"It's simple, you pay us for protection, and nothin' bad happens. Okay?", the man said. Who is he exactly? His name is, Red. He is involved with one of the biggest gangs in all of las vegas. He also owned a casino with his partner, He had little care of anyone else, just as long as he got paid.
"Yeah, yeah! You tell ehm boss.", Red's friend said. He was Red's sidekick, and Red also seemed to be his only friend. His name is, Shorty. You can guess why he got that name. He wasn't the tallest. About 5 feet exactly, compared to Red's 5 foot 8 stature. He always followed Red around and was inspired by him, also because Red is the only one that tolerates him. He often got made fun of since he watched MLP FIM, but he helped Red as much as he can, even though he was a huge coward when it came to fights and whatnot.
After a quick argument the man of the shop agreed, and would pay them next Tuesday. Both Red and Shorty went back to the casino to talk to his partner, Sal.
Red entered the doorway of the casino, all the lights and flashes of the casinos games in view, the sounds of constant rings of the games, Sal spotted him and walked up to him from within the slot aisles.
"Red! How did our next customer go?" Sal asked, he was a big fella. Not necessarily tall wise, more in a wider scale. His breath smelled of constant alcohol and he always had a cigar lit. He came up to Red and gave him a welcoming hug.
"Ahhh it wasn't to big of a problem. He said he'll pay us on next tuesday.", Red answered trying to escape the mans highly uncomfortable hug.
"That's great news, tell ya what. Let's have a celebration, for our 3 year casino anniversary!", Sal said as he let go and gave Red a pat on the back. "What do ya say?", he asked.
"Oh, but boss, didn't you tell me you were hangin' out at my place tonight for the football game?", Shorty asked as he looked up to Red. Sal, glared at him. Red took notice and didn't want his friend to get into trouble.
"Weeellll, sure Sal! why not. Sorry Shorts, it's only this once, plus we can hang out any other time right pal?", Red asked his sidekick.
"Yeah of course boss!" Shorty replied with a cheerful smile, even though on the inside he felt crushed. This happened often, but he tried to shrug it off as usual.
Sal replied, "Excellent, tell ya what, I'll give ya a drink, meet me in my office in about an hour or so, don't be late.", he said right before giving shorty another glare before he turned around and took the elevator up.
"Haha! See Shorty, this could be the day, he might give the whole casino to me. I can see it now, he would retire and all of it would be mine.", Red said to his friend.
"I don't know boss, ya really think so?", Shorty replied, he had a feeling that something bad was going to happen. He just didn't know what.
"Yeah of course! What is he like 73 right?", Red asked walking around the casino, looking left to right watching all the slots spin and dice roll as he imagined all the money he can make from it.
"45, boss", Shorty answered, keeping up with Red, with his head down.
"Well who cares, It's about time I get some respect around here, right shorty?", Red said, he turned to see Shorty walking away with his head down. "Hey where ya going?", he asked concerned.
"Me? Oh.. I'm just going home for the night. I suppose, don't wanna get in the way between you and your business partner, I'll talk to ya later." Shorty replied, walking away.
"Alright pal! I'll catch ya later, and don't be so sad, cheer up! We'll hang out this weekend.", He called out to Shorty.
"Whatever you say, boss" Shorty replied as he walked out the door.
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Sal was in his office. Sitting on his chair, smoking the usual cigar watching football on the tv that hung against the wall on the other side of the room. His door opened. It was one of his gangsters, scor. He was a big, intimidating man, but he wasn't the brightest. "So what's dah meeting awl about, sir?"
Sal didn't turn his eyes to look at scor, he kept focusing on the game. "I simply do not want to share profit with him anymore. Simple as that. 50/50 , 60/40, 90/10, percent of the money, It doesn't matter. It's time we split ways in a business like way.", he responded.
Scor put a confused look on his face. "So, uh, yous twos are breaking up?", he asked quizzically.
Sal sat there a little, and lifted the cigar from his mouth, "..I guess, you can put it that way yes.. Do you have our drinks, scor?", Sal asked still keeping his eyes on the game.
"Dah! Yeshir! raight here sir!", He responded placing the tray on Sal's desk, with the drinks slightly splashing over the desk, nearly hitting Sal's outfit. He waited there with a dumb look, waiting for further instructions.
Sal turned his eyes to scor, "and my pills?", he asked.
"Oh yah! Raight dere too sir!", Scor responded as he placed the pills on Sal's desk, still with the same dumb look, waiting for further instructions. Sal brought the cigar out of his mouth, and put it out in the ash tray.
"That will be all.", Sal answered, wanting scor to get out so he doesn't cause a mess.
Scor responded with a goofy salute, and clumsly walked out of the room.
"Moron...", Sal grunted, as the door closed.
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Shorty had left the casino, and decided to go to the bar across the road, he didn't want to use the one at the hotel, he didn't want to encounter scor again at the moment, he felt rather depressed and needed a drink to calm him down. Shorty opened the double doors and entered the bar, it didn't have too many people but the heavy stench of smoke still lingered in the air. He sat down at a booth, as a waitress came up. "What'll it be?", she asked in a annoyed tone.
"Uhm.. A French Martini please?", He responded, the waitress still didn't at all look interested..
"French Martini, coming up....", She sighed, and walked away.
"Thanks.", Shorty responded, which she didn't seem to notice, nor care. He sat there, thinking to himself about his job with Red and how their friendship could be in trouble. All that thought immediately stopped when he heard whispering behind him.
"Well why do I gotta do it? Why does he want me to get rid of Red?", One of the voices whispered. Shorty's heart sank, he was glad the people behind him didn't notice him, his short height didn't show him over the seat. He started to panic.
"Why? Because if you don't do it, you'll end up just like Red. Swimming with the fishes.", Another voice whispered. Shorty was in full out panic mode, but he knew that he couldn't leave through the front doors since their booth was right near it. He had to wait until they left.
After what seemed like an eternity, the two mysterious men, got up and left. After it was clear, Shorty left his pay for the drink on the table and ran to the casino, he tried to push open the casino doors only to find out, that they were closed and locked. Red was still inside, and there was no way he could get to him..
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"Red! How nice of you to come, please take a seat!", Sal said as he put his feet off the desk, and turned the tv off. "Boy, do I have proposition for you!"
Red walked in, and jumped on a couch in the office, "What's up big man? You finally ready to retire or what?", he asked.
Sal laughed, "Heh, as it pains for me to say it, yes. It.. just doesn't seem like something I can't see myself doing for the future.", he responded.
Red shot up, "So, just like that? Really?", he asked surprised. "You're just giving me the whole casino just like that? So what're you going to do? Become an astronaut or something?", Red asked leaning back into the cushion of the couch, trying to contain his excitement.
"Hahaha, Oh no. No way in hell, look at me, I wouldn't even fit into those skinny ass suits.", Sal laughed. "But that doesn't matter. This whole meeting is about you, and the casino! But before we continue, a toast!", Sal said as brought out two drinks. He put one at the end of his desk. Red jumped from the couch walked to the desk, lifting the drink. "To the greatest partner I could've asked for!", Sal exclaimed, right before he took a sip.
"Haha right back at ya buddy!" Red took a sip of his drink. He went back to the couch as they discussed the future. Red continued to take a sip of his drink, the more he took a sip, the bigger smile Sal's face grew. Eventually they finished their discussion, and Red head started to bob, the effects were kicking in. He got up from the couch and immediately felt tired and could barely see anything, but he tried to fight it off.
"You okay, pal?", Sal asked, obviously knowing the answer to his own question.
"y-y-ye-uh, I'm jus', gon' taxeh hom-", He couldn't finish his sentence as his body completely gave up as he collapsed to the floor, passed out.
Sal sat there, with a grin, he brought out another cigar from his desk and lit it. "Boys.", he said, pressing a button under his desk.
Two of his men walked in, as if they were just outside waiting.
"You know what to do.", Sal said, with a victorious smirk, as they carried Red away.
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"OOMF!", Red grunted as he hit the ground again, awakening him. "Ey! What gives Sal? why can't I see? Is this all a part of some sort of surprise?", he said as he tried to get up and realizing his hands and legs were tied together and was blind folded. "Okay what's going on here? What's happening? Eh? Anyone gonna fill me in? I can't be alone on whatever is taking place right now."
He started to hear whispering.
"Hey I know you're there! Show yourself!", he exclaimed. He started to feel a tug at his tied legs. "Seriously! Now I'm getting pissed! What the hell is going on??" He yelled.
"Oh shut up already. Sal's done with you.", a voice said.
"What do you mean done??", He shouted getting furious.
"Well, I'll make it simple for ya, Sal doesn't require your services anymore. Let's put it that wa-" the voice said, before being interrupted by another familiar voice.
"RED! They're trying to kill yo-", The familiar voice said, before the sound of a gun went of.
"Shorty!? Was that you!? Shorts!?", Red yelled fearing his friend is already gone.
Silence...
Finally he responded back, "Red, I tried.. I tried, I figured out what was going to happen, and.. and.. I couldn't get you.", Shorty replied before coughing.
"I thought you shot him, why is he still talking? Kill him now!" A mysterious voice yelled.
"I did! I shot him right through the chest! Keep him down, I need to get more bullets." Another voice said before it ran off and opened the car door.
"Red..", Shorty's voice coughed.
"Shorty get out of here!", Red yelled. Red couldn't see where he was, but he knew Shorty needed to get out of there quick. "You shouldn't have tried to save me, you need to run away now!"
"No can do boss.." He laughed before coughing, "Heheh, If you're going down, I will too! I've always been there for you, and I'm not about to let you go."
Red didn't feel sad. Instead he started to get frustrated, he didn't want his friend to die because of him. "Shorts, You need to-", red yelled before a gun went off. He knew his friend could no longer hear him at that point.
Red was silent. He didn't know what to think at that point.. He just lost one of his best friends, and there was nothing he can do about it.. He remained silent. He didn't feel any emotion.. He just felt.. Empty.
"Well that was heart warming, but I think it's time for you to take a quick swim", one of the voices said, before kicking something into what sounded like water.
He heard the whizzing of the ropes and quickly felt his body jerk into the water. His blindfold fell off once he hit the water. He looked around the watery grave that held before him. He looked around in a panic and tried to figure out how to escape. Eventually, he gave up and felt water start to enter his lungs. He was just about to pass out until he saw something..
His eyes started to close, but.. off in the distance of the water. It was a small light.. He tried to focus on it.
Suddenly, the light grew large, very large and then out of the light grew.. wings?.. A pair of wings shot out from the light. He thought it was an angel to whisk him away.. But then.. a horn?..
"What.. is that..?" He thought to himself before slowly losing consciousness.
He felt a quick warmth to his body before he passed out.
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"Are you sure about this sister? He comes from the very violent side of his race.", A female voice said. What is this?..
"I realize this, but I think he deserves a chance before going off." Another female voice said.
What is happening. Where am I!? Red thought to himself. He was awake but couldn't see nor move.. But he could still hear.
"He shouldn't even be here, it was his time to pass on, his life has already been judged by his previous actions as tragic as fast as it went. Just let him go." The first voice said.
"I know, but everyone deserves a second chance. Even some of the most cold hearted. And besides Luna, I'm entrusting him with Twilight. If anyone can help, it's her." The voice continued.
Luna? Isn't that a character Shorty used to always talk about from that pony show? So.. That must mean the first voice is Celestia. I think. From what he has told me... Red thought.
"If you say so.. I trust you.. I just doubt it will do any good.. Only time will tell." Luna said with a doubtful voice.
"Well, he only has ten weeks until he's gone, If he doesn't.. well.. you already know." Celestia said.
Wait. What happens?? I must know! "Hello?", I asked.
"GASP!", Both sisters gasped at the sound of my voice.
"Quickly, he must not remember this conversation, erase his memory of this conversation quick Celestia.", Luna said in a panicky voice.
Before Red knew it, he heard a energy charge and he passed out again.
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-crackle.. crackle-
-BOOM-
Red shot his eyes open to the sound of an explosion. He was in the middle of the street at night surrounded by the buildings he used to walk by when he walked home... No lights were on from the lamppost, and clouds covered the sky, covering all the stars except the moon.
"Hello?..", He called out hoping someone might answer. He continued to walk down the street. There no cars, no sound, no wind, nobody, nothing...
He was getting nervous... it was dead quite.
-BOOM-
Another explosion. Red flinched and looked around to see where it came from, and noticed the sky was red. Red then spotted the moon, blood red.
The moon looked like it was slowly decaying.. Slowly bits and pieces of it started to fall apart. The clouds started to cover up what remained of the moon.
Red stared at it, wanting to look away, but couldn't.
Suddenly he felt the ground beneath him suddenly disappear as he descended into water, he freaked out remembering this scene of his life. He looked up to try to swim up into what seemed like nothing, he kept swimming upwards trying to find a way out. He finally found a way up and gasped for air, he wiped away the water from his eyes looked ahead.
He was in the ocean and saw his friend, Shorty, lying on the side of the beach. The left side of his was face ripped off, and his right eye was shoved down his throat. Red felt sick and terrified, he looked up and saw the city in ruin, the buildings were all emptied, and falling apart. Before he could continue to look, something grabbed his leg and dragged him underwater again.
He gasped as he was dragged down and saw dozens of hands pulling him down.
He closed his eyes and screamed.
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Red awoke screaming. Sweat dripped down his head, as he tried to recollect himself. He was having a nightmare. But wait.. This place doesn't look familiar. He looked around, and noticed the place looked unfamiliar.
There were shelves, a window next to him, a staircase that lead downstairs.
"Where... am I?", Red said to himself aloud.
He noticed something from the corner of his eye, he saw a figure move to him, it was the purple unicorn none other than..
Twilight Sparkle.
End of chapter one.