Sweet Apple Acres, Acre 14 South
P.O.V Applejack
Phew, finally that's the last tree in this acre, darn it Big Mac, why do you have to be so sloppy on Dayshift? You're the reason I even have to be out here on a Nightshift picking up where you get sloppy. Ok maybe I'm a little harsh to think that but ever since this war started we've really been needing to earn money to stop our farm being taken from us. It ain't some random flank farm somepony planted in the middle of fertile nowhere, it's carried the Apple's name for generations. And I wasn't gonna let it disappear like- WHUMP!
"What in tarnation was that?" My thoughts were instantly interrupted as a shockwave pushed me back along the path I walked along, very nearly sending the cart I'm carrying's contents all over the place. My eyes snapped to the sky for the source and I was greeted by the telltale rainbow of colour above the distant towns of Appleloosa, Rainbow...
"Gosh darn you Dashie..." Personally I let out a sigh as I remembered the days well before this war, when we called each other best friends, when we laughed... and loved each other. I instantly shook my head before I could let such memories drift into my thoughts. Those times were over for a reason, she isn't the sweet, loyal and admittedly sexy mare I had thought I loved. It was her fault she spent the night with that other guy, that our time was some simple one time only fling, her bloody loss.
I yelped as I found myself punching a tree in anger, I held my hoof for a few moments, nursing it before I got moving again back to the storage barn next to the homestead, about time too as the sun was already setting on the horizon beginning to dip below the distant landscape in an orange glow.
"That's one of the reasons I love you AJ~ You're as beautiful as the sunsets you see~" Sniffing, I raised a hoof up to my cheek, not sure if I was wiping the tears or sweat that flowed down it, but knowing it was caused by that profound memory. Damn it Dashie, why'd you have to do this? Why'd you have to go-?
CRASH!
Oh for the love of Luna, NOW WHAT?!
Unknown Location
P.O.V Delta Hooves
"Urghh, colt of a mare that hurt..." Wait, Hurt? That means... I'm alive! But where did I land? And why is my blood... going up my chest? My vision was hazy in the dimly lit darkness, looking around as it cleared up; I came to realize that not only was I in a barn... I was hanging UPSIDE DOWN in a barn by a rope.
"Pfft, no problem, I can fl-arghhh!" My momentary think aloud was interrupted by a sharp pain up my spine to where I felt my wings. Looking down, well up really, I saw a sight that put me in more pain just seeing it. My wing was still attached, but pointing the wrong bloody way!
"Great, so I've been betrayed by the elements, shot in the chest, hanging upside down in a barn Luna knows where and now my bloody wing's snapped like a twig, anything else to add to my shit-day-list?!" My thoughts were as pissed off as my mood, at least my guns were still here and my knife is in reach. Just need to lean up and cut myself lo-
Creeeeaaak
... Just had to open your mental mouth D... Just HAD to open it!
Apple Family Storage Barn
P.O.V Applejack
"I really need to oil up those hinges, I'm gonna wake somepony just opening these doors." Now that I was back in the empty barn, I pulled up the apple cart and began to look for the source of the noise, not that it would be easy in the dimly moonlit darkness but hey, something made a noise and I'm gonna find out what.
Suddenly, there was the small "thump" behind me as I looked back to the apple cart, probably some apple that fell off last min- wait... how is the place dimly lit with no windows or lights on...? My gaze looked up to see what on the roof was causing the lig- What in Tarnation did that?! As I looked up I seen that a hole in the roof, the size of a pony had been smashed through the roof, ropes limply dangling in the dim moonlight, I stepped closer but felt moisture of my hoof, my pupils shrank in shock as I looked down to my wet hoof, a hoof wet in blood.
"Hello?! Is somepony here?!" My warning could be heard throughout the barn as my hoof gripped to my holster on my right hind leg, pulling out my old yet reliable 9mm Beretta. It may follow the stereotype of most farm ponies like me being rednecks, but hell, I ain't gonna let some wandering junkie come get anywhere near, let alone lay a hoof on me-.
My hooves were light as I quickly twisted around to the sound of a light creak, aiming my weapon I stood at the corner of some hay bales, my grip tightening on the trigger as I took a deep breath, clicked off the safety catch and rounded the corner, aiming at-! Nothing?.. The buck? Eerie silence filled the barn as I stepped back, looking around as I held my weapon. Hearing the silent noise of a hoof in a puddle, but I wasn't in the blood!
"Hold it!" Instinct carried my aim rapidly to the blood, right at another pony, a pony with a rifle. We stayed like this for a few moments, both of us having tight grips on the triggers but not moving so much as an inch as we aimed at stood off. I'm not sure what kept the pony or me from pulling the trigger. Did the pony know me? Why does he or she look... familiar? Time to test this pony...
"Go on... you got yer sights on me, why not shoot?"
"I don't kill civilians, Element of Honesty... but try and give me one good reason to believe you're not here to finish the job."
"Job? Wha-what job? Who are you? How do you know ah'm an element?" Yep, definitely a Stallion, no mare would have a voice like that.
"I may not know the names of the Mane 6, but I certainly can recognise the faces. You ponies set me up in Appleloosa, I ain't taking chances. Not again." Wait... Appleoosa? Set up? I had no idea what the buck he was talking about. But that's when I see his cutie mark and a hint of green in the dim moonlight, it's Delta! Then that means... oh no...
"Delta?... Is that you? Listen ah can explain-!"
"Yeah, explain why I lead an assault into a rebel camp to get shot and blown away by those I'm fighting for? Yeah, don't blame me for calling bullsh-"
"Just hear me out ok?! Not all the elements are after you!"
"... Ok... I'm listening."
"Look... Ah'm sorry Ah couldn't warn you, but yer so off the grid finding ya is like a snowball's chance in hell, the hell being a battlefield... Celestia had ordered us to a secret meeting, she wanted us to assassinate you in the middle of a battle. But me and Fluttershy refused, Twilight, Dash, Pinkie and Rarity didn't..."
His gaze seemed to show a little more understanding during my explanation, but his rifle was still staring at me as my pistol did to him. "And what proof is there that I can trust you?"
"Well... ya can't... ya can't trust anypony these days... but ah'm asking you to trust me, please. We haven't shot each other have we now? Besides, Ah'm the element of Honesty, that good enough?"
"... and you realize this is a HK416 I'm aiming at your head right? One that I can use to blow off your head at any time?"
I gulped upon hearing this. You wouldn't... "Y-Yeah?"
...
...
...
"Well I'm not going to."
*Author's notice, Those aren't mistakes where I'm writing AJ's dialogue, just accents, will be using this in later chaps as well so grammer police, you've been warned x3*