A Shot at Life

>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 resaurant
>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 Beretta
>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 poofy cotton candy fluff 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 costed 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 catfood 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
>She was almost two months sober
"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 to long
>On the way there, you pass by a sick filly living on the streets
>You give her the last of your mmoney 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
>"Ohohoh 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, Pinkie 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 o. your face
>Its 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 cups and drinks, and the water here might actually do more harm then 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 handgun and make sure it's loaded
"One steelround"
>After all of your crazy encounters, you made it your mission to save at leas 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
"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
>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 with your friend
>You close your eyes and with a squeeze of the trigger, the hammer falls down and hits the firing pin, which in turn strikes the primer
>The only sound is that of a click
>The round was a dud and both of you are still alive
>You can't believe it
>Years of improper storage must have caused the cartridge to take in a little too much moisture
"Pinkie"
>"Anon?"
"It didn't work, my weapon failed"
>Her mane deflates
>"So what now?"
>That's a good question
>What were you going to do now that you didn't have any money?
"I don't know"
>The two of you go to sleep that night, now knowing what the future holds

>Morning rolls by and you're insure of what to do
>You and Pinkie wander the streets with no idea of what to do
>Her mane is still flat and she still looks a little grey, clear expressions of her mood
>You on the other hand, have a sliver of hope
>What if your suicide failed for a reason?
>You were holding the gun, when you pass by an upper class couple
>It's a stallion and a mare, both of which have orange themed cutie marks
>The stallion speaks
>"My word Valencia, what do you suppose that thing is?"
>"I don't know, but I've never seen anything like it before"
>You're debating on whether or not to tell them to go fuck themselves when the stallion stops you
>"Excuse me sir, my name is Moro and my wife wanted to know what that thing that you're holding that you are holding is"
>Well they seem at least a little approachable
>No use in scaring the shit out of them
>Pinkie starts to speak, but you stop her
>Better not tell them the truth
"It's a decorative sculture"
>Valencia speaks up
>"Well we are avid art collectors and I have to say, I've never seen anything like tha. Where did you get it?"
>Realizing what is happening, your bachelors in accounting and 8 years of managing sales kick in
"That's because I brought it from home. You haven't seen anything like it, because nothing like this has ever even been in Equestria"
>Moro is processing this information
>Valencia pulls her husband to the side
>You can easily make out their whispers
>"Imagine how that one of a kind piece would look on our mantle. Don't let it get away"
>You can almost hear the sounds of a cahs register opening
>"How much do you want for it"
>Merchant skills activating
"I'm not sure if I want to sell it, I mean other than my clothes, it is one of the last things that I own from my world"
>The mare speaks up
>"Please, it would be the envy of our friends, name your price and we'll see what we can do"
>This is going to be too easy


>You and Pinkie exit a fairly elegant house
>The Oranges, as you found out they were called, invited you to their house for food and to receive your payment
>1700 bits, witch with your experience in Shekel farming, you rekon to be somewhere between 4 and 6 thousand in cheeseburger money
>Thank you Mr. Blackenburgrosensteinfinkerberg
>Who would have known that something that you bought at a pawn shop for a few hundred bucks would sell for so much
>You say to yourself
"+1 for the 2nd Amendment"
>While there, you and Pinkie both pigged out on high society cuisine
>Once outside Pinkie was unable to contain herself
>Her mane explodes into the cloud of pink that you were so familiar
>A rosy color floods her coat and she looks like her old self
>You know what to do, but first there are some things to take care of
>You were told about a world renown seamstress in the area, and as it turns out, she and Pinkie were great friends
>Her name was Rarity
>Apparently, they were part of a crew that was responsible for saving the world
>She made both you and Pinkie some nice clothes free of charge
>Not just that, but she paid for a spa day for you both to get cleaned up and your dinner at a fancy restaurant
>Here, the patrons didn't treat you like shit
>After dinner, you, Panko, and Rarity head to the train station
>The kind unicorn packed you a trunk full of clothes
>The pink pony and you are saying your farewells to Rarity
>Pinkie is crying and you're pretty close to tears yourself but then remember
>Anon isn't a bitch
>You hold through though
>"Thanks for everything"
>"I should be thanking you Pinkie, without your help, I would not be anywhere near where I am today"
>The two mares are in an embrace
>"As for you mister uhh Anon, several good friends of ours are royalty, one of which lives in a large castle in Ponyville
>You don't recall seeing this princess or the castle during your time in that town
>Only a large, ugly looking tree in your back yard and some kind of purple animal that inhabited it and would not stop trying to harass you
>Every time that it came near your cottage, you would shoo it away with a broom
>Rarity continues
>"I'm sure that she would be glad to help you with your situation if you stopped by"
"Thank you for your help, we'll be sure to visit her on our way west
>With that, you take your luggage and your pink horse and board the train
>Once seated, you turn to Pinkie and say
"You know, things are finally starting to look up for us"
>Your hands were flowing through Pinkie's mane as she slept the whole way to Ponyville
>You don't know what your future holds, but as long as you have Pinkie, you don't care

fin