Not a Crazed Gunman...

by base4

Aww, that's apples mate.

Twilight just kept staring at me after we left Sugarcube Corner. Whatever she had expected me to do, it wasn't that. Strangely enough, she didn't question my actions, but I doubt she knew why.

We approached the outskirts of Ponyville in silence. A single trail led outwards into a massive orchard of trees. Following the trail, a large, red barn came into view at the top of a hill, accompanied by farm equipment of all shapes and sizes. What looked like a large house sat next to it, and there were apples strewn about the ground nearby.

A large, red stallion and a smaller orange mare came into view as we hit the top of the hill. They turned around as we made our approach, smiling at us, quickly followed by a frown of confusion.

"Hey, Twalight!" She paused, looking at me. "...who's this?"

"This is Sniper, he'll be staying with me for a while," she explained. "He's from another world, apparently."

Hold up, how'd she know that? That's twice now! I dismissed the thought. "G'day." I tipped my hat.

A grin crossed her face. "Well, howdy! I'm Applejack, and this here's Big Macintosh..." she pointed to the large red stallion next to her. "And yer in Sweet Apple Acres!" She gestured all around her in a circular motion, showing off the large, green orchard with dots of red sprinkled through it.

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh. Not much of a talker, 'ey?

"Since this here's yer first time in Sweet Apple Acres, it'd be a might rude 'a me to not let you try an apple yourself." She picked up an apple from the ground, hand- I mean hoofing it to me.

I held the apple in my hand and stared at it. Something just didn't add up. Or perhaps, something just didn't feel right about this whole place. But I brushed it aside, feeling eyes on me. "'ppreciate it." I took a bite.

My eyebrows perked as I tasted the apple. The flavor was pretty phenomenal. I couldn't really describe it. A smile cracked across my face as I chewed, savoring the flavor, when I felt a different feeling entirely. I panicked, the smile dissapearing from my face, and I quickly composed myself. I'm a professional. Standards, not feelings. That outburst from before was just one of those standards; be polite. I was being a real wanker back there, and I had to correct myself.

"That's pretty good!" I responded.

"Glad you like it, pardner."

I turned over to Twilight, only to be met with a curious gaze. She seemed to be studying me. She looked a little confused, but not surprised. Just contemplative about something. When she noticed that I was looking back at her, she quickly went back to looking at Applejack.

She started saying something when another voice quickly spoke up.

"Applejack, Applejack!" said a higher-pitched voice.

We all turned to the source of the sound to find 2 small fillies galloping at full speed. One was a pale yellow with red hair and a nice little bow, and the other was white with pink and purple hair. They both had looks of shock and terror.

"Applebloom?" Applejack yelled, moving quickly to her side. "What's wrong?" she said, concern clear in her voice.

"T-T-TIMERWOLVES! THEY GOT SCOOTALOO!" she screamed.

"WHAT!?" Applejack yelled, startled.

"They came out of the trees and we couldn't do anything! They've got scoots locked down in the clubhouse!"

Applejack immediately turned to Twilight, shocked and definitely looking scared. "Twilight, get us to the clubhouse!" She grabbed her, panicked.

Twilight paused briefly, closing her eyes. Her horn began to glow, and so did we. I could see sparks of purple energy flying from her horn, a glowing aura of light around us all, and an arcane energy flowing through me that I knew so well from Halloween each year. I backed up slightly, concerned.

Then, suddenly, a flash, and I fell backward. I took in my surroundings, finding that we were in an entirely different place. Trees surrounded us on multiple sides, and we were in a clearing. Blimey! Teleportin' magic!

We all came to our senses as I looked around. "There!" Applejack shouted, pointing a hoof. I flipped around to see her and looked to where she was pointing at. A small building sat above the ground with a staircase leading up to it. A few... things were standing around it. They were wooden, but also completely animate, and looked like wolves or dogs of some kind. Somebody was screaming inside the building, calling for help.

Then, suddenly, one of the creatures turned around, noticing us, followed quickly by all but one of the wolves as they were alerted of the new threat by one another. They prowled towards us, making a slow, meticulous approach. We all took a defensive position, ready to face the oncoming threat.

I scowled at the approaching wolves. They didn't seem dettered. Suddenly, a faint aura enveloped the approaching wolves, taking them by surprise as they yelped in fear. They began lifting into the air, slowly but consistently, and surely enough, I turned around to find Twilight working her magic, literally. She began to put more strength into it, lifting the wolves over 2 feet into the air... and dropped. The aura stopped suddenly, and she collapsed to the ground, groaning.

"Twilight!" Applejack said, rushing to her side.

She looked up. "Teleport...too far...used up my magic...agh!" She gripped her horn in pain.

Applejack, Big Macintosh and I looked back to the wolves, who, now freely on the ground, resumed their approach with renewed enthusiasm. Their expressions turned fearful, and Big Macintosh began to back away. They were mere moments away from us, practically licking their lips in anticipation. As they got closer, only a few yards away, the others trembled in fear. And then, suddenly, one of them pounced.

But it didn't connect with its target. Instead, a knife connected with it, stabbing it through the head. The peices stopped momentarily, the kukri stabbed into its skull, as the life drained from its body, and the wood fell to the ground with clanks. I grasped the skull in my hand, pulling it off the knife, and threw it to the ground. I looked up again, teeth gritted, and scowled at the wolves. They paused, seeming stunned. Their facial expressions returned angrily, and they approached again, slower this time. One directly ahead and another slightly to the left, the one ahead coming slightly before, they jumped at me.

"YAAAAAGH!"

The middle wolf came barrelling in, and I dodged to the left, sending both wolves past me. The middle wolf, landing closer, turned to me as I jumped for it, sinking my kukri into its skull. The other wolf quickly turned around, and seeing my kukri stuck, lunged again as I forgot my melee and jumped out of the way. I whipped out my SMG as it landed behind me, and flipped around. I fired into it, killing the wolf, as another jumped from the opposite of where I was aiming. I clutched the SMG in my teeth, rolling out of the way as another jumped at me from the direction of my knife. At the end of the roll, I grabbed it from the dead wolf's skull and flipped in it my hand, and, grasping it with both, swung down as the wolf got into range. I released one hand and grabbed the SMG, firing at the wolf behind me.

The onslaught stopped, and I prepared myself. I took a defensive position, angrily glaring at the 3 remaining wolves. Their faces were crossed with fear as they began to back up, evaluating the risks associated with their situation. Deciding it not worth their time, they backed up and ran out into the trees beyond.

"That's right, piss off you bloody pikers!" I yelled.

As I holstered my gun and sheathed my machete, I looked back to the clubhouse. There's still one more to go.

I reached for my back, grasping the needed equipment. Rifle in hand, I took aim. The wolf sat at the clubhouse entrance, guarding it fiercely. Through the scope, I could see a small figure in the windows of the clubhouse. I paused for a second, then, moving to the head of the wolf, I steadied myself and fired.

The bullet pierced the skull of the creature, dropping it to the ground, and a crack echoed through the farmland as I lowered my rifle.

"Mongrel."

Strapping it to my back, I turned around, being greeted with looks of shock and utter terror, before beginning my walk to the small building. Big Macintosh simply stood there, and the others sat with Twilight, so I went alone. I crossed the small distance to the structure, taking in the serene, quiet atmosphere as a gentle breeze drifted by. I walked up the ramps and observed the trees around me, filled to the brim with apples as bees buzzed around. I found myself lost in the atmosphere of the farm, taking in the beauty of the natural ebb and flow of the world. It was mesmerizing.

I stopped for a second, and opened the door to the small enclosure. Inside, an orange and purple pony was huddled on the ground, whimpering. She looked up to me as I entered, tears staining her bloodshot eyes as I stopped my approach. I looked down at her figure with a frown, and she stared back at me. A picture of a memory flashed before me, something else replacing her.

---

We sat there for a second, staring into the distance as my team pushed through the REDs. The Spy looked over the cliff, as I looked to my team. They shot through the sentry defending the point ahead and began their cap as the engineer moved up. He was shot by our Spy, and fell face first into the hill.

Then I looked to the cliff, where the Spy did. Off into the distance, where nothing much seemed to happen. There was nothing but silence there, with only the sounds of the desert to stimulate our hearing. It was peaceful.

"Mate..." I finally said, breaking the silence. "I...I miss the Outback. I miss the peace and quiet, and the sounds of nature. I miss sittin' out there for bloody days waitin' for my kill, comforted by the sounds 'a silence."

He looked to me, seemingly hopeful.

"Mate, I can't do that anymore. It's not the same as it used ta be," I said. "And bloody hell do I miss it..." I frowned slightly.

Gazing at me, he smiled, and it said a thousand words.

I sat next to him against the wall, and we enjoyed the ever-growing silence as my team pushed up.

---

The picture snapped away, and I was left with the same image I had before: a filly sat on the floor, looking up at me. I smiled, and she got the message as hoofsteps rang behind me.

I turned around to see the two fillies from before, who quickly rushed past me. They stopped short of the other filly.

"Scootaloo!" The white one said. "Are you okay?" she exclaimed, concern on her face.

"Y...yeah," she said weakly. "I'm alright... just shaken up. But I'll be fine..." She looked back to me and smiled. "...thanks to you."

I smiled, filled with pride. "All in a day's work."

Author's Note:

Sorry about the wait guys! Hopefully, this chapter was worth it, though!

There will be some major developments coming up in the following chapters, so stay tuned!

Comments

[Royal7]

(sniper explains the side sleeper and the pills that allow for jarrote)
Zecora- what strange creature do I see thats greatest weapon is his pee?
Rarity- how uncouth. fetish secretly intensifies

[RedX-100]

I'm a professional. Standards, not feelings. That outburst from before was just one of those standards; be polite.

Ayyyyyy!

i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/513/892/7a3.jpg

[DekaSkittalz]

8271320
Be polite, be EFFECIENT, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

Not be professional

[Iwishmlpwasreal]

8272097
brings a whole new standpoint to

im not a crazed gunman im an assassin