Tales of the Battle Foals

by Sirdubya

Technicalities

After having a breakfast of carefully cooked cave mushrooms while trying to convince Crazylocks that they weren’t her long lost marble collection, the foals patiently awaited the afternoon to come. They’d gotten quite the workout from traversing the caves yesterday, and still felt a little sore, so they took the time to recuperate the small amounts of pain they had left that their sleep couldn’t finish off. Once they were nicely rested and could see that the sun was high enough, Fire Fight and Shadow Shroud exited through the hole that they’d made yesterday, and snuck through the rocky hills between them and their ultimate goal.

Fire Fight wanted to come with Shadow Shroud this time, because he didn’t want to make her do all the work in such a big place. Air Slash stayed back since the many royal guards might recognize him as a Bladerunner, Spiral Galaxy stayed behind for the risk of her getting flustered and drawing every wrong kind of attention possible, Turf War stayed behind since a smack-talking ghetto pony in a high society place like Canterlot would make him a huge elephant in the room, Kickback stayed behind for pretty much the same reason along with him being handsome enough to draw a little too much unneeded attention……which Shadow Shroud told him with the straightest face she could make while still slightly blushing, and Crazylocks…….I hope I don’t have to explain why she didn’t go.

As the dynamic duo approached the edge of the city, Shadow Shroud flipped into her dress. The large crowd of ponies that were more or less paying attention to themselves made for pretty much perfect cover for them to just waltz right in, so they did. They were a considerable distance from the castle, so there were very few guards to stop and question them. Many foals played in the streets, meaning that it was thankfully past school, so they could search freely. Canterlot itself was as grand as the foals imagined and then some. Fancy stores and restaurants from all kinds of cultures decorated the streets of the commercial district with a beautiful array that made Manehatten look like a series of museum exhibits. Much the passerby paid them no mind, but Shadow Shroud could tell she was getting a few slightly disgusted stares from snobbish ponies for her dress, much to her annoyance. Fire Fight told her to just ignore them, and said that he still liked it.

When they got to the residential district, it felt like they were in a whole other place. The houses looked so strange in their unique architecture that it felt like they were in some strange paradoxical place where the past and future merged as one. It was a good place nevertheless however, as many of the city’s foals could be seen spending time. This would be a prime place to start looking.

“Did you happen to notice anything in the commercial district?” Fire Fight asked Shadow Shroud.

“Nothing too noteworthy. This place is quite exotic to me, so discerning a…..problem might not be so easy. The only things that I saw that I could label as strange were that one stallion wearing zebra-stripe clothing and make-up doing all those odd undulations, a mere filly exiting a scrap shop, a bunch of colts dressed as comic book heroes for some reason, and…..well I sighted a Bladerunner amongst the few guards that we passed. I…..may have eyed him a little….” Shroud answered.

Fire Fight chuckled. “Shroud, I think culture itself is exotic to you.” He said.

Shroud rolled her eyes. “Well excuse me! I was born and raised outside of stuff like that!” she retorted.

“I know, I know. Sorry, I didn’t mean anything. It just kinda reminded me of the rodeo show in Dodge City. You said it yourself that you were having fun. It was…..pretty cool to actually see that.” Fire Fight said.

“Yes, well……there’s a lot of ‘culture’ for me to get used to if I was so inclined compared to that little old place.” Shroud said.

“Yeah. Just remember to lighten up every once in a while. We might be on a mission, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun while doing it.” Fire Fight said.

Shroud lightly giggled. “Yes. Crazylocks’ presence more or less restricts us from the seriousness we once held.” She said. The two found themselves looking into each other’s eyes once more for a moment before returning to their search.

They slowed their pace while still in the residential district so that they might scan more carefully. Just then, they heard a voice come from behind them. “Excuse me!” They looked back to see a unicorn filly that was about the CMC’s age approaching them. Her coat was a slightly dark marigold with a penny brown tail and bobbed mane. Her eyes were a sky blue, and she wore circular black reading glasses. Her Cutie Mark was an atom. At her side was a little satchel. “Could I trouble the two of you to help with something? It’ll take but a moment.” She asked. She had a posh accent much like Rarity did.

Fire Fight and Shadow Shroud just stared blankly at her. They figured that Canterlot was the last place where one would ask the help of random strangers on the streets, but she seemed nice enough, so they decided to humor her. “Ehh…..with what?” Fire Fight asked.

The filly reached into her satchel, and pulled out a small black band with three blue lines circling around it. They’d yet to notice right away, but she was wearing one of her own on her horn. “This is really something only you can do for me. These are designed only for unicorns, I’m afraid.” She said to Fire Fight.

“Umm, no. I’m not modeling for a little accessory.” Fire Fight said.

“Oh, no no no! It’s nothing of the sort, darling. You wear this about your horn, and it’s supposed to help you focus your magic. I’ve tested it on myself with promising success, but I want to see if it would work with other unicorns. The only brainwaves that I could use as a control group whilst producing prototypes were my own, so I simply want to make sure that it is not just me.” She explained.

They looked at her with impressed expression. “You mean to say that you made these?” Shadow Shroud asked.

“I most certainly did! But I won’t be satisfied with them until I know I’ve perfected them, so if you would be so kind……everypony else is afraid that their brains would melt, which I wholehearted assure you won’t happen.” She said coyly.

“That’s……pretty impressive. You know what? What’s the worst that could happen? You just need me to wear it, right?” Fire Fight asked.

The filly perked up upon hearing that. “Yes! Please go right ahead!” She levitated the band to Fire Fight, and he put it on his horn.

It took a second, but it suddenly felt as though his brain was getting a hard massage, like…..a reverse headache if you will. “Whoa-oa-oa-oa-oa-oa-oa!” It jacked his senses for a few seconds, but then dissipated. He could still feel the effects of the band as he wore it. He shook his head for a quick second. “Wow! Umm…..that feels kinda weird…..but cool!”

The filly joyfully clapped. “Wonderful! Now, let’s see…er…….Ah! Levitate that empty flower pot over there, would you?” she said as she pointed to said flower pot.

It was on somepony’s lawn, but it didn’t look like it was being used, so Fire Fight saw no harm. “Uh, okay.” He focused his horn. Even he noticed a difference with the hornband. His magic focused on that little pot immediately, and with minimal strain even for something as simply to pick up as that. He held it for about ten seconds before the filly told him to let go.

“Well, did you notice a difference?” she asked excitedly.

“Yeah! It felt like I was picking up a tiny little feather!” Fire Fight said.

Shadow Shroud looked at him surprised. “Really?” she asked.

“Yeah! This thing is pretty cool! Can I keep it?” Fire Fight asked the filly.

“I’m sorry, darling, but I’m afraid that these are the only two copies of the band that I’ve finished producing. I have a few more in their final stages, but I’ll need those two simply for reference. I hope you understand.” She replied.

“Aww, man….” Fire Fight took off the band, and handed it back to her. “That’s cool.” He said.

“Thank you! I only calculated a roughly 18% increase in activity in your magic cortex anyway, not quite what I was hoping for, but promising results nevertheless.” The filly stated.

The two stared at her blankly once more. “Uhh……how could you tell?” Shadow Shroud asked.

The filly fixed her glasses. “You see, I simply used some magnetic resonance imagery scanners I’ve augmented into my glasses to measure your brain activity prior to you donning the hornband. I then simply measured the increase of neuromagical activity when you did, and studied its stability when you focused your magic. From there, I did the math in my head.” She explained.

They stared at her once more. “Mag……netic……….what?” Fire Fight said.

The filly pondered. “Hmm….how to put this simply…………You are familiar with echolocation, are you not?” she asked. They nodded. “Think of MRI as that, but with electromagnetic waves sent out by my glasses that pass through your body, and send any signals of structure or wave activity as a visual display that I can observe, essentially allowing me to see inside of you albeit without the most desirable clarity.” She explained. “I also have a Geiger meter, a calculator, a vast database of information compiled into a manageable encyclopedia that even Canterlot’s library would yearn for, thermal imaging to measure heat during chemical-related experiments, and x-ray scanners…..just for fun, I suppose. Heehee!”

The two were equal parts confused, and astonished. “You mean…….that you have one of those……..computer thingies that Princess Twilight has been known to use……..in your glasses!?” Shadow Shroud said.

The filly held her head high. “Quite so! I took me forever to determine just the right amount of required silicon, and perfecting the art of programming was taxing alone, especially with coding just the right algorithm. But nevertheless, I managed. But the lenses were the real challenge. I spent day and night figuring out just how much lighting would be required within the rims of my glasses, and configuring them to the databases within the silicon inner layer proved to be more than just an annual science fair project. My goodness! Why I had to-”

“QUANTUM TECH!!!” They heard a posh voice ring out, and they looked over to see a couple strutting towards them. The filly seemed to recognize them, and cowered a little.

“Mother! Father! Er…..What might you be doing here? I-I-I thought you were attending a dinner party at Goldenglow’s estate! I-I remember you telling me just how delicious her honey roasted haystacks were.” She stammered.

Her parents just authoritatively leered down at her. “Yes, and perhaps we would be inclined to take you if you’d learn to behave like a social elite!” Her father said.

Her mother then looked at Fire Fight and Shadow Shroud. “I’m sorry, darlings. Was our daughter bothering you?” she asked. Some condescendence could be detected in her tone.

“N-No, ma’am. Not at all! We were just helping test those cool hornbands that she made.” Fire Fight answered.

Her mother gasped somewhat angrily as the filly’s eyes widened in horror. “Quantum Tech! You’re once again subjecting others to your science-crazed madness? How many times have I told you that such balderdash and tomfoolery are not becoming of a lady!?” she reprimanded. She swiped the satchel off of her shoulder, and band off of her horn.

“B-But mother!….” ‘Quantum Tech’ as her name apparently was whined.

“No buts, young lady! Now go home this instant! Canterlot’s society does not need a filly whose only talent is reading books and conducting meaningless experiments.” Her father said.

“Such experiments are what built-”

“NOW!”

Quantum Tech recoiled back, and conceded. She hung her head low as she turned around to walk to wherever her house was. She looked back at Shadow Shroud and Fire Fight. “Thank you….” She mumbled. Before they could, she moped along once more. Her parents followed suit as they turned around paying the foals no mind as they strutted towards wherever they meant to go.

“Pfft! Stuck-up snobs.” Fire Fight growled.

“Interesting….” Shadow Shroud muttered.

“It’s gonna start getting late soon. Wanna start heading back? We can make another sweep on the way. We might have to make a second one tomorrow.” Fire Fight said.

“I suppose so.” Shadow Shroud said. They began making their way back to the cave. “So did that band really feel as potent as suggested?” she asked.

“Oh yeah! It felt like I could suddenly pick up a building with my magic! Jeez, can you imagine giving one of those Spiral!?” Fire Fight said.

“I’d rather not!” Shroud said. She pondered for a moment. “Wonder how they’re doing?”

Meanwhile...

“HI, CRAZYLOCKS! I’M ALSO CRAZYLOCKS! HI, CRAZYLOCKS! HOW ARE YA, CRAZYLOCKS!? I’M GREAT, CRAZYLOCKS!” Crazylocks was having a senseless conversation with her reflection in a nearby crystal while the others just sat with each other nearby as they listened to her.

“Ugh! Why did Fire Fight have to take her with us?” Spiral Galaxy complained.

“She been helpful, but…….” Turf War said.

“Just…….have patience, friends. She’ll……..calm down……maybe….” Air Slash muttered with annoyance as he listened to Crazylocks shout her nonsense.

“MY FAVORITE MOVIE WAS ALSO THE ONE WITH THE CANTALOUPE STOCK BROKER!! AWESOME! SAY, WHAT’S A CANTLOUPE ANYWAY!? IT’S A WOODEN FRUIT MADE OF GRASS FED CERAMIC BEETLE BONES THAT TASTES LIKE LEMON EGGS! THAT SOUND DELICIOUS! IT REALLY IS, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU BAKE IT IN FISH BLOOD!” She went on and on and on. They were starting to become a little irate.

Kickback got up, and walked over to her. He politely removed his hat. “Now Ms. Crazylocks-”

Crazylocks whipped around to face him. “NO!! YOU MAY NOT BORROW MY WEDDING DRESS!!” she shouted.

Kickback’s expression suddenly turned both surprised, and embarrassed. Spiral burst out snickering at the thought of seeing Kickback in such attire. “Err…..That’s all well an’ good, but if you’d let me finish, Ah’ll gladly tell ya what Ah was gonna say.” He calmly said. With some effort, he managed to gently coax her away from the crystal. By some miracle, she quietly sat down with the other albeit with her manic smile.

“Kickback, you’re a real saint.” Spiral said.

Kickback held his hat slightly over his face. “Aw shucks! Ah reckon we just gotta have a little patience, right Air Slash?” The samurai rolled his eyes with slightly less annoyance than before. “Hows about a little tune to lighten the mood, hmm?” Kickback asked. They all gave him a slightly confused look. He removed his hat as he sat back down, and cleared his throat. “Mah grandpa taught me this one.”

When the sunshiiiiiiine rises high,

And there’re dustclooouuuds to mock yer home,

They might scratch against the wood, whine and mope and pout you could,

But it ain’t gonna wave goodbyyyyyee.

You’ve gotta brave iiiiiiiit until it’ll pass,

Don’t be as fragiiiiiillllle as the glass,

‘Cause before the storm the gone, you can still sing this song,

And be blessed with the sunset. YEE-HAW!!

The others were left pretty stunned. Kickback was a surprisingly good singer. Crazylocks was clapping like a maniac seemingly out of her own crazed obligation, but it was kind of warranted. Turf War and Spiral clapped for him too while Air Slash just gave him an approving nod. Kickback himself just casually smiled, and put his hat back on.

Comments

[HB_DS2013]

Quantum Tech sounds like a gal centuries ahead of Equestria itself. Fillies like her will definitely change history for sure. For some reason, I think of her as the Van Gogh of science.

[KingJoltik]

7877289 That how it always works. The truly brilliant ones are always ignored and shunned from society.

[KingJoltik]

I think we just found our next party member! Now this is a character that both Twilight and Spiral need to meet. For different reasons though, obviously.

[Ryuyu]

can i ask crazylocks for a volume knob?

[Draskos]

You know, for all the teasing you do about Fire Fight and Shadow Shroud, they better get together or Im gonna go insane.