CHAPTER ONE
"That's it! Work it, girl!" cried the photographer, flipping on a switch. A large fan suddenly hit supermodel Bebe LeStrange with a gust of wind that was chilly, but fun. She was also covered head to hoof in sparkly silver glitter, which flew all about when fans from all angles were turned on.
Bebe got a real rush out of every photoshoot. She loved to get all dressed up and then get paid for being herself. She truly was a lucky mare! Despite the egregious amounts of eye-makeup and lipstick, Bebe felt just like herself.
The shoot quickly ended and Bebe was thanked for her hard work. A check would soon arrive in the mail, as usual. Bebe had just signed up to be on bill-boards across Equestria, and she was very excited. She was confident that all of her pictures would turn out wonderful. They always did, after all!
Bebe had all the qualities of a perfect mare. She was eye-candy, always leaving stallions drooling and mares shaking with jealousy. Secondly, Bebe was incredibly worldly and intelligent. She communicated well with griffins, zebras, creatures, and ponies. She was good with travel, too! Despite her occasional dark side, she was usually energetic and sultry.
Unfortunately, Bebe was missing one thing: the love of a stallion. She sighed, exiting the building of the photoshoot still covered in glitter. Her mane looked perfect despite being blown around so much, and her makeup still looked fine. She really needed a drink, some caffeine would have been wonderful. Suddenly, she noticed a little coffee shop and figured it looked posh enough to stop by. She entered the shop, a tiny bell dinging as she opened the door.
Thunk... thunk... thunk...
Heart Line's coffee was cold, and he didn't care. He was hungry, but didn't care. What he did care about was both how lonely he was, and how few romantic issues he had solved recently. It was if everypony had love, or didn't want it. Which was naturally giving Heart issues with both his livelihood, and his stress levels, as would be evident by anypony who could witness his current actions with the table.
Thunk... thunk... thunk..
If he kept this up, the table would have a dent the shape of his face in it, and the headache he would have would be legendary.
Meanwhile Sterling Silver, proud young royal guard cadet was enjoying a small break from his duties with a walk through the city of Canterlot. He walked with some thoughts plaguing his mind, that of Hearts and Hooves day. The upcoming holiday was becoming more and more apparent to the stallion as he began his stay in Canterlot. Being born in Ponyville and only recently moved, Sterling was feeling unusually alone for one of the few times in his life.
Regardless, he happened upon a small coffee shop and figured he could spend some time with his thoughts in there. He continued thinking. Sterling was never one to contemplate the complexity's of life, such as love, he mostly kept to his own agenda of magic and physical training, along with his royal guard duties. But, at this time of year he always felt himself pondering if there was every anypony out there for him, those same thoughts becoming more and more present, given he was away from home and family for the first time in... well, ever.
He ordered himself a small drink and took a seat near a window. He didn't drink right away and instead absentmindedly moved his hoof around the rim of the cup, sighing to himself. He then began to look around, wanting to get a good idea of who was also in the establishment. He spotted a stallion with his head on the table, hitting it against it slightly. He thought it was odd but didn't want to delve into matters he had no idea about. As his eyes scanned the rest of the cafe his vision passed a sight he could only describe as, beautiful.
Sterling's eyes had passed over a gorgeous mare at another table. Now, of course, the unicorn had seen plenty a pretty mare in his life but never one that caused his mouth to literally hang open for a second. He of course closed his jaw and averted his eyes at the risk of embarrassment but in his head he could hear a small voice say to him, "Well, Sterling... you're lonely, aren't you? Why not say hello?" this inner suggestion was almost crazy to the stallion, he was never one for theatrics or charisma, so the idea of simply hitting on somepony across the room seemed alien to him.
He continued thinking it through.
"Well...I guess it couldn't hurt...I mean...what have I to lose?" Sterling wondered out loud, quietly. He shook his head slightly, took a long sip from his drink and remained seated. He had a desire to stand up and merely ask this mare her name but his own nerves seemed to be keeping him back. Despite this though, Sterling knew deep down that he was lonely right now...and that possibly this mare could change that. He hoped anyway.
Bebe walked up to the store's counter and looked around her intently. She already knew that she just wanted plain black coffee, no need to worry about it. She noticed two quite good-looking stallions automatically, a brown unicorn with a pale mane and another unicorn in a royal guard's outfit. How intriguing, she'd never met a royal guard before! He was probably awfully strong and gentlemanly. Bebe giggled. The other, however, was slamming his head on the table in a strange manner. Bebe loved weird things, but that was a bit much.
She wondered if either of the stallions recognized her. It was okay if they didn't, but would really preferred if they did. She stepped up to the counter and approached a gaping mare behind the counter. Bebe's beauty seemed to take everyone off guard, and the gray mare smirked.
"Alright then, one black coffee. Keep the change."
Bebe passed her six bits. The mare automatically poured her a mug of coffee and Bebe sat down with it. It smelled delectable. She licked her lips and drank, eyeing the other two stallions and wondering which would make a move first. She knew at least one of them would do something.
Heart's skill with issues of the heart (which made his name deliciously ironic) was his major skill - magic notwithstanding. And with a serendipitous glance, he looked up, seeing what he had to admit was a beautiful mare walk into the coffee shop. While he racked his mind, trying to remember where he recognized her from, Love and it's flow made itself clear to him when he glanced over to another table, seeing a unicorn royal guard sitting at a table, taking a rather obvious look at the mare who walked in, an ever-familiar motion Heart recognized mainly for the fact it made attraction obvious.
While he did have an interest in the mare, once glance at the other unicorn with the familar look in his eye and his face sealed the deal for him. He grinned, quashing his own romantic attraction in order to do one of the few things he did best; bringing ponies together.
He could wait for another day. Now, all he had to do was figure out how exactly he was going to get this moving...
With a small smile, he spoke quietly to himself.
"Time to bring ponies together, as I always do." Make no mistake, Heart loved what he did and knew the quirks and the tricks of romance in general. He would just have to wait.
Sterling continued absentmindedly looking out the window as he sipped on his warm drink, every now and then looking back at the mysterious yet beautiful mare, even if he didn't mean to her found his eyes drawn to her, like it was an impulse.
"Ack, what's gotten into me?" he asked himself, "Have you no self control, Sterling? You're a royal guard for Celestia's sake!" he questioned himself once again, sighing slightly.
He continued sipping at his drink, not sure if there were even any liquid left in the cup, as his mind and attention were drawn to other things. The inner conflict of whether to simply go over there or whether to stay put continued to play out in his head.
"Nothing to lose...and you are rather lonely..." the confused unicorn pondered as he saw the mare get up, as he hoped she wasn't leaving. Much to his relief it appeared she was only getting a drink, the royal guard breathed a sigh of relief but his ears also perked up as he heard the mare speak.
"Sweet Celestia, that voice." He whispered once again, holding his jaw shut this time, "Forget loneliness". This was it, he wasn't about to sit by and let an opportunity pass him by. He muttered under his breath as he finished his drink, "Not this Hearts and Hooves day." He vowed quietly as he got up from his seat. He saw his cup being empty as an opportunity so he made his way back up to the counter, making eye contact with the mare and idly nodding and smiling at her as he did. He turned to the cashier, "One black coffee, keep the change," he stated as nonchalantly as he could hope.
Having set the bits on the counter and taking his drink, Sterling turned as if he was going to make his way back to his original spot, but instead he took a silent, deep breath and approached the mare's table, to stand at a chair opposite her at the same table. This was it, no screw ups now. He cleared his throat slightly and addressed the mare.
"Hi there. Um, hope you don't mind me asking, ma'am but, is this seat taken?" Sterling asked calmly, in his head having thoughts race back and forth as to what might happen. He hoped for a positive outcome.
Just as Bebe had expected, one of the cute stallions had made his move. Clever too. She wondered if he been drinking black coffee before she too ordered some, but she could smell it's strong scent in the air so she assumed he simply had good taste. She looked him over more thoroughly as he ordered his drink. He was tall, strong, and had a great mane and tail too. As a mare who spent so much time playing with her mane, she admired a stallion who took good care of his.
"No one's taken that seat, actually." Bebe said, smiling at the new stallion. She surely looked stunning. Sterling smiled back at the mare as he nodded and sat in the seat opposite her. Honestly, the stallion could hardly believe he had got this far. He was of course nervous but also rather proud of himself for taking the risk of approaching this mare, and he hoped it would pay off. When he sat he set his coffee on the table, sipping it slightly before quickly observing the mare up close. Naturally, he was able to get a better look at her.
Sterling noticed the mare's figure, it was rather slim but still visibly stunning to say the least, and her mane looked well kept and styled, also stunning. This lead Sterling to the remarkable conclusion that she was absolutely gorgeous and he needed to make a good impression. He concluded in his head as he readied himself and started the conversation.
"Thank you. I was just across the room and couldn't help but notice you. What I mean is, my patrol usually leads me through here and I stop in here on occasion and I've never seen you around these parts before. Do you come here often, Miss?" Sterling asked, happy with his question.
Bebe observed that this new stallion hadn't yet stated his name. How mysterious! She liked that, being quite mysterious herself. He was being awfully polite, which was sweet of him. However, she could see his eyes checking her out all over. This didn't particularily bother her, she was a model. It certainly was expected, after all.
"I live here," she explained, wondering if Canterlot was his main residence as well. That would have been splendid. "Oh, and I'm Bebe. Bebe LeStrange. I was doing a shoot nearby and I just stopped in for a spot of coffee. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who likes it just black and straight. I think it's even tastier without any sugar or cream, personally, but I really have to watch my diet. I'd rather die than get fat."
Bebe chuckled at her own silly statement, hoping it would lead to compliments from the stallion. She loved compliments. Her comment wasn't a lie, however. Bebe was guilty of quite a few of the deadly sins; lust and pride were her primary motives, however, and it made her feel even more intriguing instead of guilty. She smiled at the stallion once more and took another sip of coffee, trying to imagine herself getting fat. She shuddered physically. She could give up sweets and laziness if only she didn't gain any weight. Bebe reminded herself that she still looked beautiful, and clearly this stallion agreed. She purred and sipped her coffee again. She was an extrovert, indeed, but that didn't stop her from thinking deeply and often.
Sterling sipped his coffee as the mare answered, revealing herself to one Bebe LeStrange. Sterling thought he had seen or heard such a name before, but still wasn't able to put his hoof on it. He continues listening as Bebe explained her hatred of her reason for being here, followed by her hatred of gaining any form of fat. Honestly, Sterling could relate. Being a guard he trained for a good long while before he considered himself ready to do such a duty, and that cycle of training hadn't let up even to this day; the unicorn almost shuddered himself at the idea of becoming fat. Not an ideal concept for him.
"I know what you mean, Miss LeStrange. Being a guard we have to stay on top of our image." Sterling replied as he sipped once more, before coming to a realization. "Oh, and my name's Sterling. Cadet Sterling Silver. I live here too. I was out doing my patrols and I noticed it was my lunch break, so I stopped in here for a drink. And yeah, black coffee may not be the sweetest thing but it certainly keeps me awake." As he awaited a response, something in his mind clicked...and he had remembered where he had seen Bebe before. She was a model! Sterling's brain concluded as he felt a tad bit more nervous, but still mustered a question. "So you came from a shoot then? Are you a model by chance, Miss LeStrange? I think I may have seen some of your advertisements before."
Heart was deep in thought. His mind was flying at a million thoughts a second, trying to process what was being said and how it was being said. He already had one potential avenue for this going wrong, and was thinking on how he could prevent it from happening - or, in laypony's terms, how to stop ponies from being overwhelmed by this mysterious' mares looks.
She appeared to fit in with the Canterlot elite, meaning that even if they did manage to strike up a conversation - which he noted with a smile that one pony had managed to do so - then they'd have to deal with the likely Canterlot domineering attitude behind it as well as the fact that this mare was beautiful to a whole new degree.
He muttered to himself, purposefully loudly - loud enough to be heard, but not loud enough to be construed as speaking to any given pony.
"A lovely day for Love, for anypony, really." Every move Heart made was planned. Love was not a science, however - not even he could promise success. He would try, though!
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Sterling Silver." Bebe smiled, keeping her beautiful eyes at half-mast. It was alluring, and she already did have a lot of interest in this stallion. She looked down at herself and saw that she was still covered in glitter. That wasn't exactly embarrassing, but it was a bit strange.
Luckily, strange was her last name.
"I just came from a Marebelline photo-shoot, actually. They wanted me to wear silvery eyeliner, then they turned on a giant fan and threw glitter at me. I already cleaned up, but glitter can be awfully pesky. As much as I adore it and how it makes my photographs look, it sticks to you!" Bebe laughed and stirred her coffee, even though their was nothing to stir. It made her look cute, and she knew that much from studying body language. She tried to read Sterling Silver's and noticed that he seemed pretty nervous. Good.
Sterling laughed with Bebe, finding her situation actually genuinely amusing. He smiled slightly at her half-shut eyes, seeing them as rather alluring himself. His eyes also glanced down to her cup as she stirred. It was an odd move, but cute still. Sterling took another sip from his drink and kept his eyes on Bebe, wondering exactly how he got in to such a situation.
"Marebelline, huh? Nice," Sterling stated simply, noticing a lot more glitter on Bebe now than he had previously seen. "Oh, and please, call me, Sterling. Or whatever you would prefer, Miss LeStrange." the unicorn added, finishing his coffee and setting the cup down and away from him.
It was at this point that Sterling noticed something... that gaze Bebe was giving him, he had seen it before...but where? Basic training... where had he seen that sort of glare? Arresting? No. Obstacle course? No. The commander? Celestia no! he continued puzzling, until he finally got it. Aha! Reading a suspects movements! That's what she was doing... she was reading him! Two could play at that game.
He began to look at Bebe more intently, giving a question to give him time to read her as she was reading him, "So, how long have you been a model, Miss LeStrange?" the guard asked as he came to a conclusion himself. Bebe seemed very interested in something. He half-masted eyes and stirring of black coffee showed only one thing, that she was putting on somewhat of a show, a display of cuteness or interest. Good.
Bebe began to notice Sterling's gaze. It was suddenly so much more observant. Haha! She had won his full attention! That meant that she had to begin being a bit more sneaky with her moves however. Winking and playing with her hair were out of the question.
"Please, Sterling, call me Bebe. That's my real name after all." Bebe rolled her eyes again, remembering how she'd changed her last name just to get a leg-up on everyone else. It had appeared to work, she noted, looking again at this stallion. He was simply fascinated with her! Not only did she still "have it", she was simply on fire!
"Marebelline is a nice company, I do a lot of work with them." Bebe looked at her surroundings for an instant, noticing that two other stallions were now staring at her, including the one who had been banging his head on the table. Interesting.
Sterling was thankfully feeling a lot more confident in himself now, realizing he was indeed talking and arguably flirting with a well known supermodel eased the pressure a bit strangely enough. He smirked at Bebe's response, nodding to show approval.
"Okay then, Bebe," Sterling had replied, at this point wondering if Bebe had any interest in him. It would have appeared so, to his surprise. Maybe it was the unicorn, or maybe it was his random act of spontaneity but things were going well.
"I can imagine you'd do a good deal of work for them; being the pretty mare that you are if you don't mind me saying," the unicorn continued, realizing he had just worked a compliment into the conversation, and wondered if a better word could have been used, "Pretty came out but you were thinking gorgeous." he thought to himself, continuing to observe Bebe's movements, even though he had already read her, or he thought so anyway. He wondered that is beneath all the glitter and half-masted eyes if there was more he just wasn't seeing yet...he sincerely hoped there would be more.
"What other companies have you done work for, Bebe?" Sterling inquired, readjusting his armor and sword slightly. Bebe thought skeptically for a moment. Could she even remember them all? She had been modelling since she was a filly, after all. Hmm. Nope, she couldn't even remember half of her shoots.
"I uh...hmm. I can't remember who I've worked for except reoccurring companies. I've been modelling since I was a filly, it's been a long career." Bebe eyed Sterling readjust his sword and she immediately had little daydreams and mental images occur. He had a sword, like a knight. A knight in old fairytales. Bebe had always wanted to be a princess, and she certainly acted like one. That in particular really caught her attention and she could just imagine being all locked up in a tower with no help. Except Sterling Silver, royal knight!
They could have a big wedding like that one royal couple did. Bebe blushed and giggled. She hoped that wouldn't look too bad. Sterling began to tap idly on the table. He was going to ask another question until he saw that Bebe was seemingly lost in thought. Sterling wondered if he had done anything out of the ordinary, or very much in the ordinary, or something to that degree, either or he had noticed she seemed like she was daydreaming.
Furthermore, he noticed a slight blush and giggle from the mare, feeling a tad flustered at that realization. He wondered at the time, and whether or not he'd have much more conversation with Bebe. The thought he was running out of time saddened him slightly, almost causing him to frown. He held back the visible indication of sadness though and instead decided to make the most of the break from duty he had.
"Excuse me for a moment." Sterling stated as he got up from his seat, he approached the counter and ordered another black coffee before sitting back down with Bebe. He took a sip and mustered his courage.
"I hope this isn't to presumptuous of me, Bebe, but, do you have to be anywhere after this? If not, would we be able to continue this conversation say, over a nice walk through the city? My patrol takes me to some wonderful places," Sterling stated confidently, hoping for a positive answer. Bebe was dragged from her daydream immediately, thoughts of her very own royal wedding completely crushed into powder. Sterling was talking to her again, and that was clearly a very good thing. She looked at him with fresh eyes and noticed that he truly was handsome. Bebe had a very fluttery feeling in her stomach.
Uh oh. She was falling for him. Bebe shook her head in dismay and finished her coffee. She grinned at his offer, and flipped through her mental calender. She was free for the rest of the day!
"I'm free for the rest of today! I'd love to continue this conversation over a walk, Sterling."
Sterling smiled as Bebe replied, eager to spend more time with her. That's when he started to wonder, why did he want to spend more time with Bebe? It could have been easily explained by her good looks or supermodel status but there seemed to be something more there. Sterling had always considered himself to be in the right place at the right time in most cases, and this seemed like one of them. Despite him not spending so much time in Canterlot as of late he felt a real connection to Bebe.
He couldn't quite put his hoof on it but there seemed to be more to her than met the eye. He agreed that she was of course beautiful, but Sterling could always read ponies, and could feel something more to Bebe, like an inner intelligence or sweetness, and that made him realize something, "Don't know whether it's the looks or whether it's anything else but...this mare is amazing." Sterling confirmed in his mind, grinning back at her.
The unicorn ignited his horn and levitated his coffee up to sip it, putting both his hooves and crossing them slightly on the table, "Glad to hear it, Bebe. Shall we then?" Sterling asked, motioning towards the door and almost standing up himself. Bebe smiled and stood, trotting after Sterling Silver eagerly. She definitely was ready for a nice long romantic walk. It was her specialty! She looked beautiful, and she knew it. So she continued on her way, trotting along happily and feeling confident in her conversational abilities. It was time to win his heart! Hopefully it wouldn't bee too difficult.
CHAPTER TWO
Heart was being sneaky.
He had been listening into the two new lover's conversation, and it had given him an idea. They were going on a romantic walk; or so it seemed. Heart flicked through the nearby parks in his mind, and placed a gamble on the one closest to the small coffee shop they were in.
With a quick grin, he snuck out, leaving the payment for his coffee on their counter with a shushing motion. He had things to quickly rush out and buy, and not much time to buy them.
Meanwhile, Sterling and Bebe trotted along. Sterling thought to continue the conversation, it was of course the reason he suggested such a walk.
"Good day today, wouldn't you say?" Sterling asked, musing over what topics they could discuss. The next logical step would have been to share interests. "So, Bebe, I hope you don't mind but I'd like to get to know you better. You have any interests or hobbies or anything?"
Bebe nodded and smiled at Sterling. It really was time to get to know him better, and she was eager to tell him all about herself. Despite how superficial people assumed she was, she really was quite deep and had a large variety of interests.
"Well, I'm an artist. I like to draw, sketch, design, paint, everything really. I also have this total obsession with my penthouse. It always has to be neat and at the same time wild. I have all kinds of clashing prints in there and I get absolutely swept up in designing an apartment perfect for me. I also really enjoy keyboard music and wine. Reds, generally. And coffee, I adore coffee. I sometimes go tasting in Prance, chocolate and wine and coffee and bread. As they say in Prance, c'est A La Mode! Speaking of Mode, did I mention I like keyboard music? There's this Trottingham group, A La Mode, I absolutely adore their latest album. I just can't get enough. Hahaha...that's actually one of the songs. You know, I actually think I just enjoy strong things, no matter what sense they involve. I like bright colours and prints, I like rich tastes and smells, I love bassy music!"
Bebe kept walking, explaining her hobbies in a lot of detail. It was a nice, warm day and she felt so proud to be garnering the attention of more eyes as she walked. Then something caught her eye. Looking up at a nearby bulletin board she blushed, concerned for her dignity. There was Bebe, lounging around in lingerie. She let out a nervous giggle and kept walking, pretending not to see the risque board. Hopefully Sterling wouldn't see it either. Sterling nodded and listening intently as Bebe expressed her interests. The stallion knew there was something deeper beneath the modelling persona, and while that was a heavy mental barrier to break through, Sterling was glad to see she wasn't purely concerned with self-image alone and always looking for 100%. It was appreciable to see a mare with a good range of interests, and one that was seemingly well traveled as well.
He wondered over her answer, smiling at her being so artistic and enveloped in the creative arts, a trait that Sterling had surprisingly not come across in abundance in this city, or any place he had been for that matter. He could see that Bebe had particular tastes, and at that point, hoped that he was appealing to her as much as she was to him.
"That's certainly quite a selection of tastes you have, Bebe. I'm impressed." the guard stated, grinning at Bebe in response. It was clear that the mare liked talking about her interests, to a great level it would seem. Some ponies may have say that as a negative trait but Sterling didn't seem to mind it. He noticed she was blushing and giggling at something, though for the life of him he couldn't reason as to why. Regardless, he shrugged it off and started on his interests.
"As for me...not too many hobbies to speak of I suppose. I'm interested in magic and combat styles really. When I was younger and wanted to be a guard I started training from a relatively young age, and started looking into a lot of magical and combat related techniques. My only hobby I guess is keeping up to date on my training, y'know, sword play, magic practice, exercises here and there. Not too impressive I know but it keeps me busy and certainly has it's benefits. As for taste, I do love some coffee as well, but, as for music I um don't particularly have a favorite style. If it's well made and well performed then I'd listen to it." Sterling finished as he noticed their walk had finally led them to the nearest park.
"Ah, cool, here we are." he stated as he walked casually in, keeping occasional eye contact with Bebe, "So, Bebe. Is there anything you'd like to particularly know about me?"
Heart was collapsed underneath a shady tree, exhausted. Anypony else in his situation would have been just as exhausted! In the time it had taken the two lovebirds to arrive at the park, he had not only pulled a few favours he had to get permission to do this, but had decorated the park with a romantic decor, had subtly left a picnic spot made up (with a little note for the stallion - "Have fun - ~Table To Face Pony") and had hidden it in a way that hopefully would be spotted.
That wasn't even mentioning the band he had managed to pull into playing for him on such short notice, filling the park with a pleasant tune. While this stunt had taken most of his remaining funds that he didn't need to survive, it would be worth it should the two ponies be happy together.
He layed back, enjoying the newly decorated park. Heck, if these two ponies didn't enjoy it, it was obvious that somepony would, and that's all that really mattered in the end... right?
Bebe was happy to be opening up to this stallion and smiled at him happily. She also noticed that his eyes hadn't moved their gaze from hers in a long while. He clearly hadn't noticed the bulletin board, and for that she was incredibly thankful. As seductive as that board had been, Bebe didn't want to give him the wrong idea. She was quite a faithful and dedicated gal!
"Well, I just met you. We've had lifetimes behind us, you know, and there's just so much to talk about. We could even talk about the future if we wanted. Do tell, Sterling, what made you want to be a royal guard in the first place? It's such an honorable career and it surely garners a lot of interest your direction. What gave you that kind of dedication?"
Sterling continued to take in the pleasing atmosphere of the park, enjoying the faint music he could hear playing. An odd thing he came across though, was an empty picnic spot...with a note. Curious, he couldn't help but investigate. He levitated the piece of paper so he could read and was shocked at the contents, but pleasantly so. He decided to sit and relax in said spot, indicating for Bebe to sit as well.
"Want to sit here and continue our talk? It is a rather pleasant view." Sterling remarked, still smiling at Bebe. Upon hearing her question, Sterling felt a rush of nostalgia, one that he was glad of. The unicorn enjoyed talking about his past, and so didn't mind when Bebe inquired as to how he wanted to be a guard.
"I'd be more than happy to tell you about my past, Bebe. I guess it started when I was a lot younger, and used to live in Ponyville. Back then I had no real idea what I wanted to do with my life and didn't have much incentive or direction, until this one day. A big royal parade rolled through town, and I dunno why but seeing all those guards in their uniforms looking all proud and dedicated...I'm not sure why but it seemed appealing to me." the unicorn led into, relaxing on the apparent set up picnic area. "So after that, I started getting interested in things like combat, magic, chivalry and stuff, and when I was old enough I came out here to Canterlot and signed up. So I guess my dedication came from my aspirations, I guess I just wanted to be known for more than just another foal from Ponyville." Sterling finished, smiling lightly at the accompanying mare.
"What about you, Bebe? How did you first get into your career?" the stallion wondered, adjusting his armor once again to get comfortable. He found himself almost at ease, obviously realizing he was getting more and more comfortable around Bebe.
Bebe laughed nervously, thinking about what a nasty little spoiled brat she had been as a foal and filly. Her parents were so willing to bend to every whim, and she was mean to everyone still. She never faced hardship or discipline, unlike Sterling. Sterling was such a kind, honorable stallion. Bebe couldn't believe that she was so terribly selfish and horrible to everyone at a young age. She'd learned, mostly.
"Well, it's a bit of a terrible story. You have to understand that I was a terribly awful, juvenile little brat. I regret it all now, of course. I grew up in Hoofington to two very rich parents who spoiled me completely silly. Honestly, too much. I never really got along with my peers, I liked dressing up and wearing lots of makeup. I thought they were all awfully rough-and-tumble. My fashionable, classy attitude seemed to garner a lot of attention. On school picture day I took this stunning portrait and was offered a modelling contract. I earned my cutie mark that way. However, this silly cutie mark got me a lot of unwanted attention."
Bebe shook her head and sighed, remembering how colts had continually asked her for unwanted favors and treated her horribly. A kiss cutie mark? That was far too suggestive to be any good.
"Anyways, I moved to Canterlot when I was a bit older and I basically became a huge socialite. I got known, I got a contract, and things escalated. I became a top model in not too much time, and I'm quite glad."
Bebe took in her surroundings a bit more. The pleasant music, the lovely smells of the park, and warm sunshine making her tingle and stretch. The tall mare yawned with a high squeak and laid down. What a beautiful day, what a beautiful picnic. Sterling relaxed some more on the ground, trying to get as comfortable as he could with all these metal plates on him, he tried to not make his shifting about and readjusting too obvious though, less he look odd. He lightly chuckled at her squeaky yawn, thinking it to be adorable before responding.
"Well, I'm not sure I'm one to say but...that doesn't sound awfully terrible to me. You seem to have come out of it alright, someponies I've met don't even know they're being spoiled. That's very...well, down to earth, and admirable, Bebe. Sorry to hear about the cutie mark thing, though." the stallion stated as he lied down as well, resting his head in his hooves, "My one's gotten some attention before. You can't really see it 'cause of this armor but it's a silver coin with a horseshoe shape on it. Ponies can only ask when they see it, and I'm not entirely sure what it means myself...I guess it's sorta meant I'm always in the right place at the right time...lucky, I guess." he concluded, smiling to himself, thinking his trip to the coffee shop was a prime of example or right place and right time. "Beautiful park, isn't it?" Sterling asked, taking in the sights as he did, "They have anything like this in Hoofington?"
Bebe's heart fluttered. Sterling had just called her down-to-earth and admirable! The stallion was eyeing her in a way she had only seen in movies. She smiled at him then, admiring him just as much as he admired her. She also found his statement about not knowing what his cutie mark means quite fascinating. Bebe didn't even know that was possible. However, if it really was a luck cutie mark, Bebe had struck gold. She too was very lucky, and she had been lucky that morning when she entered the coffee shop.
"It really is a beautiful park. Hoofington is very beautiful, that much I'll need to admit, but the ponies there are an awfully odd mix. Here in Canterlot I don't stick out like a sore hoof. At least, when I do it's in all the right ways."
Sterling almost sighed happily, content with the situation. He turned to Bebe and smiled back at her as she smiled at him, the stallion almost tilted his head, admiring the mare lying next to him. Sterling never thought that this move to Canterlot would bring upon some positive events, of course he was hoping for career progression, but never knew that something like this would happen. He couldn't complain in the slightest.
The stallion was determined to continue being what he felt was charming and stretched a little in his seated position, casually resting a hoof closer to one of Bebe's than it had previously been before responding, "I can imagine. A mare of your talents and, well, prettiness is bound to stand out in a good way. I'm pretty happy with my move to Canterlot as well, such a great place, with such great ponies...or maybe I've just been lucky again. I'm inclined to believe either one. So, anything else you'd like to know or talk about? Or are you alright here for now?" the guard asked, curious if Bebe wanted to know anything more.
It was taking Heart all of his considerable willpower to not burst out in laughter - laughter of a job well done. The two ponies - whom's names escaped him, despite listening into their conversation - was a mystery. All he knew is that they appeared to be getting along like a house on fire. He grinned to himself, allowing himself that. He adjusted himself, staying hidden, hoping that the little note he had left underneath the tablecloth wouldn't go unnoticed by the stallion.
It wasn't complicated - simply his address, and his occupation (along with a name). As for his shot with this rather attractive mare, he did not begrudge the stallion his success even a little. He was a stallion of romance, after all.
He liked to believe Princess Cadance would appreciate his viewpoint - "Love, between anypony, is important" - as well as his strict viewpoint towards it. He could always wait - he was a fairly young stallion after all.
The sun was so warm on Bebe's coat, and she hadn't even half-realized how tired she was. She yawned in a squeaky fashion once more, and stretched out every limb, shuddering slightly as exhaustion overwhelmed her a little bit more. She instinctively moved a bit closer to Sterling and rested up against him peacefully.
"You don't have to say anything more. I like you...." Bebe concluded, her eyes beginning to shut. She yawned one final time and was out like a light the next second, dozing comfortably against Sterling. Sterling was staring idly off into space as Bebe said her response. His eyes widened slightly as he felt the mare lean against and rest on him. The stallion could hardly believe how events had transpired, smiling slightly as he too felt the warm air on his coat, what was exposed anyway.
"Wow..." he thought in response to the whole situation. He truly couldn't believe, even despite his lucky nature, that he could have been this fortunate. Yet, here it was, Sterling was sitting in the park, with a beautiful mare resting against him, the sounds of music and the faint smell of flowers in the air coupled with the warm sun made this situation all the more special. Sterling casually placed a hoof around Bebe, trying not to make it too obvious.
"I like you too, Bebe...." the stallion retorted, being very thankful, both for his good fortune, and for a certain stallion for setting all this up. He couldn't have pictured a better scene if he had tried. The sun warmed up the newly discovered couple and the two ponies fell into a calm and happy sleep almost instantly.
Bebe dreamed of Sterling Silver. She dreamed of discovering what face lay beneath that guard's mask, and she dreamed of living her life in a couple. She'd had a few coltfriends, but those relationships were either merely physical or for publicity. Maybe she was finally in love, maybe Bebe was truly and deeply in love. As she dreamed she realized just how badly she wanted to see Sterling again.
She would arrange a real date just as soon as she woke up.