkie Pie explained, Snowflake was quiet and worked slowly while the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Pinkie Pie watched her worriedly, she did her chores while Apple Bloom and Granny Smith walked with her and waited for her while she moved slowly,

"Y'all should get on with yer days, Apple Bloom and I will handle her." Granny Smith stated, and Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Pinkie Pie left. Snowflake walked through Ponyville and looked around without saying anything, Pinkie Pie looked at her face and saw a serene expression, she looked at her surroundings while the other ponies watched her, she went to the other end of Ponyville and then began looking at the snow falling from the sky, she stood in front of the Everfree Forest and looked inside of it while Fluttershy watched her, Applejack and Big Macintosh arrived and tapped her back but she did not respond, she moved around and they guided her back to Sweet Apple Acres while she walked with them, everybody watched her and Snowflake went back to Sweet Apple Acres and did not work, Granny Smith let her rest and the day went on as normal.

Four days passed and Snowflake started to get better, she began communicating again but only for a short time, a unicorn stallion and mare arrived in Ponyville and went to Twilight Sparkle,

"Hello, you two here to adopt Snowflake?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"Yes, I'm Refrigeration Unit, and this is my wife, Icebox, we deliver ice into old refrigerators of those who use them." the stallion explained, he had a blue coat, short white mane and tail, blue eyes, and his cutie mark was a white refrigerator, Icebox had a white coat, long blue mane and tail, pale blue eyes, and her cutie mark was a big ice cube,

"Where do you two live?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"Between the Crystal Empire and Yakyakistan." Icebox replied,

"Snowflake." Twilight Sparkle called out, she trotted to her and the couple teleported them and they came back about twenty minutes later,

"I like it." Snowflake stated,

"Great, I'll go ahead and start the paperwork." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Can I at least help with Winter Wrap Up and stay until the end of the year?" Snowflake requested,

"Of course, the adoption process is going to take some time." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she got to know her future guardians. The days passed and New Year's came and Snowflake celebrated it with the town while Refrigeration Unit and Icebox came to join, they then did Winter Wrap Up together and she got ready to leave and all of Ponyville was there to see her off,

"Don't forget to write to us, Snowflake." Applejack said,

"Don't worry, I will, thank you all for everything." Snowflake replied, and she boarded and the train and it departed while everybody bid her farewell and she and her new guardians waved at them until they were out of sight.

Everybody stood in Sugarcube Corner while the other foals looked on in surprise,

"Wow, that's quite a story." Angelique remarked,

"Yeah, even though we all had problems of our own." Treasure Hunter stated,

"Who are these guys?" Snowflake asked, and Pinkie Pie introduced all of them,

"Wow, sounds like you had a lot of adventures, Pinkie Pie." Snowflake stated,

"I have." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Well, it's getting a bit late, Refrigeration Unit and Icebox will be here soon, I have to go see everypony now." Snowflake spoke, and she did and the other foals went home. Pinkie Pie watched Snowflake meet everybody in Ponyville again and everybody was happy to see her, they all saw the train arrive and Refrigeration Unit and Icebox come off, Snowflake trotted and got a train ticket from the nearby booth and boarded the train with her guardians, it departed while everybody said bye to them, Pinkie Pie went back to Sugarcube Corner and laid in her bed at the end of the day, she looked at the ceiling and smiled while thinking about Snowflake and slept.

Pinkie Pie's Special Friends

Pinkie Pie was walking through Ponyville and noticed everything was peaceful and everybody was enjoying their day, she did not see any of her other friends in the town either, she then heard someone trying to cast a spell and saw Twilight Sparkle and Spike. She trotted to them while Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack also arrived,

"What'cha doin', Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm trying to develop a new spell that allows one to see their friends again, alive and dead, it'll allow them all to be in one place that is special to the one hit with the spell and they can interact with them and each other all at once." Twilight Sparkle explained,

"Care to explain why you're trying to create such a complicated spell, darling?" Rarity questioned,

"Princess Celestia has been missing her old friends recently and wishes to see them again, so I'm making a spell to make that happen in hopes of making her happy." Twilight Sparkle responded,

"Well, Ah ain't sure about this, sugar cube, Ah think you'd do better practicin' it somewhere with nopony around." Applejack suggested,

"Relax, it's small like a typical spell, it won't cause much collateral if it hits something." Twilight Sparkle stated,

"It will if it hits someone though." Spike reminded,

"I doubt that, Spike, I don't see anypony in my sight right now, but it does raise a concern if that does happen, the spell's not perfected yet, so it can risk one's enemies coming back as well." Twilight Sparkle stated,

"Can you zap me so I can meet my past pets again?" Fluttershy requested,

"I'll consider it after I get it right." Twilight Sparkle replied, Fluttershy smiled,

"Maybe you should try to make the spell inside your castle instead of out here." Rainbow Dash stated,

"I focus better in an open space." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"Well, alright then, let's step back, everyone." Applejack said, and they did. Twilight Sparkle cast the spell and shot it out of sight, it bounced off of a tree far away and the beam ricocheted across Ponyville, everybody watched and it hit many objects across the town until it hit Pinkie Pie, she floated into the sky while an aura the same color as Twilight Sparkle's magic aura appeared around her, a white flash appeared and everybody looked around.

Pinkie Pie stood up and opened her eyes and saw she was in her childhood home and saw Igneous Rock Pie, Cloudy Quartz, Limestone Pie, Maud Pie, and Marble Pie,

"Huh? Hey, what happened?" Limestone Pie asked,

"Twilight was trying a new spell and she hit me with it by accident." Pinkie Pie answered,

"That doesn't explain why we're here." Maud Pie reminded,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding,

"Oh my, what art they doing here?" Cloudy Quartz asked as she pointed, they looked and saw Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, Trixie, Sunburst, Cheese Sandwich, Night Light, Twilight Velvet, Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, Flurry Heart, Bow Hothoof, Windy Whistles, Mr. Shy, Mrs. Shy, Zephyr Breeze, Mudbriar, Hondo Flanks, Cookie Crumbles, and the natives of Ponyville,

"Where are we?" Cheerilee asked,

"Wait, Ah remember this place, this is Pinkie Pie's childhood home." Apple Bloom stated,

"Eeyup." Big Macintosh added,

"Oh, what horrid conditions, I couldn't imagine growing up in a place like this." Zephyr Breeze remarked,

"Don't bother leaving, Zephyr Breeze, there's no homes to see around here." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Still, I didn't imagine you'd grow up in a place like this, Pinkie Pie." Mrs. Cake remarked,

"It surprises many people." Pinkie Pie responded, they heard more moving in the house's corner and everybody saw many more people, they got up and Pinkie Pie's mane and tail stood up straight when she saw Letter, Number, Numerical, Alphabet, Beethooven, Merrick, Rock Candy and her mother, father, husband, son, and daughter, Cloudy, Air Force, Ice Blower, Frosty, Snowflake, Freeze, Blizzard, Igloo, Penguin, Snow, Ross, Toy Maker, Doll Maker, Treasure Hunter, Ainsworth, Fiery Heart, Cool Head, Flower Viola, Fiddler, Gardener, Obsidian, Rose, Lee, Vulture, Dove, Seamstress, Drifter, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, Purple Grace, Gold Digger, Wilfred, Boxer, Knock Out, Lightning Strike, Tulip, Bright Coat, Dark Mane, Cake Cream, Aroma, Rainstorm, White Mage, Thunderstorm, Angelique, Emerald, Haute Coture, Tempo, Aquarius, Taco Bell, Foster, Zhivago, Bright Smile, Joy Bringer, Callas, Tati, Houdini, Duo, Bozo, Back Flip, Double Joint, Butterfly Azalea, Weight Lifter, Powerlifter, Callisthenics, Arcana, Melon Farmer, Melon Harvester, Melon Crops, Banana Tree, Cavendish, Lady Fingers, Winter Blues, Punctual Organizer, Sugar Rush, Diary Farmer, Warm Heart, Woodwind, Love Giver, Refrigeration Unit, and Icebox, they all stood up and looked around while Cool Head, Boxer, Knock Out, Tati, Houdini, Duo, Bozo, Back Flip, and Double Joint looked at their own front hoofs,

"Wha? I'm alive again." Tati remarked,

"What? So am I, and I can hear you." Houdini replied,

"I can see and hear you guys, too." Duo remarked, Bozo touched his partners,

"I can touch and feel you guys, too." Bozo reported,

"I can feel you, too." Back Flip said,

"It seems we've been revived from the dead." Double Joint stated,

"Alright, we get it, y'all were dead and came back to life cause the grim reaper couldn't stand y'all, he apparently couldn't stand me, either." Boxer stated,

"Looks like the grim reaper couldn't stand me either, it seems I've been kicked out of the afterlife as well." Knock Out replied, he then coughed while Lightning Strike held him,

"That would mean I've been revived as well." Cool Head said,

"Who art thou people?" Igneous Rock Pie questioned,

"Wait, I can explain." Pinkie Pie responded, and she did,

"Wow, thou hast made lots of friends, Pinkamena Diane Pie, but I do remember Ice Blower and Frosty there." Igneous Rock Pie spoke,

"Hello, Igneous, Cloudy, Limestone, Maudileena, Pinkamena, and Marble." Frosty said,

"Hi, long time, no see." Ice Blower quivered while shaking, he looked at the many females around him and his heart began to beat quickly,

"Still scared of girls, I see." Limestone Pie remarked,

"I... gotten over it before, now I feel scared again." Ice Blower said,

"Excuse me." Rock Candy said while clutching her groin,

"Where's the bathroom?" Rock Candy asked, Cloudy Quartz pointed it to her and she went. Everybody heard farting and some had shocked expressions while others struggled not to laugh, they looked at Taco Bell and saw him clutching his abdomen,

"Sorry, I have chronic flatulence." Taco Bell stated and he farted again,

"Don't soil the floor." Limestone Pie stated,

"I just fart a lot, I don't have bowel problems." Taco Bell said,

"Oh, good." Limestone Pie commented, Wilfred barked and panted with his tongue out and Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz became alerted,

"Good Celestia! A canine with them!" Cloudy Quartz exclaimed,

"It's fine, he's house trained." Gilmore said, and Wilfred sat and continued panting,

"Sorry to ask, but where are we?" Ross asked,

"We're in my childhood home." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Oh, I see, I hope it's as colorful and whimsical as your personality, Pinkie Pie." Ross stated,

"Sorry to say this to you, but no, it isn't, everything's dull colored here." Purple Grace responded,

"That's unfortunate." Ross remarked,

"Alright, I finished looking at you all, where's Snowflake and Star Pony?" Pinkie Pie asked, Toy Maker, Doll Maker, Refrigeration Unit, and Icebox looked around and did not see them,

"Um, I'm right here." the mare Snowflake answered,

"No, not you, I'm looking for a filly also named Snowflake." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Oh." the adult Snowflake said,

"Oh, my, our adopted daughter's not here." Icebox said, Rock Candy then came back,

"She's not back there." Rock Candy reported,

"Hey, I see something moving outside on the farm." Sweetie Belle stated, they looked and saw the filly Snowflake walking while shivering,

"There she is." Refrigeration Unit spoke, and Numerical and Alphabet ran outside and brought her in since they were the closest to the door. Twilight Sparkle made blankets appear around the filly Snowflake while she shivered,

"Thank you, I was in the middle of nowhere and wandered until I found this place." the filly Snowflake stated,

"This is my childhood home, Snowflake, there's no house in sight here." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Wow, I did not think you'd grow up and be raised in a place like this." the filly Snowflake said,

"Alright, but now where's our adopted son?" Toy Maker questioned,

"Pinkamena Diane Pie, thou doth not think..." Igneous Rock Pie questioned, Cloudy Quartz's, Limestone Pie's, Maud Pie's, Pinkie Pie's, and Marble Pie's eyes' widened, knocking was then heard on the door,

"Pinkie Pie..." a weak voice stated, she realized it was Star Pony and quickly opened the door,

"Star Pony!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, he stumbled in and almost everybody screamed in horror when they saw his face was heavily scarred, swollen, and bruised, his legs were scarred with scrapes as well, the bottom of his hooves had blisters on them, swollen in a few parts, his back had scrapes and scabs all over it, and his flank had horizontal cuts on it, he fell onto the floor and groaned,

"What happened to him?!" Fiery Heart exclaimed,

"My... parents... they're... back." Star Pony stated while struggling to speak,

"What? Twilight, why are they back? I didn't consider them my friends." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Like I said earlier, it's still a work in progress, I'll have to change it around later so one's enemies don't come back." Twilight Sparkle stated,

"Wait, enemies?" Obsidian questioned,

"You think Greenie Gaz and his gang are back?" Rose asked, Pinkie Pie's eyes widened while Lee ran to the nearest window and looked out the window. He looked for Greenie Gaz, Pear, Tiger Bench, Thumbscrew, Rack, Iron Spider, Bamboo, Iron Maiden, Spanish Donkey, Brazen Bull, Crocodile Shears, Blood Eagle, and Necktie,

"I don't see them anywhere." Lee reported,

"How many members are there in the gang?" Maud Pie asked,

"Thirteen." Lee responded,

"Thirteen? That seems pretty big for a group of criminals." Limestone Pie remarked,

"We took them down before, there's more people with us now, too, we can restrain and arrest them easily this time." Obsidian stated, Rose nodded while smiling,

"Alright, to all of you who don't know, I got hit with a spell that allows one to see of their friends at once again, this is my childhood home, those five there are my parents and my sisters." Pinkie Pie explained,

"What? Can somebody write down what she's saying, I'm deaf." Beethooven stated, Maud Pie pulled a paper out of her mane with what Pinkie Pie just said and showed it to him,

"Oh, you really stand out appearance-wise, Pinkie Pie." Beethooven said,

"Oh, great, first, somepony who can't see, now, a pony who can't hear, fantastic, more work for me." Limestone Pie complained,

"What with her?" Flower Viola asked,

"Sorry about that, my oldest sister is a sourpuss." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Pinkie Pie was always the family socializer whenever we had visitors, our parents here speak in a language lost to modern ponies, Limestone doesn't like visitors, I'm not really one to show my emotions, and Marble gets nervous whenever somepony comes." Maud Pie explained,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie spoke while nodding,

"Quite a unique family you have." Butterfly Azalea stated,

"They are, and all of those people and animals there are my friends from Ponyville, which several of you have already met." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Hello, to those who don't know or recognize me, I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship." Twilight Sparkle announced,

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it, but as long as you're here, I'm in charge." Limestone Pie remarked,

"Oh, how rude." Rarity said,

"I am aware of Pinkie's desires to help you all in the past, and it seems your problems have all reemerged, I will do my best to try to help as well." Twilight Sparkle stated, Maud Pie showed Beethooven another paper and he read it,

"Um, can any of you make a note with letters and numbers on them please?" Letter requested, Marble Pie took a sheet of paper out of her mane and showed it to them, she and Number looked at the random letters and numbers on it,

"Can you two read?" Alphabet asked,

"I can't read the numbers." Letter answered,

"I still can't read the letters." Number added,

"Figured." Numerical remarked,

"I remember what I did last time, I'll get to it later." Pinkie Pie stated, Beethooven tried to read Pinkie Pie's lip movement to deduce what she was saying but could not, Merrick looked at himself and moved around,

"Oh, what happened to you?" Angelique asked,

"I was born this way." Merrick answered, Rock Candy sighed while holding her hind legs together, Cloudy unfolded her wings' stumps,

"Oh, no, where are my prosthetics?!" Cloudy exclaimed, Ice Blower looked at the females and panted heavily,

"I'm still blind, so I'll need my surroundings explained to me later." Ross stated, Star Pony vomited out metal scraps and the others looked on with horror while White Mage and Zhivago checked on him, Treasure Hunter thought about his parents and looked down,

"Pinkie Pie, I miss my husband deeply again." Fiery Heart reported with tears falling out of her eyes,

"I feel a deep longing for my late wife again as well." Cool Head added,

"Mommy, daddy, are you two okay seeing each other right now?" Flower Viola questioned,

"Can't say I am." Fiddler responded,

"Me neither." Gardener added,

"I miss my dead sister a lot suddenly, too." Obsidian stated,

"It looks like our child wasn't revived." Vulture observed,

"I wish he could've been here." Dove lamented,

"Me too, I never got to thank him for saving my life." Seamstress spoke,

"Things seem no different for us, just me, my siblings, dog, boyfriend, and father." Pink Diamond observed,

"Yeah, I think my girlfriend's right, our situation seems no different." Gold Digger added,

"But it looks like daddy's workplaces are very far from here." Purple Grace said,

"It's fine, Drifter, my family's always looking for new employees, but you'll have to obey Limestone instead of my parents." Pinkie Pie answered,

"I'll think about it." Drifter spoke, Boxer and Knock Out coughed,

"Daddy?" Lightning Strike asked,

"I'm fine, darling." Knock Out responded, Tulip's muscles twitched while Bright Coat, Dark Mane, Cake Cream, Aroma, Rainstorm, and Thunderstorm held her, Foster looked around and growled,

"I've had enough problems in my current life already! Me being far away and unable to find my way home and surrounded by strangers is something I don't need!" Foster fumed,

"Foster, if you act like your usual self and start destroying things and getting violent, you will have to answer to me and my family." Pinkie Pie warned,

"I find anything broken here, and I will break your body." Limestone Pie stated, Bright Smile laid down and sighed while her body cracked the floor a little while Joy Bringer sat and watched her, Callas tried to speak and sing and noticed her voice was still gone,

"Pinkie Pie, I don't see my mean family anywhere." Butterfly Azalea stated,

"I don't see them either." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Um, do you guys have any food, I wanna test my taste buds since I couldn't taste anything until Pinkie Pie reverted it a bit." Weight Lifter reported, Maud Pie got a sweet bun and he tried it, he shook his head,

"I don't feel tired, I haven't slept in over a day, either." Arcana stated while the others looked at her with concern and Maud Pie took out a paper on what she said and Beethooven read it,

"I already know I'm still lactose intolerant." Melon Farmer remarked,

"Oh, wow, I'm gluten intolerant." Banana Tree replied, Winter Blues walked in a corner and laid down,

"Hey, what are you doing?" Limestone Pie asked,

"He has depression, Limestone." Pinkie Pie answered,

"I bet he will be over it if he worked here on the farm." Limestone Pie remarked,

"I don't think that's going to work." Maud Pie commented,

"Technically, it could work if he keeps his mind busy." Mudbriar stated, Punctual Organizer looked around and got a little bothered over most things not being even and symmetrical in the house, Sugar Rush looked outside at the rock farm and wanted to play, Warm Heart sat in a corner and panted heavily,

"You're safe here, Warm Heart." Pinkie Pie reassured, and he calmed down,

"Mommy, are you going to leave for work?" Woodwind asked,

"There's nowhere to go, until we're sent back, keep practicing playing your flute." Love Giver replied, Woodwind nodded,

"Wow, you made some unique friends throughout your life, Pinkie Pie." Cheerilee spoke,

"Indeed, she has, we've already met some of them, but this is our first time seeing all of them." Mayor Mare added,

"Still hard to believe there's enough room here for us all." Sandbar observed,

"It's still very crowded though." Sunset Shimmer spoke,

"Just who were friends with all of you guys?" Maud Pie asked,

"That would be me." Merrick replied,

"You all go ahead and make yourselves at home, we're stuck here until a unicorn or Twilight herself can undo her spell and return things to normal." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Well, might as well work while I'm here, how much are you all paying?" Drifter asked,

"Fifty bits for every rock field done." Igneous Rock Pie answered,

"Alright, can you all show me the ropes?" Drifter requested,

"An unneeded phrase since there are no ropes here on this farm." Mudbriar stated,

"I know that, I didn't mean that literally." Drifter remarked,

"Sorry, but Mudbriar's always like that." Trixie responded,

"Yona wanna work on rock farm, too." Yona stated,

"What? A yak working on the rock farm? Nu-uh, no way, not gonna happen." Limestone Pie said,

"Limestone, I think a yak would be great for cracking rocks and gems open." Maud Pie suggested,

"Yak good at smashing." Yona remarked,

"Alright, fine, those who wanna work, come on outside." Limestone Pie said, and she walked outside and Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Big Macintosh, Air Force, Ice Blower, Frosty, the mare Snowflake, Freeze, Blizzard, Igloo, Penguin, Snow, Treasure Hunter, Obsidian, Drifter, Gold Digger, Boxer, Knock Out, Emerald, Weight Lifter, Powerlifter, and Callisthenics went out and the others followed.

Limestone Pie got a pickaxe and a rock,

"This is the simple part, use a pickaxe and break the rocks apart, there's gems in them sometimes, like this." Limestone Pie instructed, and she picked up a pickaxe with her mouth and broke the rocks apart while they watched,

"After that, you put them in the wagon there, you then move it to the quadrant with the least rocks, and then you go work in the next quadrant with the most rocks, break those and put them in the wagon and move it into the quadrant with currently the least rocks, rinse and repeat." Limestone Pie said, and she did the job and the others began. They worked while the others watched,

"I am not doing this job again." Trixie declared, they watched and the foals struggled, Ice Blower tried to ignore the girls around him and he almost hyperventilated at seeing them, he looked down and sighed,

"Um, Ice Blower, I think it'll be best if you don't work until you're comfortable around girls again." Maud Pie said, and he stopped,

"What's with him?" Lightning Strike asked,

"It's my fault, I picked on my little brother a lot and it's made him scared of girls." Frosty explained,

"Ice Blower, dear, are you okay looking at me?" the mare Snowflake asked, Ice Blower looked at her and he panted and sweated heavily,

"Looks like you've got yourself a case of the adult cooties." Boxer remarked, he then coughed and almost fell over,

"Um, are you okay to work?" Rainbow Dash questioned,

"I'm fine, not like it matters, I'm likely gonna be dead soon anyway." Boxer said,

"Don't get any of your sickness on my rocks." Limestone Pie ordered,

"Well, excuse me, miss, I didn't know these rocks were your children." Boxer stated, everybody except Beethooven's and Maud Pie's jaws dropped,

"I don't have time to deal with snarky comments." Limestone Pie remarked,

"Really? I just see you standin' and watchin' right now." Boxer responded,

"Boxer, Limestone doesn't like dealing with people who talk back to her and sarcastic people." Pinkie Pie warned,

"She got a parasprite up her flank or somethin'?" Boxer asked, Limestone Pie's jaw dropped,

"No! I have a farm to run and money to make! I am busy all day every day, somepony with a mouth like yours adds more stress and problems onto me!" Limestone Pie fumed,

"Sounds like you've been missin' out on life and had your growth stunted." Boxer stated, Limestone Pie growled, Boxer then went back to work and stopped talking. Alphabet and Numerical began helping Letter and Number read things and Pinkie Pie modified their notes, she remembered what she did last time and a capital A was made with a fraction sign, another fraction sign that was backwards, and a subtraction sign between them; a capital B was made with the numbers 1 and 3; the letter C was made with the left parenthesis; a capital D was made with the number 1 and a right parenthesis; a capital E was made with the sigma symbol; a capital F was made with the number 1 and an equal sign; a lowercase G was made with the number 9; a lowercase H was made with the number 4 that was upside-down and backwards; a capital I was made with the number 1; a capital J was made with the square root symbol; the letter K was made with the number 1, a fraction sign, and a backwards fraction sign; a capital L was made with the number 7 upside-down and backwards; a capital M was made with two number 1s, a fraction sign, and a backwards fraction sign; a capital N was made with two number 1s and a backwards fraction sign; the letter O was made with the number 0; the letter P was made with the number 1 and a right parenthesis; a lowercase Q was made with the number 1 and a left parenthesis; a capital R was made with the number 1, a right parenthesis, and a backwards fraction sign; the letter S was made with parentheses; a lowercase T was made with the plus sign; a capital U was made with a parabola; the letter V was made with a fraction sign and a backwards fraction sign; the letter W was made with two fraction signs and two backwards fractions signs; the letter X was made with the multiplication sign; a capital Y was made with the number 1, a fraction sign, and a backwards fraction sign; the letter Z was made with the number 2,

"Wow, Pinkie Pie, very creative." Cheerilee complimented,

"I got another set." Pinkie Pie replied, and she wrote the numbers, the number 0 was made with the letter O, the number 1 was made with a capital I; the number 2 was made with the letter Z; the number 3 was made with a capital E backwards; the number 4 was made with a lowercase H that was upside-down and backwards; the number 5 was made with a capital L that was upside-down with the letter C under it and backwards; the number 6 was made with a lowercase G that was upside-down and backwards; the number 7 was made with a capital L that was upside-down and backwards; the number 8 was made with two Os; the number 9 was made with a lowercase G,

"Oh my, very nice." Night Light stated,

"Didn't you try something similar when you were young, Twilight?" Twilight Velvet asked,

"I think I did, I don't remember." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"I don't think she did." Shining Armor remarked,

"I think I may have suggested trying something similar." Princess Cadance stated, Flurry Heart cooed while smiling,

"How did you get this idea, Pinkie Pie?" the filly Snowflake asked,

"I just observed and noticed they looked similar." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Oh." the filly Snowflake said,

"Can you try the same with musical notes?" Woodwind questioned,

"Mmm, from what I've seen, a lot of the notes will likely be replaced with the letter L that would be rotated around while the whole note will likely be a lowercase O or the number 0." Pinkie Pie observed,

"You should practice playing your instruments while you're here, Woodwind." Love Giver suggested,

"Right. Is it okay if I play music here, Limestone Pie?" Woodwind requested,

"As long as you don't distract any of us and you stay out of the way." Limestone Pie stated,

"Okay." Woodwind said, and she got her sheet music and did not see anything she could put them against until Twilight Sparkle made a music stand and chair appear with her magic, Woodwind put the sheet music on it and then sat in the chair and played her flute. Fluttershy swayed back and forth while Beethooven smiled and looked at her sheet music, he did not hear her music but watched which keys she pressed down on her flute, he corrected her hoofs whenever she pressed down on the wrong keys and kept playing, she practiced while Angelique and Tempo walked to her, Pinkie Pie dashed away and came back with two more music stands, sheet music, a violin, and a trumpet, they sat and Angelique played the violin while Tempo played the trumpet. Emerald cracked open as many rocks and looked for any gems that could be inside,

"What are you doing?" Maud Pie asked,

"Looking for gems, I wanna be an appraiser when I get older." Emerald explained,

"These rocks here don't have any gems in them." Maud Pie answered,

"You an appraiser, too?" Emerald asked,

"No, rock expert." Maud Pie responded,

"A geologist to be specific." Mudbriar stated,

"Is he a relative of you?" Emerald questioned,

"Boyfriend." Maud Pie responded,

"Oh, he looks like he could pass off as a member of your family." Emerald commented,

"Her family is into rocks, mine is into sticks." Mudbriar stated,

"Oh, I see, same with you and Limestone there, I would've thought you were the oldest sibling if it wasn't stated that Limestone is." Emerald said,

"While it is true Limestone is older than me, she and I are actually almost the same age, and same with her being in charge of the farm, I'm the second-in-command when I'm here, if Limestone can't run the farm for whatever reason, I take charge." Maud Pie explained,

"You gonna help the rocks too or not, Maud?" Limestone Pie questioned,

"I'm watching the colt, Limestone." Maud Pie answered, everybody worked until Limestone Pie saw Treasure Hunter examining Holder's Boulder,

"Hey! What are you doing at Holder's Boulder?!" Limestone Pie hollered,

"I'm looking for treasure." Treasure Hunter responded,

"There's no treasure on this farm, so get away from it and no digging the ground here." Limestone Pie spoke, Treasure Hunter looked down,

"Come on, Treasure Hunter, let's try something else." Ainsworth said, and they walked away. Pinkie Pie and her sisters worked and they exclaimed when a rock flew past their heads, they looked and saw Gilmore hitting them with a golf club,

"Gilmore!" Pinkie Pie scolded,

"Hey! No hitting the rocks! They're not golf balls!" Limestone Pie fumed,

"Gilmore, if you think my forms of punishment and discipline were bad, you're in for a lot worse here since it's Limestone and my parents who do the disciplining here." Pinkie Pie warned, Gilmore looked and saw Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz glaring at him, Igneous Rock Pie cracked his front hoofs while Cloudy Quartz stretched and cracked her neck muscles, he sweated and went back into the house slowly while the Pie sisters resumed working. Foster growled at the music playing and threw a rock a Woodwind's music stand and knocked it down, they stopped playing while Foster turned around and exhaled sharply, Limestone Pie glared at him and walked to him but Pinkie Pie touched her shoulder and shook her head, he looked at the rocks and he began kicking and throwing them around,

"HEY!!" Limestone Pie hollered while she ran to him and restrained him,

"What do you think you're doing to my farm?!" Limestone Pie inquired,

"GET OFF OF ME!!" Foster yelled,

"Not until you stop acting the way you do." Limestone Pie replied, Foster growled while Pinkie Pie walked to him,

"Foster, what is the matter?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"What do you think?! I'm forced to be here in this run down home of yours and overcrowded with all of these people and their annoying antics! No way would a family be able to live like this without getting in trouble with the authorities when I was a kid!" Foster explained,

"Foster, I know this isn't an ideal place and it's not happy, but it's still my childhood home and this is my family." Pinkie Pie stated,

"How you didn't desire to leave and wanted to do something is beyond me." Foster commented,

"I did, but I still come back here because I love my family." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, I see." Foster remarked while he calmed down,

"You have to control your rage here, Foster, my family is not as forgiving and patient as I am." Pinkie Pie reminded, Foster exhaled and sighed,

"Good, now try to stay that way, Limestone Pie and Maud Pie deal with the troublemakers here, and they're a lot rougher and stronger than I am." Pinkie Pie stated,

"From my experiences in the royal guard, it's the quiet people like Maud Pie who are the stronger and more dangerous of the two." Foster spoke,

"It's not like that between us, Limestone is the strongest out of all of us physically." Maud Pie stated,

"Not very emotive, is she?" Foster questioned,

"Nope." Pinkie Pie responded,

"The royal guards were looking for ponies like that when I joined." Foster stated,

"What a coincidence, they were looking for that at the time I joined, too." Cool Head spoke,

"Oh, wow, I guess accepting emotional ponies is a recent thing." Foster deduced,

"It probably is." Cool Head responded,

"Joining the royal guard is something that never caught my interest." Maud Pie remarked,

"Well, have fun, guys, I'll go ahead and check on the others." Pinkie Pie said, and she trotted away. The farm ran smoothly and Yona rammed and broke the rocks, she smiled and had fun breaking rocks, Sugar Rush got an idea and began throwing them at Yona and she ran and tried to ram and break them before they hit the ground, Smoulder and Silverstream joined in and began playing, Sugar Rush had fun while Diary Farmer slapped her own forehead and shook her head, the rocks were broken and he began jumping and rolling around while throwing the pieces into the wagon, Sandbar decided to try and had fun while Ocellus changed into a dragon and began throwing them, Smolder flew down and competed with who can throw the most and farthest, Gallus joined in and began throwing them in, Limestone Pie smiled at seeing the wagon filled. Fluttershy helped Tulip walk around her muscles twitched and she almost stumbled over, she held her up and had her walk around the farm and Cake Cream and Aroma held her up, White Mage joined them with Merrick and they tried to help him and Tulip move around, Arcana tried casting a spell to heal them but could not, Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, and Sunset Shimmer then cast spells together and tried to heal the disabled ponies, they improved a little while Bright Smile and Joy Bringer remained the same,

"Um, you three missed two." Rainbow Dash reported,

"From what I've seen with people like them, regular exercise and a balanced diet works best, trying to take shortcuts and think of short-term healthy weight gain and loss doesn't help in the long run." Twilight Sparkle responded,

"How did you get her to lose weight, Pinkie?" Starlight Glimmer asked,

"I got lots of desserts loaded with fruits and nuts and put them in places where she had to move to get to them and let her listen to music so she could dance to it." Pinkie Pie answered,

"And the other guy?" Sunset Shimmer questioned,

"I had him eat more." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Pinkie Pie, maybe it'll be best if you let my parents help them get in shape." Weight Lifter suggested,

"What I did managed to work." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Maybe so, but you're not an experienced trainer like me and my wife." Powerlifter responded,

"You can still help us, from what my husband and I seen, it's alright to let them have their unhealthy sweet stuff in small doses daily so they don't have cravings." Callisthenics added,

"When Pinkie Pie tried to get me to lose weight, she cut white sugar out of my diet completely and I felt terrible." Bright Smile stated,

"See, there you go, small doses every day prevents that most of the time as well." Callisthenics spoke,

"What do you guys have in mind for me?" Joy Bringer asked,

"Hay and vegetables may work for you along with some moderate physical activity." Powerlifter stated,

"I'm no health and fitness expert like my parents, but I can tell you have no muscle and are weak." Weight Lifter observed,

"Those two can get in shape if they work on the farm." Limestone Pie remarked,

"She ain't wrong, Big Mac and I do traditional farmin', and look at how strong and fit we turned out." Applejack stated,

"Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied,

"Alright, everyone, looks like that's all, we're done for today." Limestone Pie spoke, and they stopped working and Limestone Pie moved the wagon out of the farm and came back with it empty,

"What do you do with those rocks, anyway?" Ocellus asked,

"I give them to the closest merchants and they sell them for whatever reason." Limestone Pie answered,

"Oh, wow, like anyone will want a pet rock." Gallus snarked,

"Most of the merchants sell the rocks as yard decoration." Limestone Pie corrected,

"Dragons wouldn't like rocks, too light and small for boulder throwing competitions." Smolder remarked,

"The rocks here are pretty boring for me, not much variety when compared to what we have underwater." Silverstream stated,

"I think you would like the different kinds of sticks my home has." Mudbriar remarked,

"I'd like to see one day." Silverstream chirped, Mudbriar smiled,

"Well, we're done working for today, in the house." Limestone Pie stated, and they went.

Everybody unwinded while Rock Candy went to the bathroom and Taco Bell farted more, Rarity exclaimed and almost fainted while Cloudy and Air Force struggled not to laugh, Taco Bell looked at them,

"Sorry, I always found farts funny ever since I was a filly." Cloudy said,

"Same." Air Force added,

"It was funny to me at first but it started to get old quickly." Taco Bell replied, he farted again and Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Rainbow Dash chuckled while Twilight Sparkle's and Rarity's jaws' dropped,

"Ah know flatulence is uncouth and all, but it does give us a laugh on the farm sometimes." Applejack spoke,

"What?! There is absolutely no way that's allowed in high pony society, it is one of the worst possible things one can do." Rarity replied, Taco Bell farted again,

"What have you been eating, Taco Bell?" Melon Farmer asked,

"Daisy flower sandwiches, strawberries, kale, carrots, tomatoes, hay, zucchinis, brown rice, blueberries, grapes, pineapples, raspberries, celery, apricots, blackberries, watermelons, whole wheat bread, beets, ginger, cucumbers, baked potatoes, oatmeal, pineapples, green beans, apples, and raisins." Taco Bell answered,

"Wow, that's a lot to remember." Banana Tree remarked,

"Another reason I fart a lot is I'm lactose intolerant." Taco Bell said,

"Oh, me too, but I don't get bad gas in my case." Melon Farmer replied,

"Ya might wanna ease up on the oatmeal, though, that's known to be a fart producer." Applejack reminded,

"I don't eat much." Taco Bell responded, he farted again and several people tried not to laugh,

"I suppose tis okay as long he doth not disturb the people here." Cloudy Quartz said,

"It's still crowded in here, I think some of us will have to sleep outside." Doctor Whooves remarked,

"Can we have tents?" Derpy requested,

"Of course." Twilight Sparkle stated, and she made them appear outside, everybody went out while Pinkie Pie and her family slept in their home peacefully with Star Pony, Winter Blues, and Warm Heart.

Everybody slept peacefully until Star Pony and Warm Heart began having nightmares and they yelled and screamed in their sleep, everybody came in with Ross being led by Beethooven and Callas while Pinkie Pie shook Star Pony awake and Warm Heart sprung awake and tried to reach for a spear while panting heavily,

"What? What's going on, I only came because I saw everypony else running." Beethooven spoke, Pinkie Pie took a paper out of her mane that explained to Beethooven what was going on,

"What's going on?" Bow Hothoof asked,

"Nightmares of my past." Star Pony answered,

"Mine too." Warm Heart added,

"What about that guy laying there?" Windy Whistles questioned,

"I'm not in the mood to get up and do anything." Winter Blues replied,

"What's with him?" Hondo Flanks questioned,

"I already told you, depression." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Ya gotta work if ya wanna stay here, and like I said yesterday, it might help you get over it, too." Limestone Pie suggested,

"How?" Winter Blues asked,

"Maybe if you keep yourself busy, you won't have time to feel that way." Cookie Crumbles suggested,

"You can lay down and relax all you want when you retire like me." Mr. Shy stated,

"He's right, it's nice to have a long break and relax when one retires." Mrs. Shy added,

"Wish I could be like that." Zephyr Breeze lamented,

"Zephyr Breeze, his reason is different." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Did you ever feel a passion, Winter Blues?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"Used to." Winter Blues replied,

"It don't matter if you lost your passion or am burned out, you gotta work here regardless of how you feel." Limestone Pie said,

"I think every job's like that." Shining Armor replied,

"It's the same with my job, I have to work even on days when I don't want to." Princess Cadance said,

"I think every job that involves running and managing a town or kingdom is like that." Mayor Mare said,

"We'll go ahead and get breakfast ready, so you all go ahead and relax for now." Maud Pie spoke, and the family except for Pinkie Pie went to the kitchen. Drifter and Gilmore took Wilfred outside and began walking him around the farm, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Maud Pie, and Mudbriar went outside and let their pets play around. Maud Pie and Mudbriar put Boulder and Twiggy together and they smiled, they noticed Fluttershy had many animals but she was able to control and command them easily, they moved with her and went around the farm's perimeter. Winona ran to Wilfred and barked happily, the two ran and played on the farm while tumbling around, they played rough while Drifter and Big Macintosh restrained them from getting too rough, they had fun while the others watched and smiled. The animals moved around on the rock farm and everything was peaceful, they were careful not to hit the rocks and everything went on fine, Maud Pie then came out of the house,

"Breakfast's ready." Maud Pie called out, and they went in. Everybody looked at the meals and they were a bunch of rocks,

"You... ate rocks as a child, Pinkie Pie?" Haute Coture asked,

"Yes." Pinkie Pie answered,

"How do you still have all of your teeth?" Tempo questioned,

"My teeth got sharper and harder slowly." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Wow, I never thought I'd see someone eating rocks for a living." Aquarius stated,

"Hey, us dragons eat gems." Spike reminded,

"That's different." Aquarius said,

"I guess we might as well try so we don't be rude by refusing." Rose stated, the others agreed and took a few rocks. Everybody tried to eat them but could not while Pinkie Pie and her family ate them easily, Winter Blues did not eat while Callas tried to help Ross, Punctual Organizer looked on nervously and then wondered about his own teeth, Pinkie Pie took the rocks and punched them into small pieces and then grinded them into powder with her front hoofs and handed them to the others. Everybody tried them but it tasted bad, Marble Pie dashed into the kitchen and came back with salt, she put it in the powder and everybody tried it and liked them better but Foster spat out the grinded rock powder and salt and threw the bowl across the room,

"Hey! I worked hard to make that!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed,

"So what?! I have to eat rocks for a living now! I might as well be homeless with no food at this point!" Foster fumed,

"You won't get anything if you act like that, be grateful we gave you a meal." Limestone Pie remarked,

"A meal made from rocks?! You'll give somepony mouth and teeth damage! You guys having guests is a question that won't be answered if you're going to make us sleep outside and feed us rocks!" Foster thundered,

"This is still their home! It is their way! You should be grateful they tried to give ya some hospitality instead of actin' like ya have a nest of hornets on yer behind!" Applejack scolded, Foster scoffed and picked up the bowl while everybody managed to finish and Pinkie Pie and her family washed the bowls,

"Um, can we have the things we did before we were teleported here like you did with Gilmore and the golf club yesterday, Princess Twilight?" Cake Cream requested, the others agreed and Pinkie Pie told Twilight Sparkle what they did and she made many items appear. Everybody looked at their things and Woodwind began playing her woodwind instruments immediately, she struggled with the bassoon and Beethooven and Callas helped her, she took the mouthpiece off after playing for about twenty minutes and took a deep breath, Rock Candy used the bathroom and everybody smelled the foul stench,

"Sorry, everyone." Rock Candy stated while blushing, Cloudy Quartz reached under the table and gave her garlic and cranberry juice. Treasure Hunter looked at a picture of his parents while Ainsworth stood by his side, Fiery Heart looked at a picture of her husband, Cool Head looked at a picture of his wife, Obsidian looked at a picture of Amethyst, Vulture, Dove, and Seamstress looked at a picture of Sky Glider, and Drifter looked at a picture of his wife while Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace looked at the picture of their mother while Gold Digger and Wilfred joined them,

"Wow, they all look sad." Derpy observed,

"All of them have lost somepony important to them." Pinkie Pie responded,

"That reminds me, Star Pony, is your younger brother here?" Limestone Pie asked,

"No, his grave is still at my old home." Star Pony answered while holding back tears, the others looked at him while he almost cried,

"You wanna go for a walk, Star Pony?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Not right now." Star Pony said, she then walked to Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace,

"Did you brush your teeth this morning?" Pinkie Pie asked, they remained silent and began to run away,

"No!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed while running after them, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity held them with their telekinesis while Applejack tied a lasso around them,

"Oh, no, ya three don't, y'all should know better to obey a foalsitter." Applejack spoke, Rarity made a toothbrush with toothpaste appear and the three moved their heads away and she growled,

"Come on, you three, stop being stubborn." Twilight Sparkle spoke, and she made two more toothbrushes with toothpaste appear and brushed their teeth with her magic and then rinsed their mouths,

"There." Twilight Sparkle remarked,

"Well, I'll go ahead and start work, come with me, sisters." Limestone Pie stated, and she, Maud Pie, Pinkie Pie, and Marble Pie went outside. They worked on the farm while they heard music being played in the house, Beethooven came out and began trying to make new music while Ross and Callas stood by, he made more music with his instruments and the red and blue magic waves for singing voices and Callas adjusted the red wave to get the ideal female voice for his new music,

"That sounds good to you?" Beethooven asked, Callas nodded while smiling,

"As for the song, I'm visualizing an active scene with volcanoes erupting." Ross said,

"I still can't hear, Ross, you'll need to show me a draft for a background image if it is played at a concert." Beethooven spoke, and he tried to paint an erupting volcano,

"Oh, a volcanic eruption, indeed, a dramatic piece can use such intensity for visualization." Beethooven chirped, Ross chuckled,

"Can those who play musical instruments come out here please?" Beethooven requested, and DJ Pon-3, Octavia, Flower Viola, Fiddler, Angelique, Tempo, and Woodwind came out, DJ Pon-3 had a DJ table, Octavia had a cello, Flower Viola and Fiddler had violas, Angelique had a violin, Tempo had a trumpet, and Woodwind had a flute, a piccolo, an oboe, a clarinet, a recorder, and a bassoon,

"No, no, traditional instruments." Beethooven spoke, and DJ Pon-3 went back into the house,

"Oh, wow, I see you're learning various instruments, I'm going to need more players." Beethooven stated, Pinkie Pie dashed and held up the instruments while Woodwind took the flute,

"Okay, this isn't every instrument for my new song, but it'll have to do, let's give it a try, Ross and Callas will be acting as my ears." Beethooven spoke, and he began conducting and everybody played while reading the sheet music for their instruments. They played and they noticed more instruments being played out of Pinkie Pie, they saw her blowing into all of the remaining woodwind instruments while also hearing brass, percussion, and string instruments being played out of her, Callas looked around and became shocked when she was Pinkie Pie was also working on the rock farm, Beethooven looked and he had a shocked expression, they continued playing and Tempo and Woodwind stopped due to their lips hurting,

"Alright, let's stop here for now." Beethooven said as he did the signal to make them stop playing, Callas and Ross nodded while smiling,

"Excellent, I'll continue making the new song at this pace." Beethooven stated,

"I thought I heard somepony familiar." a stallion's voice said from behind Pinkie Pie, they looked and saw Earworm,

"How has my deaf rival been, oh, wait, you can't hear me, no point in asking you." Earworm stated,

"What do you want, Earworm?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"So you're here, too, you'd be better off if you worked for me." Earworm spoke,

"No way." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Well, since you won't work for me then." Earworm commented, and he tried to take the sheet music and the others tried to take it back, he tried to fling them away with his telekinesis and Maud Pie noticed him messing with Pinkie Pie, she threw a rock at his head and he groaned and fell over,

"Thanks, Maud." Pinkie Pie said,

"You're welcome." Maud Pie replied,

"I am rather surprised to see him again to be honest." Octavia remarked,

"You know him?" Woodwind asked, Octavia nodded,

"He's my main rival, he played a sense stealing song and it took away my hearing." Beethooven explained,

"Why?" Angelique asked,

"It was so Earworm can try to win a competition on who can write the best song and played at a concert." Ross answered,

"Oh, so he tried to cheat." Woodwind commented,

"Yes, it gave Beethooven a life changing disability, too." Ross responded,

"What about you two?" Tempo asked, Callas shook her head,

"No, I lost my sight due to illness, I'm a painter, I helped make backgrounds for Beethooven's music back when I had my sight." Ross replied,

"What about the mare with you two? She's been silent the whole time." Angelique remarked, Callas opened her mouth and touched her own throat,

"Oh, you lost your voice?" Angelique questioned, Callas nodded,

"Callas was a singer before she lost her voice to illness." Pinkie Pie spoke, Callas nodded,

"That's too bad, I'd like to hear her sing." Woodwind said,

"Me too." Tempo added,

"Well, I think that's good enough for today, we'll resume practice another time." Beethooven stated, and they went in while Pinkie Pie resumed helping her sisters. The ponies went in and out of the house and Limestone Pie watched with an annoyed expression, she then saw Drifter come out of the house and he began working on the farm and she smiled, Sugar Rush began playing around a little but got work done,

"Come on, little brother, focus." Diary Farmer reprimanded, and he stopped, he still worked but was slower and looked down, Pinkie Pie trotted over and began throwing the rocks to him, he smiled and began jumping and kicked the rocks into the wagon, a lot of work got done and Marble Pie moved the rocks elsewhere after they were done and the Pie sisters began working in the next area. Flower Viola, Fiddler, and Gardener came out together and tried to spend time together as a family and go for a walk, Fiddler and Gardener did not interact much and tried to guide Flower Viola wherever they wanted to go,

"I think it would be best if you two let her go where she wants to go." Maud Pie suggested,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding, and Flower Viola walked around,

"This place is boring." Flower Viola remarked,

"I agree." Gardener added,

"Sorry, but my family doesn't do variety and colorful for environment." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Shame, I can't sell flowers and plants in a place like this." Gardener remarked,

"Gardener, it's fine, I don't there's any bills to pay here." Fiddler replied,

"Nope, no bills to pay on this farm." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding,

"Can I take a look around this place, mommy and daddy?" Flower Viola requested,

"Yes, you may." Fiddler answered, Flower Viola smiled and trotted around, she did not see anything and she stopped smiling,

"Wow, there really is nothing here." Flower Viola remarked,

"Having no people to bother us has its benefits." Limestone Pie stated,

"Well, I guess we might as well go back in." Gardener said, and they did. Pinkie Pie and her sisters worked more and Butterfly Azalea came out and looked around, she walked around the place and stopped when she saw Master Carpenter, Bellflower, and Swordsmith coming,

"So this is where you were, the fact that you got a house while we were transported in the middle of nowhere is injustice in itself!" Bellflower fumed,

"It should be you that is homeless and struggling, not me." Swordsmith complained,

"That does it, to the woods you go!" Master Carpenter fumed, and he and Bellflower grabbed Butterfly Azalea,

"No!" Butterfly Azalea hollered, Ponyville's residents came out of the house and their eyes' widened,

"Well, well, well, you three were a few faces I was not wishing to see again." Mayor Mare stated,

"If you three want Butterfly Azalea, you'll have to deal with us." Roseluck remarked,

"YEAH!!" Bulk Biceps yelled,

"Unless you want us all to restrain and attack you guys, leave." Daisy remarked,

"Begone, you three are not welcome here." Lily Valley said, Pinkie Pie's other friends and her parents came out alongside Wilfred and the other animals, Discord then appeared,

"Any harm to my friend, Fluttershy, and you three will be in a world full of pain." Discord threatened,

"Is that... DISCORD?!" Bellflower exclaimed,

"Let's get out of here." Master Carpenter said, and he, Bellflower, and Swordsmith ran away. Flower Azalea sighed with relief while the others went to her,

"You alright, darling?" Rarity asked,

"Yeah, thanks." Butterfly Azalea stated,

"What was that about?" the filly Snowflake asked,

"When she and her family came to Ponyville, they played favorites, only the son can have gifts, celebrate his birthday, and so on while she couldn't, things came to a boiling point when they wouldn't let Pinkie throw a party to celebrate her birthday." Twilight Sparkle explained,

"Wow, sounds like a bad family, I have three kids myself, but I don't try to play favorites." Drifter remarked,

"As much as I hate to say this, they're not the only bad parents I've met, they're not the worst ones either." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Who would be the worst parents you saw?" Silverstream asked,

"Star Pony's parents." Pinkie Pie replied, Star Pony froze in place,

"Guys, he's not looking good." the mare Snowflake answered,

"Come, Star Pony, in the house." Cloudy Quartz said, and they went. Pinkie Pie and Marble Pie worked in one part of the farm while Limestone Pie and Maud Pie worked in another part, they saw the filly Snowflake come out and she looked around for sometime, she stayed close to the house and then went to Pinkie Pie and Marble Pie,

"I feel comfortable near you, Pinkie." the filly Snowflake said,

"I can't interact with you right now, my sisters and I have a lot of work to do." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Do you have anywhere around here where I can craft things with snow?" the filly Snowflake questioned,

"Mm-mm." Marble Pie said while shaking her head,

"We don't have snow here often, and even if we do, it's not much." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Oh, that's too bad." the filly Snowflake lamented,

"Go ahead and go around, Snowflake, my sister and I have to work." Pinkie Pie reminded, and she walked. The filly Snowflake walked around and noticed Limestone Pie had an annoyed expression while Maud Pie was completely emotionless, she decided not to visit them and noticed Sleet, Winter Fog, and Hailstorm watching her from afar, her eyes widened and they came out of hiding,

"So this is where you were, and that pink pony is with you again, you don't deserve love." Winter Fog stated,

"You're a disgrace to our family, you are terrible at our craft." Sleet added,

"This place is good, I can beat you up without going to jail here." Hailstorm remarked, the filly Snowflake looked on with shock and tried to run while her family ran after him, Twilight Sparkle cast a spell from inside the house and restrained them and everybody came out and they looked on in shock at the many people,

"So you three are here, too." Twilight Sparkle remarked,

"What the? So many people." Hailstorm commented,

"You won't be seeing them anymore, back to jail and juvenile hall you three go." Twilight Sparkle stated, and she teleported them there,

"Thank you." the filly Snowflake said,

"Yer welcome." Apple Bloom replied,

"So your family was like that, too." Butterfly Azalea commented,

"Hmm-mm, my family was almost exactly like yours." the filly Snowflake stated,

"Come on, I think it'd be best if you stay in for now." White Mage said, and they went in the house. The sisters were almost done working and Cloudy came out with new prosthetics that Twilight Sparkle have given her, she flew around the farm and practiced with them while Air Force and Rainbow Dash joined her, they finished when the sun began to set and Pinkie Pie and her family finished working and went into the house.

Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz had dinner ready for them, they had rock soup and watched everybody trying to help Ice Blower be comfortable around girls and he quivered and breathed heavily when he was near them,

"S... Snowflake?" Ice Blower asked,

"Yes?" the mare Snowflake and the filly Snowflake said together,

"I'm referring to my wife." Ice Blower stated,

"Oh." the filly Snowflake said, and she went back to learning marine animals with Aquarius while the mare Snowflake went to him,

"What is it, dear?" the mare Snowflake asked,

"Can you stay near me please?" Ice Blower requested,

"Of course." the mare Snowflake answered,

"Look at that, he's getting better." Igloo stated,

"Yeah, maybe getting over his fear isn't completely undone after all." Penguin added,

"Good for us then, Ice Blower and his sister were wonderful additions to our family." Freeze chirped,

"Indeed, his family's ice business has truly helped us expand our own." Blizzard added,

"Maybe we can add that filly named Snowflake to our family crafts, too, there might be snow from our ice business for her to use." Frosty suggested,

"I'd appreciate that." the filly Snowflake replied,

"Don't forget that I'm here, too, Ice Blower." Snow reminded, Ice Blower nodded, they finished their dinner and did the dishes. Pinkie Pie noticed Star Pony looking out a window and looked down,

"Still thinking about your brother, Star Pony?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes." Star Pony answered,

"You wanna go for a walk now?" Pinkie Pie suggested,

"Sure." Star Pony replied,

"Abide wh're thou can be seen." Igneous Rock Pie instructed, and he went outside. Star Pony walked around the farm a little and stopped when he saw Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker in front of him and Strong Muscle had a knife and a whip with a metal ball on its tip with him,

"I knew you'd come here, you didn't come home on time last night." Mind Breaker stated,

"Stupid as always, you're just like your little brother, he did the same thing once, you will get the same discipline as him." Strong Muscle said, and they chased him and he tried to run. They caught up to him easily and Mind Breaker held him down and Strong Muscle began to whip his back, he screamed loudly and Strong Muscle began using his knife, Igneous Rock Pie shot at them with his shotgun while Lee shot at them with his rifle, Arcana shot red, blue, yellow, and green blasts out of her horn and Drifter ran outside while the door flew open, he pointed at them and Wilfred ran after them while barking angrily, their eyes' widened and they sprinted away while Wilfred stopped and barked at them. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Gallus, Smolder, Yona, Igneous Rock Pie, Limestone Pie, Maud Pie, Big Macintosh, Bulk Biceps, Air Force, Cool Head, Lee, Cake Cream, Aroma, Thunderstorm, Foster, Powerlifter, Callisthenics, and Warm Heart went after them,

"They've found this place again, we have to be on guard, they're gonna come back again." Pinkie Pie warned, Star Pony laid on the ground and cried,

"*gasp* He's been stabbed!" Angelique exclaimed, White Mage and Zhivago ran to him and examined him, everybody looked on in horror at seeing bruises and cuts all over his back and a stab wound in his abdomen, they heard loud beatings up ahead and the others came back with Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker,

"I did not wish to see thou two again." Cloudy Quartz remarked,

"Listen to you, too stupid to speak regular pony tongue as always." Mind Breaker said,

"We were doing the right thing." Strong Muscle stated,

"Right thing how?" Sunburst inquired,

"He's a disgrace to exist and a waste of breath like his younger brother, killing him like how we killed his brother would be doing this world a favor." Mind Breaker explained, everybody's except Maud Pie's and Beethooven's jaws' dropped,

"I've heard enough from Pinkie Pie and seen Star Pony to know about you two, to jail, you two go." Twilight Sparkle said,

"No, we already tried that before, it didn't work." Limestone Pie reminded,

"They broke out and tried to come here to attack us in the name of revenge." Maud Pie added,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding,

"What did you guys do last time?" Thunderstorm asked,

"We... had to go the full measure with them." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Oh, that sucks, maybe that would be for the best." Rainstorm stated while everybody looked at them,

"Please... kill them, they won't stop coming after me if you don't." Star Pony requested while struggling to speak, most had shocked expressions,

"I agree, from what I've seen with people like them, there is no changing or convincing them." Warm Heart added,

"I'll kill all of you if and when I get out of jail." Strong Muscle declared,

"You're welcome to try." Boxer threatened while cracking his right front hoof,

"Make that two." Knock Out added, Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker eyes' widened when they saw just how many people were surrounding them,

"Well?" Arcana asked,

"Get rid of them, jail's not gonna hold them for long." Limestone Pie said, and Arcana shot a big blast out of her horn and they screamed while getting obliterated, everybody looked on speechless except for Ross,

"Come on, let's treat him." Zhivago said, and they went in the house. Twilight Sparkle, Zecora, White Mage, Zhivago, and Arcana examined Star Pony's wounds and tried to treat him while Angelique, Tempo, Haute Coture, Aquarius, Taco Bell, and the filly Snowflake stood by him and tried to comfort him,

"How is he, Doctor Zhivago?" Angelique asked,

"They're not deep and he's stable, he should be fine for now." Zhivago replied,

"Anymore annoyances we should be known about?" Foster questioned,

"There's that gang of thirteen stallions that haven't been here yet, and the many enemies Warm Heart has made throughout his life." Pinkie Pie responded, Warm Heart panted heavily and sweated while thinking about them,

"Were you in a bad family too or something?" Smolder asked,

"Bad family? Bad family?! Do I look like a bad family is all I had?! I have enemies everywhere! Family! Neighborhood! School! Hospitals! Juvenile Hall! Prison! Military! Work! I can't get permanent employment now and am stuck doing temporary odd jobs because of them! It's their fault and their behavior and lies that have gotten me suspended, expelled, a dishonorable discharge, arrested and given a criminal record, and injuries to the point where I can't move normally in every day life!" Warm Heart ranted,

"Warm Heart, you're scaring the foals." Gold Digger warned,

"They should be! With the enemies I made, you're not safe anywhere! All I had was rage, sadness, and hatred until Pinkie Pie came into my life." Warm Heart responded while calming down at the end,

"I know that feeling." Foster said,

"If you ask me, Foster, his anger issues are worse than yours." Haute Coture commented,

"I can still understand how royal guard life can make one angry." Foster responded,

"You said it, there's been times when I experienced lots of frustrations with my commanders before I became the captain." Shining Armor spoke,

"My case was me not getting along with the people stationed with me and local dragons." Warm Heart stated,

"It's unfortunate when that happens, I couldn't get along with my fellow royal guards at times either." Cool Head stated,

"Neither could I." Zhivago added,

"The Wonderbolts are like that sometimes, too, guys." Rainbow Dash spoke,

"Truth be told, I think every profession's like that." Dark Mane said,

"Agreed, there's always drama and conflict no matter where you go." Bright Coat added,

"In my and Knock Out's professions, we beat the tar out of them." Boxer said,

"You can't do that at most jobs." Cake Cream reminded,

"Like ours, we'd be fired if we picked a fight with an unsatisfied client." Aroma spoke,

"As a fellow party thrower and party planner, I can confirm that." Pinkie Pie said,

"So can I, it's hard to restrain yourself sometimes though." Cheese Sandwich added,

"That reminds me, speaking of your profession, have you kept up with everything we taught you, Pinkie Pie?" Double Joint asked,

"I'm trying, there are some things I'm still struggling with." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Wait, they're your mentors, Pinkie Pie?" Rose asked,

"Yup, they taught me tricks and the things I use when I throw parties and entertain people." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What do you still need help with?" Tati asked, Pinkie Pie told them and he showed her to do the trick where she guesses a pony's chosen card right, he then showed her the doves and the illusion on how to look like he divided a dove in half and had two doves, the others except for Ross clapped, he also showed her to use the invisible thread and how to keep track of it and she controlled the doves,

"Okay, that's good, thanks, Tati. I'm still struggling with all of your craft, Houdini." Pinkie Pie reported,

"I'll see what I can show you with my limited resources." Houdini replied, and they started. They got tied to a chair at first and Pinkie Pie struggled to free herself while Houdini showed her how to loosen the knots and slide out of them, everybody except Ross clapped, they did straitjackets next and Pinkie Pie grunted and struggled while Houdini freed himself easily and everybody's jaws' dropped,

"What's going on?" Ross asked,

"Houdini just escaped out of a straitjacket." Aquarius replied,

"Oh, wow." Ross said, Pinkie Pie grunted and could not get out of it,

"Hold on, darling." Rarity stated, and she and Twilight Sparkle took it off of her with their magic,

"I'm still having trouble with it." Pinkie Pie lamented,

"It's fine, Pinkie Pie, the straitjacket's never easy to pull off." Houdini responded,

"I haven't been able to pull off the milk can escape very well, either." Pinkie Pie stated,

"That's a hard one, too, it's uncomfortable in there as well." Houdini explained,

"It really is." Pinkie Pie added,

"A milk can?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"I can escape out of one of those old big milk cans that we used to use." Houdini stated,

"Oh, that, I've never seen that before." Twilight Sparkle spoke,

"It's not easy." Houdini answered,

"Another thing is in you're put in the milk can with chains and cuffs on you to restrain you as well, water is poured into it to fill it up, too." Pinkie Pie added,

"Whoa there, restrained with chains and cuffs and filled with water? That's dangerous." Applejack said,

"It's why the audience loved it when my partners and I were very popular." Houdini replied,

"What else do you escape from?" Cheese Sandwich asked,

"A coffin was a popular one." Houdini answered,

"That one scared me at first." Pinkie Pie stated,

"What's it like?" Pipsqueak asked,

"I lay in a coffin restrained and there's a burning rope, if I don't escape before the rope burns, the coffin's lid closes, there's nails on the lid's inside, too." Houdini explained, everybody except Beethooven and Maud Pie had shocked expressions,

"I never did your hardest trick when throwing parties and entertaining others, Houdini." Pinkie Pie said embarrassingly,

"It's fine, that one's very dangerous, too." Houdini responded,

"What is it?" Truffle asked,

"Getting out of a coffin and the ground after being buried alive and chained and restrained inside it." Houdini answered, everybody except Beethooven and Maud Pie reeled back in shock,

"Say what now?" Apple Bloom exclaimed,

"Golly, that sounds dangerous." Applejack said,

"It is." Houdini responded,

"I don't blame Pinkie for not doing it, but it would be nice to see it at least once." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Maybe I can show you all instead." Houdini suggested, the others agreed. Duo walked over with his puppets Fido and Dandy,

"Have you been keeping up with my talents, Pinkie Pie?" Duo asked,

"Yes, I do ventriloquism pretty often." Pinkie Pie said,

"Let's see if you're still as good as when I finished training you." Duo stated, and he gave her his puppets. Pinkie Pie moved Fido and Dandy around and tried to converse with them,

"Hey, Fido, you remember me, right?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Oh, great, you again, you're one person I wasn't hoping I'd see again." Fido remarked,

"Fido, that isn't very nice, I missed you." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, I didn't miss you, my life was happier when you left." Fido stated,

"Were you lonely with just Duo and Dandy?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, it was nice and quiet with just those two, you made things so loud and annoying." Fido spoke,

"Okay, Fido, back in your home, you go." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"No, I'm not done yet." Fido protested but was put aside,

"Hiya, Dandy, long time, no see." Pinkie Pie chirped,

"Ah, Pinkie Pie, long time, no see, m'lady." Dandy said while bowing,

"How have you been?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"I have been fine, though the afterlife was a bit too quiet for my liking." Dandy stated,

"Look around you, you have a big audience now." Pinkie Pie said,

"I see that, the audience I used to have at the height of my and my partners' popularity was much bigger than this." Dandy replied,

"Can you sing or recite a poem?" Pinkie Pie requested,

"I'd love to, but I haven't acted in years, so I'm rusty, maybe another time after my voice and skills are warmed up." Dandy spoke,

"Okay, let us know when you're ready." Pinkie Pie said,

"I will, I'll be going now, it was a pleasure to see you again, Pinkie Pie." Dandy remarked,

"Okay, it was nice to see you again, too, Dandy, see ya." Pinkie Pie replied, and she set him aside, everybody except Igneous Rock Pie, Cloudy Quartz, Limestone Pie, Maud Pie, and Beethooven clapped,

"Very good, Pinkie Pie, you're as good as I remember." Duo said,

"I don't do it often since I found singing with puppets and myself to be difficult." Pinkie Pie stated,

"I understand, juggling between two or three voices is hard on its own." Duo remarked,

"While it nice to hear from time to time, it is not easy to master the way of rhyme." Zecora stated,

"A zebra? You all speak in rhymes, perhaps you would make a good poet and songwriter." Duo suggested,

"Although it is nice to do poems and songs when there are no times of strife, it is not something I wish to do for my entire life." Zecora replied,

"Understandable, I get burnt out sometimes, too." Duo spoke,

"Next up is Bozo, I still need help with some of your balloon animals and bubble magic." Pinkie Pie said,

"Which ones in particular?" Bozo questioned,

"The monkey, the elephant, the teddy bear, the camel, and some of your bubble magic." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Bubble magic?" Trixie asked, Bozo blew up several long balloons and showed Pinkie Pie how to make the animals, she did them slowly and then tried them quickly but messed up,

"Another time. Which bubble magic do you need help with?" Bozo questioned,

"The love bubble, the caterpillar bubble, and the bubble cube." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Ah, watch closely." Bozo instructed, and she did. He blew two bubbles with two bubble blowers and inhaled smoke from a fog machine and then blew the second one, he moved the two slowly and carefully until they merged together,

"Oh, that's why I can't get it, I'm hitting them together too fast and too hard." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Good, now the caterpillar bubble." Bozo said, and he blew bubbles through his two bubble blowers and altered between regular bubbles and smoke bubbles, the others except Igneous Rock Pie, Cloudy Quartz, Limestone Pie, Maud Pie, and Ross clapped,

"Alright, I'll now show you how to do the bubble cube." Bozo stated, and he blew six bubbles together and then blew smoke into it to form a cube in the center of them, almost everybody's except for Maud Pie's and Ross' jaws' dropped and they clapped,

"That is awesome!" Rainbow Dash praised,

"Marvelous!" Rarity chirped,

"What's going on?" Ross asked,

"Bozo just blew six bubbles together and blew smoke in the center of them to make a cube." Rose explained,

"Ah, very impressive." Ross spoke, and he clapped,

"If you need me to teach you anything, Pinkie Pie, we're going to need more room for some of them." Back Flip spoke,

"I can do the basics." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Alright, let's see if you've need a refresher or not." Back Flip said, and Pinkie Pie did somersaults, backflips, and side flips, the others clapped,

"Good job, you don't need a refresher on the basics after all." Back Flip spoke, Double Joint then walked forward,

"Have you kept up with my talent, Pinkie Pie?" Double Joint asked,

"Trying, yours is really hard for me to do." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Let's see how well you can do." Double Joint stated, and he began bending and contorting his body in unnatural ways while most ponies watched with shock, Pinkie Pie tried to mimic him,

"Ow!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, and she gave up soon afterwards,

"I see, you always did have trouble with my talent, I think one reason is because you're not double jointed like how I am." Double Joint deduced,

"Just who are you guys?" Emerald questioned,

"We were a troupe of performers called The Entertainers, we used to be very popular fifty to sixty years ago, but we are no longer famous and in demand due to unicorns and Pegasi taking over the business with their magic and flight." Tati explained,

"We taught Pinkie Pie our crafts since she was in high demand for throwing and doing parties so our talents would not be forgotten." Houdini added,

"Oh, wow, you guys have my thanks then, she was the one who inspired me to become a party planner and party thrower in the first place." Cheese Sandwich explained,

"Oh, look at that, it seems we have succeeded." Duo said,

"I remember you guys, I used to see posters of you six when I was younger." Cool Head stated,

"What bout you, Granny?" Applejack questioned,

"Sure do, though Ah wasn't able to get tickets and they never performed in or near Ponyville." Granny Smith responded,

"Considering how our talent and popularity have faded and been mostly forgotten, performing in Ponyville to make money would seem likely now." Bozo remarked,

"The Great and Powerful Trixie might be able to find a place for you six in her shows like how I did with Starlight Glimmer." Trixie suggested,

"Hmm, unicorn, blue coat, white mane and tail, stage magician, do you happen to be related to Jack Pot?" Bozo questioned,

"Jack Pot? Who's Jack Pot?" Trixie asked,

"Hmm, maybe not." Double Joint stated,

"So, is there anything else to do, Pinkie Pie?" Twinkle Sparkle asked,

"No, that's all for now, my sisters and I have to get back to work soon." Pinkie Pie replied, Limestone Pie looked outside,

"It is around that time, let's go, sisters." Limestone Pie commanded, and they went outside.

Pinkie Pie and Marble Pie moved the light and broken rocks while Limestone Pie and Maud Pie moved the big and heavy rocks, Marble Pie made noises of distress while poking Pinkie Pie's side, she pointed and her eyes popped out of their sockets when she saw Greenie Gaz, Pear, Tiger Bench, Thumbscrew, Rack, Iron Spider, Bamboo, Iron Maiden, Spanish Donkey, Brazen Bull, Crocodile Shears, Blood Eagle, and Necktie hiding and watching them from afar, they ran forward and began throwing Molotov cocktails at the farm and Lee shot at them with his rifle from inside the house. The thirteen stallions ran to Pinkie Pie and Limestone Pie and Maud Pie punched and bucked Pear, Thumbscrew, Rack, and Bamboo, they grunted as they flew several yards away, everybody came out of the door while the stallions tried to stab Pinkie Pie and her sisters with knives or beat them with sticks, Twilight Sparkle restrained them with her magic while Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Big Macintosh, Bulk Biceps, Air Force, Fiery Heart, Cool Head, Fiddler, Gardener, Drifter, Gold Digger, Wilfred, Boxer, Knock Out, Lightning Strike, Foster, Zhivago, Powerlifter, Callisthenics, Arcana, Warm Heart, and Love Giver went to go fight them while Greenie Gaz and his gang's eyes' widened. They were attacked and restrained by all of them while they tried to use various weapons but they did not help much since Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Big Macintosh, Bulk Biceps, Boxer, Knock Out, and Lightning Strike punched and broke them, they were tied up with magical restraints and chains,

"I knew you all would show up eventually." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"To think my gang and I would run into you again." Greenie Gaz sneered,

"You unfunny and boring pony, Greenie Gaz knew true comedy." Pear remarked,

"To see Obsidian and Rose as well, we should've killed you two years ago." Tiger Bench stated,

"To jail you thirteen go." Twilight Sparkle said,

"So you're here, too, we should've killed you, too." Thumbscrew remarked,

"So are the others from that town, to think we'd see you all again." Rack said,

"I am not pleased to see you all again either." Mayor Mare replied,

"We should've burned your town to the ground." Iron Spider fumed,

"Should've killed you all, too." Bamboo added,

"We would've made your deaths slow and painful like Amethyst's." Iron Maiden spoke,

"You are a bunch of sickos, I'm not taking my chances with you thirteen." Twilight Sparkle remarked,

"I don't care you're royalty, I'll kill you when I get out of jail." Spanish Donkey declared,

"So will I, we'll kill your family, too, starting with the youngest family member." Brazen Bull added, Flurry Heart growled while her horn glowed,

"A baby? Good, it'll make it more fun." Crocodile Shears remarked, Flurry Heart glared harder and her horn's aura got bigger,

"You think we'd be scared of a baby?" Blood Eagle questioned,

"You won't be so tough after we beat you with our sticks." Necktie remarked, Flurry Heart panicked and hid behind Princess Cadance while others looked at them in horror,

"That does it, I'm not taking risks with you thirteen." Shining Armor declared, and he shot a big blast out of his horn and obliterated all thirteen of them while they screamed,

"Good riddance." Lee said,

"Agreed, they were nothing but trouble." Obsidian added,

"I lost my parents because of them." Rose lamented,

"Anymore problem people we need to know about?" Limestone Pie questioned,

"That would only leave Warm Heart's enemies, but he has more than the others combined." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Oh, great, that's what I wanted to hear." Limestone Pie complained,

"Um, Pinkie Pie, don't forget my bullies and teachers." Rock Candy reminded,

"Don't forget my bullies, either." Tulip added,

"Or mine." Flower Viola remarked,

"How many bullies are we talking?" Diary Farmer asked,

"A whole school." Rock Candy answered, Flower Viola and Tulip nodded in agreement,

"The spell I cast was to mostly bring one's friends back and see them all again, I doubt it would bring back that many enemies and haters even though it's not fully polished yet." Twilight Sparkle stated,

"Will they come back when the spell gets undone?" Apple Bloom questioned,

"Most likely, the enemies here will likely be wherever they were in their lives before the spell was cast whenever I do undo it." Twilight Sparkle responded,

"When will that be?" Limestone Pie inquired,

"I don't know, but I'm working on it." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"Well, hurry up, I'm tired of all of these people on my farm." Limestone Pie remarked,

"I can make it worse if I'm rushed." Twilight Sparkle warned,

"Just get it done." Limestone Pie snapped,

"I agree, I hate this place, even the place where I live was more comfortable than this." Foster fumed,

"Okay, guys, we get it, no one likes it here, just give us time to figure out what to do and everyone will be sent back." Spike stated,

"You all know we can leave and try to find your ways back, right?" Boxer suggested,

"No, I looked around while flying above here, there's no civilization in sight and every direction looks the same, getting lost here is going to be easy." Cloudy remarked,

"Look at that, in the middle of nowhere, that's just great, I might as well be in the afterlife right now after all." Boxer remarked,

"Maybe you're asleep there right now." Knock Out suggested,

"Wouldn't be surprised if I am, but this sure is one dull dream if that's the case." Boxer replied,

"Enough, if you're just going to make snarky comments and not work here, the exit's all around you." Limestone Pie stated,

"Does throwing rocks around count?" Boxer asked,

"Just don't hit anybody." Limestone Pie stated,

"*chuckle* He talks almost like the ol' farmers that are Granny's age or a decade younger." Applejack said,

"What? You mean to say there are some places where such rude talking is common?!" Rarity exclaimed,

"Ya got that right, he'd fit right in with farmers that are mah parents' or Granny's age, ain't that right, Big Mac?" Applejack asked,

"Eeyup." Big Macintosh answered,

"People who talked like him made everybody laugh back in the day, Ah guess youngins don't find 'em as funny." Granny Smith remarked,

"Actually, my family and I are from the upper crust of Equestrian society, nopony would've found him funny." Twilight Sparkle answered,

"She's right, to us, he would've been very annoying." Night Light added,

"Well, excuse me for not being fluent in rich big city pony tongue." Boxer spoke,

"Oh, how rude." Rarity remarked,

"Hopefully, that'll be the last threat here, I'll go ahead and continue trying to make a counterspell to the one I cast." Twilight Sparkle said, and everybody got on with their days. Pinkie Pie and her sisters worked more while Cloudy flew around the farm and tried to fly faster, Rainbow Dash and Air Force helped her fly with her new prosthetics, she got faster with each lap and Pinkie Pie watched her while smiling and quickly went back to work. She worked more and saw the other ponies coming outside to have fun, Limestone Pie's attention got caught when she saw Punctual Organizer near Holder's Boulder,

"Hey! What are you doing near Holder's Boulder?!" Limestone Pie inquired,

"I'm a bit bothered with it being here, I think this place would look better if it was in the very center of the fields." Punctual Organizer explained,

"While I understand it from an artistic view, it's there for practical reasons." Maud Pie said,

"Don't touch it." Limestone Pie stated, and she and her sisters continued working while Punctual Organizer got his supplies and began making miniature statues. Weight Lifter, Powerlifter, and Callisthenics came out later and had Bright Smile and Joy Bringer work on the farm, they panted heavily while Bright Smile sweated a lot, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Bulk Biceps helped them move around and pick up the bigger and heavier rocks, Joy Bringer struggled to pick up most of the rocks and needed help, he and Bright Smile walked around and Bright Smile got tired faster and was slower while Joy Bringer could not pick up some of the rocks, they did a little work and then went back in with their helpers. The day went on and Ice Blower went out to them and quivered in fear and moved away from the Pie sisters,

"Ice Blower, you'll be in the way of our work if you act like that." Maud Pie reminded, Ice Blower moved towards Pinkie Pie slowly while breathing heavily and she and Marble Pie smiled, he moved towards them and Pinkie Pie rubbed his head, he flinched a little,

"It's okay, Ice Blower, I'm still same ol' Pinkie." Pinkie Pie reassured, he got on her back and she smiled while he held onto her, she worked with no problem and the day proceeded as normal. Warm Heart came out while panting and walked forward with his guard up, he had trouble and did not see anybody yet, he and the Pie sisters heard walking and looked, Pinkie Pie's eyes widened when she saw Forewoman and Blueprint,

"Well, our idiot little brother was here after all." Forewoman said, Warm Heart put his guard up but his injuries almost made him fall over,

"What's wrong, little brother? Too weak to stand up properly?" Blueprint questioned,

"What do you two want?" Warm Heart inquired,

"This your new home? Knew you couldn't pay your bills on time." Forewoman remarked,

"Looks like you're unemployed now, too." Blueprint added,

"It's not like that." Warm Heart said,

"No matter, we'll make sure you won't be able to find employment again." Forewoman replied, and she and Blueprint tried to attack him, Warm Heart tried to hold them back but his injuries made him fall over and they began kicking and stomping him, he tried to fling them away while growling loudly for a seconds until Limestone Pie threw a rock at Forewoman's head and Maud Pie threw a rock at Blueprint's head, they got hit and fell onto the ground while moaning and became unconscious. The others came out while Warm Heart panted heavily, he got defensive and snarled while showing his teeth,

"Whoa, y'all, give him some space, he's got that wild look right now." Applejack remarked,

"I know that look anywhere, I've seen it in the royal guard, it's when somepony has had enough for being the victim of misfortune and they have snapped." Foster explained,

"Give him some space, y'all, he'll calm down after sometime." Granny Smith instructed,

"What do you think he got into?" Snips asked,

"Who knows, but it probably wasn't good." Snails answered,

"Leave him be for now, guys, royal guards who snap like him are often dangerous." Shining Armor said, and they went back in while Warm Heart panted heavily and with short breaths, he looked around while enraged but calmed down after about seven minutes, he sighed and went back into the house. Pinkie Pie and her sisters worked a little bit more and watched for anymore people coming onto the farm but no one else came, Pinkie Pie sighed with relief that Letter's and Number's teachers and Rock Candy's, Flower Viola's, and Tulip's bullies did not arrive, they put away everything and went back into the house.

They went back in and Pinkie Pie's eyes widened when she saw Beethooven was conducting music, Ross' vision was back and his eyes were brown, and Callas was singing,

"Wow, you three got your senses back!" Pinkie Pie chirped,

"Indeed, your friend Twilight Sparkle here brought them back." Beethooven replied,

"I can paint again now, I'll paint a new picture of nature soon." Ross remarked,

"I can finally sing again, and my voice is still at its peak after not singing for so long." Callas stated,

"Your voice is marvelous, you could've been a part of the Pony Tones in Ponyville." Rarity said,

"I appreciate the offer, but I like singing solo." Callas answered,

"*chuckle* I think a recording will do." Rarity stated,

"Only one we haven't been able to help with their stuff is Winter Blues over there." Twilight Sparkle said as she pointed to him, Pinkie Pie looked at him and saw him laying on the floor,

"Oh, Winter Blues' depression is a stubborn one, he'd rather just lay down all day than do anything." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Tell me about it, he won't even fix or style his mane and tail nor shave and groom his stubble and patches of hair on his face." Rarity stated,

"He was worse when I first met him." Pinkie Pie responded,

"How so?" Rarity questioned,

"He had papers, bed sheets, blankets, and books scattered all over his floor, his sink was filled with unwashed dishes, frying pans, cast irons, and silverware, his violin and piano were left out, and his sheet music, paintings, and stories were unfinished and also scattered everywhere." Pinkie Pie answered, Rarity exclaimed in shock,

"Come on, Winter Blues, you gotta move." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm not in the mood to." Winter Blues replied,

"You'll only get worse if you stay that way." Pinkie Pie warned,

"I'll get stuff done when I feel like it." Winter Blues remarked,

"Winter Blues, if you have a job like mine, you can't do that, you have to work even if you don't want to." Fluttershy explained,

"Ya can't do that with mine, either, workin' and operatin' a farm requires daily work even when ya don't want to." Applejack added,

"Mine is like that, too, darling, running a shop means I can't rest, there's also the fact that I have a shop outside Ponyville as well." Rarity stated,

"My job's like that, too, working the weather factory is a daily chore with no days off, you can't laze off there like how you are now, Winter Blues." Rainbow Dash said,

"I have to work every single day, even when I'm tired and don't want to, I have to throw a party almost daily and have many birthdays and holidays to memorize, I have to help Mayor Mare organize files in her office, too, so I'm pulling double duty." Pinkie Pie stated,

"And that's not even getting into my job, Winter Blues, as a princess of this country, I have lots of paperwork and events to attend and fill out, I have to fight on the front lines and protect Equestria from threats as well, I'm also a librarian, so I'm basically working three jobs every day, and I have no breaks or day offs ever unless Spike or Starlight Glimmer here decide to fill in for me and let me rest for the day." Twilight Sparkle explained,

"Wow, I would've been burned out and lost my passion in things much earlier if that was my life." Winter Blues commented,

"You could always try something relaxing like me and my girlfriend here by having an interest in rocks and sticks." Mudbriar suggested,

"Those aren't really my things." Winter Blues said,

"Well, stop laying around, you're in the way." Limestone Pie stated,

"You can try making friends here, Winter Blues, you're not the only painter and musician here." Pinkie Pie reminded,

"I'll try to remember that." Winter Blues replied,

"What instrument do you play, Winter Blues?" Tempo asked,

"Violin and piano." Winter Blues answered,

"Ooh, maybe you can play with me and my mom." Flower Viola suggested,

"What do you two play?" Winter Blues asked,

"Viola." Fiddler answered,

"Hmm, I'll think about it, I'll rest a little more for now." Winter Blues said,

"Well, hurry up and get out of your dump, you're in the way for the time being." Limestone Pie remarked,

"Give it time, Limestone, his spark will come back eventually." Pinkie Pie reassured,

"Well, it better be soon." Limestone Pie replied,

"Let us prepare to rest, 'tis late." Igneous Rock Pie said, and they all got ready for bed and the visitors slept in tents outside while Pinkie Pie and her family slept in the house.

The next morning came and everybody came into the house and it became overcrowded, Star Pony groaned while in pain and Angelique sang a lullaby to him while White Mage and Zhivago monitored him, Twilight Sparkle used her magic to make healthy meals appear and he ate slowly and Shining Armor and Princess Cadance tried to help him, Pinkie Pie helped Merrick and Tulip move around while Fluttershy tried to comfort Warm Heart after waking up from another nightmare, Rarity helped Haute Coture on making clothes and also sampled some of Arcana's wine, Fiery Heart went over to Obsidian, Rose, Vulture, and Dove and saw them looking pictures of their loved ones,

"Wow, you all lost foals you all loved, I lost my husband before I could get pregnant." Fiery Heart stated while almost crying,

"You were going to be a mother?" Vulture questioned,

"Yes, my husband and I had a baby shower planned and everything." Fiery Heart answered,

"It was never easy for her, she came to Pinkie Pie's workplace sometimes and me and my apprentice here had to console her sometimes." Mrs. Cake stated,

"She was a wreck when she came, but she does seem better than last time." Sugar Belle added,

"It was sad to see, I always hoped Fiery Heart would recover over time." Mr. Cake spoke,

"I did, but when I came here, I suddenly miss him deeply again." Fiery Heart explained,

"You weren't the only one, my wife here and I suddenly miss our late son very deeply again, too." Vulture said,

"It seems all of us miss our dead loved ones." Obsidian deduced,

"I never got over my wife's death." Cool Head responded,

"Me neither, it made taking care of my kids a lot harder, too." Drifter said,

"That reminds me, you children have behaved well overall, Drifter, unlike the troublemakers they were when I had to foalsit them." Pinkie Pie reported while looking at them and glaring slightly, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace smiled nervously,

"I think it's because there's a lot more people here, and I think they've noticed that me and Limestone are not as patient or forgiving as you are, Pinkie." Maud Pie deduced,

"Maybe, if they do misbehave and cause trouble, Gilmore is the biggest troublemaker of the three." Pinkie Pie warned,

"I wonder if him being the middle child has something to do with it." Twilight Sparkle deduced,

"It's possible, from my own experiences with foalsitting, middle children tend to be the hardest." Princess Cadance added,

"I'll go ahead and make meals with my sisters, we'll be back." Pinkie Pie stated, and she and her family went to the kitchen. They made rock soup while the others had various meals that Twilight Sparkle made appear, everybody got on with their days and Twilight Sparkle and Cheerilee helped Letter and Number read; Beethooven, Octavia, Flower Viola, Fiddler, Tempo, Winter Blues, and Woodwind tried playing a song while Callas sang; Cloudy tried to help Merrick and Tulip move properly; Cloudy Quartz gave Rock Candy garlic and cranberry juice that she pulled out of thin air; the mare Snowflake and the filly Snowflake stood near Ice Blower and he got more comfortable around them; Angelique, White Mage, and Zhivago helped Star Pony walk properly while Warm Heart and Foster talked about their lives and past experiences with him; Ross painted a picture while Bozo juggled and threw to the painting supplies to Back Flip, he then did a back flip and threw them to Double Joint, he bent his lower-body over his own upper-body and threw the supplies to Ross, he chuckled and then painted with them; Ainsworth gave Treasure Hunter and Emerald some jewels to look at and they had fun appraising them; Fiery Heart, Cool Head, Obsidian, Rose, Vulture, Dove, Drifter, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, and Purple Grace talked about their deceased loved ones while Lee, Seamstress, Gold Digger, and Wilfred joined them; Rarity helped Haute Coture make new clothes; Maud Pie gave tips to Emerald on identifying rocks and telling them apart from gems; Princess Cadance gave Aquarius a book on marine animals; Bright Smile and Joy Bringer tried to get to healthy weights with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Granny Smith, Bulk Biceps, Weight Lifter, Powerlifter, and Callisthenics giving them advice; Tati, Houdini, Duo, and Bozo did their tricks to entertain others and Trixie, Starlight Glimmer, and Cheese Sandwich worked with them to try to make new tricks; Melon Farmer, Melon Harvester, and Melon Crops tried to help Taco Bell with his diet while Banana Tree, Cavendish, and Lady Fingers also shared what Banana Tree had to eat to stay healthy; Fluttershy, Boxer, and Knock Out tried to help Arcana sleep more; Night Light gave Punctual Organizer advice on how to manage his thoughts; Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Pipsqueak, Truffle, Snips, Snails, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon played games with Sugar Rush; Toy Maker, Doll Maker, Love Giver, Refrigeration Unit, and Icebox went around helped everyone they could. Rainstorm and Thunderstorm smiled and they went around helping everyone,

"What do you do for a living, Thunderstorm?" Diamond Tiara asked,

"I work at a weather factory." Thunderstorm answered,

"What about your wife?" Silver Spoon questioned,

"My mom's a doctor." Rainstorm responded,

"I gotta admit, Pinkie Pie, I'm surprised at how many disabled ponies and ponies with other problems you have met and befriended, I thought Tulip was the only one." White Mage remarked,

"Nope, she's just one." Pinkie Pie answered,

"I'm surprised, too, just... wow." Angelique said,

"You all are my special friends, ponies with unique problems that my other friends don't have, so I keep a list in my head of your specific needs in my head." Pinkie Pie explained,

"That must be a lot of memorizing." the filly Snowflake stated,

"It is." Pinkie Pie responded,

"That reminds me, I'll likely be able to make the spell that sends us all back soon, so make sure you say your goodbyes today, Pinkie." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Noted." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Well, I guess no point in having you and Maud work today then." Limestone Pie stated,

"Hmm-mm." Marble Pie said while nodding,

"Why don't we do a show while we wait for Princess Twilight to finish her spell?" Trixie suggested, the others agreed to watch,

"Alright, outside, everybody." Pinkie Pie said, and they went.

Trixie made a stage appear outside in the yard she, Starlight Glimmer, Pinkie Pie, Cheese Sandwich, Octavia, Tati, Houdini, Duo, Bozo, Back Flip, Double Joint, Beethooven, Flower Viola, Fiddler, Angelique, Tempo, Winter Blues, Woodwind, and Callas went onto the stage,

"Welcome, everyone, to the great and the powerful Trixie's show, she has her usual assistant Starlight Glimmer with her today alongside many other guests, Pinkie Pie, party performer, Cheese Sandwich, party performer, Tati, illusionist, Houdini, escape artist, Duo, ventriloquist, Bozo, clown, Back Flip, acrobat, and Double Joint, contortionist as my extra performers, back here are the musicians, Beethooven the composer, Octavia on cello, Flower Viola and Fiddler on violas, Angelique on violin, Tempo on trumpet, Winter Blues on piano, Woodwind on flute, and Callas the singer." Trixie announced, the crowd cheered,

"Now, watch in awe as we put on a show that you all will remember for a lifetime. Trixie will start with her usual disappearing acts with the others adding some pizazz into the act, now then, let us begin." Trixie announced while the spotlights got brighter and the ponies in the background played louder music. She and Starlight Glimmer began casting spells while Tati did his tricks, he reached into his hat and his white rabbit appeared, he pretended to fold it and Trixie cast a spell to turn it into a roc while Pinkie Pie fired her party cannon to make streamers and confetti appear, it did an eagle's cry that shook the place and it flew away and the crowd clapped. Tati got his cards out and held them out to Cheese Sandwich, he picked one and Tati instructed him to show the crowd with his front right hoof and he did while Tati turned around and held his front left hoof out behind himself and Cheese Sandwich put the card in it, he put it back in the deck and shuffled it, he took a card out and showed Cheese Sandwich the card, the crowd saw it was the same card,

"I know your secret, they're all the same card!" Cheese Sandwich announced, the crowd gasped while Starlight Glimmer secretly changed the cards with her magic, Tati showed the other cards and everybody saw it was a full deck with each card different from one another, the crowd cheered. Cheese Sandwich pulled Boneless out and tried to have him dance, Pinkie Pie took it and made him dance on its own while the crowd's jaw dropped, he did a backflip and Houdini came out of his mouth and posed, the crowd cheered and clapped. Tati took a piece of cloth out and lit it on fire, it did a quick flash and the audience covered their eyes' and clapped when the cloth turned into Starlight Glimmer with doves flying past her, he held another dove and made it appear he split in half and had two doves, the audience clapped while Tati made them fly and he put another cloth on the floor, they flew to it and he lit it on fire, a quick flash appeared while Trixie cast a spell and they appeared to change into Duo and Bozo, the crowd clapped loudly. Houdini got a milk can and Tati and Bozo put chains and shackles on him while Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich filled the milk can with water, Houdini went in it and Tati and Bozo put the lid on it and locked it. The crowd watched anxiously while Houdini tried to free himself and get out, Houdini appeared to struggle and he stopped moving while the crowd's jaws' dropped and the musicians played louder music and Callas sang a loud and long note, the others opened the jug and the water moved up, Back Flip jumped out and did a backflip and landed behind the milk can, Double Joint bent his body around and came out, Houdini then stood up and out of his restraints and was fine, the crowd and cheered loudly while they bowed. Trixie made two walls with spikes appear and a cage between them, Houdini went in through the front and Tati and Double Joint put chains and shackles on him, they went out and then closed and locked the front door, Starlight Glimmer put up a white cloth with her telekinesis and everybody watched Houdini trying to free himself, Trixie then triggered a mechanism with her magic thirty seconds later and the spiked walls moved quickly, a red light appeared on the white cloth when the spikes hit one another and the crowd looked away, an explosion and white flash happened with the cloth breaking and flying in all directions, the crowd saw Houdini on the cage's roof with Trixie and Starlight Glimmer standing on his shoulders, the crowd cheered loudly and Trixie made the walls and cage disappear with her magic.

Trixie and Starlight Glimmer cast spells to make a coffin and rope appear, the next trap was set up and Houdini laid in a coffin with rope around his hoofs and the lid was held up with a string and had spikes on its inside, he tried to free himself while the audience watched him nervously, the rope burned more and the musicians played louder and more dramatic music, Houdini continued to struggle while the crowd watched nervously, he freed himself and rolled out of the coffin with Pinkie Pie coming out from under him and the rope burned and the coffin's lid fell, the crowd cheered. Trixie and Starlight Glimmer dug a hole in the ground with their magic and made a regular coffin appear, Duo and Bozo put rope, chains, cuffs, and shackles on Houdini and laid him in the coffin, they closed and locked it and Starlight Glimmer then put the coffin in the ground and buried it while the crowd watched nervously. Beethooven conducted the music and had them play loud music while Callas sang high notes while the crowd sweated and watched, they heard noises underground and it exploded open, Houdini came out while confetti and streamers came out and Pinkie Pie, Cheese Sandwich, Trixie, and Starlight Glimmer emerged out with him, the crowd cheered loudly and Houdini bowed and moved back.

Duo came forward and had Fido and Dandy with him,

"Fido, Dandy, say hello to the audience." Duo instructed,

"How do you all do?" Dandy asked while bowing,

"Fido, your turn." Duo said,

"I am not giving the onlookers my greeting." Fido remarked,

"Fido, you will drive the crowd away if you act like that." Duo warned,

"Good, the less I have to do, the better." Fido said, the crowd's jaws' dropped,

"You won't make any bits if you act like that." Duo remarked,

"What? I'm not given bits for free with my mere presence? That's absurd." Fido said,

"I will dock your pay if you draw my crowd away." Trixie warned,

"Like you can draw in a crowd without casting a spell and cheating." Fido remarked,

"What?! How are you insult the great and powerful Trixie's skill in magic, you will experience firsthoof just how great and powerful Trixie's spells are!" Trixie snapped, and she cast a spell. Fido got put in a box and the upper-half of his body appeared out of the stage's floor,

"Wha?! Put me back together!" Fido demanded while the audience reeled back in shock, Trixie cast another spell and made his legs, head, and tail appear in different areas on the stage's floor, Fido screamed while Trixie multiplied his legs, head, and tail and they appeared in the ground, the crowd reeled back and Trixie stopped and put Fido back together and the copies of his body parts disappeared,

"Do you still doubt the power of the great and powerful Trixie?" Trixie inquired,

"Great and powerful? Bah, more like small name and arrogant." Fido said, Trixie's jaw dropped,

"Alright, Fido, that's enough, you'll make the main star lose her confidence in her own abilities at this rate." Duo stated,

"I've seen statues with more talent than her." Fido replied, Trixie glared at Fido furiously,

"Now, now, Fido, you wouldn't wanna miss dancing with Gummy, Boneless, and Dandy now, would you?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"One of them will be very lonely and without a partner if you don't attend." Cheese Sandwich added,

"Fine, I'll go, but I expect extra pay for this." Fido said, and he walked. Fido and Dandy grabbed Gummy and Boneless and tried to waltz dance with them, Boneless moved around but Gummy did not, Fido and Dandy moved off of Duo's front hoofs and moved on their own, everybody tried to see if Trixie and Starlight Glimmer were casting spells and saw they were, Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich made streamers and confetti go off while Trixie summoned fireworks with her magic and made them go off, they danced more and stopped and the crowd cheered, Boneless and Dandy vowed while Gummy did not react and Fido walked off stage.

Bozo walked forward and got balloons, he and Cheese Sandwich blew them together and created the shapes of animals and objects while Trixie and Starlight Glimmer cast magic to make them real, the crowd cheered while the balloons changed into real animals and objects, they got several balloons and tied them together to make a chimera, Trixie cast a spell and smoke appeared, it disappeared and a real chimera was in its place and the crowd cheered loudly. Bozo got a unicycle and rode on it while juggling various items, Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich joined in on unicycles and began throwing big and heavy objects between one another and they juggled them, Trixie and Starlight Glimmer used magic to change the objects to different things while they were in midair and the three juggled them easily, Bozo rode away and came back with Molotov cocktails, lit flares, and knives, the crowd gasped while he juggled them and the other performers watched nervously, he juggled them easily while riding his unicycle and then threw them above himself, the onlookers looked away while Callas sang a long and loud note, Bozo bent backwards and caught the items easily and then continued juggling them and the crowd cheered loudly. Bozo got his bubble blowing equipment and began making regular bubbles and smoke bubbles and Trixie cast spells to make holes appear on them and move around on the bubbles to make the smoke flow out, she then cast a spell to make the smoke in the bubbles take the form of ponies doing magic and circus tricks and the crowd clapped, Bozo blew six bubbles and had them together and then blew smoke in the center of them to form a cube, the crowd clapped while Starlight Glimmer cast a spell to make more bubbles float around, they stuck together and had the smoke take on various shapes, everybody saw four bubbles together with a triangular prism, four bubbles together with a triangular based pyramid, five bubbles together with a square based pyramid, six bubbles together with a rectangular prism, nine bubbles together with a cone, ten bubbles together with a cylinder, and ten bubbles together with a sphere, the crowd clapped and cheered very loudly while Bozo smiled and walked back.

Back Flip did hoofsprings and somersaults while he came forward and the crowd clapped, he then did backflips and side flips and the crowd clapped, Trixie made flying trapezes appear and Back Flip jumped high while doing somersaults, side flips, and backflips and landed on them perfectly, the crowd clapped and he jumped down while Trixie made them disappear. Pinkie Pie dashed away and then set up balloons on a wooden board. Back Flip got knives and he did more backflips and threw the knives while in midair and hit the balloons and they popped and the crowd clapped. Pinkie Pie put up more balloons and Back Flip did side flips and threw the knives while in midair and hit and popped the balloons and the crowd clapped. Starlight Glimmer made wooden targets float and move around in the air and Back Flip put a blindfold on, everybody watched nervously while Back Flip held a knife up and waited, he heard the levitating items move around and listened to their locations, he jumped and did a backflip and threw a knife at one of the floating targets, Starlight Glimmer stopped moving it and everybody clapped. Back Flip listened to the next objects carefully and heard one nearby and to his right, he jumped to his right and did a side flip, he threw the knife and hit the wooden target, he then landed perfectly and the crowd clapped. Back Flip listened carefully and heard there were two more targets, he put one knife in his front left hoof and then held up another one in his front right hoof, he listened carefully and then jumped while doing a side flip to his left, he threw the knife in his front right hoof and then threw the one in his front left hoof, he hit both of the targets and he landed, the crowd cheered loudly and Back Flip lifted his blindfold up,

"Oh, I didn't get a bullseye on any of them, looks like I am rusty." Back Flip said, everybody's jaws' dropped and he walked back.

Double Joint walked forward and he began bending his body in unnatural ways and juggled items with his hind hoofs, the crowd clapped, Cheese Sandwich gave him an accordion and he played it with his hind legs easily, the crowd clapped. Pinkie Pie gave him a violin next and he played it with his hind hoofs perfectly, the crowd clapped and Double Joint then unfolded himself and then twisted and turned his legs backwards and then bent them around his body, he played the violin with his front hoofs and the crowd clapped. Double Joint put the violin down and then laid down, he bent his lower-body over his own upper-body and reached for the knives he had on his sides, he juggled them and then threw them at a target that Trixie set up and the crowd clapped, he threw the last knife and then used his hind legs to pick up a bow and arrow, the crowd watched with great interest while Double Joint aimed the bow and pulled the string, he shot the arrow and popped a balloon, the crowd clapped. Trixie cast a spell to make Double Joint's legs and body bend more and he threw more knives and shot the arrows more while he had a harder time but still hit the targets, Pinkie Pie turned Double Joint's head upside-down and he threw more knives and shot more arrows and still hit the targets, the crowd clapped and all of the balloons were popped. Trixie returned Double Joint's body back to normal and he walked back while Beethooven conducted music and Callas sang, they finished and everybody clapped and cheered loudly while the musicians relaxed took deep breaths.

Everybody got off and Trixie made the stage disappear while the crowd cheered loudly and they bowed,

"Thank you all for coming to the great and powerful Trixie's shows, I am Trixie, this is Starlight Glimmer, my assistant, Pinkie Pie, Cheese Sandwich, Gummy, Boneless, Tati, Houdini, Duo, Fido, Dandy, Bozo, Back Flip, and Double Joint, special guests and extra performers for today's show, and Beethooven, Octavia, Flower Viola, Fiddler, Angelique, Tempo, Winter Blues, Woodwind, and Callas, musicians, composer, and singer to add to the mood of the show, today's show was much bigger than my regular show, it's usually just me and Starlight Glimmer, this will also be the only time they perform with us, so a special round of applause for our guests and music performers." Trixie explained, and they clapped while the others smiled, they walked forward while Twilight Sparkle walked to Pinkie Pie,

"I have finished making the counter spell a while ago, Pinkie, we'll be back in Ponyville and everything will be back to normal after I cast it, so say your goodbyes now to those you won't see again." Twilight Sparkle explained, Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped,

"You mean those who were already dead when you cast the spell will be dead again?" Pinkie Pie inquired, Twilight Sparkle nodded, tears rolled down Pinkie Pie's eyes and she cried a little,

"I don't wanna say goodbye to any of them." Pinkie Pie lamented,

"Pinkie, if you don't now, you might regret it later." Maud Pie warned, Pinkie Pie sniveled a little and hugged Cool Head,

"I'm gonna miss you, Cool Head." Pinkie Pie lamented,

"I'll miss you, too." Cool Head replied, she then hugged Tati,

"Thank you for everything, Tati." Pinkie Pie said,

"You're welcome, you already inspired somepony, so our talents will not be forgotten." Tati remarked, she hugged Houdini next,

"Goodbye, Houdini." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Goodbye, Pinkie Pie." Houdini responded, she then hugged Duo, Fido, and Dandy next,

"I'll miss our conversations, Duo, Fido, and Dandy." Pinkie Pie said,

"Have a good life, Pinkie Pie." Duo stated, she hugged Bozo next,

"You taught me so much, Bozo." Pinkie Pie lamented,

"Keep practicing, you're already good yourself, I am proud of you." Bozo replied, she hugged Back Flip next,

"I'll never forget you, Back Flip." Pinkie Pie stated,

"I'll always be with you." Back Flip responded, Pinkie Pie hugged Double Joint next,

"I was never able to master your craft, Double Joint." Pinkie Pie lamented,

"It's okay, keep practicing, I'm sure you'll get it one day." Double Joint reassured, she then hugged Boxer,

"I'll miss you again, Boxer." Pinkie Pie said,

"Alright, I get it, stop hugging me, I'm not good at moments like these." Boxer replied, she then hugged Knock Out,

"I'll miss you again, too, Knock Out." Pinkie Pie lamented,

"I'll miss you as well, I guess I'll just have to wait for you to come join me in the afterlife." Knock Out responded, and she let go of him,

"You know, Pinkie Pie, maybe you should take a picture of them so you don't forget them." Drifter suggested,

"That's a great idea, come on, my special friends, let's get together." Pinkie Pie responded, and they went in her house. Pinkie Pie stood and Letter, Number, Numerical, Alphabet, Beethooven, Merrick, Rock Candy and her mother, father, husband, son, and daughter, Cloudy, Air Force, Ice Blower, Frosty, the mare Snowflake, Freeze, Blizzard, Igloo, Penguin, Snow, Ross, Star Pony, Toy Maker, Doll Maker, Treasure Hunter, Ainsworth, Fiery Heart, Cool Head, Flower Viola, Fiddler, Gardener, Obsidian, Rose, Lee, Vulture, Dove, Seamstress, Drifter, Pink Diamond, Gilmore, Purple Grace, Gold Digger, Wilfred, Boxer, Knock Out, Lightning Strike, Tulip, Bright Coat, Dark Mane, Cake Cream, Aroma, Rainstorm, White Mage, Thunderstorm, Angelique, Emerald, Haute Coture, Tempo, Aquarius, Taco Bell, Foster, Zhivago, Bright Smile, Joy Bringer, Callas, Tati, Houdini, Duo, Bozo, Back Flip, Double Joint, Butterfly Azalea, Weight Lifter, Powerlifter, Callisthenics, Arcana, Melon Farmer, Melon Harvester, Melon Crops, Banana Tree, Cavendish, Lady Fingers, Winter Blues, Punctual Organizer, Sugar Rush, Diary Farmer, Warm Heart, Woodwind, Love Giver, the filly Snowflake, Refrigeration Unit, and Icebox gathered around her,

"Alright, that's good, smile, everypony." Limestone Pie said, and she took a picture, everybody saw it came out great with everyone being seen,

"Alright, here goes." Twilight Sparkle said, and she cast her spell.

Pinkie Pie and Ponyville's residents were back in Ponyville and their families and Pinkie Pie's friends were gone,

"Okay, we're back." Twilight Sparkle chirped, Pinkie Pie cried a little,

"Pinkie, darling." Rarity said,

"No, I'm okay, really, I'm crying both tears of happiness and sadness." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, we'll leave you alone for now, come on, everypony, let's get back on with our days." Twilight Sparkle stated, and they went their separate ways. Pinkie Pie went back to Sugarcube Corner and worked for the day until night time came and closed the shop, she put the picture in a display case and put it beside her bed, she looked at it and smiled while she looked at Letter, a pony with dyscalculia, Number, a pony with dyslexia, Beethooven, a deaf music composer, Merrick, a deformed pony, Rock Candy, a pony with bladder problems, Cloudy, an amputee, Ice Blower, a pony with gynophobia, Ross, a blind painter, Star Pony, an abused foal, Treasure Hunter, an orphan, Fiery Heart, a widow, Cool Head, a widower, Flower Viola, a foal whose family went through divorce, Obsidian, a pony who lost a sibling, Vulture and Dove, a couple who lost their child, Drifter, a single parent, Boxer and Knock Out, ponies who had terminal illnesses, Tulip, a pony with cerebral palsy, Foster, a pony with anger issues, Bright Smile, an obese pony, Joy Bringer, an anorexic pony, Callas, a mute singer, Tati, Houdini, Duo, Bozo, Back Flip, and Double Joint, ponies whose talents and crafts have been forgotten, Butterfly Azalea, a pony on the wrong end of parents playing favorites with children, Taco Bell, a pony with chronic flatulence, Weight Lifter, a pony with ageusia, Arcana, a pony with insomnia, Melon Farmer, a pony with lactose intolerance, Banana Tree, a pony with gluten intolerance, Winter Blues, a pony with depression, Punctual Organizer, a pony with OCD and autism, Sugar Rush, a pony with ADD and ADHD, Warm Heart, a pony with PTSD, Woodwind, an unplanned child, and Snowflake, an abandoned foal, they were Pinkie Pie's special friends, she finished looking at the picture and then laid down and slept with a big smile on her face.

Dyslexia and Dyscalculia

Pinkie Pie was working at Sugarcube Corner for the day and writing down the records of the customers and what they bought for the day, she keeps writing and finished after sometime. Derpy flew into the house shortly afterwards with a letter in her mouth, it was for Pinkie Pie, she takes it and Derpy left, Pinkie Pie opened the letter and read it,

Dear, Pinkamena Diane Pie,

This is Letter, I am also writing this on behalf of my brother, Number, we've wanted to thank you for your help from many years ago, we are now working together to further our education than ever before, and we all owe it to you. We wanted to let you know that we are coming to Ponyville in a few days from now, Princess Twilight Sparkle has received word about us and invited us to her home so she can help me read numbers while teach how Number to read letters, we will pay you a visit when we have the time.

Pinkie Pie gasped in excitement at the idea of them coming over,

"Letter and Number are coming over!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly,

"I remember when I first met them. *sigh*" Pinkie Pie said, and she looks back.

Pinkie Pie was walking around Equestria before she decided to settle in Ponyville and was helping whoever she came across, she came to a house in an open field and saw two unicorn fillies, they both had light blue manes and tails, white coats, and sky blue eyes, one unicorn had the letter A as a cutie mark, the other unicorn had the number 1 as a cutie mark, both of their cutie marks were black, the two were distraught, Pinkie Pie ran to them,

"What's wrong?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We're failing school." the unicorn with the letter A as a cutie mark said, it was a female,

"Which subject?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Math." the female unicorn said, Pinkie Pie chuckled,

"Every subject except math." the unicorn with the number 1 as a cutie mark said, it was a male,

"You know, I failed math when I was in school, too." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Could you see the numbers fine?" the female unicorn asked,

"Of course." Pinkie Pie replied,

"You don't understand me then." the female unicorn said,

"You won't understand why I'm failing either." the male unicorn said,

"What is the problem, then?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I have dyslexia, I can't read letters." the male unicorn replied,

"I have dyscalculia, I can't read numbers." the female unicorn said, Pinkie Pie gasped,

"That means, you guys need each other." Pinkie Pie said happily,

"That's the thing, our school won't let us work together." the male unicorn replied,

"Do they know about your guys' disabilities?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, and they said they don't care." the female unicorn replied,

"What?! Don't care?! I won't stand for this! I'm going to be have a word with them!" Pinkie Pie said,

"Really? You will?" the female unicorn asked in surprise while smiling, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"Thank you, um?" the male unicorn said,

"Pinkamena Diane Pie, but you can call me Pinkie for short." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm Letter." the female unicorn said,

"I'm Number." the male unicorn said, Pinkie Pie thought their names were rather fitting,

"Where are your parents?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They're at work." Letter replied,

"Well, lead me to your school." Pinkie Pie said,

"Today's Sunday." Number replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, you could stay with us, mom and dad have not been able to find babysitters for us." Letter said, Pinkie Pie became excited and went into their house with them.

Pinkie Pie walks around and sees many classic literature and math books, she remembered that her parents had a few of them back at home, Pinkie Pie helped Letter and Number with their studies and read the parts they could not read, Pinkie Pie observed them and noticed that Letter can read numbers in word form, while Number cannot read variables, and the only letters he can read were a lowercase x and a lowercase t, since they looked like plus signs and multiplication signs to him. Pinkie Pie was helping with Number and they see the formula y=mx+b,

"Uh, equal, times, plus, I can't read the rest." Number said,

"There's a y before the equal, after the equal is the letter m, that x you mistook for multiply is actually a variable, and after the plus is a b." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, slope formula." Number said, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"I'm surprised they're already teaching you this, they usually don't teach things like this until middle school." Pinkie Pie said,

"Actually, our school doesn't teach this, this is self-study for us." Number replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Is there anything you two need to work together on to get done?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Graphing." Letter replied,

"You two can't see shapes?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, we can, it's just we need to work together labeling it." Number replied,

"He writes down the numbers of graph, I write down what they represent, and we take turns drawing the graphs." Letter said, Pinkie Pie smiled, she decided to have the two do different types of graphs to see what they needed help on, it was just as she expected, Letter needed to write down the words, and Number needed to write down the numbers, the two were able to draw the graph just fine.

The door opens and they see two adult unicorns come in, they both looked like adult versions of Letter and Number, their manes, tails, eyes, and coats were all the same color and style, the female adult's cutie mark was the Roman alphabet of uppercase letters, and the male adult's cutie mark was an addition sign, a subtraction sign, a multiplication sign, and a division sign, both cutie marks were black, they were surprised to see Pinkie Pie,

"Letter, Number, who is this?" the female unicorn asked,

"Pinkie Pie, she's offering to help us with school." Letter replied,

"I'm also volunteering to be their babysitter, free of charge." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot, my name's Numerical, and this is Alphabet, my wife." the male adult replied,

"Nice to meet you two." Pinkie Pie replied,

"You sure about this, darling, we are letting a stranger near our children." Alphabet said,

"Yes, I know, but it's worth a try, she's not charging us either." Numerical replied,

"I'm going to need a place to stay." Pinkie Pie said, Alphabet sighs,

"Fine, you can stay here." Alphabet replied,

"Really?! Thank you!" Pinkie Pie said loudly, which hurt the family's ears, she says "Sorry." while giggling nervously, and she went back to helping Letter and Number study, their parents keep an eye on her and see her do nothing suspicious, she had dinner with the family, but they did not say anything, and she tucked Letter and Number in bed and she slept on the floor since there was no spare bed, and the other bed was taken by the parents, so Pinkie Pie slept on the carpet, which was comfortable, and dreamed peacefully.

Pinkie Pie wakes up early the next morning and sees Letter and Number getting up,

"Good morning, Letter and Number." Pinkie Pie said,

"Morning, Pinkie." Letter replied tiredly,

"We have to get ready for school, Pinkie, our classes are separate, so you won't be able to be with us at more than one place." Number said,

"Don't worry, I have my ways." Pinkie Pie replied, and they all got ready for the day, Alphabet and Numerical were already gone,

"Letter, Number, what do your parents do?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They're palaeographers, they study ancient texts." Number replied,

"What do you two want to do when you get older?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I want to be a writer." Letter replied,

"How about you, Number?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"A mathematician, as long as the formulas I work on doesn't involve variables or letters." Number replied, Pinkie Pie smiled, they finish breakfast, brush their teeth, and they head to school with Pinkie Pie following them.

Pinkie Pie arrives at the school and puts on a visitor tag, she wrote down her full name in red marker provided by the staff with her mane, she followed Letter to class first since her class was closer, while Number went to his class, Pinkie Pie watched Letter read a book and was fast, she did her assignment, which was write down the characters, setting, problems, conflicts, and solutions to solving problems on a paper, the class was quiet and Pinkie Pie left without making any noise, Letter looks and was surprised to see that Pinkie Pie was gone, so were the classmates and teacher, but they all ignore it for now and continue working.

Number was working in class and was startled when he saw Pinkie Pie behind him to his right, she did not make any noise when she entered the classroom, the others look and were surprised to see her, but they continued working, Pinkie Pie watched Number work on math, he was doing greater than, less than, or equal to problems, he finished them all easily, Number then comes to a word problem and he put his head down while clutching the sides of his head, Pinkie Pie leaned down and touched the back of his head with her front left hoof and Number looked at her,

"Lemon Juice had 30 lemons, and he wanted to make lemonade. If one cup of lemonade required 5 lemons, how many cups can he make?" Pinkie Pie whispered, Number became happy and wrote down 6, Pinkie Pie smiled.

Everypony passes their assignments up to the front and the teacher gives out their next assignment it was Equestrian history, Number was falling behind because there were no numbers, it was just letters, and he could not read a thing, Pinkie Pie notices he was struggling, she becomes worried and tries to read the words for him,

"Miss, this is an assignment that doesn't involve talking." Number's teacher said,

"But he can't letters." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I don't care." Number's teacher said,

"What?! But he's going to fail!" Pinkie Pie said with shock,

"Then let him fail." Number's teacher replied,

"You're his teacher! You're supposed to help him!" Pinkie Pie said angrily,

"Only those who are passing deserve my help. Failing ponies like him can fail because he's too lazy and doesn't try hard enough." the teacher replied calmly,

"But..." Pinkie Pie said,

"This discussion is over, ma'am, I'm not helping him unless he starts passing." Number's teacher replied, Pinkie Pie growled at the fact that the teacher will not help a failing student, she disappeared when the others were not looking, they were startled when they saw she was gone, but they continued working.

Letter was working on a math problem and was having trouble due to her having dyscalculia, she can only read the problems that had variables, Pinkie Pie was beside Letter to her right and it scared her, it scared the other students and teacher as well, she watches Letter and sees she was having trouble, Pinkie Pie tried to read the problem for Letter,

"Ma'am, no talking." Letter's teacher said,

"But she can't read numbers." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Not my problem." Letter's teacher said,

"What?! You're not going to help?!" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I am not wasting my time on students who cannot be independent." Letter's teacher replied,

"Isn't anypony going to help this girl?!" Pinkie Pie asked in an annoyed tone, nopony responded, Pinkie Pie was in utter disbelief, nopony was going to help the two failing siblings,

"Ma'am, if you continue to disturb this class, I will have you kicked out." Letter's teacher said, Pinkie Pie grumbles in anger over the fact that the students and teachers will not help them, she lets out a loud annoyed grunt and walks out of the classroom.

Pinkie Pie stomps in the hallway in rage, she refused to accept that nopony will help two failing students with learning disabilities, she lets out several grunts of anger and then screams in rage, she was then founded by several administrator staff members and kicked out of the school, she grunts when she lands on the ground, she grumbles even more, she got up and waited for Letter and Number to finish class.

Class ends and Pinkie Pie was walking back and forth impatiently, the two go to her,

"Pinkie?" Letter asked, Pinkie Pie shrieks and looks,

"You scared me." Pinkie Pie said,

"It's no use, Pinkie, we're going to have to repeat the grade." Number said, Pinkie Pie gasped,

"Re... re... repeat... the grade?!" Pinkie Pie asked in shock and anger, she says "No! I won't let that happen, I'm going to be your two's tutor, and I will make sure you two pass, no matter how long it takes!" Letter and Number were surprised,

"You would do that for us?" Letter asked, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"Thank you, but we still can't read letters and numbers." Number said,

"Do not worry, Pinkie will come up with something." Pinkie Pie replied, and they headed home.

Pinkie Pie started working on creating an alphabet and number chart for the two to read, she decided to do the alphabet first since it was bigger; a capital A was made with a fraction sign, another fraction sign that was backwards, and a subtraction sign between them; a capital B was made with the numbers 1 and 3; the letter C was made with the left parenthesis; a capital D was made with the number 1 and a right parenthesis; a capital E was made with the sigma symbol; a capital F was made with the number 1 and an equal sign; a lowercase G was made with the number 9; a lowercase H was made with the number 4 that was upside-down and backwards; a capital I was made with the number 1; a capital J was made with the square root symbol; the letter K was made with the number 1, a fraction sign, and a backwards fraction sign; a capital L was made with the number 7 upside-down and backwards; a capital M was made with two number ones, a fraction sign, and a backwards fraction sign; a capital N was made with two number 1s, and a backwards fraction sign; the letter O was made with the number 0; the letter P was made with the number 1 and a right parenthesis; a lowercase Q was made with the number 1 and a left parenthesis; a capital R was made with the number 1, a right parenthesis, and a backwards fraction sign; the letter S was made with parentheses; a lowercase T was made with the plus sign; a capital U was made with a parabola; the letter V was made with a fraction sign, and a backwards fraction sign; the letter W was made with two fraction signs, and two backwards fractions signs; the letter X was made with the multiplication sign; a capital Y was made with the number 1, a fraction sign, and a backwards fraction sign; the letter Z was made with the number 2,

"Phew." Pinkie Pie said as she wiped sweat off of her forehead with her front left hoof, she then went on to go make a number for chart for Letter to read,

the number 0 was made with the letter O, the number 1 was made with a capital I; the number 2 was made with the letter Z; the number 3 was made with a capital E backwards; the number 4 was made with a lowercase H that was upside-down and backwards; the number 5 was made with a capital L that was upside-down with the letter C under it and backwards; the number 6 was made with a lowercase G that was upside-down and backwards; the number 7 was made with a capital L that was upside-down and backwards; the number 8 was made with two Os; the number 9 was made with a lowercase G.

Pinkie Pie goes to Letter and Number, who were studying, and shows them what she has made and they try to read it, they realize that they can, they smile and nod. Pinkie Pie jumped up excitedly and confetti comes out of the floor, Letter and Number look at the floor and see there was nothing to make the confetti come out, confusing the two, but they continued studying with Pinkie Pie helping. Their parents come home after a while and see Letter and Number using the charts Pinkie Pie has made for them, the two smiled and went on to prepare dinner for them, they had dinner, studied more, and went to bed at the end of the day.

Pinkie Pie wakes up early in the morning and sees Letter and Number were already up and eating breakfast, and Alphabet and Numerical were already leaving, she hops to school with Letter and Number walking, Pinkie Pie decided to help Number first since he was failing more subjects than his sister, they were in class again and Number could not read the word problems, so Pinkie Pie reaches into her mane with her front hooves and takes out an exact replica of the assignment, written in the alphabet of math symbols she has made for him, Number smiles and works quickly.

Number's teacher walks to him and sees the paper with the letters written with math symbols, she uses telekinesis and rips it apart,

"Hey! He was doing good too!" Pinkie Pie said,

"Don't care, I am not reading and grading such garbage writing." Number's teacher replied,

"Garbage?! But it looks almost identical to actual letters!" Pinkie Pie said defensively,

"Letters or not, that is not real hoofwriting, I am not grading such things, if he turns in such garbage writing, he's getting a zero." Number's teacher replied, Pinkie Pie lets out several grunts of annoyance and shrieks in anger while jumping in midair, she pants heavily before disappearing when nopony was looking.

Letter was working on a math problem and was struggling, Pinkie Pie hands her the assignment with the numbers made from letters with her front left hoof, this startled Letter a bit but she took it and started improving dramatically. Letter's teacher comes over to look at the paper and sees what Pinkie Pie made, he glares at her, and then uses telekinesis to rip it apart,

"Mister..." Letter said sadly,

"Don't wanna hear it, Letter." Letter's teacher replied,

"What?! But she was starting to pass!" Pinkie Pie said,

"Reading and math need to stay separated, not together." Letter's teacher replied,

"But then how is she able to pass?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"She's just going to have to accept the fact that she's going to fail." Letter's teacher replied, Pinkie Pie was speechless and began growling at the fact that the teachers were making them fail,

"Where is the principal?!" Pinkie Pie asked,

"We don't have one." Letter's teacher replied,

"You and her brother's teachers should ashamed for yourselves, you two have failing students, and refuse to help, that is not what a teacher does!" Pinkie Pie said angrily, several students look at her and were a bit surprised,

"Hang on. Everypony, raise your hoof if you're failing at least one subject in this class." Pinkie Pie said, and every student rose their hoof,

"See? Everypony is failing something, your job is to teach them." Pinkie Pie said,

"That's what self-study is for." Letter's teacher replied,

"Letter does study at home, all day and all night." Pinkie Pie said, Letter smiled,

"Well, tell her to study more, her inability to do math is her problem, she has to overcome it on her own." Letter's teacher replied,

"But what about all these other failing ponies?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They're improving, Letter's the only one not improving." Letter's teacher replied,

"That's why..." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm not going to waste my time helping her, as long as I'm paid, I don't care who passes or fails my class." Letter's teacher replied, Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped,

"What?! You care more about money than teaching?!" Pinkie Pie asked angrily,

"Every teacher here does." Letter replied,

"Excuse me again, everypony, how many of you would care more about money than actually teaching your students?" Pinkie Pie asked, everypony except Letter raised their hoof, Pinkie Pie was completely shock, she was very angry and walked out of the room without saying anything.

Pinkie Pie arrives at Letter's and Number's home and sees Alphabet and Numerical were home early,

"Shouldn't you be with our children, Pinkie?" Numerical asked,

"This is very important, their teachers don't care about teaching your children, they only care about money." Pinkie Pie replied,

"We know that." Alphabet said,

"Then why don't you have your children transfer to a different school?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"There are no other schools around this area." Alphabet replied, Pinkie Pie slapped her front right hoof onto her forehead while groaning,

"You know what? I'm taking them to another school." Pinkie Pie said, the parents become shocked,

"But... the closest school besides the one they're attending is ten miles away." Numerical said,

"Then why don't you two teleport them there? You two are unicorns." Pinkie Pie replied,

"We don't know the spell." Alphabet said,

"Leave it to me then, I promise you I'll get them to school on time." Pinkie Pie replied, the parents were unsure,

"Alright, but if they don't make it, it's on you, we're leaving to do the paperwork." Alphabet said,

"Understood." Pinkie Pie replied, and the parents go to the school to fill out paperwork to transfer their kids to another school.

Letter and Number come home and do their homework, they had to switch around for the letter and number parts, Pinkie Pie helped them in case they got something wrong, she took the alphabet and number charts she made for them out of nowhere,

"How do you do that, Pinkie?" Letter asked,

"It's a family trait." Pinkie Pie replied, confusing the two, but they keep working and then begin studying, Alphabet and Numerical come home a few minutes later,

"Good news, Letter and Number, you two are going to a different school tomorrow." Numerical said, shocking the two kids,

"But the closest school is ten miles away!" Number replied,

"No worries, Pinkie Pie is going to take you two there." Alphabet said,

"Well, I guess, she does seem to have her ways of doing things." Letter replied, the parents smiled and left to get ready for work tomorrow, Letter and Number went to sleep and Pinkie Pie tucked them in before falling asleep herself.

Pinkie Pie wakes up early and wakes up Letter and Number by shaking them, they have breakfast and Alphabet and Numerical leave after kissing their children on their foreheads,

"Okay, Letter and Number, stand by me." Pinkie Pie said, and they do,

"Close your eyes." and they do, they hear walking and open their eyes, they were shocked to see they were in the new school, and on time,

"What did you do, Pinkie?" Letter asked,

"Pinkie magic." Pinkie Pie replied, the two were surprised, and Pinkie Pie walked them to their classes, the classmates greeted them all kindly, the teachers read about their conditions and had the two sit beside each other, Pinkie Pie still gave them the alphabet and number chart for them to use, the students and teachers were very impressed, they agreed to use it for them while the students also helped them translate words and numbers they could not read.

A few days pass and Letter and Number improve greatly, Alphabet and Numerical could not believe how much better they were doing, Pinkie Pie took them to class again by teleporting while the two had their eyes closed, they go to class again, the teacher walks to them,

"Pinkie, I think these two can handle learning here on their own from now on." Letter's and Number's new teacher said,

"But they can't get here without me." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What do you mean?" Letter's and Number's new teacher asked,

"Our house is ten miles away from here." Letter replied, the classmates become surprised,

"That can be fixed easily, show me where your home is after school." Letter's and Number's new teacher said, and they do after class, they arrived home after dark, their parents were there, the new teacher takes out a book from his saddlebag,

"This one, practice this spell." Letter's and Number's new teacher said, and they do, they could not get it right, they do after a few days and were able to teleport from school to home now, the two became happy, Alphabet and Numerical learned it as well so they can teleport to work.

Pinkie Pie's last day with the family was a day of joy, it was the day after the four learned the teleporting spell, she was standing outside with the four looking at her with tears of joy,

"Thank you, Pinkie, you have really helped us out a lot." Alphabet said,

"Don't mention it, bringing spirits up is my lifetime's job." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Our children couldn't have improved their education without your help, we are eternally grateful." Numerical said,

"Aw, stop it, you're embarrassing me." Pinkie Pie replied while blushing,

"Can you please stay with us?" Letter and Number asked together,

"Sorry, but there are other ponies out there are still down and sad, I have to bring up their spirits, maybe we'll see each other again one day, I hope we do." Pinkie Pie replied,

"We hope so, too." Number said,

"Well, I have to go, bye now." Pinkie Pie said, and she hopped away while the family waves bye at her with tears in their eyes',

"What a good pony." Pinkie Pie overheard Numerical say,

"Yes, I didn't trust her at first, but she truly is a blessing to have around." Alphabet replied, and Pinkie Pie hopped away and could not hear them anymore.

Pinkie Pie finishes looking back and sees shop was about to close, Mr. and Mrs. Cake have already left, she checks on Gummy and sees he was fine, she goes to her bed and sleeps in it while having dreams about Letter and Number, she was very excited to meet them again.

Two days pass and Pinkie Pie was leaving to teach at the School of Friendship, knocking is heard at the door and she hops to it, she opens it and gasps in excitement, it was Letter and Number, now fully grown adults, they looked just like Alphabet and Numerical,

"Letter and Number!" Pinkie Pie said happily as she hugged them, she lets go and sees Twilight Sparkle standing there with them,

"They wouldn't stop asking me to see you, so I took them here, they've told me all about you helping them with their education when they were fillies, I'm really proud of you, Pinkie, and I'm now going to have them attend the School of Friendship today, since today is your day to teach." Twilight Sparkle said, Letter and Number become surprised,

"You're a teacher, Pinkie?!" Letter and Number asked together,

"Uh-huh, come on, this way." Pinkie Pie replied as she hopped to class, the two follow her and they enter her class, Sandbar, Gallus, Ocellus, Yona, Smolder, and Silverstream were present as well,

"Good morning, everycreature, I have two special friends of mine today, Letter and Number, now make sure you all respect them and help them, they have had a very hard time studying, you guys see, Letter can't read numbers, and Number can't read letters, so if they struggle, please help them." Pinkie Pie said, and they do.

Free time comes and Pinkie Pie talks about when she first met Letter and Number when they were kids and how she helped them with their education in their early years, the students clapped and smiled when Pinkie Pie finished,

"It's true, if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be at where we are at now." Letter said,

"That is why we're forever indebted to her, our education is on par with even the highest educated creatures, and we wouldn't have made it without Pinkie's help." Number said, the students clap more and the two sit, several days go by and Pinkie Pie helped them again a little and they left after a few days to continue their education elsewhere, forever grateful of Pinkie Pie's help.

Loss of Sibling

Pinkie Pie trotted around in Sugarcube Corner and had gifts for Limestone Pie, Maud Pie, and Marble Pie, since it was Sibling Appreciation Day. Pinkie Pie heads out and was about to go give her gifts to her sisters,

"Pinkie, there you are." Pinkie Pie heard Toy Maker say, she looks and saw him and Doll Maker run to her,

"It's Star Pony, he just suddenly left this morning, we don't know where he's gone." Toy Maker said, Pinkie Pie thought about it and figured out where he went,

"It's fine, I know where he went, come with me." Pinkie Pie said, and she was about to lead them,

"Pinkie, wait." Twilight Sparkle said, she and Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack ran to her,

"We're going, too." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"What? Why?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Because I have told them and my brother and Cadence to report to me about Star Pony, so if something bad happens, I'll know immediately." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"Don't forget since yer family adopted him, that makes him a part of mah family as well." Applejack said,

"We're your friends, Pinkie, anything that happens to your friends is a problem to us as well." Rainbow Dash said,

"Yes, you don't have to do everything, Pinkie, we're all here to help." Fluttershy said,

"Come on now, darlings, let's go see Star Pony." Rarity said, and they all board the train and leave.

Star Pony was at his old home and visiting Ragdoll's grave, he grieved at his younger brother's grave,

"Star Pony!" Pinkie Pie said, Star Pony's attention was caught and he turned around, he saw her running to him along with Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Toy Maker, and Doll Maker, they arrive and stand to his right,

"I'd figured you be here." Pinkie Pie said, Star Pony just looked down with sorrow,

"Star Pony?" a familiar male voice asked, Pinkie Pie realized it was Ice Blower, the others saw him running to them, Frosty, Snow, Blizzard, Freeze, Igloo, Penguin, and Snowflake coming, they run and arrive at the others, they stood to Star Pony's left,

"Ice Blower, Frosty, what are you two doing here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Your family sent us." Frosty replied,

"They saw you running here, but they were busy getting ready for Sibling Appreciation Day, so they sent us." Ice Blower said,

"Uh, who are these guys, Pinkie?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"I'm Ice Blower, and this is Frosty, my older sister, Pinkamena's parents and our parents were friends." Ice Blower replied,

"Were friends?" Rainbow Dash asked,

"Yeah, they passed away several years ago." Frosty replied, surprising Pinkie Pie's other friends,

"I'm Snow, I'm Ice Blower's best friend, I'm a friend to the entire family." Snow said,

"I'm Snowflake, I'm Ice Blower's wife." Snowflake said,

"My name's Penguin, I'm Snowflake's oldest brother." Penguin said,

"I'm Igloo, Snowflake's other older brother." Igloo said,

"I'm Blizzard, Snowflake's father." Blizzard said,

"And I'm Freeze, Snowflake's mother." Freeze said,

"Family friends, Pinkie?" Applejack asked,

"Yeah, Ice Blower is another one of my special friends, he was scared of girls when I first met him." Pinkie Pie replied, surprising her five mare friends,

"How come?" Rainbow Dash asked,

"They were always mean to me when I was a colt." Ice Blower replied,

"Oh." Rainbow Dash said,

"I assume you heard about Star Pony if you all are here." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yes, your family told us everything, I'm at a loss for words." Freeze said,

"Oh my goodness, everypony, look, we can still see the scars on his body." Snowflake said, they look and see Star Pony had very faint scars on his body from the physical abuse he received from his father,

"So, what brings you here, Star Pony?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I was thinking, maybe if you found me a few years ago, you could've saved my younger brother." Star Pony said, everypony present was shocked,

"I'm sorry, Star Pony, but you should know my family and I did everything we could to keep you alive." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Younger brother?" Toy Maker asked,

"Yeah, this is my younger brother, Ragdoll, he received the same abuse I received, and the physical abuse from our father ended up killing him." Star Pony replied, shocking everypony except Pinkie Pie,

"Star Pony, darling, Pinkie did everything she could, I'm sure she would've did her best to help if he was still alive." Rarity said,

"Yeah, but still." Star Pony replied, Twilight Sparkle looked down with sorrow,

"I can't believe something like this happened." Twilight Sparkle said tearfully,

"It's not your fault, Twilight, I met Star Pony long before I met any of you." Pinkie Pie replied,

"But still, I'm the Princess of Friendship, I feel like I failed Star Pony." Twilight Sparkle said tearfully, Star Pony just looked at Ragdoll's grave with sorrow, Ice Blower and his family went to comfort him, so did Pinkie Pie, her five friends, and his adopted parents,

"Would you like some ice cream, Star Pony?" Fluttershy asked,

"Sure." Star Pony replied,

"Alright, sugar cube, we'll be back." Applejack said,

"Wait, I want Pinkie Pie to stay with me, she makes me feel safe." Star Pony replied,

"Alright, I'll be waiting for you guys." Pinkie Pie said, and they all left.

Pinkie Pie and Star Pony were alone and they looked at Ragdoll's grave with sorrow,

"I'm sorry, Star Pony, but he was already dead when I met you, he would've been a special friend to me, too." Pinkie Pie said,

"You seem to have a lot of special friends." Star Pony replied,

"I do, but you're super special." Pinkie Pie said,

"Why?" Star Pony asked,

"Because most of my special friends usually only had their educations or careers endangered, and some did not fit well in society, your life was endangered when I met you, that's why you're super special." Pinkie Pie replied, Star Pony was touched,

"The abuse I received has messed up my growth, even though I'm a teenager now, I still have the body of a foal, and I don't have a cutie mark, and I can't do heavy physical work." Star Pony said,

"There, there, Star Pony, it's not your fault, and believe it or not, you're not my only special friend who has lost a sibling." Pinkie Pie replied, Star Pony's attention was caught,

"I'm not?" Star Pony asked,

"No, there's another special friend of mine, Obsidian, he lost his sister when I met him." Pinkie Pie replied, Pinkie Pie has memories of the event, that was also when she met Greenie Gaz, one of the three ponies she genuinely hated, the other two were Strong Muscle and Mind Breaker, Star Pony's abusive parents, she also met a filly named Rose, Pinkie Pie also considered her a super special friend,

"Can you talk about him?" Star Pony asked,

"Okay, but it might be a bit disturbing." Pinkie Pie replied, and she begins to talk about Obsidian.

Pinkie Pie was on her way to Ponyville to live there permanently, she was currently wandering through a desert, and it was summer, so it was hot. Pinkie Pie wanders into a town and heard a chime, she tracks it and sees a male earth pony sitting on his own, he had a black coat, short gray mane and tail, light gray eyes, and his cutie mark was a black obsidian rock. Pinkie Pie noticed he was upset, so she trotted to him, he looked to his left,

"Oh, hello." the earth pony said,

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, just looking at a picture." the earth pony replied, Pinkie Pie looks at it as well, he saw the earth pony with a mare, she had a light purple coat, a long and curly dark purple mane, and light red eyes,

"Is that your girlfriend?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, my sister." the earth pony replied,

"Oh, I'm Pinkie Pie, by the way." Pinkie Pie said,

"Obsidian." the earth pony replied,

"What's your sister's name?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Amethyst." Obsidian replied, Pinkie Pie heard some sorrow in his voice,

"Did something happen?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"She... lost her life three weeks ago." Obsidian replied,

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Pinkie Pie said,

"Your sympathy is appreciated." Obsidian replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Well, you should get going, I'm about to head home." Obsidian said,

"Okay, nice talking to you." Pinkie Pie replied, and Obsidian got up and headed home while Pinkie Pie wandered around the town. Pinkie Pie walks through the desert and arrives at the town, but nopony was around,

"Hello, anypony here?" Pinkie Pie asked, she hears walking and saw an earth pony filly, she had on a white dress with black stripes all over it, the long sleeves covered her front legs, the dress had light purple cuffs above the filly's front hoofs, and had many black buttons on it, the filly also wore a white hat with a wide brim and three pink roses on the right side of it, the filly had a light pink coat, a long light gray mane and tail, and turquoise eyes. Pinkie Pie trotted to her,

"Excuse me." Pinkie Pie said, the filly looked at her,

"Can you show me the way around here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Sorry, but I'm new here." the filly replied,

"Really? Me too!" Pinkie Pie said happily, the filly smiled,

"What's your name?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Rose, I'm a transfer student from Manehattan, I'll be staying at the inn." the filly replied,

"What about your parents?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They believe I'm old enough to take care of myself, so they sent me here on my own." Rose replied,

"What about your inn's fee?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They already paid for it." Rose replied,

"Well, since you're new here, I'll give you a welcome gift. Here you go." Pinkie Pie said as she reached into her mane with her front left hoof and gave Rose a purple lollipop,

"Really? Thank you." Rose said happily,

"Well, hope you have a good time here." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, see you around." Rose replied, and the two hugged one another and Rose walked to Pinkie Pie's right. Pinkie Pie goes to her left and hears more walking, she saw an elderly earth pony stallion, he had a slightly tan coat, a short black mane and tail, a thick moustache, and brown eyes, he was wearing a black double breasted ulster coat, a black frock coat, a black hat, a brocade vest, a white long-sleeve button-up dress shirt, a black tie, brown pants, which was rare in Equestria, and black mid-calf length boots on his hind legs. Pinkie Pie looks at him and sees he had a lever action rifle on his back, over his left shoulder, he was also wearing a black gun belt with a revolver in a holster above his left hind leg, with bullets on the right side, Pinkie Pie was surprised, because guns were very rare to see in Equestria, even though Igneous Rock Pie had a gun in the house. Pinkie Pie trots to him and he faces her,

"Do you know the way around town?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I'm new here, I'm a drifter." the stallion replied,

"I'm Pinkie Pie." Pinkie Pie said,

"Lee." the stallion replied,

"Where are you coming from?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"The royal guard, I retired recently." Lee replied,

"Oh, I'm from Rockville." Pinkie Pie said, Lee chuckled,

"Well, I'll be going, I'm kind of in a hurry right now." Lee said,

"Okay, see you later." Pinkie Pie replied, and Lee left.

Pinkie Pie trots around town to get to know her way around it, but to her surprise, it was barren, nopony was around, she soon sees a male earth pony walking around, he had a sickly dark green coat, long, straight, and dirty bright green mane and tail, dark orange eyes, and his cutie mark was three circular saw blades with rusty barbed wire tied in the center of them and going down, the left and right saw blades were dark orange, while the center saw blade was purple. Pinkie Pie trotted to him,

"Excuse me." Pinkie Pie said, the green stallion looked at her,

"Are you new here, too?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I grew up around here, my house is right there." the stallion replied, Pinkie Pie looks to her left and sees he lived in a mansion,

"Wow! You must've worked really hard to get that mansion." Pinkie Pie said,

"Actually, no, I inherited it from my parents when they passed away when I was ten, misfortune hit my family a lot when I was younger." the stallion replied,

"What happened?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I also had two older brothers, and a younger twin brother, they passed away before my parents, my younger brother passed away first, I was seven at that time, and then my second oldest brother when I was eight, and my oldest brother a week after him." the stallion replied, Pinkie Pie was sympathetic,

"I'm Pinkie Pie, by the way." Pinkie Pie said,

"Greenie Gaz." the stallion replied,

"What do you do around here?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I entertain others, I bring laughter and joy to this town." Greenie Gaz replied,

"Really?! I've been doing that all over Equestria." Pinkie Pie said elatedly,

"How?" Greenie Gaz asked,

"By throwing parties, singing, befriending everypony I meet, and just having fun altogether." Pinkie Pie replied excitedly, but she got the strange feeling that Greenie Gaz did not like her ways of spreading laughter and joy,

"I'll let you see the rest of the town, but leave the laughter and joy to me, that's my job here." Greenie Gaz said, and he left. Pinkie Pie walks around and sees nopony around for some reason, she keeps going and sees Rose again, she goes to the school and Pinkie Pie saw many colts and fillies there, they were playing outside, which made Pinkie Pie smile. Pinkie Pie hears laughing and she saw Greenie Gaz with twelve other male earth ponies, the first one had a red coat, short yellow mane and tail, blue eyes, and his cutie mark was a knife and a tongue, the second one had a blue coat, long and messy purple mane and tail, red eyes, and his cutie mark was a dagger with eagle wings on its handles, the third one had a greenish black coat, long black mane and tail, blood red eyes, and his cutie mark was a crocodile's head with its mouth open, the fourth one had a gray coat, short silver mane and tail, light gray eyes, and his cutie mark was a head of a metallic bull, the fifth one had a light brown coat, long brown mane and tail, tan eyes, and his cutie mark a rocking horse, the sixth one had a light green coat, long white mane and tail, green eyes, and his cutie mark was a bamboo stick, the seventh one had a black coat, short silver mane and tail, dark red eyes, and his cutie mark was a coffin with spikes stabbing out of the lid, the eighth one had a yellow coat, short orange mane and tail, light blue eyes, and his cutie mark was a silver spider, the ninth one had a pale yellow coat, long light brown mane and tail, green eyes, and his cutie mark was a long brown table, the tenth one had a light blue coat, long mane and tail, dark green eyes, and his cutie mark was a thumb and a screw, the eleventh one had a dull gray coat, short red mane and tail, orange eyes, and his cutie mark was a brown bench with a tiger's head over it, the twelfth one had a light blue coat, short yellow mane and tail, dark yellow eyes, and his cutie mark was a gray pear.

Greenie Gaz and the twelve stallions laugh as they walk together,

"I have to go back to school now, class is about to restart." the stallion with the gray pear for his cutie mark said,

"Alright, introduce that new girl here our way, show them we don't like her kind here." Greenie Gaz said, and the stallion with the gray pear for his cutie mark heads to the school while Greenie Gaz and the other eleven stallions left. Pinkie Pie was curious and trotted to the school shortly after the foals and stallion went into the school, she watched through a window on the left side of the classroom, and saw Rose sitting in the center seat of the row behind the front row of desks,

"Okay, class, we have a new student today, she's from the city, which all you know, is full of a bunch of idiots and losers, so let's have her introduce herself, and just get it over with." the stallion with gray pear for his cutie mark said, Pinkie Pie did not like what he said, and saw Rose's feelings were hurt, but she walked up to in front of the classroom and turned around,

"Hi, my name is Rose, nice to meet you all, my mommy and daddy are rich and loving ponies, they bought my favorite dress and hat for me, which I'm wearing now, and if you all want to, I can teach you all how to sew and make them." Rose said,

"Okay, now, as part of our town's tradition, we have prepared a welcoming drink, so go on and drink up." the stallion with the gray pear for his cutie mark said, and handed her a potion with a light blue liquid in it,

"Oh, thank you. Thank you very much." Rose said, and she drinks the potion, the stallion and foals smile while Rose went back to her seat.

The stallion with the gray pear for his cutie mark teaches and every foal sat and listened, Rose focused and was excited to learn, but she soon stopped being excited and felt tingling in her body, she clutches her groin with her front hoofs and begins grunting. The stallion teaching and the foals ignore Rose while she tried to hold her bladder, she lets out loud grunts and her hind hoofs begin moving around a lot, Pinkie Pie watches worriedly and Rose raises her front right hoof while holding her groin with her front left hoof. Rose lets out loud grunts and waves her front right hoof around while the stallion teaching ignores her, Rose continues shaking her hind hoofs and raises her front right hoof higher while the teacher ignores her, Pinkie Pie watched from the window worriedly while the others did not see her.

Rose begins to let out exclaims of shock and she begins to wet herself,

"Look, everypony, the new student is wetting herself." the stallion with the gray pear for his cutie mark said as he pointed his front right hoof to Rose, the foals look and begin laughing at her, Rose lets out several exclaims of shock while feeling humiliated. Pinkie Pie gasped and ran back, she runs forward and jumps through the window, breaking it in the process, she places Rose onto her back and runs and jumps out of the classroom while the foals and stallion laugh.

Pinkie Pie runs across town to look for a bathroom with Rose on her back, who was still trying to hold her bladder and her urine dripped on Pinkie Pie's back. Pinkie Pie runs as fast as she could to look for a bathroom for Rose to use, she does not see one, she keeps running and saw Obsidian in front of her and was walking to her right,

"OBSIDIAN!!" Pinkie Pie yelled, Obsidian looked at her and she ran to him,

"Quick! Where's the restroom?" Pinkie Pie asked, he looks and saw Rose wetting herself,

"Come on, let's take her to my home." Obsidian said, and he ran to lead the way, Pinkie Pie followed him while Rose let out several exclaims while embarrassed.

Rose uses the bathroom while Pinkie Pie and Obsidian sat together, she explained what happened,

"That potion is given to every new student, it is to humiliate them as a way to welcome them." Obsidian said,

"Who came up with that?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Greenie Gaz." Obsidian replied, Pinkie Pie was shocked,

"What about that teacher?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"He's a member of Greenie Gaz's gang, I have pictures of all of them." Obsidian replied, and he gets them out for Pinkie Pie, she sees a picture of all thirteen of them with Greenie Gaz in the center, she looks and saw their names, the stallion with gray pear for his cutie mark's name was Pear, the stallion whose cutie mark was a tiger's head and a bench was Tiger Bench, the stallion whose cutie mark was a thumb and a screw was Thumbscrew, the stallion whose cutie mark was a long brown table was Rack, the stallion with the silver spider for his cutie mark was Iron Spider, the stallion with the bamboo stick for his cutie mark was Bamboo, the stallion whose cutie mark was the coffin with spikes stabbing out of the lid was Iron Maiden, the stallion with the wooden rocking horse for his cutie mark was Spanish Donkey, the stallion with the metallic bull's head for his cutie mark was Brazen Bull, the stallion with the crocodile's head for his cutie mark was Crocodile Shears, the stallion who had the dagger with eagle wings on its handle for his cutie mark was Blood Eagle, and the stallion who had the knife and the tongue for his cutie mark was Necktie.

Pinkie Pie memorized all of them and kept them in her mind, the toilet flushes and Rose walks out with her head down, Pinkie Pie and Obsidian look and see Rose had a big wet and yellow stain around her groin on her dress,

"Wetted yourself a little?" Obsidian asked,

"Hmm-mm." Rose replied sadly while nodding slowly,

"Well, give it here, I'll wash it." Obsidian said, and Rose took her hat off, and then her dress, Pinkie Pie sees Rose did not have a cutie mark,

"Is there any specific way to wash this?" Obsidian asked,

"No, just soaking it in cold water should clean it. Thank you." Rose replied, and Obsidian left to wash Rose's dress. Pinkie Pie walked to Rose,

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked, Rose nodded,

"You know him?" Rose asked,

"That's Obsidian, I met him shortly before I met you, he lost his sister three weeks ago." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Rose said,

"You want to stay here with me and him?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I'm still going to the inn my parents paid for me to stay at, after he finishes washing my clothes." Rose replied,

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said, and they hear walking, Obsidian came,

"You might have to wait overnight for your dress to be clean." Obsidian said,

"That's okay, I'll stay here, then." Rose replied,

"You're not going to the inn?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Not until my clothes dry, it's not proper for a lady to go around such a way." Rose replied,

"Is it okay if I stay with you, Obsidian? I have nowhere to go." Pinkie Pie said,

"Sure, I'll make a place for both of you to sleep." Obsidian replied,

"Really? Thank you." Rose said, Pinkie Pie smiled while Obsidian left and made beds for the two, he came back shortly afterwards,

"They're ready, and sorry about it being made out of hay, it's the best I can do." Obsidian said,

"It's fine, thank you." Rose replied,

"Yeah, it's fine, I find hay really comfortable to sleep in." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well, it's getting late, so I'll head to bed." Obsidian replied,

"Come to think of it, what time is it?" Rose asked, Pinkie Pie looks outside and saw the sun setting,

"It's almost dark, we should sleep, too." Pinkie Pie said, and they follow Obsidian to the hay beds, Pinkie Pie lays down to Obsidian's right while Rose slept to his left.

Obsidian was still awake at night, so was Pinkie Pie and Rose, since the three were in a desert, it was cool at night, Obsidian was looking at his pocket watch with the picture of him and his sister in it, it played the chime again, Rose looked at the picture as well,

"Is she special to you, Obsidian?" Rose asked,

"Yeah, that's my little sister, she died three weeks ago." Obsidian replied,

"What happened?" Rose asked,

"Poisoned." Obsidian replied, Pinkie Pie and Rose become shocked, with Pinkie Pie quickly sitting up,

"How?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Greenie Gaz gave her poisoned candy, she didn't know better and ate them, she felt agonizing pain and collapsed in front of me, I tried to find a cure for her, but I didn't, and she passed away three days later." Obsidian replied, horrifying Pinkie Pie and Rose,

"How old was she?" Rose asked,

"Twelve." Obsidian replied,

"How old are you, Obsidian?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Fifteen." Obsidian replied, much to Pinkie Pie's surprise, because he looked like a fully grown stallion,

"What was your sister's name?" Rose asked,

"Amethyst." Obsidian replied,

"She looks friendly." Rose said,

"Trust me, she was, she would try to befriend you as soon as she saw you." Obsidian replied, Rose chuckled,

"I would've liked that." Rose said,

"Well, a lot of people here didn't, and they hated her." Obsidian replied, Rose felt sad,

"They shouldn't, I like that kind of pony." Rose said,

"It's because of Greenie Gaz's influence, they act the way they do because of him." Obsidian replied,

"Oh, well, I'll go to sleep now, goodnight Obsidian." Rose said,

"Goodnight, Rose." Obsidian replied, and the two sleep with Pinkie Pie.

The next morning comes and Pinkie Pie stayed with Obsidian since she had nowhere to go while Rose was getting dressed,

"What do you do for a living, Obsidian?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Gem farming, it's a family business." Obsidian replied, and Pinkie Pie sees Obsidian's yard, there were a lot of rocks filled with gems of many colors inside,

"Ooh, so many pretty colors." Pinkie Pie said, Rose and Obsidian chuckle,

"What do your parents do for a living, Rose?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They sell flowers, very popular in Canterlot and Manehattan." Rose replied,

"What do your parents do, Pinkie Pie?" Obsidian asked,

"Rock farming." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Ah, this is a bit similar, Pinkie Pie, but you're not moving and breaking rocks, you're looking for gemstones to sell all over Equestria." Obsidian said,

"My parents were also friends with a family that cut and harvested ice." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I've never heard of ice harvesting." Obsidian said,

"Well, I'll be going to the inn now, see you two later." Rose said, and she walked away,

"Can I help?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'll let you know when I need help, I don't have that big an order to fill right now." Obsidian replied,

"Okay, see you later." Pinkie Pie said,

"Stay safe, Pinkie Pie." Obsidian replied, and Pinkie Pie hopped around. Pinkie Pie hopped around happily with her eyes closed, she hears streamers going off and looks at the house, she goes to the backyard and sees a birthday party happening, she saw a filly enjoying her birthday party, she saw Greenie Gaz there, Necktie, Blood Eagle, Crocodile Shears, and Brazen Bull were with him,

"And now, everypony, the cake." Brazen Bull said, and Crocodile Shears presents the cake,

"Happy birthday, little girl." Crocodile Shears said, the filly begins to cough and Pinkie Pie sees she had an allergy, she also looks and was shocked to see the cake was made out of mercury. Greenie Gaz and the four members of his gang laugh along with the foals, the filly has trouble breathing and developed red rashes,

"Enjoying your cake?" Blood Eagle asked, the filly shook her head,

"We brought ice cream, too." Necktie said, and he opened a container filled with ice cream, also had mercury in it, the filly's allergies start to get to her, Pinkie Pie watched with shock. Greenie Gaz walks to her,

"Well, as the host of the party, it's fitting that I end it, here, have a party gun." Greenie Gaz said, and he took out a yellow party popper gun, he aims it at the filly's face and fires it, a loud gunshot was heard and a bullet came out, the filly screamed in pain while the foals and five stallions left while laughing. Pinkie Pie had a horrified face and stood there, processing the fact that Greenie Gaz's party popper gun was actually a real gun, she hears the filly scream and Pinkie Pie snapped back to reality, she runs to the hurt filly and sees her crying while holding her face with her front hoofs, Pinkie Pie stretches her left eye out and looks for the bullet in her face, she sees it and uses her eye to pull it out. Pinkie Pie rushes into the house and looks for utensils to cover the wound, she finds bandages and takes them, she goes to the filly and begins applying the bandages to the filly's right cheek, where she was shot, she stops crying and begins panting a little heavily,

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked, the filly nods,

"I'm new around here, I didn't know the ponies could be so mean during birthdays." the filly said, Pinkie Pie was very offended that ponies would hurt the foals on their birthdays,

"I'm a party planner and party thrower. Come on, let's throw you a proper birthday party." Pinkie Pie said,

"No, it's fine, I'm about to leave, thank you, though." the filly replied,

"You sure?" Pinkie Pie asked sadly,

"Yeah, I'm leaving town, I'm going back to Canterlot." the filly replied,

"Wait, before you go, here." Pinkie Pie said, and gives the filly a piece of cake with purple icing on it, the filly smiled,

"Happy birthday." Pinkie Pie said,

"Thank you. I'll be going now." the filly replied, and she took the cake and walked out of town. Pinkie Pie walks around and saw the inn since it was labeled, she decided to walk to it and see how Rose was doing, she looks and sees Rose at the receptionist desk, but saw the receptionist was Tiger Bench,

"I'd like the key to the room my parents reserved for me, please." Rose said while smiling,

"Name, please." Tiger Bench replied,

"Rose." Rose said,

"Hold on." Tiger Bench replied, and he looks at his list, he sees Rose's name and hands her a key,

"Here you go." Tiger Bench said,

"Thank you." Rose replied, and she went upstairs. Pinkie Pie trotted and saw a part from outside she can climb on, she climbs on it and sees Rose in the hallway, she enters her room and it was filthy, filled with black spots and had cockroaches, she exclaimed with fear at seeing the bugs, Rose also coughed and gagged since the room stank, Pinkie Pie smelled it as well, she was holding her breath. Rose entered the room and was shocked at how dirty it was,

"I'll clean!" Pinkie Pie said happily from inside the room, Rose exclaimed with surprise while holding onto her heart with her front right hoof,

"How did you get here?" Rose asked,

"Window was open." Pinkie Pie replied, even though she teleported into the room,

"Oh." Rose said, believing her immediately,

"Well, best happy cleaning room! Starting now!" Pinkie Pie said, and she begins to sweep the area while having fun,

"Come on, Rose! Join in!" Pinkie Pie said, and she cleaned with her, Pinkie Pie had fun while Rose did not,

"Whee!" Pinkie Pie said happily as she cleaned the room, Rose sighs and cleans, Pinkie Pie was cleaning quickly while Rose cleaned slowly, they were soon done,

"See, wasn't that fun?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm sorry, Pinkie, but no." Rose replied, Pinkie Pie stopped smiling,

"Well, what did you do for fun back at home?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Tried to make pretty dresses, and pick the flowers from outside." Rose replied,

"What about parties?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Mostly for adults, they were boring to me." Rose replied,

"What did they have?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Ponies talking, food, and wine." Rose replied, Pinkie Pie was surprised,

"Sorry, but I don't have wine." Pinkie Pie said,

"I don't drink it." Rose replied,

"Oh, well, what about food?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Fruits, vegetables, shish kabob, and hay." Rose replied,

"Oh, there's nothing sweet." Pinkie Pie said,

"Yeah, my parents don't like sweet stuff very much." Rose replied,

"Aw." Pinkie Pie said with disappointment,

"Pinkie Pie, I'm kind of tired right now, I'd like to get some rest." Rose said,

"Okay, see you later." Pinkie Pie replied happily, and hugged Rose, she smiled and hugged her back, Pinkie Pie left while Rose relaxed. Pinkie Pie trots but sees telegraph wires around, she saw them connected to the inn, they were at Tiger Bench's desk, she sees him using a telegraph, so she follows the wire and goes into an old house, she saw Iron Spider, Rack, and Thumbscrew, they snicker and send a telegraph to Tiger Bench,

"Wait until that girl falls for this." Iron Spider said,

"Yeah, she'll be broke in no time." Rack replied,

"We won't let her leave town, either, Greenie Gaz and the rest of us are going to be even richer than now." Thumbscrew said, and they laugh a bit. Pinkie Pie runs back to the inn and sees Tiger Bench receiving a telegraphing message from Iron Spider, Rack, and Thumbscrew,

"Hey, Rose, I need you down here." Tiger Bench said, Rose trotted down the stairs,

"Yes?" Rose asked,

"This inn also requires payment, we aren't providing services for free." Tiger Bench said,

"How much do I have to pay?" Rose asked,

"Five bits, starting now." Tiger Bench replied, and she did,

"Thank you." Tiger Bench said,

"You're welcome." Rose replied and she trotted back to her room. Five minutes pass and Pinkie Pie watched carefully,

"Rose, it's time for your next payment." Tiger Bench said, Pinkie Pie heard Rose sigh as she trotted down, she paid Tiger Bench five bits,

"Oh no, the price goes up every time, it's ten bits now." Tiger Bench said,

"Seriously?" Rose asked,

"Hey, it's a five star inn, of course it's going to be pricey." Tiger Bench replied,

"Fine." Rose said, and she paid him five extra bits, and went back upstairs. Five minutes pass again,

"Rose, time for your next payment." Tiger Bench said, Rose let out an annoyed groan and walked down the stairs,

"Twenty bits." Tiger Bench said, Rose was shocked but paid him, she went back upstairs. Five minutes pass again,

"Rose, payment time." Tiger Bench said, Rose growled as she ran down the stairs,

"Forty bits." Tiger Bench said,

"What?! That's crazy!" Rose replied,

"Pay up or get out." Tiger Bench said, Rose reaches into her saddlebag but sees she was out of bits, Tiger Bench picks her up and throws her out of the inn while she screams, Tiger Bench went back into the inn while snickering. Pinkie Pie looks at Rose, who was laying in the mud in defeat, Pinkie Pie becomes angry and storms into the inn,

"Another customer?" Tiger Bench asked,

"Return the bits!" Pinkie Pie said angrily,

"Why?" Tiger Bench asked,

"Give them back!" Pinkie Pie said angrily and she tried to take them back, but Tiger Bench held onto them and would not let go, he grabs the telegraph with his front left hoof and hits Pinkie Pie in the face with it. Pinkie Pie screamed as she fell and was in pain, she holds the area of her face where she was hit with her front left hoof and cried a bit while Tiger Bench took the bits back,

"You're mean." Pinkie Pie said tearfully, Tiger Bench smirked at her, he just picked her up and dropped her on the ground, he closed the inn's doors afterwards. Pinkie Pie stood up and saw a crying Rose, she became angry again and picked up Rose, she walks to where Iron Spider, Rack, and Thumbscrew were at, they were laughing at the message they just got,

"HEY!!" Pinkie Pie yelled angrily, the three look at her,

"Apologize to her!" Pinkie Pie said as she held Rose in front of her,

"Why?" Rack asked while smirking, Pinkie Pie growled,

"She just lost her bits because you three and Tiger Bench!" Pinkie Pie replied angrily, Iron Spider, Rack, and Thumbscrew laugh,

"Look at her in tears, it's funny." Iron Spider said,

"Yeah, why aren't you laughing?" Thumbscrew asked,

"Because it's NOT funny!" Pinkie Pie replied angrily, the three stallions chuckle,

"Complain all you want, all of her bits are going to Greenie Gaz." Rack said, Pinkie Pie growled,

"There you are." Pinkie Pie heard Pear say, she looks back and sees him going to Rose,

"Come on, you're late for school, we have an assignment that requires you." Pear said, and he picks her up and begins carrying her,

"No! Pinkie Pie! Help!" Rose said,

"Rose!" Pinkie Pie said worriedly while Iron Spider, Rack, and Thumbscrew held her back,

"No! Leave her alone!" Obsidian said, Pinkie Pie saw him across from her to her right, and he was trying to run to her, but Necktie and Blood Eagle held him back,

"Don't worry, Greenie Gaz has something special in mind for her." Necktie said,

"Unless you wish for her to end up like Amethyst, you best stay out of this." Blood Eagle said, and Obsidian looks at him with disgust,

"Help!" Rose said as Pear took her away, Pinkie Pie grunts and breaks free and runs after her. Pinkie Pie runs after Pear while he runs and holds Rose, she sees the foals up ahead and a wooden stand with five ropes, Pinkie Pie keeps running but her hind hoofs are pulled back, she screams as she falls, she looks back and saw Iron Maiden and Bamboo,

"Greenie Gaz can't have you interfering." Bamboo said,

"We need her for the class's assignment, you shouldn't get in the way." Iron Maiden said, and Pinkie Pie watches, she looks and sees Greenie Gaz, Crocodile Shears, Brazen Bull, and Spanish Donkey up ahead,

"Over here, class is waiting." Spanish Donkey said, and Pear brought Rose to them,

"Let me go!" Rose said, and Greene Gaz, Crocodile Shears, Brazen Bull, Spanish Donkey, and Pear put the rope around Rose and hang her up. Pinkie Pie grunted and tried to crawl forward while Iron Maiden and Bamboo held her back, but she hears running and saw Iron Spider and Tiger Bench coming, they hold her front hoofs down and restrain her, Pinkie Pie hears grunting and saw Obsidian being carried forward by Necktie, Blood Eagle, Rack, and Thumbscrew, he tried to break free while the four carried him forward,

"No! You guys wouldn't!" Obsidian said with shock when he saw Rose being tied by her hoofs and neck by five ropes and hung up,

"Okay, class, time for a favorite, we're going to play pinata, I know you all like pinata, you foals are going to get a stick, everyone gets a turn to hit the pinata at least once." Greenie Gaz said, Pinkie Pie gasped,

"No!" Pinkie Pie said, and Greenie Gaz gave a wooden stick to a colt, he hits Rose with it in her abdomen, Rose almost grunted loudly from the hit, the next foal went, she hit Rose in her hind right knee, Rose screamed briefly from the pain,

"Wait, no, guys, not like that." Greenie Gaz said, and he took the wooden stick,

"Like this." Greenie Gaz said, and he hit Rose in her abdomen so hard, the stick broke, Rose coughed a bit from the pain while the foals laugh,

"Well, go on, class, hit the pinata just as hard, you'll get extra credit if you hit it on the head." Pear said, Pinkie Pie screamed with horror,

"No!" Obsidian said, and he broke free from the four ponies restraining him, he tries to run to free Rose, but the four who were holding him down restrain him again. Greenie Gaz has his gang and the foals hit Rose with wooden sticks as hard as they could, the taller foals hit her on the head,

"Are you foals having fun?" Greenie Gaz asked, the foals cheered, much to Pinkie Pie's horror,

"Who wants an encore?" Greenie Gaz asked, the foals cheered and Greenie Gaz took out another wooden stick, he hands it to the next foal who was up to hit Rose, the foal hits Rose on the head so hard, the wooden stick snapped on impact, Rose was beginning to have a panic attack, Pinkie Pie noticed and looked at Greenie Gaz,

"GREENIE GAAAAAAAZ!!" Pinkie Pie yelled with rage, Greenie Gaz just looked at her and smiled menacingly with his teeth exposed. The foals continue hitting Rose with wooden sticks that Greenie Gaz's gang gave out, but a gunshot was heard and it hits the stick and breaks it,

"Withdraw!" Greenie Gaz said, and he, his gang, and the foals run away while another gunshot was heard, it hits the rope on Rose's neck and cuts it. Pinkie Pie and Obsidian got up and ran to Rose, who was crying, the two undo the ropes on her hoofs and she was held up by the two, the two look at her and see Rose was covered with bruises,

"You okay, Rose?" Pinkie Pie asked worriedly, who just cried from the pain,

"Come on, let's take her to my place." Obsidian said, and he carries her on his back and runs to his home, Pinkie Pie looks at the area with sorrow and felt really bad for Rose, she began to walk to Obsidian's home shortly afterwards. Pinkie Pie walks to Obsidian's home but stops when she saw Greenie Gaz, Necktie, Blood Eagle, Crocodile Shears, Brazen Bull, Spanish Donkey, Iron Maiden, Bamboo, Iron Spider, Rack, Thumbscrew, Tiger Bench, and Pear together,

"Alright, next order of business, where do Rose's parents live?" Greenie Gaz asked,

"I have their contact info, they live in Manehattan, I have their address, too." Pear replied,

"Good, Brazen Bull, Spanish Donkey, Iron Maiden, Bamboo, Iron Spider, and Rack, go take care of them, Necktie, Blood Eagle, Crocodile Shears, Thumbscrew, Tiger Bench, Pear, and I will deal with her." Greenie Gaz said,

"Yes, sir." the twelve stallions said, and Brazen Bull, Spanish Donkey, Iron Maiden, Bamboo, Iron Spider, and Rack ran away while Necktie, Blood Eagle, Crocodile Shears, Thumbscrew, Tiger Bench, and Pear went their separate ways, Greenie Gaz also went his separate way, but Pinkie Pie watched him, she saw him take out a black cannon on wheels,

"Just wait a little longer, my beauty, you will be used once again soon." Greenie Gaz said, Pinkie Pie became worried and ran to Obsidian's home.

Obsidian treats the crying Rose of her wounds, he also offered her candy to make her feel better,

"You okay, Rose?" Obsidian asked,

"I want my mommy and daddy." Rose replied tearfully,

"I'm sorry, Rose, but they're not here, it's only me and Pinkie Pie." Obsidian said, Rose still cried since she was in pain from the beating, Pinkie Pie ran into the home shortly afterwards,

"Obsidian, Greenie Meanie is sending his ponies to Manehattan to go after Rose's parents." Pinkie Pie said,

"What? That's crazy, there's no train in this town, getting there will take forever." Obsidian replied,

"And my parents live in a place full of ponies, there's no way they'd get them." Rose said,

"So, they'll be fine?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"They should be, mommy and daddy are well known throughout Manehattan, they shouldn't be able to get to them easily." Rose replied,

"They should be fine, Pinkie Pie, going there by hoof will take days, I think Rose has nothing to worry about. Come on, Pinkie Pie, I need help treating Rose." Obsidian said, and she goes over to help, Pinkie Pie gave Rose sweets, which made her elated and she ate them, Obsidian finishes treating Rose's wounds and it was dark, so Obsidian decided it was bedtime, he had Rose and Pinkie Pie sleep extremely close to him so he can protect them if Greenie Gaz and his gang attacked them, but they did not, and they slept peacefully for the night.

Morning comes and Pinkie Pie woke up early,

"Good morning." Pinkie Pie said,

"Good morning, Pinkie Pie." Rose replied,

"Pinkie Pie, I'll keep Rose at my home today, I think it's for the best." Obsidian said,

"Say? What's gotten into you, Obsidian?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yeah, why are you so protective of us for?" Rose asked,

"Because both of you remind me of my sister." Obsidian replied, Pinkie Pie and Rose were surprised,

"How?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Both of you have parts of her personality. Pinkie Pie, you're friendly and want to have fun, and Rose, your love for fancy clothes and kindness, as well as you trusting almost everypony you meet, Amethyst had all of those traits." Obsidian replied, Pinkie Pie and Rose began to feel bad for Obsidian,

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I'll stay here, too." Pinkie Pie said,

"It will, thank you, Pinkie Pie." Obsidian replied while smiling, and the three get on with their days. Pinkie Pie, Obsidian, and Rose stay in Obsidian's home while he examined gems he mined to check their conditions, Pinkie Pie and Rose played board games and had fun, Obsidian joined them after he was done with his work, the three have fun until the door was kicked down and Necktie and Blood Eagle ran in, they pick up Rose and carry her away, Pinkie Pie and Obsidian try to run to help but Crocodile Shears, Thumbscrew, Tiger Bench, and Pear came in and fought them,

"Rose! No!" Pinkie Pie said as she saw Rose carried away, she and Obsidian push their fighters away and run after Rose, Crocodile Shears, Thumbscrew, Tiger Bench, and Pear chased after them. Necktie and Blood Eagle carry Rose to the school and Greenie Gaz was waiting for them, the foals were ready to fight Pinkie Pie and Obsidian if they tried to interfere,

"Good, tie her now." Greenie Gaz said, and he has Necktie and Blood Eagle tie Rose's front hoofs to a table. Greenie Gaz walks forward and begins punching her, she grunted and exclaimed when she got hit, Greenie Gaz eventually punched her with his front right hoof in the face so hard, Rose flew back, the restraints broke, and blood came out of her mouth, Greenie Gaz then got down and began to press his front hoofs onto Rose's eyes, she screamed while she was in pain. The foals sang a song about welcoming a new pony to their town while they watched Greenie Gaz beat up Rose, Pinkie Pie and Obsidian tried to break free from the group of foals and help Rose, Necktie and Blood Eagle smiled as Greenie Gaz hurt Rose. A telegraph message is received in the room and Necktie checks it,

"Greenie Gaz, the court has been set up." Necktie said,

"Good, it's time, unicorns, send us to Manehattan." Greenie Gaz said, and the unicorns cast a spell to teleport Greenie Gaz and Rose to Manehattan. Pinkie Pie and Obsidian were still restrained while Necktie and Blood Eagle walk out,

"Why?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Why what?" Crocodile Shears asked,

"Why are you all like this?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It's what Greenie Gaz taught us." an earth pony colt replied,

"What did he teach you guys?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"How to have fun, this town was boring until he showed us what we can do for fun." a Pegasus filly replied,

"By hurting other ponies?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"More, he taught us fighting is fun, bullying feels good, and taking revenge on a bully feels good, Greenie Gaz showed us all how good it feels and how fun it is." a unicorn colt replied,

"But it's wrong!" Pinkie Pie said,

"That's where you're wrong, Greenie Gaz told us if it makes us feel good, then there's nothing wrong with it." a second earth pony colt replied,

"How did you all feel when you hit Rose with the sticks yesterday?" Obsidian asked,

"It felt great." a Pegasus colt replied, the foals nod and smile,

"But Rose didn't feel good, she was hurt!" Pinkie Pie said,

"Greenie Gaz said that means keep doing it because they want to feel it even more, and seeing ponies that way is funny." a unicorn filly replied, Pinkie Pie gasped,

"Look at that, everypony, she doesn't agree with us, just like your parents'." Crocodile Shears said,

"Where are the parents?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"The foals drove them out of town when Greenie Gaz began controlling this place." Obsidian replied, shocking Pinkie Pie,

"Parents are such killjoys, don't do this, don't do that, so Greenie Gaz taught us to turn on them and physically attack them, and he and these twelve ran them out of town." a second unicorn filly said,

"Don't you guys miss them?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Not at all." a second Pegasus filly replied,

"How did it feel when you guys ran your own caretakers out of town?" Obsidian asked,

"It felt great, now that they're gone, and Greenie Gaz runs this place, we can do whatever we want." a third earth pony colt replied,

"Don't you guys regret your actions?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Nope, Greenie Gaz said there's no need to regret if we find it enjoyable." Pear replied, shocking Pinkie Pie. A telegraph is received and Blood Eagle checks it,

"Unicorns, Greenie Gaz is done, time to bring him back." Blood Eagle said, and the unicorns cast their magic to bring back Greenie Gaz, he was holding Rose with his front left hoof by the back of her collar,

"NO!!" Rose said,

"That's right, from now on, you're going to call me father." Greenie Gaz said while smiling menacingly, Rose screamed as she tried to free herself. Pinkie Pie and Obsidian shake around to make the foals lose their grips and they stand up and run to Greenie Gaz, but the foals pull them back and make them fall, Pinkie Pie screamed while Obsidian grunted,

"Keep them down, let's wait for the others to finish their job." Greenie Gaz said, and they do. Twenty minutes pass and the telegraph goes off again, Necktie checks it,

"They're done, Greenie Gaz." Necktie said,

"Good, bring them back, unicorns." Greenie Gaz said, and the unicorn foals cast magic together, Brazen Bull, Spanish Donkey, Iron Maiden, Bamboo, Iron Spider, and Rack reappear,

"There, now we can start the main event for tonight." Greenie Gaz said, and he threw Rose to the foals,

"Take care of her." Greenie Gaz said, and the foals beat her until she was unconscious, much to Pinkie Pie's horror,

"Knock out Obsidian, too." Greenie Gaz said, and Thumbscrew, Tiger Bench, and Pear beat him up until he was unconscious,

"My gang, with me, and bring that pink pony with you." Greenie Gaz said, and Pinkie Pie was carried elsewhere by Necktie, Thumbscrew, Tiger Bench, and Pear.

Pinkie Pie was carried to the outskirts of the town and the sun was beginning to set, the sand was now a dark orange, the sky was a dark blue violet with some red at the bottom. Pinkie Pie was dropped and Greenie Gaz, Necktie, Blood Eagle, Crocodile Shears, Brazen Bull, Spanish Donkey, Iron Maiden, Bamboo, Iron Spider, Rack, Thumbscrew, Tiger Bench, and Pear surround her, Pear lifts Pinkie Pie up and Necktie punches her in her face with his front left hoof, Pinkie Pie let out a brief scream when she got hit, the punch made her turn around and go towards Rack, he punched her in the face with his front right hoof, Pinkie Pie let out another scream as she got hit, she went towards Greenie Gaz and he punched her in her lower gums with his front left hoof and Pinkie Pie exclaimed and held her gums with her front hoofs while in pain, Blood Eagle kicks Pinkie Pie in her hind right knee with his front right hoof and she fell on the ground, Iron Maiden and Iron Spider walked forward and stomped on the knees of Pinkie Pie's front legs, she screamed in pain, Bamboo laid on top of Pinkie Pie's back and moved his front hoofs forward, he began touching Pinkie Pie's chest area, she screamed loudly as she struggled to get him off, Crocodile Shears and Tiger Bench grabbed Pinkie Pie's hind legs and pulled them apart while Pinkie Pie screamed, Pear walked to her and kicked her in her groin with his front right hoof, Pinkie Pie screamed loudly in pain. Thumbscrew lays down in front of her and punches Pinkie Pie in her nose with his front left hoof, Pinkie Pie exclaimed from the pain, and Thumbscrew quickly leaned forward and forced her to kiss him, Pinkie Pie lets out several grunts while trying to break free, Thumbscrew's breath stank, Brazen Bull and Spanish Donkey go forward and they go behind her, Brazen Bull pulls on Pinkie Pie's mane while Spanish Donkey pulls on her tail, Pinkie Pie grunted in pain, they were muffled since Thumbscrew continued to force himself and Pinkie Pie to kiss one another, he was starting to put his own spit in her mouth, Pinkie Pie struggled and let out muffled grunts, Pinkie Pie had tears in her eyes and cried with her voice muffled,

"Alright, guys, I think that's enough, let's get ready for tonight's event." Greenie Gaz said, and they step back while Pinkie Pie laid on the ground, the thirteen stallions begin stomping on her and kicking her and Pinkie Pie screamed in pain, Pinkie Pie cried since it hurt so much, she was soon unconscious from the pain.

Pinkie Pie groaned and woke up, it was dark, she saw she was in Obsidian's home,

"Obsidian?" Pinkie Pie asked, there was no answer, she tries to move but sees her hoofs were tied to the floor with ropes, all of them were tied in constrictor knots. Pinkie Pie grunts while trying to break free and looked to her right, she saw an unconscious Rose, she had ropes on her hoofs as well,

"Rose!" Pinkie Pie said, Rose did not wake up,

"Where are you, Obsidian?" Pinkie Pie asked,

Obsidian groans and he wakes up outside in the desert sand,

"Where am I?" Obsidian asked,

"About time you woke up." Necktie said, Obsidian looks forward and saw him and Blood Eagle together, he got defensive the instant he saw them,

"Obsidian!" Pinkie Pie said from inside his house, Obsidian hears them and runs to his home, he tries to open the door but it was locked,

"Looking for this?" Greenie Gaz asked, Obsidian turns around and saw him holding the key to his home in his front right hoof,

"Give it to me!" Obsidian said angrily,

"You'll have to catch me first." Greenie Gaz replied as he turned around and ran away, Obsidian chased him. Crocodile Shears and Spanish Donkey pour gasoline around Obsidian's home and he hears it, Obsidian turns around and sees the two throw a match at his home, the two matches hit the gasoline and it sets his home on fire, Obsidian becomes horrified and looks back, he saw Greenie Gaz with the key to his house, he runs away and Obsidian chases him.

Pinkie Pie sees the house set on fire and everything began burning,

"Rose! Wake up!" Pinkie Pie said, and Rose groans while she did, she smells the smoke and coughs, she wakes up and sees she was in Obsidian's burning home, she screams and struggles to break free of her restraints, she panicked while Pinkie Pie tried to stay calm and tried to free herself as well, Pinkie Pie was scared as well, the two shake around and try to break free from the ropes.

Obsidian runs around the desert and tries to go after Greenie Gaz, but Tiger Bench and Pear appear to his sides and punch him, he grunts and fell, he wrestles them and tries to go past them, but Obsidian sees he has not fully recovered from the beating he received earlier, he pushes Tiger Bench and Pear to the sides and runs past them, he chases after Greenie Gaz but Thumbscrew runs up to Obsidian from behind and knocks him down, he grunted as he fell, Thumbscrew began to strangle him, Obsidian gagged as he got choked,

"Listen to yourself, Obsidian, you're making the same noise as your sister when she died." Thumbscrew said, Obsidian growls with anger when he was reminded of his sister's death, he grabs Thumbscrew's front hoofs with his own and moves his hoofs off of his neck, he throws Thumbscrew off of himself, he wanted to beat him up, but decided saving Pinkie Pie and Rose was more important, so he chased after Greenie Gaz.

Pinkie Pie and Rose continue struggling to break free from their restraints and they were screaming with fear as the fire and smoke gathered around them,

"HELP!!" Pinkie Pie yelled,

"OBSIDIAN!!" Rose yelled, there was no response, and the two continue to struggle to break free from their restraints.

Obsidian runs and pants as he chases after Greenie Gaz to get the key to his house, Iron Spider and Rack tackle Obsidian from his blind spots and Obsidian fought back, but he had no stamina and received beatings from the two, Obsidian hears foals laughing at him and cheering the two on, Obsidian hits the two to the sides and keeps running after Greenie Gaz, who was watching and waiting for him. Obsidian keeps running and Bamboo ran to him from the front and tried to jump on top of him, Obsidian ran to his left and dodged him, but Bamboo grabs his tail and pulls him back, Obsidian bucks him in the face and he fell, Obsidian keeps running after Greenie Gaz and the foals were up ahead, the Pegasi and earth ponies begin throwing objects at him while the unicorns shot him with their magic, he grunts and fell, he groaned in pain while he laid, the foals laugh at seeing him in pain, he crawls forward and goes past the foals, he gets up and continues chasing after Greenie Gaz.

Obsidian sees Greenie Gaz was far ahead, he keeps running but an explosion happens right beside his front right hoof,

"Whoa!" Obsidian said as he fell, he looks forward and sees Greenie Gaz was firing a cannon at him, much to his shock, Obsidian quickly gets up and keeps running while Greenie Gaz held the string to pull the cannon's friction primer. Obsidian ran as quickly as he could, but Crocodile Shears, Brazen Bull, Spanish Donkey, and Iron Maiden attacked him from his blind spots and attempted to restrain him by holding his hoofs while Greenie Gaz adjusted the cannon so he can shoot Obsidian with it. Obsidian sees Greenie Gaz adjusting the cannon and tried to move around to break free and have Greenie Gaz shoot his four allies, Greenie Gaz fires and the four run away while Obsidian ducked and just barely dodged the cannon shell, he gets back up and runs to Greenie Gaz while the other four chase him. Obsidian sprints to lose the four chasing him, he was close to Greenie Gaz and Necktie and Blood Eagle tackled him from behind, they push him down and begin kicking him, he grunted from each hit.

Pinkie Pie and Rose continue trying to break free but could not,

"HELP!!" Rose said, and the roof broke, Rose screamed as it fell and it was on fire,

"Keep trying, Rose!" Pinkie Pie said, and the two continue to struggle.

Obsidian rolls around and tries to dodge Necktie's and Blood Eagle's hits, he hears running and realizes the other ten members of Greenie Gaz's gang were coming, Obsidian bites Necktie and Blood Eagle on their front left hoofs, they grunt and stumble a little, Obsidian stands up and runs to Greenie Gaz. Greenie Gaz runs away while carrying his cannon, but Obsidian runs to him and knocks him down from behind, he grunted in the process. Obsidian checks Greenie Gaz and sees he did not have the key to his house,

"What the? Where's the key? WHERE'S THE KEY?!" Obsidian asked, Greenie Gaz snickered,

"Check the craters." Greenie Gaz said, Obsidian realizes Greenie Gaz shot the key in the cannon and destroyed it,

"What?! NO!!" Obsidian said, Greenie Gaz, his twelve stallions, and the foals laugh at Obsidian, but he decided it was not over, he stood up and ran to his home, he runs and sees another pony running to his home as well, he did not recognize him, Obsidian stops for a minute and watches the pony, he arrived at Obsidian's home shortly afterwards.

Pinkie Pie and Rose continue to struggle to break free,

"Help! Obsidian!" Pinkie Pie said, but the door to her and Rose's left got knocked down and it fell onto the floor, the two look and see a pony come in, Pinkie Pie saw it was Lee, to her surprise, he ran in while holding onto his hat with his front left hoof,

"Lee!" Pinkie Pie said, and he runs to her, he reaches into his coat with his mouth and takes out a knife, he cuts the ropes on Pinkie Pie's hoofs and frees her, he then went over to free Rose and he did. Lee put Rose on his back and while he helped Pinkie Pie up. The three go outside and Obsidian went to them,

"Where's somewhere safe?" Lee asked,

"There's a mine just behind here." Obsidian replied, the four hear running and saw Greenie Gaz, Necktie, Blood Eagle, Crocodile Shears, Brazen Bull, Spanish Donkey, Iron Maiden, Bamboo, Iron Spider, Rack, Thumbscrew, Tiger Bench, Pear, and the foals running after them,

"Come on, we have to go!" Obsidian said, and he put Pinkie Pie on his back and ran. Obsidian and Lee run to the mine while they carried Pinkie Pie and Rose, they sprint while Greenie Gaz, his gang, and the foals chase them, they run as fast they could, Obsidian was having trouble since he was still tired from earlier, but he pushed himself. The four were soon out of town and in the desert, they keep going and they see unmarked gravestones to their rights, they ignore it and keep going. Lee and Obsidian keep running and lose the ponies pursuing them, they see the underground mine and enter it. Obsidian and Lee put Pinkie Pie and Rose down, Lee went to Rose,

"Are you alright?" Lee asked, Rose shook her head,

"I remember when I saved you from getting hit by the sticks." Lee said,

"Wait, that was you?" Rose asked, Lee nodded,

"I thought you were just being bullied for being the newcomer, but after seeing what they did, I realized it's a lot worse than I thought, I'm sorry for not intervening earlier." Lee replied,

"Where were you, Lee?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Walking around town, I've been hiding from Greenie Gaz and his gang, I didn't come to the burning house earlier because I was looking for a sharp utensil, I heard you two struggling to break free in there." Lee replied,

"What happened in Manehattan, Rose?" Obsidian asked, Rose began to cry a bit,

"Greenie Gaz went to the law enforcement and accused my parents of abusing me by showing them the wounds he inflicted on me, we were taken to court, and my parents lost, I got disowned by the judge and Greenie Gaz gained custody of me and became my new guardian!" Rose replied,

"What's your name, young one?" Lee asked,

"Obsidian, and you?" Obsidian asked,

"Lee." Lee replied,

"Remember me, Lee?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, Pinkie Pie, I remember you." Lee replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,

"Do your parents have a telegraph, Rose?" Obsidian asked,

"No, but the law enforcement in Manehattan does." Rose replied,

"Let's contact them, then." Lee said,

"This way." Obsidian replied, and he took Lee to the telegraph, he contacts Manehattan's law enforcement with it and asks about Rose's parents, he got a message back and he and Obsidian saw it, the two were shocked, but they went back,

"Well?" Rose asked,

"I'm sorry, Rose, but your parents are dead." Lee replied, Pinkie Pie gasped while Rose began to break and started sobbing loudly, Pinkie Pie realized that Brazen Bull, Spanish Donkey, Iron Maiden, Bamboo, Iron Spider, and Rack have killed them, she looks at the exit and saw Greenie Gaz through a small hole in the wall, she glares extremely sharply and angrily at him while he just smiled widely with his teeth exposed, enjoying hearing Rose's cry, he left afterwards,

"It's late, we should sleep." Obsidian said, and they do, Pinkie Pie, Obsidian, and Lee gathered around Rose and comforted her while she cried until she fell asleep.

Pinkie Pie and Lee wake up early and Obsidian slept in for a few minutes before getting up, Rose wakes up several minutes later and still cried a little,

"Are you alright, Rose?" Obsidian asked, Rose shook her head, she continued to cry as her tears fell on her dress, Obsidian rubbed her forehead with his front left hoof,

"Look at yourself, so sad and full of grief, you look exactly how I looked when my sister died." Obsidian said,

"You lost your sister, Obsidian?" Lee asked,

"Yeah, she died three weeks ago, Greenie Gaz gave her poisoned candy." Obsidian replied,

"I see, I'm sorry to hear that, I'm going to go out and explore this place a bit." Lee said,

"I'll go, too." Pinkie Pie replied, and she took out her party cannon, Lee went to Obsidian and gave him his revolver,

"Do you know how to shoot?" Lee asked,

"Yes." Obsidian replied hesitantly,

"Okay, you know what to do, if you see Greenie Gaz or any of his gang, shoot." Lee said, Obsidian nodded, and he took the rifle off of his back and held it in his front hoofs, he and Pinkie Pie head outside.

Lee and Pinkie Pie head outside and explore the place a bit,

"What do you do for a living, Lee?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Bounty hunting, I track down criminals in exchange for money." Lee replied,

"Do you like your job?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"It's alright. What's your job?" Lee asked,

"I'm a party planner and party thrower." Pinkie Pie replied,

"It's a bit unusual for you to be defending somepony." Lee said,

"I grew up on a rock farm, and I have a baby sister to protect, so this isn't my first time." Pinkie Pie replied, Lee smiled and the two arrive at the six unmarked gravestones they saw last night. Lee digs up one of the graves and sees the skeletons of adult ponies, which made Pinkie Pie uneasy,

"They must be the parents of the foals in the town." Lee said,

"What? But I heard Greenie Meanie drove them out." Pinkie Pie replied,

"He probably had them killed afterwards." Lee said, much to Pinkie Pie's shock, she ran to the town while Lee watched. Pinkie Pie ran to the school to see the foals sitting in class with Pear being nowhere to be found,

"Excuse me." Pinkie Pie said as she jumped into the class, the foals look at her,

"I have something to show you ponies, it's very important, follow me." Pinkie Pie said, and they did. Pinkie Pie took the foals to the unmarked graves and Lee was nowhere to be found,

"Look, everypony." Pinkie Pie said, she dug up the graves to reveal the skeletons in the graves,

"Hey, it's our parents." a Pegasus colt said,

"See, everypony, Greenie Meanie did this." Pinkie Pie said, the foals cheer, which shocked Pinkie Pie,

"That means more freedom for us!" an earth pony filly said,

"That's right, kids." Greenie Gaz said from behind them, the foals look at them,

"I had your parents killed so you all can continue having fun doing whatever you want without them saying no to you guys." Greenie Gaz said, the foals cheer,

"Thank you, Greenie Gaz." the foals said, much to Pinkie Pie's horror, she looks and sees Greenie Gaz had a gold pocket watch which looked just like the one Obsidian had, it dangled from his neck,

"Come on, kids, we'll deal with her later, we got class to do." Greenie Gaz said, and they went back, Pinkie Pie followed them while rolling her party cannon. Pinkie Pie peeks into the school and sees an earth pony colt waiting in line to sharpen his pencil, a unicorn filly shoves him and cuts him in line, the colt was angry,

"Hey, come here." Greenie Gaz said, the colt rolled his eyes and went to him,

"How does that feel she did that to you?" Greenie Gaz asked,

"I'm mad." the colt replied,

"You know what I do when I'm mad?" Greenie Gaz asked,

"What?" the colt asked,

"Revenge, beat up the pony who wronged me, go on, give it a try." Greenie Gaz replied, and the colt went to filly who cut him in line, he taps her left shoulder with his front left hoof, she turns around and the colt punches her with his front right hoof, she exclaims and fell, the colt grabs her by the neck with his front right hoof and uses the back of his front left hoof to slap her in the face, she screamed from each slap, the colt then punched her again, the colt stands on her abdomen and begins punching her in the face several times, she screamed and was in pain, the colt rolls her over and stands on his hind legs, he kicks her with his hind right hoof and the filly slid across the floor, she screamed and slid until she hit her face on one of the metallic legs of a desk, she hit it so hard, she was bleeding. Greenie Gaz called the colt back while the filly cried,

"How did that feel?" Greenie Gaz asked,

"It felt great, you were right, revenge does feel good, thank you, Greenie Gaz." the colt replied,

"Good boy, now go on and sharpen your pencil and sit, you get extra credit." Greenie Gaz said, the colt smiled and went to sharpen his pencil while Pinkie Pie stood at the window and watched with horror and with her mouth and eyes wide open. Greenie Gaz opens the pocket watch and it plays the same chime as Obsidian's pocket watch, it had the same picture as well, Greenie Gaz smiles menacingly as he looks at the pocket watch, Pinkie Pie was very shocked and worried about Obsidian and Rose at the same time, so she heads back to the mine. Pinkie Pie goes back to the mine and saw Obsidian comforting Rose, who was still grieving, but stopped crying,

"Obsidian, about that pocket watch Greenie Meanie has." Pinkie Pie said,

"I know, that's Amethyst's pocket watch, he took it from her after she died." Obsidian replied,

"Where is she buried?" Rose asked,

"With those ponies in those unmarked graves out there." Obsidian replied, Lee came back afterwards,

"There's nothing but desert around here, this is the only safe place." Lee said,

"That reminds me, Lee, Greenie Meanie's gang is missing." Pinkie Pie said, Obsidian jumps up with surprise,

"That means they're about to attack! Come on, we have to get ready!" Obsidian said, and he and Rose ran to the back of the mine while Lee and Pinkie Pie ran to the exit, Pinkie Pie rolled her party cannon while Lee carried his rifle. Pinkie Pie and Lee stood at the entrance of the mine and were ready,

"I know Princess Celestia teaches us to forgive, but I don't think these ponies are going to accept it, it's going to be a fight to the point where one side cannot move anymore." Lee said, Pinkie Pie nodded. Running was heard and the two saw Tiger Bench and Pear coming, the two had revolvers with them, they fire and Pinkie Pie screamed as she ducked, Lee aims his rifle and fires, he shoots Pear and he grunts and falls, he fires another bullet after pulling the lever and shoots Tiger Bench, he fell onto the ground next. Pinkie Pie and Lee see nopony else coming, so they decide to go forward to hunt down the others. Thumbscrew saw them leave, he was hiding to their rights in the sandstorm, he enters the mine and runs to Obsidian and Rose, Rose screams while Obsidian quickly fires a bullet from the revolver with his front right hoof, Thumbscrew exclaims in pain and falls, Obsidian pants while Rose watched with fear.

Pinkie Pie and Lee run into the town and they hear gunshots, Pinkie Pie screams while she and Lee saw Brazen Bull, Spanish Donkey, Iron Maiden, Bamboo, Iron Spider, and Rack firing at them with pistols, Pinkie Pie fires her party cannon and the confetti and streamers, she breaks part of a building and Spanish Donkey and Iron Maiden fell through the floor, they land and run towards Pinkie Pie, she fires her party cannon again and the streamers and confetti hit the two with such force, they were knocked back and knocked out. Lee ducks while Brazen Bull and Iron Spider fire their pistols at him, Lee fires a bullet from his rifle and the two duck behind wooden rails, Lee watches carefully for the two to come up, Rack aims a rifle at Lee while he was distracted and Pinkie Pie sees him, she fires her party cannon at him and destroyed the window he was hiding behind, along with blowing him out of the building, he falls on the ground and was knocked out. Lee sees Brazen Bull get up and Lee fires, he hits him and he falls, Iron Spider tried to run away, but Lee fires at him and he gets shot and falls, he and Pinkie Pie look for Bamboo and see he was running around while shooting his pistol, he was missing a lot of shots, Pinkie Pie watches him and shoots her party cannon and hits the barrel he was hiding behind, the wooden barrel gets destroyed and Bamboo was shot back and knocked out, the two ran to look for the rest of Greenie Gaz's gang.

Obsidian holds up the revolver while Rose watches with fear, gunshots are heard and Obsidian rolls to his right while Rose screams and falls, the bullets hit the wall that was behind the two. Obsidian looks and saw Crocodile Shears firing at them with a pistol, Obsidian fires the revolver and misses him, he fires and misses again, Crocodile Shears was aiming to shoot Rose, Obsidian ran to her and put her behind himself, he fires again and the bullet hits Crocodile Shears, he grunts and falls, Obsidian and Rose pant with fear as they watch.

Pinkie Pie and Lee ran around town and objects were thrown at them, they hear foals laughing as it distracted them, Lee fires a bullet into the air to scare them and the foals run away screaming. A cannon was heard and an explosion appears in front of Pinkie Pie and Lee, the two look and saw Greenie Gaz firing his cannon, Necktie stood to his right while Blood Eagle stood to his left, the two fire rifles at them, Lee fires at Blood Eagle and hits him and knocks him out while Pinkie Pie fired at Necktie with her party cannon and he got shot back and knocked out, Pinkie Pie and Lee look and saw Greenie Gaz go into their left blind spots and was running to the mines, Pinkie Pie and Lee chase him, but the foals run to them and begin holding them back,

"Go on without me, Pinkie Pie, I'll deal with the foals." Lee said,

"But Lee." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'll be fine, I'm going to try to talk some sense into them, now go." Lee replied,

"Okay, don't give up on us." Pinkie Pie said, and she chases Greenie Gaz, she sees he has dropped Amethyst's pocket watch, so she picks it up and continues chasing Greenie Gaz. Obsidian and Rose realize it was quiet and no noises were heard,

"Rose, I'm going to go out and check, wait here." Obsidian said,

"Okay." Rose replied, and Obsidian headed outside. Obsidian looks around and holds the revolver out just in case, he arrives at the area of the unmarked graves and cannon fire was heard, he looks and an explosion appeared in front of him, the explosion makes the revolver fall out of his front right hoof, onto the ground, Greenie Gaz snickers as walks forward and rolls his cannon,

"Look at that, Obsidian, you have the same fear in your eyes as your sister did when she died." Greenie Gaz said, Obsidian was scared at the moment, he looks and sees his pocket watch fell off as well, Greenie Gaz takes it,

"At the end of the chime, we fire, starting now." Greenie Gaz said, and he opens the pocket watch and plays the chime. Obsidian was about to grab the revolver, but saw Greenie Gaz was going to fire at him early if he tried, he watches with fear while Greenie Gaz smiles and glares at the same time, Obsidian becomes nervous and scared as Greenie Gaz was going to fire at him, he watches nervously and the chime was about to end, but the chime was heard to Obsidian's right and Greenie Gaz's left, the two become surprised and look, they see Pinkie Pie coming with her party cannon in her front right hoof, and the pocket watch Greenie Gaz dropped in her front right hoof. Pinkie Pie walks forward and stands in front of Obsidian with her party cannon ready, the two wait for the chime to end while the two were ready to fire at one another, Pinkie Pie glares angrily at Greenie Gaz while he just smiles, the two wait for the chime to end while they continue aiming their cannons. The chime ends and Greenie Gaz lights the flint while Pinkie Pie pulls the string on her party cannon and fires immediately, the confetti and streamers come out quickly and knock Greenie Gaz back, he grunts and falls. Greenie Gaz pants while Pinkie Pie walks to him, she picks up Obsidian's pocket watch,

"I win, Greenie Meanie, I am going to let you go, leave town, and don't come back, if you do, I'll be here, waiting for you." Pinkie Pie said, Greenie Gaz looks at her with surprise,

"Before you go, tell me, why are you the way you are?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Cause I was bored with my life, my youngest brother and I got in a fight one day, and I beat him, and I liked it, and everything just took off from there." Greenie Gaz replied,

"Why do you hurt children for?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I just find it more enjoyable than hurting adults." Greenie Gaz replied, Pinkie Pie was disgusted,

"Leave, and never ever come back here, I'll hunt you down if you do." Pinkie Pie said, Greenie Gaz saw she was serious, so he went to get the twelve stallions of his gang and they all left town,

"Thank you, Pinkie." Obsidian said,

"You're welcome, come on, get Rose, Lee's dealing with the foals." Pinkie Pie replied, and Obsidian did, Obsidian and Rose walk to town with Pinkie Pie.

Lee was hitting the foals and doing the same thing to them that they did to Rose, he hit them on their heads with wooden sticks and they cried,

"Doesn't feel very good now, does it?" Lee asked, the foals shook their heads,

"This is the feeling that filly felt, I hope you all now understand the pain you all have caused." Lee said, and he let them down while the foals cried, Pinkie Pie, Obsidian, and Rose trot to him,

"Greenie Gaz is gone." Obsidian said,

"I know, I just disciplined the foals, I say you and I stay here a bit, Pinkie Pie, for Obsidian's and Rose's safeties." Lee replied, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"Let's go home." Obsidian said, and he did, he saw his home did not burn down completely, so he, Lee, and Pinkie Pie worked to fix it.

A week passes and the damages was done, Rose was no longer being bullied in school, and the oldest foal in class was now the teacher, Obsidian called for Pinkie Pie, Lee, and Rose that afternoon,

"Come on, guys, let's take a picture." Obsidian said,

"Why?" Rose asked,

"Because I consider you three my new family." Obsidian replied,

"You mean...?" Rose asked,

"Yes, Rose, I'm going to adopt you." Obsidian replied, Rose exclaimed with happiness and hugged Obsidian,

"Thank you, Obsidian." Rose said while crying tears of joy,

"So, uh, why me and Lee too for?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Because you two remind me of my sister as well, Rose had her kindness and friendliness, you have her love of parties and desire to have fun, Pinkie, and Lee has her determination to fight injustice, all three of you remind me of her." Obsidian replied, Pinkie Pie and Lee smiled,

"Well, isn't that nice." Lee said, and the two stand with them, the camera goes off and the picture was taken. The picture comes out and Obsidian cuts it into an oval shape, it had him, Rose, Pinkie Pie, and Lee in it, he opens his pocket watch and takes out his picture of himself and Amethyst and puts in the new picture, he hangs the old picture on the wall,

"That reminds me, here you go, Obsidian." Pinkie Pie said as she tried to hand Amethyst's pocket watch to Obsidian,

"It's fine, Pinkie, you can keep it." Obsidian said,

"Really?" Pinkie Pie asked, Obsidian nodded,

"I'll give you two my telegraph information at my new home, so if trouble comes, you know who to call." Lee said,

"Really? Thank you, Lee." Rose replied, Lee smiled,

"Well, I guess it's time to hit the road, bye, everypony." Lee said,

"Bye." Obsidian, Rose, and Pinkie Pie replied, they hug one another and Pinkie Pie went to Ponyville while Lee went to his destination.

Pinkie Pie and Star Pony still stood by Ragdoll's grave,

"So, what happened to them?" Star Pony asked,

"I don't know, I haven't stayed in touch with them." Pinkie Pie replied, they hear walking and saw Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Toy Maker, Doll Maker, Ice Blower, Frosty, Snow, Blizzard, Freeze, Igloo, Penguin, and Snowflake coming, they all had ice cream, Twilight Sparkle held two ice cream cones with her telekinesis, they arrive,

"Sorry we took so long, we had to wait in a long line." Fluttershy said,

"It's fine." Star Pony replied,

"We didn't know what you two wanted, so we just chose at random." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Ooh, is that strawberry for me?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Yes, yes, it is, Pinkie." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"We got you vanilla, Star Pony." Applejack said,

"Thanks." Star Pony replied, and Twilight Sparkle gave the ice cream cones to the two. The ponies lick it and Star Pony thought the ice cream was strange,

"You don't like it, Star Pony?" Toy Maker asked,

"I do, I just find ice cream to be strange." Star Pony said, he looks back at where he used to sleep, the ponies see dirty water there, and the trash Star Pony had to eat to survive before Pinkie Pie found him, his teeth marks were still on them,

"Is that what you had to eat?" Snowflake asked,

"Yeah, before Pinkie Pie found me." Star Pony replied,

"Oh, Celestia, you would've died from malnutrition." Freeze said, Star Pony looked down with sorrow,

"Uh, Pinkie Pie, Ah think ya should let Star Pony stay on mah farm one day so he can get to know about our family, and maybe nurse him back to health, Granny Smith can take care of him." Applejack said,

"Yeah, he's still coughing and sneezing a bit." Doll Maker replied,

"I can see he's still underweight and unhealthy, I think I have potions to help, too." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Thank you, all of you." Star Pony replied,

"You're welcome, darling." Rarity said,

"Well, it's getting late, do you want to stay here, Star Pony?" Toy Maker asked,

"Yeah, I'll catch up." Star Pony replied,

"I'll stay here, too, I've got things to tell Pinkie Pie." Ice Blower said,

"Okay, don't get cold." Frosty replied, and everypony except Pinkie Pie, Star Pony, and Ice Blower left.

Ice Blower went to Star Pony and checked on him,

"You know, Star Pony, I lost a lot of opportunities in my childhood, too, my fear of girls prevented me from making many friends." Ice Blower said,

"Really?" Star Pony asked,

"Yeah, Pinkie Pie helped me, too, and remember, her family and my family are friends, that includes you, too." Ice Blower replied, Star Pony smiled, Pinkie Pie smiled at seeing her very first two special friends getting along,

"I was your first special friend, right, Pinkie Pie?" Ice Blower asked,

"No, second." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Second?" Ice Blower asked,

"Star Pony was my first special friend." Pinkie Pie replied, Ice Blower smiled and the three hug one another,

"It's getting late, we should go." Pinkie Pie said, and they all leave to go home.

Three weeks pass and Pinkie Pie was in Sugarcube Corner, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack sat at a table while Pinkie Pie was behind the counter. Pinkie Pie works while her five friends converse about their day, the door at the bottom opens and Pinkie Pie looks, she sees a dehydrated and hungry Obsidian crawl inside with desert sand on his face. Pinkie Pie sees him and becomes shocked,

"Obsidian!" Pinkie Pie said as she ran from behind the counter and to him, her five friends look at her, they stand up and trot to her to see Obsidian, they become shocked when they see him,

"Obsidian!" Pinkie Pie said with worry, Obsidian groans and looks up at Pinkie Pie,

"Greenie Gaz is back. He's poisoned Rose." Obsidian said weakly before becoming unconscious. Pinkie Pie and her five friends had horrified faces,

"Poison?!" Rarity asked,

"Obsidian, wake up! Where's Rose?" Pinkie Pie asked, coughing was heard outside and Pinkie Pie realized it was Rose, she and her five friends run out and see her on the ground, Pinkie Pie gasped,

"Rose!" Pinkie Pie said, she checks her and saw Rose was unconscious, Rose continued to cough violently, her five friends ran to her, they all look and see a wrapper of candy in one of her pockets, Pinkie Pie realized what happened and gasped with horror,

"What is it, Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked,

"Greenie Gaz killed Obsidian's sister with poisoned candy many years ago, he used the same thing on Rose." Pinkie Pie replied, shocking her friends, Twilight Sparkle picked up Rose with her telekinesis,

"You guys take care of Obsidian, I'll look for a cure for Rose." Twilight Sparkle said, and she teleported to her castle with Rose. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack took Obsidian into Sugarcube Corner and try to wake him by throwing water onto his face, Fluttershy tried to make him drink the water, he groans after a lot of water was thrown onto him,

"You okay, buddy?" Rainbow Dash asked,

"Where's Pinkie?" Obsidian asked weakly, Pinkie Pie ran to him,

"I'm right here, Obsidian." Pinkie Pie said, Obsidian sees her,

"Need telegraph." Obsidian said weakly, and Pinkie Pie dashed away and came back with it, Obsidian begins to look for Lee's telegraph address, he finds it but passed out afterwards, Pinkie Pie looks and saw what Obsidian was doing, so she begins sending the message while the other four looked at her with a confused face.

Lee was in his home and his telegraph goes off, he goes to go check it,

"Lee, it's Pinkie Pie, Greenie Gaz has come back and hurt Obsidian, Rose is poisoned, too, we're in Ponyville." the message read, Lee runs and gets his revolver, he sheathes it and then puts his duster coat and hat on, he puts his rifle on his back and runs to the train, he boards the train to Ponyville and heads there.

Twilight Sparkle runs around in her castle and goes through her books to look for the type of poison the candy had on it, Rose coughed while she was unconscious,

"How is she?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"Still the same." Spike replied,

"Hang in there, Rose, we're working on it." Starlight Glimmer said, and Twilight Sparkle examines a piece of candy under a microscope to examine the poison,

"What the? I don't recognize this type of poison." Twilight Sparkle said,

"What does it look like?" Spike asked,

"It's all light gray and urchin shaped, I've never seen a poison like this before." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she goes through all of her books to look for the type of poison it is, her books were easy to find since they were sorted in alphabetical order, she realizes the poison was not in her books,

"The poison isn't in any of my books!" Twilight Sparkle said, Spike and Starlight Glimmer become shocked,

"What do we do?!" Starlight Glimmer asked,

"Come on, we have to see Zecora." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she teleported herself and the other three to Zecora's hut.

Pinkie Pie loaded her party cannon and got ready for Greenie Gaz and his gang while her friends attended to Obsidian, he began to wake up while Rarity forced water down his throat with telekinesis,

"Obsidian, dear?" Rarity asked, he opened his eyes,

"Pinkie Pie?" Obsidian asked,

"I'm here." Pinkie Pie replied, Obsidian sighs with relief,

"Good, I made it on time." Obsidian said,

"What happened, Obsidian?" Fluttershy asked,

"Shortly after Rose ate the candy and got poisoned, Greenie Gaz and his gang broke into my home and physically attacked me, they forced me to crawl through the desert with Rose on my back for two days with no food or water, I only found Pinkie Pie here since she's famous throughout Equestria for her parties and solving friendship problems." Obsidian said, shocking the five mares,

"You didn't check the telegraph address?" Applejack asked,

"I was going to, but it was too late, Rose was excited to receive candy and ate it on impulse, it also came with a letter that said it was a gift from Lee, that was when I checked the letter and saw it was from that hotel in our town, that was when Greenie Gaz and his gang broke into my home and attacked me." Obsidian replied,

"What did you need that telegraph earlier for?" Rainbow Dash asked,

"Contact Lee for help." Obsidian replied,

"I already contacted him, Obsidian, he's on his way." Pinkie Pie said,

"Good, I now need to find Rose." Obsidian replied,

"Relax, Obsidian, Rose is with another friend of ours, she's tryin' to create an antidote to cure Rose's poison." Applejack said,

"There's another reason, Greenie Gaz and his gang most likely already know we're here, so they're coming, too." Obsidian replied,

"Don't worry, buddy, we're ready to fight them." Rainbow Dash said,

"Yes, I won't allow such ruffians to attack a filly trying to grow up to be a lady." Rarity said,

"Thanks, all of you." Obsidian replied, and they continue getting ready.

Zecora was in her hut and she sees Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, and Rose appear, which surprised her,

"I'm sorry, Zecora, but it's an emergency." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Instead of you knocking on my door from out there, what is it that brings you to teleport in here?" Zecora asked,

"It's this filly, Zecora, she's poisoned, the poison's in the candy, but I don't recognize it." Twilight Sparkle replied, Zecora takes a piece of the candy and examines it with her own supplies, Rose coughs violently while Starlight Glimmer and Spike become worried. Zecora examines the poison and she became extremely horrified,

"What is it, Zecora?" Spike asked,

"This poison is from a creature called a lavellan, it is not native to this land." Zecora replied,

"How does its poison work?" Starlight Glimmer asked,

"Its poison clogs up the veins, causing the victim to pass out from excruciating pain." Zecora replied, much to Twilight Sparkle's Spike's, and Starlight Glimmer's horror, Rose coughed violently and blood came out of her mouth, Starlight Glimmer and Spike hold her down,

"You should not fear, I have the recipe to create the cure right here." Zecora said, and she turns to the page,

"Come on, we have to hurry." Twilight Sparkle said, and she runs to help.

Obsidian was being nursed back to health while Pinkie Pie fed him to have Obsidian get his energy back,

"Why was Rose outside when ya came here for?" Applejack asked,

"Coincidence, she fell off my back when I came here, and I recognized the place, so I went in to get Pinkie Pie for help." Obsidian replied,

"How are you feeling?" Fluttershy asked,

"Better." Obsidian replied,

"Well, nothing yet, but let's stay here just in case." Rainbow Dash said, and they all continue nursing Obsidian back to health.

Twilight Sparkle and Zecora run around the hut to create the cure, Rose continued to cough and it was getting worse,

"Hold on, Rose, we're almost done." Twilight Sparkle said, and they finish making it, the antidote was a pink liquid, Twilight Sparkle carries it with her telekinesis and runs to Rose, she places the antidote into Rose's mouth and has her swallow it. Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, and Zecora watch worriedly while Rose pants quietly, she opens her eyes and sees them, she quickly stands up,

"Obsidian? Where's Obsidian?" Rose asked,

"Rose, it's okay, Obsidian is with Pinkie Pie." Twilight Sparkle replied, Rose became relieved,

"Who are you guys?" Rose asked,

"I'm Twilight Sparkle, this is Spike, that's Starlight Glimmer, and that's Zecora, we're Pinkie Pie's friends." Twilight Sparkle replied, Rose sighed with relief,

"I was scared you all were working for Greenie Gaz." Rose said,

"Of course not, come on, let's take you to Sugarcube Corner." Starlight Glimmer replied, and she teleported herself, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Rose to Sugarcube Corner.

Pinkie Pie waited for Lee and everypony saw Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, and Rose appear,

"Obsidian!" Rose said happily, she ran to him and the two hugged one another, they all hear the train arrive,

"Pinkie Pie?" the ponies and Spike hear Lee ask, Pinkie Pie trotted outside,

"Lee, over here." Pinkie Pie said, and he runs to her, the two enter Sugarcube Corner and Lee sees Obsidian and Rose, he runs to them and hugs them, he lets go,

"I heard Greenie Gaz was back, so I hurried." Lee said,

"He's back in our town, he's took control of it again, he sent us candy under the guise of it being a gift from you, Rose ate it and got poisoned." Obsidian replied,

"How did it say it was from me?" Lee asked,

"A telegraphed letter came with it." Rose replied,

"Did you find out where it came from?" Lee asked,

"That hotel Tiger Bench ran, he's back, too." Obsidian replied,

"What?! He's back, too?!" Pinkie Pie asked, Obsidian nodded,

"Necktie, Blood Eagle, Spanish Donkey, Rack, Pear, all twelve members of Greenie Gaz's gang came back." Obsidian replied,

"Wait, so in total, there's thirteen of them?!" Rainbow Dash asked with shock,

"Yes, I have their bounty posters right here." Lee replied, and he takes them out of his coat, Pinkie Pie's friends looks at them and memorizes their faces carefully, Pinkie Pie looks at Greenie Gaz's bounty picture, he was smiling menacingly with his teeth exposed, Pinkie Pie glares extremely sharply at it,

"You alright, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash asked, they see her glaring at Greenie Gaz's portrait,

"I told the law enforcement at the area I live at about them, I also gave details on how they look, I did it as soon as I went there." Lee said,

"Wait, I'm losing track, what happened?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"Shortly before Lee and Pinkie left, Pinkie Pie told Greenie Gaz and his gang to leave our town, they were traveling around Equestria at that time." Obsidian replied,

"Ah, so that's what happened." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Um, I wanna go home now." Rose said,

"Alright, let's go, then." Obsidian replied,

"I'll go with you guys." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'm coming, too." Lee said, and the four exit, Pinkie Pie's friends left shortly after they did.

Pinkie Pie, Obsidian, Rose, and Lee head south and were going back to Obsidian's hometown, Pinkie Pie had her party cannon with her just in case, they were on the border of Ponyville and gunshots were heard, Rose screams and hides while Pinkie Pie got her party cannon ready while Lee aimed his rifle, the four look and see Necktie, Blood Eagle, Crocodile Shears, Brazen Bull, Spanish Donkey, Iron Maiden, Bamboo, Iron Spider, Rack, Thumbscrew, Tiger Bench, and Pear shooting at them,

"It's them! They must've been waiting for us!" Obsidian said, cannon fire was heard and an explosion appears in front of them, Pinkie Pie screams as she fell, they look and saw Greenie Gaz all the way in the back with his cannon. The four run back to Ponyville and Greenie Gaz and his gang chase them, they run back and everypony was looking at them, cannon fire was heard and the four jump forward with Rose's hat falling off, the ground exploded, the four get up and look back, they see the twelve members of Greenie Gaz arrive from behind the debris, they had knives and pistols with them, Pinkie Pie's friends recognize them and run over to help.

Pinkie Pie and Lee get up and they fire their weapons, Pinkie Pie fires her party cannon and hits Rack, Thumbscrew, Tiger Bench, and Pear, but they got back up and continued running forward, Lee fires his rifle and hits Spanish Donkey, he fell to the ground, he fires again and hits Thumbscrew, he grunted and fell onto the ground. Lee was about to fire again but purple and light blue zaps hit Crocodile Shears and Iron Spider, the four look back and see Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer firing magic from their horns. Bamboo sneaks up on Pinkie Pie and jumps onto her from behind, she screams and he begins touching her chest, she screams with shock and Thumbscrew ran to in front of her and forced her to kiss him once again, Pinkie Pie let out muffled screams as she tried to get them off. A light blue zap explodes on them and sends them flying away,

"You disgusting ruffians! How dare you force yourselves onto a lady!" Rarity said angrily, she ran to Pinkie Pie while she coughed, Rarity checked to make sure Pinkie Pie was alright and patted her back with her front right hoof. Rainbow Dash flew down and fought Necktie and Blood Eagle, she was able to hold them off with some ease, Fluttershy commands her birds and they begin pecking Greenie Gaz's gang, a cannon was fired and the explosion scared them away. A rock is thrown and it explodes when it hit the ground, it sent all twelve members of Greenie Gaz's gang flying away, they look back and saw Maud Pie has come to help,

"Maud!" Pinkie Pie said happily,

"Nopony hurts my sister." Maud Pie said, they look and see all twelve members of Greenie Gaz's gang get up, they split up and go to attack them from elsewhere. The members of Geenie Gaz's gang begin firing at them with their guns, Twilight Sparkle just uses her telekinesis to bring all twelve of them together, a loud cannon was heard from behind Pinkie Pie and her friends, they look and to Pinkie Pie's surprise, Cheese Sandwich has arrived to help,

"Alright, we're here, gather 'em up." Applejack said as she ran to them, they saw her and Big Macintosh arrive with lassos. Applejack and Big Macintosh tie up the ponies while the others except for Rose gathers them up, Obsidian was attacked from behind while everypony was distracted and Greenie Gaz began to drag him away, Pinkie Pie sees them and runs after them. The ponies finish tying up the others,

"How many are there?" Cheese Sandwich asked,

"Thirteen." Rose replied,

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve." Lee said,

"What?!" Rose asked, the others count,

"There's only twelve, one's missing." Starlight Glimmer said, they look to see who was present,

"Greenie Gaz himself is missing." Lee said, Rose looks around,

"Obsidian?" Rose asked, the others look around and saw he and Pinkie Pie were gone,

"I'll go look for Pinkie Pie." Maud Pie said,

"Alright, we'll look for Obsidian." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they split up to look for them.

Pinkie Pie runs while rolling her party cannon and saw a battered and bruised Obsidian on the ground,

"Obsidian!" Pinkie Pie said as she went to him, she checked him and heard him panting, Greenie Gaz chuckles,

"It's been a long time, Pinkie Pie." Greenie Gaz said,

"Greenie Meanie." Pinkie Pie said while snarling her teeth,

"I really hate the name." Greenie Gaz said,

"You did it, you poisoned Rose." Obsidian said,

"Yes, she was going to die just like your sister, you should've seen her, Pinkie Pie, making faces of agony and writhing in pain, while Obsidian cried like a baby, it was beautiful." Greenie Gaz said, Pinkie Pie was angry,

"You and I are actually similar, Pinkie Pie, I make ponies smile and laugh, too, just like you, I could've been the bearer of the Element of Laughter." Greenie Gaz said, the very thought made Pinkie Pie very uncomfortable,

"A pony who makes other ponies smile and laugh through hurting other ponies is not what I do, you and I are not similar at all! I can make you smile and laugh, too, Greenie Gaz." Pinkie Pie said,

"I'll be smiling and laughing when you die a slow and painful death, words cannot describe how much I hate you." Greenie Gaz replied, Pinkie Pie realized he cannot be reasoned with, Greenie Gaz aims his cannon at her,

"I never got over you shooting me, it's payback time." Greenie Gaz said, and the two focus. Pinkie Pie glares sharply at Greenie Gaz while he just watches, Pinkie Pie was angry while Greenie Gaz was confident and smiling at her, Obsidian was on the ground and watching, currently too weak to get up from still being exhausted from crawling to Ponyville and the beating he just received from Greenie Gaz. Pinkie Pie grabs the string of her party cannon with her front left hoof while Greenie Gaz grabs his cannon's primer with his front right hoof, the two focus on one another and were about to fire, Pinkie Pie continues glaring while Greenie Gaz continues smiling, Obsidian watches nervously and was scared that Greenie Gaz was going to fire at him instead, he watches the two and noticed Pinkie Pie having flashbacks of what Greenie Gaz did to her, himself, and Rose, it made Pinkie Pie angry, Greenie Gaz noticed it and smiled wider. Pinkie Pie and Greenie Gaz get ready to fire at one another and focus, Greenie Gaz presses the primer down while Pinkie Pie pulls her party cannon's string. A big explosion happens and streamers and confetti flew out everywhere, Greenie Gaz's cannon got destroyed into many pieces and Greenie Gaz grunts while he was shot into the air and falls onto the ground, rolling back.

The other ponies hear the cannon and see the confetti and streamers, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Big Macintosh, Starlight Glimmer, Spike, Rose, and Lee run, they arrive and see Pinkie Pie and Obsidian,

"Obsidian!" Rose said as she ran to him and checked on him, she saw he was wounded, they hear Greenie Gaz groan and see him and the remains of his cannon,

"There he is." Applejack said as she and Big Macintosh ran to him, they use their lassos and tie him up, Big Macintosh carries him to where his gang was at and saw they had all of them. Twilight Sparkle contacts Canterlot with her magic and the royal guards arrive, they put Greenie Gaz and his gang in a carriage and fly away,

"What's going to happen to them?" Rose asked,

"They're going to stand trial in Canterlot, Princess Celestia will decide their sentences, but no matter what their sentence is, they will never be coming after you or Obsidian ever again." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"Greenie Gaz is the reason why I don't use a party gun, he used one himself, and it turned out to be a real gun, and he would shoot foals with it." Pinkie Pie said,

"How have those foals been, Obsidian?" Lee asked,

"Better, they don't bully others anymore because of you." Obsidian replied, the others smile,

"Well, I can't move, we're going to be here for a few days, Rose." Obsidian said,

"That's okay, we can stay with Pinkie Pie." Rose replied,

"Ooh, I'd love that, come on, let's go!" Pinkie Pie said, and she hopped to Sugarcube Corner while Obsidian crawled there and Rose helped him move.

Pinkie Pie had Obsidian and Rose stay in Sugarcube Corner for the time, Lee stayed with them as well, Pinkie Pie gave Obsidian and Rose baked goods, Rose ate them all and loved them,

"Careful, Rose, you'll ruin your health if you eat too much." Obsidian said,

"That reminds me, Obsidian, I have something to show you." Pinkie Pie said, and she goes into her party planning cave and comes out with Amethyst's pocket watch, much to Obsidian's surprise,

"This whole time, you kept it?" Obsidian asked,

"Yup." Pinkie Pie replied, Obsidian smiled,

"I guess it meant a lot to her, Obsidian." Lee said,

"It does, trinkets from my friends are always special." Pinkie Pie replied, Obsidian, Rose, and Lee smiled. Maud Pie entered Sugarcube Corner a few minutes later,

"Excuse me, Pinkie, I'd like to know your history with them." Maud Pie said,

"Who is this, Pinkie?" Rose asked,

"This is Maud, my big sister." Pinkie Pie replied, and the four explain their experiences to her,

"I see, I was in college at that time, I would've came to help if I knew about it." Maud Pie said,

"It's alright, we still managed to hold them off." Lee replied,

"I'm proud of you, Pinkie." Maud Pie said, Pinkie Pie hugged her,

"Pinkie, you have to let go, I have to go now." Maud Pie said, and they have fun for the rest of the day.

Four days pass and Pinkie Pie's friends came to check on Obsidian when she had to work, Rarity came with new outfits for Rose to try out, Obsidian recovered and he, Rose, and Lee were leaving, they all hug Pinkie Pie,

"Well, it's time for me to board the train." Lee said,

"Thank you, Lee, you too, Pinkie Pie." Rose said,

"You're welcome, and remember, I'm always here." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Come on, Rose, let's go." Obsidian said, and Rose gets on his back, Obsidian walks home while Lee boards the train and Pinkie Pie watched and smiled as they went their separate ways to live in peace.

OCD and Autism

Pinkie Pie was hopping around Ponyville while everybody went on with their days peacefully and enjoyed the warm and sunny day,

"Ah, I wish this weather would never end." Pinkie Pie spoke, her peaceful mind got broken when she heard Twilight Sparkle ordering Spike around, she saw Spike trying to align a sign on a building and Twilight Sparkle was being picky on where it should be,

"No, Spike, a few millimeters to the left. Now a few millimeters to the right. Ugh, come on, Spike, you're moving it too much when I tell you when to move the sign." Twilight Sparkle remarked,

"You're being too picky and specific if you ask me, Twilight." Spike stated,

"High quality art and nice visuals go a long way, Spike, it has to be perfect in order to produce the best reaction and results." Twilight Sparkle said, Spike sighed and continued trying to help her, Pinkie Pie chuckled and trotted away. Pinkie Pie arrived at Sugarcube Corner and found a letter on the counter addressed to her, she opened it and read it, she noticed the letters were written in cursive and were very neat and written straightly even though the paper had no lines on it,

"Dear, Pinkie Pie,

I am sorry if this is hard for you to read, wanted to make it look all neat and tidy because I had thoughts you would not like it if it was sloppy and grammatically incorrect. I will be coming to visit you tomorrow, having unwelcome thoughts again and anxiety with them. Been wanting to see you in person again for a while, too, I am hoping you can help me again like last time.

-Punctual Organizer"

Pinkie Pie smiled and put the letter under her bed with the rest of the letters he has written to her in the past, she cleaned her workplace for the day and then laid in her bed at night, she sighed and had thoughts about Punctual Organizer getting lost or arriving one second early or late and having a freakout, she exhaled sharply and began to look back.

Pinkie Pie was hopping through Equestria and came across a house in the woods,

"Huh? Who would be living here?" Pinkie Pie asked, she looked around and saw totem poles and statues laying around, they were arranged very neatly and in pristine condition. She smiled at the visuals and enjoyed the view of the artworks around her, she noticed someone in the house looking through a window and behind blinds, the person quickly moved away from the blinds and stopped holding it down. Pinkie Pie smiled and walked to the front door and knocked on it,

"Excuse me. Hello?" Pinkie Pie called out, there was no answer,

"It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you." Pinkie Pie said, she heard running and a stallion whimpering,

"Hey, no need to be shy, see, look, no weapons or anything dangerous on me." Pinkie Pie spoke, she heard the stallion breathing heavily,

"You okay in there?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Um, leave, please, just don't hurt me." the stallion begged,

"*laugh* No, silly, I'm not here to hurt you, I just need a place to stay overnight." Pinkie Pie announced, the stallion quivered and Pinkie Pie heard him walking slowly, the door unlocked slowly and it creaked open, she saw the stallion looking at her from within the shadows,

"Y... yes?" the stallion asked,

"Hi, my name's Pinkie Pie, I'm a party planner and party thrower, birthday parties for foals is my specialty, I ask for a place to stay and sleep for the night, I'll be gone tomorrow morning." Pinkie Pie stated,

"P... party?! You mean as in lots and lots of people gathering together?!" the stallion inquired,

"Mhm-mm, more people means more fun and excitement! I wanna throw a party one day where everyone in the world can have fun!" Pinkie Pie announced, the stallion reeled back,

"That many people, what if they all come here? What if I become a victim of bullying?!" the stallion quivered,

"Oh, relax, it's just me, they won't come here unless I throw a party and invite them." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"What if you do?" the stallion questioned,

"Don't worry, I'll be quiet and leave you alone as much as I can if you let me sleep here for the night." Pinkie Pie reassured,

"Promise?" the stallion asked,

"I promise, what's with you? You're worrying too much." Pinkie Pie remarked, the door opened,

"Here, I'll let you stay tonight, just don't hurt me." the stallion said, it was a unicorn, he had a beige coat, a black mane and tail that were short and well groomed, brown eyes, and his cutie mark was a white circular clock with black hands, he had a nervous expression on his face,

"Don't worry, I promise you I won't cause any trouble." Pinkie Pie said,

"Um... bedroom is down the hall to my right and then turn to your right." the stallion spoke nervously,

"Thank you, I'll go ahead and unwind." Pinkie Pie spoke, and she entered the house. She looked around and saw the house was extremely clean, the rugs on the floor were placed neatly and squeaky clean, the paint on the walls were very straight lines and the coating was even everywhere, the ceiling was smooth and painted with an even coating,

"Wow, this guy sure pays a lot of attention to detail." Pinkie Pie commented, she saw an empty room to her right and entered it. She entered it and saw the room's walls, ceiling, and floor were very clean and had neat coatings of paint on the walls, she looked out the very shiny window and saw some tree art,

"Ooh, I can see some nice art from here, too." Pinkie Pie remarked, she saw each tree was cut precisely and coated with lacquer and paint of various colors, she looked out the window for any wood carving tools but did not see any, she decided to take in all of the tree art in her view and enjoyed every little detail and precise carving and cut on each tree alongside with each part being painted perfectly and not a spot missed. She admired all of the art around her and smiled widely, she finished absorbing in the scenery and turned around and saw the stallion watching her,

"Don't worry, I won't try anything, I'll unwind, sleep, and get ready to leave tomorrow morning." Pinkie Pie said,

"Really?" the stallion asked,

"Really." Pinkie Pie answered, the stallion sighed,

"Calm down, Punctual Organizer, you're overreacting, filter out the intrusive thoughts, everything's going to be fine, she'll only be here for a day and leave, nothing bad will happen." the stallion said to himself,

"Your name's Punctual Organizer?" Pinkie Pie asked, he got startled,

"Yes, that's my name." Punctual Organizer responded,

"It's a pretty unique name, mine's a bit unique, too." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"True, I never heard a name similar to Pinkie Pie before." Punctual Organizer commented,

"But really, you need to relax." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"I can't help it, all of these negative thoughts and my desire to have everything neat and be clean comes to me on impulse and suddenly, anything being out of place makes me go into hysterics internally, same with meeting people, I'm not comfortable around them." Punctual Organizer explained,

"Oh, that's why, I can help with that, making ponies happy and smile is my life's calling." Pinkie Pie stated,

"You will?" Punctual Organizer asked, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"We can start tomorrow." Pinkie Pie said,

"Well... I'll think about it." Punctual Organizer answered,

"That's fine, well, I'll go ahead and sleep now." Pinkie Pie spoke, and she laid down while Punctual Organizer left. Pinkie Pie laid down and heard running and listened carefully, she heard cooking and Punctual Organizer breathing heavily, she heard him eating and drinking quickly and then ran around his house and heard him flush the toilet, wash his hoofs, brush his teeth, rinse his mouth, run again, make his bed, set his clock, and lay down,

"There, phew, still managed to get everything done at the exact time I planned." Punctual Organizer said to himself, he was silent for the rest of the night and Pinkie Pie fell asleep.

Pinkie Pie slept peacefully until she heard extremely loud ringing and she jumped up while screaming, she heard Punctual Organizer running and panting, she heard him make his bed, use the bathroom, take a shower, run, and begin cooking. She peeked out of her room and did not see him, she walked to where she heard sizzling and saw Punctual Organizer cooking bread until it turned brown, he then put it in the very center of a black plate on his table, he then cast telekinesis with a brown aura on his horn and took fruits and vegetables out of his refrigerator, he looked at them carefully and chose them based on what they were, how big or small they were, and what color they were, he then placed them in very specific areas on his plate. He ate at a very specific pace and then washed his plate, he then teleported to the bathroom and brushed his teeth and came back,

"Alright, finished on time, time to make art." Punctual Organizer remarked,

"What's the hurry?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"I'm on a very tight schedule." Punctual Organizer answered,

"Oh, come on, Punctual Organizer, it's only been about twenty minutes." Pinkie Pie said,

"I gotta start working on my art now, it takes time to complete." Punctual Organizer stated quickly, and he teleported outside. Punctual Organizer held his wood crafting tools up with his telekinesis and got ready to make art on a tree, he measured it with a tape measure several times and began shaping it with a hammer and chisel. He shaped the tree art extremely carefully and made sure he was precise and did not make any mistakes, he smiled when he made what he wanted to after several hours of work, he then began painting very carefully and precisely and finished after a few hours,

"There, another art piece done." Punctual Organizer said while smiling,

"Wow, you did great." Pinkie Pie hollered from behind, Punctual Organizer exclaimed while turning around,

"Don't scare me like that." Punctual Organizer remarked,

"Sorry, so, when can we start helping you relax and calm down?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"That won't be for a while, I gotta go prepare dinner now." Punctual Organizer stated, and he teleported into his house. He began cooking and then looking at what to have for dinner carefully, he first chose what he wanted to eat and then examined the shape, size, and color of each food, he chose them very carefully and then ate, he counted how many times he chewed and then swallowed, he washed the plate after he was done, he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind and his muscles quickly locked up,

"Oh, sorry." Pinkie Pie said,

"What now?" Punctual Organizer asked,

"Can we start now?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"I gotta get ready for bed." Punctual Organizer stated, and he ran to his bed and began making it, he then went to his bathroom and brushed his teeth, he then laid down in his bed and fell asleep, Pinkie Pie sighed and went back into her room and slept.

The next day came and Punctual Organizer's really loud clock went off and he pressed it, he began sprinting through the house but stopped when Pinkie Pie suddenly grabbed his shoulders from behind,

"Calm down, Punctual Organizer, it's still early in the morning, no need to rush." Pinkie Pie stated, she heard him breathing heavily and quickly and let go of him,

"I can't be a second early or late." Punctual Organizer stated, and he teleported to his bathroom and used it and then took a shower. He teleported to his kitchen and began cooking his breakfast,

"We can talk now if you want." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"Well, I guess a short conversation wouldn't hurt." Punctual Organizer commented,

"Great, I wanna know why you are so specific and high strung for." Pinkie Pie said,

"I don't know, I've been like that ever since I was a foal, I just don't like things messy and disorderly, I've always been uncomfortable when things look out of place to me. Same with me getting nervous easily and having unpleasant thoughts, those come on impulse, too, I have no control over them, same with my interests and hobbies, I'm picky on what I like, and when somepony has the same interest as me and talks about it, I can talk all day, and I don't share this often, but I'm bad at reading social cues, never understood them either." Punctual Organizer explained,

"Wow, you can always talk to me about your art and crafting, I find almost everything interesting." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Really?" Punctual Organizer inquired, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"Nice, I can talk about my art the next time I work." Punctual Organizer said,

"I'd love to hear about them." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Great, I'll finish my morning routine and we'll get started." Punctual Organizer spoke while smiling, and he finished cooking. He had breakfast and then teleported to his bathroom and brushed his teeth, he teleported outside and began molding a rough draft of his next statue,

"Can I learn the process?" Pinkie Pie requested,

"Sure, we start by first molding a rough draft and build from there, the next step is..." Punctual Organizer explained, he went on for hours and explained everything to the smallest detail while working on his statue and used his magic to speed up the process,

"Wow, that's a lot of information to remember and process." Pinkie Pie stated while sweating and writing on a paper with a pencil she was holding with her mane,

"Oh, wow, I didn't realize you were writing down everything, well, statue's finished, by the way." Punctual Organizer said, Pinkie Pie looked at the statue and it was finely made with precise shaping and painted with an even coating of high quality paint,

"Good job." Pinkie Pie chirped,

"Thank you." Punctual Organizer said while smiling, he saw the sun setting and he became startled and quickly teleported back into the house. He began making dinner and looked at the time frantically,

"Deep breath, Punctual Organizer, calm down." Pinkie Pie stated in a calm, soothing tone, he did and began to relax a little,

"There, I'm no expert, but it's clear to me you need to calm down and relax, we'll work from there." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Okay, just as long as it doesn't throw my daily routine and schedule off track." Punctual Organizer responded,

"That's fine, we can try while you're cooking and waiting." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"Well, that's usually my time to relax and unwind if I don't have any intrusive thoughts." Punctual Organizer spoke,

"That's fine, I know some relaxation techniques from my mom that helped calm me down when I was a kid." Pinkie Pie responded,

"Oh, that's fine." Punctual Organizer stated,

"Great, let's start here, deep breaths first." Pinkie Pie instructed, and they did them. They relaxed and waited for the dinner to finish cooking while Punctual Organizer still watched to make sure he did not overcook or burn his meal, the meal finished cooking and Punctual Organizer looked at the clock,

"Oh, right on time." Punctual Organizer chirped,

"Good, but it's okay if it finishes early, too." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Why?" Punctual Organizer inquired,

"Because that would mean that you can get things done earlier throughout the day and rest earlier." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Oh, that never came to my mind." Punctual Organizer remarked,

"Well, go ahead and enjoy your meal, I brought my own food and drinks." Pinkie Pie said, Punctual Organizer smiled and began eating his meal while Pinkie Pie ate sweets in her room. Punctual Organizer ate his meal and drank milk and began washing, he scrubbed the same area several times and Pinkie Pie walked to him and stood to his left,

"You already cleaned that spot for like five minutes." Pinkie Pie stated,

"I'm trying to get all of the germs off." Punctual Organizer replied, Pinkie Pie focused her gaze on the spot and her vision began to zoom in on it and she saw no germs,

"It's squeaky clean, Punctual Organizer." Pinkie Pie reported,

"How do you know?" Punctual Organizer questioned,

"Well... I can actually see the germs." Pinkie Pie answered nervously,

"Wait. Really?" Punctual Organizer asked, Pinkie Pie nodded,

"Oh, shoot, it's getting late." Punctual Organizer exclaimed,

"Deep breath, calm down." Pinkie Pie instructed, and he did a few, he washed the dishes calmly and finished and then trotted to his bedroom. He made his bed and looked at the clock, he saw it was still early, he then went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, he came back and looked at the time again,

"Dang, it's still not bedtime yet." Punctual Organizer commented,

"Then why don't you meditate?" Pinkie Pie suggested from behind him, he jumped and exclaimed while turning around,

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that." Pinkie Pie said,

"It's okay. I haven't tried meditating before, so I don't know where to even start with it." Punctual Organizer replied,

"This is what my parents did for meditation for stress relief, like this." Pinkie Pie spoke, and she sat on her hind legs' knees and placed her front legs above her lap with her front left hoof over her front right hoof, she inhaled and exhaled slowly and deeply with her eyes closed, Punctual Organizer copied her and opened his eyes a few times to watch the clock, he saw it was soon time for him to sleep and he walked into his bed and slept in it,

"Going to bed?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Yeah, goodnight, Pinkie Pie." Punctual Organizer responded, and Pinkie Pie turned the lights off and closed the door, she walked back into her own room and slept in a bright pink sleeping bag.

The next morning came and Pinkie Pie quickly ran into Punctual Organizer's room and tried to find out how to turn down his alarm's volume, she found a rotary and turned it, the alarm went off and was much quieter, she smiled while Punctual Organizer pressed his clock's alarm and woke up,

"Don't tell me the batteries are dying." Punctual Organizer remarked while looking at it,

"No, it isn't, I turned it down so I would stop being startled awake with my heart skipping a beat." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Don't do that, I could oversleep if I don't hear it." Punctual Organizer stated,

"Come on now, it was loud enough to wake you up, you'll be fine." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Well, true, but I still don't like people touching my stuff, I'll let it slide this time." Punctual Organizer spoke, and he teleported out of the room. He used the bathroom and then took a shower, he then began cooking his breakfast and took deep breaths, he and Pinkie Pie had a conversation about their interests and both talked quickly and for a short time while Punctual Organizer watched his meal carefully, it finished cooking and he ate his meal at a specific pace, he finished, brushed his teeth, and then went outside. He decided to craft a statue out of a wooden block today while telling Pinkie Pie about the tools and steps,

"Ooh, interesting, I didn't know there were so many steps and preparations to wood carving." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"It's hard for most ponies to memorize all of it, but with experience and reading, I was able to memorize all of it pretty easily." Punctual Organizer explained,

"Oh, sorry to go off track here, but how do you earn money, Punctual Organizer?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"I sell whatever statue I think doesn't fit in this place's scenery at a market in a nearby town and whoever likes them buys them, my statues actually sell for pretty high prices and ponies absolutely love the precision and details I put in them, they pay high amounts of bits for each one, too." Punctual Organizer explained,

"Ah, I was wondering how you made a living, go ahead and continue talking about how you make your stuff." Pinkie Pie said,

"You're just pretending to make me feel better, aren't you?" Punctual Organizer asked,

"No, not at all, I really enjoy learning about stuff like this." Pinkie Pie answered,

"Really?" Punctual Organizer questioned, Pinkie Pie nodded while smiling,

"Well, alright then, the next step is..." Punctual Organizer stated, and he talked about what to do while carving a wooden statue, he finished carving one and then began applying lacquer and paint onto it,

"There, it is done." Punctual Organizer announced proudly,

"Wow, great job." Pinkie Pie chirped,

"Thank you." Punctual Organizer responded,

"What are we doing next?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Time to make dinner." Punctual Organizer answered,

"You don't eat lunch?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Every once in a while, there are a few days where I don't work and have lunch, but on most days, I'm focused on making statues and don't feel hungry in the afternoon." Punctual Organizer explained,

"Oh, I see, I wonder if you'll need to take medication for your condition in the future." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Oh, no, no way, I'm not taking any medicine no matter what, I don't like how they alter and change my feelings and mood around." Punctual Organizer stated,

"You might have to if your condition gets out of hoof and you can't get through your day without being very punctual, organized, and specific." Pinkie Pie warned,

"No way, I'd rather live out here and with my emotions then be on medication all the time, plus, I'm pretty functional for somepony with my condition." Punctual Organizer said,

"When's the next time you sell your statues?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"Well, if you really wanna see how I am in public or with people, then I'll try tomorrow." Punctual Organizer answered,

"Alright, it's a promise then." Pinkie Pie chirped,

"Don't get your hopes up, I haven't decided, now if you don't mind, I gotta cook dinner now." Punctual Organizer stated, and he teleported. He began cooking his dinner and took deep breaths to calm himself, he began doing push ups while Pinkie Pie watched with surprise, he smelled his dinner and quickly got back up and finished cooking. He ate his dinner slowly but stopped when he began having thoughts of becoming fat and out of shape and other thoughts of the food being spoiled,

"Deep breath, Punctual Organizer." Pinkie Pie instructed in a quiet and soothing tone, he did and relaxed after five deep breaths, he had his dinner and then finished, he washed the dishes and then teleported to his bathroom and brushed his teeth and slept. The next day came and his alarm clock went off without starling Pinkie Pie, he did his usual routine and meditated while cooking breakfast, he finished cooking and then had breakfast, he washed the plate and then teleported to her,

"Good news for you, I have decided to go to the market to sell a few of my statues today." Punctual Organizer reported,

"Great! I'm ready to see how you do in public." Pinkie Pie spoke,

"I'm not comfortable around a lot of people to be honest." Punctual Organizer replied while shaking,

"It's okay, I'll try to keep you comfortable and safe while you're meeting others." Pinkie Pie promised,

"Alright then, let's go." Punctual Organizer said, and he teleported a few of his small statues into the room and then teleported them, himself, and Pinkie Pie elsewhere.

They arrived in a market square and Punctual Organizer made a stand from disassembled wood from a pile in the back and then put his statues on display neatly and arranged them by size, appearance, and color, he then put price tags on them and wrote down numbers with black ink on a quill,

"So, how do you decide the prices of your statues?" Pinkie Pie inquired,

"The longer it took and the harder it was for me to make, the higher the price." Punctual Organizer explained,

"Ah, makes sense." Pinkie Pie said, and they watched. Punctual Organizer breathed very heavily while he had thoughts of people robbing him, attacking him, destroying his stand and statues, Pinkie Pie getting heckled or attacked, or a fight or big riot breaking out in the market square,

"Calm down, Punctual Organizer, deep breath, I don't know what's going on through your head, but I can see you're uneasy, most of Equestria is safe, bad stuff happening in markets is rare." Pinkie Pie stated,

"True, I've been coming here for a few years, and haven't had a single bad incident here yet, but I still can't help but worry." Punctual Organizer replied,

"True, something bad can happen at anytime, but go ahead and calm yourself and try to sell your stuff." Pinkie Pie suggested, and he did. He took deep breaths and counted to ten to calm himself and focused, he panted a little heavily and sweated with a lot of people around him and he began to feel overwhelmed, he took a deep breath and calmed himself while he watched everybody go on with their days. A few customers came and Punctual Organizer explained the statues to them and how he crafted them all by hoof, the customers smiled and they paid extra bits to buy them, he was about to give them change but they refused it,

"This is really good, you could be famous with crafts this good." a Pegasus stallion said,

"No, I don't want fame, I value my privacy, I wanna work at my own pace, too." Punctual Organizer stated,

"Oh, I see, nothing wrong with that." the stallion spoke,

"You seem nervous here, too." a unicorn mare added,

"I am, I'm not comfortable around people." Punctual Organizer answered,

"I figured, well, good luck on your craft, and it never hurts to reach to people if you feel overwhelmed, a lot of ponies are willing to help." the mare reminded,

"Thanks." Punctual Organizer responded, and the two ponies walked away. Pinkie Pie smiled while Punctual Organizer stayed calm for the rest of the afternoon and watched the ponies peacefully, some of his previous customers waved at him and he waved back, the sun began to set and Punctual Organizer disassembled the stand and put the wooden parts behind himself and then teleported himself, Pinkie Pie, and his remaining statues back home.

They arrived back home and Punctual Organizer counted his bits and then put them under his kitchen sink's cabinet with the rest of his bits and stacked them very neatly, he closed and locked the cabinet and then began cooking his lunch, he measured how much oil he put in the cast iron very carefully and was very specific on how hot the stove's temperature was and how long his lunch cooked, he watched carefully and stayed calm while Pinkie Pie smiled, he soon finished cooking and got a plate and sat at the table. Punctual Organizer ate at a certain pace and finished at a specific time, he then washed the dish at a specific pace and stretched,

"Okay, break time." Punctual Organizer stated,

"Ooh, I know, why don't you talk about your life with me and see if it helps you get better." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"I usually prefer no people around, but having company around every now and then doesn't hurt, I'll go ahead and converse." Punctual Organizer said, Pinkie Pie smiled and they sat at the table, they conversed and Punctual Organizer talked about his life, he talked about how his father was a file organizer for a town's mayor and his mother was a schedule planner and organizer at a summer camp, they were very precise and punctual and paid attention to detail, how they were able to help him adjust and function when they discovered he had the same symptoms as them, how he did in school with him failing in math and history while excelling in literature and visual arts, he also mentioned being bullied when he was a foal and had trouble making friends throughout all of school. Punctual Organizer then talked about leaving his parents' house to go to college but had trouble focusing and dropped out, he then moved into the woods and built the house all on his own, he then began pursuing his passions and hobbies of crafting art and started selling them to make money,

"Wow, sounds like you've had a pretty busy life." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"Not completely, aside from me being bullied and studying subjects I didn't like, my life has been pretty relaxed so far, which I'm glad for, same when nationwide threats threaten Equestria, I'm glad to be far away from them." Punctual Organizer responded,

"I suppose I can't blame you, I mean, us ponies just wanna live peacefully." Pinkie Pie reminded,

"True, I'm no different, though I desire complete solitude." Punctual Organizer stated,

"I don't, I wanna make friends everywhere, and if you're like me, Punctual Organizer, you'll get lonely and desire contact eventually." Pinkie Pie warned,

"I've already felt like that before, I've missed my parents a few times after I moved out, I haven't contacted them due to nervousness that they will be disappointed in me not making the most of my life." Punctual Organizer explained,

"Don't let that stop you, at least try." Pinkie Pie suggested,

"Okay." Punctual Organizer said,

"Anything else you wanna talk about?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"No, I that's everything, time for me to cook dinner." Punctual Organizer responded,

"Okay, I'll be here if you wanna talk more." Pinkie Pie stated, Punctual Organizer smiled and stood up. Punctual Organizer cooked dinner and did crunches while he waited for his meal to finish cooking, he watched the clock carefully and stopped when it was time for him to stop cooking, he served himself and had his dinner,

"Well, Pinkie Pie, you've seen my life, only thing you haven't seen yet is me going to the store." Punctual Organizer stated,

"When will that be?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Well, I'm planning to go tomorrow, I'll go buy some food and supplies to make my statues." Punctual Organizer responded,

"I'd like to see how you do in that environment." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Sure, why not, you've helped me in other places, so might as well let you try to help and advise me in the last part of my life." Punctual Organizer remarked,

"I'll see what I can do." Pinkie Pie spoke, Punctual Organizer smiled and went to get ready for bed, he brushed his teeth and made his bed, it was early so he meditated until it was bedtime and he slept.

The next day came and Punctual Organizer turned off his alarm clock, he used the bathroom, took a shower, had breakfast, washed the dishes, brushed his teeth, and then teleported himself and Pinkie Pie, he got a shopping cart and had thoughts of his cart being stolen, people robbing or attacking him, the things he wants to buy being sold out, the staff being rude, being ripped off, not having enough money, and buying the wrong items, he inhaled and exhaled slowly and deeply and went in. They walked in the store and Punctual Organizer got the food and paint he wanted to buy while the people around him began to overwhelm him, he took a deep breath and calmed down,

"Oh, Pinkie Pie, surprised to see you here." an earth pony mare said,

"Hi, how's your daughter been?" Pinkie Pie asked,

"Absolutely wonderful, she's been talking about you all the time, she said you threw her the best birthday party she's ever had." the mare answered,

"Oh, that touches my heart." Pinkie Pie stated,

"You know her?" Punctual Organizer questioned,

"Uh-huh, I'm pretty famous throughout Equestria for my parties." Pinkie Pie replied,

"Oh, well, come on, I'm on a tight schedule." Punctual Organizer stated, and he bought the items and left with no problems, he smiled and teleported himself and Pinkie Pie back home,

"Well, Pinkie Pie, that's all there is to my life, sorry to say this, and don't mean to be rude, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave, I'm not comfortable with people staying in my house for a long time." Punctual Organizer stated,

"It's okay, can we stay in touch?" Pinkie Pie requested,

"Sure, we can write letters to one another, I do appreciate communicating with people every now and then." Punctual Organizer answered,

"Great! I'll be going now, I'll write to you the next time I settle down." Pinkie Pie said,

"Okay, I'll be looking forward to it." Punctual Organizer spoke, and Pinkie Pie packed her things and left while Punctual Organizer watched her leave with a smile on his face.

Pinkie Pie finished remembering Punctual Organizer while still staring at Sugarcube Corner's ceiling while laying in her bed and she soon fell asleep. The next day came and Pinkie Pie waited for Punctual Organizer to arrive while tending to any customer who entered, she saw him come in when no one was inside and she smiled. He looked at the clock on the wall and sighed with relief,

"Good, not a second early or late." Punctual Organizer said,

"Hi, Punctual Organizer, I trust you've been well." Pinkie Pie stated,

"Mostly, got tired and had a burnout from crafting statues about a month ago, thought I needed a break and decided to see you, it's this late because I needed to make money to buy tools and groceries, so I had to push myself a bit." Punctual Organizer explained,

"Well, it's good you can take a break now, any changes to your life after I left?" Pinkie Pie questioned,

"Nope, I'm still the same ol' hermit living in the woods and making statues, I did contact my parents like you said I should, they were actually glad to hear from me, but a bit disappointed with what I'm doing now, we've stayed in touch ever since they have been giving me advice on when I become obsessed with being clean and have unpleasant thoughts on how to deal with them." Punctual Organizer responded,

"That's good." Pinkie Pie remarked,

"But it turned out you were right, I do get lonely sometimes, and I miss you, having your company helped me more than anything else, that's why I wanted to see you again in person." Punctual Organizer stated,

"Aw, I'm touched, but I have a friend here who I think will do a better job at helping you." Pinkie Pie stated, and they trotted outside. They went to the Castle of Friendship and Pinkie Pie knocked on the door and Twilight Sparkle came out,

"Yes?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"Hi, Twilight, this is Punctual Organizer, an old friend of mine, he's obsessed with being clean and orderly and has unpleasant thoughts often, I was hoping you could help and advise him with his problem better than I could." Pinkie Pie explained,

"Sure, come on in." Twilight Sparkle said while smiling, and they entered, Pinkie Pie and Punctual Organizer explained what they already tried and Twilight Sparkle got a book, she showed Punctual Organizer what he had and also advised him on her own methods of calming herself down without using medication, he tried her methods and Pinkie Pie noticed Twilight Sparkle's methods were working better than her own methods ever did,

"I'm feeling great and relaxed, thank you, and thank you, Pinkie Pie, for introducing her to me, meeting you really is one of the best things I've ever had happen to me in my life." Punctual Organizer stated,

"You're welcome, you can see me and contact me anytime, too." Pinkie Pie replied,

"I'll be available if you wanna stay in touch with me as well, Punctual Organizer." Twilight Sparkle added,

"Okay, I appreciate that, thank you, both of you." Punctual Organizer stated, and he and Pinkie Pie went outside and went their separate ways. Pinkie Pie went back to Sugarcube Corner and stood behind the stand and smiled while thinking about how Punctual Organizer will be from now on and looked forward to his next visit or letter.