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// I was never on YOUR side either! 
// Story: Not a Crazed Gunman... 
// by base4 
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Celestia got up from her throne as the guards dashed to the windows. Twilight and I followed slowly, and Luna arrived last. We all stared out the window at the scene unfolding before us.

A man dressed in a blue suit and pants lay on the grass outside. He had a yellow watch strapped to his wrist and a mask over his face. A fedora lay just a foot away from him.

Spy.

Twilight, Celestia, and Luna gasped at the sight, quickly teleporting us outside to meet him. He slowly began to pull himself from the lush grass beneath him, sitting up as he grabbed his fedora and placed it on his head. He looked to the Princesses and then to Twilight, who he raised an eyebrow at.

He cleared his throat and spoke. "Bonjour, Princess Celestia and Luna. I trust you remember me?" He fully stood up, adjusting his tie.

I grit my teeth, shoving my way into sight from behind Twilight. As Spy noticed me, his demeanor quickly changed from composed to frantic. He took a defensive position, appearing ready to run at a moment's notice and looked around frantically. I stared at him with a fury beyond belief as he lost his composure. We stood there for a moment, just gazing into each other's eyes, when he made a move.

Suddenly, he reached for his watch and cloaked. I quickly launched for him, tackling him to the ground before he had a chance to run, and reached for my kukri. He pulled out a revolver, but I swatted it away with my kukri before he had a chance to react. It landed a few feet out of arms' reach, and I put the knife to his throat, pressing lightly to keep him from making a move.

He breathed heavily with terror as the knife was placed against him, sweat rolling down his forehead as the anxiety made itself apparent. I continued to glare at him as he stared back into my eyes, fearful expression on his face. I turned away to meet the three Princesses' gazes, all fixated directly on me. Celestia, looking shocked, changed her demeanor by switching to a stern pose and walking toward me. As she began, though, Twilight stopped her with a hoof. She looked confused for a moment, before she turned, looking into Twilight's eyes.

Pure fear. That was the emotion she gave off, one that stopped Celestia dead in her tracks. They gazed at each other for a moment before Celestia looked back to me, simply staring, without trying to make a move. Luna did not follow up on her sister's actions either, leaving me unopposed.

A thought crossed my mind through the blinding rage. What was she so afraid of?

I turned back to Spy, who was still in the same position, wearing the same expression. I hardened my glare.

"You bloody backstabbing traitor," I spoke with a hushed voice. "Ya took me for a fool!" I pressed the blade harder against his neck.

"Perhaps I was one, though. Thinking I could trust a spy..." I hardened my expression. "Two-faced wankers, you are!"

He was crying at this point, probably out of fear, but I had no reason to care. That man was nothing short of a devious monster.

I smirked, chuckling to myself. "I wonder what 'appens when you die in this world, eh? Perhaps you really go to hell!" I cackled with sadistic glee. "Well, I suppose it's time you found out!"

I lifted my weapon over my head, preparing to swing it down, but the same thought crossed my mind again. Why was Twilight so afraid? I thought about it for a second. Coming to no conclusions, I turned around to meet her gaze. She was staring right at me, and the realization hit me.

She's scared of ME.

Recollection flashed in my eyes as I realized what I was doing. I had found Spy here, and was about to kill him out of rage in front of everyone. Right in the middle of the gardens of Canterlot.

My eyes widened, my expression one of shock and sadness. I looked over to Spy, still on the ground below me, trembling. I laid there for a second, motionless. My expression softened, the shock settling, leaving only regret and a tinge of sadness as a thought crossed my mind and reminded me of something crucial.

I don't have to be a murderer here.

I swung the knife into the ground next to Spy.

I don't have to be a killer.

It hit the grass with a thunk, digging into the dirt and standing on its own as I released my grip.

And I won't be.

I stood up, getting off of Spy, still gazing at him. He stared back up at me, unsure of what to say, and slowly began to sit up as well. The fear seemingly melted from his eyes, replaced by confusion and a strange pity. Just a second later, he got to his feet and activated his invisibility watch, disappearing into the garden behind him. I stared at the place where he disappeared and hung my head. Then I stood there, doing nothing. What felt like an hour passed before I heard a noise from anything but the sounds of nature, the sound of hooves on grass approaching from behind. Twilight came up and stood beside me, looking up at me with concerned eyes. 

"Sniper?" she spoke softly.

I turned my head to her. "Twilight..." I paused and sighed. "Are you afraid of me, Twilight?"

A switch almost seemed to flip in her mind, her face changing from concern to sadness in an instant. She bit her lip and looked away, avoiding my gaze. "I..." she spoke, unable to get the words out.

But that was all I needed. I knew it was true the moment she heard what I had asked her.

I held my stance for a second, then knelt down. On one knee, I balanced myself at half my usual height and embraced Twilight in a strong hug. Her head jerked up, surprised, and she turned to me.

"Twilight..." I began. "You don't have to be afraid of me," I spoke softly. "Not now, not ever."

A tear ran down her face as I spoke those words.

"And I would never hurt you or anyone else you love..." I turned my head and looked directly into her eyes. "I'm not a killer here. Not in Equestria."





It had been only 20 minutes since Spy had disappeared. Twilight and I had been escorted to a room in the castle where we could temporarily stay, and Celestia had gone off to see to the preparations for the spells to send Spy and me back to our world. Twilight and I had talked for that time, trying to process the events that had just taken place, when Celestia walked into our quarters, holding a scroll with her magic.

She stood in front of us with a worried look. "Something has come up, and I suppose you two should know about it," she began.

Twilight and I traded worried looks with one another, then looked back to Celestia.

"There's a problem with the spell. It only works if there is only one person present in the world. If there are multiple people being displaced at once, it simply falls apart," she explained.

"Wait, does that mean..." I started.

"Yes, Sniper. We won't be able to send you back home yet," she answered for me. "In order to account for two people, we'll need to develop a completely different spell that accounts for both you and Spy being displaced at the same time."

"And how long will that take, exactly?" Twilight asked.

"Depending on how fast my sister and I can work, it might take anywhere between two and three weeks."

I'll be staying even longer? I love it here... but is this really a good thing? Maybe it's better to be home instead, back... with the team.

Even though that thought had crossed my mind, I said nothing, as did Twilight.

Celestia continued after a few seconds pause. "For now, you should take Sniper back to Ponyville. I will send you a letter once the spell has been completed," she explained. "I trust that you can house him in the castle for a while longer?" she said, smiling.

"Of course!" Twilight responded.

Her smile faded, and she quickly looked to either side and behind her. "And as for Spy, I'll task the Royal Guard with finding him."

"And after that?" Twilight asked.

She put a hoof to her chin for a moment, and her smile returned as she lowered it. "I suppose I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

She turned around and walked to the open door. She stopped in the doorframe and turned her head to us.

"Have a good trip, you two!" she said. Celestia closed the door as she walked out.

We were still for a second, silence permeating the room. I spoke up first.

"Guess she isn't too bad once ya get to know 'er."

Twilight looked over to me. "'Isn't too bad' is a bit of an understatement."

I smirked. "So, she's the worst ever?"

She immediately recoiled at my interpretation. "What? No! She's-" She abruptly stopped and changed her expression to a frustrated frown. "You know exactly what I meant," she said.

My smirk grew. "Oh, do I?" I asked, leaning in closer.

There was a pause, followed by a snicker from Twilight, then I laughed, and then we both erupted into laughter.





We were on the train only an hour later. Sitting in the comfortable seats of the cabin, Twilight and I started talking. She told me a little about her friends, and promised to introduce me to a few more as part of getting used to Ponyville during my stay.

She had just finished telling me about Fluttershy when I tried to change the subject. Since she had already mentioned all of her main group of friends, she let it change without any interruption. I was about to start talking about the other mercs on my team, what they were like, what they did, et cetera, when she interrupted me with a question.

"Hey, uh, sorry to interrupt, but we never got the chance to talk about it, so... where do you think Spy is?" she asked.

I took a moment to think. "If anything, the little weasel is probably working out some plan while cloaked away in a remote spot that nobody goes to," I answered.

Just like usual. Heh.

Twilight seemed concerned by this response. "What do you think he's gonna do? Like, what do you think he's planning?"

"Probably just thinkin' about how he's gonna approach the Princesses after that little..." I frowned a bit and paused momentarily. "...incident...in the garden. Why are you asking, anyway?"

Twilight frowned a bit at the mention of the 'incident' as well. "Well, I mean, I'm just worried is all," she said.

"Hey, don't worry sheila. If I know Spy, and trust me, I do, he'll show up when he wants to. It's just a matter of when."

Suddenly, the noise of a decloak filled the cabin. We turned to the noise to find Spy standing up, leaning on a wall with his fedora in his hand and a cigarette in his mouth. He placed the hat on his head, wiggling it into place so that it gripped snugly on his head.

"How about right now?" he said.

"S-Spy! What the bloody hell are you doing here?!" I angrily asked.

A somber look crossed his face as he turned his head to us. "Following you to see what you say about me."

A scowl crossed my face as I narrowed my eyes at him. His expression remained unchanged.

"But I also came to say zat I am sorry."

The scowl left my face, but my eyes remained narrowed.

His frown became more potent. "I was misguided, Sniper." He spoke softly and gently, each word packed with melancholy. He turned to look out the window, and took the cigarette out of his mouth, holding it between two fingers. "I forgot about ze lessons zat zis place taught me. About ze things zat I learned after being here for only a small time. About ze things I had forgotten in ze endless war between RED and BLU." He turned his head to look straight in front of him. "About friendship." He spoke sadly, as if recalling the loss of something dear to him. He paused for a few moments, and his head drooped down. "When I was locked out of ze BLU base zat night, I knew zat it was ze perfect chance to give my team ze edge they needed so desperately." His eyes shifted to one side. "Ze person who I knew would be easiest to kill was you, Sniper. Anybody else would be suicide. You are ze only one who sleeps away from ze others." He shifted uncomfortably. "So, I did it. I killed you for ze betterment of my team, knowing that you might not return from Equestria until after ze battle in Dustbowl. We would score a victory, all thanks to my unorthodox plan."

I glared at him in silence.

He looked over to me, and seeing my face, he sighed and turned his head back. "It was selfish. It was something inconsiderate and horrible to do." He looked back at me. "I realize zat now. I realize zat I had forgotten what our friendship meant. I had forgotten its value, and its power." He looked straight forward again. "When I performed ze act, I had no regrets. Zere was no remorse for it." He sighed. "After you let me go just a bit ago, however, I took some time to think. It was zen zat I realized something important." He looked over to me again, and stared right at me. "I realized zat I had betrayed you and our friendship. It took you sparing me to help me remember what our friendship meant. It means more zan sitting together on tree stumps in Sawmill, more zan enjoying ze sounds of ze rain in Thunder Mountain, and more zan ze peace and quiet of an empty battlefield. It is about trust and respect, and ze connection itself...and I betrayed zat." He paused for a moment before finishing. "Forgive me, Sniper," he finished, head hung in shame.

The glare had disappeared, and the anger had long since settled. A frown was on my face instead of a scowl, and my eyes were no longer narrowed. I looked away, contemplating his speech. I know what he did to me. He betrayed me and everything that our friendship stood for. But maybe I should forgive him. What he did may have been bad, but in the end, nothing bad actually came out of it, so maybe it's the right thing to do... No, it IS the right thing to do. I know it is.

I looked back at him. "Spy?"

"Yes?" he answered.

Because friendship isn't easy to learn.

I smiled. "I haven't gone looking for any quiet spots around Ponyville yet. You in?"

I would know.

He smiled back. "Always."

Because once upon a time, I didn't know friendship either.