A Shot at Death

>It's that time that you and Pinkie had discussed about 10 months ago.
>Neither of you saw any improvements in your depression
>After all this time, the future still remained shitty for the both of you
>For the most part, peace had returned to the land and the elements of harmony eventually disbanded
>Mr. and Mrs. Cake had sold Sugar Cube Corner to some money grubbing asshole from Canterlot
>One who didn't want Pinkie around anymore
>She was unable to find a decent job and had to start digging outhouses
>Now in Manehatten, she cleans dishes at a restaurant
>You however were still treated with xenophobia and extreme prejudice, so you were unable to hold a decent job
>It's been two years since her friends left her to go after their own dreams
>You were the only one who remained loyal and never thought about leaving
>Guess their friendship really wasn't magic
>You discussed this with her plenty of times
>Due to her normally bubbly nature, she would be in charge of holding on to your 45 caliber Colt Peacemaker
>The task of deciding when was left to her
>You were going to decide if it was going to happen
>You two didn't room together for this reason

>Pinkie had called for you earlier today
>You head to her run-down apartment in one of the more crime filled areas in town
>Gotta love Manehatten
>You get to her place and she buzzes you up
>Once inside, you knock on her door, which she answers
>You look at your best friend
>The once cheerful and vibrant mare was now looking a dull grayish color
>Her mane; however, was in that puffy cotton candy fluff cloud that you came to know her for
>Whatever it is, she's feeling a bit better about it
>You haven't seen it like this since she found a new job after being laid off from her old one
>"Hey Anon"
>When you first met her, she rarely ever called you that
>Usually it was "Nonny" or "Non Non"
"What up Ponka?"
>At first, your mispronounced names for her frustrated the living hell out of her, but recently they seemed to bring her up from the dumps
>She shoots you a smile and a tear wells up in her eye
>Through good times and bad you never stopped saying her name like that
>Eventually she saw it as a portal to the past that she enjoyed
>"Well silly, are you going to hang around the hallway all day, or are you going to come in?"
>You walk into her humble abode and immediately feel the cold air inside
>Her studio apartment didn't have heating or anything special like that
>For warmth, she used blankets and a lantern in the middle of the room
>Yours was a little nicer, it was still in a bad place in town, but you at least didn't have to freeze your ass off
>When you first moved into the city, you wanted to leave her with the nicer housing
>She however wanted you to have it
>She protested until you had no choice but to take it yourself
>This was one of the many sacrifices that she made to make you feel better
>The lantern in the room was a gift from you
>It had cost a huge chuck of your paycheck, but it was worth it to see the look on her face
>That smile could have powered cities
>Who cares if you had to eat cat food for two weeks?
>You sit on her floor
>Neither of you could afford furniture, so you both just stuck to blankets on the ground
>Mostly because as you had money, it would go into alcohol
>Pinkie was hooked on drugs for a while
>When she ran out of money, she tried paying with other means
>You weren't having it so you were helping her get over her addiction
>You know from experience how bad it is
>She was almost three months sober; however, she was nowhere near being out of the woods
>There have been plenty of times here and there where she has tried to cheat, but you coached her through
"You look awfully cheerful today"
>As depressed as she normally is, you found that you yourself aren't doing much better
>She rarely saw how bad you were though
>The years of experience in that you possessed over her in the field made you way better at hiding your feelings
"So what's up buddy?"
>She looks up at you and says
>"I think it's time to do that thing that we talked about"
"You want to move again?"
>An emotionless stare shoots down your question
>What could she me... Oh
>She sees your face as it dawns upon you
>"Its only if you want to, I was just saying that I was ready"
>You think about it for a second
>Were you ready to die?
>You think about it a little more
>There were the beating that you got from random strangers
>The police department's refusal to do anything for a cat food eating freak
>Having to dumpster dive at moments so that you could survive
>You were about as bad off as she was
"Alright"
>She gives you a puzzled look
"I'm ready if you are, I just need to go get some stuff first"
>Pinkie simply nods
>You two exchange hugs before you head out


>You leave to your apartment and grab a small bag of bits before heading out
>That was your rent money
>Or at least what was left of it after two break-ins
>Your landlord took it a little easier, considering your situation, but his patience can only last so long
>You also grab some stationary, you would need it after all
>You leave without locking your door because your time here taught you that it does nothing to deter a unicorn, which can just use their magic to unlock it from the inside
>Once outside, you walk to a nearby bakery
>Being different meant being treated differently, much if the reason why life was so hard is because many business owners would charge you out the ass for goods
>The bakery is no exception
>Normally you would have to pay about three times as much for something
>This place wanted five times normal value
>You proceed to buy them only because of your situation, otherwise you would have told them to fuck off
>One more stop to go
>This time you arrive at lone building
"Wayside Liquor"
>You grab a bottle of cheap, fortified wine
>Being such a frequent customer meant that you ended up getting to know the owners
>Once they warned up to you, they actually charged you less than their marked prices
>They figured that you would need any help that you could get
>This help came in the form of the intoxicating beverage
>You didn't know if it was sympathy, or pity for a poor alien
>You get to the counter and pay
>"You know, I worry about how much you drink Anon"
"Please don't, part of the reason why I drink so much is because humans have a way higher tolerance for this stuff; this is actually only about one drink for me"
>That was a lie
>These ponies had the same alcohol tolerance as your typical man or woman
>The bottle in your hands was the point equivalent to an MD 20/20
"Plus I promise, this is my last one before I swear off if it for good"
>They look happy for you
>You pay and then begin walking outside
>"Thank you and congratulations on writing, may the sisters bless you"
>You forgot, the owners were the Celestia worshipper's equivalent to Mormons
>Ironic that they would run a place like this
>With that thought in mind, you head back to Pinkie's pad, you wouldn't want to keep her waiting too long
>On the way there, you pass by a sick filly living on the streets
>You give her the last of your money and she thanks you
>25 bits oughta last her a while

>You arrive at the apartments and once again Pinkie buzzes you up and opens the door
>You both exchange hugs
>"Sowhadjaget?"
>First you pull the bottle out of the bag
>"Hoo-hah Anon"
>You then sit down and pull the confectioner's treat from its little box
>Her eyes widen as she sees that you got her a strawberry cake with cotton candy frosting
>More so when she notices the extra sugar on the cake
>It's a luxury that she rarely, if ever, gets to enjoy anymore
>But it's more than just some desert, it's a reminder of the life that she had in Ponyville
>It begins to rain heavily in the apartment
>She hugs your leg so hard that it nearly cuts off circulation
>Her sobbing makes it impossible for her to talk
>After a later, she is able to speak
>"I want you to have half of it"
"I can't, Polka it's yours to enjoy"
>"it's no fun if my very super most special friend ever can't enjoy it with me"
>You have a huge smile just plastered on your face
>It’s something that rarely happens out of Pinkie's presence now
>You look around for something to serve the wine in
>You find an old glass bottle and it still has dried liquid at its base
>She didn't have the means to buy cups and drinks, and the water here might actually do more harm than good so she wouldn't was them
>You carefully try serving some wine in the dirty container
>You pass her the new bottle and keep the soiled one
>She deserves the best after all
>Using a piece of broken glass on the floor, you part the cake while she gets your gun
>When she comes back, you start taking small bites of the cake, preferring to savor it Pinkie however, eats the whole thing in one bite before downing the booze
>Upon finishing the meal, you take your revolver and make sure it's loaded
"One steel round"
>After all of your crazy encounters, you made it your mission to save at least one for an uncertain future
>Once again she looks sad
>"Only one?"
"Don't worry, it might be enough for the both of us if I hold it right"
>You hope so
>You couldn't imagine life without the best damn friend that you've had here
>Even worse, if she wanted you to have it
>You feared how her life would be without her only remaining friend
>You take the paper and pens from earlier and hand them to Pinkie so that she could leave a note
>You were a nobody, so you wouldn’t need one
"Well here it goes. I want you to sit on my lap and put the side of your head against mine"
>Pinkie obliges, wrapping one of her hooves around you for one last hug
>You grab her hoof with your free hand and place the barrel against her temple and pull back on the hammer
>You take deep breaths
>Sweat rolls down your face
>Your hand begins to shake and you ask yourself
Is it really worth it?
>Time seems to have stopped as you think about the answer
>You are sitting in a room about to end your life, along with your only friend's
>Pinkie Pie left the burden of decision entirely to you
>You have the power to end it all
Bur is it really worth it?
>Having to dig around trash for food because your boss doesn't think that you deserve a decent wage
>The attacks, the vandalism, and the burglaries that plague your life
>Lastly, having to endure watching your friend live through hell as well
>You made your decision, you just hope that it's the right one
>At least you would die next to her
>You close your eyes and with a squeeze of the trigger, the hammer falls down and the attached firing pin hits the primer
>There's a spark, and then a boom as the powder explodes
>A steel from is sent flying, the grooves in the barrel of the gun spinning it as it goes
>The bullet cuts through Pinkie's head, giving little consideration to whatever nervous tissue was unfortunate enough to be in the way
>Her skull does nothing to stop the bullet's rampage as it collides with your cranium
>Your brain, sensing its imminent demise, makes it so that in the miniscule time that it takes the bullet to enter your skull and pierce your cerebrum, you see something

>It's a hazy looking blue mass
>Its features are to out of focus to make out
>You wake up in a small bed
>A loud screams pierces the undisturbed silence in the household
>You look around and are you can't make heads or tails of where you are
>There are toys, drawings, and posters of horses scattered about the room
>This is obviously a child's room
>A grown man enters the room
>"Anon, are you alright?"
>He places one hand on your shoulders and another on your head
>There's a slightly familiar warmth about him, but you're not sure what
>"Everything is going to be alright, you hear?"
>Before you can say anything, a lady hurries into the room
>"What's wrong with Anon!?"
>Wait, you recognize this woman
>Her name is Fema
>She is your mother
>The man talks
>"Little bugger's probably just anxious about seeing his pops leave, isn't that right?"

>What this person talking about?
>Did your mother remarry?
>Whoever this was, he wasn’t your father
>Your dad died when you were nine and
>He left to work one morning and never came back
>You could still remember some parts of that day
>It was early in the morning and you were in class when the teacher pulled you outside of class and sent you to Room 57
>That’s where the counselor, Mrs. Brimsby was located
>When you entered you saw your mother in tears and the counselor explained what had happened
>It was an on-the-job accident
>One of the employees failed to secure part of a machine and when your father went to go use it, a piece flew off and entered his skull
>At first, neither you nor your mom could come to terms with the loss
>You would cope by staring at your front door
>Eventually, some of your aunts and uncles from both sides of your family came from out of state to check up on you two
>When they tried to keep you away from the door, you would just say
"He's coming back, you’ll see"
>Your mother on the other hand would replay the answering machine that he recorded on the home phone
>”Hello, you have reached the [____] household, we can’t come to the phone right now *But Dad, you are on the phone!* Well Anon, they don’t know that!! If you leave your name and number we’ll try to get back to you as soon as we can”
>She would make this message repeat over and over again for several hours every day
>Your relatives wouldn’t dare and try to disturb her
>For about a week, your house would echo with those words, day in and day out
>”Hello, you have reached the [____] household, we can’t come to the phone right now *But Dad, you are on the phone!* Well Anon, they don’t know that!! If you leave your name and number we’ll try to get back to you as soon as we can”
>”Hello, you have reached the [____] household, we can’t come to the phone right now *But Dad, you are on the phone!* Well Anon, they don’t know that!! If you leave your name and number we’ll try to get back to you as soon as we can”
>”Hello, you have reached the [____] household, we can’t come to the phone right now *But Dad, you are on the phone!* Well Anon, they don’t know that!! If you leave your name and number we’ll try to get back to you as soon as we can”
>Eventually they had to go back to their own families, but where did that leave you?
>It was you who eventually snapped her out of it
>You went up to your mom with a trash can lid in one hand, and a roll of cardboard from some paper towels in the other
>Your head was adorned with an empty cereal box
>You went to her with tears streaming down your face and tried to force your bravado
“Don’t worry Mom, I’ll protect you now that Dad’s gone”
>She just scooped you up into a hug and squeezed her little knight with considerable force, but at the same time she made sure not to hurt one person who she cared for as much as her husband
>Despite your best efforts to cheer her up, she couldn’t help but to turn to a life of drugs and alcohol
>Something that you eventually found yourself inheriting
>That’s why the lies that this man spewed caused you to feel absolute contempt to the people in front of you
>How dare they act like this?
>Your father was a great man and now they spit on his grave

>You could still remember how he looked like, and it wasn’t like this joker
>He had short blonde hair, or was it long brown hair, black hair maybe?
>Was he short? Fat? Buff?
>It seems that you really can’t remember
>There weren’t many pictures left of him
>Your mother being the owner of the only two and they were always in a safe and out of your eyes
>The watch that he’s sporting looks an awful lot like the one that Mom gave you after the accident
>You kept it in a lockbox back on earth
>One that you weren’t able to take to Equestria
>You hope that your mother was at least able to retreat it from your house
>Your train of thought is broken when the man grabs the woman’s rear
>”Anonymous please, not in front of the kid”
>Anonymous…
>There is only one person who you knew had that name, and you were named after him
>It’s him alright
>You had learned to live without him
>His death was just another part of your life and you had grown to accept it
>And that’s why you found yourself unable to control your next actions
“D-dad!”
>He looks at you and is immediately tackled by a tiny form
>The dam breaks and you let it all out
>He crouches down to meet your new eye level and uses a hand to brush the tears away from one of your eyes
>”Easy there buddy, I’m only going to the store to pick up some supplies”
>His comforting works and you find yourself feeling better
>Your father breaks the session
>”I’ll be back two days with a rifle for you and before you know I’ll be teaching you how to hunt”
>Two days?
>It shouldn’t take that long to get to the store and back
>Another examination brings up some questions
>Why are your parents dressed like that?
>Why is there no light hanging from the ceiling?
>The toys in the room look like generic soldiers, Indians, and horses and you see no characters from any of the movies or TV shows that you were aware of
>This doesn’t anything like 2001
>A look outside confirms your suspicions
>Instead of a nasty looking PT Cruiser, you see a carriage that looks like one of the antique stagecoaches that you would see inside of a Wells Fargo bank
>What year is this?
>There’s a knock on the door
>”Well I better not keep the carriage waiting”
>You and your mom walk him to the front door and exchange your goodbyes
>You see your mother setting a revolver on the table
>When you ask about it, she tells you
>”It’s your father’s he bought it a few years after the war and had them put his battalion’s symbol on it”
>It looks exactly like the one that you had, only this one has an insignia of a moon with a blue, winged unicorn on it
>Looking at this makes you feel strangely comforted
>You then hear some knocking
>Opening it, you see a man, a woman, and four girls
>All but one of them have blank expressions
>She looks like she’s the second youngest of the girls and about your age
>You look at this one, unlike the rest of her family, she’s actually looks happy to be here
>Her hair is curly and she has bright blue eyes
>The girl gives you a light smile
>*Ahem
>The man lets out a grunt
>”You’re parents home?”
>You call your mom over and she’s at the door now
>”We’re your new neighbors. We came all the way from Nebraska for work an because we don’t want nothin to do with no new states”
>His voice is flat and monotonous
>”I hope that we can get along fine”
>Your mother’s friendly voice contradicts his
>”Why, howdy neighbor. My husband just left to town, but I think that you two would get along great. Let me fetch you a pie as a way to say welcome”
>He gives her a smile and shakes her hand
>You weren’t sure that he would be able to smile
>Shortly after, she returns with a treat
>The family thanks you two before introducing themselves as the Poes and leaving
>Who was that girl?

>An hour passes and you’re looking around your new home
>A hedge separates the two houses, save for a tree house that’s in the middle
>You climb it and right as you reach the top, the curly-headed girl pops her head out
>”HIIIYYAAAA!!!”
>The sudden burst of energy startles you and makes you fall from the tree
“Owww”
>She jumps down
>”OmygoshIamsosorryareyouokay?”
>She extends a hand to help you up
>Her strength surprises you as she pulls you up with no effort
>Upon seeing that you’re okay, she brightly smiles at you
>”Hi I’m
“Penelope right?”
>”how’d ya know, are you psychic”
>You assure her that you’re not
“Your mom came by about ten minutes after you left and told me”
>“You sure you’re not, because if you were, that wouldbetotallycrazybecausewecouldtakewithouttalki-“
>She talks pretty fast
>You decide that it’s best to interrupt her
“My name is Anon, Anon [____]”
>”Well you already know my name, but everyone just calls me Penny”
>Penny Poe
>Part of you giggles on the inside
>After getting to know each other, you two decided on being “Besties”
>You two are playing around when she looks up and says
>”Cool! A rainbow”
>You turn your attention to where she pointed and see that there is indeed a rainbow
>Something catches your attention though
“Do you see that?”
>”See what?”
>You wanted to say that you saw the sky flicker, but decide on enjoying your time here
>Instead, you point at the stables
“The horses that we have here, they’re pretty darn cute”
>”I love horses, almost as much as I love baking with my mother”
>You have one more thought
”Hey Penny?”
>”Hmmm?”
“Do you mind if I call you Pinkie? You just remind me so much of an old friend”
>”Sure, if it’s to make you happy, you can call me whatever you want. Now what are we waiting for? Let’s go”
“Sure thing Pinkie”
>The two of you head to the stables to look at the horses
>On the way there, you look up at the sky once more
>It stopped flickering, and you see three hot air balloons in a formation
>Two of them are a light blue are on either side of a middle one
>The one in the middle is a pale shade of yellow
>Pinkie grabs a hold of your hand and instead of stopping her, you give it a light squeeze