Shadow Mark

Luna showed Shadow through the various corridors of the castle. They eventually reached what looked like a blacksmiths. It was quite large it was a large circle then two alicorns on the back rearing up. The statues were made of marble and jewels.

“Welcome Princess is this new recruit here to get suited up?” The blacksmith pony asked. The pony was dark gray with almost white gray mane tail and stubble with an ingot and hammer as his cutie mark.

“Indeed Steel Hammer, use the dark metal of the early recruits. We shall be back in a few hours to pick it up.” She turned to leave but was stopped by Steel hammer.

“I’ll need a few minutes to see measurements. What’s your name?”

“I am Shadow Mark I am pleased to meet you 3 foot 9 from the withers. (the beginning of the neck) and I generally were medium.” Shadow said.

“Well thank you Shadow Mark I will begin working immediately. It’s surprising how many alicorns have come to work for Luna recently more than double then what we have had in the past ten years so five. They are quite rare to come by.”

“Well it was nice meeting you. But I have to go follow the princess or else I’ll be lost.” He said then ran off.

“Here we are Shadow the guard house this is where you will be staying with the other recruits.” Princess Luna said to him as he walked inside and she walked off.

Shadow Mark walked inside to see about thirty ponies’ in the guard house most of them being unicorns. He thought he would start to get to know them he walked over to an alicorn with a black coat, blue mane like his own yet had red down the middle.

“Hey. What you doing in here another new recruit?” the other pony asked

“Yes I am another new recruit. My name is Shadow Mark what is yours?”

“My name is Red Talon. Because my mane is red and I use daggers like no other. Why did you join?” Red Talon asked

“I joined to protect Luna. You?”

“I don’t actually know something just compelled me to join so I did. So I guess for the hay of it. Money maybe that’s usually a good reason. Well I guess I will see you later.”

Nodding Shadow walked over to another alicorn. Very jumpy, hyper more like it, brown coat, and a dark brown mane.

“Names Swift Hoof. Pleasure meeting you what’s your name? Why did you join? And what do you do?....man you are poor aren’t you.” He said the last part to himself

“My name is Shadow Mark. I came here to protect Princess Luna and I use the void to conquer my foes. Now I question why you are called Swift Hoof are you a runner?”

“HAY NO! I am the best thief in all of Equstria. I joined for fame and glory. I sneak into the base during the skirmishes. And you use the void that’s cool. Man you don’t have anything good.” He mumbled the last part but too loud and Shadow remembered he was a thief and spoke out

“Hey give me my stuff back!” he shouted

“I was wondering how long that would take. I didn’t take anything just about 5 bits.” Swift said

“Well fine keep them. I suppose it was good meeting you.” He said walking off to another. He remembered the blacksmith telling him five looked like him. He found two now just the other three before meeting the rest of the team.

He walked up to a gray alicorn with a gray mane with blue in the middle. He had a crossbow and quiver as a cutie mark.

“Hello sir my name is Shadow Mark I’m new and trying to get to know everyone.”

“Well call me Straight Shot, best archer here in Equstria, or so they say. I joined to protect Equstria not just the princess. I fly above the bunkers and bases during skirmishes and take shots at them. What do you do?”

“I use the void. The shadow of the void, It leaves me undying when using it yet afterword’s it leaves me screaming in a room for three days. I haven’t done a skirmish yet so I don’t know.”

“You and I should go toghter you just be my meat shield and attack when I run out of arrows.” He said with a sly smile

“I will think about it. Is there any one in charge like a room keeper or someone who just looks over yet is a ranking officer?”

“Oh yeah his names John Silver Tongue. He has a knack for getting others to do as he wants. He should be arriving soon to announce your arrival how long you lasted the test special talent. Just boasting for you trying to get you friends.”

Shadow nodded and walked away looking for the other two alicorns. He saw them he decided to go to the closest one first. He was dark blue had a hammer as a cutie mark and had a lighter blue mane. Shadow spoke the first words of greeting.

“Hello I am new and was trying to get to know everyone. I was wondering who you are and what you do here.”

The alicorn replied “Names Crafter just Crafter. If you’re wondering what I craft, well anything and everything. I’ll build barricades, bunkers, weapons, armor anything that uses a hammer, so no clothes I’ve tried fixing those once and woo don’t ask how it turned out.”

“My names Shadow Mark. I just use the shadows of the void to aid me. Its deffitnatly got its drawbacks but it’s handy. *shrugs* so why did you join?”

“I guess to do some good in the world protect the princesses. You?”

“Protect Princess Luna. That’s about it.”

“Respectable now I need to get back to fixing some guys watch. See you later.” Crafter said.

Shadow nodded and walked over to the last alicorn. He was sitting on a bed muzzle in a book. He had a white coat with a light gray mane and tail. He had a book as his cutie mark.

Before Shadow could say anything to him he spoke up and said “I couldn’t help but notice what you were doing since the moment you walked through the door. You claim to be trying to get to know everyone yet you only go to the alicorns me included. I also heard you use the void if this is true you are indeed dangerous. Yet I cannot find a reason that you would only go to the alicorns. What is it you are doing creating a band of heroes, perhaps you do you not like other races of ponies, whatever it is I do not care? But it is a pleasure to meet you Shadow Mark. Names…”

He was cut off by another pony nearby finishing the sentence for him “SMART ASS!”

The alicorn seemed unharmed by this insult and shouted back “Technically ass refers to a donkey scientifically Equus asinus. Is actually generally unintelligent and stubborn so in our society it would be impossible to be ‘Smart’.” He paused for a moment then finished telling his name to Shadow. “It’s Cerebrum Equus Caballus. It’s the scientific tem for brain and pony or horse. Best scholar and strategist here in Equstria.”

“Wow mouthful, I suppose you already know who I am. But why did you join?”

“To be a tactical officer, yet I also want to do some work in the field. Oh and call me Cerebrum.”

“By the way about your previous question of why I am talking to alicorns first. Well I just hoped to get along with those like me. We kinda stand out in society. I don’t feel like I’m being treated as an equal.”

“A fair enough reason. Oh look John Silver Tongue is here probably to make an announcement, listen.”

A gray earth pony walked in and hollered while jumping on top of a table. “Attention everypony! We have a new recruit! His name is Shadow Mark and he has accomplished a remarkable feat! You know the last record of four days and six hours that Celestias guard won! Well he got the time of….ten days and nine hours!”

Some pony’s cheered for Shadow some cheered because the honor of longest time went to Lunas team again. Others just stared at Shadow Mark and his new skin and fur with only a couple burnt places. Why are they all staring? I wish they would stop its getting kind of creepy.

Cerebrum noticed Shadows reaction and quietly said to him “They see you as both a threat and an advantage against the other team. Stay vigilant or you may end up somewhere you don’t want to be.”

“Calm down everypony we haven’t even gotten to his talent yet!” John shouted and at that the staring and cheers stopped.

“Now although it is hard to see his cutie mark is a shadow yet it’s not an ordinary shadow it’s the shadow of the void!

Meaning he can use it and acquire its powers! These powers being strength, speed, a kind of sight, and not to mention the ability to avoid death! I say avoid because when he is using the shadow he cannot feel pain or fatigue yet afterword’s, well as informed to me by Princess Celestia he will feel all the pain of it five times over. Meaning bleeding out in a room for three days straight yet not dyeing!”

The stares returned to him this time even more intense. Now the only people who looked at him as if he weren’t a threat but like an ally were the alicorns he had spoken with. That reassured him, at least a little.

“The skirmish will be held three days from now and in the usual area!” John shouted as he stepped off the table and walked towards Shadow.

“Now kid follow me. I’ll show you were you sleep, also remember ponies here see you as a threat. Now there is no rule about fights as long as he threatens you or he throws the first punch. Yet make sure to stay with some pony so that way you have a witness. But if he comes at you with a weapon I want you to beat the crap out of him. This isn’t the place for killing. Ahhh here we are only open bed right with all the other alicorns. Strange having five join in the same month all within a week of each other. All of you the only recruits this month. Well I’ll leave you to whatever.”

“Thanks for the advice. I guess I will just go see if the blacksmith is done with my armor.”

“No it will be dropped off in the morning it takes a while to make.”

“Ok well I will just talk then.”

“Curfews in about an hour so if you want to do just idle conversation try to make some friends.”

After an hour of talking and making friends truly the only ones who wanted to be friends were the alicorns. He lay in bed now forming an Idea to show them all that alicorns aren’t just some mutts. Most people disliked alicorns except for the princesses because they were so good. Well that would change. They would form an elite squad. The thief, The warrior, The Strategist, The archer, The builder, and himself. Now a name, no it can wait till morning I need sleep.