> Sentinels shadow > by Dramize the Salamander > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a clear evening in Trottingham as a mare covered in cuts was running through the back allies to a small boarded up building which the mare quickly entered as a shadow landed on a near by roof. The mare quickly looked around the messy skeleton littered room and the several ponies that were lounging around it until she saw a large stallion grey with a golden mane in the back gnawing an a leg bone. "High Step what happened to you?" Asked the large stallion looking up from his bone. "Boss I was attacked by a strange stallion." The mare said as she sat down her wounds closing as the stallion moved to a window. "Did you lead him here?" The stallion asked turning away from the window and sniffing the air. "Yes." The mare said hanging her head. "Good, saves us the trouble of looking for him." The stallion said just as the last rays of sunlight faded and the moon rose. The ponies hid in the shadows with the stallion standing in the center of the room a quiet hush filling the room along with the sweeping rays of moon light. The stallion stared at the doorway crouched down in a pouncing position as the moonlight swept over him. The Silence was broken in an instant as the sound of bones cracking and muscle tearing fill the room. The Stallion grew twice his size as sharp claw broke out from his hooves, his muzzle elongating becoming wolf like complete with sharp fangs and his mane growing and fusing with his tail creating a long spiked up golden stripe down his broad back. Growling filled the room as soft deliberate hoof fall were heard coming from outside drawing closer until they reached the door which opened slowly to reveal a dark green stallion wearing a black hooded cloak. He walked up pulling back his hood revealing his pastel purple mane and his dark red eyes. He walked until he was in the middle of the room before he looked around before facing the large alpha werewolf in front of him. "Well come on then." He said cracking his neck. The alpha leapt at the stallion along with his pack ready to tear him apart only for the stallion to stomp followed by a bright flash blinding everyone. The Alpha and most of the pack landed on the hard stone floor shaking off their blindness their world coming into to focus to see two of their friends hanging in the air silver blades sticking out of their backs. The stallion threw the dead wolves off his blades his pastel purple feathered wing stained slightly with blood. The wolves charged back in to tear apart the stallion that killed their friends only to get knocked back as he swung his head striking them with a hard leather whip. The stallion smiled as he moves with the momentum of his swing sticking out his hooves revealing the strange mini repeating crossbows bracers that attached to his forelegs. With a slight tense of his ankles two perfectly placed silver bolts were now in the heart of two more wolves, the light fading from their eyes before they even hit the floor leaving five alive. The wolves were on the defensive now as they back away slowly knowing the exact moment they turned their backs they were dead. The stallion taking a step forward smirked as he watched the door way behind the wolves start to glow a sinister red as they got closer until the alpha's tail crossed the threshold. The stallion turned dashing through a board up window and flying away before a loud explosion destroyed the entire building with in seconds leaving nothing but charred rubble as he flew into the night. A hour later he landed in front of a large caravan were a tan mare was leaning on the doorway her chestnut mane flowing in the breeze as the soft moonlight reflected off her metal left fore leg. "Your back at a descent hour for once, so how was the wolf hunting?" She asked looking at her hoof with a board expression on her face. "It wasn't even a challenge. How is Aconitum?" "She's asleep no out bursts to night. But..." The mare trailed off looking at a near by tree. "But?" The stallion asked calmly but his eye betraying his concern "Ponies are starting to notice the darkness in her magic she's getting better at controlling it but it slips out still too often. It won't be long before the guards start knocking at your door Nightshade." "I know Gear." Nightshade said as he waked up sitting on the steps of his caravan in deep though "So what are we gonna do?" Gear asked sitting next to Nightshade. "We?" "As far as I'm concerned that filly is my daughter as well as yours, so yes we. Besides someone has to be their to teach her how to be a proper mare." "You teach her to be a proper mare that's a funny." "And what so funny about that?" "With as much as we hangout you really want me to answer that." "Nope." Gear said with a shrug causing both ponies to laugh. "So where are we headed?" "Ponyville I've heard that place is pretty accident prone I think we'll go there. Hopefully Aconitum won't stand out to much plus she can go to school again." "Ok then so when are you leaving because I'll have some things to take care of first." "Two days from now so I can gather supplies then take off." "All right then I'll go collect the commission for this job plus the cost if I heard correctly for the old building you took down. See ya." Gear got up leaving with as sinister smile a slight sway of her hips while Nightshade went inside. Nightshade looked around his home the countless wing blades, armors, and arrows that hung along the back walls in front of a oak desk which supported a giant book with a jackal, an owl, and a salamander emblem on the cover. leaving the two beds the front of the caravan free and clean except for the young brown green unicorn filly with a blue-purple mane that occupied one of them. Nightshade walked up to the filly leaning down and kissing her on the forehead before moving to the desk in the back. He removed his cloak revealing the black and silver armor he wore underneath along with the weapons he carried. He quietly removed setting them on the desk as he cleaned them and put them up in their place before mapping his route to Ponyville and jotting a list of supplies. Four hours pasted and Nightshade got up from his desk and walked to his bed laying down watching the filly. "Aconitum in two days were going to find a new home. All I can hope is that you enjoy it."