//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: The Adventures of Shadow Chaser: Shadows of War // by RangerBeef //------------------------------// ​Shadow paused as he walked down the street. He’d noticed the couple following him about two blocks back and now paused to casually window shop, all the while watching them in the reflection of the glass. ​ As they passed him he cast a glance at the mare in the reflection. Catching her eyes, she seemed immediately flustered that he was looking at her. ​They’re trained but not well so. Shadow turned in the opposite direction of the couple. He immediately noticed a stallion stepping from the alley in front of him, walking just a few paces ahead of him. Shadow threw a quick glance to make sure the street was clear before crossing it quickly and without warning. Nearly laughing at the reaction from his new tail, who had simply stopped and watched as he crossed, Shadow made his way down an alley and onto a new street. Stepping inside the designated shop, he gave a nod to his contact as he sat in a chair and picked up a newspaper, as well as donning a hat. ​ Shadow watched as his contact, and, in this case, body double, walked outside and waited until he was certain the tail had reacquired him before moving down the street once again, his unknowing pursuer following like a puppy dog. He chuckled to himself as he sat and looked at the newspaper, casually listening to the couple next to him speak of their plans for the day. ​ As if on cue, Shadow watched as the couple that had been following him originally ran down the street in the direction his double had walked. The couple beside him noticed the commotion and seeming nervous made their way out of the shop and down the street in the opposite direction, while Shadow simply sat and waited for team to come to him. Five minutes later, Shining Armor entered the shop. Shadow gave him a small wave and invited Shining to join him. ​ “How did you lose our tails?” Shining asked. ​“Two reasons I lost them, boss. One, no one ever really trained them on how to be inconspicuous. Two, as much as you all think I’m the new guy who needs all the training, you have to remember I’ve been doing half this work for years.” ​“And the double? Where did you find him?” ​“On your staff. Anyone can look like anyone in this world if you’re not paying close enough attention. And most ponies in this world will swap sides in a hurry to earn a few extra bits.” ​ Shining had a face of disbelief. This test had been set up to see if Shadow could evade pursuers that had the drop on him and an organized network of ponies working together. Shining had not taken into account that Shadow had learned this lesson the hard way in a non-training scenario. Years of working as a detective had trained him to keep his profile low and his ears always perked. “So, do I pass?” Shadow asked in a smart aleck manner. ​Shining shook his head and smiled. “Yea, you pass. Now let’s go talk to the instructors to see what kind of insight you can give them for the next time we run this.” ----- ​Shadow woke with a start as the brakes squealed loudly and he felt the train lurch forward as it began to slow. Hufgrund already filling his window, he cast a few sparing glances at the buildings, trying to familiarize himself. Hufgrund was the industrial equivalent to Canterlot. Instead of a bright place with many shops and things to offer, Hufgrund was filled with factories. Factories that caused a light smog, giving the city a constant overcast sky. Many of the cobblestone streets had been in disrepair for longer than most could remember. The city had undoubtedly seen better days but Shadow smiled as he glimpses the natural sky turning a deep purple as well. Just after sunset many bars and restaurants would be busy and he would have an easy time eavesdropping without consequence. Leaning out his cabin door he grabbed the waiter walking by. "Excuse me, do you have a map of Hufgrund? I'm a bit of a tourist." The waiter gave him a confused look. "Es tut mir leid. Ich spreche nur Deutsch." "Oh. Okay, hold on," Shadow understood that. The waiter spoke only Germaneish. Recalling his basic knowledge of the language, he fumbled through. "Ich bin ein tourist. Ich spreche nicht gut Deutsch. Ich brauche eine karte." The waiter nodded and produced a map from his within his coat and handed it to Shadow, apparently having bought the story of Shadow simply being a tourist who spoke poor Germaneish and needed a map. Through broken Equestrian but with a sincere smile the waiter said, "Have a good time in Hufgrund." Thanking him for his kindness, Shadow tipped the waiter and headed back into his small cabin. He had a few minutes before the train stopped at the station and would need that time to study the map of the area. Setting the map on the bench and leaning to study it, Shadow squeezed his ear gently twice. Another of Luna's wonder spells, Shadow found this one especially useful. It was a two way universal translator. Meaning the Germaneish ponies would hear him in Germaneish and he would hear them in Equestrian. Although it only worked on one language at a time, it was still a massive help. Shadow had forgotten to retune it from the Griffish setting he'd had it on but now had it tuned properly to Germaneish. Glancing over the map, Shadow sighed and brought a hoof to his face. The map he had been given was definitely something a tourist would have. It was brightly colored and had large stars marking premier tourist destinations. It was hardly what he was looking for but he studied it nonetheless. He noted the train station, the nearby shops and restaurants, he made doubly sure to note the police stations that had been marked with a blue policecolt's hat. He would avoid the police stations if he could. His only really goal while here was to listen and gather as much street level intelligence as he could. Knowing the way the general population of the opposing force felt about the war, and their level of morale about it, was always a leg up. You could make slightly stronger demands, if need be, or bluff and be sure that you would not be called on it. Shadow felt the train finally stop at the station and he rose. Folding his map and tucking it away, he moved to the nearest exit and out onto the platform. He noticed a heavy military presence in the streets below and made a mental note to steer clear of anywhere with too many soldiers gathered. Stepping off the platform, Shadow moved down the street and stopped at the first shop he ran across. A small cafe but busy. Lots of idle small talk and even a few soldiers that appeared to be off duty for the evening. Shadow ordered a small cup of coffee and bought a newspaper, though he could not read the foreign language that spread across its pages. He sat near the apparently off duty soldiers at a reasonable distance but close enough to hear them talking. They sounded drunk. They spoke of the coming invasion without reserve. About how their mighty army and their powerful allies would crush all resistance they met. How their upcoming march on Stalliongrad would give them a fine hoofhold in Equestria and that it would be nearly impossible to remove their presence. One was even eager to meet Princess Celestia, he wanted to spit in her face himself. Shadow felt his blood boiling as their conversation shifted to complaining about places they had been stationed. He calmed himself enough to pick up another conversation from a few other patrons not far from him. Their voices filled with a mix of fear and apprehension they spoke in hushed voices about how they hated the idea of going to war with Equestria. They were happy and did not want to invite chaos into their lives. They were certain the princesses would punish the entirety of he Germaneish nation and not just those with delusions of grandeur. Shadow sipped his coffee and let the conversations fall away. He had what he needed. Enough to know the Germaneish army's next target and to know that at least some of the public had dissenting ideas as to what was best for Germaney. He stood to leave but paused when he saw the two soldiers rise quickly. They did not approach Shadow but, instead, a white unicorn sitting in a corner by herself. She appeared to only be reading the news paper and nursing a cup of tea. Shadow did a double take when he looked at her, for she was nearly identical to Rarity, minus her mane color and cutie mark. One of the soldiers leaned onto the table, and spoke a bit louder than he intended in his drunken stupor. "So what's a pretty mare like you doing out all by yourself?" The mare appeared annoyed with the sudden intrusion in her private space. She glanced up at the soldier without fear and said simply, "I am trying to read an article on why the military is pushing for an unnecessary and unwinable war against Equestria. There's a fine piece in here talking about how we'll never even come close if our soldiers can't pull themselves away from their hard cider long enough to fight." Even with his the stallion's back to him, Shadow could see his anger growing. "Listen, you little whorse, you better watch your tongue. Do you know who you're speaking to?" "From what I can tell," the mare said, matter-of-factly, "I am speaking to a drunkard that does not know how to properly speak to a lady. In fact, I believe I'm done talking to you. Good day." The mare didn't pause after her comment. She left both her tea and her newspaper and walked out of the small cafe, and visibly angry soldier quick on her heels with his comrade in tow. Shadow saw the stallion stop her in the street through the window. Just walk away, he thought at the mare. Just keep walking and don't stop. He could see his silent pleas would go unanswered as he watched the two ponies engage in a shouting match, with a small crowd beginning to form. It's not my problem and I can't make it my problem. Shadow thought. Shadow's conscience fought him. That doesn't sound like the stallion dad raised you to be. You remember what integrity means, don't you? Doing the right thing when no one is watching. No. It's doing the right thing no matter who's watching. She's going to need your help. There are plenty of ponies out there. One of them can help her. Even thinking that made Shadow feel like a coward. He wasn't normally one to back down from a fight but he had a more important mission to be worrying about. And what if no one does? If no one stands up to the soldiers in the streets, then what? You just let them take her away? Let her fate be her own? His conscience was winning the argument as Shadow watched the ponies through the window of the cafe. Then the decision was made for him. Shadow had seen many cruel things over the years. Many great tragedies, the evil of which could not be explained. He'd killed in self defense and in the name of his country. And there were few things in this world that ever shocked or surprised him. But there was one thing that, no matter who it was, he would always fly into a rage when he saw it. And in the final glance he threw out the window, he saw it. The stallion hit the mare. Hard. Hard enough to knock her to the ground. Shadow could almost hear the gasp from the gathered crowd. Shadow was up from his table in a flash, nearly knocking it over. He made his way outside and began to push his way through the crowd of ponies, shouting at the soldier. "Hey. Hey!" Shadow pushed through the last of the crowd and with as much bass as he could put in his voice shouted again, "Hey!" The stallion turned in surprise at the sudden shout at him. "Oh, now who's this? Is this your coltfriend?" the soldier asked, leaning toward the mare. "Don't touch her." "Oh, yea? And who's gonna stop me? You?" The soldier pushed the mare, who had begun to slowly rise, back to the ground. "I said, don't touch her!" The crowd behind Shadow took a step backward, both from not wanting to be associated with him and because the force and ferocity of his shout had caught many of them off guard. "You know, it's not very smart of you. Picking a fight with a soldier in the most powerful army in the world." "This is your only chance, walk away." The soldier laughed, "Walk away? From you? Please. After I finish with you, I'm going to take you and this little whorse to a cell. Maybe you two can get better acquainted before the firing squad gets to you in the morning." Shadow simply glared at the stallion in front if him and charged his horn. "Aw, don't have anything else to say? Fine. Let's do this." As the stallion finished his sentence, Shadow unleashed the spell he had charged, teleporting to just the other side of his opponent. As the soldier turned to face him, Shadow caught him under the chin with his hoof, sending him wobbling backward onto his rump. Shadow turned to the mare, who was finally back to her hooves. "Are you okay?" The mare smiled meekly and nodded before her face turned to surprise, "Look out!" Shadow turned just in time to catch the earth pony stallion full on into his chest. The two stallions toppled end over end before landing with the soldier on top, who began to pound Shadow with heavy blows. Shadow did his best to fend off the blows, but from his position under the soldier he could do little but cover his face and head. As the punches rained down, he suddenly felt the weight of the stallion disappear off of his chest and opened his eyes to a new stallion standing over him with a hoof extended. Shadow recognized him as one of the dissenters from the cafe. Shadow took his hoof and rose. "Thanks." The stallion smiled, "Hey, I figure if he's going to hit a mare, he doesn't deserve a fair fight." Shadow and his new ally faced the soldier who was just rising to his hooves. "So that's how you want to play it? Fine, let's see how tough you are when I have backup." The soldier reached for a whistle around his neck and it began to sound with a piercing loudness that did not seem possible. Shadow heard shouts from down the streets and heard orders being barked. His ally heard them as well, and not wanting to wait until the odds were no longer in their favor, he charged the soldier shouting, "For Germaney!" But the civilian did not attack alone, the entire crowd seemed to rush to the soldier and then shift to meet the soldiers that were beginning to arrive, pushing the small brawl into a full blown riot. Shadow seized the opportunity and grabbed the mare from the cafe and lead her out of the crowd. "Come on, we have to get out of here." Shadow pushed through the tail end of the crowd looking for a safe place to go. "There!" The mare pointed to a train on the platform above them that was just preparing to depart. Shadow and the mare moved as quickly as they could. They pressed through more civilians that had come to join the fray and made it up to the platform as the train started to slowly roll out of the station. They sprinted through the station, chasing the train and looking for a place to jump on, when finally the tail end of the train appeared the mare hurriedly jumped aboard and turned to Shadow, urging him on. Shadow was losing ground slowly. The fight on the street had taken more out of him than he thought. He could see the end of the platform approaching and knew he would only have one shot. As he reached the edge, Shadow jumped as far as he could, and grasped the railing of the trail car, his hooves dangling dangerously close to the tracks. The mare quickly moved to help him up, pulling him over the railing and the two of them took a moment to catch their breath, watching Hufgrund begin to fade into the distance. Shadow directed the mare to step inside and they made their way to an open cabin. As they passed other full cabins, he lifted a pair of tickets sticking from a coat pocket in one of the adjacent cabins. Finally settling into their own room, he looked at the ticket and their intended destination. "Haliflanks. Great."