Sniper sat calmly in the lookout, staring out at the view. He was up here every day, whether he was on duty or not. He was more comfortable at a high vantage point, regardless of whether he was there to snipe, draw, or indulge in other hobbies. He wasn't on lookout duty today, as it was his turn to watch Fluttershy. As such, he brought her up to the lookout tower with him, figuring a winged creature like herself would be just as fond of high places as he was. Admittedly, he found he was mistaken. The moment she looked down the ladder, she had crawled into his lap and shivered, whimpering.
Sniper, however, wasn't about to let it go at that. He simply held her, gently stroking her head and back, until she calmed down. Once she was calm, he held her carefully over the edge until she got used to the height. Once she no longer shook when she looked down, he tossed her upwards, to show her that not only would he always catch her if she fell, but that her wings would kick in instinctively in mid air. Once she realized and understood that, she was completely comfortable in the lookout, although she stayed off the ledge at his request.
Once Fluttershy was fine with the heights, Sniper had begun one of his favorite off duty pastimes up here, bird watching. Given how much Fluttershy seemed to love animals, he figured this would be a great activity to share with her. They shared a companionable silence as he scanned the sky for any sign of avian life. When he first spotted a bird, he pointed it out to her. She quickly stood up on the ledge to look. He started to offer her the binoculars, but then she let off a chirping whistle.
Sniper now sat back, his bird book to one side as he stared at the menagerie that had gathered around Fluttershy. "You know, you take the fun out of ornithology, Fluttershy," he commented. "As much fun as it is to spy all these rare bird species, no other bird watcher will believe me in that I spotted them, or in how. You even called up a dodo, and those are extinct!" He stared at the specimen in question. "Or, perhaps, just extremely well hidden."
The dodo squawked at him, and Fluttershy smiled sheepishly. She could tell there was no true rancor in his statement. Birds of all sorts from the southern latitudes - from albatross to yellowhead - were arranged around and on the little filly, the larger ones preening her as the smaller ones nested comfortably in her mane and tail. Fluttershy was plainly happy, and Sniper didn't really have the heart to scold her, even if he meant his harsh words.
Instead, Sniper pulled out a large canvas and began to draw what he saw before him. Normally he just drew landscape or the occasional bird or wild animal he spotted, but he had a much more interesting subject to draw now. "Hold still now," he said.
Fluttershy smiled, doing her best to hold still. The birds, surprisingly enough, seemed to catch her energy and also held still. Shaking his head in amazement, Sniper proceeded to draw the scene. He did his best to get every detail down in the black and white drawing, not making a single mistake. After a time, he lay the canvas down.
Fluttershy then lay down, most of the birds then flying away, a few circling around for a bit before nesting on the roof of the lookout to watch what happened next. The dodo seemed to vanish into nowhere. Sniper reached over and gently stroked her between her ears. She leaned into the caress, sighing contentedly.
Sniper then returned to watching the landscape, picking up his binoculars to see if anything was approaching. When nothing was in sight, he pulled out another canvas, looking around for something else to draw.
His eyes fell on Fluttershy, who had crawled over to the drawing of her and the birds. She had pulled out her crayons from the tiny saddlebags Spy and Engineer had designed for her to carry little things with her, and had begun to color the picture, holding one crayon in her mouth and one in the tip of each wing, her feathers wrapped around the shaft of the crayons. Sniper was torn between complaining about her using his sketch for a coloring book and amazement at her holding crayons with her wings. Realizing that he could probably reproduce the picture if Fluttershy was willing, he decided to focus on her amazing feat of physical dexterity that defied the laws of physics as he knew them based on available data. Seeing the perfect opportunity for another drawing and recording new physical capability of Fluttershy's, he proceeded to draw her coloring.
He was able to finish the drawing just before Fluttershy finished with her coloring. As he set his new sketch aside, she held up the picture for his approval. He could only stare in amazement. The colors were all completely within the lines and as detail accurate as crayons could be. He could easily distinguish each and every animal, and saw that she had grabbed his shading pencil for added details.
As he stared, Fluttershy looked up at him, clearly nervous. Smiling, he reached out and stroked her head again. "Well done, Shy," he said happily. "Can't wait to hang it up."
Grinning happily, Fluttershy set the picture down carefully before rolling onto her back, batting at his hand with her forehooves. He obligingly began to rub her belly. After a time, she began to doze off.
Smiling softly, Sniper scooped the drowsy filly into his lap, once more returning to his observations of the world around him. He'd often come up here to be alone, as most of the others were a bit too energetic for his tastes. The only other ones who knew how to take things slow and silent were Spy and Engineer. Unfortunately, Sniper never felt completely safe around Spy, given his habit of backstabbing, and Engineer always brought his guitar along. Now Sniper had no problem with music, but sometimes he just wanted to listen to the sounds of nature.
And now here was Fluttershy, with whom he could share the wonderful sounds...of silence.
I was gonna go to sleep, but then I saw this chapter...
Can't wait for the Engineer chapter!
Ah, a nice, relaxing chapter. How nice.
That was...... Amazing comrade
Welp, gotta grab SFM and make more fanart.
4702335
Please link when it is finished. I link all fan art for this story in the description.
MUST MAKE FANARTTTTT
4702415
Please link when you do!
mine got,
new chapter already?!
and i can use the computer again!!!
after agreeing to writing a shitty story everyday to please my mother.
today's a good day. :D
i just noticed! congrats on the featured! again!
you deserve is. :3
D'aawwww, Sniper and the art of silence, now shared with Flutters... so adorable!
But I wonder. A dodo. Wat.
How is that even...
...
You know what, I don't care.
This chapter was a slow taken but well composed one, I like how you represented Sniper.
Well, what's next? Engie?
-Zeph
That "he" should probably be a "she".
You perhaps are the only person that can turn a TF2 related fiction into something this cute.
There is only one response to that last line...[youtube=4zLfCnGVeL4]
As much as I'm inclined to follow logic, I will NOT question how a dodo got there, due to an overwhelming cuteness factor a la Fluttershy.
a dodo can turn invisible
I think an interesting chapter would be the enemy Spy breaking into the base but getting distracted by the utter cuteness that is Fluttershy.
4703601 They're Aaaaaaalllliiiieeeeeeennnnns!!!1!!1!!!!
4703731 then screaming and running away in terror. It was Pyro's turn to watch fluttershy.
4703601 SPY!
4703965 THE BLU DODO HAS STOLEN OUR INTELLIGENCE!
4703038 Beat me to it
This chapter was too adorable, much like the last ones
It'd be funny if dodos weren't actually extinct
4703965
or a Harry Potter reference
4705408
The show didn't exist in the late 1960's, when the events of the game takes place. Engineer's knowledge is a plot device that will be explained.
4703601
They keep Spy as a pet.
The dodo bird is a Spy-bird
This chapter actually gave off a silent vibe. Calm, relaxing, all of that sort of thing.
Can't wait for the next chapter, m8.
4705426 Wait...
Engie's been in Equestria, hasn't he?
4706247 Who knows, he might actually have access to future content through his many mechanical wonders. That, or he might be from the future and brought back those futuristic weapons for soldier, pyro and him to use.
Possible? Maybe.
I also just thought of so something. Fluttershy is emanating Australium right? Does that mean Australium is actually weaponized cuteness?
Still loving the fact that Engie is the closet Brony and is banging his head silly with all those references, intentional and not
Intentional because you're the author putting them there but unintentional because the characters saying them don't know
4706329
Glad you like all that!
So far this to me is one of the best chapters,
calmer and more laid back then the others,
very contrasting to our little Soldier adventure.
The smile does not pass. This warmth...
A loving heart shall set you free,
for the dreadful shan't reach
beneath this place of rest.
Freely give of the love granted to you;
at last,
find peace.
We shall read on.
No rare Pootis bird? Ah well.
5871367 was that a joke or did you mean the paotie bird those only live in africa i think
if any one is wondering what i'm talking the paotie are the only poisones birds know to mankind
5888142 Nah, Pootis joke.
4800741 You again! I find in the comment sections of every fic I read! I love your comments!
Good thing pyro gave her coloring lessons pyro: uhahahahaha. Hmm hah! (Good job)
Of course.
Nice.
How the hell is she THIS good with animals as a BABY?
That sounds adorable.
HOW is she so good at art when she's still a baby? Seriously!
HNNG!
Makes sense.
4706247
That, or a time traveler.
Short as heck, man!
4704467 Yeah, if Chain Chomps can cross over into this universe, then the Diricawls from HP are a definite possibility.
Wait a second.... Enhance that last bit?
~Bzzt!~
Hold on a second.... o.o is this what i think it is mr/ms Author?
sence no oneells has made a referens, I will.
I think it's worth noting here that according to the Harry Potter side book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them (a small pocket sized book, not a novelization of the movie) the Dodo is apparently not extinct and known to the wizarding world as the Diricawl, It shares the Phoenix's ability to teleport, which explains why muggle folk thought it was extinct. The wizarding society felt that since the apparent "extinction" seems to have raised the muggles' awareness of the consequences of driving a species to extinction, they just let them think that they're extinct
...By the way, Tatsurou, did you intend to make that reference when you wrote this chapter?
it would be hilarious if the answer was No.
8863552
Most definitely no. I'd completely forgotten about that.
8863614
8863614
I didn't even know about it at all
Fluttershy is a real chick magnet, huh?