//------------------------------//
// The Road - Part 2 
// Story: Past Actions, Future Consequences 
// by Rill 
//------------------------------//

Colonel Ash was beyond livid. There were no words he knew - either in Sprite or Equestrian - that could even remotely describe his current mood. How in all of the hells that have ever existed could a snot-nosed, whelp of a colt possibly be our target?! “MOVE!” Around him, Sprites jumped at the colonel’s booming voice, scrambling to obey as they let the senior officer pass by. One look would have told even the dimmest Sprite that the colonel was in no mood to be bothered. Growling at a pair of junior officers that were a split second too slow, the enraged officer channeled a stream of magic into his clawed hand, blasting the building’s front doors off their hinges a second later. 

Stalking across the building’s foyer, the officer racked his brain as he recalled every detail in the incident report. After the attempted breach had collapsed, he had led the responding strike force himself. The building itself had been surprisingly small and it had taken his team no time to locate the unicorn that was supposed to be responsible. The fact that the stallion was fast asleep at the time had been a pleasant bonus and he and the mare next to him were dead before they knew anything was wrong. After they had been dealt with, he had ordered his team to turn the building to ash. When they had caught that filly on the second floor in their flames, he had thought that the threat had been neutralized. The Sprite ground his teeth, his hands clenching and unclenching as he walked, a pair of passing lieutenants jumping out of his way as he passed. 

How could we possibly miss a unicorn brat?! It’s not like he could have sprouted wings and jumped out of that room! The colonel growled as he walked past his secretary, the quickly growing headache only serving to ruin his mood even further. Without thinking, the officer blasted the large glass window behind his desk. The glass exploded into thousands of shards. As he watched, the shards ground to a halt halfway to the ground, before reversing course and returning to where they had been before he had entered the room. Within seconds, the broken window healed itself, until it was once again a single flawless pane of glass. Just like our little friend. The colonel mused as he watched. Pulling the chair out, he lowered himself into it, before turning to look out the window. 

He had severely underestimated this colt, but he would not do that again. This brat had survived two assaults, and his continued existence was an embarrassment the officer could barely stand. On top of that, thanks to that damned colt, he had failed to take out the only other witness on the island. Next time will be different the colonel mused, a smile slowly growing on his face as he planned. He got lucky the first two times, but let’s see how long the bastard lasts against an entire company. 



  

Life slowly returned to Shadow. Cracking open an eye, the colt winced as the mid-day light filtering through the leaves above him stabbed at his brain. Closing his eye, he slowly opened it again, letting himself get used to the bright light. Lying there as his eyes adjusted, the young alicorn began to recall the previous night’s events, a headache forming behind his horn as if on cue. Taking a deep breath, Shadow barely held back the scream that tried to rip itself from his throat. Gritting his teeth, Shadow rolled over onto his belly, the world around him nearly disappearing as the pain in his wing threatened to overwhelm him. Resting his head on the ground, the colt closed his eyes, letting the pain that stabbed at him with each breath slowly fade as he focused on his breathing. Slowly channeling magic through his horn, Shadow focused on forming one of his dad’s spells in his mind. Despite the growing pain behind his horn, the colt increased the energy flow before casting the spell on himself. Almost immediately, the pain radiating along his left side slowly began to vanish. 

Releasing the spell, Shadow unbuckled the saddlebags he had gone to sleep wearing. The simple act sent a bolt of agony through the injured colt’s side as the weight suddenly disappeared. Barely biting back a scream, Shadow’s horn glowed to life again. Feeling the pain subside, the young alicorn wished he could use the spell on his headache. It would make what he had to do next easier, but he couldn’t take the risk. Gritting his teeth, the colt sent a trickle of magic to his vest’s zipper, gently pulling on the piece of metal. Panting as he felt his vest fall open a minute later, Shadow slowly pulled his uninjured wing out of its hidden pocket before focusing on his injured side.  

Despite the spell he was using, Shadow gasped as the cooler air hit his injured wing. Opening his eyes as the pain subsided, the colt immediately wished he hadn’t. Even though his wing was folded, he could see a bulge along its leading edge that caused his heart to stop mid beat. He had heard his father talk about such injuries before and it had turned the colt’s stomach. He had then made the mistake of asking how it would be treated. His father’s reply, along with what would need to be done if the break wasn’t fixed in time, had sent Shadow scrambling for the nearest bush. Feeling the world around his starting to spin, the injured colt lowered his head to the ground before gently rolling onto his uninjured side. 

Desperate for something to take his mind off what he had to do; he took the opportunity to check over his bags, which had come through the night with some minor singeing. Opening the flap on one bag, Shadow smiled at the sight of bone dry books. The protective spell on the bags was designed to protect against theft and the elements, but until that moment he had never thought about if it would protect against submersion. Unable to find anything else to distract himself with, the injured colt set the bags beneath his chin. Getting into a crouch, he slowly extended his wing, darkness eating at the corners of his vision with every heartbeat.  

Lowering his wing to the ground, Shadow took a moment to catch his breath as he thought about his next move. Snapping a branch from the bush next to him, Shadow bit down on it as hard as he could. Spotting the one thing he needed, the colt poured more energy through his horn as the apple sized rock resisted his influence for a moment before ripping itself from the ground. Whimpering in anticipation, Shadow moved the rock until it hovered just above the abnormal bulge in his wing. Raising the rock into the air, Shadow bit down onto the branch before releasing the magic holding the rock above him. The stone seemed to hang in the air for a heartbeat before dropping down onto the outstretched wing. For the second time that day, Shadow heard the sound of a bone break, before unconsciousness took him. 


The young alicorn lay beneath the bush for several minutes, barely breathing. Slowly, an outstretched foreleg began to move as oblivion slowly released him from its grip. Crying out around the branch in his mouth, Shadow lifted his head as he ignited his horn. Grabbing the two halves of the broken bone, he pulled them apart as much as he could before realigning them with a snap and the darkness reclaimed him yet again. 


Repeating every curse and dark oath he could think of, Shadow fought against the darkness, forcing his eyes open despite everything that told him to give in. Slowly opening his eyes, Shadow lifted his head, moving his saddlebags to the side with a gentle burst of magic. Opening one of the bags, the colt removed the last roll of bandages. Sighing, he turned to look at his wing. Charging his horn, a quick check told him – much to his relief – that despite the visible swelling, the broken bone was properly aligned. Smiling in relief, Shadow winced in pain as he turned his magic on his feathers, plucking a hoof-full of tertiaries from around the break. Grabbing a few branches from the bush above him, he laid them against his wing in a crude splint before wrapping the mess with the bandages. 

Gently rolling onto his uninjured side, Shadow let his mind go blank, his eyes focusing only on the sky above. As his side throbbed, his stomach decided to make its discontent known. Muttering something he had heard Zetani say when the zebra had slammed a door on his leg, Shadow grabbed a clump of grass with a hoof, ripping the blades from the ground before shoving them into his mouth in one fluid motion. Gagging on the taste, the colt forced himself to swallow the foul tasting mass. Ignoring his stomach’s protests, the alicorn repacked his bags before moving them back under his head. With everything he needed to do done, the colt closed his eyes, letting the heat of the sun’s light lull him to sleep. 


From under the patch of brush, Shadow yawned as he watched the sky overhead slowly brighten. Wincing at the throbbing pain from his wing, the injured colt focused on the pain, if only to distract himself from the pain in his head. As the world around him slowly began to awake, Shadow ignited his horn, snapping a nearby sapling at the base and letting it fall next to his hiding place. Another quick burst of magic and the small tree was reduced to an oversized stick with branches. Smiling at the small pile of leaves before him, Shadow took his time, letting himself enjoy the tartness of the maple leaves while the sun slowly rose. Holding a leaf before him in his magic, Shadow let the slightly curled leaf slowly spin in front of him as he smiled, memories of sneaking maple leaf snacks behind his mom’s back filtering into his mind as he watched the sunlight play on the lone leaf. While she had never outright told him to not eat these leaves, Shadow knew his mom disapproved, maybe suspecting that he was getting them from her trees. In truth, he never ate the leaves of mature trees, instead preferring the less woody, more flavorful leaves of saplings and young trees. 

Smiling at the memories of the looks on his mom’s face as he munched on a leaf, Shadow looked down at his makeshift pillow. Opening the flaps, he slowly removed everything, setting it all before him. Lifting the original of his ancestor’s diary, Shadow slowly spun the book before him, examining it from every angle, a sense of giddiness building in his chest as he failed to find any damage to the ancient text. With extra care, he gently placed it in his right side bag. Similarly checking the other three books, he felt a sense of relief spread over him as he found no damage to any of the books. Checking the coin purse and its contents, Shadow gently tossed it in the bag as well. 

Sighing as he found himself staring at dirt, Shadow slowly stood, his horn alight as his saddlebags took their place, further back that he was used to as he avoided his damaged wing. Tightening the belt around him, the young alicorn slowly lowered himself back to the ground. He could leave now while it was still somewhat dark, but he was in no hurry. Parting a couple branches, Shadow looked out from the hillside hideout he had found the previous afternoon. While it gave him slightly less cover than where he had woken up the previous morning, he couldn’t deny that the view made up for the difference. Below him, he could see the lake glow like liquid gold in the early morning light, the waves shining and sparkling, while the patches of bushes around the lake offered the remains of their spring flowers to the sky. 

Above the lake, the colt could see a couple pegasi lazily soaring and occasionally rolling in midair as if trying to throw off the last bits of sleep. Finding himself wondering why they were there, Shadow found his unspoken question answered as a pair of pegasi dropped from the sky, their wings flaring before landing on the island he had barely escaped. Groaning to himself, Shadow let the branches swing back into place. He had to be an idiot to think that no pony would notice the leveled island. How long would it be until Celestia found out, if she hadn’t been told already? A day? Two? Ignoring the pressure building up behind his horn, Shadow focused on his most practiced spell as he disappeared from sight. 


Shadow waited until the lake was completely out of sight before dropping the invisibility spell with a sigh of relief. Beneath his hooves, the road’s gravel crunched as he walked. With nothing around to attract his attention, Shadow’s mind wandered as it had a tendency to do, to how he could improve his spells, his mind settling on the invisibility spell. How many times had he used it since he lost his family? What if he needed to use it and another spell at the same time? Could he combine the regenerative part of the spell on his saddlebags to the spell? As he walked, the colt felt the familiar flutter in his chest he usually felt when he came across something that offered possibilities. 

Wrapped up with the possibilities and mental imaging of the new spell, the lone alicorn nearly missed the sign post. Pulling himself back into reality, Shadow paused at the sign. On the post, he saw three simple wooden arrows pointing in different directions. One arrow pointed to the left, another to the right and another two pointed back the way he had come. On the first arrow, he thought he recognized the name of Equestria's capital. It was hard to tell, since it seemed to the colt that whoever had painted the sign clearly didn’t know the Equestrian alphabet, having gotten some letters correct while others were completely unrecognizable to him. It took Shadow a moment to read the names on the arrows that pointed the way he had come. He didn't doubt the sincerity of the offers he had gotten to join the crew. It would only take him a few days to get back to the city, but a quick glance at the city perched on the side of the mountain to his left reminded the colt why he was here. Studying the final arrow, it took him a minute to read the name painted on the piece of wood, having to decipher the name from the mix of letters and gibberish. Ponyville. While he had learned to read and write Equestrian like everypony else, it didn't mean he was particularly good at it, especially when he barely had any need for it back home. Taking a deep breath, Shadow took the right fork. 

As the sign passed by, Shadow paused to look at the mountain-side city in the distance, wondering how ponies could build a small city on the side of a mountain. He had learned about the Equestrian capital in school and had read about it in his ancestor’s diary, but he had always found himself rather skeptical about the mountain city. While he had no doubt at the time that there were buildings on the mountain’s side, he had never honestly believed that an entire city was perched on the mountain. How did they keep it from falling off? If they used magic, the power requirements would have to be incredible. The more he thought about it, the more Shadow found himself utterly confused by what he saw in the distance. Soothing the growing pain in his wing with a little magic, the young alicorn turned his head, forcing one hoof in front of the other as he continued his journey. Maybe one day he’d figure out how a city like that could exist, but he had more important concerns at the moment. 


Shadow smiled as the sun light danced among the leaves overhead as the sun slowly crept closer to the western horizon. Overhead, he could see birds flitting overhead as they chased each other or paused on a branch to watch the lone pony pass beneath. Idly, Shadow wondered if he should be concerned about the birds and if they could be Celestia’s spies. He wouldn’t put it past the solar tyrant to use such a measure, but he dismissed the thought as quickly as it appeared. How would the birds tell her what they saw, scratch it in the dirt? As he walked, one of the birds swooped down, buzzing the alicorn’s head before landing on a low hanging branch. Pausing, Shadow stared at the bird, which returned the favor before belting out a few notes of its song before taking to the air once again.  

As he walked, Shadow couldn’t help but be reminded of the forest behind his house. The way the forest floor was cool and peaceful, the way the woods smelled as an errant breeze filtered through the canopy, other than the distinct lack of pine on the air, the young orphan almost felt like he was home. While the other kids played together after school, because of his social standing, Shadow had almost always found himself alone. To relieve his boredom, he’d wander among the trees that stood between his home and the line of mountains that formed the southern border of the valley. Luxuriating in a cool breeze, the colt let his memory recall happier times, like when he had found a patch of mushrooms that was so large, his mom having to sell those they couldn’t eat lest his find rot. Feeling his stomach join in at the memory of that night’s dinner, Shadow plucked a few leaves from a nearby tree if only to keep his belly quiet. 

Wrapped up in memories of lone days in the woods, Shadow missed the signs around him. Remembering how even the valley’s timberwolves left him alone after dealing with his shields, the colt failed to notice the birds overhead as they set up a racket, swooping in front of him and buzzing his head. Slowly Shadow noticed how quiet the trees around him had become. Looking around, he couldn’t spot a single bird, all of which had taken to the air having decided to leave the colt to his fate. Pausing in the middle of the road, the alicorn took note of how the forest’s undergrowth, which had been light at first had thickened into a nearly impenetrable wall of branches and thorns. Breaking into a brisk trot, Shadow quickly found himself constantly looking over his shoulders, a feeling of unease slowly growing in him every moment he was in a forest that had suddenly turned oppressive and threatening. 

Despite his sudden attention to everything, Shadow never heard the creature. Turning his head to the side, the young colt saw a flash of brown and red fur flying through the air toward him. Time for the young pony seemed to grind to a halt as his mind took very quick note of the teeth and razor sharp claws aimed at him. Reacting purely on instinct, Shadow’s horn flared to life, a golden wall of magic bursting into existence just as the creature reached him. Unable to take his eyes off the monstrosity, the alicorn watched as the creature absorbed the sudden impact with its legs while it brought its tail swinging down from overhead, its needle sharp tip glancing off the young pony’s shield. 

Feeling his heart pounding against his chest, Shadow fired the shield like an arrow, launching it and his attacker into the base of a nearby tree. The oak’s trunk cracked with the impact. Catching his breath, Shadow felt his heart stop as the creature slowly stood, shaking its head as it turned toward him. Without a second thought, Shadow threw himself into the undergrowth on the other side of the road, a thin wall of magic pushing aside everything before him. Behind him, he could hear the unmistakable noise of a large, angry cat-monster in pursuit, the sound of crashing brush and snapping branches adding speed to the colt’s flight. 

Seeing a small opening between some bushes, Shadow launched his shield before leaping to the side. Without a constant recharge, the spur-of-the-moment shield carried on for another hundred yards before disappearing. Holding his breath, Shadow listened to the creature as it closed in on him and then barreled past as it followed the shield’s path of damage and destruction.  

As soon as the creature was far enough away, Shadow bolted from his hiding spot. Around him, the forest’s thick undergrowth slowly thinned as he ran. Whether he was being chased or not mattered little to the colt as he ran, his sides burning in pain as his lungs screamed for air. Running down a small ridge, Shadow leapt over the small trickle of a stream. Spinning as soon as his hooves hit the ground on the other side, the alicorn charged his horn, a wall of magic erupting before him.  

Panting as he tried to catch his breath, it took the young pony a moment to realize that he was alone. With his breathing returning to normal, Shadow slowly noticed the sounds of the strange woods around him. Overhead he could hear a few birds chirping. Chancing a quick glance, the colt noted a pair of squirrels looking down on him from among the gnarled branches of a tree that he didn’t recognize. Unable to spot any immediate threats around him, Shadow slowly lowered his shield, letting its magic dissipate.  

Swallowing as he calmed down, Shadow looked down at the small stream before him. Watching the trees around him, he ignited his horn, a ball of water the size of his head forming before him. Remembering what his dad had taught him, Shadow focused on the water ball for a second as it glowed faintly before flashing once. Satisfied, the colt slaked his thirst on the cool water, sighing in relief as he felt its icy cool settle, then spread in his chest. Satisfied, Shadow eyed the trees around him warily. There was something off about where he was. Unlike the forest he had run headlong into, the trees here were much more gnarled and twisted, with moss hanging down from branches in curtains large enough for him to hide behind. Overhead, the sun barely penetrated to thick cover, leaving the land beneath in shadows that sent shivers down the young colt’s spine. On top of that, Shadow could feel a tingling sensation in his horn that he had never felt before. Feeling like every move he made was being watched, the young alicorn left the stream behind, pushing his way through the vines and moss that seemed to hang from every tree. As he had just before being ambushed, Shadow’s head was never still as he watched for any movement, his horn charged for another shield that he could erect in a heartbeat. 

Shadow couldn’t tell how long he wandered, his mind unable to shake the feeling of being watched. By what, he couldn’t tell, but if it was anything like that creature, he didn’t want to meet it. Was this what it felt like to be prey, to be on constant guard as every shadow or curtain of moss could be hiding a predator that wanted your blood? Feeling his courage slipping, the young alicorn’s heart leapt at the sight of light shining between some trees ahead of him. Keeping his pace steady, the young pony moved toward the light, part of him wanting to run for it while his mind refused, not wanting to trigger another attack. 

Blinking as his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, Shadow felt his jaw hit the ground as he tried to comprehend what he saw. On the other side of a well maintained fence, he could see row after row of trees loaded with fruit. The rows seemed to go on forever as every hill on the other side of the fence was covered with trees that glistened green and red in the late afternoon light. Before he could stop himself, Shadow reached out with his magic, plucking a piece of fruit from the nearest tree. Unwilling to believe his eyes he bit into the apple, his mind going blank as he reveled in the crispness of the fruit. Eyeing the fruit, he could barely believe how big it was. It was easily the largest, shiniest apple he had ever seen. Tossing the core into the tree line behind him, Shadow reached out for another. Hearing a noise nearby, the young pony leaped back into the trees, his horn ready to cast a shield. 

From behind some brush, the colt watched as a stallion nearly as large as Brick Wall ambled out from among the trees. The bright red stallion slowly wandered among the trees, occasionally taping the trunk of a tree with his leg before nodding in approval and moving on. Shadow had no doubt that whoever this pony was; he didn’t want to be seen by him. His desire was reinforced with a glance at the stallion’s green apple cutie mark. Could he be related to Honeycrisp and her family? Before his mind could run away with the stray thought, Shadow’s head snapped as a distinctly female voice called out from a small road running among the trees. The stallion seemed to have heard the voice as well, as he turned from what he had been doing and disappeared among the trees. A minute later Shadow could see the stallion slowly wandering up the road toward a large house, a yellow and red filly sitting on his back. 

Breathing in relief as the stallion disappeared into the house, Shadow slowly crept out of the trees. Opening the empty saddlebag, Shadow focused on the nearest tree, a half dozen apples tearing themselves from the tree a second later before settling themselves inside the open bag. Grabbing another pair of apples, the young alicorn walked back into the forest. While he had no love for the forest, he couldn’t eat his stolen prizes out in the open. It took some time, but Shadow eventually found a small clearing among the trees. Digging a small pit, it only took the colt a few minutes to start a small fire. As much as he would have preferred to never see another fire in his life, Shadow knew that he had to light one. While this forest reminded him a lot of the one back home, the colt had no idea what called this place home, and if something tried to attack him, he’d need to be able to see while casting a shield. Besides, from what he had heard, wild animals were almost as leery about open flames as he was; which was the only other reason for the fire. Running a stick through an apple, the lone pony looked around as the fruit slowly roasted, his mind unable to shake how vulnerable he was. He didn’t know what lived among the trees, other than that cat-like monster and timberwolves, if those tracks he saw were correct, but he was sure he didn’t want to find out. 

As the trees around him disappeared in the encroaching darkness, Shadow ignited his horn, a shield glowing to life around him. Even with the modification that would power it while he slept, as he watched the flames of his fire dance while wishing he could write this shield spell down, Shadow knew that it was going to be a long, sleepless night, even if he didn’t have his sister’s screams to accompany him. 



  

Daring Do flapped her wings, despite the chains tethering her to the wall. If she could keep the cold iron from biting into her legs, maybe she could think of a way to escape. The guards around her didn't exactly strike her as being the brightest. Maybe if she- 

Luna gave an involuntary start as the doors to the throne room opened. Just when it was getting good. Sighing, the lunar princess looked up from her book to see a young mare being escorted before her. Marking her place in the book, the princess turned to the prostrate mare "Arise Miss..." 

"Silver Streak, Princess." 

"What brings you before us this evening?"  

At this, the mare opened one of her saddle bags, letting one of her escorts remove the dispatch and deliver it to the princess. "I was asked to deliver this straight to the throne, your majesty." 

Luna skimmed the letter, and then read it again much slower as certain words caught her attention. "When did this happen?" 

"Two nights ago, ma'am. The delay was due to the search for one of the ponies involved. We didn't find anything." 

"And the island?" 

"Nothing but scorched rock and ash, Princess." 

Princess Luna felt her stomach slowly sink as the mare's words and the dispatch's account began to sink in. She had to see the island for herself. If what she suspected was true, then the magical signature that would prove it wouldn't last much past sunrise, if it still existed. If what she suspected was true… fuck.