//------------------------------// // Tartarus is Real - Part 2 // Story: Past Actions, Future Consequences // by Rill //------------------------------// Opening his eyes, it took the colt a few moments to realize what had happened as he sat up. Around him the forest had grown quieter, the darkness that sheltered from the sun during the day having begun to reclaim its territory as the sun passed overhead. Already the temperature had dropped, the promise of another cold night hanging on the still air. Looking down, the burns on his legs still stung and had started to darken in color. Leaning down, the young colt sniffed, yanking his head back as the stench hit him like a brick. Great, just what I bucking need. Sighing, he channeled energy into his horn, the pain in his legs slowly retreating. Dropping the spell a few minutes later, Shadow sat there, undecided on what he should do. Almost immediately, his stomach decided to voice its opinion. Nervously, Shadow looked around. Hearing nothing but a few birds overhead, he stood. Glancing around, it took the young alicorn a moment to recognize his surroundings. There were several half buried boulders nearby, their exposed surfaces covered in a pallet of moss and lichen. Off in the distance, he could see a particularly large boulder looming in the darkness. Smiling, Shadow turned, winding his way around a few bushes. He had been to that boulder numerous times. His mom had shown it to him and his sister when they were younger and had told them that it had been left there when it broke off of White Head Glacier. Shadow had never thought that that had made any sense. How could a glacier, miles from his house, drop a rock a mile from his house and do it with nopony noticing and not damage a single tree? To him, his mom’s story made about as much sense as an overweight pony sliding down his chimney to give him gifts on Hearth’s Warming Eve. Spotting the familiar low rise half an hour later, Shadow slowed. Images of what was left of his home sprang to mind as he stared at the open ground ahead. Shaking his head to banish the thoughts, he turned to his left. Around him the trees had transitioned from pines to maples and oaks, the late afternoon light danced in their swaying canopies as the shadows beneath lengthened. As he moved, Shadow tried to avoid every branch or twig he could. He didn’t know if anypony or anything was around, and he didn’t want to risk telling them where he was. Around him, more boulders rose from the ground, their moss covered forms standing silently as he walked by. As he walked, Shadow looked around, searching for two boulders in particular. Spotting them a few minutes later, he cautiously made his way towards them, his head constantly turning while his ears still rang. At the rocks, he walked around them. Behind them, Shadow levitated several large branches, revealing a hole in the ground large enough that a pair of ponies could walk through side by side without scraping the walls. Glancing around quickly, Shadow trotted into the hole. Pausing for a moment, the colt ignited his horn, its white glow lighting up the long dirt floored tunnel. Along the stone lined walls, rough wooden shelves held hundreds of syrup filled glass jars of various sizes. In the back, the cellar branched off in two other directions. Not feeling interested in vegetables, the young alicorn turned right. On the shelves along the walls sat jars of berries and various preserves, along with boxes filled with hay and oats. Taking his time as he ate, Shadow finally had a moment to think. Where would he go when he left town? He knew he couldn’t survive on his own. He couldn’t cook to save his life, which meant that anything he ate would be raw. That would be fine for the moment, but when winter came, he would be in deep trouble. He could go and see if his grandparents would take him in, but they had been just short of openly hostile towards him when he and his family had visited during his eighth birthday. If I showed up, they’d probably slam the door in my face; Shadow mused. Or turn me in to the authorities themselves. Likewise he ruled out an orphanage. He had never heard anything pleasant about them, and if he did go to one, his wings would be discovered. As he ate, Shadow slowly realized that he couldn’t stay on the island. If he wanted to see his twelfth birthday, he’d have to leave, which meant that there was only one place he could go. Equestria. Feeling his chest heaving, Shadow paused, forcing himself to breathe slowly. Sighing in relief as his breathing returned to normal, his anxiety still remained. A thousand years ago, his ancestor Summer Breeze had been exiled, along with her family and band of ponies for their role in the Nightmare War. They had been told to leave and never return, which was exactly what they had done. Since then, Equestria had taken on an almost legendary status, a place ruled by an alicorn tyrant who brooked no dissent, whose subjects had been brainwashed to constantly praise and thank their ruler. Shadow had been skeptical about the legend at first. He remembered the night when he believed everything he had been told about that land far to the east. He could remember sitting on his father’s back, watching the mayor give his Ascension Day speech, a rather long winded affair that the older stallion was well known for. Far above, the moon hung silently in the night sky, the Mare in the Moon watching over them as she had for a thousand years. Above the crowd, the pegasi and thestrals hovered. After wrapping up his speech, the mayor directed the crowd to watch the moon. As he had looked up, Shadow saw a number of stars slowly glide across the sky until they reached the moon. Then the moon flashed and the shadow of the queen disappeared. There had been a momentary pause as the ponies realized what had happened. Then somepony cheered. Then another. In the space of a heartbeat, everypony on the ground was pounding the street with their hooves. Above, those with wings flew around like butterflies in a tornado. The party lasted for hours into what should have been morning. Then the sun appeared. The shock had been immediate. Everypony stopped what they had been doing to look. Above, a few ponies nearly hit the ground. How could this happen? Why would their Queen raise the sun, the symbol of her sister and the pony that had left her trapped in the moon? Nopony knew for sure until that night when the moon rose without its shadow. After that, Shadow believed everything he was told about Equestria. How could he not, when its ruler had killed her own sister? That had been the most common explanation for what had happened, and Shadow believed it. If Nightmare Moon had won, why would she raise the sun? Why would she not appear before the ponies that had been loyal to her for generations? Shaking his head, Shadow looked around, the light from his horn creating long, strange shadows. Neither option particularly thrilled him or filled him with confidence, but deep down the colt knew he had to get off the island if he wanted a future. Groaning, Shadow slowly stood, ignoring the pain in his legs. Before he did anything, he’d have to deal with his burns, which meant sneaking into town. Even now he could smell the slight stench they were giving off, which meant only one thing to him: infection. He didn’t have to think back far to remember the last time he’d gotten an infection. A simple cut he gotten while playing hadn’t been cleaned in time and by the next day he was laid out in his bed sweating and hallucinating. Even with his dad’s potions it had taken him a week to fully recover. Outside the cellar’s entrance Shadow could see the night sky. Overhead, the black sky was covered in stars, as if somepony had taken a paintbrush and used the sky as their canvas. In the dim light, the young alicorn looked around; slowly releasing the breath he had been subconsciously holding. Pausing for a moment, Shadow replaced the cover over the cellar’s entrance. He doubted that anypony would come around here at night, but it was a habit that his parents had drilled into him and his sister. Once the hole was hidden, Shadow started towards town, only moving when the breeze rustled the canopy above. It was a small trick he had learned while playing with his friends and it had served him well when he wanted to move around quietly. On more than one occasion he had seemed to appear right next to another pony without them hearing him, only for them to jump when they finally noticed him. This little trick had also served him well when he played the odd prank, usually on another pony that had been less than kind to him or a friend. At the forest’s edge, Shadow paused. Despite what he had seen earlier, the young colt still wasn’t quite prepared for the emptiness of the clearing. In the darkness he could see the outline of his home’s charred remains. Shaking his head, Shadow tried to suppress a stray memory that had crept up, a memory of him coming home just after the sun had set, the light from the house’s windows a welcoming beacon in the darkness that promised warmth and a hot meal. Banishing the memory, Shadow slowly walked down the hill, forcing himself to look ahead as he passed his burned out home. At the opposite end of the clearing he stopped. Taking a deep breath, Shadow ignited his horn before dousing it out a moment later. From the young pony’s perspective nothing had happened. To anypony watching, it would have looked as if he had simply disappeared. The spell had created a small bubble around him that reflected the surroundings back to any outside observers in a way that made it look like he had vanished into thin air. The illusion spell was one he had found a year earlier and had used on more than one occasion when he had to make himself scarce. While it had helped with bullies and the occasional prank, the greatest drawback of the spell was that he was forced to move at a speed that a foal just learning to walk would have no problem matching. Anything faster would result in visible distortions that even a blind pony would notice. Shadow stopped atop a small rise that overlooked the town. Down below, everything was quiet since most of the residents had gone to bed early in anticipation for the festivities the next day. As he waited at the top of the hill, Shadow watched as one by one, windows went dark in the town. Watching as the moon slowly rose above the mountains in the distance, the lone colt took a moment to enjoy the calm as the world around him settled down for the night. Overhead, an owl silently flew by as it hunted, while a timber wolf howled in the distance. Glancing down, the young alicorn could see the burns had darkened even more. He may have not been an expert, but he knew that this infection was spreading rapidly. Even now, despite the spells, his legs throbbed in pain. Getting to his hooves, Shadow started for the town, only now noticing the limp he had picked up. As he walked, the alicorn could see a few ponies flying above the town, their bat-like wings effortlessly cutting through the cool, still air as they patrolled the town for any threats. On a stray thought, Shadow moved off the path to walk on the grass along the side, smiling as the sound of his hooves crunching on the gravel disappeared. It took him over an hour before he found himself in a shadow cast by one of the town’s outlying homes. Pausing for a moment, Shadow looked around, his ears still ringing slightly from the previous night’s explosion. Releasing the breath he had been subconsciously holding when he didn’t see anything, the young colt slowly made his way around the side of the house. Stopping at the front, he glanced around and above him before he bolted for the shadowy cover of another house across the street. Wincing as his legs protested the sudden abuse; he paused to catch his breath while waiting to see if anypony had noticed him. Satisfied that he was alone, Shadow slowly crept among the darkened alleys and walls of the town as the night passed. Above, thestrals patrolled the air, their sharp eyes and ears never noticing him, despite a few close calls. As he crept forward, Shadow could see his father’s shop across the street. Stepping out from the shadows, the young alicorn quickly dove back into the alley. Mentally slapping himself, the colt held his breath as the large, middle aged stallion slowly walked by, his eyes never still as he patrolled the sleeping town. Shadow watched as the stallion, Brick Wall, passed by. Everypony knew the pony by the reputation he had earned when he killed a pair of timber wolves that had wandered into town one night and had decided to try and make a meal out of him. Even now, the quiet stallion wore a necklace with a pair of wooden canines around his neck. Most ponies knew him from that incident, but Shadow had met the older stallion a year earlier when the young colt had literally run into Brick Wall as he had been looking over his shoulder to see if he has lost his pursuers. It had taken a moment for Shadow to clear his head before he realized who he had run into. Surprisingly, instead of being angry at the younger pony, the older stallion had merely told Shadow to watch where he was going next time, before walking off as if nothing had happened. Smiling, Shadow watched as the larger pony rounded a corner and disappeared. Making sure he was alone, Shadow rushed across the street, barely able to keep himself from running. At the shop’s front door, the colt paused. Dropping the invisibility spell, Shadow channeled energy to his horn, watching as the door’s lock glowed for a few moments before he heard a barely audible click as it unlocked. Smirking, he gently pushed the door open far enough for him to slip inside. Most ponies thought the door needed a key like any other in order to open it. While that was true, what they didn’t know was that Shadow’s father had enchanted the key and the door’s lock so that only that key, or a pony who knew the enchantment, could open the door. Once inside, Shadow closed his eyes before pouring more energy into his horn. When he opened them, he found himself staring at an uninjured version of himself. The clone blinked once before raising an eyebrow, silently asking what Shadow wanted. “Watch the door.” Shadow told his clone, who simply nodded before slipping through the front door and dashing into the dark alley across the street. Looking around, the young alicorn limped towards the back as his legs flared in pain. Igniting his horn, the back room came alive in moving shadows as the colt slowly paced around the room, reading the labels on the hundreds of beakers and bottles on the shelves. Fifteen minutes later, he knew that there weren’t any potions for burns. Thinking quickly, Shadow walked back to one of the shelves, a number of bottles floating into the air as he searched for his target. Near the back he found the small blue glass bottle hiding, INFECTION written on the slightly faded label. Pulling it out, Shadow set the rest back on the shelf before grabbing a couple rolls of bandages. Pulling the cork out of the bottle, Shadow to a deep sniff. The last thing he wanted to do was accidentally poison himself. Not smelling anything that would indicate the potion had gone bad, he tipped the bottle back, downing the contents in a single pull. Waiting for a few seconds he bent down, sniffing one of his burns. Not finding any signs of infection, the lone colt set the empty bottle aside before unrolling the first bandage. Starting at the top of his hoof, Shadow slowly wrapped his legs as his dad had shown him, tight enough to keep the bandage from slipping loose, but not tight enough to cut off circulation. As he worked, his mind flashed to when he had burned himself on a hot pot at home a few years ago. His dad had been so calm that, despite the pain, Shadow felt himself calm down watching his dad as the stallion gently wrapped his son’s hoof, quietly explaining what he was doing as he went. We got company! Shadow froze as the thought raced through his mind. He could feel the nervous energy from the hidden clone outside. Taking a deep breath, Shadow tried to stay calm. Thinking quickly, he channeled energy to his horn, another clone appearing out of thin air a second later. Before he could get the clone to ask where the ponies were heading, Shadow heard the bell over the front door ring as somepony opened it. Gesturing to the clone, Shadow dove behind some crates, the clone seeming to melt into the room’s darkness. “Watch it, you idiot!” A voice outside hissed. “Watch it yourself!” A second voice snapped back. “Last time I was here, that traitor didn’t have that bell over the door.” “I don’t care. Shut up and let’s hurry, I don’t want the Night Watch to catch us.” Do you two need help? The clone outside asked Shadow glanced at clone across the room and shook his head. The clone nodded as he talked with the one outside. Got it; I’m ready if you need me. The clone across the street replied. Outside, Shadow could hear the intruders talking as they rifled through the counter outside. “What caused the explosion last night?” “Apparently, the owner’s half-breed son thought it would be a good idea to steal a book from the library.” Shadow heard something in the other room break. “Unfortunately for the little bastard, the book he happened to take was from the library’s restricted section. According to the mayor, the little dumbass tried a spell in the book that had been banned centuries ago, and got himself and his entire family killed.” “Serves him right.” Shadow could feel the anger in him building, barely managing to get it under control. How could they say that? How could they call him a thief when he was given the book? Across the room, he could see the clone looking at him. Signaling for Shadow to calm down, the clone’s horn glowed, a large cast iron pan slowly floating into the air a second later. Not waiting for Shadow’s permission, the clone crept from its hiding spot with the pan hovering next to it. At the doorway, the clone paused for a second before rushing around the corner. Before he could get up, Shadow heard a pair of off-tone clunks. “We’re clear” The clone said a moment later, sticking its head through the doorway. Walking around the corner, Shadow took in his clone’s handiwork. The two ponies, a unicorn and an earth pony were sprawled out across the floor, large welts already starting to grow from their heads. “What now?” The clone asked as it set the pan down next to the unconscious unicorn. “One last look in case I missed anything, then we get out of here.” Shadow said as he turned for the back room. “What about them?” “I’ll deal with it.” Shadow replied as he grabbed a small box of bandages, emptying the contents into an open saddlebag. Across the room, he could hear the clone rummaging through a dust covered desk that had been buried under a pile of boxes. “Found something.” The clone said as it opened a drawer. Glancing over, Shadow could see the clone pull out a small bag along with a book from the back of the drawer before passing it over to Shadow. Opening the bag, he could see the hoof-full of silver coins glint in the light of his horn. Nodding, he sealed the bag with a knot before adding it to the half dozen bandages in his saddlebag. Flipping through the book, Shadow could see his dad’s horn writing and it took him a moment to realize that this book contained the recipes for his dad’s potions “Anything else?” The clone asked as it finished with the desk. “No. Watch the door; I’ll be out in a sec.” Shadow replied as he looked around, while tossing the book into the open saddlebag. Silently, the clone left the room, leaving the young colt alone. Watching the clone leave, Shadow’s gaze fell on the slightly twitching form of one of the intruders. As he watched a leg twitch, Shadow felt a sense of rage start to build in him. How dare they! How dare they accuse him and rob his dad’s store! Especially so soon after what had happened! Glancing at the shelves, he looked at the hundreds of glass containers sitting quietly in the dark. It wouldn’t be hard he thought. One simple spell and every last bottle and jar would be destroyed. He didn’t know what would happen if the various potions mixed and he didn’t particularly care. After how he and his family had been treated, the incensed alicorn figured the town’s ponies deserved nothing less. Yet, before he could do anything, the face of his friend Night Wind came to mind. Shadow had met the young thestral during a Feather Flu outbreak that had hit the colony especially hard. The colony’s leader, Eclipse, had led the alchemist and his son to her cave as soon as they had arrived. The reason why was obvious when they entered. Her son Night Wind was lying on his bed, barely conscious and seeming to try and cough up a lung. By the time Shadow and his father had left, the two young colts had become friends. Remembering that weekend, Shadow dimmed his horn as he realized that he couldn’t destroy everything. Despite how it might make him feel, he couldn’t endanger everypony to satisfy his pent up rage and anger. Sighing, Shadow glanced around the room one last time before stepping over the unconscious forms of the intruders. At the door, the clone turned to look at him. “We’re alone for the moment, but the sun will be up in a few hours.” Nodding, Shadow slowly opened the door and glanced around before running across the cobblestone street. The second clone followed a few moments later once Shadow was hidden. As the clones turned to move down the alley, Shadow ripped a loose cobblestone from the alley with his magic before firing it across the street, shattering the shop’s front window. Almost immediately, an ear piercing alarm began to wail. Running, Shadow caught up to the two clones and threw the invisibility spell over them just as a pair of thestrals rocketed overhead, straight for the shop with the smashed window. Two hours later, Shadow found himself back in the hidden cellar. Thanks to the distraction at his dad’s shop, he had no problem getting himself and the clones out of town. Nearing the burned out wreckage of his home, the adrenaline that he had been going on since the moon had risen finally ran out and he had nearly fallen on his face. Fortunately the clones had been there to support him as the three Shadows made their way to the forest. Lying on the cellar’s dirt floor, Shadow felt himself begin to relax as the cold air slowly cooled him. He didn’t know how long he lay there, but when he opened his eyes he could see sunlight gently filtering through the forest’s canopy. Arching his back, Shadow felt a few joints pop as he stretched. Looking down at one of his wrapped legs, the young alicorn rolled back the bandages, revealing clean, light red burns. Satisfied, he rewrapped the wounds before finally standing. Stepping outside, he saw one of the clones sitting on top of a nearby boulder. The clone turned to look at him before jerking his head to the side, indicating where the other had gone. As if on cue, the second clone seemed to appear out of nowhere, a small ball of wild berries hovering in front of it. Smiling, Shadow trotted back into the cellar, returning a few minutes later wearing his saddlebags, one of which bulged with as much food as he could stuff into it. Thanking the clone, Shadow enjoyed the berries as he tried to recall what he had been thinking about during the walk out of town. He knew he had to leave the island, and that meant going to Dragon’s Bay. The town was the main port for the entire island, so there would be plenty of ships that could take him. Yet he still didn’t know how he was going to get on one of those ships. When he had gotten back, Shadow had gone through the small money bag the clone had found. There was barely enough silver in it to pay for a half decent meal, let alone passage off the island. Groaning, he shook his head. He’d deal with that when he had to. For now, he had more pressing issues to deal with. Next to him, the cellar’s mouth lay open like a black hole that led to Tartarus. Looking around, Shadow scanned the area looking for something he could plug the cellar’s opening with. Silently, the clones also started to look as well. Not seeing much, Shadow’s eyes fell on a nearby boulder that sat in front of the entrance. Shadow knew he couldn’t pick the whole thing up but perhaps he didn’t need to. Powering up his horn, the young alicorn focused on the side farthest from the cellar’s entrance. Slowly the rock’s side began to rise up. Putting more magic into it, the rock wavered before rolling down the small hill it was perched on. Even though he was far enough away, Shadow barely kept himself from jumping as the boulder slammed into the cellar’s entrance. Satisfied with its placement, the young orphan and his clones spread leaves around the boulder’s edges and over the spot where it had been sitting. After a few minutes, the young colt stepped back, satisfied that nopony would be able to tell that the boulder had ever been moved. With nothing left to do, Shadow turned to the two clones who were standing next to each other off to the side “Thank you.” He said, bowing his head to them. “No problem.” The one on the right said, smiling. “Watch your plot, and don’t hesitate to call on us.” The other clone added before it and its twin dissolved like fog before the sun, leaving Shadow alone among the trees. Sighing, he turned and, without a glance back, left. As he walked through the forest, Shadow could feel a sense of finality slowly settle over him. He would probably never see this place again, and if he was honest, he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. There were things and ponies that he would miss, yet there was plenty he wouldn’t. As he walked, Shadow realized that there was one last thing he had to do, three ponies that he had to say goodbye to. The walk to the town’s cemetery was mercifully quick. Shadow thanked Luna for that. If it had been any longer, he might have chickened out. Slowing as he approached, Shadow stopped in his tracks at the sound of voices. Watching where he stepped, the colt slowly crept through the underbrush. Pushing a bush to the side, Shadow could see across the cemetery, headstones of various sizes and colors stood in neat rows, the grass between stones kept short and weed free. Off in the distance, he could see about a dozen ponies gathered around four simple coffins. Among the ponies, he could see his teacher and Night Wind. Mrs. Pie was leaning against her husband, his strength the only thing seeming to keep her on her hooves. Even from a distance, Shadow could see the sobs rack her body as she seemed to hold nothing back. Nearby, Shadow could see the thestral leader Eclipse standing like a rock. Under one of her wings, Night Wind had buried his head. From his hiding spot, Shadow was glad he couldn’t hear the group of ponies. He wasn’t sure what would happen if he could. Silently, Shadow watched as the mayor stepped forward to say something. As one, the gathered ponies lowered their heads. After a few moments, they lifted their heads back up before leaving. One at a time, Shadow saw them place flowers on the caskets. While the group slowly walked or flew away, a nearby unicorn gently wrapped the coffins in his magic before lowering them into their respective holes. Shadow watched the unicorn finish his job and leave. The young colt wanted to get up and go to his family. He wanted to apologize, to try and put words to his grief, yet his legs refused to move. With tears streaming down his face, Shadow felt himself backing up, as if somepony else was controlling him. “I’m sorry” He said as his family’s resting place disappeared behind the bush, the sound of his sister’s screams echoing in the distance “Please forgive me.” To Shadow, time seemed to drag by as if it was intent on making the day last as long as possible. Despite the sun and warm weather, the colt felt none of it. Inside, all he wanted to do was to just collapse and cry, to vent every last ounce of frustration and despair. Yet he found himself putting one hoof in front of the other as he slowly fled from everything he had ever known and loved. By mid-afternoon he could see Dragon’s Bay in the distance, the ocean a blue haze shimmering on the horizon. Coming upon a small stream, Shadow stopped to quench his thirst before splashing some of the ice cold water over his face, washing away the tearstains that had marred his face for most of the day. It was early evening by the time he walked into town. Despite having been there before to visit his grandparents, Shadow was still awed by the sheer number of ponies he could see. All around, ponies went about their business without giving him a second look, other than the odd glance at his legs. Unlike home, nopony gave him dirty looks or yelled at him to get out of their sight or threatened him. As he walked down the street, Shadow could smell the salt on the air, and couldn’t keep himself from smiling at the scent. Around him, the houses were made from brick, the various shades of red contrasting with the light grey mortar. Most of the roofs were covered with light brown tiles, while a few used the dark grey slate that he was used to. Taking in all that he could see, Shadow was disappointed when he found himself along the wharf, feeling that time had pulled a cruel prank on him, making the day drag, only to race along when he wanted it to slow down. Not wanting to get hit by a passing cart, the disguised alicorn stepped off to the side. Towering above him, the masts of a half dozen ships loomed overhead like trees that had had their bark and leaves stripped away. Around him he could see dozens of ponies and other creatures scrambling around, seemingly driven to run around by some unseen force. He could see unicorns and pegasi loading or unloading items from the ships. Alongside the ships, earth ponies and a minotaur were hitched to carts, waiting to be loaded. Seeing its chance, Shadow’s stomach voiced its opinion, making the colt realize that he hadn’t eaten anything since that morning. Looking around, Shadow spotted an earth pony sitting by a cart loaded with food. Slowly wandering over, Shadow surveyed the cart’s top, his mouth watering at the variety of fruits and vegetables on display. Shadow had to stop and give the cart a thorough look before he believed what he saw. Unlike what he was used to, there was no sign, either on the cart or nearby, that showed who or what was welcome. Cautiously the young pony approached the cart, the owner not noticing him at first. “Hello.” The tan earth pony said when he noticed the young black unicorn surveying his produce, causing the colt to jump slightly. “Hi.” Shadow responded, avoiding the older pony’s eyes. “See something you like?” “Everything.” The cart owner laughed at that, wishing he got that response more often. “So, what will your pleasure be?” Shadow looked over the selection, trying to hide his surprise that he could buy any of it. “How much are those carrots?” “Four silvers for a half dozen.” “And the apples?” Shadow had noticed the apples, and had been unable to keep his eyes off them since. “Normally six for a half peck, but since you complimented my wares, you can have a half peck for three silvers.” Shadow couldn’t believe his still ringing ears. This pony, this earth pony, had given him a discount for nothing more than an honest compliment?!? Shadow had to remind himself to breathe as the coins floated from his saddlebag “Apples and carrots, please.” Taking the produce, he packed the apples into the open saddle bag, while the carrots hovered nearby. As the earth pony collected Shadow’s money, he glanced out to sea and groaned. Shadow glanced up, raising an eyebrow at the vendor. “You might want to get going little guy; it’s going to rain.” Glancing behind him, Shadow could see the clouds over the ocean darkening as they grew. It only took a few seconds for the first cloud to flash as a bolt of lightning ripped across the sky. The ensuing clap of thunder was strong enough for Shadow to feel it in his chest. “Thank you” Shadow said hastily as he tightened the cover of his bag. The older pony didn’t say anything as he rushed to pack his cart and get home before the storm hit. Shadow looked around trying to find a place where he could keep dry. Above, the sky erupted in light and sound as another lightning bolt ripped across the sky. Around him, the young alicorn couldn’t find anything to hide under. As he started to panic, the sky decided that it had held off long enough as it opened up, ice cold rain pelting any pony unfortunate enough to be outside at that moment. Thinking quickly, Shadow charged his horn, casting a shield over himself to block the rain. Taking a moment to think, he knew that the odds of finding shelter on the wharf were low, and he didn’t want to try and sneak aboard one of the ships. If he got caught, they would probably think he was attempting to stow away, and he’d be lucky if all they did was kick him off. If they reported him… Shadow shook his head to banish that thought. As if it wasn’t satisfied with his misery, the storm started to rain down hail upon the lone pony. Deciding he had had enough, Shadow turned to leave before spotting a small stack of crates near one of the ships. The wooden boxes were stacked in a small pile on a large canvas sling, most likely waiting to be taken away. The largest crate was at the bottom and, to Shadow’s delight, was empty; its cover lying nearby on the ground. Knowing a good deal when he saw it, he ran for the crate, diving inside as the hail grew to the size of large pebbles. Taking a moment to shake himself dry, Shadow sat down to watch the world disappear behind grey sheets of rain and hail as he satisfied himself with the carrots he had bought. Taking a deep breath, Shadow shuddered slightly. He had always enjoyed it when the weather was less than perfect, much to Star Gazer’s annoyance. She could never understand how he could enjoy the noise of a thunderstorm or the howling winds of a blizzard as it blew down from the surrounding mountains. Propping the tipped crate’s cover over the open side to block out the pounding rain, Shadow worked to get comfortable, knowing that it was going to be raining for a while. Realizing what was ahead of him, Shadow watched the rain spill off the deck of a nearby ship. How was he going to convince a captain to take him along? As he thought about his situation, the sound of the rain and hail, combined with everything he had been through joined forces against him. As he lay there, the young orphan felt his eyes slowly growing heavier, and before he could even try to fight it, he was fast asleep.