A Newly Hooded Road to Walk

Fluttershy looked out the window of the train to look at the vast expanse of fields that stretched out for miles. Ponyville was long gone and out of sight, and was to be that way for many years to come, but Fluttershy had gotten her crying out no matter how sad this might be, and it was only opportunity and a new life from here. They had been traveling for two days now, traveling around the expansive evergreen forest, which never faltered from the view out the left side of the train, the right however changed from plains to mountains, from mountains to calm trees, and from trees to plains again, creating an enjoyable character to the countryside, unlike the evergreen forest. Fluttershy looked at the dark stallion that slept across from her, and how in that passed two months or so they had gotten fairly close, though she didn't know everything about him yet, his home, his life, his story, and the little kinks and oddities in his personality, but she knew that over the years to come, they would get to know each other.

Fluttershy looked at the map and the train schedule, they still had another two days of travel ahead, and eight stops in between. She closed the pamphlets and placed them gently in her bag, making her charmed necklace hang in her face. She held it and tried to look deep into it, hoping for a slight purr of light, but as she suspected, there was nothing, it made her wander how her friends were fairing with the fact she was gone, and what life would be like for them without her, but she stopped her thoughts as she could feel tears brewing and focused again on the window.

"What is that?"

Fluttershy jumped in surprise at Silvershades weary voice laden with sleep, "Wha- oh! its its a charm necklace, my friends and I have matching ones."

"Cute," stated Silvershade as he nestled himself back into his seat to continue sleeping, "Keep it close, for its the only thing you'll be seeing of them for a while."

Fluttershy rued the thought, and said quietly, "I know." Fluttershy then slowly drifted into sleep hoping that she wouldn't be gone for long.

Fluttershy woke later confused and startled to the loud rustling and horns pounding her ears. She opened her fussy eyes many ponies loading carry-on bags into the containers above the surrounding seats all talking inbetween themselves, however one seemed to be talking directly at her

"Ma'am, excuse me ma'am?" It was a stallion who seemed to be rather annoyed for some reason, but she soon heard another voice which she recognized as Silvershade, who proceded to talk to the other pony.

"I'm sorry sir but is there a problem?"

"Well yes your little companion here seems to be in my seat." Stated the stallion stirnly.

"Oh sorry, we've had a long trip around the whole of the forest, let me get her out of the way,"

"Yeah yeah it's just fine, I just advise you to hurry, there a huge group of more ponies comin, all of us are the early birds here."

"Oh shit really?" replied silvershade in a pause from organizing fluttershy's things, who then moved to wake the mare herself.

Fluttershy felt two warm hands shake her shoulders a little, and a quiet voice to follow, "Fluttershy, Fluttershy it's time to wake up, we're here." however the only reply he got in return was a grunt of a sleep deprived little mare, so silvershade resorted to more physical means of waking her, so he simply lifted her eyelids with one hand and plugged her snout with the other and soon enough fluttershy was wide awake gasping for air.

"Why the hell did you do that?" Asked fluttershy angrily.

Silvershade replied mockingly, "your a heavy sleeper, but I've found that harmless suffocation can wake up anything."

"Fair enough, why'd you wake me up anyway?"

"Well we're here believe it or not, you did sleep an entire day after all."

"An entire day! Why didnt you wake me up! I mean at least for food or something."

"Nah, you looked too cute sleeping there all sloppy like,"

Fluttershy blushed at that, it was rare for her to be complimented by stallions, since she generally avoided them, "y-your a weirdo, y-you know that?"

"Me? A weirdo? you we're sitting right across from me so how could I not look at you?"

"Alright seriously can you two ponies move the hell out of the way so that I can sit down," bursted out the stallion who was still standing there waiting.

"oh-oh yeah sorry about that, we'll get out of your way now," said Silvershade

"bout damn time, weird kids."

At that the two assassins gathered their things and halled it and themselves from the now crammed train. They looked out from the creaky old platform and saw only one street that was littered with houses and businesses alIke, which only went for about a mile, and stopped at a bright green hill, which rose randomly from the flat plains of which the little town sat. Atop the hill rose a large estate, covering 50 acres and was guarded by a 13 foot wall of stone, the only clear detail you could see from the platform was the tall bronze green gate that marked the entrance and center of the estate.

"So this is it? I-I was expecting like a big huge town where everyone was apart of the creed and what not," spoke fluttershy, confused that the mighty assassin base is a little underdeveloped town in the middle of nowhere.

Silvershade chuckled at her remark, " don't worry, I felt the same at first too, but it's all a lot more than it seems, trust me."

"W-well if you say so."

They walked together through town, taking periodic breaks so fluttershy could rest her arms from carrying her luggage. The town was very lively despite its size, children playing and a few stallions laughing together at the saloon, but still it was tiny, making her wonder where all of those ponies on the train could have come from.

"Hey Silvershade, why were all those ponies here? I mean it's so small."

"Tourism"

"For what?"

"The Evergreen forest, it is the clearest here and not dangerous at all, so ponies come every year to camp and hike through it without a worry."

"Hm, odd compared to what I'm used to, normally ponies avoi-"

"ah shoosh we're here," Fluttershy hadn't even noticed that they were now standing in front of the old green gate, which had the assassins' symbol engraved into the copper core, making it bright compared to the rest of the gate. Silvershade knocked stirnly on the gate, waited a second then gave another knock, a voice spoke, seeming to come from the gate, but also from nowhere at all, then, it slowly spoke a single question:

"What, is the truth, of life?"

Silvershade spoke back with equal clarity and speed. "Nothing is true, and everything is permitted."

They waited about thirty seconds till the copper doors slowly creaked open, and revealed the compound that lay within the stone walls of the estate, revealing to Fluttershy, the setting of her life for the years to come.