//------------------------------// // Ponyvile // Story: The pony's sniper // by Raizuo //------------------------------// Page 2 I stepped off the train and took a look around the place. I could agree that it was a rustic look, but that just made it both easier and harder on me to move around because of how much of the town could be presumed to be made of wood. The train ride to this quiet town was simple, but most of the ponies were either wary of me, as they should be. Or they were curious about why I was carrying a rifle and a bit of equipment to a quiet town where I was to take my vacation. It was the best excuse to explain my reasoning for going to Ponyvile without drawing too much attention. I could also hear the quiet whispering if I pushed my hearing to its limit, some of the nearer ones tried to ask one another what I was carrying, but they had no clear answers at all. In fact, some of them were still watching me as I left the train as it pulled into the station. I had no reason to stay around on the wooden platform for any longer than I needed to be, so I took a few steps off. Almost immediately I was face to face with the sight of a pink pony with cyan blue eyes. I refrained myself from reaching for either a knife or my pistol, I wasn't fond of surprises at all. She suddenly backed up slightly and smiled at me, a surprisingly genuine smile. "Hi there! You must be new to Ponyvile, and I would know because I know all the Ponies in Ponyvile. What's your favorite cupcake flavor?" I was caught off guard by her sudden questions, but I figured she was just a civilian and relaxed slightly. "I am new to Ponyvile actually, and I don't really eat cupcakes," I told her as level as I could make myself be. "Then why don't you come with me to Sugarcube Corner? I know you'll love the cupcakes, I made them myself!" "Again Miss..." I realized I have yet to get her name, but she caught on rather quickly, maybe even surprisingly quick. "Pinkie Pie, what's your name?" "Sharp Scope," For some reason, I figured if she smiled a lot like that and sounded so cheerful all the time, she had no experience at all in combat. It also confirmed to me that she was indeed a civilian, so I could at the least trust her slightly. "Ooh, cool name!" "Weren't you going to give me the tour of the town?" I asked, hoping to distract her from attempting to get me to eat a cupcake. "Only once you've agreed to have a cupcake," She stated. The way she said it was almost as if it were a fact that I was going to do it anyways. I sighed softly, knowing that ponies like this who are smart enough to not get too distracted wouldn't give up so easily on their intended goal. "Fine, but if you know the town well then could you tell me where would be a good place to sleep?" She hopped once in joy before suddenly dragging me to a building that looked like as if ice cream decided to die on the roof without melting. I glared at her once she let me go. "Don't do that again to me," "Oops, sorry! I'll show you around the town and introduce you to my friends after!" "I don't need to meet with your friends," I stated to her. I wasn't about to tell her that I was actually not here to make friends, she sounded so innocent enough. But innocence can sometimes hide the sights of blood. "Why not?" She asked me in what sounded like genuine curiosity. "Not too many good experiences with friends" I said, although most of my 'friends' were either hostile forces that I put a bullet in their head to survive, or my fellow angels. But I had more experience with the former over the later due to the fact that we do not contact each other in case of capture. "Well you can trust my friends!" She insisted once again. "It's either the cupcake with the tour or meeting your friends and the tour, I will not do both." I could see that my statement had an effect on her, and she thought about the decisions for a bit before smiling at me with that wide smile of hers again. "I'll give you the bonifide Pinkie Pie Ponyvile tour and let you meet my friends during it!" She said with excitement. I nodded at her and she took off seemingly fast, but I was able to follow her. Or perhaps she slowed down just enough to let me follow, I couldn't tell. I did sigh in relief internally because by sheer chance I was able to convince this excited pony to not make me eat a cupcake. I was afraid if I did eat one, then I'd be too attached to the town and leaving it would be all the harder once my mission was fully complete. The first stop was the most important one: the town hall. I didn't exactly meet with the so called mayor mare, but my 'tour guide' instead introduced me to someone else. When I say introduced, I'll admit that nearly choking out a rainbow maned cyan pegasus who just attempted to tackle me at high speeds was not how I'd picture an introduction. Luckily for the Rainbow Mane, Pinkie told me that she's a friend of hers, and convinced me to let go of her before she was knocked unconscious. I did get her name: Rainbow Dash, a current Wonderbolt member and a part of the Ponyvile weather team. It was a rather rocky start, but I would have never imagined a Wonderbolt living in the town, so I apologized rather hesitantly. Of course after coming up with a quick explanation about why I nearly choked her out, which involved a 'brother' who I never had and a 'game' that we always played, she believed me and apologized about attempted to tackle me. We chatted for a bit, which was honestly more of Pinkie Pie trying to get us to talk but failing to get much of anything out of me, before moving on with the tour. I did not miss the way that Rainbow glared at me before flying away to do something 'important'. In reality, I saw her lay down on a cloud and nap where she thought I wasn't going to see. The... ugh... the next place she introduce to me was the Carousel Boutique. I was never fond of Boutiques or fashion, just another thing that the nobles in Canterlot loved to lord over to each other. It was by luck that I didn't meet the one who lived in it, yet Pinkie told me to watch for a marshmallow colored unicorn with ladylike mannerisms and a surprising generous heart. When I asked her name she told me her name: Rarity Belle She also told me of Rarity's younger sister: Sweetie Belle. A white unicorn foal. I kept that in mind, but only if just to know who to avoid, since on the subject she told me about the Cutie Mark Crusaders and all the antics they have done in the past. They had their cutie marks by now, so they tried to help other ponies understand their own mark. That wasn't a problem to me though, I knew my mark very well: the cross hairs that you would see when you looked down the scope of my rifle. It meant that I was very accurate and more likely than not heads will find bloody holes in them. I wasn't going to mention that fact though, so I had an idea of what to explain to them if they ever do get curious. Once again, Pinkie showed me another place I'd really not use at all: The Spa. I honestly didn't see the absolute need for it because of how long my missions go on and how often they can become, but I had to really convince Pinkie Pie that I didn't need to get a spa treatment. She only agreed because of the most inane reason I've given her: My mane would cause a lot of customers to faint at the sight of it. There's nothing excessively wrong with it in my opinion, but I barely could give it a wash because more often than not I never had the time to do so. Pinkie did mention to me about booking an appointment with me at the spa sometime just because, but I refused her outright. I had no desire to do anything of the sort, even though she gave me the largest case of Puppy dog eyes. By Celestia, I didn't even think a grown mare could even make such eyes. After convincing her to give up and making her do her Pinkie Pie Promise, which she claims she never breaks, I continued on the tour with her. She tried to hide a slight frown, but when she saw me looking she put the smile back on her face. I could tell then she tries hard to smile, even if there's nothing really to smile about. I only somewhat hoped that she wouldn't break down over such a thing. As we traveled through Ponyvile and I was mentally noting all the perfect spots to climb onto roofs from, she talked with me about her other friends. Applejack: An orange mare who is about as charming as her family in Appleoosa were, and always wore a stetson. We only just briefly met before she went back to her work at the apple stand. She gave me a rather mistrusting look at me before going back behind the stand, but I paid it no heed. Fluttershy: A butterscotch yellow Pegasus with a pink mane, I never met her in the tour that Pinkie gave me. It was for the best since Pinkie described Fluttershy as an extremely shy pony who is somewhat easily scared. I made a harsh quip about how I'd probably look like some monster to her. Pinkie stopped in her tracks and looked at me with a strangely sad look before replacing it again with a cheerful look immediately. I didn't know why she gave me that look, but I never asked before she went on about her other friends as if nothing had happened. Our last stop was at a giant crystal tree house. I wish I were just seeing things, but it was a giant tree made of crystals that was used as the castle of Pinkie's last friend: Twilight Sparkle. I questioned about why would it be a giant tree yet Pinkie shrugged, saying that it was how the writers of that episode put it as. I gave her a confused look, but she went on to knock on the door of the castle. Shortly afterwards the door opened to reveal a small dragon standing there with a rather amusing looking cooking apron on. Most dragons I've met and seen were either hostile, proud, or downright menacing, and they met the same fate: a well placed bullet to the eye, or multiples of them to their soft underbelly. This small dragon was very different, after a conversation with Pinkie Pie he introduced himself to me as Spike. I introduced myself as Sharp Scope in return and we both went into the castle. I know of castles before, by Tartarus I even knew about the old castle of the two sisters. It made for a great temporary sniping nest for when I needed to stop a foe in the Everfree forest nearby to be forever lost to the wild forest, but the crystal tree castle? It had excessively so many doors that one would actually get lost in it if they didn't have a guide. Spike even admits that he himself gets lost sometimes. I told him that oddly enough, the expanse makes for a great defensive position and when I get the inevitable question about why, I told him that I read strategy books every now and then. Eventually we reached the place where Spike told Pinkie that Twilight was, along with her student. I wondered who the student was, but put it out of my mind for the time being, Pinkie was rather excited and once Spike knocked on the door and the answer rang out he opened the door for us to see the vast library. There were shelves and shelves of books all along the walls, and I couldn't tell exactly how many books she owned. What took my attention the most was at the center of the room. I saw Twilight Sparkle, the one who I was supposed to protect by any means. She was a Purple or lavender Alicorn with nearly the same color mane but with a pink streak through it. I was never supposed to meet her, but there was something else more pressing to me. Standing next to her with just about as equal of a curious look but almost a frightened look was someone familiar to me. I had to refrain from pulling my weapon out then and there because I couldn't forget the look of a pony who I failed to capture. The one pony who was able to elude me for so long before I was ordered by Celestia herself to stop hunting her down. She was pink, had a purple mane and tail with a teal streak through it, and purple and white star with blue glimmering streams as a cutie mark. Starlight Glimmer