"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
Chapters (1)
That was such a heartfelt story! Great job on it, you just earned yourself a follower.
Great cover art, by the way. Definitely worth the wait.
6524632
Yeah, it really was. I was getting antsy for a long time waiting for it, but I think it really paid off. I'm glad you enjoyed it
Le bump.
Glad to finally see this story on the site! Here's hoping we see it all the way into the feature box!
6524694
Heh, we'll see, now won't we? I'm crossing my fingers though.
I'm sorry, I have to.
Excuse me while I go sob in a corner.
That was a really good story, it was so heartfelt and I could really connect to Snap. His poor wife... I think I started crying upon learning her fate...
But, over-all, so good! This is going in my favorites!
6524716
"Luke, are you sure you can pull out in time at that speed?"
"Yeah! It'll be just like Beggar's Canyon back home!"
XD
6524733
I'm glad you liked it so much
I worked hard on it. I'm really happy to see it pay off.
6524838
I'm glad you enjoyed reading it. So far this is my favorite that I've done.
I can tell you loved writing this because it is so full of passion! A beautiful tale of heartache and love. You are what I strive to be: a writer and a storyteller! Thank you for this wonderful writing. I'll be watching for more, for sure. Good luck!
6524881
If I could favorite this comment, I would. That's really nice of you to say. I had to rewrite this one three times to get it where I wanted it
But I think it paid off.
6524890
It did indeed!
Misery just loves company. You're an evil, evil bugger. How could you?
Lovely story!
Scintillating story, beautifully written. Nay, not written; Crafted. Such detail, and passionate descriptions. But not so much so that the pacing suffers. Your effort put into this story is clearly evident.
And I must agree with others here. That is a very well drawn picture.
One small thing:
I do believe the name here should read Snap?
Keep up the great work.
-X223blackwolf
That was soooo sweet!! Really touching!
The cover art is also really good!
6526026
Well, when you have an idea, you run with it.
6526102
Ah, thanks for catching that. I must have missed the one point where I forgot to change the name.
And thanks for the awesome comment! It was a lot of work to get this where I wanted. I really have to hand it to my editors for being so perceptive.
6526229
Totally worth the wait.
6526473
Wait, so you mean to say Snapshot was not originally the protagonist's name?
If so, I'm going to guess Sharp Point. Seems like an appropriate name for an archer
6527181
It was originally horribly unoriginal as Sharp Shooter, but Snapshot was a more unique name that better reflected his profession as a photographer too.
6527192
I agree. Sharp Shooter just doesn't feel/sound right. I don't know why, maybe too many syllables, but then again Rainbow Dash has the same amount...
I like the idea of ponies having a cutie for somthing but don't do that said thing for a job. Then the job the do have is not evidently related to they're talent, but if you think about it, it is in some way. Snapshot is a perfect example of this. Plus his name also follows the same premise; Related but not obviously.
6527213
Which is what I was going for. I do my best to put some real thought into my OCs. I'm kind of trying to carve that out as my own little niche. It's definitely harder to pull a fanbase off of OCs because they don't have the automatic selling point of initially existing and being known, but it's worth it. Partly because when you do pull followers, you know you did it right
Anyway, I did the same kind of thing for Pin. I imagine her being a hoof-sewer. Kind of like Rarity, but more so making other ponies' designs. She, like her father, has an incredible eye for detail, but it doesn't necessarily translate to the same level of inspiration Rarity gets. I find that when making a good OC, I often think up far more about their characters than actually goes into the story. It makes them easier to think about and get into the heads of.
6527223
I definitely understand this feeling. I have so much planned character-wise for Starrider and Phoenix Stripe, the two other Manehattan CMC in my canon. But since so much of my story is focused on the very adult-centered world of Bridleway, it's pretty hard to fit in a side part just with Babs having fun with them.
Also, I love the feeling of making OCs. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much people loved my Scene Stealer, and it would make me so happy if he became the next Snowdrop or Nyx. Probably isn't going to happen, but that'd be really cool if it did! And now I want to give Bambi an extra-big load of screentime sometime in Act II so people can get to know her better and hopefully she can catch up to Scene a bit...
6528299
Good luck with that goal, but more power to you
6528318
I wish you the best of luck with your OCs, too. I will never understand why some people are so hard-set against them when MLP is such an accommodating universe for them.
6528390
No idea. But I just like making my own characters for the universe.
i will admit i haven't read most of your stories.
I will admit that I only heard of you through the works of Calm Wind.
I will admit that I thought he was simply being a good friend for pointing out your work.
Now I will happily admit that I was dead wrong about the last one.
You sir are a wonderful author, and while the aspect of archery finally drew me into reading one of your stories, it has unleashed my curiosity onto the rest of your collection.
Your new and loyal reader,
--- One Psychopathic Maniacal Fox
6528773
I'm glad I managed to turn someone over to reading my stuff as well!
Though I'll say that this is the best to come so far. If you're looking for better than this from me out of what I have right now, prepare for disappointment. I've only gotten better as I've gone, meaning that as I go back, it only gets worse
I've already told you my thoughts, and they're the same. This was very touching and heartfelt.
6529164
I'm glad you liked the final cut
Nice little story you got here. I can tell by the level of polish that you spent a lot of time and energy on it.
Sorry I didn't get you that feedback I promised. I don't read many one-shots, so when I read it over, I didn't really know what to say about it. Fortunately, it looks like you didn't need my help anyway. Good job!
6529344
Ah, it's cool. You've got a lot of work on your plate too. I'm just happy you got the time to read it.
Ten outta ten, ten outta ten, hundred outta hundred. Best Fic. Best Fic.
6527223
I fully agree with you. It is easier to write a character who you know everything about. And harder for one where you're adding and changing traits as you go, got to be cae full not to contradict anything if done that way.
Cool fact; This is similar to the way Lord of the Rings was created. The entire universe (language, tales, races, etc) were all created long before the movies mere even considered. By a guy who got his masters degree in, I want to say languistics, but that's just language so that may be wrong.
6529570
Thanks for the praise! Here's hoping the next story I do measures up!
6529673
I'm not sure what Tolkien studied, but I heard he started developing his fantasy languages when he was a child. Truly astounding.
6530001
I'm sure, I was quoting JonTron, a youtuber, and I thought the quote was fitting, the original quote was Best GAME but, this isn't a game.
6530007
Indeed. I see you know more on the subject then I do. I was amazed to learn about all his work, and just how much there is that we don't know just from watching the movies. The same idea as you have with your characters. Which is why I brought it up.
An indication of true devotion to one's work.
Yo, I got that fic recommendation out like I promised! Sorry it took so long... And sorry for not commenting sooner. I am very forgetful and I haven't gotten the chance to comment like I wanted.
P.S. Great story, bro. Tell me another one~
6566894
I wasn't gonna hold you to that, it did just fine anyway
But it does mean a lot that you liked it enough to want to recommend it. To be honest, I kind of forgot that I asked you to promote it 
Another, eh? Well, I'll see what I can do, sister.
I hope you like it~
7232209
Well, that's quite high praise for an okay fic.
I'm glad you liked it, and thank you for the watch. Once I finally get back to writing, I'll make one that isn't so telly.
Really great story! Sad, yet so heartwarming. I love all the tiny details you implemented to connect it with a show. Really well-written character and good descriptions, straight to my favorites!
Jeez, a few moments of infamy from the MLP show was enough to inspire you to write this in-depth and extremely under-rated story. You have my biggest props for this.
Hello! Have a review. An interesting setup for a fic, though the description is slightly misleading in that the Equestria Games incident itself takes up so little time. A rather quiet, slow, meandering fic, but honest and heartwarming too, especially later on. Have a like!