Standoff

By Senor Citizen

• August 20, 2012




Age: 36

Gender: Male

Species: Earth Pony

Appearance: A dark blue, long-legged pony who, besides the aforementioned long legs, is built like a tank. Has an eyepatch over his right eye, and the one he has is purple. Rarely seen not wearing a vest or watch.

Cutie Mark: A police ballistic shield. This symbolizes not only his stalwart nature, but also his ability at negotiating.<br />Equestria Divided Redo:<br />A sword and pen crossed behind a shield.<br />(Cutie Mark specific backstory)<br />(This is set in first person. If you don't like it, that's very nice.)<br />Oh, my Cutie Mark. Okay. That makes sense. Well, the story's nothing big. Just the first time I really had to talk someone down from doing something... stupid. Don't blame me if it's not exciting enough for you, okay?<br />So, I was around ten, and me and my mom were going down to the supermarket. Just getting a few things, right? This was back when my dad was still big news, so we saw a few ponies pointing, nudging each other, you know. See somepony famous, and... I dunno. Anyway. So, we're in the supermarket, and I remember seeing this nervous-looking unicorn a couple of times. Didn't think anything of it. Do you know, I can still remember everything that was on Mom's shopping list. Tiny little detail, but I remember it. So, we get our stuff and we're at the checkout counter, and the cashier's talking to the unicorn I was telling you about. Suddenly, the uni pulls a knife, and WHAM! Right through the cashier's hoof, right into the counter. He turns around, and I just see this look in his eyes. He's scared out of his mind, and he knows he can't stop now, so he yells at all of us, "Gimme your money! I'll drop every bucking one of you! GIVE IT TO ME!" And the next thing I know, I'm standing in front of him, talking real quiet, like he's just a scared dog or something. I can't even remember what I said, but it worked. Took the punch right out of his mood. He sort of backed off, then just booked it for the door. I couldn't stop grinning. I was thinking, "This is it. This is what I'm going to do with my life." Then I just see my mom looking at me, and she just looks so proud, but at the same time, she's staring at my butt. Gotta be a reason for that, right? Yep. There it was, looking like it was just spit'n'polished. One of the best days of my life...<br />Not that that's saying much.

Personality: Standoff comes across as somewhat hassled, and with good reason. He tends to be short with words, and doesn't spend time talking when he could be doing. Although Standoff doesn't always act smart and tends to move with an economy of effort commonly confused with laziness, he's not a teddy bear, he's not "your big friend", and he generally just wishes that you'd be quiet before he has to make you be quiet. He handles most things professionally, and prefers not to have many friends.<br />__________________________________________________<br />Equestria Divided Insert:<br />Standoff tried to see everything objectively. No house was the best, no house was the worst. All the houses did things that set his teeth on edge, but he knew that, loath as they are to admit it, the houses are the only things keeping each other afloat. That is, until the day when he got five minute's notice that there was almost a full Earthborn platoon enroute to his position, and the name of the Whitegold spy who'd sold him out. Now he's got a bone to pick with Earthborn, and as far as he's concerned, Whitegold should be the first ones excecuted when someone wins this fool's war.

Backstory: Standoff was born Point Break to Fast Break, a professional hoofball player, and Tinker Toys, a toy store clerk. He went to Sunnyside Elementary, where he was more or less a normal student. He got into a couple of fights. Everypony did. His father was usually pretty distant, but when he did pay attention to Point, it was to teach him to play hoofball. He was a natural. He joined the hoofball team, did well, and would have gone further if he hadn't decided that he was his own stallion and joined the Royal Cadets instead. That was where he really shone, and Fast never forgave him for not taking the same path as him. Standoff was always a little tall for his age, a little stronger than his other classmates, but he took no notice until the tenth grade, when he was suddenly a hoof and a half taller than everyone else. Coincidentally, the year Standoff was in tenth grade was also the year that Fast Break fell from hoofball grace when he tested positive for steroids. Life quickly became unpleasant around the Break household, with a violent drunk running the house and a mare who was too timid to do anything, and one day Fast took things too far. What happened next is still being looked into, but it ended with Fast Break dead with a screwdriver in his head, Tinker Toys severely traumatized, and Point on the run. He changed his name, joined the military as a conscript, rose to the rank of Captain of the Watch, and survived several campaigns before going freelance (or retiring, depending on the nature of the RP).<br />__________________________________________________<br />Equestria Divided Shock-Jock insert:<br />Standoff had left the Royal Guard a few years before the disappearance, and he was glad he did. The job was getting too dangerous, even before the Princesses had up and left. He didn't need to lose his other eye, and, honestly, the severance package was pretty good. He moved to Fillydelphia, got an apartment and started a new life. About a year later, he got word of the disappearance, but tried not to let it get to him, even as Applejack's forces moved in and took over. As time went on, Standoff became an information dealer, keeping his lines with other mercs open and giving out battle plans, troop estimates, and undercover ops... for a price. He sold to everyone, and therefore had some enemies, but to most he was worth more alive than dead. Unfortunately for him he sold out House Earthborn on a massive attack on House Moon and Star, causing their defeat, and barely escaped with his life when the apartment block he was living in got stormed by Earthborn operatives. He was heavily injured during the attempted takeout, and got sewn up by a Cult doctor who wasn't as mad as he seemed. The next couple of weeks were spent stealing food and avoiding any faction members, and when Standoff got to the Everfree Forest, he didn't even think twice. He hasn't seen any of the House Everfree warriors he's heard about, but that may well be about to change...