Chapter 6
Sharpe and Twilight hid behind the bushes, keeping low as they were covered by the shrubbery around them. Sharpe tried to keep low, as he urged Twilight to do the same, so that it would be difficult to spot the two of them from their position. Sharpe kept his rifle close to him, his hoof gently caressing the wooden material of the stock. Scanning the ground in front of them, Sharpe could see a nice open field, with green and fertile grass and without a single obstruction that could possibly block his view. Perfect hunting grounds for a marksman like him. He could see the grass blades sway from the cool breeze and with that, he could adjust his shots and compensate for the wind direction.
Twilight, who was lying beside him, was very confused on what he was trying to achieve. He had dragged her all across town with the intent of showing her how his weird contraption work, but during their entire time here, they did nothing but lay on the ground and hide behind the bushes, with him staring at the field in front of them, staring blankly thought the tall grass as if he was looking at something she could not see.
She didn’t know whether this was some sort of human tradition or that Sharpe was completely and utterly insane.
But Sharpe wasn’t insane, for he knew perfectly well what he was doing. Keeping silent, he concentrated on his senses, using it to his advantage. He could sense the environment around him and could hear the gently hops of the small creatures that lived there. Keeping his eyes closed, he listened to the sounds, trying to calculate where they went and how far they were.
He learned this skills of listening after spending long hours waiting, being patient as his target walked right in front of him. After surviving in a country where food was hard to get by, no thanks to the Supply Corps, hunting was a skill that he immediately learned.
To be able to sense the environment around you was key to survival back in Spain, because it meant you can keep you belly full after a long day of fighting, as well as helping you figure out where the enemy was during an ambush.
The sound of tiny paws moving closer attracted his attention, as his ears perked up and a grin grew on his face.
Moving his rifle forward, he gave it one last check before grasping it with his magic.
Sharpe had already loaded the rifle, using his new ability with magic. The complex prose of loading the rifle had already been engraved in his head. Taking a paper cartridge, pouring a little on the plate before pouring the remaining contents in the barrel, then pacing the ball before ramming it home. It may seem hard and complicated for a new recruit, but for a veteran like Sharpe, the process was as easy as putting on your shoes. The process of reloading had been drilled over and over, till he could do it in his sleep.
With magic, the process seemed the same, although he was slightly slower than usual, but a couple of sessions of practicing it would most likely solve the problem.
Now, with the rifle loaded and ready, he pulled back on the hammer, using his magic, before lifting the rifle next to his face and looking down its sights. His hold was still a little shaky, but it seemed good enough, especially at the range he was currently at. So he tried to keep his aim straight as best he could, as his target loomed in front.
Right in front of him, just a couple of yards away, was his target, a white rabbit that was hopping around and sniffing the world around it. Sharpe had seen rabbit bigger than that one, but he didn’t care. It wasn’t like he was going to eat it, since he couldn’t. The rabbit would just be a test, on whether he could shoot a living, and moving, object with the use of magic instead of hands. A good rifleman must always make sure that his skills are sharp and steady, and this simple test would gladly prove it for him.
Slowing down his breath, he tried to keep his aim steady as he kept his sights on his target. He watched the surrounding grass, trying to compensate for the blow of the wind, knowing that it could possibly steer away the bullet as it flew towards its target.
Like he did all so many times ago, he concentrated on his prey, waiting for the perfect time to strike.
Now, Sharpe wasn’t the best rifleman in his company, since the title went to Hagman and his marksmanship, but he did consider himself as a pretty good shot. Although he could pull out great feats of sniping, he could still hit a target in a fairly good distance and in good conditions.
Twilight, who was watching his actions, was finally relieved to see him use the contraption. She watched him look through the long barrel and concluded that it must have been some kind of ranged weapon, as it had sights and mechanisms that could prove her theory. But as she watched him, she couldn’t help but grow curios at what he was aiming at. Last time she checked there wasn’t any significant target he could properly use for target practice, so where was he pointing his weapon? Was he just aiming at nothing but the air or was there something his sights were pointing at.
Deciding that there was only one way to find out, moved a little closer to him and gazed towards the general direction that he was looking at. But once she did, her eyes grew wide as panic hit her.
“Wait, Sharpe, no!” She exclaimed in her panic, nudging him hard to try and prevent him from doing anything.
But her action surprised him, as her action threw off his aim as well as causing him to pull his magic on the trigger while the rifle was pointed slightly away from his target.
The loud exploding sounds of the rifle going off surprised Twilgiht, as she covered her ears and yelped in panic. With her close proximity to the weapon, the sounds of it going off caused a ringing sound to echo in her ears as she was temporarily deafened.
Sharpe, who was use to the sound of the rifle firing, was unfazed by it, as he only let out a growl of frustration. Looking back towards the direction of the rabbit, he could see it scatter from fright, as the sudden misfire of his rifle scared it off. He sighed in frustration, shaking his head, knowing that his prey was now gone.
Turning his attention to the cause of this, he stared at Twilight, as she started to regain her hearing. “Can you kindly explain to me what that was for?” He asked, trying to hide the frustration in his voice. Although he was slightly angry at her, the gentleman within him didn’t want to bring the full fury of his short temper on the poor girl.
Sharpe expected a sheepish explanation from her, seeing that Twilight was a kind and gentle pony, who didn’t seem to have to get angry quickly. So you would imagine his surprise, when she suddenly lashed out at him, angry at his actions.
“You want me to explain? I think you should be doing the explaining here.” She said, her voice filled with anger, fear, and panic. She couldn’t imagine what would happen if she hadn’t intervened, knowing all too well that a weapon that could make a sound that loud would be something that was deadly to anypony who it was aimed at. Her worries started to gather up inside her, as her body shook as she thought of the possible events that would have had unfold if things went differently.
“Me?” He asked confused. “Why me?”
“Yes you.” She said, standing up and looking down at him. “Didn’t you know what you were aiming at?”
“Yeah, a little rabbit.” He stated. “What’s wrong with hunting some rabbit?” He asked, still not getting the point of her anger.
“Hunting? What are you a Griffon or something? We don’t hunt for food here in Equestria! We don’t need to and we don’t want to, it’s too cannibalistic.”
“I know, I know…” He said. “…but I wasn’t planning to eat the little bugger. I was just hunting it for fun. You know, for the thrill of stalking it and testing you’re skill at aiming. Like a sport!”
“For fun?” She said, staring at him as she slightly backed away, not sure if she should trust somepony who hunted for fun. “Sharpe, whatever you had planned is taboo here. Nopony in Equestria would dare hunt, especially doing it for fun. You’ll be viewed as a monster if you do that.”
“A monster?” He growled the words, feeling that it was an insult to him and his pride. But as he played the words inside his head, he began to wonder if she was right. Sure, it was completely normal for humans to hunt for sport, but for ponies, it was something unthinkable. It wasn’t that he turned into a monster, as it was that he was a monster for being who he was.
With half his life spent with killing his foes and slaughtering his enemies, his life had been nothing but gunpowder, blades, and blood. A soldier may have been trained to kill, but as they kill more and more, they grow addicted to it till they couldn’t stop. It becomes a part of their life, till they couldn’t get enough of it.
He may bear the appearance of a pony, but he still had the knowledge and instinct of a human. He might look the part, but he still had the thinking of a foreign creature. A creature that would have scared all of the ponies if they knew of the things that they have done. A creature that was in a way, a monster.
Looking down, he felt depressed at the thought as he realized that he was a monster in a foreign world. He shouldn’t be here and knew that he wouldn’t be wanted, especially when they learn of his past.
“Maybe I am a monster.” He muttered, to himself knowing that it might be true.
Twilight, seeing the sad expression on Sharpe’s face, decided to approach him. She didn’t mean to insult him, but she somehow managed to do that with her short outburst. Her words must have hit deep within him, as she felt his sadness.
“Now, now, don’t go sad on me like that.” She said, trying to comfort him. “Listen, I didn’t really mean what I said; it was just sudden burst of expression. I tend to do that when I panic and I would like to apologize. “
“No, Twilight, I think I should be the one apologizing. I should have known better than to act foolishly like that.” Sharpe said, knowing that it was mostly his fault.
“Look, I know you didn’t really mean what you did, so I’m going to cut you a deal, I’m going to teach you on what you can and can’t do here. I’ll tell you everything about our world, so that you would be able to understand you’re surrounding and be a part of our community. You’re no monster, Sharpe, but just another lost soul. So, what do you say?”
Sharpe looked up and stared at her. Despite accusing him as a monster, she seemed to be giving him a chance. Not only that, but she also offered to teach him about this strange new world. To allow him to learn more about it and to be a member of the community.
He wasn’t sure if she believed her own words or was just saying all that to make him feel better. But as he looked at her eyes, he could see the flame of compassion and forgiveness. Maybe she was giving her a chance to integrate himself. A chance to seize this new world and forget his past.
Giving a nod, he accepted her offer.
“Alright, seems like a plan to me.”