Celestia's Finest: Save the Date

[D.KnightSpider]

Even trying to be open, you're half-concealed.

Sniper looked at his reflection in the rear-view mirror and inventoried the changes: the dye was washed out of his pelt, revealing its normal soft, brown color. A false mustache and a pair of unneeded glasses completed his disguise. He hardly recognized himself.

He removed the mustache.

Better.

The clock beeped at him. Sniper eyeballed the numbers. There wasn't any time left for doubt or second thoughts. It was go-time. Either he would get out of this (rented) car and do what needed to be done, or he would have to miss his window of opportunity and stand Rose up... That wasn't an option.

Sniper got out of the car and pulled a long thin package from the back seat. Another inspection of his wardrobe was performed in the side mirror. The suit fitted him properly. His tie was straight.

He was stalling.

Deep breath. He could do this. He'd stood up to Chrysalis and Celestia. This was nothing. A simple date between adults. Everything was going to be fine.

Sniper turned around and made a beeline for the apartment. He made it five steps before the nerves returned. He soldiered on.

[DigoDragon]

Rose fiddled with her earrings; a pair of red roses. Glass though, not actual rubies. Her budget was still recovering from her move, and she from that attack. Rose shudders. Well, the scar healed just fine thanks to her magic. It'll take a hawk to spot the remains of the scar.

She pats down the dress, a nice plum color with a conservative cut. She has her mane out, combed to the right and washed to a nice shine. She is thankful for Love letting her use that mango shampoo.

"Okay, Rose. Be pretty, but not too pretty. Don't scare Sniper away."

[Elbeyon]

A chuckle comes from the door. "I don't think I've heard that one until now. You were taking a while so I came to check on you."

"You look great, and not too aggressive." She smiles big. "This isn't a blind date. Try not to worry too much. You already know how he feels. He must feel something big if our Scope confessed to you. A bit of shine overwhelms all the rough edges. And, you're both shining to each other. Let things progress naturally without too much worry."

[DigoDragon]

"Thank you for coming over to see me off," Rose says. "I know it's Sniper, but... It's Sniper. I'm nervous that I might come on to him too hard, and... he's probably as uncomfortable as wet clothes in the bathroom."

[Elbeyon]

"My pleasure." Love moves into the room.

"If he can handle me these last nine months, he can handle taking the ever charming and considerate Rose out to dinner." She smiles. "You know him better than any pony. If anyone can do this, it's you. He's going to be really trying tonight to make you happy. I think he might surprise you in what he can handle. I'm confident in your ability to not push things too hard."

"Remember, tonight is about having a good time. Try not to focus on the small stuff? Things need to be fun and exciting before anything else."

[D.KnightSpider]

Follow the numbers, find the right door... There it was. Sniper checked his watch. Two minutes to spare.

He refused to spend those two minutes destroying his courage. Sniper raised a hoof, breathed a prayer, and then pressed the doorbell button. He took a step back from the door and waited.

[DigoDragon]

"You're right, he's not that fragile. I just don't want to feel that he's making a mistake." Rose stops. The doorbell rings. Her ears shoot up. "It's him!"

Rose walks to the door, but hesitates. But wants to....

"Love, get the door?" She whispers. Rose backs up a bit. "Let me make an entrance."

[Elbeyon]

"You a mistake, dear? Banish the thought." Love smirks only to stop when the bell goes off.

She's about to tell Rose "No" on opening the door for her, but it looks like she has a plan... Hesitating, "Alright, you do you", she does as she's asked.

Love stands up on two feet, and opens the door. A hoof steadying the door's side in view of Scope so that he knows that Love's holding the door.

[DigoDragon]

Rose backs up around he corner. She waits to hear a cue.

[Elbeyon]

Love wracks her brain. She owes it to them to get this right. Nothing fancy. In her normal voice, "Rose."

[DigoDragon]

Rose walks slowly around the corner, partly hiding her right side with her mane and smiling as she approaches Love and Sniper. "Sniper, you're looking dashing tonight."

[D.KnightSpider]

When Love opened the door, he entered the room, uncertain of what lay in store. He ignored the paranoia. This was not a trick or a trap. It couldn't be.

Then, Rose appeared and all doubt was gone. The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. He allowed it.

Sniper took a single step toward Rose.

"Oh, what divine favor,
Could grant a poor pony,
This glimpse of the heavens--
Your angelic beauty."

He paused for a moment to signal the end of the rhyme.

"You look wonderful."

[DigoDragon]

Rose grinned. She approached and nuzzled his nose with just a touch; a gentle movement with her own nose in an affectionate way. "That's very sweet, Sniper. I don't know about the heavens, but this angel thinks you are worthy of this favor for all the good you have done from the heart."

[Elbeyon]

Love silently keeps hiding behind the door pretending that the world around her doesn't exist. Math and work! That direct neural interface induction pad firewall and last will countermeasures needs built.

[D.KnightSpider]

Relax... relax... Don't flinch or pull away from the touch. Stay in the moment. React. Don't overthink.

"Then may my angel be satisfied with this simple offering." Sniper extended the box to Rose.

It was a long rectangular box wrapped in gold foil. Inside were two chocolate roses laid atop a third, real rose. It was time to receive a verdict on his gift giving ability.

[DigoDragon]

It was a long rectangular box wrapped in gold foil. Inside were two chocolate roses laid atop a third, real rose. It was time to receive a verdict on his gift giving ability.

Rose looks surprised. Chocolate roses?! Okay, Rose admits to herself that food and sweets is a pretty easy way to win her, but she will not dismiss that as a bad thing. She takes the real rose with her ponykinesis magic and gently sniffs the fragrance. Mm, nice.

She brushes the rose on her cheeks, smiling wide. "This offering is exquisite. You know how to make a mare feel special."

Rose will levitate the box to Love, but will hold on to the real rose. She then returns her gaze to Sniper. "So, shall we be off? I'm very curious to see what you have planned."

[Elbeyon]

Rose will levitate the box to LoveLove is surprised by the randomly appearing box, but takes it since it seems to be meant for her. She looks away and tries to lose herself in her thoughts again.

[D.KnightSpider]

It's just like you practiced. Tough it out. If you're going to do this, then do it right. No excuses.

Sniper extended a crooked foreleg, offering it to Rose.

"Then let's be off. Preferably before Love grows tired of hiding behind the door." It was a joke. He tried to smile. "I'd hate to leave you in suspense."

[DigoDragon]

"Then let's be off. Preferably before Love grows tired of hiding behind the door." It was a joke. He tried to smile. "I'd hate to leave you in suspense."

"Hee hee, yeah, that's true. Alright Love, thank you for seeing me off. Lock up before you leave." Rose takes Sniper's leg in hers and leaves with him."

[Elbeyon]

Love steps out from behind the door with a big grin. "Will do! You know where to find me if you need me."

She waves them goodbye. She shouts, "You two have a good time!"

And, Love is out! I'll read the thread again when it's done.

Love was proud to be a part of this moment! She'll give a big thank you to Rose sometime!

(Disappears)

[D.KnightSpider]

It's a short walk down to Sniper's rental: a blue compact that was taken for the (low) price. It's small, but comfortable.

Sniper opened the door for Rose. Then performed a quick inhale/exhale breathing exercise as he trotted to his own seat. Fifteen minutes in and he hadn't spontaneously combusted. A new record.

He also made a note to discard Brazen's influence.

A moment later, he was in the driver's seat and starting the car engine.

"I can't promise anything too exotic tonight, but I'll do my best to make it memorable." A hesitation betrayed his lack of complete confidence. "You... wouldn't happen to be an art critic, would you?"

[DigoDragon]

"You're taking me out for a night. I think is already started in uncharted territory," Rose replies. She buckles in and gets comfortable. "I'm no art critic. Heck, not much of a food critic. If it's edible, I just let my taste buds do the work. Heh heh, but I admire some art. I'm open-minded for it. What did you have in mind?"

[D.KnightSpider]

"There's a gallery not too far from here. They've just opened a new display of modern pieces. From what I'm told, it's supposed to be classy."

Sniper pulled out into traffic and began navigating the streets of Canterlot.

"And since you're not well versed in art, both of us can be out of our depth at the same time. If nothing else, we can always poke fun at the pieces."

[DigoDragon]

"Sounds like a good start; Get some culture, crack some jokes." Rose glances at the passing traffic. She's in good spirits. "Back in the air force, I used to know a stallion that painted with his wings. It was... I dunno, I think the style was impressionist. I guess it was fine, but I didn't know wings was an actual thing with professional painting."

[D.KnightSpider]

"Given how artsy types are, I imagine that anything anything and everything is an actual thing in this day and age. You can have a monkey toss paint on a canvas and sell it for millions."

Sniper grimaced. Unpleasant sensations worked his way up and down his extremities.

"Still... using your own wings? I can see how that would work, but, ugh, just the thought of paint and oil caking into my feathers is off-putting."

[DigoDragon]

"Right? Wouldn't that ruin the natural oils protecting your feathers? Huh, I wonder if pegasi artists don't fly as well?" Rose is curious about that. Might be an interesting study to research into. Might have already been done.

"I guess when you have a passion for something... still, some modern art is just silly. Like, I bet someone could weld toilet seats together and call it a sculpture."

[D.KnightSpider]

"Too much idle time and too much easy money." He said as though quoting some pony. "I guess since we don't have either, we don't appreciate the irony. Out of curiousity, what was your friend's name?"

Sniper changed lanes and began guiding the vehicle further into the city. He checked a street sign. They were close.

[DigoDragon]

"More of an acquaintance. I think his name was Bristol Quill? Sounds right." Rose tries to think on it, but nothing else comes to mind. She assumes that was it. "He was a bit eccentric. But I think all creative types are?"

[D.KnightSpider]

"Quill... Quill..." Sniper ran the name through his mental rolodex. "I can't say as I know the name. And since I don't know that many artistic, creative-type ponies I can't take a make a judgment call there. I guess I'm 0 for 2 there.

"Although 'eccentric' was the description I was going for before Tartarus, so maybe there's something to the notion."

It's a light-hearted comment. One meant in jest.

[DigoDragon]

"Haha, yeah I suppose. Wasn't that place something else." Rose thinks back to some of the more interesting times. Short list. "I can doodle stick figures. That's about it."

[D.KnightSpider]

Curse sci-fi settings. Sniper has a good one liner that won't fit the setting!

"You're already miles ahead of me. The best I can do is play connect-the-dots. I guess my mother's natural talents skipped right over me."

Sniper pulled into a parking lot and prepared for the difficult and arduous task of finding a parking space. His preparations proved unnecessary. Fortune favored them as another patron exited at the precise moment that they entered.

"Huh. You don't see that happen too often."

He took the space, parked, and began unbuckling his seat belt.

[DigoDragon]

"Fortune favors the bold," Rose says. She unbuckles and goes to exit... wait, should she wait for him to open the door? Rose waits a bit, just to see.

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper tipped her a wink and slipped outside. He closed the door and began circling around the outside of the car.

Did I just do that? Why did I do that? Don't think. Stay relaxed. Stay open. Go with the flow.

He adjusted his glasses with one hoof as he opened Rose's door for her.

The Grey Grove Art Gallery. With clean lines, modern design and a drab grey appearance, it was unremarkable as a small building. As a canvas, however, it stood out. Brilliant banners, all hoof painted, decorated the facility at equidistant points, which did a fine job of setting it apart from the surrounding neon landscape. It was as though some pony had cut out a section of the modern landscape and dropped a piece of artwork in its place.

"Gives 'hole-in-the-wall' a new meaning, doesn't it?"

[DigoDragon]

Rose exits the car with a smile. "How chivalrous," she says pleasantly. 'Rose, don't try to hard to comment on everything. This is Sniper. Flow with him. You know how.'

She looks at the building and nods. "Certainly know how to stand out by... not standing out. Interesting."

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper nodded in agreement.

"It is. Rather than trying to compete with the surrounding displays, they undercut them completely by not being there. Well," He offered his foreleg once again. "shall we?"
--

Sniper passed two tickets to an attentive door-stallion and then guided them into the gallery proper.

Entering the inner sanctum was akin to entering a parallel world. The building's original design was cold and sterile, obviously meant to put attention solely on the art displays. Whoever had designed the outside of the building had clearly gone to great lengths to compliment the original drab design with a more comfortable atmosphere. The lighting was soft, the decor subtle yet colorful, and the addition of quiet white noise naturally kept conversation subdued. Somehow, the entire place felt homey.

Sniper's eyes darted around the area, cataloging the layout and design for future reference, lines of sight and potential attack. The action was second-nature. He didn't realize he was doing it.

[DigoDragon]

Rose profiles some of the other ponies here; postures, what they're carrying, what they're paying attention to. She doubts anyone is here to start something, but her military training has heightened her awareness of those around her after the week in Ponyville. Potential combatants could now simply be a pegasus with a computer chip embedded in their neck ready to cast a geas or suggestion spell. She lost two nights of sleep over that terrible realization.

"Seems like a warm place. Wonder if the artists come incognito to get a feel for the critics of their work or if they don't bother."

[D.KnightSpider]

"Maybe. Heh. Now there's a funny thought. Imagine a big name art critic doing a bit write-up on a piece. He shows up and has his opinion influenced by some random pony, who is actually the original painter in disguise."

Sniper led the way around the busy patrons and to the nearest wall. The first painting presented was a cubist-style painting depicting canyons and valleys. Sniper squinted at it. Was that a violin hidden in the corner?

"That's... certainly something." He ventured.

[DigoDragon]

Rose nods. She's tilting her head, trying to understand how you're supposed to envision this art in your mind. "It guess this is like, a three-dimensional scene, but compressed in a way to just two?"

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper chuckled.

"I think that description fits all paintings. This particular one is a little off-putting, given the way it, just... looks so unnaturally stacked, like a bunch of blocks piled up together haphazardly. Then again, maybe that was the point. The painter was trying to describe the orderly chaos of nature or something highbrow like that."

[DigoDragon]

"Orderly chaos," Rose echos. "Heh, sounds like something up Love's alley. Each valley is an idea, organized in some way only she gets. The violin... no idea. Maybe she plays a theme song in he mind as she works."

She giggles. "Nah, Love's alright. But I admit this art is pretty meta. Seems to be the point of it, to make you think."

[D.KnightSpider]

"I know. Now I'm wondering if the violin is supposed to represent the sound of wind whistling through the canyon or something like that."

Sniper stopped and snorted over a laugh.

"Listen to us. We almost sound like the social elite. Doing so was easier than I thought."

[DigoDragon]

"Haha, I know, right? All we're missing is the bank for it." Rose covers her mouth to muffle her laugh.

[D.KnightSpider]

"Too bad one doesn't necessarily follow the other." Sniper replied. He nodded his head towards the next display. "Maybe the next one will be just as enlightening."

Your turn to create an imaginary painting. :smalltongue:

[DigoDragon]

The next painting has Rose tilting her head once more. (https://art.ebsqart.com/Art/NuElle/Media-Style/749646/650/650/Elle-abstract-023-2424-Original-Abstract-Art-Seaside.jpg) Three-fourths of the canvas is a soft, hazy sea blue against a warm light cream color. Off center is a sharp tear of maroon and gold. Rose takes a step back and then a step forward.

"It's... kind of like a ship's hull with a huge gash in it," she remarks. "Probably not what it really is, but its what I'm imagining. I'm also imagining Star throwing a fit if this was her ship."

[D.KnightSpider]

"Pity the soul who wrecks the 'bird." Sniper Scope said solemnly. "For his days will be brief and painful."

He eyeballed the painting and mapped out the lines of color and the swirling shapes. Go abstract. Think it terms of momentary glimpse, not a studied scene. Hmm...

"Maybe it's a lighthouse? A stormy sea surrounding an abandoned lighthouse, long defunct, because technology has marched on and made it obsolete. What was once a beacon of hope and safety is now a forgotten relic of the past... That's an interesting thought. Sad, though."

[DigoDragon]

Rose takes half a step back. "Ooooh, I think I see it now. This is the shore and that... yeah, okay." Now it looks interesting for different reasons.

"That is sad to think. To once be so important and then the next era you're forgotten. Huh, that's depressing. Guess that's how Celestia must of felt." She shakes her head. This is not a good subject for a date! Think happier thoughts! Rose clears her throat. "Well, no, she is still relevant. The lighthouse could be too. If upgraded and cared for. Maybe it could serve as a radio beacon. Or an observation tower. Teach an old dog new tricks."

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper ran the thought through his mind. It was, unfortunately, very familiar territory for him. But it was a very depressing subject; like Rose, he had no desire to go there.

"Yeah. You'd have to make it so that it fulfilled the same purpose, just with new technology. Eh, that's still just as depressing." He tilted his head and studied the portrait anew. There had to be another way of looking at this. Golden spike. Golden tower. Golden... ray? Ray. There it was! "Maybe we're looking at it all wrong and letting the blue depress us. Perhaps we should be focusing on the golden ray of hope piercing the morose sea of despair, showing that no matter how bad things are there's always a light to guide us."

Sniper turned to Rose: "Sort of like you."

[DigoDragon]

Sniper turned to Rose: "Sort of like you."

Wow. That shut Rose up. She was going to comment on the light but... wow. Not that it's a bad way to get stopped in your tracks, but it was unexpected! Rose blushes a little. A smile creeps on her face, curled a little on the left. She steps closer to Sniper.

"Do you mean my personal struggle to overcome my self-image, or something more... personal?" she asks, looking into his eyes.

[D.KnightSpider]

Don't withdraw. Don't withdraw. Relax. Do what feels natural. Remember what Love said.

He wasn't completely successful at relaxing. Nervousness poured through him given Rose's proximity, but Sniper did manage to hold his ground. Priority one was making sure that Rose felt cared for and special. Discomfort was a small price to pay for that. What to say? His thoughts jumbled. Stall. Buy yourself a moment to think.

"Oh, it's more personal than your inspiring story." Sniper relaxed into her eyes. "It's light you've brought to my soul."

Well, there was some truth there. Still, wow. Where had that come from?

[DigoDragon]

Rose eyes sparkle in the light. This... might be tears from feeling moved. She motions her head to flip her mane, but the real purpose is so she can momentarily close her eyes and force those premature tears to dream before they get too visible. She let's her made bounce on her shoulder. "You're so sweet. I do like this side of you; warm, personal." She gives him a little bit of space back when she looks back at the painting.

"A golden ray of hope. I've ever been called that before." She looks down the hall. Rose is starting to really get into this groove of modern art with Sniper. "Shall we see what the next one is?"

[D.KnightSpider]

The caring side was always there. He'd just been afraid to show it.

"Of course." Sniper said. It was good to see Rose happy. Really good.

He led the way around a few patrons who were loudly crowing about the genius of some art critic. The next painting was a swirling mass of white, grey and gold hues twisting about each other. A fuzzy blue patch bordered the painting.

"I guess this one is supposed to be a... cloud?"

[DigoDragon]

"Perhaps a tornado? Or... hmm, thinking more meta, brainstorming an idea?" Rose tapped her chin, thinking of the possibilities. She listened to the crowd to hear what their thoughts were of the critic.

[D.KnightSpider]

"Possibly. Brainstorming an idea, heh. I like that, but I can't get away from the notion of clouds." Sniper pointed at the far left side of the painting. "I think it's that spire-like projectile on the edge. It reminds me of Cloudsdale."

The art critic in question turns out to be Playful Snark: a recent entrant to the art world. She's developed a reputation for having a discerning eye, exquisite taste, and a primly sarcastic way of ripping artists to shreds. The social elite are in love with her.

[DigoDragon]

"Ahhh. I've only been to Cloudsdale once. Sort of. The airship I served on stopped there for refueling once, but the captain was a hard-nose. He didn't let any non-pegasi off the ship." Rose tilts her head to the side. "So is the spire any particular place in Cloudsdale for you?"

[D.KnightSpider]

"Sounds like your captain had it right. I've heard a lot of horror stories about unicorns and earth ponies taking a plunge through the clouds because they got careless."

Sniper frowned. He tried to fit the spire up against his memories and find a fit.

"It feels like I should be able to place it, but nothing-- ah, that's it!" Sniper stamped a hoof in recognition. "There a spire across the park from the old family reunions. That's what it was."

[DigoDragon]

"Old family reunions? I think I can guess what they do there." Rose looks at some of the swirls. The art critic is a little hard to ignore. "Hmm, maybe we should move on. If Playful over there overhears our little snarky commentary, we might make her feel inadequate." She grins.

[D.KnightSpider]

"Eh, you might be surprised. Or reunions weren't all that normal. When you get a bunch of rowdy, retired soldiers and a group of opinion-conscious social elite together, all sorts of crazy things happen."

Sniper chuckled at a few old memories. He cast a quick glance at the aforementioned critic and nodded.

"The last thing we want is to upset her apple cart. She'd probably make us pay for it."

He smiled at Rose and looked toward the next painting in the line.

I figure that after this next one, we can transition to Rose's favorite part of the date. Sound good?

Also, your turn to queue up a painting.

[DigoDragon]

Sounds like a plan!

Next in line was a large painting of vertical lines running down the canvas in a random mess of colors; gold, red, copper, black, silver... but intermittent among the heavy strokes there were several clusters of short strokes that were diagonal and horizontal. It broke up the nearly uniform design.

Rose tilted her head once more and attempted to gain meaning in what she was looking at. "Maybe... a waterfall?"

[D.KnightSpider]

"That's a more refined guess than mine." Sniper chuckled. "The best I've got is that it's a patchwork quilt."

Maybe a more blurred look at the canvas would help. Sniper squinted. Now it looked like a blurry patchwork quilt.

[DigoDragon]

"My second guess would have been curtains," Rose says. "The really cheap kind you get at the wholesale stores."

[D.KnightSpider]

"Maybe that's what the artist had in mind. He wanted something that would go with any decor and this was the result. If you're trying to please every pony, this would be the way to do it."

Sniper turned to look at the picture from an angle.

"It could be an extreme close up of Rainbow Falls."

[DigoDragon]

Rose noses up close to the painting, then back up again. "Hey, yeah I could see that. Has most of the colors I think. Good catch there, Sniper."

[D.KnightSpider]

He shrugged.

"It wasn't anything special. You mentioned that it looked like a waterfall. It half looks like a rainbow. Put the two together and it's Rainbow Falls." Sniper allowed her a half smile. "I think we can share the credit."
-----

The rest of the gallery passed in similar fashion. Before either realized, it was time to move on to dinner.

Sniper's selection of eatery was an upscale restaurant on the far side of town known as 'The Mille Filet'. The food was Prench, supposed to be good, and the atmosphere was calm and quiet. In contrast with the gallery, the Mille Filet took pride in its decor. Greenery adorned the walls, warm fabrics highlighted tables and chairs all the while creative lighting have the impression of candlelit privacy.

Sniper and Rose were soon seated at a table, thanks to a timely reservation. A sandy-coated stallion introduced himself as 'Fine Dining', handed out menus and asked for any drink preferences.

Sniper looked at Rose and signaled her to order first.

[DigoDragon]

Rose looks over the drink selection. As this was upscale, her eyes wanders over the harder drinks. She scans the cocktail section for something that isn't outlandish in price. Then she considers that Sniper doesn't drink. Might not be fair. Especially if she's gonna sport an alcoholic breath on this date.

"I'll have a Shirley Temple," she decides on. There we go.

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper nodded at Rose. Everything was alright.

"I'll have coffee. Black." He said.

Once Fine Dining had muttered his approval and scuttled off, Sniper looked at Rose. He couldn't help but smile for a moment. It was very relaxing being with her.

"It sounds like you had quite the crew on your old airship." It seemed like a good starting point for discussion since Rose had brought it up earlier. "A hard-nosed captain and an eccentric painter at least. You must have some stories to tell."

[DigoDragon]

Rose nods, a little slow to admit it, but those were good times. "Well, maybe a couple. Like... okay, our airship had a huge slingshot system we would use to launch pegasi into the air really fast. You know, when you have to scramble to the skies, time is important. So we just took on some new crew and at the time the hip was floating on a lake. It's windy this morning, so what we did is turn the ship to the wind, wake up the new recruits, and blindfold them to get launched on the slingshot. Buuut, rather than actually launching them, we only pull them back about five percent and then release. They lean into it, but of course the push is so soft they just stumble forward into the deck. Captain hated and would give us potato duty, but it was worth it."

[D.KnightSpider]

"Heh. Ah, rookie hazing. Where would we be without them?" Sniper chuckled. "I can see that happening. Let me guess: as you worked your way down the line, the cadets grew more and more determined to be the one who properly took off."

Poor blighters never had a chance. Sniper opened his menu and let his eyes wander the offerings. Everything was just as it was when he researched the place. He looked back at Rose.

"If you don't mind me asking, what made you decide to go Air Force?"

[DigoDragon]

"Not one would take off, but they always tried."

Sniper's next question took a bit of thinking into Rose's history. "Why did I decide on Air Force? I think a big influence on that were all the Wonderbolt shows I watched as a filly. Made me want to fly. My dad didn't help things. He often lifted me up with his ponykinesis and fly me around the room. My sister was more down to earth, more into the tech that the Wonderbolts used."

[D.KnightSpider]

"Ah, that explains it. The Wonderbolts are very inspiring in what they do, and those little family moments can be pretty powerful. Maybe all that came together to give you the heart of a Pegasus."

An idea appeared in Sniper's mind. He stored it away for later pondering.

"I remember your sister, I think. We passed each other in the hospital, although I don't believe we spoke much. Red Shield, right?"

[DigoDragon]

"Yeah, that's right. Red and I have always been close. We've bailed each other out plenty of times, especially in college," Rose says pleasantly. "Gotten each other in plenty of trouble too, of course. She's tried the blind date thing this one time, and the stallion was this really self-absorbed drama student. We couldn't tell if he was actually upset or just acting when I helped Red dump him."

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper winced.

"That sounds unpleasant. The only way I could see it being being worse was if he was the starving artist type. At least she had you to help bail her out."

[DigoDragon]

"Yeah, but I'd still help her just the same. How about you? Do you have any siblings? Cousins maybe?"

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper's head shook in answer to the first question.

"I'm an only child, so no siblings. I had some close family on both sides of my parent's family. Especially on my mother 's side. Growing up, I--"

He broke off as Fine Dining reappeared with their drinks. Once the glasses were placed, the waiter produced a pad and pencil.

"Are the lady and gentle colt ready to order?" He asked in an accent that, while passably Prench to the uninitiated was still obviously false.

Sniper looked to Rose, quietly asking if she knew what she wanted.

[DigoDragon]

"I'll have the Eggplant Parmesan. And don't hold back on the spices," Rose orders. She folds her menu and turns to Sniper or him to order.

[D.KnightSpider]

"I'll have the Barigoule of Spring Vegetables."

Fine Dining provided them with some false compliments on their choices and disappeared to place their respective requests.

A sip of his coffee bought Sniper enough time to reorganize his thoughts. Where was he? Oh, right.

"As I was saying, growing up, I hit it off pretty well with a cousin on my mother's side. Which was good because I got tasked with foalsitting her all the time. That was a chore, because Fashion Statement is a thrill seeker to the extreme. You should have seen the trouble she tried getting into when she was young."

[DigoDragon]

Fashion Statement

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aP4gqO6rYsE/WauL9p9wb8I/AAAAAAAADUE/k2Fdurz0x7kBHSEe6eq7-PnNHXr4IpoMQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/vlcsnap-error358.jpg

Okay, that was Not a minor bombshell. :smallbiggrin:

Rose nods with amusement. "Yeah? Sounds a bit like my sister and I. Well, more me.."

"So what kind of daring do did little Fashion and Sniper perform?"

[D.KnightSpider]

"Ah. That's the wrong question. The proper question is what did little Fashion Statement do which little Sniper Scope frantically tried to prevent."

Another sip of his coffee was taken. Sniper relaxed into the story and the warmth of caffeine.

"Just to pick an example at random: there was a time when Fashion tried to pull a bait and switch on the local ballet class' costumes. Half of it was that she wanted to help a friend and half of it was the thrill of trying to pull off such a daring heist. So she broke into the studio to switch them out and promptly got herself locked into a closet whilst trying to avoid security.

"Guess who had his first infiltration mission that day?"

[DigoDragon]

"Wow. How old was she? That's pretty scary to think she's breaking into places to pull off heists," Rose says. She sips her own drink. "So how does Sniper's first mission play out?"

[D.KnightSpider]

"Horribly." Sniper chuckled.

"Little Scope was nowhere near as sneaky as he needed to be. The door was open when I got there, so I started bumbling around trying to find Fashion Statement and almost immediately get spotted by the security guard who knows someone's about. We start going around in circles as he chases me and I dart from hiding place to hiding place. All the while, Fashion Statement's trying to get out of a locked closet, which makes her extra hard to find.

"I finally noticed the fabric of one of Fashion's dresses poking out from under the closet door. I get the door open. She tumbles out with enough excitement to wake the dead-- which tells the security guard exactly where we are. Cue a mad dash for the entrance while he chases us out of the building yelling and screaming in frustration.

"He had to have known who we were, but I don't think our parents ever found out. I'd say we were a little older than the Crusaders when that happened."

[DigoDragon]

Rose listens attentively, interested in this history of the great Sniper Scope. She giggles, "Perhaps that Sniper luck kicked in and the guard didn't want to be bothered with paperwork and calling your parents. How fortunate for us."

[D.KnightSpider]

"Whatever the reasons, I'm grateful for it. (I've got enough black marks on my record as it is.) To be honest, Love reminds me of Fashion Statement sometimes; that might be one of the reasons Love grated on me so much. It felt like I was foalsitting all over again."

Sniper was at ease in the conversation. A rare sight, indeed.

[DigoDragon]

"Heh heh, yeah, Love can be a hoof-full. She's sometimes too clever. All that equipment she bought us? That was crazy, yet came in real useful." Rose sips her drink. "Well, you have me to help out with keeping her in line. I just want the team to succeed."

[D.KnightSpider]

"We all do." Sniper sobered as he was reminded of their duty and obligation. "It's almost staggering at times. This started out as an elite team performing a rescue mission and it's spiraled into so much more. Hard to believe that so much rests on us."

[DigoDragon]

"Yeah, Polaris and these negative elements... and of course some internal issues as well. Heh, we're just one massive mess. If only it were easy, with simple enemies we can just point and 'click', you know? Not this weird conspiracy with... I dunno, aliens I guess?" She puts her hoof close but not quite touching Sniper's. Always wait for permission.

"I trust you and the other EDF members with my life. We've trained for a few months and then jumped into the deep end together. But I'm glad we can have a little more together than just fighting alongside on the battlefield. I trust you with my heart."

[D.KnightSpider]

"So do I."

Sniper laid his own hoof over Rose's.

"The EDF has saved my life more than once. You, personally, have given and helped me with so much. You mean a lot to me, Rose."

Fine Dining chose that moment to reappear with their food.


Given Love in the Machine, think we should just call it here?

[DigoDragon]

Given Love in the Machine, think we should just call it here?


Sure, I'm good with this.