Whenever you meet someone for the first time, you get one of two impressions; they're a good person, or a bad one. This was no exception for me.
Whenever you meet someone for the first time, you get one of two impressions: they're a good person, or a bad person. This is no exception. For on that hot summer day I met the girl who would become the most important person in my life, and in more than one way.
[A/N: humanized AppleDash and NightxSharp. Believe it or not, this isn't the secret project I've been working on for the past while. This is actually something I came up with recently and couldn't help but write it. Hopefully it's enjoyable, though it won't update as frequently, it'll just be a side project that I update whenever I get bored enough to write it. Anyway, I hope you like it. I may or may not be upping the rating later on, but I'm not sure. Enjoy your human people!]
I walked along on the sidewalk next to the scorching black pavement, the summer sun blazing the ground below with intense heat. I could feel my bright red t-shirt sticking to my back with sweat and my joints were aching. The joys of Ponyville summers!
Anyway, my name is Sharp. I have a last name but it sounds really cheesy when you say the whole thing. I'm probably one of the nicer soldiers you'll meet, too. Though I have my days... I've got short blond hair and bright blue eyes. Six feet tall and decently built. Definitely got enough muscle on me, though I attribute that to the training I went through. With my t-shirt was a pair of matching red shorts, usually I would have a pair of blue jeans on but the heat was saying otherwise.
I joined the military when I was younger, about five years ago when I turned eighteen. I had always wanted to and I come from a military family, which has been serving since my great-great grandfather enlisted. I was so enthusiastic about it when I was younger that I learned how to shoot when I was only seven! I look back at those memories and laugh every now and then, helps keep my spirits up after I've seen the true nature of war.
Anyway, back to the present. I was walking around town like I usually did when I was on leave, and this was about the fourth one I've had. One a year is enough for me, I don't have a whole lot to do when I'm off work and my family is relatively small so it works out. The only real purpose being on leave serves is just getting a break from all the chaos in Saddle Arabia. That, and Ponyville has a decent female population. Plenty of girls my age around here, so I never get too lonely. Never really found anyone I really wanted to spend my life with yet, though. Still looking for that one.
I was passing by the local confectionary--brilliantly named Sugarcube Corner by it's owners--when they passed by. Two girls, one a little shorter than the other and both shorter than me. The shorter one had rainbow coloured hair which stopped just above her chest, a bit of a tan on a slender frame and bright magenta eyes. She had something of a cocky grin on her and she had several piercings on her ears. She was wearing a light blue tank top and darker blue short shorts. She was nothing compared to the other girl, though.
She was maybe three inches shorter than me, light tan skin and probably the hottest body I've seen in a while. Wearing--how she could stand it I will never know--a tight black tank top and black knee length shorts. I couldn't stop my jaw from half dropping at the sight of her, she must've been at least a C cup from the look of her chest and the rest of her was just sheer beauty. Toned arms and legs and a clearly well exercised torso. I had to close my eyes for a couple of seconds just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
Anyway, her hair was a vibrant cyan with a dark purple stripe through the middle, with a thin red streak on the right side of her bangs. The most captivating thing about her, though, despite her incredible body, were her eyes. Bright, fierce red eyes on a beautifully angled face. She also had a bit of a smirk on her face, probably something they did, since they looked close. That disappointed me a bit since a lot of the girls around Ponyville aren't really into guys.
Now, I'm not a homophobe by any stretch of the imagination, but when you meet a fairly hot girl and she tells you she doesn't like guys it can be a bit disappointing.
I think she caught me staring because just as we passed each other she gave me a wink. She literally looked me in the eyes and winked at me. I couldn't stop the light blush that formed on my cheeks following that, and to be honest, I didn't really care. I kept walking despite the urge to glance back and look at the girl's rear. I wiped my right hand over my head, my fingers pushing through my sweat soaked hair. I bring my hand from my head and wipe the sweat on my shorts. Sure, I may be a military guy, but that doesn't mean a girl can't make my jaw drop, and from the looks of it she couldn't help but look at me either.
I stretch my left arm over my chest, pulling it with my right until it feels correct, and do the same to my other arm. All the while I keep walking, trying to keep the utterly stunning girl off my mind. I decide to pull out my phone and headphones. Popping one in each ear I start the playlist of one of my favourite bands on shuffle, bobbing my head slightly as the sweet sound of the lead guitarist's shredding flowed from the tiny speakers.
Yes. I'm something of a metal-head. Deal with it. Avenged Sevenfold for life...
I'm getting sidetracked... I tend to have fanboy-ish spasms from time to time. You should see me at any of the concerts I've attended. Anyway, I kept walking with the music blaring into my ear canals when I came across an old friend of mine. I only ever got to see her once a year but hey, we've managed. And no, there's nothing romantic between us. Though that should be obvious with my reaction to that girl earlier. I smiled and pulled the earbud from my left ear, reaching into my pocket and pausing the song. I then pulled the other bud out and hung them over my neck.
"Hey, AJ," I said to her, reaching out and taking her hand as she reached out to shake.
Her full name's Applejack, but I tend to call her AJ. She was my height and shared my hair colour, though hers was always lighter. She had brilliant green eyes and probably the most charming smile I've ever seen on someone. As for her figure, she was well built, lots of muscle, more than most women around here. Of course, when you live and work on a farm your whole life, that'd happen. She had on an orange button up shirt and blue jeans held at her waist by an brown leather belt with a red apple buckle.
As our hands released each other she wrapped her freckled arms around me in a warm hug, which I returned graciously.
"Ah missed ya, Sharp," she said in her thickly accented voice.
"Missed you, too," I said.
She released me and readjusted the brown Stetson on her head, shaking a few strands of hair out of her emerald eyes. She looked me over a few times before patting me on the shoulder, hard.
"So, whatcha been up to over there?" She asked.
"The usual. Haven't shot anything in over two months though, dying to go to the range. Otherwise not much," I said, "though I saw these two girls walking around earlier."
That caught her attention, not like I didn't already have it, but she perked up at that. "What kind a' girls?" She asked. I know full well that she's into girls and that's probably one of the main things keeping us together; common interest in women.
"The kind you want to take home and bang till they're screaming," I said. "Though if we meet them I have dibs on the taller one."
"Y'plannin' on hittin' th' bar tonight?" She asked.
"Yep, and you're invited since I don't really have anyone else to go with," was my response.
She nodded and gave me a smirk, one I knew all too well. "Alright then, sugarcube," she said. "Ah'm in."
AJ and I headed for the local gun store, couldn't help it with my itchy trigger finger and all. I needed to shoot something. So we kept on walking. Eventually we came across the small rectangular building that served as Ponyville's weapons dealer. It was only a single story building with sliding glass doors and big windows on either side of them.
We walked in and saw the main counter to the left of the entrance and the wall of guns behind it. There were assault rifles, submachine guns, LMG's, you name it. The place had lots of stock. But I brought my own personalized weapon, as did she. Sure she lived on a farm, but she still has to protect the place. So she brought a double barreled shotgun with her. The thing was old, very old. She says it was passed from her grandfather to her father, her father to her brother, and then to her. Either way, the thing was an old work of art which was kept in pristine condition. Though the colour of the wood was faded a bit.
We approached the counter and she laid her shotgun on the table. I then hefted up the case holding my sniper rifle and placed it beside her gun. I popped open both of the locks and opened the case up, revealing it to the shop owner.
"We'd like to use the range," I said.
"How long?" The man asked. He was a bit older than myself, probably in his late thirties, and had a deep black moustache above his lips. Short cut black hair on his head and a pair of glasses on his nose in front of serious brown eyes.
"An hour, I'd say," I said.
"Twenty." He said, popping open the cash register.
Ouch. I took my wallet from my left pocket, a brown leather thing, and pulled a twenty from inside it. I placed the bill on the counter and he took it and put it in the register. He then gestured to the right, showing us the door which led to the range. I nodded and walked towards it, nudging a distracted Applejack as I passed her. She turned to follow me and we entered the shooting range.
It was just like any typical firing range, several areas for shooters to set up their targets which would be hooked on to moving rails suspended from the ceiling. It was fairly empty, only about two or three stalls were taken, so Ashley and I headed to the third one down from the door. I propped the large black suitcase on the ledge provided by the stall and popped open the clasps. I opened the case to reveal my special rifle. It was a customized Remington 700 sniper rifle. It was completely deep black, with an adjustable stock and a scope with toggle night vision. Bright cyan lines ran all over its body in a design resembling a circuit board, but they weren't just painted on. They were all LED lights, which were turned off at the moment, but they still left the impression of being there.
I pulled the rifle from its case and ran my hand along the smooth fiberglass frame, it felt good to have it in-hand again after so long. I propped down the attached bi-pod's legs and propped it on the ledge, swinging the bolt upwards and pulling it back to allow me to put the five rounds in.
I then pulled a folded up cardboard target from the back-pack, a normal circular one with different coloured rings surrounding the yellow circle in the centre, and clipped it on to the rail above me. I then pressed the button on the right wall of the stall and watched as the target moved along the rail until I released the button. It was a small range, but it had maybe fifty meters of space between the stalls and the back wall, so it wasn't too bad.
I placed five bullets inside the rifle's compartment and slid the bolt back into place, locking it into place as I pushed it down. I then looked into the stall to my right and saw AJ with her double barreled shotgun. The same gun I found myself faced with when I accidentally stumbled into her orchard about ten years ago...
***
It was hot. Or, at least, by that year's standards it was. I was running around the town with a pair of friends whom I haven't seen since I graduated from high school. I guess I got sidetracked since I found myself separated from my friends and in the middle of a forest.
I looked this way and that, completely surrounded by trees for miles. I started to panic, wondering if I was lost in the Everfree, never to be seen or heard from again... Then I took a closer look at the trees and realized something; they were apple trees. I breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing that I wasn't in any danger, just lost in the local apple orchard known as Sweet Apple Acres, which supplied Ponyville with any and all apple related products.
I took another look around, trying to see if the telltale red farmhouse was in view, and then the twig snapped. Right behind me. I slowly turned around and saw her. Around my height and the same blonde hair that she still has today, but smaller. I wasn't overly scared of her, or at least I wouldn't be if she wasn't pointing a gun at my face.
I raised my hands slowly to show that I meant no harm, and backed away slightly.
"What're ya doin' in mah orchard?" She asked me viciously.
"I... Nothing. I'm not doing anything. I just got lost," I explained, cold sweat pouring from my forehead.
Her face softened a bit, but she didn't drop the gun. "D'you know who ah am?" She asked me.
"No, well, I know your family," I said shakily.
She lowered the shotgun and nodded slightly. "Okay," she said.
"Okay?" I asked, still not sure what to do.
She looked at me, a weird look in her eye, and rolled her eyes. "Quit shakin', will ya?"
I hadn't even noticed I was. I shook off the panic and followed her as she started walking off towards where I assumed the farmhouse was. We were walking for some minutes before I had to ask; "So, what's your name?"
"Applejack," she said, "yours?"
"Sharp."
"Well, Sharp," she said, "how'd ya end up in th' middle of mah orchard?"
"I was playing with my friends, infection, I ended up running in here and never noticed," I said, lowering my head in shame.
I could hear her stifling a laugh. "How in th' heck did ya not notice running into a forest? Let alone an apple orchard?"
"I don't know, adrenaline rush, I guess," I said.
***
I don't think I could ever forget that day. The day that drew us together.
"You still have that old thing?" I joked with her.
"O'course Ah do, Sharp. It means a lot t' me," she said.
"I guess it does," I said, looking at my own weapon of choice. I picked it up and shouldered it, reveling in the feeling of having the stock pressed against my shoulder after so long.
I set it up in the stall again and peered through the scope, sighting my target. I placed my finger on the trigger, and squeezed it. The kick of my rifle pushed against my shoulder, but I managed to keep it straight and true. The bullet tore through the centre of the target, leaving a ripped hole in the cardboard right through the bulls eye.
"Jesus, Sharp!" I heard Applejack yell at me. "A little warning next time?"
"Sorry," I said. I was so used to the sound even in confined spaces like this that I hadn't even noticed how loud it was. Of course, that would happen with my profession.
***
An hour later I was packing up, as was AJ, and we were heading for the door. We stepped out into the heat and turned left, heading to my place of residence. We walked in relative silence, the occasional comment or friendly insult coming out every so often when we reached it.
It was only a small, one story complex, but it was home. We walked up to the dark red door and I pulled the key chain out of my pocket. I flipped through them until I came to the house key and inserted it into the dull gold doorknob. It took a couple of tries, but the stiff lock eventually yielded and I was able to open the old, creaky door.
Inside was nothing special, standard living room with a fairly new flat screen TV on top of an old wooden stand with two shelves under it. On one was an original Xbox with it's successor the 360, and on the bottom were about ten or fifteen games for said consoles each. I gestured for AJ to sit on the brown sofa that sat across from the TV, against the wall.
I turned into the hall that led to my room, the brown wooden door greeting me blankly as I arrived. I turned the knob and entered, seeing that nothing has changed much since my last visit. Posters from various bands, TV shows, etc. still hung on the wall from the thumbtacks that were pressed through the thin paper and into the drywall. I leaned the rifle case on my dresser and sat down on my bed, staring blankly at a small wooden box at the foot of it. I picked the box up and slid the cover off, revealing the contents.
Inside the box was an old picture of my parents from their wedding day. Their smiling faces, my father's tuxedo and bow tie and my mother's brilliant white dress. I missed my parents dearly, for they passed away about two years ago. Still, keeping that which reminded me of them most in a small box helped to keep them close. The rest of the objects in the box consisted of a bullet casing, the first I ever fired under direction from my father, a small envelope, their wedding rings, and another photo, this one framed. It was of the three of us, the day I passed from the military academy, wearing my military uniform and them in their nicest clothes. My dad in a dark blue suit with a matching tie and my mother in a floral dress. Their proud faces smiling right back at me in the present as I looked at the picture, a nostalgic grin on my face.
I could feel the tears coming before the first one left my eye, and i quickly put the pictures back and slid the cover back on the box before any more could come. I rubbed my eyes with my fists, and stood up. It seemed like hours had passed when it had only been five minutes. I entered the living room and sat on the couch next to Applejack and hung my head, deep in thought. She grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV and we sat there watching it until it was time to go to the bar and waste the night away.
It was time. Time to hit the bar and hopefully meet up with those two girls. I didn't really expect to meet them there, seeing as there were several other bars around town that they could be at if they were even going to any, but one could still hope...
We headed out into the dimly lit streets, the last of the suns rays casting a brilliant orange glow across the sky. Sunsets were always beautiful around here, and this one was no exception. I saw a few of the street lights starting to turn on as we walked towards the local bar. I wasn't in too much of a drinking mood, but it'd help ease the stress of my last few days on duty.
Shit had hit the fan, to say the least; I lost two buddies and almost half of my platoon were either dead or injured. I almost lost my head to one of the crazy fanatics we were fighting off. Came at me with a sword and was swinging it around like a maniac. Clipped my shoulder and calf before I managed to get some space between us and put a bullet in his dome.
It had been two months of me sitting in the infirmary because the muscle in my shoulder needed to heal, as did the one in my calf. It still hurts to walk, but not as much as it did. The stitches came off a month ago, and I was left to roam and get my strength back before they decided to let me have a break.
I'm getting sidetracked again... AJ and I walked until we came across a two story building with a light brown wooden exterior. A sign hanging from the roof said SAA Brewery and Bar in bright yellow text. I nudged Applejack knowingly and opened the wooden door for her, letting her in before I followed. We walked towards the bar and sat down on one of the barstools while she took the one next to me. I didn't know what I wanted, so I just waived the bartender to AJ.
I don't know why, but I couldn't stop thinking about that girl. It was like she was seared into my brain or something. She wasn't just beautiful, but damn sexy too. And she wouldn't go away. I honestly wondered if she'd show up so I could ask her out, because I had a feeling that it wouldn't stop until I did.
An hour passed and I had finally given in and bought a quick rum and coke, per AJ's constant haggling. She had a mug full of applejack, which she almost always had some of when we went out, which I based a nickname for her from. Which was, of course, Applejack. I didn't use it all that often, but it was still fun when I did. I'd usually get a few of our friends to sing-song it to her whenever she was tending to the bar herself, and she'd laugh and get us all glasses of the stuff.
I was into my second rum and coke when I heard someone sit down next to me. I didn't look over at first, but the short glimpse of cyan hair that flashed in the corner of my eye was enough to tell me it was her. Applejack nudged my shoulder, and I looked at her with my eyes while I sipped more on my drink.
"That them?" she asked in a hushed whisper, to which I replied with a quick nod. Careful not to let them see me.
I could hear them whispering to each other as well, but I couldn't tell what about. After a few minutes of silence between the four of us, the girl nudged me lightly on the shoulder. I froze, not knowing what to do, but the calm nature of her voice soothed me out of it.
"Hey," she said. Her voice was smooth as silk, flowing effortlessly from her lips.
"Uh, hey," I said, not knowing what I should do. Stay cool, man. Don't blow this.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Sharp," I answered. "Yours?"
"Night," she said.
"Night..." I mumble. "That's beautiful," I say, getting a good look at her for the first time since earlier today.
She was wearing a tight black dress that hugged her body perfectly, accentuating her curves in an irresistible way. If we weren't in public, I swear...
Heh, looks like she's too hard to resist. I noticed her saying something and quickly snapped back to reality.
"I'm sorry?" I say, embarrassed. "Sorry, I got sidetracked."
"I said: where are you from?" She laughs.
"Here in Ponyville," I say, trying to keep my cool. "What about you?"
"Cloudsdale," she says, looking down. She looked kind of sad, which couldn't be good if she's thinking of home.
"You okay?" I ask.
"Huh?" She looks at me, her bright red eyes locking onto mine.
"You look upset," I say.
"Oh, it's nothing," she says.
"You sure?"
"Yeah," she nods, giving me a smile that could melt a glacier.
God damn I want her. Control yourself, Sharp. Don't blow this. I stretch my arms above my head and lock eyes with her again. I don't know what it is about her, but something is just so... Incredible about her.
"Want a drink?" I ask, gesturing to the barmaid.
"Sure," she says, smiling.
"Alright," I half-smirk and gesture to the barmaid, and she comes over.
"The usual, Sharp?" she asks me.
"For me, yeah," I look at Night. "What about you."
"Vodka martini, extra ice," she says, and I raise my eyebrow. She catches it, too, and smirks at me. "What? Surprised I can handle it?"
"N-no, I just..." I stutter out, and she laughs, and God damn that laugh is sexy.
"It's okay, lots are surprised by what I can and can't take," she says, flashing me a clearly suggestive wink, and I blush madly.
I want her. So damn bad.
I clear my throat and nod at the barmaid, and she quickly gets to work preparing the drinks while I look into the eyes of my newfound target.