//------------------------------// // Orphan // Story: Pinkie Pie's Special Friends // by smirker //------------------------------// 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.