> Shadow Strike and Long Shot: The Vacation
>  by Fossil-Dragon-Messiah
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: The Train
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Long Shot stared out of the window of the train car, mesmerized by the passing landscape. As the trains engine sounded off, she reminisced on the insanity the past few months have brought. First the princess of the night returns after a thousand year banishment, then a semi omnipotent god of chaos resurrects and turns all of Equestria on it’s ear, then most recently, and arguably most importantly, two weeks ago she met Shadow Strike and Pupa, as the loud high pitched snoring coming from the seat to her right was a constant reminder.
A slight grin stretched it’s way across Long Shot’s face as she turned to her sleeping colt friend. He was spread out in a goofy fashion, one that reminded Long shot of a peculiar mint unicorn mare she once met during a trip to Ponyville. His scarf wrapped tightly around his silver neck.
Long shot raised her hoof and smacked it down onto the disguised changeling’s head and giggled as he awoke. 
“wh-what?!” the startled bounty cried.
Long shot retorted with a chuckle, “Anypony ever tell you that you sound like a cicada when you snore?”
Shadow Strike snickered. “I don’t know. Anypony ever tell you that you look ridiculous in those glasses?”, the bounty hunter teased, indicating the W shaped lenses resting atop the yellow mare’s snout. “You look like a character from one of those weird comic books from Tokhayo.”
The sniper frowned slightly. “They’re called ‘manga’, Shadow. You baka.”
The silver unicorn swiped a strand of ash colored mane from his face. “Heh. Whatever you say Long Shot. So remind me... Why exactly, couldn’t I bring my sword? You know I feel naked with out it!”
“Because it’s a vacation, Shadow. We aren’t here hunting a bounty, so you don’t need a sword.” the yellowish mare responded.
Shadow, frustrated, asked in a relatively aggressive tone “But why MANEHATTEN of all places? If you wanted to get me out of the house and get Pupa off my mind then fine, but why Manehatten? It’s loud, it’s cramped, and it’s filthy! We could go playing slots in Los Pegasus, or swimming at the Horseshoe Bay resort, but instead we go to Manehatten, the capital of corruption and crime in Equestria, and I don’t even get to hunt!”
The mare let out a sigh and spoke calmly, “I chose Manehatten because I have a friend who lives there, Malware. I’m going to stop by his workplace at the Hy-pony-on Corporation, pick up a package I ordered, and then we go sightseeing or shopping or whatever you want, Shadow. Just please, try to enjoy this okay?"
"...Alright... If it's that important to you, I'll try to enjoy myself.  Just let me get back to my nap." Said the tired bounty hunter.
"That's all I ask Shadow." Long shot affirmed with a smile.
Just then, a loud voice came on the trains speaker system, "Attention passengers. We will be arriving at the Manehatten Grand Central Station in five minutes."
"So much for that nap, Shadow."

> Chapter 2: When a Bug Befriends a Dragon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The couple made their way off the train as soon as they could. Shadow just wanted to get out of the crowd, while Long Shot was eager to get this vacation started! The two walked out into the bitter Manehatten winter air. Shadow Strike shivered and used telekinesis to pull his scarf tighter around him.
He turned to his fillyfriend and said, "Ugh. Winter Wrap-Up can not come soon enough."
Long Shot chuckled, "I hear that. And I thought it was cold back in Canterlot!"
The pair laughed and continued on. They walked around in circles for a few minutes, trying to get a sense of direction before heading off to the Hy-pony-on Corporation's HQ to pick the parcel that Long Shot had mentioned. When they felt they knew where they were going, Shadow Strike and Long Shot trotted down in the direction of their destination. The building itself was tall enough to spot from where they were once they knew what to look for, and it seemed it was only about a fifteen minute walk.
Out of nowhere, Shadow tripped and fell face first into the pavement. Behind him, a soft, nasally voice cried, "Omigosh, I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you up."
Shadow accepted the helping hand and looked at his benefactor. It was a familiar face, at least to Shadow Strike. A small, purple baby dragon with green spines. "Spike? Is that you?" The silver unicorn asked.
"Wait... Shadow Strike! I haven't seen you in months! It's good to see ya man." Spike responded.
Long Shot, utterly confused at this interaction spoke up, "Um, Shadow? Do you know him?"
"Oh, you haven't met Spike?" Shadow inquired. "He's was kinda hard to miss. I've never seen anypony down as much donuts as this little guy.He always came to Joe's every friday for a game of Chess. Speaking of which what happened to ya buddy? You just kinda vanished a few months ago."
The dragon looked the stallion. "um.. well... You see, I...kinda moved to Ponyville."
"Really?"
"Um... yeah. My friend that I lived with and was always telling you and Joe about, Twilight, she was sent there to organize the Summer Sun Celebration and afterwards she decided to move in permanently." Spike explained.
Long Shot spoke, "Wait... Didn't Nightmare Moon return in Ponyville on the Summer Sun Celebration?"
Spike chuckled nervously, "Yeah... It was a crazy night. Heh." The dragon looked at the sniper and quickly changed the subject. "So Shadow, who's the lucky mare?"
"This is Long Shot, we met to weeks ago"
"Nice to meet you mister Spike." Long Shot said
Spike shook her hoof and spoke, "The pleasures all mine Miss Shot. Any friend of Shadow's is a friend of mine. So what brings you to Manehatten?"
"Long Shot and I are on vacation" Shadow explained. "A little R&R y'know? What about you?"
"Oh, well I'm here helping a friend carry some-"
"Spike, there you are." a posh sounding voice rang out from behind the group. "You really need to be more careful darling. Twilight would have killed me had I let you wander off and get separated."
The pony generating the voice stepped forward. She was a unicorn, as white as the snow falling on the street with a purple mane styled in a way the radiated eloquence.
"Now come, Spikey-Wikey. we need to get-" The mare paused when she laid her widened eyes upon Shadow's scarf. "You there sir. If I may ask... where did you get that scarf?."
Shadow grabbed the end of the scarf with a hoof. "This thing? A friend bought for me for Hearth's Warming a couple years ago. Why?"
The white mare eyes glistened  with excitement, she lifted a hoof to the scarf and felt the fabric. "I remember making a few scarfs just like this! I spent hours working on the template because my little sister kept bringing me the wrong colored cloth! Even when I got the color right I didn't expect it to sell at all, it just looked so... so... tacky."
The small dragon tugged on the coat of the exuberant mare and attempted to speak, "Come on, Rarity. We should stop bothering these-"
"RARITY!?!?" Long shot asked. "As in THE Rarity? The up and rising designer from Ponyville? Omigosh, I LOVE your dresses! Just the way you make them so breathable is amazing! I have one of you older Fall Equinox Designs in my closet back in Canterlot."
Shadow just stared at his fillyfriend. "...Damn Long Shot... I didn't know you were into that kinda thing..."
Long Shot looked and Shadow, then back at Rarity. She backed up and laughed nervously. "Oh my...Sorry about that. Got kind of carried away there, Didn't I?"
Rarity chuckled in a friendly tone. "Oh, theres no need to apologize, darling." She assured the shaken sniper. "It's always nice to hear from a fan." The pure white mare looked at a clock adorning the window of a nearby shop and let out a small gasp. "Well it was nice to meet you two. As much as I'de love to stay and chat, I'm afraid Spike and I have to get back to the train station. Come Along now Spike."
The miniature dragon looked at the two bounty hunters and spoke, "It was nice to see you again, Shadow Strike. Say hi to Joe for me!"
"Can do" replied the silver stallion as he watched Spike scamper back to Rarity's side.
"Man. Talk about serendipity." Shadow Strike said. Long Shot just hung her head in embarrassed silence. 
> Chapter 3: The Hy-pony-on Corporation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The entrance to the Hy-pony-on Corporation's HQ was surprisingly small and lack luster considering it was the entrance to the wealthiest weapon manufacturer and the second wealthiest company in Equestria behind Ponny Co. It was just two sets of automatic doors held open by unicorn magic with a few posters reading the corporation's tag-lines for their different gun models. For Earth ponies, the poster read "All the accuracy in the world don't matter if you ain't got the power to back it up. If it took more'n one shot, you weren't using an Earth Pony." For Pegasus guns, "Only pegasus weapons put the power of thunder clouds at your hoof tips. Pegasus, where form meets function." The unicorn poster read "Buy a unicorn weapon today and feel what its like to hold the power of an alicorn in your hooves". 
Shadow Strike and Long Shot entered the large building. The bland exterior did not do the interior justice. The lobby was massive, the walls were painted a bright yellow with white stripes adorning them occasionally. In the center of the lobby was a statue of the company's CEO, or at least who the two bounty hunters assumed it was a statue of.
The two walked deeper into the building, only to here a gritty voice call out from behind. "You two. Halt."
Shadow Strike and Long Shot looked back and saw a peculiar sight indeed. The voice belonged to a pegasus stallion, but his wings, legs and right eye were not of flesh, but of machine. His wings were a deep black, his artificial feathers sharp and shaped like scythes. His legs were an even brighter yellow than the walls, almost to the point of being gold, and the rear set covered his cutie mark on either side. His eye was a small bluish disk that hummed and clicked as if it was running some sort of facial recognition software.
The cyborg spoke once more. "State your business."
Long Shot responded in kind. "We have an appointment with a mister 'Malware'."
"Name?", the electric equine asked.
"Long Shot and Shadow Strike."
The disk where peculiar pony's eye should have been glowed slightly and hummed even louder. After about thirty seconds of waiting, the stallion spoke again. "You're all clear. Malware's office is on the third floor. The office number is 32-E." With that, the cyborg walked away.
Shadow stared at the bizarre specimen with a look that combined curiosity and suspicion. Long Shot noticed the look on her coltfriend's face and asked, "Hey shadow, You okay?"
"what? Oh. Yeah I'm fine. It's just... something about the color of that guy's leg sets me on edge and I just can't put my hoof on it..." the sword slinger said.
Long Shot put a hoof on the incognito changeling's shoulder. "I'm sure it's nothing. Lets just go."
Shadow merely nodded.
The two took the elevator up to the third floor and walked around until they found office 32-E. Long Shot knocked on the door and said "Hey Malware. It's me, Long Shot."
From behind the door, one could hear the sound of hooves trotting to the door. A screechy voice cried out "ANNNNND.... OPEN!" The door opened opened, revealing a short earth pony stallion wearing a Hy-pony-on uniform. He had a bright orange mane and a dark coat, his eyes were a dark blue and his cutie mark showed a pixelated image of some sort of monster's head. His face wore an expression of naivety optimism and confidence. "Long Shot! So good to see you again! And I take it this is the 'Shadow Strike' you mentioned in your letter?" the tiny pony asked.
"That's me" Shadow said.
"The names Malware. Tech wiz and the best Celestia damned gun maker you'll ever meet." The dark colored stallion proclaimed.
Shadow asked looked at the small stallion and asked "Do you know some sort of half machine pony? There was some guy walking around with robot legs or something."
The tiny pony thought about the inquiry for a second before replying "Oh! You mean Biotech? He's our chief of security. Poor bastard got his limbs blown off and went half blind twenty years ago during the insurgency of Saddle Arabia. Don't ask me how he survived because I don't know. Hy-pony-on's engineers made some cybernetic implants for him after he woke from a coma and then he started working for us. Man, I tell ya, there is nothing a combination of earth pony engineering and unicorn magic can't do."
Shadow Strike nodded. Something about this "Biotech" still set him on edge, but he just couldn't figure it out for the love of Celestia.
Malware returned his look to Long Shot. "So Long Shot, I got those parts you ordered! Just gimme a sec to get em."Malware turned to his desk and opened a drawer. Out of it, he pulled out a large briefcase. "Here you are. In this container are all the parts you'll need for that custom rifle you wanted."
Long Shot took the case. "Thanks Mal...Um... Did you have any progress on the other thing I asked you about?"
The look of innocence and happiness on Malware's face was replaced by one of worry and confusion as he looked to Shadow Strike in a way that asked, "Is it okay for him to be here?"
Shadow saw this look and took the hint. "Hey, it's alright. I have a right to my secrets and you two have rights to yours. I'll just head down to the music store across the street. You two talk about whatever you need to talk about."
Shadow had just closed the door when Malware handed a small flash drive to Long Shot. His tone was now a serious one. "That's all I could get on Blitzkreig off the employee database with out tripping some major firewalls. It's nothing the police haven't already told ya probably. He worked with Hy-pony-on for a few years, cutting sheet metal, then disappeared for a few weeks after a chemical spill only to reappear after he lost his mind."
Long Shot nodded as she took the flash drive.
"Sorry I couldn't get more. I'm good but not THAT good."
The sniper smiled at the hacker. "Don't beat yourself up, Malware. You did all you could and that's what matters." She said as she placed the flash drive in the briefcase.
"Oh! And Long Shot..." The dark stallion said.
"Hm?"
Malware smiled. "That Shadow Strike's a keeper. He's a good pony, I can tell."
Long Shot grinned. "Thanks, Malware. See ya around." is all the sniper said as she left the room and went off to find her coltfriend.
Long Shot found Shadow right where he said he would be. In the music store across the street from the Hy-pony-on corporation, looking at the latest albums from My Magical Friendship, Two Steps from Tartarus and Dj-Pon3.
The sniper approached Shadow as he mouthed the lyrics to the song "Fillies" by My Magical Friendship.
"Hey Shadow. Ready to go to the hotel?" She asked.
Shadow looked at a clock on the other side of the store and his eyes widened. "Oh my... It's that late already?"
"Yeah. we should probably get going." Long Shot said.
Shadow nodded. Together, they walked out of the store and towards their hotel.
> Chapter 4: The Hotel
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The hotel was amazing. A four star suite called the "Alicorn View Inn". Not as spectacular as the lobby of Hy-pony-on Corp's HQ, but still breath taking. 
Long Shot approached the thestral working the front counter. A few words were exchanged that Shadow was not able to catch as he was admiring the beauty of the hotel's architecture. The thestral handed Long Shot a room key and pointed her towards her's and Shadow's room.
Long Shot went over to Shadow Strike and snapped him out of his reverie. "Shadow, I got the room key. Let's go."
"Huh? Oh. Yeah." the silver unicorn stuttered as he walked along side his fillyfriend.
The room was surprisingly small. There was only one bed and two chairs furnishing it.
Shadow's eyes widened in horror as he looked at the single bed and back at Long Shot.. "Um... There's only one bed..."
Long Shot looked at him strangely for a second until she caught on. Her eyes widened as well. "Oh...Well... I'd be fine sharing a bed. Can I trust you not to do anything...improper?"
Shadow took off his scarf and saddle bags as he spoke "Yeah...Can I trust you?"
Long Shot slapped her coltfriend playfully. "You pervert."
The disguised changeling chuckled and raised an eyebrow at the sniper. "Hey, you said it not me."
"Well, you're the one that made me say it!"
"I didn't make you say anything. Heh."
The flustered mare turned away from Shadow Strike and sat down on the side of the bed closest to the wall. Shadow climbed into the side opposite her and he spoke once again. "G'night, Long Shot." He turned off the lamp on the night stand nest him and within a few minutes, the same cicada-like snoring was heard.
Ugh, thought Long Shot, I Should of packed some ear plugs. 
> Chapter 5: The Vacation Begins!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Long Shot woke up to find Shadow missing. He wasn't in bed or in the bathroom and his scarf and saddle bags were missing. Long Shot sat up and looked at a not posted to the door of the room. It read "Went down stairs to get breakfast. If I'm not there, check the pool. With love -Shadow Strike"
Long Shot got up and tied her mane back up in her signature ponytail. She grabbed her saddle bags and her sunglasses and headed downstairs. Shadow wasn't in the dining area, but Long Shot was starving, so she decided to help her self to some chocolate chip waffles. After she was done with her breakfast she went to the pool to continue the search for Shadow Strike.
As promised, Shadow was relaxing in the far end of the pool, gently bobbing up and down with the waves.
"I thought bugs hated the water." Long Shot teased.
Shadow looked opened his eyes and looked at his fillyfriend. "Well it's a good thing I'm a pony at the moment and not a bug." The sword slinger retorted.
Long Shot cantered to the edge of the pool and dipped a hoof in to test the temperature. It was perfect, nice and warm. The sniper backed off and went towards the changing room to don her swimsuit. 
She walked out from the changing room in a lime-colored one-piece. She walked into the pool and paddled over to her coltfriend. Long Shot pressed her back against the edge of the pool where the two were floating and stretched. She turned to Shadow Strike and asked "We have four days of vacation left. What do you want to do with 'em?"
Shadow considered the inquiry for a few seconds before answering, "How about the Museum of Equestrian Natural History?"
"Didn't know you were into fossils. Sure, a museum sounds fun." the yellowish mare responded.
The couple stayed in the pool for about half an hour before getting out, drying off, and changing back into there normal attire. The two walked out of the hotel and towards the direction of the Museum of Equestrian Natural History.
The museum was about a twenty minute walk from the hotel. After arriving, the two bounty hunters had to wait in line another ten to gain entrance.
"Forty bits for two adult tickets. Pah. That's highway robbery." Long Shot said irritated.
Shadow nodded and walked into the museum's lobby. In the center was "Stu", the largest and most complete dragon fossil ever discovered. It was posed with all four of it's legs gripping the fake rock it rested upon. It's skeletal wings outstretched and it's jaws opened wide as if the long dead creature was trying to roar from beyond it's grave. The pair stared at the fossilized behemoth in awe, but both for different reasons. Shadow shuddered to think how differently the battle of horn valley would have gone had Stu been backing the dragons, while Long Shot was simply admiring the awe and majesty of the specimen.
"Man... Look at the size of those fangs. It's pretty hard to those things were only used for chomping through gems, huh?" The sniper observed.
"Not just gems... I've seen teeth just like those crunch through charred changeling soldiers..." The sword-slinger whispered, to avoid letting the crowd hear. The dark words weren't spoken with a voice of fear or anger, but more of nostalgia and exhilaration. "Oh, the memories of my sword sliding into their scales, ramming into their eyes, clipping their wings and splitting their skulls. We made the dragons pay for there greed and arrogance that day."
Long Shot whispered back, "Hey, Shadow, not in public."
Shadow's eyes widened. "Was that out loud?"
"Eeyup"
The silver unicorn's cheeks grew red. "Nopony heard me, right?"
"Nope. I'm the only one."
"Phew. I Didn't last ten years in Equestria only to have my cover blown now!" The sword-slinger whispered.
The two continued the tour entering the hall dedicated to the museum's fossil collection.
While Shadow was staring at a couple fossilized eggs, he heard Long Shot call him over. "Hey Shadow. Check this beast out!"
The disguised changeling walked to the exhibit in question. A massive serpent skeleton was placed behind a rope, but the unusual thing about the specimen was that it had wings, not like those of the dragons it was surrounded by but more like the wings of a bird or pegasus.
Shadow looked at the plaque near the fossil's exhibit and read it aloud. "Quetzalcoatl. The largest known species of drake, a group of dragon like animals long extinct. The quetzalcoatl is considered by many to be the missing genetic link between pegasi and dragons due to it's bird-like wing structure." Shadow backed up from the plaque and spoke once more "huh. Neat."
Shadow Strike and Long Shot spent a good portion of their time in the museum with the fossils, occasionally leaving them to look at some crystals or ancient zebra tools. At the end of their tour Shadow stopped Long Shot. "I'm gonna swing by the gift shop and pick something out for Pu-I mean, Hope Ember"He said correcting himself and using the name Pupa's disguise name.
"Sure", the sniper said, "I'll wait here."
"Great. Be right back."
Long Shot also had bought a souvenir earlier in the trip, but not for Pupa. Long Shot had waited six months for the release of "Discord-erlands the Pre-Sequel", and now a copy from the Game Stable back in Canterlot rested in her saddle bag.
Shadow Strike returned with a green dragon plush and stuffed it inside his saddle bag. Afterwards he asked "How about we go get some dinner then head back to the hotel?"
Long Shot hadn't realized just how hungry she was until Shadow brought it up. "Yeah, that sound awesome" she said.
Together they walked out of the museum and looked for a nice place to eat.
> Chapter 6: Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The next three days were filled with fun and merriment. One could barely believe that a few days ago, Shadow Strike resented the city. But all good things must come to an end, and the bounty hunters must return to the world of crime and justice they had taken an all too brief vacation from.
Shadow Strike turned to his filly friend and said "Oh man. I haven't had that much fun since that time in Ponyville when this one guy tried to hide from me in the Everfree forest."
Long shot smirked. "That coming from the stallion who was so opposed to this trip in the first place."
"Heh.... Yeah..."
The train ride home was much longer than the train ride there for some reason, making the bounty hunter duo arrive back in Canterlot at nearly nine o'clock at night.
Shadow Strike and Long Shot approached the donut shop. Joe was seeing out the last few patrons as he prepared to close for the night. 
"Joe! We're home!" The two said in unison.
The donut maker looked at the two hunters with a big welcoming smile. "Welcome back, guys. How was the trip?" Joe said.
Shadow spoke, "It was fine. How was Hope?
"She was a little angel. OH! That reminds me. She helped me make these for you guys." Joe pulled out two cream filled donuts with chocolate frosting. "I call 'em 'Cream de la Cream'. Eat up!"
Shadow and Long Shot each took a donut and sunk their teeth into it.
"Mmmm! Joe, these are really friggin good!" Long Shot proclaimed.
Joe said "SH! Hope Ember is upstairs asleep. And thank you."
The two bounty hunters finished their donuts.  Shadow Strike spoke once more. "I'm going upstairs to check on Hope."
Long Shot nodded. "Yeah. I think I'm gonna put together that rifle Malware gave me, then hit the hay."
"Alright. G'night" the sword-slinger said.
The pink unicorn filly that was Pupa/Hope Ember was out cold on the couch in the living room on the second story of the building. Shadow approached the tiny creature and kissed her on the cheek. "Good night, my little changeling." he said.
In her room, Long Shot was placing the two rotating barrels for her new rifle onto the body she had custom made. As she made sure everything was attached the way it supposed to be, she stared at the flash drive that Malware gave to her. Long shot thought to herself, Watch yourself Blitzkrieg. I'll find you one day.
And with that thought, she placed her new rifle down and went to bed.