GunAnon-Chap.3-Mysterious Stranger

POV change. Also, this chapter is short as hell. So I apologize.

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>Flying over the Everfree Forest you curse yourself for not coming out here faster

"I know I bucking heard a gun. A smaller one, but there's no mistaking it"

>Banking left you give the jets more gas and launch into a descent to the area you heard the shots coming from

>Spotting a mass lump of..something, too dark to tell from up here. You decide to ease up on the thrusters. Rotating them 90 degrees to face down you start a slow hovering descent

>Landing next to the carcass you can now identify as a dead Manticore, you ready up the twin cannons on your back

>Nothing in the immediate area, but there looks to be tracks from a carriage of sorts going towards P0nyville

>Those look too wide to be regular wheel tracks

>Switching your optics mode from targeting to recon you activate the night vision

>A high pitched whining noise greets your ears and you examine the odd wheel tracks left on the path

>They're very wide, with curious little designs in them. You feel like you've seen them before though. Or something like it at least

>The most odd thing here though is the fact the tracks just...appear, then seem to move towards town...

>There's also...could they be hoofprints? They have odd designs on them too...a shoe? Doesn't look like any hoof you've ever seen

>Thrusters back on you rise straight up to get a better view of P0nyville

>Nothing out of the ordinary sems to be going on

>Dropping back down to the ground, you land on all fours and walk towards the dead Manticore

>Looking at him there's about nine holes in his chest area, pretty well grouped together

>Then one in the head

>That was most likely the pain reliever right there

>Poor guy

>Looking down on the ground to your right you spot six small brass casings

>Just like yours

"Ah, it is a gun"

>Heaving a sigh, you get under the carcass and lift

>Walking towards the dragon canyons you prepare for a long night

>Hope they like Manticore

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>Well that was, interesting so say the least

>Turns out those bucking dragons have pretty good aim with those fireballs

>Singed your armor, and some circuits in your right foreleg are burnt to a crsip. Your limb still dangling loosely while you fly

>Banking right you up the thrust of your boosters, flying towards your bunker

>It was your fault though, sailed right in without so much as a warning. Spooked them

>Prideful bitches

>Sun's creeping over the horizon, pushing Luna's glory to the side for another day

>A faint cyan glimmer appears at your 10 o' clock

>Shit, gotta dive

>Dipping down you full throttle into the trees and land in a clearing

>Can't have them see you. Not yet

>It would ruin your entire mission out here

>Not to mention cause a panic in the older p0nies

>If they seen you they would think another war is coming

>They may be right, if your previous recon outings are correct

>The Centaurs...

>They're swelling military presence in their border cities and it looks like they're preparing for war

>You didn't see any firearms on them though, so what could've made that noise? No one knows where that vault is besides Celestia, Princess Luna, yourself and the 4 other p0nies guarding it

>The other two in your old battalion don't even know where it is

>That's a good thing though

>Limping through the Everfree you spot your hidden bunker in between two rocks and a large oak tree

>Stumbling to the door, you manage to open it and fall inside

"Ahh, shit that hurt. I swear by Luna's crown I'm gonna put a shell through the next asshole dragon that fires that shit at me"

>Stumbling yet again down the stairs into your work room you sit at the table

>Laying your right foreleg on the desk you get a light over it to asses the damage

>Some burnt wires, hydraulic system for your ankle has seized up, most likely from the fireball burning away all the oil inside of the thing

"Shit this is going to suck doing with my left hoof"

>Getting your tools, a wire loom, and oil you sit back at the table

>Laying your lifeless foreleg on the tabletop you split your left hoof into five hydraulic digits

>Picking up the wirecutters you snip every piece of electrical wire you find

"Ugh, this is horseshit"

>Grabbing the wire spool you cut out the appropriate lengths that you need

>You've done this so much you've memorized the amount

>Setting the wires in their proper place you solder them to the appropriate nodes and close the hatch that protects the circuitry

>You then grab the oil and pour the adequate amount into the feed hole for your ankle

>Wiping everything off you seal everything up and test the movements to see if everything is in order

>Seems fine

>Getting up you get on your hooves and walk around the shop

>A couple of test jumps and a couple of support tests conclude that it's working fine

"Good, not too bad of a hit. Still pisses me off, I just polished my armor"

>Opening the door to the hallway you close up the shop, and lock up

>Walking into your living room you take a look around

"I really need to have windows or something, too stuffy in here"

>Walking into the kitchen you open the fridge

>Nothing but leftover pizza and Stalliongrad Silver are inside

"Well, I guess I know what I'm eating for breakfast huh"

>A knock at your bunker door puts you to full alert

"The buck is this? Nop0ny knows I'm out here"

>Readying your underbarrel you cautiously open the door

>Celestia is standing there, flanked by two of her Royal Guards

>Bunch of jokes, couldn't kill a fly if it landed on them

"What. I gave you the report already, and I already took out two of their officers what more do you want?"

>A deadpan stare from her is all you get

>You couldn't give less of a buck though. Dumb bitch tried to have you killed after Valkar

>That doesn't sit well with you

>"I came to issue you a new assignment, through a treaty and some other political things I'm sure you could care less about 'Shooter'. We have held off our Centaur friends from attack for another 6 months to a year. So your new assignment will consist of keeping guard over P0nyville"

>You raise an eyebrow at this

"I'm not going to babysit a town for you. I'll just keep doing what Princess Luna wan-"

>"This was a direct order from her in case I haven't mentioned that to you"

>Her smile, you could shoot it straight off

>But that would upset Luna and you don't want that

"Fine, I'll do it. But I'm still going to live out here and if the Centaurs break that treaty and attack, I'm going to laugh at you while I put holes in them. Got it?"

>She gives you a disdainful look before replying

>"Okay then, tomorrow go to Mayor Mare with this form"

>She maigcs a sealed envelope into you left hoof

>"And explain your new position, the rest will be taken care off. Good day to you Shooter"

>She turns to leave as you shut the front door and set the spin lock

>Going to the couch you sit and stare at the blank wall

>Picking up a slice of leftover pizza you take a bite

>Throwing it back in the box on the table you take a swig of Silver

"Long buckin' day this is going to be"

>Picking up the pizza you take another bite

>Finishing your food and having killed a good quarter of the bottle of Silver you head to your room

>Opening the door you walk towards the back desk

>Powering your targeting processor and weapons core down you remove everything but your underbarrel gun and clamber into your bed

>Staring up into the ceiling you can't help but let your mind wander

>Wander to a certain pegasus mare you've been watching

"I wonder what she'll think of me finally showing myself..."

>With that thought persisting you fall asleep