Chapters It was dark, really dark, the sunlight could barely go through the thicket. A good sign that Shamrock Clover was deep in the forest and far enough from town. Which is what he wanted because he wasn't in just any forest, Clover was currently trotting through the Everfree Forest. A dangerous place to be if you were just an ordinary earth pony. But Clover didn't care, he was here looking for something, and that's some action. Armed with a cool looking stick he had just found, he sets off to find trouble in this mysterious forest.
He was thankful for being born with lime green fur, it helped him blend with the shrubbery which gave him the element of surprise. But his red mane made him stand out, so he used a small bush to cover it up. His kind might be considered prey compared to the other creatures that roamed the land, but today he was the hunter, and he will prey on a mighty beast unlucky enough to come his way.
The dried leaves crackling beneath his hooves was the only noise that he could hear, no birds or any type of woodland creature made a sound. Clover stopped and listened carefully for any sign of life but was only greeted with an eerie silence.
The only thing he could hear is his own beating heart. And just as he was about to give up, a single bush nearby had begun to rustle. A funny looking grin found itself on Clover's face, his heart began beating even faster with excitement. He could feel a bit of adrenaline flowing into his veins, and Clover was absolutely ready for what's to come.
Shamrock flinched slightly when he heard a branch snapped behind the rustling bush, he then took up arms and held the cool looking stick in his mouth preparing himself for a fight. His hoof shook with anticipation. He bent his knees and lowered himself close to the ground, a battle stance he once saw in the theaters which he was sure would be the best choice for his first strike.
A haunting moan erupted from the bush causing a shiver to run down Clover's spine.
Clover couldn't wait another longer, he launched forward with all his strength. With the stick tightly in his jaws, ready to be used against whatever beast is behind the bushes. He sailed over the wall that separated them both and he reeled back the stick, and with determination, he swung his mighty weapon to deliver a powerful blow at the mysterious beast.
But just as his weapon was an inch away from the back of the beast's head, Clover had found himself frozen in air. His body was completely bonded by an invisible force. He attempted to break free, but no matter how much he tried, he was simply stuck. Left to be in the mercy of whatever disgusting beast had caught him.
"Did you seriously tried to hit me?"
Clover's eyes shot wide open. "You can talk!?"
"It's me you idiot."
Suddenly, a bright light had lit up the darkness allowing Clover to clearly see who he had attempted to assault. A unicorn stallion with a clean white fur and a pink mane stood before him, his cutie mark was a golden star with a red seven in the middle of it. Clover would then realize who this pony was, he was none other than his good friend, Steel White.
"Oh, hey White! What'cha doin' here?"
The unicorn groaned loudly before releasing Clover from his magic and he watched his friend fall flat on his face. "Looking for you. I could ask the same question, Sham."
Shamrock hopped back onto his hooves and took a pose that radiates pure bravado. "Well dude, I myself am looking for fearsome beasts!"
"Why?" White asked.
"To hunt." And Clover gave him his answer, one so simple and dumb, that White swore he felt a vein pop from the amount of stress he was currently feeling.
"Do you know who asked me to look for you?" White waited for Clover to answer, but he only shook his head in response. "Your boss herself had broken into my house and demanded me to bring you in for work. Crazy, right?"
"Uh-oh, he sounded angry. I should totally do something ." Clover thought to himself before awkwardly coughing into his hoof. "W-wow, that is crazy, dude. But why you? Are you my mother o-or something?"
"Well I might as well be with the amount of times other ponies asked about you." White gave out a light chuckle.
Clover mentally grinned after his attempt to lighten the mood was successful. "Sorry mom, I can't help it when I'm that popular!"
White couldn't help but smirk, he was mad that Clover's boss had sent him out to find said pony, but White can't really stay mad with his friend's silly antics.
"Alright, you had your fun. Let's get you to work."
"You're not mad?"
"Oh, I'm fuming." A devilish smile found itself on White's face just for a second before fading away. "But you're still my friend, and I can't stay mad at you with such a dumb reason. Also, I want to annoy your boss with your tardiness."
"Aw what? Boo!"
"Whatever, go suck a lemon." Both chuckled lightly, clearly enjoying the little moments in life. "Anyways, wanna go back to my place and get some snacks? I got some leftover fries from yesterday... Or was it last week?"
Clover shook his head. "Nah, I got a little camp just nearby, I packed a lot of bags of potato chips and a few bottles of soda." Clover said before he gestured a hoof for White to follow him.
"Awesome."
Steel White began to follow Clover to his campsite. Clover gleefully whistled a tune as they walked towards their destination while his eyes darted around. White had noticed this strange action, and knew what Clover was doing.
"So, what are we going to tell your boss?"
Clover stopped his whistling and glanced over to White. "We could tell her that I got stuck in a sinkhole."
"You used that one a few days ago. She won't just bite on the same excuse."
"But why not? It's me who we're talking about, I get stuck in sinkholes all the time!" Clover proudly held his head high. "And I know myself more than others."
White smiled and shook his head. "It really does, but like I said, your boss won't take that excuse twice."
Before Clover could tell his friend that he was wrong, both stallions heard the rapid footsteps of a wild beast heading their way.
The feeling that Shamrock Clover felt before had returned, his mind began to fog up with anticipation while his heart started pumping blood even faster. A wild grin was on his face as he tried to find out which direction the beast would come from.
He reached a hoof over his back to retrieve his cool smacking stick, only to find nothing, he realized that he had made the mistake of leaving his weapon behind.
"If fate wanted me to fight with nothing but my hooves, then so be it!"
With his resolve strengthened even further, Clover stood his ground, ready for the encounter that he had waited for. And without any more delay, the beast finally revealed itself. With its wooden paw firmly planted on the ground, it let out a fearsome howl that was loud enough to stagger Clover in his place.
A mighty timberwolf proudly stood before him, its jagged wooden teeth bared and ready to rip Clover's throat, and he wanted it no other way.
Clover waited for a chance to strike, his eyes met with the wolf's green glowing orbs. This is where he can finally quench his thirst for action, where he can prove to all that he could fight.
The timberwolf prepared itself to pounce, Clover did the same. But before the timberwolf could even make the move, he violently exploded, sending bits and pieces everywhere. The foot of the beast had flown too close to Clover and nearly gave him a light cut on the cheek. He didn't flinch or move at all, he only stared at the spot where the timberwolf used to exist.
"Dibs."
"White!" Clover immediately glared at White, knowing full well who caused the wolf's destruction. "Why did you steal that from me!? I had it!"
"Well maybe you shouldn't have called it when I'm around."
"Wait, you knew about that?"
"It was obvious with how high you were whistling earlier. Not enough to be annoying, but enough to catch the attention of anything with sensitive ears, which would be the timberwolf in this case."
"Yeah, alright. But still, I could have handled it!"
"You could, but what would you even do?"
"Well, I always did wanted to try out this wrestling move I saw."
White held back his laughter but he couldn't stop a titter from coming out. "Ahem." He pretended to clear his throat. "Dude, I'm pretty sure some silly wrestling move wouldn't hurt a timberwolf."
"Nah, I'm absolutely sure it can! Just watch me, when another wolf pops out, bam! I teach it a thing or two!"
"Easy there Clover, save it for the next monster that comes in our way." A very villainous grin occupied White's face. "If you're fast enough that is..."
Clover grinned back at his friend. "Hah! You may have magic, but nothing beats pure earth pony strength!"
"Is that a challenge?"
"Yes it is."
White only shrugged his shoulders before he walked past Clover. "Alright then, we'll see how your strength would compare to magic."
"Yeah, and you'll see how capable I am in a fight!"
White was about to say a very funny quip, but something else had popped out in his mind. "Hey wait, this actually gives me an idea."
"Kidnapped by a pack of timberwolves." Cheddar Blaze, a pegasus mare who owns the pizza parlor where Clover worked, repeated White's excuse. "Why did a pack of timberwolves kidnap Shamrock!?"
Steel White could only let out a tired sigh. "Idiot went stargazing near the Everfree and fell asleep a little too close. I would have left him with those wolves if it weren't for the fact that my telescope was taken with him."
"But that doesn't explain why they would just drag a random pony away!"
Both Blaze and White looked over to Clover who shifted under their gaze. "W-well... I was kinda covered in... strawberry jam. I was eating so much of it that I kinda got messy after. Yeah, maybe that's why."
Blaze slammed her hoof against the table, the condiments that were meant for customers shooked and tumbled over.
"You have missed an entire day of work just because of strawberry jam!?" To say that Blaze was angry was an understatement. She was literally fuming so much that you could place an uncooked pizza on her head and it'll be done in eight minutes. "If you weren't the best employee I have in this place, I would've booted you out right now."
"I'm the best?" Clover muttered to himself.
"Don't get it over your head, you have just ruined your perfect attendance with that stupid decision you made. Now get out so I can cool down!"
Before the two stallions could even say another word, both were immediately thrown out of the building by the angry pegasus.
"And don't be late a second time!" She warned the pony who was currently on his back.
After a short minute, Clover gave White a cheeky grin. "And that takes care of that."
"Did you see her face? It was really priceless!" He said as he patted the dirt off himself.
"Well, are you happy with your petty revenge?"
White only laughed in response before he helped Clover back on his hooves.
It was an eventful day for the two ponies, though Clover didn't get the action he wanted but at least he enjoyed his time in the forest. With nothing else to do and with the sky changed in hue from blue to orange, the two friends gave their farewells and went their separate ways. Even though he risked getting fired, Clover was feeling alright.
Clover walked with a big bright smile on his face. He didn't get what he had wanted today, but at least he had some fun. Especially when he had bothered Cheddar so much with his tardiness, he didn't expect her to be so angry with something so little. Like Blaze had mentioned, he had a perfect attendance. Clover doesn't ever miss his shift and was always on time.
So he was pretty sure it wouldn't be that much of a problem.
Before Clover even knew, he was already home. A simple apartment building stood before him, nothing much was interesting with the building itself, but it was home to Clover nonetheless. It didn't take long for Clover to get to his place, nothing much had happened besides greeting a few of his neighbors while he made his way here. Really uneventful unlike this morning.
"I'm home!"
He waited for a response, after a minute a snake with green scales slithered into light and flicked it's tounge at Clover.
"Hey Spaghetti! You would not believe how my day went." The snake now known as Spaghetti didn't listen, it only slithered forward and up his leg and laid itself on top of Clover's back. "Are you hungry? Me too!"
Clover went straight to his kitchen area and over to the fridge. While the snake simply stayed still on Clover's back, the pony was browsing his own fridge trying to find something edible for both him and his pet. Seconds later he produced a jar of strawberry jam and a single egg. He placed down Spaghetti on the floor and gave it the egg before he went over to the breadbox nearby, not forgetting the butter knife to help spread the jam.
But to Clover's shock, the strawberry jam had a very strange smell coming from it. Realizing that the jam obviously went bad, he reluctantly tossed it into the bin and just decided to eat a plain old slice of bread.
He finished the bread in seconds with an unsatisfied look on his face, he just didn't like how his jam expired so quickly. He glanced over to Spaghetti to find it devouring the egg with ease.
"At least someone is enjoying their food..."
After the disappointing dinner, Clover went back to his fridge to get a drink. But just as his hoof held the pitcher by the handle, it slipped out of his grasp and spilled it's contents all over the floor. With no other choice he took a glass and drank tap water instead, right after he had cleaned his mess.
After cursing fate for the unfortunate event, he sluggishly walked towards his room. He stumbled a little on his way but he caught himself and prevented a meeting between his face and the floor.
He sighed, just this morning he was having a lot of fun, but right now he wasn't the same. Well, he wasn't really successful with his original plan this morning because of White's interference. There was only one timberwolf encounter and Clover was ready to fight, only for his glory to be stolen by White. Clover was envious with his friend's magic, sometimes Clover wished he could do it as well. Things would be easier, like holding a pitcher of water and not spilling anything.
After he reached his room, Clover dragged his hooves to his bed and crawled into the covers. With a final sigh, he settled comfortably in his bed and closed his eyes.
But much to his dismay, he felt something disturbing on his nose. His eyes snapped open and was greeted by an offending roach, it stared into his eyes for a second before Clover threw a hoof at it. The bug immediately flew and Clover's hoof instead struck his own face. With a painful grunt, Clover launched off his bed and glared at the roach on the nearby wall.
Clover glared at the insect with intent. "You of all insects chose to invade my home? Big mistake."
The cockroach answered Clover by flying away from him.
"Hey!"
Clover began to chase after the poor little bug around in his bedroom. It landed right on the door of his room and Clover attempted to smash the roach but it was quicker than him and managed to fly away from his hoof, leading to the creation of a hoof sized hole on Clover's door. To which the roach took advantage of and used it to escape Clover's wrath. Blinded by petty rage, Clover smashed head first through the door and locked his eyes on the escaping roach.
As it flew, Clover had realised where the roach was heading once his eyes saw the window in his kitchen was completely open.
"Not today you roach!"
Just before the roach could reach the window, Clover pulled a hoof back and pounced at the insect. Time seemed to slow down as Clover launched his hoof at the intruder, but even though Clover was quick, the roach was quicker.
The roach somehow managed to change its own direction as if it had landed on something and flew away from Clover's devastating attack. Clover tried to stop himself, but he was already in motion and couldn't prevent himself from going straight towards the window. But to his surprise, fate was smiling upon him as his body had collided with an invisible wall. He bounced backwards and crashed into the floor instead of falling out of the building, which would be bad since he lived on the second floor which would have gotten him some injuries if he had gone through the window.
But the strangest thing was that he had hit something. With his curiosity getting the better of him, Clover reluctantly peered out his window. There he discovered a pony in tight black leather armor sprawled out in the grass.
Clover would then realise that this was not just any pony, they were a burglar! And he just took care of them with ease.
But before he could even call for the police, his eyes had landed on an object on the floor. Upon closer look, it was a picture of him eating a sandwich, the same sandwich he had eaten last week.
The dread he felt grew as he came to a conclusion. This wasn't a burglar, this was a stalker! Faster than you could even blink, Clover closed the window, nearly breaking it with his speed and strength.
After he was sure he was protected behind the glass barrier, Clover peaked out the window and carefully watched the stalker who was still lying on the ground. This worried Clover, as much as he was freaked out by the stalker, he didn't want them to get hurt or anything. So against his own judgement, he rushed out of his apartment to check on the stalker.
After going through the flight of stairs and out through the front door of the building, Clover was already by the stalker's side. He inched forward to check if they were still breathing. Thankfully they were.
So now came the next step, he gave them a light shove, trying to wake them up. After the second shove, the stalker stirred awake. They took a second before opening their eyes, and the stalker's eyes went even wider once they landed on Clover. They let out a gasp and crawled away from the stallion with fear written all over them.
"Easy, I won't hurt you." Clover spoke in a low voice as to not scare them, as much as Clover was scared right now. "I-I won't call the police or anything. But I don't tolerate this obsession, it's very unhealthy."
"W-what do you mean?" They were a her! And she was shaking, it was obvious with the way she spoke.
Clover shook his head, he pitied the poor mare. She was definitely feeling heartbroken right now. "I know you're a stalker, and I don't like it one bit. You should just move on."
"H-how did you know!?" She asked with tears on the corner of her eyes, it threatened to fall as she shook in place.
"It was pretty obvious..." He stopped to think for a second, he didn't like seeing this mare in such a sad state. "Alright, fine. I'll let you follow me around, but the moment you do something that bothers me, I'm not gonna give you a third chance."
"I u-understand!" She yelled before she stood back and ran away from Clover.
"Wait! At least tell me your name!" His words couldn't get to the mare as she was already gone, vanished from his sight. "Dang it, I just hope she won't cause any problems."
He sighed, the reason he gave her a second chance was to help her grow out of her strange obsession. He wanted to give her a hand so she could move on. Though it might have been a mistake allowing her to stalk him freely and not talking face to face. Well, Clover will just see what he can do when he gets there.
"Sure hope that didn't wake Spaghetti up..."
"A stalker?" Steel White was puzzled to say the least.
He was currently in a coffee shop with his friend Clover, and the one thing he didn't expect to hear from Clover was that he has a stalker.
As for Clover, who sat just across the unicorn, he was simply recalling his experience with his intruder from last night. He wasn't bothered by her presence, but Clover was still wary of her since she was still unpredictable. Strangest part was the fact that none of his neighbors had even mentioned the noise he made, strange indeed.
"Yup, I didn't even see her until I literally ran into her!" Clover sighed. "And to make matters worse, I said that I was "fine" with it. Then poof! She's gone."
White raised a single brow. "Really now? Welp, that's your problem, so you better keep her away from me!"
"Dude, I need your help on this, man! I'm scared that she'll do something and I might not even notice!"
"And you want to help her out and get rid of that nasty obsession, right." White smirked. "I won't go anywhere near someone who's probably unstable, so good luck with your dangerous quest."
Clover paused, his eyes widened as he registered White's words. "Dangerous?" He repeated.
"Oh no." White muttered.
"It's dangerous!" Clover smiled widely as he realized something. "Ha! This is great!"
"It is?" White was far from puzzled.
"Yes it is! White, she's unpredictable, that's for sure. Which means she's dangerous, and that would be quite a challenge!"
"Sigh. Only you would be excited to talk to their stalker, face to face."
"Look on the bright side, if it works, then I get a new friend!" He was actually looking forward to his next encounter with the obsessed girl.
And hopefully, she didn't get hurt at all.
The Truth
Shadow Fang found safety in the shadows, her heart beating calmly as she shy away from the light. Fang waited patiently, everything was ready and all she needed was her target.
And just in time too, he had returned from whatever disgusting pit he went to. He entered the room and flipped the switch, but it was useless, she had already used the scroll of invisibility allowing her to hide right in the middle of the room without care.
She watched him call out to his pet snake, strange, Fang had not seen a trace of the snake until now. She noticed that the snake was staring right at her. But no matter, it was but a snake.
She silently followed him into the kitchen and stood so close to him, that she could just reach and touch him just like that. But she held herself back, it would ruin her plans if she doesn't follow it.
Fang watched him reach into the fridge and take out the jar of jam. She grinned, earlier this afternoon while he was out, Fang had added a large dose of sleep powder. Enough to put you in a coma.
But she stuttered back a bit once she saw the look on his face as he stared into the jar, it was disgust. Could he have known about the powder? Impossible! It was odorless, not even a dog could even pick up it's scent.
He threw the jar straight into the bin without hesitation and ate his slice of bread with a dangerous look that sent a shiver down Fang's spine. But she still had a few tricks and traps on the ready. So she was confident that she would get him soon. Like the pitcher of water she had also spiked with sleeping powder. And hopefully he wouldn't notice it like the first one.
Sadly, the pitcher of water had slipped off his hooves and spilled all over the floor. She mentally groaned at his clumsiness, things would've been easier if he- wait, he did it on purpose!
Fang glanced down at her hooves and found the water quickly approaching her hooves, she took a step back to avoid the water. She glared at her target, and realized that he was aware of her presence. But no one could ever notice the unseen.
Fang still had a few traps set up, and it'll get her target with no problem.
She followed him back into the living room, this time she kept her distance so she reduced the chances of her traps backfiring. And much to her surprise, he skipped over the tripwire that was supposed to set off her trap, and what was worse was the fact that he had dodged every single one. Nothing was set off and the target was already at the door of his bedroom. The only thing that was off were the lights, and peeved Fang a little bit.
Shadow Fang felt shame, everything had not gone the way she thought it would, he did not touch any other tampered food or drinks. The target simply avoided her traps and went on with his life.
Wait... This means that he does know about her existence! He knew where the triggers for her traps were, and he absolutely knew about the sleeping powder!
And worse of all, he did not care at all. Or maybe he just thought that she was not worth her time, but the thought of it just made her blood boil with anger. She finally understood that he did not see her as a threat, but she'll prove to him and everyone that nobody underestimates Shadow Fang.
She withdrew her dagger and freed it from its sheath with determination showing in her eyes. Fang crept closer towards the door, not a single sound was made as she closed the distance.
But that decision was a mistake, as she was getting nearer, a booming voice suddenly spoke from behind the door. "You of all insects chose to invade my home?! Big mistake!"
Her eyes widened, and her pupils shrunk. Fang couldn't believe it, he really does know that she is here. Any doubt that was left was just tossed aside as Fang finally understood her place, he was leagues above him and she doubted that she could even handle him in a fight.
"Hey!"
A green hoof went through the door that separated them, and Fang nearly screamed. Thinking quick, she dropped her dagger and just bolted away from the door. She risked a glance back at the broken door and regretted even thinking about it as he busted through the obstacle as if it was nothing.
And worse of all, he was glaring in her direction, she was absolutely sure that the hatred in his eyes were meant for her. Her legs buckled as she stared back at him, the way he stood there in the dark gave off a demonic aura of pure malice that Fang was sure she was going to be the victim. The longer she stared, the louder her heart beats became. She felt hotter inside her armor, and her knees were loose.
So she ran, she was with her tail right between her legs like a scared dog.
Her eyes started to water as she ran for the window that she had left open from her entry, a rookie mistake for sure, but right now it was her best mistake today. She raced towards her salvation as fast as she could. But her heart skipped a beat once she heard the sets of hooves behind her.
"Not today you roach!"
This time she didn't risk it, and just kept moving for the window. Sadly she underestimated her target's speed. Before she even knew it, she was struck right on the back just as she was right next to the window, the ray of hope had been snuffed out and she was sent tumbling out the window and down towards the hard yet grassy ground.
Shadow Fang's eyes slowly opened itself and what greeted her was the night sky. She questioned herself as to why she was here and where exactly was she. Fang attempted to recall what she had recently done but her thoughts went blank as her gaze landed on a red headed pony.
She gasped and then crawled away with all her strength, but she couldn't go far as his gaze had rendered her completely paralyzed.
"Easy, I won't hurt you." Lies! Deception! Completely untrue!
Fang does not trust his words at all, after being thrown out of a window and was called a roach. But she held her tongue, she needed to focus on escaping, but it was hard to think when death was literally breathing down her neck.
"I-I won't call the police or anything."
Call the police? Right, he was far above Fang to even punish her himself, so he would've just let someone else do the work. "Wait ? If he isn't ordering someone else, then he'll totally do it himself ! Oh No !"
"But I don't tolerate this obsession, it's very unhealthy."
Now her fear was accompanied by confusion, she doesn't understand what he meant by obsession. "W-what do you mean?" She managed to speak even though she was too scared to even move.
"I know you're a stalker, and I don't like it one bit. You should just move on."
So that's what he meant, he knew, the monster knew about her. Not just her role right now, he knew more than she does. But... "H-how did you know!?"
"It was pretty obvious..."
"Pretty obvious ? Pretty obvious !?" Her eyes bulged out of her head as his words played over and over in her mind. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as they gathered at the corners.
"Alright, fine. I'll let you follow me around, but the moment you do something that bothers me, I'm not gonna give you a third chance."
Fang felt her lungs devoid of oxygen, she was shocked to hear him say that he'll allow her to shadow him. And what's worse, this was him giving her a second chance, and by the sound of it, it was her only chance. She couldn't believe how confident he was to have her around, it felt like she was being crushed by the sheer aura of power that he was releasing.
She tried to reach for her dagger, but Fang found that her body had other plans. In a moment like this, there are only two choices, fight or flight. And it looked like her body had already made the choice for her.
"I u-understand!" Fang practically shrieked as she ran from her target.
"Wait!" Fang heard him call out to her, she glanced back and once again regretted the action.
There standing behind her was Clover, her target, and from him came a dark smoke that exuded a haunting aura of evil. She screamed out her lungs as she ran.
Fang didn't know how long she had run, all she did know was where she was headed. A forest, the locals called it the Everfree, she didn't care for the warnings that they gave her. All she cared for what was within the forest. Her legs felt as if they had given up, but Fang kept running. Soon she burst through the thickens and came to a clearing, right in the middle was a campfire that burned brightly to push back the shadows. The fire was surrounded by four ponies and a mysterious hooded creature. There were five tents that were lined up next to each other, each were set up for everyone in the team.
One of the ponies stood up, he was covered in armor from head to toe, his distinctive figure and face was hidden to all. He was a knight, an earth pony of noble birth and the leader of the group.
"Shadow Fang! You're late." He spoke as he approached Fang. "Where were you?"
Fang hesitated to speak, but she needed to tell them. She took a second to catch her breath. "He knows..."
"What?"
"He knows!" She repeated in a much louder tone.
"Impossible!" The knight nearly struck her with his shaking armored hoof. "We were discreet when we entered the country! No one would have known who we were and why!"
"T-that's the thing Silver Heart! He knew from the beginning! Not only that, he..." The tears she had been fighting back had breached her defences. Her mask absorbed the tears as she crumbled to the grassy ground. "He knew about me! He knew about my connections with the Night Stalkers! Years of training was simply wasted once he showed up!"
"You disregard my order and attempt to take him on by yourself? You nitwit!" Silver scoffed. "Squire!"
"Yes my lord?" A scrawny looking mare rushed to his side. Her grey coat was covered in dirt and dust. Her blue mane frizzled and soaked.
"Take care and calm Shadow Fang down, I must evaluate the situation, I shall be in my tent!" With that, Silver had left the squire and the rogue by themselves.
"There, there." The squire patted Fang's back. "Let's get some soup, I prepared it the way you like it."
"L-lots of broccoli?" Squire nodded, and a smile found itself on Fang's face.
But that smile had disappeared once the cloaked creature spoke. "Ha! What a total baby, am I right Bolt?" The creature spoke with a feminine voice.
The unicorn across the hooded one, Crimson Bolt, only shrugged his shoulders. His red coat was hidden under a cloak, on his chest was a light steel plate that was over his white shirt. A belt of crossbow bolts were wrapped around both his forelegs that held bolts that were just longer than a pencil. And on top of his silver grey mane was a wide brimmed black hat that had extra bolts in the hat band.
"Don't know what to say about this Hunter, it wasn't me who nearly got iced by the guy." Bolt said as he stared into the fire.
Hunter snickered. "She's such a disappointment, I bet Silver is fuming right now!"
"Leave her alone Hunter!" Squire scolded Hunter.
Hunter scoffed, then she looked away from the scrawny pony. "Whatever, maybe she should've just used that dagger of hers."
"We can't just do that," Bolt sighed. "we need him alive. As much as I hate it, we gotta do our job."
"Fine, be that way! I'm going for a walk!" With a huff, the hooded creature marched off to somewhere else.
"Hey wait! Lord Silver Heart said that we shouldn't just leave without notifying him!" Squire tried to stop Hunter, but the creature only glared at the squire before continuing towards the treeline.
"Tell him yourself!" She said right before she disappeared into the forest.
Bolt scoffed. "Stinkin' mercenaries."
The squire sighed as she helped Fang settle near the campfire. She glanced over to the tent that contained Silver Heart, worried of the enemy that had defeated Shadow Fang so easily. Squire wondered if the enemy even had any weakness, time could only tell.
Author's Note
Boom! The plot was on the second chapter! That's right! Now you all will ask, "But why do they want Clover?" and maybe some other questions that may or may not relate to this fic!
Shamrock Clover groaned, his face planted on the countertop, just next to the cash register. He screamed, but all it gave him was swift smack on the back of his head from his superior. Clover could hear Cheddar silently complaining as she walked away.
Why is our hero acting in such a way? The answer was simple.
He was bored.
Work was slow today, there were barely any customers at all. Only a few regulars, nothing new. And the only one who ever held a conversation with him was the old pony that worked as the janitor of this joint, Dusty Broom. He groaned once more as he raised his head, his eyes were focused on the front door, waiting patiently for something that would spice things up. Clover wished that some monster would pop into the restaurant and wreak havoc, and Clover would save the day like a hero.
But sadly, his wish would not be granted. Luckily, something different had entered the building.
Clover raised a brow. A very unclean mare had just walked through the door, her blue mane was frizzled, and her coat was dirty. Shamrock would've thought the mare was homeless, if it wasn't for the big pouch of bits in her mouth.
The mare looked around as she went towards the counter, her eyes bouncing around the place as if she was new to this kind of business. But once her eyes had landed on Clover, she froze. The mare unconsciously dropped the pouch on the countertop and her mouth was agape.
Clover eyed her carefully, unsure why she was just standing there. "Miss?" His word had brought her back from the back of her own mind, she shook her head clear and smiled sheepishly.
"Y-yeah!?" She blurted out, sweat dripping down from her brow.
"Do you want something?"
"Of course! I uh..." She paused for a second, she looked over her shoulder to see a stallion with a mutton chop styled facial hair with a thick moustache. The stallion was old enough to be Clover's father, but not too old. His coat was grey, and his mane was brown with a few greying areas. A red cap was on his head, and his right hoof was holding a broom.
The mare stared at him blankly as the old pony was sweeping the floor behind her, he then cleared his throat once their eyes met. "Listen kid, could you hurry up? You're kinda spreading dirt everywhere."
"Oh come on Dusty," Clover waved at him with a careless hoof. "let the girl order some pizza."
Dusty rolled his eyes at him. "Fine, but you better order a lot kid, you look like you need the extra calories."
The old stallion continued to sweep the floor behind the mare and made sure every speck of dirt was in the dustpan. She turned towards the cashier and tried to speak, but she froze once more when her eyes set themselves on Clover. "Keep calm, keep calm... " She thought to herself as she opened her mouth to make her order. "He doesn't know you, he has never ever met you or anyone you know... "
"Have I seen you from somewhere?"
"Takemymoneypleasedon'thurtme!"
The whole room went silent, all eyes looked over toward the cashier and the scrawny mare. Dusty continued to sweep, uncaring for the sudden shift in the atmosphere from normal to awkward. The mare blushed and shied away from the attention. "O-one large haywaiian pizza, please."
Quicker than any eye could follow, Clover worked on the register with his hooves tapping on the keys. "Anything else?" The mare shook her head. "That'll be 258 bits!"
The mare nudged the pouch on the countertop, Clover quickly took it and brought out the exact amount of bits and pushed the pouch closer to her. He made sure the mare saw how much he had taken and counted it in front of her. Clover was trying to keep an honest business and he would rather not get in trouble.
"Your order will be finished in fifteen minutes, feel free to wait in one of our free tables!" Clover offered, Dusty sent him a glare knowing full well that he had to clean the table after she was gone. To which Clover only shrugged his shoulders in return to his glare.
The mare nodded, with the receipt in her hoof, she had walked over to the one of many tables in the building, and sat waiting for her order. "So what do you think?" Clover looked over to the janitor.
"What?" Clover asked.
"Girl is as nervous as me on my first date. Something is up, and I'm curious about what makes her so jumpy." The old janitor pointed out.
Clover narrowed his eyes. "Maybe she stole that pouch..."
Dusty shook his head. "Can't be, she brought a lot of bits here for some pizza, a whole pizza to be accurate. That mare doesn't look like she could finish the pizza herself, there could be a few more ponies she is gonna meet up with later."
"You think she's being pressured to buy pizza for her friends?"
"Probably, or I'm just old and bored, the day is really slow and the usual customers aren't here yet." Dusty sighed before facing Clover. "Anyways, I got myself some tickets for the local theatre, there's this interesting play next month that I'm sure would be very exciting to watch."
"Are you... asking me out?"
"What!? Heavens no, I'm as straight as Celestia's horn!"
Clover sighed in relief. "Oh thank god, I'm not interested in guys also... So, who do you plan on taking then? Your wife?"
"Nah, she's dead to me. I'm aiming for a fruit a little more fresher than an old rotting mango." He leaned closer to Clover with a grin. "I'm gonna see if the boss is interested."
"Dusty, you're old enough to be her father, I doubt she'd be interested in you, let alone an employee of hers."
"Bah! We'll see." Dusty had pretended to be working so he could chat with Clover a little longer. "Heard you were late last time, something about strawberry jam and timberwolves." He grinned.
"Uh... yeah! Nasty timberwolves kidnapped me because I was a messy eater." Clover chuckled nervously.
The old janitor shrugged his shoulders. "Weird, first time I'm hearing about those beasts being attracted to strawberries. Usually they go after sap, or honey." That's when his grin shifted into a smile. "You were out chasing monsters, weren't you?"
"Is it that obvious for you?"
"Yup, I know you Shamrock, and just take my advice. Don't. You're still young, you still have time, don't just go recklessly charging into the Everfree. The chances you would ever come back isn't slim, sure, but there's still a chance."
"Hey, if I ever get stuck in a pinch, then I'm sure someone would come to save me, like Steel! He always has my back."
"And if he doesn't?"
Clover smiled brightly. "Then you would come to my rescue."
This got a laugh from the janitor. "Yeah, sure, why not. If Steel doesn't show up, I'll come running."
And speaking of Steel, the unicorn had just entered the building, he went straight over to the cashier. "Sup guys!" He greeted, but then his eyes noticed a particular mare. Steel faced Clover and tapped his right hoof against the floor then he tapped his chin.
Clover stared at Steel oddly, the unicorn groaned and repeated the action, but he was answered with the confused look Clover was giving him. "Are you hungry or something?" Clover spoke.
"He's asking about the blue headed mare alone at the table." Dusty whispered to Clover. "You know, the one covered in dirt?"
"Then why didn't you say so?"
Steel groaned louder. "Because I didn't wanna sound rude. So what's up?"
Clover shrugged his shoulders. "Just some random mare, never seen her before though, but I feel like I did actually."
"Yeah, but we can't really say she's new, we are not Pinkie Pie who basically knows everyone in town." Dusty pointed out. "We shouldn't really talk about ponies, it's rude and we should just mind our own business."
Steel nodded. "Alright. So how's the family?"
Dusty sighed once more. "They're fine, nothing much new."
"Ahem, are you gonna buy something Steel?" Clover waited patiently.
"Oh, right." Steel coughed into his hoof. "Just lasagna, I'm also in a hurry."
"Really?" Dusty smiled. "Meeting a pretty girl?"
"No, I'm just going to speak with an old friend from afar."
Dusty smirked mischievously and winked. "Sure, an old friend ."
"Get your mind out of the gutter old man, it's just gonna be two ponies talking about old times."
"Sure it is." Dusty chuckled deeply.
"Ugh, whatever. Hey, can you start my order now?"
"Oh sure, just let me take this to the... kitchen. I forgot to tell them to make the haywaiian!" As fast as lightning, Clover dashed towards the kitchen.
"Did he really just get distracted?" Steel turned towards the old janitor.
Dusty shrugged his shoulders. "Well that's on him. Guess I'll go back to my work."
"Alright, I'll just go wait then..."
Crimson stared at the pizzeria from the branches of a tree that was close enough, his eyes focused on the clear glass doors, waiting for Squire. Soon enough, after twenty minutes, she emerges from the establishment. She carefully trotted along the dirt road with the pizza box balancing on her back. He quickly dropped out of the tree and down on the grass, he quickly dived behind the tree itself, hiding himself from the public eye.
He waited a little longer until Squire was close enough. "You sure took your time." The mare froze, she turned her head towards the tree.
"I-it's not my fault, I ran into... him."
Crimson winced in shock. "Impossible, I didn't see him enter and leave all morning."
"No, he works here." She took a step closer.
"Don't get close!" Squire froze on her spot. "Eyes forward, pretend I'm not here." She did as he directed. "Good. Now, did he recognize you?"
"No, he did say that he thinks he had seen me before, but that's very unlikely since I have never set a hoof onto this town or anywhere near him before." She reported her experience.
Crimson smirked. "Good, take that pizza back to camp, I'll be right behind you."
Crimson Bolt scaled the tree and started tailing Squire from tree to tree. His light steps helped him from traversing the branches of the trees. "Anything else to report?" He asked her as he moved through the leaves.
"Um, he seems to be very close to the janitor of the place. I think his name was Dusty Broom."
"I'll look into that, anymore?"
"Oh, there was this Steel fellow, a white unicorn with a pink mane. He seems to be the target's best friend from what I have seen." She paused for a second. "Oh, his cutie mark is a silver seven. I think he's a gambler."
"Steel huh? We better keep an eye open and find out who these two are to the target." Crimson stopped in tracks, he snapped towards behind them with a crossbow raised. "Keep moving casually, and pretend that you don't know me."
Squire didn't question it, she trotted along through the dirt road heading straight to her camp.
As for Crimson, he eyed the trees that he had used to travel, now it hosted something sinister. He heard a branch snap from the nearest tree, the leaves shook as something entered the thicket. Crimson held his breath as he moved the crossbow and pointed it towards the noise. He made no sound, he listened to the wind for anything that he deems dangerous.
"I know exactly where you are!" A voice boomed from behind him, Crimson dashed away in time for a very sharp row of claws to tear the branch to pieces. He fell off the branches and landed on the ground. The unicorn was not hesitant, his crossbow trained on the anomaly in the tree. "Impressive, my friend." The creature spoke as he descended down to Crimson's level. "But you will not be lucky, again." The way he spoke was calm, and collective, he was not bothered by his mistake and the fact that Crimson was still standing.
The creature was obviously a griffon, but his body was covered in black. A cloak that hid him from the world, a tight suit underneath, a large brim hat with a flat top. Gloves that had holes for his sharp talons. And finally, the only thing that isn't black, a white mask that resembles a plague doctor's. The most intimidating part of this griffin was the single glowing red dot in one of the black lenses of the mask.
"Perhaps an introduction will... lighten the mood." The griffon bowed his head. "I am Gunner, at your service." There was a short pause between them. "It is customary to introduce oneself when the other is finished."
The unicorn scoffed. "Crimson Bolt, don't forget that after I turn you into a pin cushion."
"Such hostility, my friend, this is merely a very strange meeting between two... skilled creatures. So please, aim for the head, and I'll do the same." Gunner brandished his talons, his cloak shifted to the gust of wind.
Crimson tried to make a feint, but Gunner showed no reaction, the griffon was still as a statue. His glowing red eye stared deeply at Crimson's soul, Crimson may not be able to see it, but he knows that Gunner was grinning under his mask.
The crossbow shot up and sent out a single bolt, Gunner ducked down below it as it sailed and then dashed towards Crimson with both of his claws out. Crimson only had a second to dodge as Gunner cleared the distance quicker than the eye could see. Using his magic, Crimson had pulled himself away from the deadly griffon, loading another bolt as he did so. Another shot was launched, but Gunner was still quicker, Crimson needed a new approach or else he would be done for.
"It appears that you do not know any magic spells, for a unicorn that is very rare." Crimson gritted his teeth, Gunner had noticed his lack of magic usage.
"Damn it, there goes plan B. " Crimson thought to himself as he reloaded his weapon. "Well, I never met a griffon who's pretty nice like you, usually the griffons I meet are always so rude."
"Ah yes, the stereotype," Gunner snickered. "I always loved that about all races, it makes us all so unique from each other."
Gunner's head shifted towards his left, he chuckled loudly as a pony covered in armor burst through the bushes with a very large sword in their hooves. "Die monster!" He shouted as he used all his strength to throw his sword down at Gunner.
But to both the armored pony and Crimson's surprise, the sword simply phased through the griffon and embedded itself into the ground. "I'm guessing that unclean mare from earlier is a part of whatever this is." Gunner hopped away from Silver, the sword still buried deep in the soil. "That is the only logical conclusion explaining why you're here, Mr. Knight."
Crimson scowled. "Go anywhere near her and I'll hunt you down like it's duck season."
"I can tell that she isn't a fighter, and I promise to you and this... armored pony, that I will not harm a single hair on her head." Both looked surprised to hear it from Gunner, but they didn't believe his words at all. "While the two of you on the other hand, I shall cleanly dispose. Do not worry, as a professional, I shall make it quick."
"Excuse me, but are you three LARPing?" All three heads turned towards Clover as he stood at the edge of the road with a bag of fries in his hoof.
"Retreat!" Silver ordered Crimson, and both scrambled away.
Clover stared at the shrinking duo, the one in full armor was very loud as he ran away. "What?"
"Yes," Gunner took a step closer to Clover. "We are indeed LARPing. But it seems they had other things to be done, so it is best for me to leave. Enjoy your lunch, Shamrock Clover."
Before Clover could even question how Gunner had already known his name, the griffon unfurled his wings and shot to the sky. And as he ascended into the air, a trail of smoke was left, then the griffon disappeared into the clouds above. Clover tried to see where he had gone to, but his eyes were not as great as a hawk's.
"Huh, I want to join in, seems like a lot of fun." Clover muttered to himself.
"They have been gone for too long." Squire couldn't keep herself from fidgeting in place, her hooves moved erratically as she stared towards the direction of the town.
"Meh, probably dead." Hunter chuckled as she stoke the campfire.
"You do realize that if Silver is dead, then he can't pay you." Fang pointed out to her.
"And I doubt sir Silver Heart would ever lose!" Squire added.
Just then, the two ponies in the subject had barreled through the bushes and into their encampment. Crimson collapsed on the spot, while Silver approached the rest of the party. "We have a problem."
"Oh, was the monster too tough for you, oh sir knight?" Hunter jeered, Silver's temper started to run thin.
"It wasn't a monster, it was a griffon named Gunner."
Hunter froze. "Wait, Gunner? Did he dress like a plague doctor?"
"Do you have information?" Silver didn't ask her, he demanded it.
Hunter scoffed at his disrespect, but she didn't want to displease her employer. "He's a mercenary, worked for Jackpot Star, another big name back home."
"I have heard of Jackpot Star, but not about this griffon."
"Long story short, he should not be here at all."
"Unless Jackpot Star themself is here..." Silver finished for Hunter.
The whole camp went silent, Fang gasped, Squire nearly fainted, but she steeled herself. Crimson slammed his hoof against the ground in frustration. While Hunter only snickered at the thought.
"What is so funny, Hunter?" Silver approached her.
"Nothing..." She stood up to leave, but was stopped by Silver's hoof.
"Must I remind you who the leader is, or shall I just end you here, mercenary?" His face was unreadable under the helmet, but Hunter knew that he was glaring at her with the fury of a thousand suns.
"No, you don't need to." Hunter sat back down, clearly peeved off about what had just happened.
"Good," Silver faced the rest of the party. "though I do not trust this Gunner character, he had promised to not harm Squire. From now on, you shall scout for us and see to it that our target will not know about us. We had a very dangerous close encounter with him."
"I understand, sir Silver Heart!" She saluted to the knight, with that, she rushed off to attend Crimson.
"Are you sure we should send her into enemy lines?" Shadow Fang questioned the knight, she tried not to speak too loudly for Squire to hear.
"Yes, unlike you four, Squire is... disposable. I can't risk any of you getting hurt unless I devise a perfect plan to capture the target."
"Isn't that kinda harsh?"
Silver sent a glare at the rogue. "I have promised to the gods themselves that I shall see to it that our mission is successful. I will not let Jackpot Star hinder my chance. Not now, not ever."
With all things said and done, Silver turned to leave for his tent, his armor rattled as he walked past Hunter who had a displeased look under her hood. While Fang couldn't help but feel... divided with Silver's plan. It was unfair to her eyes, but she couldn't really give her full opinion after her blunder with her first attempt.
Meanwhile, Crimson was exhausted, he had ran all the way here starting from the pizzeria, to the northern side of town. To the west, east, back to north, and then to the camp. It was the only way to be sure that the griffon didn't follow them. Now that he knows that there is another dangerous creature in town, Crimson had to make a note to himself that he needed to keep an eye out when he sneaks around town. The griffon was strong, he could tell, but Crimson was sure that he was quicker than him.
As for Squire, she was just excited to finally be a part of a plan. She just hopes that she doesn't screw it up.
