On Target

by Kestrel

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Sad, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other
Length: 6338

In the last Equestria Games, the Ice Archery event almost ended in tragedy. Why did the archer’s shot go astray?

"An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means its going to launch you into something great. Just focus, and keep aiming."

For Snapshot, life has ground to a halt ever since two years ago. The last Equestria Games nearly ended in tragedy because of a stray arrow in the Ice Archery event. Why in Equestria did his shot go astray? Seasoned athletes don’t make mistakes like that without a good reason…

I want to give special thanks to my prereaders Jack of a Few Trades, Quillamore, and Piquo Pie. This story wouldn't be nearly as good if you guys didn't help me out.

FamousLastWords helped out too by prereading.

Cover art is by the amazing Pridark

Published 2015-10-13 23:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-10-13 23:30:01 UTC

Aiming for the Future

Snapshot stepped through his front door and took a deep breath, taking in the familiar stale air that had pervaded his home for the past two years. He plopped into the chair at his desk, one of the few furnishings aside from the kitchen that remained relatively dust free, and produced a camera from his saddlebags. Work at his photography studio had been rough again. All the pictures he had taken were blurry, starkly contrasting the clear photographs lining the walls.

On the desk stood an ornate wooden frame with a dust-caked picture. Snapshot reached for the photo, wiping off the lightly dusted frame to reveal a family of earth ponies. A stallion and a mare stood on a balcony overlooking the ocean outside of Fillydelphia. Both ponies had a hoof on a little filly between them. The day he took that picture still hung in his mind as though it had just happened.

He had taken his wife and daughter out on the city after his successful tryout for the Fillydelphia team for Ice Archery competing in the Equestria Games. While he was a photographer professionally, he practiced ice archery as a hobby, gifted by his talent of keen sight. The news had come in a few weeks before his thirtieth birthday. He had taken them out into the city as a celebration for his accomplishment. That had been one of the last happy moments he could think of. His family had been so happy in those pictures. What had happened to them?

Things hadn’t been the same since Ace had left him. He shook his head sullenly as he reached to the far side of the desk, pulled over his current bottle of trotka, and poured himself a shot. He stole another glance at the picture and heaved out a sigh. He took a drink as he got up from his seat and began to pace the hallway leading up to his room. Old photos lined the wall, all previous shots he had taken of his family. Setting the family photo back down on the table carefully, he let out a long sigh.

That family had been from nearly three years ago. How things had changed…

A Shot From the Heart
MLP:FiM
By: Kestrel

Snapshot loved his job, capturing life around him by using his special talent and trusty camera. Ever since he had gotten his cutie mark, he had realized his calling in life was to see things. He loved being a photographer, from the moments spent waiting to seeing the final print standing on display. He regularly posted his best photos around his house. There were stills of places, animals, and ponies around all over, but the most special photos decorated the hallway in a line. Now those special photos were smudged with dust casually pushed to the sides of their frames.

As was his almost nightly ritual for the past few years, Snap began to walk down the hall to stare at his photographs. First in line was a photo of him and Ace Spin on the day they had met. Both had attended a tennis open that day, Ace to compete, and Snap to take pictures for his job at the Fillydelphia Inquirer. He couldn’t remember just how many shots he took of her before he found the courage to open his mouth.

It had been love at first sight. Both had been mutually attracted and went on a date that night. Having been sports fans, Ace tried to teach him to serve a tennis ball while he taught her to shoot an arrow. He had often been clingy, and she stubborn, but their love flourished over time.

After a few years of dating, Snap worked up the guts to ask for her hoof in marriage. His proposal was nothing special. He just simply walked up to his house and simply asked her. Simple didn’t mean easy though. Just keeping his balance and tone of voice was a monumental task. It took him nearly a minute to stutter out the single question as he presented the betrothal necklace to her. When she accepted, he swore he could have been a pegasus since his heart felt like it was flying.

Snapshot took another step down the hallway to the next photo.

Within the confines of the frames, both he and Ace stood upon the altar. He had been dressed in a fancy tuxedo while she wore a radiant white dress. Despite his usual position of taking pictures of big events, it was horrible to be on the other end. He was so happy, but his knees wouldn’t stop wobbling. Luckily for him, his strength kept him up long enough to hit the dance floor. That night could have lasted forever as they danced in the moonlight without a care in the world.

But even though they did stop dancing eventually, that night had gotten even better for him. After they had returned to the hotel room they had taken for the night, she pinned him to the bed. Even though it had been years since he last felt her touch, he still recalled that peculiar heat. But the temporary flash of heat didn’t even register now as he simply stared at Ace. He missed that memory. He missed Ace, and he wasn’t the only one either.

Another picture down the line, and Snap reached one of the proudest moments in his life thus far. The photo featured a much happier version of himself, with one hoof behind his wife’s back the other touched the cheek of the little foal in her hooves. A few months after they were wed, Ace Spin had discovered she was pregnant. She absolutely hated not being able to compete, but Snap was rather ecstatic that she stayed home more often, even if she was moody. She whined and complained constantly about not being able to play, blaming him for it in good nature. But it was worth all the trouble, because soon enough, they had a new addition to their family, a little filly they named Pin Point. He found himself running his hoof over the image of their little filly and shook his head to clear his head.

Pin Point had become a main focus for Snap in particular, as many of the photos around the home involved her. In the next picture down the hall, Snap, Ace, and Pin were celebrating their first Hearth’s Warming Day. He had worn a decorative Starswirl beard, and Pin, not grasping object permanence at that point, started crying when daddy disappeared. Despite there being a lack of smiles in the photo, what with Pin crying and shrinking into her mother’s embrace, it still stood out as one of his more fond memories.

Snapshot came to the last picture at the end of the hall. It was the day of his thirtieth birthday. They had just received the news that he was going to the Equestria Games in the Crystal Empire as part of the Fillydelphia team. Ace had presented him with a beautiful ice bow she had intended for him to use in the games as a present. He remembered it like it was yesterday…

It’s beautiful! How in Equestria did you find somepony to make it?

I know a few friends who dabble in crafts. Do you like it?

Of course! I can’t wait to use it, and I know the first time I will.

Oh? And where is that?

In the Equestria Games. I promise I’ll make you proud. I have just one question though… why is it so much heavier than other bows?

Hmmm… Maybe it’s a symbol of our love. With this bow, you’ll carry its weight, and I know you’ll be able to bear it and point the arrow in the right direction.

I love you…

I love you too…

It hurt so badly to recall that memory as his breath caught in his throat and he trembled. Even the trotka in his hoof seemed to weigh much more now as he struggled to keep hold of his composure. She had given him that one final present as a good luck charm for his biggest sporting event ever. And he never used it… Now it simply sat on the mantle gathering dust.

Two months before the Equestria Games, Ace Spin was caught in a terrible accident. The train she had taken from Manehatten back home from a tennis tournament derailed. There were twelve ponies injured, and two were killed.

One of them was Ace.

She had been the favorite to win the Equestria Open. Snapshot had a frame still set in the hall for her big win that she had worked so hard for. They had been so excited since she had finally managed to beat out her rival after years of struggle.

Back at home, Snap had brought a seven year old Pin Point to watch him practice for the Games when he had heard the news from the town mail mare. His fellow athletes and friends immediately went to comfort him, but he was inconsolable. The love of his life, gone in a moment, and he never got the chance to say goodbye. Even now, the frame in the hallway still hung empty.

Hearing the news himself had been earth-shattering, but he had also been saddled with the ordeal of telling Pin. When he came to her with tears in his eyes and a voice choked by anguish, he couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth. Ultimately, he had told her that Ace had gone on a long trip to play a tennis match in the sky with Princess Celestia. She bought the story, but by now he figured she had learned the truth. She was a smart little pony.

The funeral was extremely hard for him. Ace’s body was never recovered, so he didn’t even have anything to say goodbye to. He had spent hours at the memorial site fervently wishing he had gotten to see her one last time. If only he could have had one more chance to see the soft, love filled gaze she shared only for him and Pin, rather than her normal confident expression. Now he would never see her face again at all, save for the photographs he constantly gazed upon at home.

On the night of the funeral, he had returned to his house at long last, and put sweet little Pin to bed. When he returned to his own bed, it was so much larger and colder than it had ever been. He’d never felt so cold in his life. With that familiar warmth now lost, he shivered well into that night, soaked by the dampness of his tears.

How could this have happened?

All his friends and family had come to lend their support, but nopony’s words had reached him. Nothing at that point could have helped him mend that wound. Even his profession felt profoundly empty without one of his favorite subjects. He lost focus often and his pictures no longer had the same clarity as before. And to make it worse, the Equestria Games were only weeks away.

Snap had insisted to his friends that he could still compete. They tried to tell him that he didn’t need to prove to anypony what he could do. He had won the qualifiers and nopony needed proof that he was the best, but he had shrugged them off. If he could still physically compete, he would. It was what Ace would have wanted for him, he was sure. He would win and dedicate the medal to her to make up for the void in that final frame.

Sadly, when the time came for him to take the field, he couldn't focus. His anger had faded during the long nights after training where he would stare out into the moonlight and pray to the royal sisters to bring back his love. Pin Point needed her. He needed her.

Out in the stands, Pin had been cheering him on. She had taken Ace’s death so much better than him, and he wanted to prove to that little filly that her father could continue on as well. For his daughter, he found the temporary strength to keep trying.

Snapshot hadn’t been using the bow that Ace had given to him as a final gift. He couldn’t bring himself to use it and instead put it above the mantle at home, where it had laid undisturbed. The Cloudsdale stallion next to him, the favorite to win, had been making frightening progress in encasing his target in ice, but Sharp knew the stallion was only an arrow ahead. He had to aim fast and true. But he became stuck on the memories of his loss and the regret of not carrying her gift into the stadium, causing him to trip up and launch his arrow into a hanging cloud above.

Thankfully, a dragon, heralded as the Crystal Empire’s savior stepped in and saved the day. But things had only gotten worse for Snap. The other athlete ponies ridiculed him for his blundered shot, along with countless spectators. Ponies from Fillydelphia understood his story and forgave him for the most part, but everypony else in the world of sports knew him as the archer frozen in his tracks.

Every now and then, he wondered if it would have been better if he had died that day, crushed by the frozen cloud. But he quickly banished those thoughts. No. He had to be there for Pin, somepony had to, and he swore to himself he wouldn’t stoop that low, never. But, he lamented, he had sunk pretty far. He was disgusted that he had declined into alcoholism. He looked down into his glass of trotka and cringed. He didn’t even like how it tasted! But it helped numb his emotions to a bearable state, at least long enough to often stop the tears for a night. He took another swig, poured another shot and drank it too.

Things had gotten better than they had been after the first few months following the Equestria Games. The citizens of Fillydelphia had really come together to aid Sharp in his time of need. They gave him free groceries, watched Pin when he couldn’t, and helped him with free visits to a psychiatrist. They said that he had now moved into the fourth stage of grief: depression, and that soon enough he’d be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. But for him, the light was in the opposite direction, he had left it long ago and there wouldn’t be such easy salvation for him.

Now, complete with his ritual, he had once more been reduced to tears. The alcohol hadn’t been enough. His irritated, bulging red eyes leaked out tears, carving rivulets down his cheeks. Salty drops fell and collected in his glass, and he cried until he couldn’t anymore, slamming a hoof into the hardwood floor. The red-hot feeling in his throat wouldn’t go away.

“Daddy! You’re home!” shouted a young voice from upstairs. The clopping of four little hooves of the nine year old earth pony resounded off the creaky wooden steps as the beige and brown filly came barrelling down the hallway. She collided into the downtrodden stallion’s chest, ensnaring him in a tight hug, wrapping her hooves around one of his.

While the burning feeling in his throat and eyes didn’t go away, he felt suddenly better, as if she had come bearing a pack of ice to place on his burns. He returned the hug and hiccuped, trying desperately to hold back his tears in front of Pin Point.

“Daddy, Daddy, remember what we said we were gonna do tomorrow?” she asked excitedly.

Right… He had promised her he’d go out and teach her to use an ice bow. She had been asking for weeks, and he finally caved.

“I haven’t forgotten, sweetie,” he answered. “I’ll show you how I got my cutie mark. The bow on my flank didn’t appear for nothing, you know.”

The little filly’s face lit up in a smile as she reapplied force to her hug, squeezing the stallion tight. Gingerly returning the hug, Snap let out another sniffle as he led her to bed and tucked her in. She fell asleep in no time at all. He sat there at her bedside for a good ten minutes. Putting his head into his hooves, he muttered a quiet prayer that he still had her. She was a little something of his old life to hold onto.

She looked so much like her mother, from her beige coat and brown mane like her parents to her soft teal eyes she shared with Ace. The little filly acted so much like her as well. She was sporty, energetic, and always smiling. Even the way she slept reminded him of Ace. Things would never be the same without her, but perhaps it was time to try to start anew once again. Past attempts hadn’t gone well, but the support groups said to never stop trying, and he wanted to believe in that hope.

The next morning came quickly for Snapshot, as he went to bed in the small hours of the morning, unable to sleep yet again. When he opened his eyes, there was still no Ace to greet him as she always did. No morning kiss or gentle touch to greet him, just empty air and ghosts of the past, trapped in the boundaries of wooden frames scattered around the room. He rubbed the fevered sleep out of his eyes with a hoof. Sighing, he got out of bed and took a quick shower, anticipating and simultaneously dreading the lesson he was going to give Pin Point.

Breakfast consisted of a quick plate of pancakes that Pin Point had done her best to cook. Snap did his best to force the hard as rock pancakes down his throat. Unfortunately, one of the traits she had seemed to inherit from her mother was her horrid cooking. At the end of the meal, he forced the same sheepish, fake smile that he always used on Ace. Somehow, it always worked.

Cleanup was fairly difficult since Snap had to scrape the griddle clean of all the burn marks that had been left on it. The rest of the kitchen fared little better from Pin’s culinary foray, though in all honesty, it wasn’t much worse than usual. It hadn’t been cleaned thoroughly in ages. Once all the dishes were put away and things were put into an organized chaos, Pin darted out of the kitchen and into the living room.

As Snapshot joined her, he noted her excitement as she stared up at the mantle. Above the fireplace hung that relic of the past he had avoided for so long. The blood in his veins ran cold and slow as he cast his gaze upon the beautiful blue ice bow. Crafted with loving care and dedication, it was easily worth more than a month of his paychecks, possibly even rivaling the cost of the necklace that he had gotten for Ace.

She had spent so many bits on this gift, and yet he hadn’t used it, not even once! The stallion put on a brave face, sucking back tears forming in his eyes. Using one of the chairs in the room, he ascended the mantle and took the bow down from its resting place, placing it on his back.

It was much heavier than he remembered. A voice like a lightning bolt on a clear day shot through his mind.

With this bow, you’ll carry the weight of my love...

The weight of her love… Snap's expression fell along with his gaze, fixating on the ground below him shamefully. Fighting the oncoming surge of emotions became harder as the regret of neglecting the bow resurfaced.

“It’s time to make good on my promise, Ace…” he muttered almost silently. Turning back to the front door, he took Pin by the hoof and led her out to the open fields beyond Fillydelphia’s outskirts.

After a short hike out of the city proper, Snap and Pin came to a flat stretch in the rolling fields near the edge of town. Snap went to set up a target about seventy meters away from where Pin waited. Once he returned, he solemnly unslung the bow from his back and planted the pivot in the ground. The quiver of enchanted ice arrows he had brought from home leaned against the bow like a lover against her other half.

Snapshot looked up into the sky. It was a clear day, save for one cloud that blocked the sun’s light. The wind was only mild, making for a good day to shoot.

“Okay then Pin, this is what I like to do for fun sometimes, or at least it’s something I used to do a lot,” he started, not quite sure how to begin. “I uh… I guess that this is the bow, and you need to make sure it’s safely lodged in the ground so you don’t misfire.”

Pin sat quietly as Snap fumbled about in his explanation. He never considered himself much of a speaker, so he just made it up as he went along. Taking a passing glance at the bow, he noticed that it was still missing something.

“Oh, and you’ll have to string it…” he said, shaking his head out of the clouds. “Watch me.” The stallion took the bowstring in his mouth and carefully tied it at both ends of the bow, securing the string into strong knots.

Pin’s eyes widened as he continued. She actually looked somewhat interested in what he was doing now. The little filly had noticed how sad he had been and saw how he was always smiling in pictures where he was shooting arrows with his bow. Maybe this could make him happy again?

“These arrows are magically enchanted with an ice spell,” he began again, motioning a hoof to the quiver propped against the bow. “When they hit something, the spell activates and it sends out ice. To win the game, you have to cover your target with ice first.”

Pin Point dutifully eyed the arrows as she got to her hooves and moved closer.

“Now, watch me as I take the arrow and nock it to the string. You pull back and then let go with your mouth to make the arrow go. It’s easy, just watch!”

Snapshot took an arrow in his mouth, its enchantment cool against his teeth.. It had been too long since he had even made an attempt to go out to practice archery; the cold sensation felt alien to him now.

Snap felt a familiar tingle as he pulled back the bowstring. The tension in the bow felt amazing, and it lit a small fire in his heart. He looked over at Pin Point, who was really getting into it. If she was expressing an interest in sports too, that would make him so happy and proud. But… it reminded him again of Ace as well and his heart sank, causing that inner flame to die out.

In the moment he thought of Ace, his focus became muddled. When he released the tension in the bow, the shaft sailed through the air, flying high over the target and into the distance.

“Awww, you’ll get the next one, Daddy!” Pin cheered from off to the side. “You’re so cool!”

It was just like two years ago, back in the Equestria Games. Even though she had just lost her mother, the filly continued to stay happy and supportive. Sure, she had been under the impression her mother was just simply gone and would come back someday, but she maintained her happy disposition regardless. Despite his blunder in those games, she still believed in him completely.

Snap steeled himself, drew back another arrow and let it fly. This time, the shaft zipped off to the left, embedding itself in a stump, freezing the area it hit and a small radius around it. He cursed under his breath, out of hearing range of the filly thankfully, and nocked yet another arrow.

He let it loose, and like the others before it, it missed its mark entirely. The target still remained unpainted by the bright blue coat of ice that now coated a multitude of spots in the field. He continued emptying the quiver, shooting arrow after arrow into the air, the entire volley failing to do much more than polka-dot the field.

The quiver had dwindled to ten arrows. With another arrow nocked, he took more careful aim than during his rage fueled firing frenzy. He held his breath as he pulled back the string, preparing to launch another shot when the voice echoed in his head again.

Maybe it’s a symbol of our love. With this bow, you’ll carry its weight, and I know you’ll be able to bear it and point the arrow in the right direction.

As soon as the voice in his head faded, his strength went with it and he released the arrow halfway through the draw. The shaft slid down the bow and accelerated for only a moment as it failed to reach anywhere. The spell didn’t even activate since it didn’t make an impact, instead falling limply into the grass. He slammed his hoof into the soft earth below him in frustration.

Tears burst forth from his eyes.

Why? Why? Why? Why couldn’t he hit the target? Looking up to the sky and into the blue expanse above, Snap could only believe that wherever Ace was, she was looking down on him with pity. Her beloved husband had lost his drive. He was a broken pony.

The stallion lost strength in his legs and slumped down, crumpling to a heap of brown fur and sobbing moans. His tears stained the ground beneath him like rain. As the tears caught in his throat, his breath became shallow and irregular.

More clouds began to float into the sky overhead as the mid-afternoon overcast skies came into effect, cloaking the warmth of the sun further. So much for that silver lining that everypony had always told him about. There was no light to be seen here. Coming out here should have been a fun little trip for him and Pin, but he had managed to give into his depression in front of her, and had no alcohol to help him here.

Pin Point could feel her father’s distress and trotted to his side, disposing of her normal smile, her face tucking into a frown wrought with sadness. She had discovered the true meaning of why her mother hadn’t come back about a year ago, but she had managed to move on with the help of her friends at school. However, she knew her father wasn’t as lucky, and it tore her up to see him like this.

“Daddy?” she said, trying to get the attention of the sobbing stallion. “Look, aren’t the clouds pretty?”

Finding strength to move, Snap turned onto his back and gazed at the sky through his tired and wet eyes. Streams of tears still ran down his face as he struggled to not choke on his sorrow.

“Look at that one, it looks just like a doggie! And that one, it’s a baseball bat!”

Snap looked up at the clouds, but all he could manage to see were blobs. He couldn’t break his mind’s hold on the past, and Pin could see her attempts at levity weren’t reaching the unresponsive stallion.

“That one looks like a camera to me,” she said, pointing to another cloud. “I liked all those pretty pictures you used to take with me. Remember that time we went to visit Canterlot?”

Snap's memory raced back. Canterlot. That was the first family vacation they had all taken. It wasn’t quite as he would have expected it, things were overpriced and it wasn’t nearly as fairy-tale-like as he thought it would be. However, it was Pin’s first trip outside of Fillydelphia, and it made her so happy, which in turn made him and Ace happy as well. A forced chuckle escaped Snapshot’s lips despite his face’s resolute frown.

“Heh, that’s right… We went to Canterlot, and you pretended you were a princess, having tea with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. And I was your royal knight.”

“Yeah Daddy, it was so much fun! And remember the time we went to the petting zoo? I still have that picture in my room. All the critters were so cute!”

Snap's frown evened out and even curved into a very faint grin as Pin evoked happier times.

“I remember it like it was yesterday. You tried to pet those turtles and they wanted to eat your mane. You wanted Mommy to buy you a hat right after that.”

“Hey! That wasn’t funny!” Pin Point huffed. “It was really traumumizing, um… traumerizing— It was scary!”

“It turned out okay, didn’t it, sweetie?” Snapshot replied, tossing a glance her way, breaking his fixation on the sky, which still seemed just as formless.

“Yeah, it did,” she answered back. “Oh! And then I remember one more picture after Mommy left.”

Snap’s face fell at the mention of Ace’s death. Right… he still took pictures even after Ace’s death, but they always felt emptier without her. He turned away from Pin, hiding his grief-stricken face.

“You were really sad that day, but you still took me for a ride on the Ferris wheel. It was so high up and I was afraid, but you were brave, and it made me brave! I love you so much, Daddy.”

Snapshot turned back while he registered Pin’s basic, but heartfelt message.

He could see Pin’s eyes positively glowing in admiration as he felt another spark ignite his heart. With his legs shaking, he embraced Pin Point, rubbing a teardrop into her mane. Pride surged within him. Pin had soldiered on so well through all that had happened, while he merely drowned himself in drink.

“Hey Daddy…” Pin began, trailing off. Snap looked to her, seeming to beg with his eyes for her to continue. “Can you help me try to shoot?”

Snap gulped down the lump in his throat as he got to his hooves. He stretched out a hoof for his daughter to take, lifting her back up.

“Well, you won’t learn lying down there, now will you?” he playfully answered. Pin gazed up at Snap's warm gaze with her beautiful teal eyes going wide. It had been the first time in years she had seen him so close to happy. She returned his grin with a much wider one, forcing his expression to turn into an awkward, toothy smile. Her father stooped down in front of where his failed shot had fallen and gathered it up.

The stallion walked up to the bow and motioned for Pin to join him. As she came up in front of him, he nocked the shaft to the string.

“Okay, I want you to show me how much you learned from my demonstration. I’ll help you aim.”

Snap hadn’t missed the triumphant smile his daughter wore. She must have been awful pleased with herself for planning this trip. Pin Point nodded and took the bowstring in her mouth, pulling back the arrow, determination shining in her eyes.

Pulling the string was hard for the little filly, but her earth pony strength helped her keep it in place. Snapshot turned the bow slightly to remain on target while she struggled with the string’s tension.

“Okay Pin, when you’re ready, let go of the string to fire and aim just above where you want it to go. You can do it!” he encouraged her with a glint in his eye. His tail swished behind him, excited to see his daughter following in his hoofsteps.

With a tiny grunt, the filly let the arrow fly, and it soared across the field at a high speed, being graced as the first arrow to hit the target. The arrow planted itself in the white outer edge of the target and ice spilled out of it, coating a small circle around it in a lovely blue.

“Great job, Pin, keep going!” he shouted.

Pin pulled out one of the arrows in the quiver, struggling to keep her balance while adapting to the cold sensation on her tongue, Snap couldn’t help but laugh at the poor filly’s predicament.

After some trouble, Pin managed to nock the arrow herself and pull back the string. She let the shaft go, sending another arrow into the target, this time landing in the black section of the target, even more accurate than before.

“I did it Daddy, look!” she shrieked in a pitchy squeal.

Snapshot’s jaw dropped. Not only was she showing interest, but she was showing talent! Suddenly, a faint flash of light emanated from Pin, blinding Snap like a camera flash. He couldn’t believe it. Pin’s cutie mark had appeared!

Suddenly, Snap could feel something more than just that awful pit in his chest. For the first time, he felt a glimmer of hope in his heart. Pin had reaffirmed his reason for living. He’d live for her.

“Hey Pin, there’s something on your flank,” he said cooly, still subdued from the surprise.

“Shhhh! I’m trying to focus!” she quipped. “I have to get one right! I can get whatever it is off after I shoot.” Snapshot smiled in amusement. Pin was determined to have her way.

Lining up another shot, she leaned back, tipping the arrow to point just above the center of the target. She released the string and the shaft sailed into the air, landing right where she aimed it with a thunk.

“Yippee!” she cried out. She spun around in a circle excitedly until she noticed what was on her flank. A loud squeal rent the air as she cheered.

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, look!” she squeaked. “I got a cutie mark!”

“Great job, Pin, I’m so proud of you!” he exclaimed. “Try another one!”

Despite being happy, he still felt ashamed at the same time. He had missed out on so many chances to do this kind of thing. Mourning over Ace’s death had caused him to miss out on so much of Pin’s life, and it tore him up inside. Snap tipped his head to the side, wondering just what else his daughter had learned while he wasn’t looking. Either way, he swore to himself that he couldn’t miss any more.

Pin Point nocked another arrow and let it loose, sending it deep into the blue ring close to the bullseye zone. That cutie mark was no joke, she was born to shoot! Maybe in a few years, she’d be better than he used to be.

“Woohoo!” she cried out in joy. Her cheers barely registered in his ears since he was now looking up to the sky. Maybe now Ace would look down on him with a smile, rather than just the pity he had always imagined. Today wouldn’t heal his heart’s wounds, but things could get better now.

Maybe this could be what would go in that last frame. Snap silently cursed himself for not having brought his camera. What a wasted opportunity.

“Daddy, you should try one more time!” the filly called to him. Broken from his reverie, Snap fidgeted nervously.

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” he said. “Besides, I really enjoy watching you.”

“No way, this is your bow, and you should be the pony to use it. Mommy gave it to you, so you have to shoot an arrow with it again.”

Snap blinked. Pin certainly was assertive today, but she was also right. It was his wife’s last gift to him, and he had to honor it. Swallowing his worry, he nodded to himself. That bow was his, he couldn’t give it to Pin. Besides, she had to find her own. This one was too heavy for her, and the fatigue showed.

“Okay…” he relented. The stallion picked up one of the last remaining arrows in the quiver and nocked it to the bowstring.

He gazed out into the field at his target, sizing up the distance, and then stayed still, gauging the wind. His mane swept in the breeze toward the west, blowing over his eyes, forcing him to move the lock offending his vision.

Snapshot closed his eyes, envisioning the shot. As he opened his eyes, he could hear a sweet, familiar voice call to him inside his head.

You can do it! I believe in you! Aim for the stars!

He took a deep breath as he readied to pull back on the string. The bow was taut as he took aim, carefully eyeing his shot. All the ambient noise in the vicinity ceased for him, and even Pin had stopped panting and was holding her breath. In total focus, Snapshot prepared to fire.

He took one last breath and held it as he let loose the arrow. Time suddenly seemed to slow. He focused and even before the arrow had even completely left the bow, he felt it in his gut that it would fly true. In his peripheral vision he saw the shape of Pin beginning to jump with joy as the arrow surged onward, blazing a new trail in the sky.

Author's Note

Whew, thanks for reading this one guys! This one's been more than a month in writing and I've put more work into this story than I have into any of my others and I'm pretty proud of myself now. I want to once again thank my editors and prereaders for their amazing help.

I hope you guys enjoyed it, because I really loved writing it.