Welcome Home Soldier

Two and a half years later.

"Next stop Ponyville!"

The conductor called, bringing Sharp Shooter back to reality. He had been sleeping it seemed, then again, he was exhausted. He only arrived back from Saddle Arabia by ship late afternoon the day before, along with others who's tour was up.

The sight that had greeted them at the port was not pretty, protesters, a lot of them, saw Sharp and his friends as criminals, murderess villains only going there to fight. Sharp knew better, it was not why he had gone.

Still, the opinion was one much of Equestria shared, and now here he was. In uniform, his helmet resting on the seat next to him, his heavy backpack and rifle on the seat across from him. No reason not to use the space since most of the passengers were avoiding him anyway.

Using the last few bits he had, Sharp had traveled back to his home town of Trottingham, but it was no longer his home. Ponies he had known had either been with him in Saddle Arabia, or stayed behind, now outraged at them. His father had never liked the idea of Sharp going, in fact, he had forbade him from doing so, but at that time it was far too late.

Their last words had been spoken in anger, and neither his mother or sister could calm the old stallion down. When Sharp left, his father had disowned him, told him never to come back, and so, he did not. He did however have something to do in Trottingham, a promise to keep to those who had not made it. Now that his promise had been kept, nothing was now binding him to his home town.

Of course he managed to see his mother and sister, though happy with his return, he could see they looked at him with different eyes. He could not blame them, because he knew exactly what they were going through. Looking at his reflection in the window beside him, he too no longer saw a familiar face, but instead the face of a stranger.

Though his features were the same, like his blue eyes, his brown mane and dull toned coat. And yet, he did not recognize himself, the hopeful and dream filled eyes he once looked upon the world with were gone, purged from his eyes by the fires of war. He had changed, and he knew Trottingham was no longer his home.

He had bought a ticket on the night train, planning on just leaving everything behind and start a fresh. Strangely enough he didn't have to give his uniform, rifle, ammunition or anything up, so not knowing what else to do with it, he brought it along. It had been a part of him for so long, he could not bear the thought of selling it.

"Next stop Ponyville!"

The conductor said again, moving down the train car. He stopped next to Sharp, giving him a look he could not quite interpret. "You heading for Canterlot son? Because that is the last station after Ponyville."

Sharp looked at the elderly stallion. He was grey, grey coat, a thick grey mustache , and of course, a grey mane and tail. He looked like he was born to look old from the day he first greeted the world. His eyes were full of experience from the years he had been alive, and the look he gave Sharp was kind and holding a secret understanding.

"Uhm, I don't know.. How is Ponyville..?" Sharp asked, not really having any plan for where to go, he might as well have gotten off a few stations ago, hadn't he been sleeping that is.

"It's nice. Small town, friendly ponies. Got a bit more lively lately though, with the princess's student living there and all." The old conductor said, scratching his chin in thought.

Sharp remembered reading about Ponyville once or twice, and yes, he did recall seeing the newsreels about this unicorn mare, her friends, and the return of princess Luna. That had been all they had talked about for days, a new princess. But of course, the interest died down quickly after that.

"It's a great place to start over." The conductor finished. "Good luck son."

He left Sharp with his decision, and since Sharp did not have much money to make it in Canterlot, he figured a nice rural town may be exactly what he needed to start over. Seeing the town come closer, he put on his steel helmet, strapped it tightly so it would not wiggle around, then got his backpack and rifle.

When the train came to a full stop he got off, and as soon as his hooves touched the stone platform he got a lot of looks. Ranging from disgusted, to afraid, to simple confusion. He sighed, trying to ignore the looks and murmurs. They didn't understand, they never would, and so it was easy to forgive them for their ignorance.

Whatever personal feelings he might have towards the civil war, and his role in it, they had a right to feel about the war however they wished, he just wish they did not judge him and his fellow soldiers so quickly. After all, they all went in the hopes of saving lives and doing some good.

Leaving the train station, he went for a walk, to look around the town, maybe find some work, and hopefully find a home. The town itself was nice enough, it's cozy cottages gave it a peaceful air about it, which was probably why seeing a uniformed and armed soldier walking through the streets probably seemed too foreign to the locals giving him looks.

First order of business was to look for a job, if he had a job he had income, and if he had income he could safely invest in a small house. He didn't dare spend one single bit on a house if he did not have a job, should be easy enough, he did not need much, and so he would take any job as long as it paid enough for him to live.

Sadly however, it was not that easy.. The first place he tried was a small cafe, in the window was a sign saying they wanted help, and so, Sharp went in to talk to the owners. The owners seemed nervous and very uncomfortable, they came with all sorts of excuses, but finally the truth came out.

"We're sorry, but, to be in this industry you need to have an welcoming air about you... I'm afraid, our customers will be scared off by you.."

Had he not went to Saddle Arabia to serve, and if he had gotten that message, he would have not understood. But Sharp had gone, and he knew something in him had changed, something that was clear to others. Still, it was quite annoying, but he still thanked them for their time and went on his way.

As he walked, he tried to convince himself it was just one place, and surely there would be other places for him to seek employment, surely some place would take him on.

And so, he tried, and tried, and tried. And, again and again, he was rejected. He tried everything, lumber mill, cleaner, even as a nurse at the hospital, or janitor at the school. Every place that looked for workers rejected him, sometimes they were polite, or came with a reasonable explanation why he couldn't get the job, other times, they simply lied or had to hold themselves back from spitting at him.

At that point, Sharp had accepted he wasn't going to find a job here, and the uniform probably didn't help with his odds. He didn't want to discard it, his uniform and equipment had become a part of him, and so he dared not get rid of it. So for now he decided to get something to eat, and then try his luck in Canterlot.

Dammit, he could go for something juicy, a nice red apple would do the trick. His stomach growled and so he made his way towards the market he had passed earlier.

It was as lively as one might expect, lots of ponies calling out their wares, prices and whatever good deals they had. He could smell the freshly baked bread, which tempted him a lot, but no, he wanted fresh fruit, something that had been a luxury item in Saddle Arabia.

Then he spotted them, big, red, shiny, juicy looking apples. He could practically feel the water leak from his mouth. As he got over, he noticed nopony behind the stall, so he decided to simply look and spot the best looking apples for when whoever was running this stall would return.

"Dang it!"

He heard a mare's voice shout angrily from behind the stall. It had a heavy accent, and it was not hard to imagine whoever had yelled was having some troubles. With nothing else to do, Sharp trotted up behind the stall, only to find a green elderly mare, and an overturned crate with apples.

She was mumbling small curses under her breath as she picked up the apples one by one. Sharp could see it would take ages for her to get done, and so he decided to give a hoof. "Ma'am? Need some help?"

The mare looked up, and her eyes seemed to scan him for a moment in slight confusion. "Are we at war?" She asked, as if trying to remember if she had forgotten.

Sharp chuckled slightly. "No ma'am, Equestria is not at war."

"But ya a soldier, aren't you? Which company are you with?" She asked, scratching her chin.

He had to admit, he was surprised, it seemed like she knew something about army structure. "Uhm, the 4th company of the Equestrian Peace Corps."

When mentioning that a light bulb seemed to light up in her mind, because her expression changed from thoughtful to recognition. "Oh yeah, that's right.. All that business overseas then, you just got home?"

Sharp nodded. "Yes ma'am, yesterday in fact.. Trying to find a new place to settle down.. So far no luck.."

Granny frowned. "Hm, sadly many young ponies take peace for granted.. Tell ya what, you help me with these here apples, and you get some of them for free, what do you say?"

"Ma'am." Sharp smiled. "That's the best thing I've heard all day, you got yourself a deal."

While Granny tended to the stall, Sharp collected all the apples, did his best to sort them, so those too damaged did get on top so Granny could inspect them herself, as instructed. All the while he felt his hunger grow, and just by the smell alone he could tell these apples were gonna taste like heaven.

Once his end of the bargain had been fulfilled, Granny gave him four delicious apples. Sharp happily took a bite of the first one, and as he did, he felt his eyes water in pure bliss. "Mmmm, so good..."

Granny chuckled. "You must have missed simple things like apple for some time, or you know your apples." Scratching her chin she smirked. "Say, how about you come work for me back at the farm? If nothing else, you'll have a roof over your head, and food in your belly. A few bits too until you get back on your hooves."

Sharp was surprised, this older mare seemed to give him the chance others refused to. Smiling, he nodded. "Ma'am, you must be Celestia in disguise.. Thank you."

The old mare gave a toothfull grin. "You can keep your flattery soldier, and start out by helping me with the heavy stuff. Why don't you put your stuff over there and get to work?"

Sharp gave her a salute, and smirked. "Yes ma'am."

It seemed things were looking up for Sharp, sure, he was still tired and needed a good home cooked meal, but at least he had found a place to work and a place to sleep. He took off his helmet, heavy backpack, belts, and placed them under the counter of the stall, along with his rifle, that way they could keep an eye on it as well.

The day was rather peaceful, without all his gear, ponies were more willing to talk to him, but he could see they still eyed his uniform warily. It was at least better than before, and he did have a good time with Granny. She was witty, had lots of stories to share and was not afraid to speak her mind.

Time passed fast, and before he knew it, it was time to pack up and go back to her farm. At first they waited, somepony was supposed to help her. "Dang it, where the devil is Big Mac?" She asked, looking slightly annoyed. "I can't load up the cart myself!" Sighing, she looked at Sharp. "I'm sorry sonny, I know you must already be tired, but could you help an old mare out?"

She didn't even need to ask him, of course he would help her. "Of course, don't you worry about a thing ma'am, just tell me how you want it."

Nodding in agreement, he got to work. The stall itself would keep standing, but everything from baskets, left over apples, and so on went in the wagon. Sharp worked fast, and placed it exactly how Granny Smith wanted it. As he was placing the final baskets in the wagon, they heard hoofsteps galloping towards them.

"Well I'll be.." Granny said. "Now you show up, just as we are done packing."

Sharp looked over from the stall and saw a massive red stallion. Sharp had to admit, that was one big stallion, his muscles were clear and he was pretty sure he could kick Sharp into the next town over if he wanted to.

"Sorry Granny.. Apple Bloom and her friends got into some trouble." The stallion said in a deep voice. Looking at the already packed wagon he looked around. "Did somepony help you?"

Granny started to smile. "Just hired an extra farm worker, come on out son." Sharp quickly grabbed his equipment and walked out from the stall. "Sharp, this is Big Macintosh, my grandson." She said with a smile before looking at Big Mac again. "This here is corporal Sharp Shooter, he just returned from Saddle Arabia, he needs a job, and a place to stay."

Big Mac looked Sharp over, mostly his uniform, and of course his rifle, which was a rare sight in Equestria. It was not an uncommon reaction, however, Big Mac managed not to look disgusted, instead he held a neutral expression, but not an unkind one.

"Thank you for helping my grandma.. I appreciate it." He said in his deep voice before putting his hoof out there.

Sharp reached out and shook it with his own. "No problem, but I'm pretty sure she helped me more than I helped her."

Granny chuckled. "Now, let's not stand out here all day. Put your things in the wagon and let's get home."

Big Mac nodded to Sharp before he attached himself to the wagon. Sharp placed his backpack, rifle and helmet inside the wagon, and walked up beside Granny Smith and Big Mac. With everything taken care of, the three of them set off, trotting down the road and out of Ponyville.

The dirt road led them away from the town, up to some smaller houses and farms. The landscape was beautiful Sharp had to admit, and there was a certain peace here he had not felt for some time. Soon enough the open fields got replaced by tall and healthy apple trees. It was a forest of apple trees, and all of them had the most juicy looking apples hanging from them.

Sharp took his time admiring the trees, it was truly beautiful, and his stomach seemed to agree as it started to growl, making Granny Smith, and even Big Mac let out a chuckle. "Hungry?" Granny smirked. "Well, don't you worry none. As soon as we get home, I'm going to get dinner started, Big Mac will show you the guest room once he's put the wagon back in the barn."

"Eeyup." He simply replied.

Sharp smiled. "Thank you.."

Soon enough they went through a small gate, and it didn't take long for them to reach the home of the Apple Family, Sweet Apple Acres. Sharp had never really been on a farm before, but this was exactly how he had imagined one. It was nice and cozy, and the three of them quickly made their way towards it.

"Now you listen here. Other than myself and Big Mac here, my two granddaughters also live here, Applejack and Apple Bloom, you'll meet them at dinner I imagine." Granny told him, and Sharp nodded in understanding. "So get your stuff and wait out here while Big Mac get the wagon in the barn, I will go on inside and get dinner started."

"Sounds good, and thank you again." Sharp smiled, and got his backpack, rifle and steel helmet.

"Don't you worry about it one bit." Granny smirked. "We like company." And with that, she trotted inside the house, leaving Big Mac and Sharp Shooter behind.

Sharp looked to Big Mac. "You want any help with that."

"Nope.. Don't you worry none, I'll take care of it." He simply said and pulled the wagon away. With nothing else to do, Sharp allowed himself to sit down on the porch with his equipment beside him. He could take in the view, enjoy the peace, the sounds of the wind moving through the leaves of the apple trees, enjoy the color change of the sky as Celestia's sun was slowly moving beyond the horizon.

Yeah, Sharp could get used to this peace. Though the peace was short lived as a small voice spoke to him. "Howdy mister!" Sharp looked towards the voice and found a small filly standing right in front of him, looking up at him with her big curious eyes.

"Uhm.." Sharp must have spaced out since he didn't see the filly at all before she had spoken up. "Hey little miss.. You must be, Applejack?" He said in a questioning tone.

The filly laughed a little. "Nah, that's my big sister. I'm Apple Bloom."

Sharp chuckled, he had to admit, the filly was adorable. "Well, hello Apple Bloom, I'm Sharp Shooter, I'm going to stay here for a while and work here."

Apple Bloom's smile widened a bit. "That's great! We could really use a hoof." Her head tilted and she pointed to his uniform. "What's that?"

"This?" Sharp asked as he put his hoof to his chest, and Apple Bloom nodded. "This is my army uniform."

"Are you a royal guard?"

Sharp smiled. "No, I don't have the style for that. No, I was a soldier of the peace corps.." He explained, not really wanting to go into more details about that to a little filly who probably knew little, if anything, about the civil war in Saddle Arabia.

"Ohh, so you protect ponies?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I'd like to think so.." Sharp replied with a smaller smile.

"Apple Bloom!" A second voice called, and both Sharp and Apple Bloom looked towards where this new voice called. That's was when Sharp saw an orange coated mare wearing a hat, glaring at him. "Apple Bloom, go inside to see if Granny needs some help with dinner."

Apple Bloom groaned. "But Aj, I-"

"Go." The mare, who Sharp assumed was Applejack, said sternly.

Apple Bloom sighed, then looked to Sharp. "I better go, it was nice to meet you mister!" She called as she ran into the house.

Sharp nodded. "You too." He then looked towards the mare, who was now marching towards him with a look he could only interpret as anger. "Uhm, you must be Applejack?"

"That's right, and who are you?" She asked, not sounding polite at all.

"Sharp Shooter, Granny Smith was kind enough to offer me a place to stay, so I-"

"No."

"Excuse me?" Sharp asked, not sure he heard that right.

"I said, no." Applejack repeated. "Your kind is not welcome here."

"My kind?" Sharp asked, but already had an idea about what she meant by that.

"Yes.. Your sort, going overseas only to cause trouble.." Applejack replied firmly. Sharp sighed, it was not like he had not heard all those things before, how he and all the ponies who went to Saddle Arabia were just a bunch of bullies. It made him wonder what exactly they had been told about the conflict. Did they think they were an invasion force? "You can find somewhere else to sleep, because it's not going to be on my farm."

"Hold on there." The voice of Big Mac interrupted, trotting over to them. "Granny has offered him a place to sleep, and he will be working for us, starting tomorrow."

Applejack did not look pleased one bit. "No, this is a place for hard working ponies. He can't stay."

Big Mac's usual calm changed into a more serious and firm look. "This here is a family farm Aj, and like it or not, Granny Smith invited him to stay. Now I might not know about all that fancy element stuff, but I know enough to give somepony a chance. If not, you are free to go in and talk to Granny Smith about it."

That seemed to shut Applejack up, either because she wanted to avoid a confrontation with Granny, but something about elements or something seemed to make her think twice as well. Sharp did not understand what Big Mac meant, but it seemed to calm Applejack down somewhat.

"Fine.." She mumbled, then looked at Sharp. "You can stay here and work, but I don't trust you. And stay away from our sister."

Before Sharp had a chance to reply, Applejack was already inside the house. Sharp sighed and stood up. "Guess that sentiment has spread across the entire country.."

"Eeyup.." Big Mac replied, sounding apologetic. Sharp was not sure what his stance was, but to be honest, he didn't care. He was decent enough to give him a chance and look past his uniform, and so he could respect Big Mac. "Now come along, I'll show you to your room."

Taking his stuff, Sharp followed Big mac into the house. From the moment he stepped in, Sharp could tell this was a close family. The house pretty much bathed in memories, every picture, every floorboard and blanket had a story. They passed some family pictures, and Sharp stopped at one of them.

It was with a younger Granny Smith, two ponies, and three foals. Big Mac, Applejack, and little Apple Bloom, who was probably not even a year old. Sharp found himself staring at the picture, and as he did, he could pretty much feel the warmth and the love they must have for one another.

"Our parents." Big Mac said, trotting back over. Sharp was about to say he had figured that much out, but something about Big Mac's tone told him there was something painful about it. He had heard such a tone before, and so he didn't even hesitate when he said.

"I'm sorry.."

Big Mac understood, he did not need to ask how Sharp knew, he figured he had seen ponies grieve a lot, and so he simply nodded. "Thank you.. Now, come on then.."

Without another word, Sharp followed Big Mac upstairs. At the end of the hallway to the right, Big Mac entered a room, which Sharp followed. The room was nice, had a single bed, a closet, a desk and a chair. It was pretty clean, but impersonal, but that was to be expected from a guest room.

"This here will be your room." He pointed to Sharp's rifle. "Please keep that under lock, don't want Apple Bloom or her friends to get too interested in that thing."

Sharp understood and gave him a firm nod. "Have a habit of getting into trouble?" He asked, as he put his things away.

Big Mac snorted. "Apple Bloom and her friends can be a tornado of trouble.. Just a fair warning.."

Sharp nodded, understanding quite well. Luckily, the closet could be locked, so it would be no problem, he just needed to hide the key, or keep it on him if he put on a shirt. It would feel strange suddenly not having to wear the uniform anymore, it had pretty much been who he was over there.

"Dinner should be ready soon, I'll better go wash up a bit." Big Mac said and left the room.

Sharp simply nodded, looking himself in the mirror that hung from the closet door. For so long, he had just been a soldier, his uniform, his number, his rank, it had been all he was. Sighing, he took it off, carefully folding it and placed the boots at the end of his bed, and the shirt and pants on top of the bed, along with his belts and pouches.

He turned to the mirror again, and who he was was a mere stranger. What most stuck out however was his cutie mark, since it was covered up by the uniform, his cutie mark could only been seen on his helmet, as it had been painted on there. Small markings to quickly identify him in his platoon.

His cutie mark was a round bullseye, blue ring, white ring, and then in the middle a blue dot. Amazing something that sounded so harmless would mean he was talented at killing. Sighing, he decided to head downstairs, trying to move normally again, but the lack of a uniform made him feel, almost exposed, like more vulnerable. Guess it was something he should get used to again.

The only thin he had not removed from his uniform however was his dog tags. They had been told never to remove it, and so he never did, not even now.

As soon as he entered the dining room, a pleasant smell of home cooked food hit his nose, and he let out a happy sigh. "Well I'll be, so that's how you look." Granny smirked. "Come on over and take a seat, I was just about to call you."

"Thank you ma'am." Sharp smiled and took a seat next to Big Mac, who was already there along with his two sisters.

Applejack and Apple Bloom both sat on the other side of the table, while Granny took her usual seat at the end. When they were all sitting, and Granny gave her permission, the family started to take what they needed. There was plenty of food to choose from, but with a family of farmers, Sharp wasn't surprised, especially with a big stallion like Big Mac.

As they filled up their plates, Granny struck up the first conversation. "So, Sharp. Tell us, where are you from?"

"Oh, well, I'm from Trottingham." He replied with a polite smile, and got some mashed potatoes on his plate.

"Really?" Granny asked. "You don't have the accent.."

"Well, I have been stationed overseas for two years, the accent kind of goes away little by little." Sharp smiled, understanding her confusion. Took some time before he got over his accent, it had provided some members of his platoon plenty of entertainment at times.

Granny chuckled, nodding. Apple Bloom was the next one to ask a question, one that was a bit more personal, but understandable. "Do you have any family in Trottingham?"

Sharp nodded. "Yes, I have a dad, mom and a little sister, she is a few years older than you though." He replied, still maintaining his polite smile, but he rather not talk about it.

Then it was Applejack's turn, her voice was not polite or friendly like Granny's or Apple Blooms, she barely even looked at him as she asked. "Why didn't you stay with them in Trottingham..?"

Sighing, Sharp put some salad on his plate, and poured some water into his glass. "It's complicated.. We didn't exactly part on the best of terms when I went to Saddle Arabia.. We don't talk much now.."

Granny frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that Sharp.."

Before Sharp could reply with a thank you, Applejack spoke up again. "Guess they didn't approve of you becoming a soldier then?"

Sharp looked at her, shaking his head. "No.."

She looked at him now. "Family should stick together.."

He nodded. "They should, but they should also try and be understanding.."

"Depends on what they are being asked to understand. Senseless violence is not something one should try to understand, or support." She said, her voice cold.

"True, which is why some ponies think they can help protect those who cannot protect themselves.." He replied, equally as cold.

She started to glare, forgetting her family was even there. "More violence is rarely the answer.."

"You're right, but I didn't go over there to be violent. I went to help.." Sharp said, starting to loose his appetite.

"But you only made things worse.."

"Applejack!" Granny's voice suddenly yelled over the table, shocking both Applejack and Sharp. "That is enough, we are trying to have a nice dinner, that is no way to speak to a guest. Now apologize to Sharp Shooter." It was not a request, it was an order, Sharp had spend enough time in the army to lean that.

However, he could see Applejack was going to force herself to say sorry, which he was not interested in. If she didn't mean it, it would be pointless. Instead he stood up. "I'm sorry, I think I'm a bit tired.. If you will excuse me.." He stepped away from the table and bowed his head respectfully. "Thank you for the meal.." He had hardly had a chance to taste it, but from the little he had tasted, he could tell it was great, he just couldn't stay here right now. "And thank you for letting me stay here.. Goodnight.."

He went upstairs to his room, leaving Applejack to get a scolding from Granny Smith. Sharp sighed, not feeling up to unpacking yet. He was exhausted, not only physically, but mentally. It had been some time since he had a chance to sleep in a bed he didn't have to share with other ponies.

Before he had a chance to get into it though, a knock on the door made him turn. "Come in.."

It was Apple Bloom, carrying a tray on her back. "Hey mister, sorry for coming in, but me and Big Mac thought you might like a little snack in case you got hungry again."

Sharp couldn't help but smile, he took the tray to his desk, and ruffled her mane. "Thanks, Apple Bloom.."

She smiled back at him. "No problem! Goodnight mister Sharp!" She called and ran out again.

Chuckling to himself, Sharp ate the snack she had provided, which tasted amazing. With a somewhat fulls stomach, Sharp got into the soft bed. It felt so foreign to him, and he spend a few moment moving, rolling, and adjusting himself. It had been so long since he had been in a real bed.

Finally, he managed to get in a somewhat comfortable position. And after thinking about the day's events, he finally managed to close his eyes, and fall asleep...

He just hoped tomorrow would be better...