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.