Shadow and I decided to go back to our bunks and talk some things over before tomorrow. The walk there was filled with silence, things we wanted to say, but wanted to have privacy before we said it. We didn't have to worry about the others overhearing our thoughts as each of ponies here had learned to guard their thoughts early on as open thoughts were open to manipulation.
Once there, I plopped down on my bunk, Shadow laying down next tome. "Aces, what do you think will happen tomorrow? Will we be alright?"
I sighed as I really didn't have the answer, "I don't know Shadow... Whatever happens tomorrow is a mystery to me and I can't tell if anything good or bad will come of it." She turned away, deep in thought, as tomorrows events worried her. "Hey," I said turning her head towards me, "Don't worry about what will happen tomorrow, no matter what we'll do fine, and we'll always be together."
She grinned at me, "Yeah your right. No matter what we will come out on top. We're an unstoppable team!" I grinned back at her, ready to take on any challenge that we would face, and in my mind, ready for anything that would try and stop us.
The next morning...
I woke with a jolt, the evenings nightmares rolling through my head, a cold sweat on my body. They say you can see the future in your dreams, well I seem to see it a lot. Every time I have a nightmare I get a glimpse of something bad to come.
Shaking my head, I turned to see Shadow still there. Well at least I have her to help me. Some of the others were starting to wake up and make preparations for breakfast. Gently shaking her I said, "Come on Shadow, lets get to breakfast." She woke up instantly and nodded.
We were the first one's to the eating room, so we had free range to use the stoves and supplies there. Specter and Mist were the next to join us calling out to us, "Hey you two! How do you always beat us here?"
"That's because we don't rest our hooves all day long like you two!" both pairs laughed at the joke, Specter coming to join me on the stove next to me whilst Shadow and Mist talked.
"So did you hear? Apparently our first mission is supposed to be today. Ice and Frost came by everyone yesterday spreading the news." he said, starting on his food.
"Yeah, they told us yesterday also. What about those crazy regulations that go with it...? Are you and Mist worried at all?"
"A bit, but not all that much. Me and her are used to challenges like this, so it shouldn't be a problem at all."
"Yeah..." I said, thinking back to the dream I had last night...
'...There's a camp of some sort, probably refugees of some sort. I'm far off into the distance looking at it through my binoc's. All of a sudden a fight breaks loose outside of a small cave and continues on inside it. My hearts pounding, I can't get a shot off. I leave my rifle as I jump into the air, flying with all my might towards the camp. Only when I get there the camp is deserted. I land and slowly make my way into the cave, careful of any ambushes that might have been set.
The cave is pitch black so I use my magic to light the way. I follow the passage for about five minutes before it opens up into a large cavern. At the far end I see several figures standing over two on the ground, one on top of the other. Neither are moving. I rip my pistol from its holster and rush towards the figures. I hear laughing and all I see is a spear rammed through one of them and it ends...'
"Hey Spade! Are you there?! Your foods on fire!" Specters voice jolts me back to reality to which the food I was cooking has indeed, caught on fire.
"Oh hay, not again!!" I shout, grabbing a mouthmit and running with the skillet to the sink. I fling it in the sink and grab the fire extinguisher, putting out the fire. By the time it's done, the I curse to myself. 'Stupid, something like this is going to get you sent back here.' I walk back covered in the white film of the fire extinguisher. Everyone starts laughing at me, and looking down I start laughing to.
Soon after that, everypony else starts making their way into the eating center. The normal chatter starts up, most of it about what the their missions will entail. I finally settled down with a remade breakfast with Shadow and we ate hurriedly, our nerves getting the best of us.
Once everyone was done eating, the Guards assembled inside of the center, gathering everypony into a line, explaining to us all what we already knew. "Today is the day most of you have been waiting for for a long time. Your first actual mission. In reality, it's not really a high profile mission, but something to get you ready for your residences in wherever town you are placed."
"You all have worked hard for this moment and all of us Guards have the utmost confidence in you. For each pair, one of us will accompany you on your mission to evaluate your progress and to determine whether or not you are fit for active duty. There is a catch however, if any pair fails, you all fail and will be sent back here for another year of training. Also, any pony who fails will have their memories wiped and sent back to whatever town they came from."
His words confirmed all of our thoughts, the worst would happen to any that failed. Everypony shared glances with each other and we all knew what would happen. We wouldn't let each other down and we wouldn't fail.
As each pair was separated from the rest, me and Shadow nodded towards each other, determined to win this. We were finally called for our own briefing with the four Guards that brought us both here. Guard #1 that brought me here approached us and explained, "What your mission will be is simple, you both are tasked with going to a Diamond Dog refugee camp and bring about a peaceful negotiation of terms between them and the local group of farmers who have driven them from their land."
"Now we don't expect anything to go wrong with this settlement, but as always trust in your training and be prepared for the worst. Your test evaluator will be," he steps back, admitting Guard #2(him!), "the second Guard to accompany you here Aces." I glared into his eyes, as much as he did to me.
For a full minute we stared at each other before he broke the silence, "I will be accompanying you on your mission and will decide whether or not you are fit for duty as active members of the CSF." We both nodded at him as I thought to myself, 'could this day get any worse?'