Chapter One: The Beginning (Sharp Shooter)
My name is Sharp Shooter, I have a red coat and a yellow mane/tail. Night Rain has a black coat, and thrice toned purple, red, and cyan blue hair. We are normal pegasi ponies that were just trying to get by. That is until that fateful day.
I remember that day like it was yesterday, even though a year and a half has passed since then. The changelings took us by surprise that fateful day. Chrysalis's hive smashed to the ground from above. causing craters in the concrete.
At the time the changelings invaded, I was in the apartment I shared with Night Rain. She was at the dinner table eating some Hay Thins while I was on the couch playing Battlecolt 4 on the Starbox. I was in my own little world at the moment until one of the guys on my game started screaming and shouting about a... changeling? Something was wrong. I took one look outside, and immediately rushed to the room I shared with Night. I flew over our bed and quickly opened the closet.
Now I know what you're thinking. OUR bed? No, we are not dating, but we are great friends. My first ever friend. Heck, we've been together forever.
We were both born in Ponyville. While we were at the nursery there, we met and became friends. Or as close to friends as mindless little foals can be. Elementary, Middle, and High school was spent with us as the best friends that ponies could be! We had no need for anyone else, it was always just the both of us.
Anyway, I flung opened the closet to my own personal armory... of four guns. Kind of anticlimactic, but whatever. I grabbed my M200 Intervention Bolt Action sniper rifle. Awww yeah baby! Look who's back in business! I grabbed my Barrette M9 on instinct. I never leave the apartment without it.
You see, Night Rain actually went to Canterlot for college and I, of course, followed. However, I didn't go to college. I got work some other way. You see, my cutie mark is of a black crosshairs. Kind of like the Recon class of Battlecolt 4. You can probably guess what I'm good at from that.
Night Rain knows about my side job, when she found out she gave me the biggest disappointed look that could be summoned from Hell itself. It's not everyday that you tell your best friend that you're the best contract killer of the past couple of centuries, maybe even the millennium!
She wouldn't talk to me for a week.
Snapping out of my memories, I slung my sniper rifle over my back and put my pistol in my right fore hooves sheath. Both weapons silenced, obviously. I took the other two weapons, and charged back too the kitchen where Night Rain was standing at the window with one pitch black hoof over her mouth.
"Night. Night! NIGHT RAIN!" she swung to me shocked. Not used to me yelling at her, but now is not the time to apologize. I crossed the room and handed her the remaining weapons I had with me. I helped her fasten the snub nosed pistol too her leg, and got the Vector SMG on her back situated. I stopped only to grab a small, pre-prepared duffel bag before running out the door with the most important person in my life.
Getting out of the apartment building was hard enough. Ponies were panicking and running around. The elevators were way too chaotic, so we went down the stairs. We finally got out of the apartment to see a mix of ponies and changelings. Not really a mix since the ponies were separating from the changelings. We escaped the apartment, now for the city.
We rushed through another alleyway, shooting the two changelings that were occupying it, as I made my way too my secret escape exit. I'm a contract killer, give me some credit! I've had an escape route planned out for years.
As we ran, many thoughts rushed through my head: I could die, worse! Night Rain could die!, We could be stuck here forever! Are we even going the right way?!
Much too my relief, however, we made it too the runoff pipe. Let me tell you how Canterlot keeps water off the streets. Along the sides of the streets are little grooves that direct the water to central pipes that lead to the edge of the city where it falls thousands of feet to the ground below. Right by the edge of the city where one of the pipes is located at is a stallionhole.
Before I lose my nerve, I open the stallionhole and go in after Night Rain is safely inside.
I hear changelings above just after I fit the stallionhole cover back in place.
We fly like we've never flown before. Going so fast our wings were sore and the base of our feathers bled a small bit.
We went to Ponyville for obvious reasons. Not only were our families there, but there were a few choice items that I had hidden around Ponyville that no one except the esteemed Pinkie Pie knew where they were.
1:35 A.M.
We've been flying for a few hours strait. Night Rain is slowing down a bit, and a blood drop or two has hit my face just a few minutes ago. It either came from me or Night Rain.
Personal Note: My family is most likely dead, but I hope for Night's sake that her family is alive and kicking.
2:47 A.M.
We had to stop to let a humongous force of changeling troops pass us by. Night Rain was able to make a small storm to hide us. I was tempted to kill the Officers of the company, but Night Rain stopped me. She started to cry when she saw the look on my face, and I don't want her to cry. It's so heartbreaking.
Personal Note: Kill some Changeling officers later.
5:42 A.M.
Smaller group of changelings passed. Only six of them. I killed them all. Perfect head shots every single one. Night was shocked by it. She is not used to killing like I am, so she vomited a little at the sight of their grey matter flying threw the air, but I think she was more sick of the look in my eyes. The eyes of a killer.
7:52 A.M.
Finally made it to Ponyville
I slipped my small note taking journal back into my bag when I was finished writing the last note down. Night Rain was excited about getting to the small town, as was I.
We cleared the clouds to Ponyville, but not the Ponyville we recognize. Buildings were aflame, and all of the ponies were rounded up in town square. Night Rain rushed to get to them, but I grabbed her quickly enough thankfully.
"What are you thinking!" I whisper shouted in her ear. "Do you want to get captured as well!"
She hung her head mournfully. Greatly saddened at the sight of so many familiar ponies rounded up as prisoners. I shrug off my bag, and draw out a roll of black duct tape.
"We'll use this to cover our cutie marks."
"I thought you didn't want to help them," came her reply.
"No. I thought that your way was the stupid way." She glares at me playfully and smacks the back of my head with her wing; for which I'm glad. She was in great shock up until now. This was the first time she's spoken since Canterlot.
I gently put two pieces of tape in an X motion over her cutie marks, trying to ignore the feeling I get when I touch her flank accidentally. (I may be her best friend, but I'm still a stallion.) I stick the tape to my flank in the same fashion. Having done it many times before.
I move over to Night Rain and whisper in her ear the plan of how we are going to free the citizens of Ponyville.
I was slowly creeping up one of the watchtowers that the changelings had made. For my plan to work, this had to go perfectly. Changeling snipers wear a long robe that literally covers every part of their body except for their face. I finally make it to the top, where I see the lone changeling. I creep up behind him, and snap his neck as fast as I could. Now for the messy part.
I take the changelings robe off and put it on myself. I then take out my Bowie knife and carefully slice the changeling's face off, and carefully stick it onto my own. But that isn't even the worst part. I had to take out its jaw, hollow it out a certain way, and stick it on my teeth with the changeling's very sticky blood. The stuff I get into because of Night Rain.
I hurriedly walk down the street leading to the alley I was supposed to meet up with Night Rain in, when two changelings turned the corner in front of me and started heading toward the alleyway. Shit, I'm gonna have to improvise.
I speed walked to the alleyway where Night was and in my best changeling voice shouted:
"Freeze pony scum!" Her eyes got wide and she turned around quickly. The other two changelings rushed into the alleyway and saw what was going on. I rushed over and slammed her against the wall, using my arm to hold her throat against the wall.
"Good job sssoldier." Drawled one of the changelings. "Make sssure you take her to the other prisssonerss." I just nodded my head, and as if some one somewhere granted my wish, the changelings left.
"That was close, Sharp." Night Rain wheezed out. I internally grinned. Just because we're in the middle of a plan to free the citizens of an enslaved town doesn't mean that I can't have fun, right? Right?
"You mean that red Pegasus that I ran into earlier? Ha! He's currently lying dead in a ditch!" Her eyes got wide, and tears welled up in them. Jeez I kind of went too far...
I took off the changeling face and wiped off the blood with my sleeve. I expected her to slap me or yell at me or something, but she just continued to cry and hugged me. She finally stopped crying, but I still wasn't done messing with her.
I leaned in close. Our lips just centimeters apart. So close that I could hear her shallow and fast paced breathing. I nudged a bit closer, until our lips ever so lightly brushed, and then...
"We better get moving." I leapt up real fast, leaving Night Rain with a blush dusting her cheeks, eyes wide, and breathless.
I am just so evil.
Chapter Two: Escaping from Ponyville (Night Rain)
“What a tease! Th-that flank hole! Aurgh!” It’s not like I wanted it anyways. Right?
All of the ponies had these big black robes on. Probably as a form of submission, but with my black coat (and the assistance of the duct tape on my cutie mark) I blended in perfectly.
Sharp had rigged up my Vector (I bought it for a little something called justice) so that it was hidden underneath me. I slowly crept up to a changeling guard, prepared myself, and using my right wing to pull the trigger; I shot the flank hole.
Ponies gasped, some cheered, but mostly I think they were in shock. Shock that someone dared to rebel, but I got news for them!
Shit hit the fan, fast. Some stallion threw his robe with a graceful spin that would make a ballerina jealous. As he spun, his wings maneuvered a black scythe that shone with shadow as if it radiated death. His purple hair shining against his black fur. His discarded robe blinded two changeling guards, but that doesn’t matter since he diced them a moment later without a second’s hesitation.
Suddenly, an explosion ripped through the courtyard sending bits of rock and changeling everywhere. The smoke cleared to reveal two unicorns surrounded by the almost overwhelming mass of changelings. The deep red one just smirked at their predicament as if it was just a minor problem; only smirking before nodding to the neon green unicorn. Oh Celestia why!
The green unicorn immediately burst forward with unimaginable speeds. Bodies and carapaces flew through the air, only a gruesome appetizer to the ever so unpleasant look of pure bloodlust and rage in his eyes. Blades extended from the now visible metal cylinders, which looked like it was imbedded into his very body through painful surgery, on the outsides of his forelegs. He stood on his back legs. So comfortable with it that it seemed that he has done it so often that it was second nature to the…unnatural unicorn.
“Beat that.” The drawled out voice sent chills up my spine, tickling all the many crevices that occupied it. His voice shouted bloodlust. A voices that made my inner mind scream for me to move away from the stallion as fast as my four legs could carry me. Instead, I of course said:
“Challenge accepted.” A grin split my face as I whipped around to spray like a mad pony at changelings until I ran out of munitions in that clip, but I wasn’t done yet. I spun around to supply a backwards hook kick to a changeling’s fragile face, courtesy of my left back hoof.
Shooting me a friendly grin, something I didn’t expect to see, the strange unicorn activated his magic to reveal two Uzis that was conveniently concealed behind him. Still on his hind legs, he sprinted towards where he thought the most changelings were. Killing one or two every now and then, he suddenly jumped, spinning through the air over the strange scythe wielding stallion the Uzis lit to life in a barrage of deadly lead. What changelings the guns missed were quickly dismembered by the long blades attached to his fore arms.
As enjoyable it was to slaughter the changelings, my main objective is to save as many civilians as possible, and that is what I intend to do.
After looking around for it, my eyes finally settle upon the makeshift stage the changelings had built. I ran towards it as fast as I could. Stopping to let the deep red unicorn pass in a deadly flurry of the elements. I reached the stage in time to see the heads of changeling officers that residing on the small wooden platform explode in a light sprinkle of brain matter and blood, evidence that Sharp is doing his job in covering me. Over the houses a gunship rose. Changelings running amok on the deck of the gigantic war machine.
“Attention citizens of Ponyville! We are here to rescue you! Run towards the Everfree; quick, before the gunship gets here!” I continued to wave the ponies toward the Everfree as my eyes stayed locked upon the gunship as its cannons spat balls of lead, fire, and shrapnel; tearing apart any pony that was unlucky enough to get in the way of its forced path of destruction.
Much to my horror, while Sharp, The red unicorn, and the strange black stallion joined me in my fleeing of Ponyville as well as some civilians; the green unicorn turned to smile at us before rushing the war machine while we made it to the edge of the Everfree.
“That idiot!” shrapnel and fire blasted past him, fully focusing on the threat that so fearlessly rushed certain death like a foul ran to their mother when in a time of trouble. The changelings turned their guns to the suicidal unicorn, and waited for their prey to run into its certain doom. It never came however, to my surprise, he appeared next to me, perfectly okay, at the edge of the Everfree Forest.
***
“Night Rain.” The black pegasus murmured. We were currently in a clearing the black pegasus lay on the ground. Pieces of shrapnel had embedded themselves in his flesh; soaking his inky black fur with his sticky blood.
Sharp was sitting at the edge of the clearing, looking out into the forest. Slash, the green unicorn, and Toxic Rule, the deep red unicorn, were sitting off to the side. They were murmuring stuff to each other while glancing at the surrounding ponies. A couple other ponies stuck with us when we escaped. Vinyl Scratch the esteemed DJ that occupied Ponyville every now and then, Lyra a human obsessed mint green unicorn, and Carrot Top the carrot farmer. Carrot Top had lost both of her back legs, and Lyra was wrapping up the stump of the dismembered limbs. Serious about a matter for once.
I looked to the stallion quickly. He was dead, and I would like to hear his dying words.
“Sister.” No, this stallion can’t be…HIM!
A black male pegasus with purple hair and a black female pegasus with two toned blue and purple hair ran in the vast expanse of clouds. The girl giggled as her brother chased her around the clouds; obviously enjoying their little game.
~~~
The same little girl walked down a dark hallway made up of clouds. She arrive to a door; sounds erupted from behind it. A scream. The girl had enough. She opened the door to feel a warm sticky liquid come in contact with her hooves. She stared in horrible awe as she stared at the rich red substance. She finally looked up to see her older brother fighting with a stallion she has never seen before. She hears sirens, sirens that distract her brother. The stallion stabs her brother.
Her brother, desperate to save his dear little sister, pushes against the knife and envelopes himself and the other pony in his wings, and jumps out the window.
That was the last time she ever saw her brother.
The last time she ever saw Night Spirit.
“--at are you doing!” an angry voice brought me out of my painful memories. I turned around to see Sharp aiming his rifle at Slash and Toxic with Slash standing in front of Toxic; arm blades fully extended.
“Stop!” I shout at Sharp. I’m tired of the death of familiar ponies.
“Don’t you know who these two are?!” Sharp responded motioning to the two unicorns. “They are dangerous criminals that are not to be trusted!” suddenly they look familiar. I remember now! They were wanted for attempting to overthrow Equestria!
“Didn’t you guys almost kill the bearers of the Elements of Harmony?” My question was answered with smiles from the two stallions. They both bowed mockingly at me before speaking.
“I am Slash, Toxic’s right hand man, best friend, and the best assassin of the Millennium!” At the last part Sharp Shooter tensed. Toxic went next.
“I am Toxic Rule.” His voice was semi-deep, smooth, and creamy. “I am the leader of Toxic Army, Necromancer, and esteemed Geomancer.” Necromancer?
“Can you bring my brother back to life?” my voice hopeful. He smirked evilly.
“For the right price…”His voice suggestive. I don’t want to think about what he meant. I don’t care about what price I need to pay. Anything for my big brother.
“Name it.”
“A pony’s soul.” What. The. BUCK! At least my brother will live. I better accept.
“Deal.” Everypony gasped. They didn’t expect me to do that. “Take mine.”
“No.” That shocked me a bit. “I choose. Hmm, I’ll take--“
“Hey, can I choose this time, Toxic?” Slash’s voice sounded like he had a permanent I-Don’t-Give-A-Shit attitude. He was currently circling the three mares that remained with us after escaping Ponyville. “I think one of these would be interesting…” He let his sentence trail off, probably on purpose. He turned to Vinyl with a mischievous look on his face.
“By the way, Octavia says hi…” Vinyl looked ready to rip his head off.
“Enough, Slash, and no I already have a pony in mind.” I hung my head in semi-relief. I don’t want a harmless civilian to be dragged into this. “Were gonna take the dude with the scythe that I’m going to have to revive.”
Slash put the dead body of my brother on my back before teleporting away. Immediately Sharp let out a round at Toxic’s head. Time seemed to go in slow motion as Slash teleported in between them and teleport away. This time with Toxic in tow.
*1 ½ Years Later*
We were trudging through the overgrown paths of the Everfree (Pony Territory), no problems so far. No changelings, no raiders, and no bandits! A good day indeed. I looked to my left to see Lyra and Carrot Top walking together. Lyra, as always, had her trusty bow out; ready for anything that might happen. Carrot Top on the other hand had no need for a weapon as her new robotic back legs-much better than a wheel chair-were powerful enough that she could just use her earth pony skills to buck anything to hell.
To my right I was able to observe Vinyl Scratch, or Scratch as she prefers to be called. She deeply misses Octavia, I’m sure of it, and that is why she doesn’t like it when we call her Vinyl because that was what her lost best friend always called her. She had a strange contraption resting on her back. One of her mixing boards that she greatly modified, one ominous tube lay on either side of her. Strapped to her withers. ‘Bass Cannon’ was inscribed on the part on her back. A turn knob with: Off, Low, Medium, High, and Insta-kill as the options. She has never needed to go to High.
I look ahead to see Sharp leading the way. He took up the role of leader pretty quick.
“Night, fly Lyra up to a tree. Quick!” I knew what was happening, Bandits. “Scratch, aim at the path ahead! Carrot Top, prepare for contact! I flew Lyra up to a tree where she strung up her bow, her face an epitome of concentration. Sharp flew to another tree across the path, prompting me to land on the ground to fight those that Lyra and Sharp didn’t pick off quick enough. Drew my Vector, balancing it in my wings, a primary at the trigger. Sharp, as usual, counted from three.
“Three! Two! On-Holy Shit they’ve got a cannon!” what?!
*BOOM* the explosion rocked the ground as the weapon of mass destruction went off. Immediately a flash zoomed towards us. A flash that was either a pegasus or an insane pony hyped up on sugar. The rainbow pegasus broke out of her mad dash to reveal that she had two scythes strapped to her fore hooves. Using her wings to balance herself, she fought like a mad pony; slashing wildly with a look of sheer determination on her face. Unlucky for her, she was fighting Carrot Top. I observed as she gave the prismatic mare a move that we like to call the Buns of Steel. One down.
A pink earth pony rolled a blue cannon out of the brush with a look of anger plastered on her face. Slowly a slightly-insane smile crept up her face.
“I never leave home without my Party Cannon you MOTHERBUCKERS!”
Shit.
