//------------------------------// // Fire Fight's Mission // Story: Tales of the Battle Foals // by Sirdubya //------------------------------// ‘Shadow Shroud’… that name ran down his spine like a chill, a strangely gentle chill, as if under her cloak and dagger, she never harbored any ill will. Still, Fire Fight was weary of her. ‘Shadewalkers’? Who were they? He had so many questions, but started with the obvious. “Why were you watching me?” he asked. Shadow Shroud walked around retrieving her thrown weapons as she replied. “Oh, no particular reason. If I’m to be blunt, you simply… caught my interest.” She said. Fire Fight was confused. ‘Caught her interest.’? Coming from her, he wasn’t sure if this was a good, or bad thing. “What do you mean?” he asked. She returned to his side. “Things have been so boring since I left on my little excursion. Hardly any action whatsoever apart from my training. Then you suddenly appeared with your Flame-Fu, and made things in that dull town interesting.” “Excursion? Training? Training for what? How were you even doing all that anyway? That was crazy!” She drew her kunai, and pointed it at him. “My techniques are strict secrets of my order that I will NEVER share with you!” Fire Fight back up a little. ‘Secrets of her order’? Did she mean… “These ‘Shadewalkers', I take it?” he inquired. Shadow Shroud sheathed her kunai. “So you’ve never heard of us? No surprise there. We do exist in the shadows after all.” “Why?” “For the very same reason you ran away, Fire Fight.” He was a little startled to see that she had observed him that closely. “Many years ago, the founder of our clan wasn’t content with the eternal sunshine that Equestria had decided to live in, but rather finding comfort in the shadows where he practiced arts and techniques that would become the very cornerstone of our order. And as you may surmise, those arts were not of peace…” she explained. Fire Fight was astonished to hear such a huge secret of Equestrian history, even more so that one of its ‘keepers’ was speaking to him in the flesh! But he decided to stay serious so he’d get his answers. “And you’re on some kind of training trip?” he asked. “More like a pilgrimage, really. Our training begins at birth, and when our parents and masters deem us fit, we are sent into the shadows of Equestria to hone our skills on our own, culling potential threats to Equestria in the process.” she answered. That last sentence caught him off guard. ‘Culling’? She’s killed before!? “It’s only been about a year since I made this dank little ruin my makeshift home until I decide to go somewhere else. Then when I’m through travelling, wherever the wind takes me throughout my years, I’ll return to the home of our order, and start training new fledglings. That’s it.” She finished her explanation. Fire Fight was stunned. Though he had experienced her skill firsthand, to see that she was the same age as him, and already out on her own impressed the fiery colt. Granted, he didn’t know if this was a common occurrence, or not. “So… H-Have you really killed somepony before?” he asked nervously. “No, not yet. I might have too one day though. Family tradition, you see.” His heart skipped a beat. She’d said that they kill threats to Equestria, but… “S-S-So it’s all a big secret, huh?” “Indeed. My order rarely, if ever makes any form of contact with anypony outside of us. You should feel honored I’ve even deigned to speak to you, let alone show you my face! Really… I should just kill you where you stand for knowing.” She hissed. Fire Fight braced for another fight upon hearing that. “But I won’t.” she said. Relieved, yet still shocked, Fire Fight lowered his guard. “Why?” “Like I said, you caught my interest. Plus, you’ve renounced Equestria as my ancestor before me did in days of old. We’re practically allies in a strange sense. I’ve no reason to believe you’ll just go and tattle on me.” She answered. Fire Fight felt satisfied with that. It was indeed true that he had no intention of returning to where he didn’t belong, and he finally knew that this shadow watching him, this 'Shadow Shroud' wasn’t his enemy. But… something about this tugged at his heartstrings. “Aren’t… you lonely?” he asked. “Hmph! As if that’s of any consequence.” She answered. Fire Fight could hear it in her voice. She’d been away from any sort of friend, or relative for a year. “You are, aren’t you?” She rolled her eyes. “And why would you care?” she asked. That question made Fire Fight think. Why would he care so much about a strange Earth Pony filly who may or may not have actually tried to kill him? Why did he suddenly feel another spark of resolve in his heart? He found his answer in that spark. “Because, I know I’d be lonely out here if I didn’t see anypony for the rest of my life, but I wouldn’t go back home if you gave me a million bits. I can’t! And… now that I think about… there must lots of other foals like me. Foals who have special talents that makes Equestria hate them!” he stated. Shadow Shroud found herself beginning to listen more intently. “And I’m going to go around Equestria, and save them! I have too! I have to free them from being outcasts because of who they are. They must be suffering so much… And I know exactly how they feel! I don’t want them to suffer like that anymore! I’ll take them with me, away from their prison, and give them a place where they can be happy, and live like they were meant to… no matter who they are!” he declared. Shadow Shroud’s stern expression hid her interest, not to mention she was somewhat impressed. “Fascinating… Where do you suppose we should start?” she asked. Fire Fight looked at her confused. “’We’?” “Yes. As you said before, I… do get pretty bored often. The only action I ever see out here is the occasional monster from the forest trying to gobble me until I put it down. But now, I think I can truly start honing myself. We both want to go around Equestria, yes? I think you can agree that we’d benefit one another.” Fire Fight was right. She was lonely, and considering they were even away from home for the same reason, as she said, they were indeed something like friends. “Yeah… I do. But you have to promise me that you won’t kill any of the foals that come to know you since you’re practically a runaway like they’d be.” He stated. “Of course, Fire Fight. Like I said, they'd renounce Equestria like we do, so they wouldn’t be my enemies.” She promised. With his mission, and his… somewhat uneasy friendship with Shadow Shroud made official, Fire Fight put down his saddlebags, and offered to share some of the food he’d packed. She briefly refused, showing him a small garden she had planted in the ruined castle’s courtyard. It wasn’t quite as inconspicuous as she had hoped, but it more than sustained her. She went to a nearby storeroom cleverly hidden beneath a nearby fountain where she kept freshly harvested food. She got a couple big cobs of corn, and cooked them, one for each of them. Fire Fight had started the necessary fire, provided the both of them bottles of fresh water, and some tufts of wheat to go on the side. They discussed their plan over their nice meal. “Why don’t we use this place as our headquarters for now since we already have food, and such?” Fire Fight suggested. “Agreed. Until we find a more suitable location, this will do nicely.” Shadow Shroud said. “So, if we’re to find foals with problems like ours, might I suggest we start in Detrot?” Shadow Shroud said. “It’s a dangerous location in Equestria that might have a little hero or two like somepony I know.” It was true that Detrot was plagued by high crime, gang violence, and corrupt officials, and it was indeed quite possible that there’d be another foal who has a fighting talent that gets them in trouble. Fire Fight was a little hesitant at first having directly combatted some of Manehatten’s dirtiest criminals knowing they were just children throwing tantrums compared to the thugs in Detrot, but nevertheless agreed. “Sounds good. It’s late though; we should get some sleep. I think we’ve both had a long day.” He said. “Indeed. I have a map of Equestria, and happen to know the train schedule for Ponyville; one leaves for Detrot tomorrow at 5:00pm. I’ll sneak us on. Just follow my lead, and we should be golden.” Shadow Shroud said. She showed another hidden room that she used as a bedroom. She prepared him a bedroll a few feet away from hers. They crawled into their makeshift beds. “Shadow Shroud?” Fire Fight said. “Hm?” “…Thanks... and goodnight” he said as he drifted off to sleep. ".....You too.....Fire Fight."