Celestia's Finest (Side Story): Iron Sights

[DigoDragon]

Rose stumbled for the lights. She found the switch with some difficulty and flipped it; several rows of yellow-white LEDs lit up the room. The gun range was quiet and left in proper order. The yellow-tinted safety glasses were lined up on one shelf, while a rack of ear phones to drown out the noise hung beside that. Nearby, two stacks of paper targets sat.

She walked into the room and over to the equipment. Rose fumbled a pair of ear-plugs on in two tries. She was still a wee bit inebriated from the Wonderbolt party, and whatever else happened afterwards. Well, she remembered, but she rather not think about it. Instead, she plucked a paper target and walked over to one of the booths. Rose clipped the target onto the line, and then pressed the button to retract it back into position. She sighed.

Rose was tired, but couldn't yet sleep. She was too wired from the party and needed to relax. Two ways she could have done that; pills, and coming here to practice. Honestly, one of those was a lie.

Her hoof unbuttoned a holster and removed the pistol. Rose held it up, unsteady, and took several shots at the paper target. They were scattered. Messy. She'd have to destroy this target later because her aim was terrible and even she was shaming herself. Rose tried to steady herself and took several more shots, trying to tighten her spread. Everything was now hitting to the right. Six weeks in the hospital and she was now facing the need for some heavy remedial training. Rose sighed again.

[D.KnightSpider]

What a night. First the Wonderbolt's party had happened and then that mess at his apartment. What had possessed Love to break into his place was beyond him. Well, not exactly. Intellectually, he knew why she had done it, but rationally he still couldn't fathom it.

At least some of their issues had been hashed out. That was progress.

But once he'd evicted Love and barricaded the door, he'd been forced to give up on sleep. Instead, he'd opted to stealth out, get some replacement doorknobs, grab some coffee and head toward the firing range. He could use the relaxation.

Sniper was so lost in his thoughts that, upon entering the firing range, he was reaching for the light switch before realizing that the lights were already on. The sound of gunfire startled him.

Instinct took over. He whipped around to face to face the noise. One hoof snapped back to grab his rifle.

It wasn't until he felt air where the rifle grip should be that he realized what was transpiring. It was Rose. Apparently, she wanted some late night training as well. And... He was standing there like an idiot.

After a long moment, he finally found the presence of mind to say: "Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."

Brilliant move there, Scope.

[DigoDragon]

Rose lowered her pistol and turned to see who just walked in on her. She was startled, but alcohol slowed her reaction, so she didn't jump at hearing the voice. She recognized Sniper and visibly relaxed.

"Is fine," Rose responded. Obviously things weren't fine. Rose was still in that cocktail dress and her mane was a mess. She put her pistol down on the shelf in front of her and pushed a button. The paper target slowly moved forward on its line. As soon as it was within her ponykinesis reach, Rose tore it off the clip and crumpled it; she didn't want anyone to see that poor performance, although Sniper was likely keen enough to know.

She walked over to the stacks of targets to grab another one. "I'm just... trouble sleeping. Also six months behind in training. So, why are you here?"

[D.KnightSpider]

A tipsy mare in a fancy dress at the firing range was a nonstandard situation. A nonstandard situation in a night full of them. But this one was nonstandard enough that he wasn't fully certain how to deal with it.

It took him a moment to sort through his options and find one that wouldn't make the situation more awkward. Rose looked to be disturbed about something.

"Love found out I had an apartment and invited herself over." Rose would find out about the misadventure in time. There was no use attempting to hide it. "She had it in her head that I was hiding a significant other in there. I couldn't sleep after that experience."

He extended the unopened container to Rose. "Coffee?"

[DigoDragon]

Rose clipped the fresh paper target up and pushed the button to retract it back into position. She then accepted the offer of coffee with a deep bow. She opened it and took a sip, then returned it to him.

Shegave sniper a curious glance. "Love thought you...? I mean, an apartment sure, but a significant other? And I thought I was drunk from the party." She smirked a little, then yawned. "No offense, of course. That is... you are unattached, right?"

[D.KnightSpider]

"None taken. As I told Applejack. I'm faithfully married to the job and intent to remain that way."

Sniper moved to retrieve his own set of paper targets and personal protective equipment. It seemed like the thing to do so he asked: "How about for you?"

[DigoDragon]

Rose shook her head. "No, never had such luck." She takes aim and fires three rounds into the paper target. They were skillfully clustered, but still, they were all inches to the right of the target's center of mass. Rose scowled at her poor aim.

"I don't have Brazen's charisma, or Love's self-confidence... bah, I'm just grumbling like an old mare. Maybe I'm meant to be single. I just, I don't know why it's bothering me. It shouldn't, but it does."

She fires two more shots, both close together, but still off center to the right. Again.

[D.KnightSpider]

Lest he be thought inconsiderate, Sniper refrained from taking any shots at his own target. Appearances mattered. He didn't want to show Rose up. She was already upset enough.

"Can I make a suggestion?" He tried to regulate his voice to a nuetral tone. If Rose granted permission, he'd continue: "You're carrying too much tension in your shoulders. Your cybernetics can't compensate and it's causing the gun to torque. Try taking a moment to breathe."

Two lovesick mares in one night. What were the Odds? No matter. He could fix the gun issue first. After that, we'll, he didn't know. But a calmer Rose could only help the situation.

[DigoDragon]

Rose turns on the safety and puts her gun down. She rubs her forehead with her left hoof. "I must sound like a hopeless love-stricken filly. Sigh, I can't even articulate my problem."

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper shook his head.

"You don't sound like a love-sick filly. You sound like a grown, competent mare who's had a very bad night." He placed his shooting materials back on the shelf. His voice lowered to show he was trying to be gentle. "Or who had a dream broken. Do you... want to talk about it?"

[DigoDragon]

Rose leaned against the table. Her ears sagged a little. "I feel silly talking about my emotions with you. You're like... the rock of the team. I look up to you on that." She tries to smile, but it doesn't last.

"I drank too much. I tried to come on to one of the wonderbolts and when he turned me down I just... broke down. Cried in the bathroom." She looks at her forehooves, like they were not hers, but a stranger's hooves. "Ever since that accident where I lost my legs, I think... the part of me that loved myself broke too, and... there's not a cybernetic component to fix that. I need to learn to love myself. But I think that mission got to me. Rose the crippled three-legged pony. Rose the blinded pony from an EMP grenade. Rose... I, I tried to overcompensate and I was drunk. I screwed up."

[D.KnightSpider]

After a moment's silence to order his thoughts, Sniper gave Rose an understanding look.

"Life would be much easier if I were an emotional rock, but I'm not. I'm just, well, very good at not talking about my issues. If you want a case in point: when Rarity's goon squad shut down the team, I was terrified. For a few moments, I was the only member of the squad capable of doing anything and I was scared that my best wouldn't be enough to protect every pony.

"When they... took your gun, I was afraid of losing you. Not your cybernetics. Not your doctor skills. I was afraid of losing you. You have a good heart, Rose. No amount of metal can change that. That's what I like about you and that's why I consider you a friend.

"For what it's worth, I don't believe that anyone is destined to be alone. You don't stop firing at the target just because you missed a shot, and you don't give up hope just because one fling didn't work out. Someday you'll find the right match."

He was fully aware of the hypocrisy of those last three sentences. But he could live with that. This was what Rose needed to hear: the truth.

[DigoDragon]

"I don't worry so much about finding a special somepony as I do finding myself. If I can't accept that these are my legs now... well then I don't think I'd be ready to get into any relationship. That's the core of my problem. Accepting me."

She looks over at her paper target for a moment. Blech, gonna have to burn that one too.

"I hope you aren't too lonely either. Hey... um, I kin of noticed that during our mission, you took a bit of flak from the others for your actions. I probably should have stood up for you more than I did. I think you made some tough calls, but if I were in your horseshoes, I would have done the same thing. It was a difficult mission where anyone on that station could of turned a gun on us."

[D.KnightSpider]

"I appreciate it. But... What's done there is done." Sniper shrugged. "Now I just have to live with the consequences. But you, the squad, comes first. Always does."

Had he made the right decision? He didn't know. But in the same set of circumstances, he'd probably make the same. Or maybe not. Over the past few months he'd paid himself to learn new ways of dealing with things. Maybe one of those new skills would have helped.

"I can sympathize with disliking yourself. It's not a nice place to be."

[DigoDragon]

"No, it's not," Rose echos. "Some days are harder than others to deal with. The squad helps though. Being with you all makes me feel a little bit more complete. So, I don't think my issues will get in the way of that... in fact, no matter what happens on these missions, I'll be right here with the team, consequences or whatever."

She looks at Sniper up and down a moment, and then scratches the back of her neck. "Sorry, I feel like... there should be thank-you hug in there, but I know you are uncomfortable with being touched. I'm, still working around that."

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper's look turned flat: not as an indication of displeasure but as a signal that he was suddenly very tired.

"Contact is very important to you and Love, isn't it?" He looked awkward for a moment. Then his expression turned neutral. "After all that's happened... I suppose you have a right to know."

[DigoDragon]

"I can't speak for Love, but I've always been a touchy-feely pony. Maybe that exasperates my problem with these legs. I'm just... really wanting to understand you better.
"

[D.KnightSpider]

Alright, Applejack. This one's on you.

Sniper trotted to a nearby chair. He sat down. This was going to hurt.

"Then let me ask you a question to set the stage: what would you do if you wrote up one morning to discover that practicing medicine was now outlawed-- that Celestia herself had decreed all those who try to heal another should be, to keep it polite, dealt with harshly?"

He couldn't bring himself to look up. The floor was suddenly very interesting.

[DigoDragon]

Rose... was stunned. She thought about it only for a quick moment, because one doesn't expect s question this heavy.

"I... guess I would have to leave for Griffonstone or something to keep doing what I love to do. That's... some question."

[D.KnightSpider]

"I know it is." Sniper's voice dropped low. This was difficult. He was opening old wounds and it showed.

"It's one I had to ask myself years ago. Let's say I get lucky and survive all these missions. I get too old to be on the front lines. What happens to me then?" His voice grew even quieter. Without moving his gaze, Sniper pointed at his flank. "How do I satisfy... this...?"

[DigoDragon]

Rose thinks about the question for a moment. "Well, you could... teach the next generation of sharp shooters? Leave them with your legacy and experience so that they're better prepared to protect Equestria."

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper's mouth twitched in amusement as he shook his head.

"If my talent were in sharpshooting, that would be an option. But it's assassination: murder, killing. You know how hard it is for a pony to kill? Most have to really work at it. Not for me. It's a compulsion: something that I have to do. If I lose the legal means to do that... it would be like an animal handler spontaneously having animals run away from her or a rodeo hand who is forced out of the trade. How long can a pony last before snapping one way or the other? Let's say I somehow suppress my Cutie Mark for years on end: what happens if I start going senile?"

His eyes closed. He didn't want to see anything right now.

"You can imagine how much damage I'd do if I started killing indiscriminately. That's part of what scares me. The other part, what really terrifies me... is the thought of dragging a family through that."

His eyes closed tighter-- both to contain and hide his threatening tears.

"I can't put anypony else through that. I won't put anypony else through that. That's why I taught myself to hate being touched: to shun the most basic expressions of concern. I've seen how easy it is to fall in love and how much it muddles thinking. So I went all and none."

The emotion faded, as did the tears, so Sniper opened his eyes. He gave Rose a look and shrugged.

[DigoDragon]

"But... is it really just killing?" Rose asks. "I mean, please don't take this the wrong way--could it be you're misinterpreting your mark? You did a lot of great work on Operation Sunrise and I don't remember you doing much killing at all, if any. Maybe a corvid? Look at how well you handled Coffin--I mean, Diamond Hope. You saved that filly whereas it would have been so easy to just shoot her. I think there's more to your mark than just murder. There's gotta be a deeper meaning that is more... heroic."

Rose gets up and walks over to Sniper. She looks him in the eye as she speaks. "Ponies are social creatures. I can understand that you worry about putting a loved one through something painful if you did something terrible with your talents. But what if you're wrong? What if you don't do anything terrible and your mark is something better than what you believe it to be? Wouldn't it be worth taking that chance to just have a friend you can lean on when you need it? You don't need to fall in love. A touch can be as simple as a firm hoofshake, or a pat on the back from an ally you trust."

This is where Rose reaches up, very slowly, and just ever so gently, touches Sniper on his hoof. "I trust you, Sniper. You are my squadmate, and a friend. I don't fear your cutie mark, because when we fought together on that station, I saw a pegasus that saved countless lives." She then releases her touch.

"Please don't fear your cutie mark. It doesn't define who you are inside. "

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper appreciated the gesture, which was why he didn't pull away from Rose's touch. He was still forced to cover a wince. Years of trained reflex didn't banish in an instant.

"It may not define me, but it's a part of me I can't ignore. It's always there, Rose. I can't turn it off. I have to be afraid of it... And you should, too. I almost attacked Love tonight, because in the heat of the moment, in a fit of anger, I wanted her dead. I just barely stopped myself.

"I know it's how your talent is used that defines you. I try to be an instrument of justice because some things in this world have to be put down. But mine is a dangerous talent. It's going to come out. I'm not always going to be able to stop it. One day... It will all go bad.

"... And I don't want to take you with me when that happens. I'm not a hero. There's nothing heroic about murder. Ever. But it's all I have."

[DigoDragon]

"You make it sound less like a talent and more of a... like another personality," Rose says. She leans against the nearest wall. "Well, I don't believe your talent is so easily summed up, and I refuse to be afraid of it. We will work it through as a team. And if you feel you can't stop yourself from being... talented, I'll be there to help you. I'll drug you if it comes to that, but I'm not letting you face this alone."

Rose pauses for a moment. She then adds, "To be fair, Love can be pretty aggravating at times. She might not be the best example of getting pissed off."

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper snorted.

"So you're saying that I'm certifiably mentally unbalanced. There's probably more than a few who would agree to that."

He leaned back in the chair and dropped his head against the back wall. The ceiling was still as always, but it felt nice to let something else carry the weight of his thoughts.

"Maybe I am crazy. I don't know. But if you're determined to see this through... I won't stop you. I just... want you to be careful. I have a long track record of hurting those around me. I don't want you to be one of them. You deserve better than that. Much better."

[DigoDragon]

Rose put up a hoof slowly, and spoke softly. "I'm a field surgeon, not a psychiatrist. I can't certify you on anything other than broken bones and the feather flu." She sounds serious, but there is a tiny smirk behind that. Almost like a relaxed expression.

"I am determined to see this through with you. As much as you don't want to see me hurt, I don't want you to work this alone. It'll hurt me more if I do nothing for a good friend and squadmate. And hey... you know, maybe there's a bit of destiny at work here. Of all the sane soldiers Commander Wildcat could have picked for Harrier Squad, he instead picked us. Perhaps there's something more to it than just the skills we bring to the table. Just a... something I thought about earlier today, you know?"

[D.KnightSpider]

"Maybe there is a reason we were put together in a squad. I don't know. Destiny and I have never been on good terms. It's hard to believe that it would do me a favor now."

For a moment, Sniper falls silent. He's clearly remembering something unpleasant. A moment passes. Sniper tossed his head and moved back to a more correct posture. Rose becomes the object of his gaze again.

"I'd say that I hope you don't regret your decision, but I think that topic has been run into the ground. But... Thank you. I do appreciate it. It's... been a very long time since somepony else just listened."

He shifted in his seat. "I guess it's time for the customary thank you hug, isn't it?"

[DigoDragon]

"Really? Well, okay." Rose was gonna question it, but why look a gift hug in the mouth? Or however that old saying went. She walks over to Sniper and gives him a gentle hug. She doesn't let it linger too long or squeeze too hard, keeping Sniper's comfort in mind. Or maybe his discomfort?

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper returned the hug as best he was able: poorly. His instinct was still to flinch away from her touch and the embrace was awkward. But this was important to Rose, so he would tolerate it.

Once the hug was over, silence hung in the air. Sniper didn't know what to do with the situation. He couldn't figure out how to transition to something else. All of a sudden, everything felt... foreign.

[DigoDragon]

"So... want to shoot some brass before bed?" Rose asks. She immediately follows up with, "Separate beds, of course. Just thinking to practice a little more before I hit the pillow."

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper's face took on the expression of a computer experiencing memory lock crossed with a terrified kitten at bath time. A second passed before his mind rebooted and even then it was just because he managed to find an unrelated avenue of conversation.

"Yes, yes. Target practice. Good idea." He stood up and began unstrapping the revolver from his side.

"Rainbow Dash wanted me to give you a message. I believe it was that she understands your pain because you both want the same thing. You'll, well, have to ask her about that since time."

It was an abrupt transition. That was just fine with him.

[DigoDragon]

Rose returns to her booth and picks up her gun. What was that delay in him? Hmm, such a complex stallion. "We both want the same thing? Well, I'm pretty sure Rainbow isn't jonsing for a seven-layer chocolate cake. Not sure what a famous Wonderbolt captain and heroically decorated pegasus would have want for. I just want to regain my lost confidence in myself. My body, that is. Well, we already went over that. Let's see if I can't get a passable set this time."


Was there anything else you wanted to talk about, or should we wrap this up here?

[D.KnightSpider]

"As I said, you'll have to ask her."

Sniper retrieved the target paper and mounted it to the training system. He doubted that his shots would demonstrate his usual proficiency, but that was alright. He was here for shell casings, not to demonstrate unfallible skill.

"I'm sure you'll do better this time." Sniper replied. He waited just long enough before continuing so that his words would have a slightly different meaning. "Because I have faith in you, Rose."

((OoC: I think that's a wrap.))

[DigoDragon]

"I'm sure you'll do better this time." Sniper replied. He waited just long enough before continuing so that his words would have a slightly different meaning. "Because I have faith in you, Rose."

There was a momentary pause before Rose fired her first shot. Her expression was a bit difficult to pinpoint; somewhere there's a mix of joy, tears, and relief. She took aim, relaxed her breath, and pulled the trigger...

[ooc: Fin.]