Tales of the Battle Foals

by Sirdubya


Sympathy

Turf War turned to them. “Yo! I can’t even front! I don’t know how y’all was doing all dat crazy stuff, but y’all some bad m************!” he cheered. The two looked at him as if he had just insulted them. “Dat’s a good thing! Nah, fo’ real! That was dope.” They just kept giving him that look.

Shadow Shroud sighed. “We’ll… take that with a grain of salt, Turf War.” She said.

“Yeah… uh……. You were awesome too!” Fire Fight added.

Turf War rolled his eyes in frustration. “Man, I try to compliment y’all and everything, and what y’all do? Y’all just ‘take it with a grain o’ salt’, or whatever!” he complained.

“Sorry. Like I said before, we just got here for the first time, so we’re not really used to the uh… culture around here.” Fire Fight said.

“Oh, damn! That’s right! I ‘member you said that. Why’d y’all even come here anyway? Ain’t y’all know dis place is all kinds o’ messed up?” Turf War asked.

Fire Fight explained how this mission of his all began. His past in Manehatten, and how it came back to bite him in Ponyville which drove him to meet Shadow Shroud, and she explained who she was, and her vague intentions. They finished by saying that they’re mission to rescue ‘fighting foals’ like them had brought them here.

“Are you serious right now? Y’all know how crazy dat sound!? I mean dat whole ‘Shadewalkers’ business explain how you was pullin’ off all d’em dope moves and all, but do y’all seriously believe what ya sayin’?” Turf War asked, shocked.

Fire Fight nodded firmly. “We do. Shadow Shroud has lived her whole life without Equestria even knowing she existed, and I realized that I belonged outside of it too where my talent and passion for fighting wouldn’t get in anypony’s way. But I knew she and I couldn’t be the only ones in Equestria who suffer under the same stress, so we set out to rescue them.” He said.

“And we have a haven for them waiting beyond Ponyville in a ruined castle where I’ve made a sustainable place of living.” Shadow Shroud added.

Turf War was in complete shock. While he kind of understood their intentions, the idea of it all was a lot for him to take in at once. They thought they could travel all of Equestria without being noticed helping foals runaway with them just because their talents were ‘bad’? It was insane!

“Are you somepony we need to rescue, Turf War? It seems to me that you like to fight about as much as I do!” Fire Fight asked.

“HELL NO!” Turf War interjected, causing Fire Fight to jump back. “Do you not see what I gotta do ‘round here just to make sure don’t nuttin’ get worse? I can’t just leave here! Besides, the hell I’m a do when I actually get to that castle, huh? What my special talent gonna do for me there?” he asked.

Fire Fight hadn’t given this too much thought. Sure, there were monsters for them to fight in the Everfree Forest, but nopony to really protect for Turf War. He could feel Shadow Shroud’s gaze on him.

“Well?” she asked.

He mustered an answer. “You could help us rescue other foals with us! If you’re so keen on helping others, then that’s where your talent would come in. Sure, Shroud and I are already doing that, but our special talents aren’t quite as geared towards helping others as yours is. You’d be right at home!”

Turf War shook his head. “Mah boy, did you not hear me? I said I can’t leave this city. It’s too f***** up for me to leave alone, and the cops don’t give a damn, so I gotta pick up they slack!” he said.

Fire Fight felt a little defeated. Turf War wouldn’t be their first rescue. He didn’t think it’d be easy, but he had gotten his hopes up. He noticed it was getting darker.

“*sigh* I understand, Turf War… Do you know a place Shroud and I can stay the night? We gotta be up bright, and early tomorrow to continue our search. Do you happen to know any foals who might need rescuing while you’re at it?” Fire Fight asked.

“I don’t know no ‘rescue foals’, but if y’all need a place to crash, I gotcha covered. If you keep goin’ up dis road, there’s an abandoned plant nursery on the right just a mile down. My homies and I used to go there to play hide and seek and stuff when we was younger, and we got a secret lid that leads an underground lair we dug up in the greenhouse. It’s gotta a red ‘V’ just like on my flank, and it’s right by the front door. Can’t miss it. A’ight?” Turf War explained.

Shadow Shroud and Fire Fight took those directions to heart, and thanked him. Just before they could leave, they heard a police siren approaching from the distance.

Turf War’s expression turned frantic. “Oh, s***! Y’all gotta bounce now! Go! Go!” he stammered.

Before he could utter a word, Shadow Shroud pulled Fire Fight behind another scrap heap. She tried to lead him around to the other entrance, but he resisted.

“Wait!” he whispered.

“What!? Why!?” she asked.

Fire Fight peered through some trash at Turf War as a police officer approached him. He was a light brown, had a blue mane, and a police badge for a Cutie Mark. “I want to see this.” He said. Shadow Shroud joined him.

“Shoulda figured it’d be you, brat!” the officer exclaimed.

“Oh, Curfew! What’s good, mah boy? I heard the doughnut shop just dropped a new flavor, or somethin’. How it taste though?” Turf War sarcastically asked.

So this was Officer Curfew. He didn’t seem to like Turf War very much, as his question towards him set him off more than he already was.

“Oh, it was delicious, let me tell ya!! And I was so rudely interrupted while having it when I got a complaint dat a brat was at the dump bashin’ ponies with a Stop sign, and s***! Wanna tell me what dat’s all ‘bout!?” he angrily replied.

“Yeah, I just did yo’ job fo’ you again! Wanna start sending me cuts o’ yo’ paycheck!? Them b****es was ‘bout to hit that new pizza joint fo’ its money, and where you at? The damn doughnut shop, so once again, I gotta put them thugs in they place by myself!” Turf War answered.

Curfew was becoming more and more agitated as he leaned in, and got into Turf War’s face. “Listen, War, You’re parents and I are about up to he’e wit you and your damn vigilante act. Dis s*** gone on long enough! If I catch you doin’ this again, you goin’ to jail, son! No questions asked!” he threatened.

Turf War seemed only angered rather than frightened by the prospect. “Yeah, yeah, I gotcha. You gonna miss me when I’m not out there though. Y’all gonna beg me to protect this city. I actually care about it!” he retorted.

Curfew lost his cool, and slapped Turf War across his face. The impact echoed across the mounds of trash, and scrap. Turf War’s expression didn’t change as he took the blow like a champ. The sight of this horrified Fire Fight; even Shadow Shroud seemed to exhibit a little shock. Fire Fight never had to deal with police of any kind; they never gave him the time, and he was only ever scolded by every other adult around him. Watching this scene made him realize just how much easier he had it…which served to horrify him even more.

“I’m not even gonna take you home, brat! Ya think yer so tough, you just go home alone. I don’t give a damn!” Curfew said.

Turf War was holding his slapped cheek as he nearly foamed at the mouth. “…Fine…” he angrily whispered. And with that, Officer Curfew stormed off without another word.

Fire Fight and Shadow Shroud walked up to Turf War’s side, and he noticed them. He was too overcome with grief and frustration to express his surprise to see them still there. They could tell he was a little embarrassed.

“Sorry y’all had to see that.” Turf War said. His cheek was visibly red, but it barely seemed to bother him. It was clear that the real damage was dealt to his pride.

“Are you ok?” Shadow Shroud asked. Fire Fight was a little surprised to hear her be openly concerned about Turf War.

Turf War looked down, and heavily sighed. “Yeah….. Dis….. ain’t nuttin’ new. My mom’s always tellin’ me I should enjoy being a kid, and not worry ‘bout nuttin’, and my dad’s always sayin’ how gonna get rid o’ me if I don’t stop ‘playin’ hero’, or whatever.” He said.

Fire Fight put his hoof on Turf War’s shoulder. “I know exactly how you feel, man….. It’s just so stupid!”

“Fo’ real, may boy. All I wanna do is help. I ain’t hurtin’ nopony! Except the ones I do gotta hurt, ya feel me?”

Fire Fight nodded. This was the exact same position he was in, and it broke his heart to see Turf War suffering in it all the same. He wanted nothing more than to help him, to break him free from this self-imposed burden that was doing nothing but hurt him. But… he could see it in Turf War’s eyes- he didn’t want to leave. He wanted nothing more than to protect the city he was born and raised in, and all this pain he was enduring was worth it to him. He’d be this city’s guardian to his last breath.

“Can… I ask y’all fo’ some help?” Turf War asked.

Intrigued, the two gave him their attention. “Cool. Ok, check dis out. Y’all happen to pass by d’em big warehouses just the other side o’ town?” he asked.

“Yes, they were the first thing we actually came to when we reached Detrot.” Shadow Shroud answered. “What of them?”

“Ok, sweet! A’ight, here’s the deal: dat place been lookin’ real strange to me fo’ a while now, and I wanna investigate, right? But I can’t find a way in, o’ nuttin’ so I’m stuck out here.” Turf War explained.

Fire Fight filled in the blanks. “And you want us to help you get in somehow?” he said.

Turf War nodded. “I know Shadow Shroud here got mad skills wit sneakin’, and s***, so I figure, ya know…” he said.

Fire Fight nodded back. “Oh, absolutely! She snuck us both onto a train in broad daylight without anypony seeing us!” he explained. Turf War looked at her stunned.

Shadow Shroud rolled her eyes. “I really have to do everything around here, don’t I?” she complained. “I noticed that one of the thugs said they would cut through the sewers back their ‘HQ’ after robbing that pizza shop. If we go to that pizza place, and deduce which manhole they meant to enter, then perhaps we can trace ourselves to… their humble abode.” She explained.

Turf War looked at her a little confused. “But we ain’t got no idea if they HQ is those warehouses, d’ho.”

“So we see for ourselves.” Fire Fight said. Shadow Shroud smiled.

Turf War thought for a moment, and eventually agreed. “A’ight, ya know what? Dat sounds hot. We’ll do dat. Stay in the crib I told y’all about, and I come get y’all after school tomorrow. We’ll get some lunch at the joint before we go in- my treat for helping me. I think I know what manhole they was gonna use, so just follow me from there, a’ight?” he said.

The two nodded in agreement, and they set off. Fire Fight and Shadow Shroud walked for a while until they found the nursery Turf War told them to go to. It was in pretty bad shape, but like the castle, it definitely wasn’t about to come crashing down at a given moment. The secret hideout Turf War mentioned was indeed easy to find; Shadow Shroud found it quickly behind a movable rack of plant pots. They decided to use some unopened soil bags as beds. It was kind of tight fit, but they managed.

As Fire Fight laid down got cozy on his makeshift bed, Shadow Shroud started talking to him. “So?” she asked.

“……So…..What?” he asked.

“You meet a foal in the exact same situation you were once in, and he refuses our help. And yet, you know better than anypony that he needs it, yet you let him escape with Fate being kind enough to grant you one more chance to free him, yet you seem unsure of yourself.” She said.

“Shroud, you heard what he said. He can’t leave this city. He’s so convinced that he’s supposed to protect this city that I don’t think he’d ever want to be freed. Besides, we can’t force him.” He said.

Shadow Shroud walked up Fire Fight. “Then we convince him otherwise!” she said firmly. “He needs our help whether he wants to accept it, or not. You know this better than I, as I said before.” She went back to her bed, and got cozy. “Tomorrow’s adventure will be the perfect opportunity for that- don’t let it slip through your hooves!”

Fire Fight let that sink in as he began to relax. Turf War was adamant about his refusal, but he saw for himself just the amount of pain he’d been enduring. He knew from the bottom of his heart that there was another way. All he had to do was show him.