//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: The Heist // by 9spaceking //------------------------------// Sunset found herself cornered on the edge of the ten-story building. The masked stallion was slightly winded from running up the staircase but managed to quickly recover. He pointed the pistol directly at her chest as he took deep breaths. “Just hand over the files, and we’ll let you go.” He stated menacingly. As Sunset held onto the precious documents, she felt vertigo as she looked behind her, biting her lips. She was eight feet away from the nearest building ledge. Sunset had confidence in her strength, but even this was a stretch. Still, giving away these papers was simply not an option. And so she turned, jumped, as the man reluctantly shot the pistol in an attempt to stop her. Her eyes widened as she missed the edge by a hoof’s length. As she screamed, her arms clutched at the empty air, as she fell, and fell… “CUT!” A man with glasses and a French accent proclaimed, walking towards the actress. “well done Sunset, tres bien,” she dusted off herself as he praised, looking towards the other actor, “and you too. Looks like you finally got into the role, eh?” He sighed in relief. It took a full twenty takes to manage all the subtleties in this single scene. The French director, Monsieur Melville, was a bit of a perfectionist who directed only the best masterpieces that the film had seen. He was impressed how Sunset managed to everything to his satisfaction, but he was surprised at how difficult acting was. He had heard from Sunset that she loved practicing method acting -- replicating the movie in real life -- but he had no idea how Sunset managed to set up this scene on her own. Melville patted the stallion on the back, while Sunset raised an eyebrow at him. He was tired at the practice, and Sunset rolled her eyes as she beckoned the director for a favor. She leaned in with a playful smirk, still looking directly at her friend. “Oui, oui, of course,” he hoof-waved at her, his favorite actress, “you two can take a break, we’ll shoot some other scenes in the meantime. I’m happy with what we got here.” “Come on, Operator,” Sunset said eagerly, holding her partner’s hoof and urging him out of the studio, “let’s get some lunch. The meal’s on me.” She smiled as she put on her sunglasses. The operator, on the other hand, groaned inwardly at the heat under the summer sun. He rarely liked being outside, and if it wasn’t for Sunset, he would probably still be at home. Still, he enjoyed her vibrant nature and her energetic personality that contrasted against his lazier mindset. It wasn’t a special day in any way. But he felt special when near Sunset. As the gears turned in his mind, he nodded and stopped Sunset in her tracks with a resisting pull. “Actually… I’ve got something in mind myself. Let’s visit the new restaurant, Lennard’s.” Sunset looked disgruntled, but nevertheless followed along. As Operator offered her a seat, he sneakily talked with the waiter, with him nodding and whispering something to him. “What’s this all about?” Sunset asked, head resting on her hoof, curious about the interaction. Operator only gave a non-committal smile. They ordered their food and had a chat over current events, though Sunset couldn’t get the initial interaction with the waiter out of her mind. He seemed strangely distant, as if he was still acting, just in a different way. Sunset felt constantly at edge faced with this unusual interaction. It wasn’t robotic, but it felt tailored towards her needs rather than what he desired. Indeed, they had managed to finish the final course and Operator still said nothing about his plan. Just as she was about to impatiently ask again, the waiter delivered a neat little cake with ribbon on it. They gathered around Sunset, beginning singing a Spanish variation of Happy Birthday. Sunset was embarrassed with red hot cheeks, and they clapped as she awkwardly blew out the candle. She shot a look of disapproval at Operator, as they left. But as she fished out her wallet, he was already one step ahead with signing the bill. Sunset couldn’t take any more. She stood up, angry, cheeks red and hooves clenched. “Operator!” She stated firmly, trying to keep her voice in check, as he looked at her, clearly confused. He had given her everything any one could possibly want. A surprise turn around, even if a slight lie, helped produce a lovely date. Or so he had thought. “You know that I don’t like lying for small gains. I’m not that kind of person!” The Operator raised an eyebrow. “I get it, I really do, but when all’s said and done, what’s the issue?” She shook her head in frustration. “I was the one who wanted to get lunch for you! I want this to be a healthy relationship where I can give as much as you, but you…you keep rejecting everything. I don’t know what’s going on with you. You’re… suffocating me!” Some customers’ eyes were drawn to the commotion, as they wondered what was going on. She stormed out of the restaurant as the Operator sat stunned, with his arm reaching out to nothing and brilliant plan completely backfired. He couldn’t understand. Every previous woman he had dated strategically for his planning wanted to take advantage of him. And he would manage to secure key information in secret in exchange for being a “service boy”. But this wasn’t the usual type of woman he was used to. And he completely lost the point of a genuine relationship. As he sat in thought, he felt defeated, head raised to the ceiling. He was sure he knew everything about Sunset, but it seemed like good people were far harder to know than malicious people.