After stopping at a local diner, gorging herself on what she could, Cookie made her way to the bus station. There were still some bits left from her ‘exploits’, just enough to get her to where she needed to go. The wait for the bus gave her time to think. She hated that. All she had been doing the whole damn day is either wait or think, two things she was never very patient with. Two things on a long list of things she had never been patient with. Her thoughts crept back to her old friend, Fluttershy. The yellow mare was the kindest soul Cookie had ever known, but her life was always plagued with shit.

Her mother was dead, her father was dead and she was constantly being hunted by the world. And what’s worse, she couldn’t lose her temper. Not even for a second, lest she transform into her ‘hulking’ form. It was something that was beyond her control and the world hated her for that.

However, Fluttershy still loved the world. Even with everything constantly going wrong in her life, Fluttershy always found the strength of kindness. There seemed to be an endless amount of patience when it came to her. Cookie started to recall the day they first met. The day she first called her friend. Fluttershy hadn’t even known her five minutes and yet had already accepted her, where others would not even glance her way. Fluttershy had selflessly saved her life when any other pony would have just left her for dead. She had brought her food and water when she was crippled and unable to care for herself.

Then there was the beast. It seemed like a savage monster that couldn’t be controlled. Couldn’t be reasoned with. But… somehow… Fluttershy could. She could control it if she wanted to. She just needed the courage. And the times she did control the creature, she saved lives. She saved her life, Crumble’s, and the entire city of Las Pegasus, twice. And she was still hated.

And what was worse, she was all alone. Fluttershy would have said she didn’t mind. Cookie would have gone with her though. After all, it was her fault that Fluttershy was in the mess she was in. She would have followed her, gone to Tartarus and back if it would help Fluttershy. But nopony had seen her. Nopony knew where she was or where she was going, and without Fluttershy going green, there was no way to know.

Finally, the bus appeared with a loud squeak as the brakes stopped it just short of Cookie. She picked herself off the bench to sit on the bus, to wait and think.

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

The days passed by slowly. Cookie sought the distractions of the countryside, but that only lasted for so long. There was only so much to think about before she started digging too deep into her past. She tried to distract herself with thoughts of her boss, Stan.

She and Stan didn’t get along very well. She often didn’t like the work she did, but she didn’t have any other skills. Except for criminal activities, but those days were behind her. Though after that day, the day she pickpocketed from that mare, they clearly were not as far behind her as she thought. The temptation was just so easy. She was hungry; she had no money, and no way to get home.

Desperation, she thought. It was the only reason she thought she needed to do half the shit she did.

Her mind couldn’t help but go through her record. She never had many friends and the friends she did have were the kind of friends that would sell her out at the drop of a hat, as they often did. Yes, she made mistakes of her own accord, but she tried to leave on multiple occasions. And every time, she kept slinking back to them, with her tail between her legs. She looked at herself in the window of the train, almost seeing her reflection of what she might have looked like.

She looked rather pathetic, tears streaming down her face as she begged them to let her be a part of the gang. They would put her on her knees and make her kiss their hooves. She didn’t want to. Every part of her being wanted to get up and walk away, but she also wanted to be accepted. So she did as she was told, like an obedient dog. That was all she was to them, just a stupid dog they would punish or ridicule, but they could always count on to come crawling back.

They always talked about how they were family and how they would always stick together. Cookie didn’t know what family meant at the time. She had never given it much thought. Looking back, she cursed herself for being so stupid to follow them and their madness. She berated herself for not noticing how poorly they treated her, and how they would abandon her when she need them most or when trouble first struck.

Real family? She thought to herself. Bunch of bullshit. They don’t know what family really is.

They always made her do an initiation test after leaving, saying that it was to prove her loyalty to the gang. They were always illegal and always dangerous. She looked back on some of the shit they did and wondered how she survived. She had been shot at multiple times, sometimes by cops, sometimes by rival gangs. Looking back, she realized how fortunate she had been. She ran away from the gang, trying to sort things it. They weren’t happy about that and tried to kill her. She had been lucky to get away.

Her friends were punks. Pure and simple. They did whatever they wanted and didn’t care who got hurt in the process. Maybe that was the draw, she thought to herself. The freedom. The ability to get back at those who did her wrong. Or maybe she just desperately wanted some friends… and was willing to do whatever it took to get them.

The bus finally came to Hoofington. Cookie thought she would never see the town again. She glanced around her as she made her final step off the bus. A tiny gas station sat across the street from her. She only glanced at it because it was where she reunited with her true friend, Fluttershy. Cookie replayed the event in her mind.

Her winged friend had tried to sneak out of the gas station without being noticed. She was good, but Cookie could almost pick her out of a crowd. Her little friend jumped as she stomped her hoof in front of her, a look of terror warping her face. However, her face transformed into a look of joy as she gazed upon the familiar face. Cookie swore she started to feel the vice grip hug Fluttershy had given her that day.

Cookie gave a slight grin as she headed down the street. It would be a good long walk to Stan and Jack’s. She debated not even going towards it. After all, why would she go there? It was her job, yes. But after the stunt she pulled, it was unlikely that Stan would keep her on the payroll. He already knew about her criminal record, but was willing to work with her. And how did she repay him? By stabbing him in the back. All for another friend. Cookie started to wonder what the right move was, if there was another way for their plan to work.

She shook her head as her feet continued down the street. It was her choice. She had already made it and now she had to deal with the consequences, whatever they were. That’s what her family taught her. Her real family.

After a long jaunt, she finally arrived outside the old auto shop. She remembered it well. The sign was still flickering. Stan had said he wanted to fix that for years. That never happened though. Cookie probably could have remembered, but she didn’t want to. It wasn’t important enough to her. Stan’s was just a job, that’s all it had ever been to her. Now, standing in front of it, after everything that had happened… she realized how much this job meant to her. Not personally, but financially. She relied on this job for everything she had. Her apartment, her food, her bike, her clothing (though usually just a jacket).

She gave a deep sigh and opened the door. The old bell rang as she stepped inside. She hated that damn bell. It was annoying as hell. It didn’t make much noise, but having to hear it every time she stepped in or out of the building was frustrating.

“Welcome to Stan and Jack’s.” An old pony with a grey mustache appeared from the back office and came to the front desk. His attention was on his glasses as he wiped them with a cloth, so he didn’t see her initially. But as soon as his glasses were placed on his face and his eyes looked up, he stopped in his tracks.

His bottom lip closed and puffed out with his brow narrowing. “What are you doing here?”

Cookie shook her head. “I work here, Stan.”

Stan motioned forward, shaking his head. “Not anymore, you don’t.”

Cookie rolled her eyes and sighed. She gave Stan a glare. “Look, let me explain.”

Stan came to the front desk, his eyes still piercing at her. “Go ahead then.” He put his hoof up, gesturing her to continue her story. “Explain to me.”

Cookie opened her mouth, but no words came out. What would she say to Stan? What could she say? She ditched her job and stole a vehicle to help out a friend, who could transform into a giant beast, run from the military?

If she hadn’t been there when it all happened, she would have thought it sounded like a stupid comic book plot. She knew that Stan would probably think the same thing. Instead, she kept her silence and looked away from the desk.

When Cookie failed to respond, Stan gave a deep breath and spoke. “Look. The most I can do, is give you your last paycheck.”

Cookie gave him a glance and almost smiled. Almost. Then Stan finished his statement. “You’re fired.”

She should have known. She knew it deep down in her gut. And yet, she was still surprised. Her mouth was hanging open, her eyes were wide. Her heart felt a tingle of pain. She blamed herself, foolishly hoping that she wouldn’t lose her job. Her stupid faith that by some Celestia miracle her boss would buy her half-ass explanation and would allow her to stay.

She shook her head and scoffed. She turned her head and glanced into the workshop, hoping to find something to distract her mind. But nothing could. Her focus was distracted by her pain.

What do I do now? she wondered. Where the hell am I supposed to go?

The only place she could go was back to her apartment and pray that her paycheck was large enough to cover her rent, but she had a feeling in the pit of her stomach it wouldn’t be.

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

Cookie wandered back to her apartment complex after collecting her check stub. Her heart sank as she looked upon her pay. She knew it wouldn’t be enough to pay off her rent. Not even close. She prayed that she would be able to convince her landlord, Mr. Book Cover, to allow her to a few weeks to get back on her feet. But with the luck she was having lately, that seemed unlikely. Still, her luck couldn’t stay bad forever, could it?

Cookie approached the complex, making her way into the main office. The secretary greeted her with a smile as she most likely did with everypony that trotted in. “Hello. How can I help you?”

Cookie turned to the office of Mr. Book Cover, almost forgetting that the secretary was there. “I need to see Book Cover.”

The secretary turned to the computer screen and placed her hooves on her keyboard. “Are you a resident here?”

Cookie nodded. “Under the name Cookie Crisp.”

The secretary began to type in the name as she looked up her information. A few moments later, her information was presented to her on the screen. “It looks like you’re really late on your rent payments.”

Cookie rolled her eyes and scoffed. She already knew that. What she needed was to see Book to see if she could hold off on rent for a while. After explaining that to the secretary, Cookie watched her step into Mr. Book’s office. Cookie sat and waited as the secretary was no doubt explaining what the situation was. Several minutes passed, forcing Cookie to take a seat in one of the chairs provided.

She growled impatiently under her breath as she tapped her hoof against the floor. Sure, take your sweet ass time! Cookie thought to herself as she shook her head and sighed in frustration. Thoughts of how she was going to provide her rent money hung clear over her head. Jobs were hard to come by and for one who had a criminal record, it was even harder. She was lucky with Stan. While he didn’t initially trust her, there was that leap of faith and a second chance he was always preaching about. That faith gave Cookie her new life and she was able to put her dark past behind her and start over.

After several minutes, the secretary finally emerged. “Ms. Cookie, Mr. Book will see you now.”

Cookie made her way passed the secretary and into Mr. Book’s office, the door shutting behind her. She was greeted by the silver stallion as he gestured her to the chair in front of him. She sat in the small green chair in front of Mr. Book’s desk.

Mr. Book clicked on the computer screen, no doubt examining Cookie’s profile. “Cookie, you are very late on your payments.”

“Yeah, I know.” The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them. She couldn’t help it. She was irritated. The whole day was already not going well and she knew somehow it wasn’t going to get better. Her abrupt behavior caused Mr. Book to glance at her with his eyes widened, his mouth open just slightly. Cookie took a deep breath and exhaled. “Look, I was in a hospital in Las Pegasus for a while.”

Mr. Book just scoffed and shook his head. “What the hell were you in Las Pegasus for?”

Cookie’s eyes wandered to the floor. The truth was still too unbelievable to explain, so she decided to B.S her way through it. “I was helping a friend.”

She almost got a chuckle out of him. She didn’t know why he would be laughing though. It wasn’t funny. Her friend was in trouble and needed help. Though with her history, it was no surprise why he would laugh. Instead, he just glared at her.

“If this involves anything illegal,-“

Cookie interrupted. “No, it doesn’t.” Of course, nothing could have been further from the truth. Fluttershy was a convict on the run and Cookie knowingly helped her escape the authorities. It was certainly illegal, to say the least.

Still, after everything that Fluttershy had done for her, she wouldn’t have changed her decision for anything.

Cookie took a deep breath. “I just need a few weeks to get back on my feet.”

Book leaned back in his chair and exhaled a deep breath. There was a sudden silence in the room that made Cookie uncomfortable. She didn’t realize that she started hanging her head down, almost as if she had already known the answer from the start.

“I’ll need to get in touch with this hospital.”

Cookie could have leaped out of her chair with joy at those words. The hospital would confirm her story and she would be given time to get a new job and income. After a few brief moments that included her giving all the information she had on the hospital, she made her way back to her room.

As she opened the door, a sense of relief flooded over her as she saw that everything was exactly as she left it.

The simple dresser with a scratch at the top drawer. Her bed just ahead of her. She flopped onto it with a sigh. It was as lumpy and as uncomfortable as she remembered and yet it was still better than the hospital bed. She looked out her window and there was still the same building blocking most of the city’s sky. She gave a deep breath as she attempted to relax. And for a moment, she could do just that. Everything was finally looking up for her.

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

The next days were fruitless. Her days were spent going from store to store, applying for every job she could think of. She turned in so many applications that she was beginning to lose track of where she had applied and where she hadn’t. She had followed up on so many of the applications, calling them up. She was even given a chance for an interview with one or two of them, but they always seemed to give the job to somepony else.

Most of the applications probably went unnoticed. After all, almost every application asked ‘Do you have a previous criminal record?’ That was the one question that defeated her chances the most. Who would hire an ex-con?

The next due pay date for her rent was coming up, as her landlord and Cookie agreed and she was still nowhere close to paying the rent or even getting a job. Her options were limited. Without any money, she wouldn’t be able to afford to stay in Hoofington. Fortunately for her, this was the last payment she needed to pay on her lease. She only had one option. She made contact with some of the ponies she knew from working at Stan and Jack’s and sold her furniture.

Unfortunately, the furniture was old and had its share of wear and tear. She was able to sell them, but not at a price near what she paid for them. Still, it would be enough to pay off her lease, but nothing more. She sold everything she could afford to part with in her apartment. Not that she had that many valuables on her aside from her bed and her dresser. The only thing she once had of worth was her bike, but that was destroyed the day she left Hoofington.

Cookie wrote her last check to her landlord and closed her account at the bank. Her heart began to sink as she began to think about the only place she could go. The only place where she could start over. The last place she wanted to go.

She made her way to the train station. As she stood in the long line, waiting for her to purchase her ticket, her eyes caught the sign of the ticket price. She sighed as she looked down at the bag of bits she had. She counted them again to be certain she had counted right. Her heart sank as the number she had matched the price of the train ticket. Her stomach started to hurt. Food wouldn’t be an option, especially if she wanted to get where she was going.

Maybe… I can steal it… She shook her head violently and screamed at herself. No! I am leaving that behind me! I’m better than that!

She trotted to the front of the desk. The blue skinned mare greeted her with a smile. “Hello, where do you want to go?”

Her heart started to sink as the poor choice of words hit her ears. She didn’t want to go back, but she had very little choice. She uttered the name of the last place she wanted to go back to. “Mustangia.”

The mare turned away and started to click on the computer screen, typing in Cookie’s information. As she worked, Cookie’s mind wandered. Mustangia was where it happened. Her entire childhood. Something she never wanted to repeat, but then again, life seemed to shoot her in the hoof when she least expected it. That town had nothing for her anymore. Nothing… except one pony.

“Okay, here’s your ticket. It will be at station 13.”

Cookie nodded and took the ticket in her hoof. She headed down to the assigned station, her thoughts of home haunting her every step.