//------------------------------//
// Small Victories 
// Story: Way Past Equestria 
// by Onomonopia 
//------------------------------//

This would be the final battle.

That was all Rarity could think about as she finished the last tweaks to her suit, activating it on herself to make sure it was working properly. It was, of course, not that she felt it mattered. Her suits had been useless against the overwhelming power of the Master King and so many had been lost. If she had only done more. Made more. Consoled more.

Rarity took a moment to look around the room, seeing how everypony was behaving. If anypony needed an ear or a shoulder. Applejack was with Rainbow Dash (to noponies surprise), Antoine was spending time sharpening his families blade while Bunnie shadowboxed next to him. Sonic was talking with Pinkie while Twilight and Sally continued to plan. Rotor, Tails, Discord and surprisingly Fluttershy were all adding some touches to the Final Gambit. Cadence was meditating with Celestia and Luna outside and from what Rarity could feel they were gathering as much power and magic as they could. That left only one other.

Rarity deactivated her suit and walked off in search of Shadow. He was easy enough to find. The sound of gunfire lead her way. She found the hedgehog in what used to be G.U.N.S training room, which now was filled with training dummies that moved and fought back, as well as cleaning supplies. It was here she found Shadow ripping them apart with gunfire and strikes.

For a moment Rarity watched him fight. As much as she loathed violence, she had to admit that Shadow had it down to a science. His movements, his aim, his strikes: none of it was wasted movement and all of his attacks decimated the dummies. If they had been alive, she would have felt bad for them. Shadow finished off a mop by kicking it in half before landing in the center of the room, taking in the destruction he had caused.

"Are you here to train? Or just to stare?" Shadow asked.

"I came to talk to you, but if staring is an option..." Rarity teased. Shadow flashed her a look over his shoulder and Rarity smiled. "Apologies. I am here to check up on you. I heard how you were...spending your time and figured that you might want a bit of company. Perhaps somepony to listen to anything you wish to get off your chest?"

"Well then you figured wrong," Shadow replied. He threw a piece of dummy at some door controls to open the door, allowing more sentient brooms and mops to shuffle towards him. "I have nothing to talk about."

"Really? Not about what it was like to be caught in that crystal, unable to do anything while our friends were...well, you understand," Rarity said. Shadow didn't answer. "Or why there is so much pain in your eyes, to the point that not even your darkest glare can hide it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hmm, you are one incredible fighter, but you are not much of a liar, are you?" Rarity asked. Shadow finished the war on cleaning with an axe kick to a broom, before turning to Rarity. "I may not be as good at seeing pain as Fluttershy, but even I can see the agony and regret that flashes in your eyes. Shadow, bottling up and ignoring feelings never benefits anypony in the long run. Please, just talk to me."

"There is nothing to talk about," Shadow replied curtly. He walked past Rarity and headed for the exit, in search of more supplies to erase from the world.

"It's not your fault."

Those four words stopped Shadow in his tracks. He slowly looked back at Rarity, who gave him a gaze of pure compassion and kindness. "You are not responsible for the deaths of Silver, Big Mac or the others. You did all you could. Fought as hard as you could. You have nothing that you need to feel guilty for."

"Of course there is," Shadow snapped back. Rarity didn't flinch.

"Oh really? Like what?"

"I should have been better," Shadow growled. "I should have done more."

"What more could you have done?" Rarity asked. "None of us saw the Master King coming. None of us were ready for the crystal beam it possessed. Or if you believe you should have stopped it singled handedly, remember that the Master King went up against both the Elements of Harmony and your Chaos Emeralds and won. Shadow darling, there comes a point when you must realize that things are out of your hands. Do force this burden upon yourself."

"I still should have done more," Shadow whispered, but he wasn't looking at Rarity anymore. "But once more I failed."

"What more could you have done? How did you possibly-?"

"Because I couldn't save them."

Shadow said these words in a whisper, but Rarity could feel the sheer wave of hatred and loathing that radiated off of him. She walked beside Shadow and placed her hoof in his hand, nudging him with her nose to go on.

"Shadow...what is truly bothering you?" Rarity asked softly. Shadow glanced away from her, trying to bury it once more, but eventually he sighed and came clean.

"Maria," Shadow said softly. "She...I won't give you my full story. That's not important. But I was created to save her. She was my first friend. But instead of saving her, she died trying to save me. My first failure."

"Oh. I'm so sorry."

"When I...remembered this, I swore that her death would not be in vain. I would protect the world she loved and all those on it. That I would never let anyone else die like she had. And now Silver's dead. Blaze is dead. Amy, Knuckles, Big Mac and Shining Armor are all dead. Leaving behind families and children and...all because I wasn't good enough. Because I couldn't fight off Sombra. Because I was trapped in crystal while my friends died. Because I still fail when it matters most."

"That is not true Shadow, and you know that," Rarity disagreed. 

"The evidence is against you, Rarity. These are not my first failures. Just the latest in a long line," Shadow scowled. "Rouge...Omega...all of them..."

"And yet you have succeed. You saved me when we were fighting the Magnum Atlast. And you saved Applejack from the laser that would have killed her. Those mattered," Rarity replied.

"Two against the slew of lives that have been lost because I failed. The evidence is once again against you. It doesn't matter," Shadow replied.

"And you believe that?" Rarity asked. Shadow nodded. "Then you are an idiot and that I can prove."

Before Shadow could respond, Rarity yanked him up with her magic and walked back into the main room, dragging Shadow along. She walked in and planted Shadow down so he was looking at where Applejack and Rainbow Dash were together with Sonic. Rainbow Dash was standing on a ball and balancing a bucket of water on her head, while AJ and Sonic watched. She stayed balanced for a bit, but eventually the gag won out and Rainbow crashed to the ground with the bucket landing on her head. Sonic laughed hard, getting Rainbow to scowl at him as she lifted the bucket. But then Rainbow saw that Applejack was laughing just as hard and her scowl became a smile. AJ helped Rainbow up and took the bucket off of her head, before placing a hoof on her face. Rainbow leaned into it and the two smiled at each other.

"You saved that," Rarity told Shadow. "That bit of happiness and joy right there, the love that those two have for each other, you saved that. I have known those two for years now. I have seen them at their best and I have seen them at their worst and let me tell you I have never seen them happier than they are right now. And the only reason they are is because of you."

"And yet Silver is still dead."

"Newsflash, had you not saved Applejack, we would all be dead," Rarity cut him off. Shadow looked at her, confused. "We need all six of us to activate the Element's full power. Had we lost Applejack in the forest, not only would she be gone, but I know for certain that Rainbow Dash would have been broken beyond repair as well, the rest of us devastated. And then we don't get the rest of the emeralds and the Elements. Or maybe we do, because it was apart of the villains plan, but we would go into battle either unable to use them or at a severe disadvantage."

"And if you think what happened to us out there against the Master King was bad, imagine how much worse it would have been without Applejack and Rainbow Dash?" Rarity continued on, silencing Shadow before he had a chance to speak. "We would have all died. And then Eggman and Sombra would have won. But they didn't, because you saved Applejack."

Rarity then spun around to glare into Shadow's eyes and all Shadow could do was listen to what she had to say.

"So yes, I understand you feel hurt and guilty over Silver, Blaze and all the others. I do too. But do not, and I repeat, do NOT, think for a moment that saving Applejack or your other acts of good mean nothing. That they were meaningless. Because let me tell you right now, the only reason we are all here is because of them," Rarity whispered. "So look at them, Shadow. Take a good, long look at that happiness and love and then tell me with a straight face that saving one pony means nothing. Go ahead. I'll wait."

Shadow didn't even need to look. Rarity's words had one him over and her ferocity had made him see clearly. He smirked with a bitter smile as he crossed his arms, shaking his head.

"Alright, I concede. You are right. While I still believe I should have done more...you are right in saying I should not discount what I have done. You are...far stronger and wiser than I believed."

"Trust me darling, this all comes from a place of experience," Rarity winked. "I used to only focus on my failures too. It's so easy to be caught up in how we've failed...that we lose sight of what we've achieved. So I learn from each failure and take care to be thankful for my small victories."

"Small victories, huh?"

"We're here. We're alive. And that is a victory," Rarity said. Shadow nodded at her words.

"Hmph, I suppose so," Shadow replied. Shadow turned and headed back down from where the had come from.

"And where are you going?"

"I'm heading to the armory. I saw some impressive weaponry in there and I'd like to see what it can do," Shadow replied.

"Accessorizing, are you? Would you like the company of somepony?" Rarity asked.

"I don't want the company of some pony," Shadow replied, before smirking at Rarity. "But if you're the pony in question, then I suppose I wouldn't mind spending some time with you."

"Incredible fighter. Terrible at asking a lady out," Rarity giggled before she and Shadow headed off.