Simply Happy

by V-Pony

A Fool's Errand?

"Hey what're you doing in here? This isn't your house-"

BLAM BLAM BLAM!!
The young entrepreneur’s eyes widened in shock as the gun-toting teenager before him froze for a moment, as if contemplating what he’d just done. They both looked down to see the bullet holes in the young man's upper chest begin to ooze blood. He looked back up as the pain from his bullet-fractured collarbone finally hit him, and he felt his knees grow wobbly in shock. The shooter returned a look of fear and anger before muttering “I’m sorry, man…”

The panicked teen then ran past him and out the garage of the business major’s childhood home he’d recently re-purchased. He’d been in the process of checking out the old property after not been in it for over 12 years when he’d encountered the vagrant teen in the garage, cooking something on a stovetop he’d rigged up from a gas line. It didn’t smell like food though…

As he fell to the ground, he managed to pull out his cell phone and call 911.

“911, what is your emergency?”

“I’ve been shot!” he managed to groan. The wounds didn’t seem too serious, but the pain from his collarbone didn’t hurt any less!

“Sir, what is your name and what is your location? Sir…sir, I can’t understand your name, what is it?”

“V…just call me V; it’s easier that way!” he finally said, exasperated.
“I’m at 1402 Martin Street and I’ve been hit at least twice, but I think the third shot missed….yeah, just two bullet holes….god, I think it broke my collarbone!” he howled in pain over the phone.

“I’ve got emergency units on the way, sir, just stay on the line with me!”

“Ma’am…please…” V groaned; having a hard time staying conscious.

“Yes sir, what is it?”

“If you see the guy that did this….please don’t hurt him; he’s just a kid…”

“I’ll relay that sir; we’ll find him. Just stay with me sir...V? V!”
But the phone had slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor. His mind flashed over the events that had led to him selling his business in North Texas and returning to his roots in South Texas.

For 12 years V’d lived in South Texas before moving to the Dallas area due to his parent’s jobs. Unlike the rest of the adolescent folks in the area though, he wasn’t tech-obsessed; on the contrary, he had always enjoyed the simplicity and functionality of older technology due to his ranch raised background. Unfortunately, while he slowed down to smell the roses, so to speak, the rest of his age group left him in the dust with their Youtube, MySpace, and Facebook accounts. But even though V was lagging behind his peers in technology, he was focusing more on his own future welfare than that of others’ social lives.

Straight out of college, he attempted to start his own business in the housing industry, but found the business to be absolutely cut-throat. He’d managed, but it was rough work...and then the Great Recession of ‘08 had hit, prompting him to sell all his assets in the industry before he lost everything.
What followed over the next 4 years was V trying to start up small businesses, but it was almost impossible to get a loan; the banks’ hands were tied by the government.
V finally managed to scrape out a decent living in the automotive maintenance industry, but found it to be one of the most corrupt, bottom line-obsessed businesses he’d ever tried to own; the only way to compete with others in the same field was to lie to customers about their vehicles.

A few years before-hand, V wouldn’t have given much of a second thought to it; business is business, right? But something happened in the spring of 2011 that changed his outlook on business forever, or at least his moral view of how things should be done.
At the prompting of several online friends, he began watching the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and was immediately charmed by the show’s witty humor, great animation, storylines, and good character development, something that reminded him of the Saturday morning cartoons of his youth.

But it was one character in particular that changed his outlook on business, and that was Applejack. She was the holder of the Element of Honesty, and yet she was a successful business-mare. The majority of her money was used for her family or their family business, instead of on fripperies like sports cars and McMansions (not that they seemed to have those things in the show, but still). Something happened inside V when he grasped her character values…he realized one could be successful in business AND be honest in doing so!

With this knowledge and business model based on Applejack and the Apple family, V sold his automotive business and moved from the big city to his old country hometown, hopefully where honesty was appreciated more than the corruption that just seemed to breed in an urban environment like lice. He went to city hall to purchase property and was surprised to find that his old childhood home had been up for sale for nearly 2 years. Without a second thought, he bought the old house and went to inspect it before moving in…and now here he was, being put on a stretcher by EMT’s and bleeding from a couple of bullet wounds.
Some homecoming this turned out to be...

As the paramedics loaded him into the ambulance, the last image that passed through his mind was that of Applejack and her family, smiling on the front porch of their farmhouse and waving in what seemed to be his direction.
For a single instant, a premonition flashed through him: was this all just a crazy fool’s errand?
But then he shook the thought away and smiled at the waving Apple family, much to the confusion of the EMT’s.
“Heh… wish I was there to wave back…I’d love a simple happy life like that…”

Despite the single tear running down his face, he fell asleep with a soft smile as soon as the ambulance doors slammed shut.

------------------------

Small note: the young man's real name will be revealed in time, as will more of the situation. I'm basing his nickname on my own for the same reason as mine: it's easy to mispronounce as something else, and so simply "V" is easier, so don't think I'm just a "V for Vendetta" nut, ok? XD; This is my first MLP fic of any sort, so please bear with me; it WILL get better AND become less intentionally vague the deeper into the story it gets...although feedback is welcome as well ^^

Comments

[Steampunk Starlight]

It's a.. so-so start. Not that impressive. Maybe your next few chapters will be better.

[V-Pony]

349417 Heh, I know it's a bit vague....but if I reveal too much about V's reasons to leave the city right now...it'll seem like I'm just repeating myself later in the story
I always suck at story intros anyways

[Steampunk Starlight]

349432
It's something like a prologue? Well it's going either way to be a HiE or a PoE one... Good luck for the next chapter!

[V-Pony]

349438 Heh yep, more of a very extended story summary preview thingy (the original chapter title was actually "Prologue" but I felt that was kinda lazy XD; )
New chapter coming up in a bit!
And they WILL get a bit longer soon!

EDIT: it's up!