Pinkie Pie was working in Sugarcube Corner and was making cupcakes, she was planning to throw a party for her students at the School of Friendship, she was working fast and hard, and had a lot of fun,
"Hold this for me, Gummy." Pinkie Pie said, and she puts the spatula in his mouth while she worked, she continued working until she heard somepony come in,
"Welcome." Pinkie Pie said, the mare walks forward, Pinkie Pie could not shake off the feeling that she knew her, she had a pale blue coat, long dark white mane and tail, purple eyes, and her cutie mark was a red boxing glove, she walks to Pinkie Pie,
"Hi, how can I help you today?" Pinkie Pie asked with a smile,
"I have a message." the mare replied, Pinkie Pie was suspicious,
"Have we met?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"No, my name is Lightning Strike, you knew my father, Knock Out." the mare replied, Pinkie Pie realized who she was,
"I remember Knock Out, how he's been?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"He's sick." Lightning Strike replied, Pinkie Pie became distressed,
"He was sick when I met him." Pinkie Pie said,
"It's worse now, he doesn't have long to live, he wants to see you one last time before he passes." Lightning Strike replied, Pinkie Pie becomes shocked,
"Take me to him." Pinkie Pie said, and she leaves with Lightning Strike to go see Knock Out.
Pinkie Pie arrives at a wooden house an open area and she enters with Lightning Strike, she hears Knock Out coughing,
"Knock Out!" Pinkie Pie said as she ran to where she heard the coughing, she arrives and saw Knock Out laying on a brown wooden table, he was an earth pony, he had a dark purple coat, dark brown shoulder length mane and a short tail, blue eyes, and his cutie mark was three yellow stars,
"Pinkie Pie?" Knock Out asked weakly and wheezily,
"I'm here." Pinkie Pie replied as she grabbed his front right hoof,
"Keep your distance, I don't want you catching my sickness." Knock Out said weakly,
"Where is your wife?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"She contacted my illnesses and passed three years ago." Knock Out replied weakly and he begins coughing, Lightning Strike began to tear up,
"I'll soon be joining Boxer, I still regret giving him my sickness." Knock Out said, Pinkie Pie remembered Boxer, he was a very special friend to her, she still missed him to this day, he was the second-to-last special friend she made before she settled down in Ponyville,
"You never did talk much about Boxer, daddy." Lightning Strike said,
"He's the reason why Knock Out got the life he has now." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Can you tell me the tale, daddy, before you go?" Lightning Strike asked, Pinkie Pie and Knock Out agree and they begin to talk about Boxer.
Pinkie Pie was trotting to Ponyville and enjoying the scenery, she saw grassland everywhere, and butterflies flying around, she trots into a small town and hears coughing, she trots to where she heard it. Pinkie Pie looks and saw a middle aged earth pony struggling to walk, he had a light red coat, short brown mane and tail, a short beard, moustache, and sideburns that were connected to one another and his mane, yellow eyes, and his cutie mark was a boxing ring with red, blue, and yellow ropes around it.
The stallion coughs and was almost falling, Pinkie Pie runs to him and holds him up,
"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Do I look alright?" the stallion asked, Pinkie Pie looks at him and sees he looked a little pale,
"No, you don't." Pinkie Pie said,
"See, there ya go, now if ya would stop worrying and help me home, I'd appreciate it, if not, then get lost." the stallion replied, Pinkie Pie did not like his tone, but she helped him home while he gave the directions. Pinkie Pie arrives at a small wooden cabin isolated from the town and Pinkie Pie lays him down, he coughs violently while Pinkie Pie watches with worry, she looks around and sees many first place trophies, she sees the name Boxer everywhere,
"Is your name Boxer?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Can't you read, woman?" the stallion asked,
"Yes, I can." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Then quit askin' and look at the trophies." the stallion said, Pinkie Pie saw he was Boxer, even though she was not liking his attitude so far,
"I'm sure you know me, I'm famous throughout Equestria for throwing parties." Pinkie Pie said,
"Sorry, but yer name tag must've fallen off." Boxer said, Pinkie Pie was speechless for a minute,
"I don't wear a name tag." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Then I assume yer forgettable." Boxer said,
"Hey!" Pinkie Pie said,
"What?" Boxer asked, he then began to cough again,
"Well, since you don't know me, I'm Pinkie Pie, party planner and birthday party thrower, I'm traveling to Ponyville." Pinkie Pie said,
"Ponyville? Is it a village full of ponies?" Boxer asked,
"No, silly, it's a town with only the best parties ever!" Pinkie Pie replied, streamers went off and fell along with confetti,
"Where are ya from, Pinkie Pie?" Boxer asked,
"Rockville." Pinkie Pie replied,
"So you grew up learnin' how to play rock 'n' roll music." Boxer said,
"No, silly, I harvested rocks, I ate rocks for our meals, too." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Ate rocks? Are ya a dragon in disguise?" Boxer asked,
"No, I'm a pony." Pinkie Pie replied, Boxer smiled and chuckled a little,
"How about you, Boxer, where are you from?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Appleloosa." Boxer replied, and he coughed again,
"Are you okay?" Pinkie Pie asked as she went near him,
"Don't come near me, you'll get mah sickness." Boxer replied, he coughs again, he covers his mouth with his front left hoof, he falls off of the table he was laying on,
"Boxer!" Pinkie Pie said with worry as she ran to him, he continues coughing, he coughs more while on his knees and facing the floor, Pinkie Pie was very worried,
"What's wrong?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Can't you tell? I'm sick." Boxer replied,
"With what?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"I got tuberculosis in one lung, and pneumonia in the other." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie gasped while Boxer continued to cough, brown and red phlegm came out of his mouth, Pinkie Pie saw Boxer was in pain, and could not bear to stand around, so she helped him up and carried him around,
"Come on, Boxer, let's get you to bed." Pinkie Pie said,
"Sleep isn't gonna cure my sickness." Boxer replied,
"Come on, it's better than nothing." Pinkie Pie said,
"Save yer energy, woman, my time's almost up, anyway." Boxer replied,
"What do you mean?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"I'm dyin'." Boxer replied, and he coughs again, Pinkie Pie was speechless,
"Come on, let's get you to bed." Pinkie Pie said, and she laid him down, she gets her pink sleeping bag and white pillow and sleeps on the floor. Pinkie Pie was sound asleep until she heard coughing and woke up, she hears Boxer coughing violently again and she runs to him, she wraps her front hoofs around him and he felt better, he stops coughing for a bit and lays on his abdomen and falls asleep while Pinkie Pie kept her front hoofs wrapped around him.
The next morning comes and Boxer grunts, Pinkie Pie feels shaking and wakes up,
"Let go of me, woman, I've got a whole day ahead of me." Boxer said and he coughs while Pinkie Pie backs away from him, he gets up and walks and coughs a bit, he falls to his knees and Pinkie Pie ran to him, she helps him stand up, she looks and sees pus on the floor, Boxer walks to the bathroom and Pinkie Pie looked for a towel, she wipes the pus off of the floor and she hears Boxer coughing in the bathroom, he begins gagging and wheezing, Pinkie Pie runs to the door and knocks on it with her front right hoof,
"What?" Boxer asked,
"You okay in there?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Yeah, just a little mornin' sickness." Boxer replied, and he coughs loudly,
"That doesn't sound like morning sickness." Pinkie Pie said,
"It's mornin' sickness!" Boxer replied with his voice raised a little, Pinkie Pie was suspicious and tackled the door, she opened it after one tackle and saw Boxer with shaving cream on his face,
"I'm fine, Pinkie Pie!" Boxer said,
"No, you're not, come on, let's have you take your medicine." Pinkie Pie replied,
"I don't have medicine." Boxer said,
"What?" Pinkie Pie asked, and she opens Boxer's medicine cabinet, he did not have any medication for his sickness, he did not have any, all he had in his medicine cabinet was toothpaste, a toothbrush, a disposable razor, mouthwash, and dental floss,
"I told you I don't have any medicine." Boxer said, he coughs again,
"I know, mom's home remedies." Pinkie Pie said,
"Like ya got somethin' to help with mah illness." Boxer replied, and Pinkie Pie dashed away. Boxer shaves his face but does not shave his beard, moustache, and sideburns, but he did shave the facial hair off of the sides of his face, under his chin, and his neck, he washes his face and looks at himself,
"Yup, good as new." Boxer said, and he walks out of the bathroom and saw Pinkie Pie,
"Remedy's ready." Pinkie Pie said, she had a bowl full of peppermint broth that had raw honey, garlic, bananas, sliced pineapples, sliced oranges, and walnuts in it,
"Did yer mom really come up with this?" Boxer asked,
"No, I improvised, but my mom had home remedies on many illnesses." Pinkie Pie replied,
"That explains a lot, go ahead and put it on the table behind ya." Boxer said, and she did and Boxer sat. Boxer eats and drinks the components of the potion while Pinkie Pie watched, he still coughed and gagged when he finished, Pinkie Pie patted his back to let the coughs out,
"Hey, stop that, I ain't a baby." Boxer said, and he stopped coughing,
"God dang it, mah nose is all runny now." Boxer said, Pinkie Pie became a little embarrassed,
"Um, how did you get sick?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"It's that darn pony who costed me my career, frickin' Knock Out coughed on me." Boxer replied, he then coughed violently again,
"What happened?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"I was about to win the match, but he then coughed on me and got me sick, and the match was forfeit, that frickin' cheater I tell ya." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie was a bit skeptical,
"Where does Knock Out live?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"In a blue house on the left, can't miss it." Boxer replied, and Pinkie Pie left to go see Knock Out.
Knock Out coughs while he laid on the table and Pinkie Pie and Lightning Strike become worried,
"You okay, daddy?" Lightning Strike asked, Knock Out coughed a bit more and stopped,
"Alright, I'm fine now." Knock Out said,
"Well, Knock Out, it's your turn, I'm done for now." Pinkie Pie said, Knock Out nodded and he began to talk about himself.
Boxer and Knock Out were doing a boxing match and the bell was rung. Boxer and Knock Out stood on their hind legs with their front legs up, Boxer wore red boxing gloves while Knock Out wore blue boxing gloves. Boxer lands the first hit on Knock Out's head with his front right hoof, Knock Out focused and punched Boxer next, landing a few punches onto his head, but Boxer did not flinch, much to Knock Out's surprise. Boxer proceeds to land several punches onto Knock Out's face, Knock Out was having double vision and could not see Boxer properly, Boxer lands more hits on Knock Out and he coughs multiple times, Boxer continues the fight and was winning, but he began to feel nauseous after a while, the ponies watching notice and Boxer collapsed, the referee counts to ten and Knock Out won the match.
Knock Out realized what has happened and looked down in shame with his front hoofs over his face, the ponies wondered what were wrong,
"I'm sorry, but I can't accept this win, I quit." Knock Out said, and he took his gloves off while the audience gasped and Knock Out walked out of the ring.
Knock Out was at home and sitting at a table, he looked down in shame and regret while he had his front hoofs over his face,
"What have I done?" Knock Out asked himself, and he looked down in shame for a while before he began to take down pictures of his previous victories, threw away his boxing gloves, his trophies, his pictures of his friends in boxing, and the pictures of his parents congratulating him whenever he won a boxing match as a colt.
Knock Out had a lot of sorrow in his voice as he talked about it,
"Do you still think about it, daddy?" Lightning Strike asked,
"Yes, I still regret it to this day, I stayed like that until Pinkie Pie came to my house." Knock Out replied, his throat was getting scratchy again,
"Well, I met Knock Out, and he wasn't doing good." Pinkie Pie said, and she talks about her first meeting with him.
Pinkie Pie walks around town and sees the house Boxer was talking about, it was dirty and the paint on the outside was chipping off, she walked to it and knocked on the door three times with her front right hoof,
"Is somepony home?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Go away." Knock Out said, Pinkie Pie shrugged and she entered the home,
"Excuse me, I was sent to check on you, Knock Out, are you here?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Leave me be." Knock Out replied, Pinkie Pie walks through Knock Out's home and sees cobwebs everywhere, along with dust on everything, she walks around slowly and sees food and spilled drinks on the floor, she walks forward and saw Knock Out sitting at a table, Pinkie Pie stopped for a minute with shock, Knock Out sat at the table and was dirty, he had a full beard and his mane and tail were outgrown, his mane grew down to his flank, and his beard touched the floor. Pinkie Pie was shocked and trotted to him, she saw Knock Out had an empty glass of root beer with him,
"Um, are you Knock Out?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"What do you want?" Knock Out asked,
"Well, I'm here to see hi, since I'm new here." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Go, there's nothing here for you." Knock Out said, Pinkie Pie's senses told her something was very wrong, so she sat across from him,
"Well, if you're willing to talk why you're like this, Knock Out, I'm willing to listen." Pinkie Pie said,
"I don't want to talk about it." Knock Out replied,
"I also came because I was worried, Boxer was talking about you, he's mad at you." Pinkie Pie said,
"He has every right to be, it's my fault he got sick." Knock Out replied,
"Sick?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Yeah, that tuberculosis and pneumonia he has, he got it from me." Knock Out replied, Pinkie Pie becomes shocked,
"Come on, Knock Out, let's get you cleaned up." Pinkie Pie said,
"No, let me wallow in my own shame and regret alone." Knock Out replied, Pinkie Pie looks and sees Knock Out's filthy house, and his unhygienic appearance, it made her a little sad to see how he looked,
"I'll be going now." Pinkie Pie said,
"Okay, good day." Knock Out replied, and Pinkie Pie left and went back to go see Boxer. Pinkie Pie trots to Boxer's home and saw it was locked, she knocks on the door with her front right hoof,
"Boxer, I'm back." Pinkie Pie said, there was no answer,
"Boxer?" Pinkie Pie asked, she appeared in his house and saw he was not home, so she appeared outside and trotted around to look for him. Pinkie Pie trots around town and saw Boxer walking with shopping bags, he coughed and dropped the bags,
"Dang it." Boxer said as he picked up the bags,
"Boxer." Pinkie Pie said as she trotted to him,
"You again, don't cha have better things to do?" Boxer asked,
"No, I got nowhere to go." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Nowhere, you say? Why don't cha go back to yer mommy and daddy then?" Boxer asked,
"I've outgrown home." Pinkie Pie replied, Boxer scoffs while he picks up his shopping bags,
"I saw Knock Out, he's miserable, his house is a mess, he's messy, and he's so full of shame and regret, he won't move from where he's sitting." Pinkie Pie said,
"Full of shame and regret, ya say? Can ya hold onto my shopping bags real quickly while I give him a beating?" Boxer asked, Pinkie Pie screamed with shock,
"No, Boxer, you're supposed to make amends." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Make amends? Why would I do that for?" Boxer asked,
"So you two can live together happily." Pinkie Pie replied,
"I'll be happy when he's dead." Boxer said,
"But, Boxer, it'll be better if you forgive him, it'll make him happier, too, he's all miserable and lonely in that messy house over there." Pinkie Pie replied, Boxer looks and sees Knock Out's house,
"Knock Out, I forgive you for makin' me sick because I am glad that you now live in a house I wouldn't take a dump in." Boxer said,
"No, Boxer, that is not how forgiveness works." Pinkie Pie replied,
"I thought that's the only way it works." Boxer said, and he coughs again, Pinkie Pie runs to him when he was about to fall over and carries him home while she carried the bags. Pinkie Pie carries Boxer home and he sits, Pinkie Pie was baking in the kitchen,
"I made cupcakes." Pinkie Pie said as she put them on the table, Boxer eats one slowly,
"Well?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"It's too sweet." Boxer replied,
"I made it with love." Pinkie Pie said while smiling,
"Well, if this is what love tastes like, it's disgusting, hate tastes better." Boxer said,
"What does hate taste like?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Hot, spicy, sour, salty, and bitter." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie was speechless,
"Hold on, I'm gonna get some coffee, ya want some?" Boxer asked,
"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and Boxer got two mugs and poured coffee into them, he comes back and gives to Pinkie Pie,
"Thank you." Pinkie Pie said while Boxer sipped his coffee, Pinkie Pie takes a sip and screams with shock, she spits the coffee out and begins rubbing her tongue with her front hoofs to get the extremely bitter taste off, dropping the mug in the process and spilling the coffee, Boxer laughs at seeing her,
"What is this?!" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Super strong black coffee, wakes you up and keeps you up." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie finishes rubbing her own tongue and saw her mug still had some coffee in it, she pours sugar into it, and drinks it, she screams again since it was still bitter, which made Boxer laugh again, Pinkie Pie pants heavily from the bitter taste,
"I'm never ever drinking coffee ever again!" Pinkie Pie said, Boxer laughed again,
"Well, don't just stand there, clean up the floor." Boxer said, and Pinkie Pie did while Boxer drank his coffee with no problem, they go to sleep shortly afterwards and Pinkie Pie hugged Boxer, he farted in response, Pinkie Pie screamed while Boxer laughed,
"BOXER!!" Pinkie Pie yelled, Boxer laughed while Pinkie Pie gagged, Boxer began to cough afterwards and the two went to sleep. The next day comes and Boxer was coughing in his sleep and almost choking, Pinkie Pie sits him up and he exhales deeply, she then left and went to go check on Knock Out.
Knock Out coughs again and begins to wheeze, Pinkie Pie and Lightning Strike look on with worry,
"Daddy?" Lightning Strike asked,
"I'm fine, I still got a little time left." Knock Out replied, he coughed again,
"I also remember that day, that was actually when I began to clean myself up because of Pinkie Pie." Knock Out said, and he begins to talk about what happened.
Knock Out woke up the next morning and was still full of shame and regret, he walks slowly and has hay for breakfast and drinks cider, he continued to sit at the table in regret, thinking about his match with Boxer, knocking was heard at his door,
"Knock Out!" Pinkie Pie said,
"Leave me be." Knock Out said, and the door opened, Pinkie Pie came in and she had a tray of cupcakes with her,
"I brought you some food." Pinkie Pie said, and Knock Out ate slowly,
"Well?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"It's good." Knock Out replied with strain in his voice, Pinkie Pie smiled, and he finished the cupcakes, Pinkie Pie moved the tray to the side,
"Come on, Knock Out, let's get you cleaned up." Pinkie Pie said as she grabbed his front left hoof with her front right hoof,
"No." Knock Out replied as he pulled his hoof away, Pinkie Pie was surprised,
"Nothing will ever undo what I have done, I can't even bring myself to go outside." Knock Out said,
"Come on, you'll never get better if you act like that." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Then I'll stay like this forever." Knock Out said,
"No, you won't, come on, you'll feel better when you come with me." Pinkie Pie replied, and she grabs his front hoofs and carries him since he refused to walk. Pinkie Pie takes Knock Out outside and he looks away since the sun hurt his eyes, Pinkie Pie keeps walking while carrying him and the other ponies look at Knock Out with surprise, Pinkie Pie can tell by looking at the ponies that some of them were sad with what Knock Out has become,
"Look, Knock Out, there are people who are sad with what you've became." Pinkie Pie said, Knock Out looks and sees the ponies looking at him with surprise and sorrow,
"Knock Out?" a filly asked, he looks and sees a pink filly and a yellow colt walking to him,
"Don't look at me." Knock Out said,
"What happened to you?" the colt asked,
"I said don't look." Knock Out said,
"What happened, you just stopped suddenly, we looked up to you, we admired you, we wanted to be strong like you." the colt said,
"I said go away!" Knock Out said sternly, scaring the colt, Pinkie Pie looks at Knock Out with shock, he begins to cough and falls onto the ground, the filly walks to him,
"Don't come near me!" Knock Out said, and he coughs violently and begins wheezing, Pinkie Pie was worried since he sounded worse than Boxer, he stops and the ponies look at him with surprise,
"It was you, you got Boxer sick." the filly said,
"It was an accident." Knock Out replied, he coughs again,
"We know you, Knock Out, you would never do something like that on purpose." the colt said, the ponies in the town nodded with agreement while smiling,
"Your smiles aren't helping, I've regretted and lived in shame ever since I got Boxer sick." Knock Out said,
"Come on, it's just an illness, Knock Out." the filly replied,
"No, I gave him a terminal illness, two to be exact, there is no cure, Boxer is basically already dead, he's just living on borrowed time." Knock Out said, the ponies gasp,
"I've been living on borrowed time, too, I don't know how long I've got, but it's longer than Boxer." Knock Out said, and he coughs again,
"Are you going to do boxing again?" the filly asked,
"No, I'd rather live in shame and regret for the rest of my life than do boxing again." Knock Out replied, shocking the town's natives,
"But boxing was your dream." the filly said,
"Well, it isn't anymore, I took a pony's life with it, I no longer have any dreams, I'm just sitting at home and waiting for my day to die." Knock Out replied,
"No, don't do that, there's still a lot of good things in the world." Pinkie Pie said,
"Not in my world." Knock Out replied, and he coughs again, Pinkie Pie holds him up,
"Oh, don't give up now, Knock Out, let's find you something to do, seeing you like this makes me so sad." Pinkie Pie said, Knock Out looks at her with surprise, he looks and sees the ponies who were once his fans were sad as well,
"No, that is not my life anymore, I'm going home." Knock Out said, and he gets Pinkie Pie off of him and heads home, Pinkie Pie runs to in front of him,
"No, you can't give up like that, you're making your family and friends sad." Pinkie Pie said,
"My family is dead." Knock Out replied,
"What about your friends?" Pinkie Pie asked, Knock Out stood still for a second,
"I'll think about it." Knock Out replied, and he went back home while Pinkie Pie was hopeful.
Knock Out continued to cough and lifted his back up a little, Lightning Strike and Pinkie Pie become worried,
"Daddy!" Lightning Strike said, Knock Out laid back down on the table,
"I don't have long, so let's speed things up a bit, Pinkie Pie." Knock Out said,
"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and she begins to talk about what happened afterwards.
Pinkie Pie heads back home and saw Boxer eating nachos,
"Ooh, I wanna try one." Pinkie Pie said as she hopped over,
"Choose yer favorite." Boxer replied, and Pinkie Pie took a chip, she bites it and screams while she felt her tongue on fire, she jumped back and fell onto the floor, Boxer laughs while Pinkie Pie composes herself,
"What is that?!" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Spicy nacho chips with pepper jack cheese sauce, spiciest there is around here." Boxer replied,
"I WANT SOMETHING SWEET!!" Pinkie Pie yelled,
"Well, you ain't gonna find it here, all of my stuff are either bitter, sour, or spicy." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie had a shocked face, she dashed away and quickly came back with cookies, she eats them and the spiciness in her mouth was gone, she finishes and tries to give one to Boxer,
"Here you go, Boxer." Pinkie Pie said,
"I don't want it." Boxer replied,
"But it's chocolate chip." Pinkie Pie said,
"I don't like sweet stuff." Boxer replied,
"Why not?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"I just don't, ever since I was a kid, it made me feel sick." Boxer replied,
"Then what am I supposed to give you for your birthday?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Don't worry about it, I'll most likely be dead before that day comes." Boxer replied,
"What would you want for your birthday, though?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Knock Out's head on mah wall would be nice." Boxer replied,
"No, Boxer, I'm not giving you that." Pinkie Pie said,
"Then I would like for everypony Ah don't like to gather in line and kiss mah..." Boxer replied,
"No, Boxer, your birthday party is supposed to be a time for everypony to be happy, not just yourself." Pinkie Pie said,
"Not just mahself? Then it isn't just mah birthday, it's everypony's birthday." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie was baffled by what he just said,
"What do you usually get for presents?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Boxin' gloves, I use 'em for the birthday hit." Boxer replied,
"Birthday hit?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Yeah, I find the pony I dislike the most, and hit that pony the amount of times to what mah age is." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie screamed out of shock,
"No! I am not doing that!" Pinkie Pie said, Boxer laughs a little,
"Well, you should, maybe you'll like it." Boxer said, Pinkie Pie glared at him,
"Well, I gotta get some rest, it's almost dark." Boxer said, and he and Pinkie Pie lay down, Boxer has coughing fit in the middle of the night but he stopped after a while and he and Pinkie Pie slept.
Knock Out coughs more and begins wheezing, she stops after a while,
"I thought about what Pinkie Pie said, and that was when I decided to change my life around." Knock Out said,
"You became a rancher." Lightning Strike replied,
"Yeah, but I had to work another job before that." Knock Out said, and he talks about what happened.
Knock Out was at home and thought about his fans and the ponies who once admired him, they were distraught to see what he has become, he could not help by feel bad for them,
"No, this is my punishment, it's too late for me to change." Knock Out said, but he kept feeling the temptation to move on with his life,
"No, I must resist." Knock Out said, and he tried to sit at the table but could not, Pinkie Pie's words were cutting through him as well,
"Ah, I can't help it." Knock Out said, and he leaves his house. Knock Out looks around and tries to find a place that will hire him, he sees ponies baking pasta,
"Excuse me." Knock Out said, he coughed again shortly afterwards, the stallions walk to him,
"Are you all hiring?" Knock Out asked,
"Of course, Knock Out, but make sure you wear a mask so you don't cough on the pasta, we'll show you the basics." a tall and muscular light tan stallion replied, and Knock Out walked to them. Knock Out learns how to make pasta while the stallions taught him, he wore a white surgical mask over his face to prevent his germs from getting into the food, he started with spaghetti noddles, he was taught how to season the noddles and how to cook it properly, he messed up every try so far.
Knock Out coughs even more and was wheezing more as well, he sounded much worse than before,
"Finish the story, Pinkie Pie, I ain't got much time left." Knock Out said weakly with strain in his voice,
"What about your parts?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"I'll try to tell them, now, tell your part on what happened next." Knock Out replied, and Pinkie Pie continues her part.
Pinkie Pie was awake and asleep throughout the night due to Boxer's coughing, morning comes and Pinkie Pie yawns while stretching,
"Good morning." Pinkie Pie said, and she reaches over to her left and takes out a tray with cookies on it, she eats it and saw Boxer was eating more spicy nachos,
"That's bad for your breathing, Boxer." Pinkie Pie said,
"It don't matter, I'm gonna be dead soon anyway." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie had an idea,
"Why don't you reminisce on your life?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"I already did." Boxer replied,
"What was the happiest part of your life?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Any part of my life where yer not in it." Boxer replied,
"Hey, I'm being serious." Pinkie Pie said, Boxer chuckles,
"Well, in that case, mah happiest time would be when I discovered mah love for boxin' when I was a kid." Boxer replied,
"How did you discover it?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Boxin' was the biggest sport in town when I was a kid, everypony did it, I tried it, and I loved it." Boxer replied,
"Were you happy before then?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Yeah, but it wasn't until I discovered boxin' that I had the time of mah life." Boxer replied,
"That's good to hear, I grew up on a rock farm, and it was always unhappy... until I threw my first party!" Pinkie Pie said with her front legs raised, streamers go off and fall,
"And you unfortunately grew up and continued to spread it." Boxer replied,
"Didn't you ever have a birthday party?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Not a big one." Boxer replied,
"What was a typical birthday like for you?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Cake, ice cream, one present, that's it." Boxer replied,
"What kind of cake did you have?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Vanilla fruit and nut cake." Boxer replied,
"Huh? Fruit and nut cake?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Like I said, I don't like sweet stuff." Boxer replied,
"What about ice cream?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Just plain ol' vanilla ice cream." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie was a little disappointed because she found that to be boring,
"If you're gonna ask me what mah presents were, it was different each year." Boxer said, and he takes a sip of his coffee, Pinkie Pie eats her cookies and drinks tea with them,
"I'll be leaving now, Boxer." Pinkie Pie said,
"Alright, don't get lost in mah yard." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie smiled and she finished her breakfast and left Boxer's home.
Pinkie Pie walks outside and saw the ponies gathering around, she looks and trots over, she saw Knock Out was making pasta, and Knock Out's fans were happy, so was Pinkie Pie, he sees her and waves at her with his front right hoof, she waved back with her front left hoof, Knock Out made pasta and gave it out to his fans, they cheer and take it,
"Ooh, I wanna try." Pinkie Pie said as she hopped to the bakers,
"What are you doing?" Knock Out asked,
"I'm a baker, too." Pinkie Pie replied,
"What do you make?" a stallion asked,
"Pies, cakes, cookies, doughnuts, chocolate..." Pinkie Pie replied,
"No, we just make simple pasta, we don't make stuff like that." another stallion said,
"But regular pasta is so boring." Pinkie Pie replied,
"This is only the basics, Pinkie Pie, now please, we got work to do." Knock Out said, and they work while Pinkie Pie left, while sad she could not help, she was happy to see Knock Out back on his feet again, she decided to watch and Knock Out finished for the day, he goes back to Pinkie Pie,
"I wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday, I'm back on my feet now thanks to you." Knock Out said,
"You're welcome." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Well, I'll go get cleaned up now, I have to clean my house as well." Knock Out said,
"I wanna help." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Sure, I could use a hoof, let's go." Knock Out said, and they do. Pinkie Pie helps Knock Out clean up his home and his fans arrive to help him, Knock Out coughed and fell a few times due to his illnesses, and Pinkie Pie had to help him up, they saw his illnesses have also made him have less physical energy, but he tried to get the job done, they finish after a while and Knock Out takes a shower and shaves, he cut his mane to shoulder-length as well, and his tail short,
"Wow, you look much better, Knock Out!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly,
"Thank you, this is what I looked like before I got Boxer sick." Knock Out replied, Pinkie Pie smiled,
"You want to stay here for the night?" Knock Out asked,
"Sure." Pinkie Pie replied, and she entered his house and saw everything was clean,
"Are you going to resume boxing?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Oh no, that life is long over, I'm going to try ranching after I make enough money." Knock Out replied,
"You sure? Because of your sicknesses..." Pinkie Pie said,
"I know, but it's a family tradition, it's what my parents wanted me to do when I was a foal." Knock Out replied,
"Where are your parents?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"They died a long time ago, my dad died from pneumonia, and my mom died from tuberculosis, I got it from them." Knock Out replied,
"Were they old when they got sick?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Oh yes, very old, I was already a stallion when they passed." Knock Out replied, Pinkie Pie smiled, Knock Out yawned,
"Well, I'm tired after today, I need to get some rest." Knock Out said,
"Okay, see you in the morning." Pinkie Pie replied, and the two slept for the night, Knock Out woke up a few times and coughed and wheezed, it woke Pinkie Pie up as well, but the two managed to fall back asleep and rest.
Pinkie Pie wakes up the next morning and saw Knock Out was already awake and moving,
"Morning, Pinkie Pie." Knock Out said,
"Good morning." Pinkie Pie replied, and she used the bathroom and brushed her teeth with her tongue, she left afterwards and went to go see Knock Out, he was drinking from a white mug,
"What is that?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Bitter black coffee." Knock Out replied, Pinkie Pie becomes uneasy and decides to have her own drink, she had fruit punch while Knock Out drank his coffee,
"Well, off to work, it starts early." Knock Out said,
"Okay, see you later." Pinkie Pie replied, and Knock Out left after he finished his coffee, Pinkie Pie and went to go see Boxer. Pinkie Pie arrives at his home and entered, she saw Boxer was drinking bitter black coffee,
"Did you get lost in mah yard?" Boxer asked,
"No, I stayed with Knock Out." Pinkie Pie replied,
"How's that degenerate been?" Boxer asked,
"Um, he's out, he now works as a pasta baker." Pinkie Pie replied,
"What?! He's out?!" Boxer asked as he stood up,
"Yeah, he's making pasta as his job now." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Well, in that case, I'm going to go pay him a little visit." Boxer said as he began to walk to his door,
"No, what are you doing?" Pinkie Pie asked as she held onto Boxer,
"Tell Knock Out that Tartarus is comin' to breakfast." Boxer replied, and he opened the door and exited,
"No!" Pinkie Pie said as he closed the door, she fell onto the floor.
Boxer walks to where the pasta was made while the ponies look at him, he sees Knock Out was outside and Boxer punches him in the face with his front right hoof, the ponies gasp and exclaim and Boxer got on top of Knock Out and begins punching him in the face, he grunted from each punch,
"Say hi to yer past, Knock Out." Boxer said, and he continues to beat him until he eventually throws him to his right and Knock Out landed on the ground. Boxer walks to him and he begins punching him in the face even more with his front hoofs,
"You think you can just move on and pretend nothin' happened? You think you can forget that you got me sick?!" Boxer asked as he continued to punch Knock Out in the face, Knock Out began to cough,
"It won't matter now, cause I'm already sick, I'm dead anyway, I hope you're burn in Tartarus and rot in the Everfree Forest!" Boxer said as he continued to beat Knock Out,
"STOP!!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she pulled Boxer off of Knock Out. Boxer and Knock Out look at Pinkie Pie and saw she had tears in her eyes,
"How can you do something like this?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"How could I not?! This stallion basically killed me." Boxer replied,
"But you never bothered to look for a cure." Pinkie Pie said,
"There is no cure for me." Boxer replied,
"He went to the doctor shortly after our match, Pinkie Pie, they couldn't cure him." Knock Out said,
"Come on, Knock Out, you and Boxer should make amends." Pinkie Pie said,
"No, this is my punishment, I will take it." Knock Out replied,
"Well, good, cause you're in for the beating of your life." Boxer said,
"No, please, Boxer, Knock Out moved on, you should, too." Pinkie Pie said,
"Not until he's dead." Boxer replied,
"No! How are you okay with doing this?" Pinkie Pie asked tearfully,
"You know why." Boxer replied, and he was ready to beat Knock Out even more,
"No, don't." Pinkie Pie said as she held him back,
"How do you want to be remembered when you pass?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"As the famous boxer I was." Boxer replied,
"Then stop hurting him, you'll go down in history as a big bully." Pinkie Pie said while trying not to cry,
"Me? A bully? That's baloney." Boxer replied,
"Please, stop, Boxer, young ponies who learn about you after you're gone will think you were a meanie if they learn about this." Pinkie Pie said, Boxer's attention was caught,
"See, Boxer, I don't think you want to be remembered that way." Pinkie Pie said,
"What do ya suggest?" Boxer asked,
"Forgive him, and be his friend." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Forgive him? We ain't married, though." Boxer said,
"No, silly, anybody can forgive, regardless of their relationship." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Truth be told, Pinkie Pie, you sound like a marriage counselor right now." Knock Out said,
"Really?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Yes, a marriage counselor with the voice of an opera singer." Boxer replied,
"Thank you, I love singing." Pinkie Pie said,
"I bet you do, you're fat enough to be an opera singer." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie screamed with shock at what he said,
"D... Don't change the subject, you two should help one another." Pinkie Pie said,
"Help him? You must be out of yer mind." Boxer replied,
"No, I'm not, you'll be remembered as a nice and friendly pony and others will look up to you." Pinkie Pie said, Boxer thought about it,
"Oh, alright." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie watched and wondered if she had go get her baking powder to have them be friends,
"Come here, Knock Out." Boxer said, and the two shake hoofs with one another while Pinkie Pie smiled widely at seeing Boxer forgive him,
"Do we start huggin' and kissin' one another now?" Boxer asked,
"No, that's enough, you two start helping one another now." Pinkie Pie replied, and they let go of one another,
"I wish to be a rancher, Boxer, and I'll need a house built." Knock Out said,
"Okay, I'll see what I can do." Boxer replied, and he begins to walk away,
"Can't believe I'm helpin' the guy who got me sick." Boxer grumbled to himself, Pinkie Pie hopped and followed Boxer.
Boxer was with a pony who sold lumber and he asked how much bits they cost,
"That's a bit much, but I think the bits from mah boxing career might be able to cover it." Boxer said, and he went home and came back with his saddlebag, which was black, he takes his bits out and saw he had enough, he bought the lumber he needed and then went to go see Knock Out at the bakery,
"Hey, Knock Out." Boxer said, Knock Out walked over to him,
"Yeah." Knock Out said,
"Where do you want yer ranch?" Boxer asked,
"Over there, away from the town." Knock Out replied as he pointed his front right hoof to the west, and Boxer carries the lumber there, Pinkie Pie helped him, they saw Knock Out's fans come over to help as well, Boxer begins to cough and falls, dropping the lumber, Pinkie Pie ran to check on him while Knock Out's fans went over to pick up the lumber, she saw some of Knock Out's fans come over to check on him as well,
"Boxer?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"I'm fine, it's just a cough." Boxer replied, and he got back up and carried the lumber again after it was put back on the wagon, Boxer coughed again a few minutes later and fell again, Pinkie Pie helped him stand up while the other ponies put the lumber back in the wagon,
"Where are your fans, Boxer?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Most of 'em were fans of Knock Out as well, so they're already here." Boxer replied,
"Oh." Pinkie Pie said with realization,
"Well, you gonna stand there or help?" Boxer asked, and Pinkie Pie did, she and the other ponies help Boxer carry the lumber and place it down at a place where there were no houses or people to be seen,
"I think here is good." Boxer said, Pinkie Pie and the others agreed, and they settle down, Knock Out's and Boxer's fans come over with nails and hammers,
"Alright, that's good, y'all, y'all can go, thanks." Boxer said, and they leave,
"So, what now?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"We wait for Knock Out, I ain't buildin' all of this on mah own." Boxer replied, they hear walking and see Knock Out arriving, he looks around the area,
"Yeah, this is a good area." Knock Out said,
"Well, let's get buildin'." Boxer replied, and the two begin placing the lumber where they wanted it and hammered nails in, Pinkie Pie watched the two while swaying side to side to the sound of nails hitting the hammers,
"Wait, you two will need something to eat, here you two go." Pinkie Pie said, and she threw a can to Boxer, he caught it and he and Knock Out look at it,
"Semi-sweet chocolate cake in a can. Dyin' from starvation would be preferable." Boxer said, Knock Out nodded while Pinkie Pie screamed out of shock,
"But it's only a little sweet." Pinkie Pie said,
"I don't like a little sweet, either, I like 'em not sweet at all." Boxer replied,
"How about you, Knock Out?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Nope, I don't like sweet stuff, either." Knock Out replied, Pinkie Pie becomes shocked and the two went back to work. Boxer and Knock Out work together to build the house and sleep at night, they continue early in the morning while Pinkie Pie gave them chips and dip, which they ate, the two coughed and fell at times, and Pinkie Pie would have to take over for the one resting, they all work for several days and finish after a long time,
"That's everything." Knock Out said, Boxer chuckles as he looked,
"Come on, let's get you some cattle and crops growin'." Boxer said,
"No, it's fine, I'll get them on my own, you two can go back, thank you both." Knock Out replied, and Boxer and Pinkie Pie head back to Boxer's home.
Three days pass and Boxer was laying on the floor and coughing, Pinkie Pie was there to comfort him,
"Well, looks like it's the end of the road for me." Boxer said,
"Do you forgive Knock Out?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Yeah, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually grew to like him." Boxer replied, he coughs again,
"I'm sure you will be remembered nicely, Boxer, a pony who forgave his enemy and became his friend." Pinkie Pie said,
"I hope so, cause I didn't like buildin' that house, but now that I look back, I'm glad that I did." Boxer replied, Pinkie Pie smiled, Boxer coughs even louder,
"It's okay, Boxer, you worked hard, it's time for you to rest." Pinkie Pie said, Boxer chuckles,
"I don't even know why you're still here, you still got yer whole life ahead of you." Boxer replied,
"Because you're my friend, and I'm always around for my friends." Pinkie Pie said,
"I didn't think you would consider me a friend." Boxer replied, he coughed more,
"You should get goin', I'm glad with the legacy I'm going to leave behind." Boxer said, Pinkie Pie smiled, Boxer coughed more and then stopped, he let out a groan and stopped moving,
"Boxer?" Pinkie Pie asked, he did not respond, she checks for his pulse and saw he did not have one, Pinkie Pie began to tear up a bit and cried as she put her head on Boxer's chest, she cries for several minutes, she leaves his house while in tears and the ponies noticed, they run into the house and saw Boxer, they carry him out and go to bury him. Pinkie Pie attends Boxer's funeral and Knock Out stood to her left, he looked down with sorrow while an eulogy was given, it finishes and Pinkie Pie stayed at the town for a few days and grieved, she sees Knock Out was now a rancher and was busy, she finishes grieving and continues heading to Ponyville.
Knock Out coughs and wheezes a lot while Pinkie Pie and Lightning Strike become worried,
"A few years after that, I found a wife and had Lightning Strike, even though Lightning Strike looks like a mare, she is still a filly." Knock Out said,
"What happened to you?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Worked on the ranch, I grew muscular, that's why I look like an adult." Lightning Strike replied,
"She was born taller than usual as well." Knock Out said, he coughs and wheezes,
"Knock Out!" Pinkie Pie said,
"It's fine, Pinkie Pie, my time is up, I'll be joining Boxer soon, thank you for coming back to see me in the last moments of my life." Knock Out said weakly, he coughs and wheezes more,
"What about Lightning Strike?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"I want you to look after her from now on, a lot of my fans have moved away, and help her however you could." Knock Out replied weakly, he coughs and wheezes more,
"Don't worry, I will." Pinkie Pie said, Knock Out lets out a cough and a wheeze,
"Thank... you." Knock Out said in a barely audible voice, he exhales quietly and stops moving. Pinkie Pie and Lightning Strike look at Knock Out,
"Daddy?" Lightning Strike asked, she begins to tear up,
"Daddy?!" Lightning Strike asked, she cries even louder as she looks on,
"DADDY!!" Lightning Strike said loudly, she begins to cry with her front hoofs over her face, Pinkie Pie cried as well, the two continue to cry but stop minutes later. Pinkie Pie and Lightning Strike bury Knock Out next to Boxer's grave and the two look down with sorrow,
"What am I supposed to do now?" Lightning Strike asked with sorrow,
"I'll be at Sugarcube Corner if you need me, I know several ponies who can help you." Pinkie Pie replied,
"Really?" Lightning Strike asked, Pinkie Pie nods with a smile, Lightning Strike smiled back,
"I have to get going, I have to close the shop." Pinkie Pie said,
"Okay, till next time." Lightning Strike replied, and Pinkie Pie headed home and closed Sugarcube Corner. Lightning Strike was outside early the next morning and was milking the cows, she hears a wagon coming and she turns around, she saw Big Macintosh coming with Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith on it,
"Howdy, you Lightnin' Strike?" Applejack asked,
"Yes." Lightning Strike replied,
"Well, let us introduce ourselves, we're Pinkie Pie's cousins, Ah'm Applejack, and this here is Big Mac..." Applejack said, Pinkie Pie was far back and watching as she saw Applejack and her family get ready to help Lightning Strike with her ranch, she smiles and turns around and walks back to Ponyville.