//------------------------------// // 8: Escape from Manehattan // Story: Live by the Creed // by FoughtDragon01 //------------------------------// Hours have passed since Shadow brought the Solar family back to the inn. It took a while, especially since they were a bit apprehensive about sleeping on a rug, but the four ponies eventually fell asleep, leaving Shadow to stay on guard. She probably should've gotten some extra sleep as well, but thought better against it. Things were far too fragile at this point for her to lose focus over something like sleep. She needed to stay aware at all times. If that meant losing some sleep, then that was how it was going to be. Sitting near the door gave her an ideal view of the room. The window opposite of her was closed and locked. There were no other entrances into the room; anypony trying to get inside without her knowing wouldn't make it very far. Her position also kept the family within her sights. The king and queen slept soundly enough, though Celestia and Luna were visibly disturbed in their slumber. They constantly shifted and kicked in their sleep, all while muttering to themselves. Things must've finally started to sink in for them, though Shadow couldn't help but wonder what they were dreaming about. Her attention switched over to Neptune. He was laying right in front of his squirming daughters, but remained as still as a statue. Shadow had never been a mother herself, not even a sister, but she still wondered when he was going to do anything to calm his daughters. It took far longer than it should've, but Neptune finally started to move. Shadow felt a small smile form on her face when she saw him reach his forelegs out. That smile quickly went away when the king turned his back on his daughters, leaving them in whatever fearful dreams they were having. Not even their mother did anything to comfort them. Royalty in all of its pristine glamour. Shadow knew better than to leave her post, but she couldn't just stand there and watch. Against her better judgement, she left her place near the door and approached the princesses. Picking up a nearby blanket, she draped it over the two fillies. The added warmth and comfort seemed to work. As soon the blanket touched their fur, their restless fidgeting finally ceased. They finally seemed to be at peace. Hopefully, it'd help them get more sleep. They would need to get moving in only a few hours. With the fillies calm, Shadow returned to her spot near the door. Despite that, she still couldn't take her eyes off of them. Maybe it was the blanket, or the way that they slept, but something about the pair reminded her of herself at their age, back when her own parents would comfort her whenever she had the occasional night terror. A warm smile appeared on Shadow's face as her mind drifted off to her parents. It felt like only yesterday when she woke up to their smiling faces or to the smell of freshly cooked oats in some kind of sweet sauce. Whenever she was down, they'd pick her back up. If she was already up, they'd only make her day even better. They were always there to protect her; the very least that Shadow could've done was return that care and protection in equal measure. Her smile quickly turned into a frown. She should've been able to do that, but couldn't. And she'd never get the chance to do it again. Maybe taking a nap wasn't such a bad idea. The lack of sleep was making Shadow depressed again. ---- Once the five ponies woke from their sleep, Neptune and his family dressed into the clothes Shadow provided. They still had that Canterlot flair to them, but were still much more discreet than their royal attire. Afterwards, they armed themselves with the daggers. Neptune and Saturn seemed comfortable enough with them, but Celestia and Luna appeared apprehensive as they picked theirs up. "Do you two know how to use those?" Shadow asked. Celestia sheathed her dagger. "We've sparred with the guards using wooden ones, but nothing more than that." "Yes, we’ve never had to kill another pony before." Just the mere thought of ending a life made Luna sick to her stomach. “Do not worry, I will take care of whatever dangers we face. You need only to defend yourselves. That goes for all of you." Despite Shadow's reassurance, the fillies were still nervous, and understandably so. They had already seen enough death to scar them for life; Shadow didn't want anything like that to happen again, especially if it could be avoided. Once she made sure that her own equipment was in check, she faced the family. "Are you all ready?" The four nodded. "Good. Now, those clothes will help keep attention away from us, though your faces are still recognizable, so avoid getting too close to anypony, guard and citizen alike. Just stay close to me, and we'll all be out of the city soon enough. Understand?" Again, they nodded. Despite the plan, something still had Neptune worried. "Erm, Shadow? I don't mean to be difficult, but how are we supposed to get this out of the city?" He held up his very shiny golden staff. Even in the dimly lit room, it shone like the sun. That thing would give away their position in less than a minute of leaving the inn. Shadow considered just leaving it behind, but knew she'd never convince the king. She needed to improvise. As her eyes rested on the bed, an idea hit her. "Yes, that will work." She pointed towards the bed. "Wrap it in that blanket. It will make it far less conspicuous." The king complied and tightly wrapped the staff in the bed's blanket before placing it on his back. Not a single inch of it could be seen afterwards, though some of its glow still seeped through. Despite that, it was bound to make things far easier. Shadow nodded in approval. "Good. Now is everyone ready?" The four ponies nodded again. With them in tow, Shadow led them out of the inn and into the city. ---- Using the cover of night, the five ponies slowly made their way through Canterlot. Thankfully, the streets were relatively empty, though they did have to cut through alleys in order to avoid guards or the occasional citizen. None of them dared to speak. The night was dead quiet, and the slightest peep would surely give away their position. After about fifteen minutes of walking, the ponies found themselves in an alley right in front of the city gates. Shadow signaled the family to stay behind while she scouted ahead. She poked her head around the corner. As expected, she saw the gate in clear view, as well as the group of guards blocking it. "Damn." Shadow immediately ducked back into the alley when she saw one of the guards look her way. She really needed to control her temper. "What is it?" Neptune asked. He already knew from Shadow's frustrated expression that something was wrong. "There is something of a complication. A small battalion of guards is blocking our only way out of the city." Neptune recoiled in confusion. "What? I don't recall ever placing that many guards at the gate." "They witnessed me kill Buckeye. They must have increased the security to ensure that I do not leave the city.” "And they did this of their own initiative? Huh. I had my doubts they were smart enough for such a thing." "Underestimating your enemy will surely get you killed. That is something to keep in mind, Your Highness." Neptune didn't seem to take kindly to that bit of advice. His stern glare prompted Shadow to refocus on the task at hand. She looked back towards the guards. "We need to find a way past those guards.” Celestia walked up to the black mare. "Can you not fight them?" She shook her head at the suggestion. Admittedly, it was the first thing that Shadow considered the moment she saw them, but thought against it. It wasn't the most tactical way of dealing with the situation. "No, that would draw too much attention. We need something else. A distraction, maybe." Luna suddenly perked up as an idea came to her. "What if we start a fire?" All eyes immediately focused on the young pegasus. While her parents were completely shocked, Shadow raised a single, intrigued eyebrow. "That was the first thing that came to mind?" The sudden attention made Luna shrink a bit, but she still nodded, eager to help. "Yes. Celestia and I would do it whenever we wanted to sneak out of the castle.” She must've forgotten that her parents were literally right next to her because as soon as she met their stinging gaze, she immediately gave them a sheepish smile. "It was never a big one." Neptune shot Celestia a glare as well. "We will discuss this later. As for this 'plan', I am not letting my daughters anywhere near—" "A fire would make for a good distraction." Shadow interrupted, earning another glare from the parents. "My apologies, but these are desperate times, and this seems to be the best approach at the moment." Neptune's intense glare didn't let up. "Rest assured, I will not have them do something like this again." She held up her front right hoof. "I promise." Neptune was still clearly reluctant, but, given the circumstances, needed to make an exception. He simply waved a hoof, signaling Shadow to continue with Luna's plan. Shadow gave him a small bow. "Thank you." She turned her attention towards the two sisters. "Now, how do you usually start this fire?" "If I can find a pile of wood or tinder, I can light it with my magic," Celestia answered. Neptune looked at his daughter in shock. "When did you learn to do that?" Celestia simply shrugged. "I practiced in my free time?" Shadow chuckled at her answer. "You have certainly raised interesting children, Your Highness." Neptune just let out a tired sigh. "We try." Shadow got right back to business. "Celestia, I know not what you are used to, but I need you to start a big fire." The unicorn's eyes lit up like the world's largest bonfire. "Really big?" "Really big. Something that the guards will no doubt see." Luna peered up into the sky. "Like that one?" she asked, pointing up at something When Shadow looked up, she couldn't believe what she saw. "What in Equestria..." A large plume of smoke rose from behind the building right across from them. Someone had already started a fire, but who? Shadow immediately got her answer when a pink pegasus ran up to the guards. "Help! Help! Assassins! They've started a fire!" Despite her urgent tone, her voice barely reached above a whisper. Regardless, she still got the guards' attention, as they ran towards the source of the fire. That was Shadow realized something. That pony looked far too familiar. Pink pegasus, yellow mane, butterflies for a cutie mark? It couldn't be. The pegasus looked towards the five ponies. "Hurry! We don't have much time." Shadow was still stunned by what was happening, but couldn't ignore the fact that this was her chance to leave the city. "This wasn't what I had in mind, but it will have to do. Come on." Shadow and the family quickly followed the pegasus out of the city. As soon as they were outside the gates, they broke into a gallop, finally leaving Canterlot behind them. ---- Once they were a safe distance away from the city, the six ponies slowed to a walk. From the looks of it, no guards had followed them. They were safe for the time being. As they continued down the road, Shadow couldn't help but keep her eyes on the pink pegasus. Why did she save them? Was she leading them into another ambush like last time? She knew that she should've been grateful for the help, but her instincts told her to remain suspicious. Nopony else shared the mare's suspicions, though. In fact, they looked at the pegasus with appreciative smiles. "I doubt that we can thank you enough for what you did, young lady. That was a fine display of cunning." The pegasus blushed at Neptune's compliment. "It was the least I could do. I just wanted to help." "And help you did. Shadow, is this a friend of yours?" "'Friend' is a subjective term." She focused her attention back on the pegasus. "If I recall correctly, we were not on friendly terms when we first met, so why help now?" The pegasus acted as though she was caught off guard by the question. "Oh, well, um, I thought that I owed you for sparing my life. You showed mercy." Shadow just snorted. "It was more out of pity ." "Well, mercy is still mercy, right?" Shadow just shrugged. "If you insist, then fine." Neptune couldn't help but be intrigued by the little back-and-forth the two were having. "Is there something you want to tell us, Shadow? You know this young mare?" "We had a... minor confrontation in the past." She glanced back at the pegasus, who gave her a sheepish smile in return. "But I suppose we have put it behind us." Neptune nodded. "As you should. We do not need tension amongst our group. Besides, this pegasus friend of yours seems trustworthy enough." "Oh, please. Call me Butterfly. It is a pleasure to meet all of you." Butterfly and the family went through the usual introductions. Celestia and Luna definitely took a liking to her, most likely due to her impressive display of pyromania. Neptune even introduced Shadow, who still kept suspicious eyes on the pink pegasus. "What were you doing in Canterlot to begin with? You did not follow me, did you?" Again, it was another question that Butterfly didn't expect. She quickly shook her head. "No, no. Not at all. I was sent to retrieve some things for Madame Resona." "Madame Resona?" "Yes. She is my boss." Shadow's suspicions were only rising further. Butterfly was being rather vague with her answers. "What exactly is it that you do?" "Oh, I am simply a courier. Madame Resona sends me to deliver and retrieve packages for her." Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Really? Just a courier?" Butterfly just shrugged. "It may not be the most exciting job, but I am happy with it." Shadow just slowly nodded, fighting the urge to interrogate the pegasus right then and there. "I suppose you have a point." She gave Shadow a warm smile. "It is nice that you agree." She looked off into the night sky. "Well, I suppose that I should take my leave. I doubt the Madame would appreciate me making her wait." "Of course. Do not let us keep you." Saturn modestly stated. After a small bow, Butterfly took to the sky. She certainly wasn't the fastest pegasus Shadow had ever seen, but she was still faster than they were on the ground. Despite the kind words and actions, Shadow still couldn't get rid of her suspicions. As innocent as Butterfly appeared, she was still deceptive to an extent. She already proved that by luring the guards to a fire that she started, and Shadow was almost certain that she was hiding something. If she was capable, what else could she do? She was broken away from her thoughts when she felt a light prod on her side. Looking down, she saw Luna looking back up at her. "Shadow, are you okay?” Shadow hadn't realized that she'd been standing there for nearly a minute. "Yes. I am fine.” She really needed to keep her head together. At least with Butterfly gone, she could focus on getting the family back to safety. "Come. We still have a ways to travel before we reach our destination." Shadow promptly led the four ponies further down the moonlit road. ---- The journey was far longer than Shadow had anticipated. While she could've made the distance in one, long walk, Neptune and his family needed to take a break every few hours or so. They enjoyed some flowers in the fields to fill up their stomachs, though bringing snacks may have been a good idea. It all only reminded Shadow just how much distance there was between the Everfree and Canterlot. Though it may not have been as simple as she had expected, Shadow finally managed to bring them to the edge of the Everfree. Its countless trees surrounded the only path into the forest like eternal sentries. Dark, gnarled branches and vines littered the area inside. Even more, the group could hear the faint growls and scurrying of the various creatures inside. While Shadow had long since grown immune to the forest's daunting appearance, the four ponies behind her, especially the fillies, were trembling like leaves. "Th-the Everfree Forest? We have to do in there?" Saturn questioned, fearing the answer. She’d have rather gone in the opposite direction, preferably at a gallop. Much to their dismay, Shadow nodded. "Is something wrong? Have you never been here before?" "What? Of course not!" Neptune shouted. He quickly put a hoof in his mouth when a chorus of growls met his shout. "What pony would be insane enough to go in there?" he asked, lowering his voice to a whisper. When Shadow shot him a small smirk, he sighed in submission. "Of course. Please tell me you at least know where you're going." "Of course I do. Stay close to me, and you will not come across any of the Everfree's more...erratic fauna." Even though the king and queen seemed a bit more willing to enter, the two children were still petrified of the mere thought. "Are you two alright?" Celestia backed away from the forest entrance. "I-I would rather we not go in there." Luna followed her sister's lead. "I have to agree. I heard that this place is full of scary monsters that snatch you away." Shadow simply shook her head. Children and their fairy tales; they'd be the death of her. She crouched down until she was looking directly into their fearful eyes. This called for some careful handling. "How is this for an alternative?" she offered, speaking in the most motherly tone she could find. "You can ride on your parents' backs and keep your eyes closed for the entire walk. Surely they can protect you from anything, right?" The two fillies stared up at their parents, who looked back down with reassuring smiles. That alone seemed to dispel whatever fear that they felt. Luna flew up onto Saturn's back while Neptune used his magic to place Celestia on his. They practically melted into their parents as they latched onto their necks and shut their eyes tight. With the four back under control, Shadow faced the forest's entrance. "Are your eyes shut, girls?" A quick nod from the fillies was all she needed before leading the family into the forest. ---- Just like Shadow promised, the walk through the forest was thankfully uneventful. Though the various growls and other ambient noises kept the family on edge, they weren't attacked by anything. In fact, the one thing that really kept them worried was the forest itself. As they went deeper inside, it became increasingly difficult for them to see. Even if it were day, it'd be very difficult to see even a few feet ahead, but the night made it nigh impossible to see anything. It was so dark that Neptune had to cast an illumination spell. The spell casted a bright pocket of blue light around the group, allowing them to see far more easily, though it did little to soften the forest's threatening feel. Even with the spell, they were still surrounded by an almost suffocating darkness. If it weren't for the crunching of leaves beneath their hooves or the ambient sounds of the forest, it would've felt like walking through an empty, pitch-black void. "Shadow, how can you come through here by yourself?" Neptune asked. “It is virtually impossible to see in here." "Years of memorization, Your Highness. I know this forest like the back of my hoof." Even though they weren't even in their royal attire, Neptune and Saturn acted as though they were trudging through sewage. "Then perhaps you can use that memorization of yours to take us through a less disgusting path," Saturn said, shaking some mud off of her hooves. "I feel as though I may contract something just from standing here." Shadow just rolled her eyes at the queen's prissy attitude. "This is the least disgusting path. Please, just bear with me. We are almost at the palace." Saturn immediately perked up at the mention of a palace. "Palace, you say? In the middle of the Everfree?" "Yes. We wanted its location to remain unknown. What better place to put it than in the Everfree?" "Well, it is certainly effective at keeping intruders away," Neptune noted. Another loud growl made him flinch. He couldn't take much more of this. Much to their relief, the five ponies finally came out of the dense group of trees and into a moonlit clearing. Standing tall in the middle of that clearing was the palace; Shadow's home. Despite its impressive size and architecture, Neptune and Saturn didn't seem that taken aback. "This is the palace?" Saturn asked, a pang of disappointment in her voice. "Yes, this is the palace," Shadow answered, trying hard to hide the irritation slowly building up inside. By this point, she began to wonder if the queen's specialty was whining. That certainly seemed to be the case. Taking her mind off of that, she looked back at the two fillies resting on their parents' backs. "You can open your eyes now, girls." Celestia and Luna, who have been quiet for the entire walk, slowly opened their eyes, hoping to see something other than the dark, scary forest. Needless to say, they received their wish. Their eyes shot open as they gazed upon the stone structure. All they could muster up was a collective "Wow." At least they were a bit more appreciative than their parents. Shadow beckoned the group to follow her. "Let us continue. Grey Mane is waiting inside." "Who?" "My master. He is the one who assigned me to protect you. He will no doubt be thrilled to see that you all are safe." Neptune shared a nervous glance with his wife. "If you insist. Lead on, then." Shadow nodded and led the four ponies into the palace. It was a long and difficult endeavor, but she had finally gotten them to safety. ---- Celestia and Luna, in all of their glee, darted into the palace as they played an impromptu game of tag. Their parents, along with Shadow, followed in after them. It was nice to see that their spirits, even in times of danger, weren't dimmed. Before Shadow could even approach the stairs leading up to Grey Mane's study, the master came down to them. All of them, even Shadow, froze in their tracks as the black-hooded unicorn approached them. "I am pleased to see you all well," he said with a soft smile, one that Shadow rarely saw. He bowed to the king and his family. "It is an honor to make your acquaintance, King Neptune." Neptune bowed as well. "The pleasure's mine. And I can assure you, we would not be standing here right now without the aid of your young student." He glanced back at Shadow, but the mare remained silent. Grey Mane stared at her with a blank expression. Several years after he took her under his wing, and Shadow still couldn't stand that expression. It showed no signs of approval, disappointment, or any emotion. It made his face impossible to read, and it annoyed her to end. She nearly let out a sigh of relief when Grey Mane gave her an approving smile. "Excellent work, Shadow Streak. I am impressed." Shadow perked up at the compliment. Had she heard him right? She impressed him? Earning such praise from Grey Mane was just as rare as seeing him smile. It was something that Shadow simply wasn't used to hearing, let alone receiving. "Please, do not look so surprised," he said as he approached his student. "You have managed to do what many of your Brothers and Sisters could not. You managed to ensure the safety of the entire Solar family, and none of them have so much as a scratch." Technically, the king had two, but Shadow decided against bringing up that little fact. "Now, what of Buckeye?" Shadow had anticipated that particular question. She reached into her robes and took out the blood-stained feather. Upon seeing it, Grey Mane took it with his magic. He needed no words after that, and simply placed the feather inside his own robes. "Excellent. That only leaves the rest of his conspirators." Despite the supposed good news, Grey Mane noticed a hint of unease on Shadow's face. "Is something wrong, Shadow?" The mare nodded. "Yes. I believe that this entire conspiracy may go deeper than we originally thought." Her master frowned in confusion. "What makes you say this?" Shadow glanced over to Neptune. Specifically, the blanket-wrapped staff on his back. "Your Highness, may I see your staff for a moment?" "What for?" Neptune asked, tilting his head. "Please. It is important." After a moment's consideration, Neptune yielded. In a blue light, the staff lifted from his back and lowered to the floor. He unfurled the blanket, revealing the golden staff, shining in the torchlight. Shadow pointed at the staff without actually looking at it this time. "Buckeye seemed very interested in this staff. He mentioned things about it that I feel warrant further investigation." Upon seeing it, Grey Mane immediately took interest. Not because the staff was golden or elegant in design, but because it seemed strangely familiar to him. Disturbingly familiar. "Master?" Grey Mane tore his eyes away from the staff and looked up at Shadow. "Are you okay? You seem bothered." After glancing down at the staff again, Grey Mane slowly went back up the stairs. Shadow and the others only looked on as he entered his study. "Where is he going?" Saturn asked to no one in particular. "Back to his study," Shadow answered. "For what, I am unsure." She had never seen Grey Mane act in such a way before. What about the staff bothered him so much? It was true that it had some strange influence on her when she first laid eyes on it, but her master's willpower was far stronger than hers, and simply couldn't be affected as easily. It had to have been something else. Shadow was torn from her thoughts when Neptune prodded her side. "What does my staff have to do with any of this?" "I’ve yet to find out for myself. However, Buckeye seemed to show an interest in it. What exactly is the history of this staff?" Neptune scratched his chin as he came up with an answer. "Well, it is an ancient artifact that had been passed down from king to king for generations. It is a symbol of our power." "Do you know where it came from? Who forged it?" "I... do not know. The royal blacksmith, perhaps?" Shadow's expression went flat at the less-than-stellar answer. "What do you want me to say? My father never told me, and I assume his father never told him. It was knowledge that just seemed to fade away into obscurity." Shadow made sure to keep the king's words in mind. He didn't seem to be aware of whatever 'power' that the staff possessed, according to Buckeye. She could've just dismissed it all as the ramblings of a dead pony, but that'd be extremely foolish. No, there was more to this, she just needed to dig deeper in order to find it. "Shadow." She looked back towards the stairs to see Grey Mane descending them yet again. This time, he had a book floating next to him in a dull, grey light. It was mainly composed of white leather with a red spine, and was relatively well-kept compared to the usual dusty tomes in the palace. Grey Mane continued towards the group, stopping in front of his student. "I'd like to speak with you." He glanced over to the family. "In private." he added. Before Shadow could even nod in response, Grey Mane continued past her and towards the entrance. After sharing one more glance with the family, she followed her master out of the palace. ---- Grey Mane was certainly a strange pony. For as cold and unforgiving as he may have been for the most part, there were times when he was warm and praising. In fact, he was the closest thing to a father figure that Shadow had. When she had nothing left to look up to, he practically appeared out of nowhere and saved her from a life of continuous misery. He took her under his wing and took her back to the palace. That was when her training as an Assassin officially began. She could still remember every minute of every day that she spent going through the most grueling training that she could think of. Grey Mane was merciless, never allowing her to stop, always pushing her body and mind to new limits. Whether it was intensive combat training, or the deceptively simple act of meditation, her mind was always left fried, and her body weak. But despite all of that, Grey Mane never let up. Even if Shadow was mentally exhausted from meditation, even if she stood on shaky legs with a dagger clenched between her bleeding teeth, her master would always give one, simple order. Again. And Shadow would do it again. She would do it all again without question. Perhaps it was the rage of her parents' untimely fate that left her blind to reason, or maybe she was left so emotionally distraught that she clung on to the closest thing to a parent in her life, but something made her listen to Grey Mane no matter what he said, even if it had a chance of killing her. Her devotion was powerful, bordering on the obsessive. Looking back, that was probably what made her the mare she was now. "What is it you wish to talk about?" she asked as the pair reached the bottom of the stairs. "I fear you may be right. This may not be as simple as we had thought." He sat down at the bottom of the stairs, placing the book on the ground between Shadow and him. He opened the book, quickly flipping to a particular page. He pointed a hoof down at the paper. "Does that seem familiar to you?" Shadow looked down at the book and nearly let out a shocked gasp. The page that Grey mane pointed out held a picture of a staff. The very same staff that Neptune possessed. But it wasn't that fact alone that surprised Shadow. The book referred to it as the Staff of Equestria, and continued to describe the 'powers' that Buckeye spoke of. The staff was capable of bending the will of any and all living things. In fact, just looking at it put all but the most mentally fortified creatures into a hypnotic trance. "Unbelievable," Shadow muttered. "That is not all. There are others like this." Grey Mane showed Shadow three other pages, each showing a different object with another terrifying power. A sword that granted immense strength. A shroud that healed any wound or disease. A strange 'Apple' that possessed a range of functions. Shadow couldn't believe what she was seeing. Any one of these could make its user nigh indestructible, but if someone possessed all four... Shadow didn't even want to think about it. "Who in Equestria could make such items?" she asked, still staring in disbelief at the book before her. Grey Mane shook his head. "I do not know, sadly. What I do know is that we cannot let these objects fall into the wrong hooves. If Buckeye held interest in these items, then surely, his cohorts are as well." Shadow stood back up. "The Staff will be safe as long as it stays here, correct?" "Of course, but if these conspirators truly are after these artifacts, then we need to kill them before they get their hooves on any of them." He closed the book and stood back up as well. "Do you know where you can go next?" Shadow took a moment to remember if she had anything else to go on. Suddenly, something clicked. The secret meeting from the night before! That hooded pony mentioned that he'd be going to Hoofington, though Shadow didn't know for what. It wasn't much to go on, but it was still something. "I think I will pay a visit to Hoofington next." Grey Mane raised an eyebrow. "Hoofington? Are you sure?" Shadow nodded. After a moment's consideration, he nodded as well. "Very well. We should inform the others of this." Shadow couldn't agree more. The two traveled back up the palace's steps. The sooner they conveyed this news to the family, the better. ---- Before they even reached the palace entrance, the two ponies could tell that things have gone awry. From outside, they could hear Celestia and Luna laughing as they ran around the stone floor while their parents tried—and failed—to calm them down. While Grey Mane maintained a straight face, Shadow couldn't help but smile as she heard the commotion. Upon entering the palace, the two saw exactly what they had expected: small-scale pandemonium in the form of two fillies engaged in an impromptu game of tag. Even more interesting was the fact that the two sisters got their hooves on some filly-sized Assassin robes. They essentially looked exactly like Shadow's only smaller and lacking the red sash that signified the black mare's high rank. Their parents already gave up trying to catch the two and just laid on ground. As soon as they saw Shadow and Grey Mane right behind them, they immediately hopped back onto their hooves, practically drenched with nervous sweat. "We are truly, truly sorry," Saturn apologized. "We tried to get them to take off the robes, but our old bodies simply cannot keep up with them." Grey Mane just chuckled. "It is quite alright. Let them have their fun. It will help to keep their minds off of the current situation." The four adults simply watched as the sisters had their fun. Celestia was chasing Luna as the two darted all across the floor, even traveling up the stairs a few times. It seemed as if Celestia was going to catch her sister as she closed the gap between the two, but the tables were quickly turned when Luna took to the sky. Celestia looked daggers at her sister. "Hey, that's not fair!" she cried, stomping a hoof on the ground. Luna simply responded by teasingly sticking out her tongue. Whatever pride Luna felt quickly diminished when she felt her body become enveloped by a bright, yellow glow. Slowly, she floated down to Celestia against her will. Her sister was using her magic to cheat! "Hey, knock it off! That's cheating!" Her demands were completely ignored, and she was soon well within tagging distance of her sister. An innocent smile appeared on Celestia's face as she poked her sister. "You are it, dear sister." With that, she dropped the frustrated pegasus on the floor. Luna immediately got back up, and the game continued. Shadow just smiled at the sight. "Those two are certainly something." Grey Mane nodded in agreement. "Indeed. But we shouldn't deviate from the matter at hoof." "What matter?' Neptune asked. "I'll be headed to Hoofington to hunt the rest of Buckeye's allies. You all will stay here until it's safe again." Both she and Grey Mane felt it was best to avoid mentioning the items that they discussed outside. It would only raise more questions than answers. "Hoofington?" Saturn repeated. Suddenly, a shocked gasp escaped her muzzle. "Oh, no. Solaris!" Shadow tilted her head. "Solaris?" The distress on Saturn's face was clear as day. "My brother-in-law! Oh, how could I have forgotten about him?" Neptune seemed to remember something as well. "Of course. He said that he would be in Hoofington for a few days. Buckeye's men could be after him as well." "Then it seems I must leave immediately." Grey Mane looked at his confident student with concern. "Are you sure, Shadow? Do you have the energy for it?" "I have already taken a rest, Master. Worry not, I can make the journey. After all, we have no time to waste." Shadow looked back at the fillies, who were still engaged in their game. "Girls." The two brought their game to a stop as they looked at the mare. "I must leave now, and may be gone for a while. Both of you behave for your parents and Master Grey Mane, understood?" The two frowned. "You're leaving?" Celestia asked. "Are you going to kill more ponies?" Shadow was a bit taken aback by that last question. She leaned in towards Grey Mane. "Very blunt, these children." she whispered. "Indeed." Shadow went back to the two fillies. "Hopefully, it will not come to that. But enough of that. Will you behave?" They nodded. "Good." She faced the parents. "Don't worry. If Solaris is still in Hoofington, I'll bring him back here." "We truly cannot thank you enough for this," Saturn said. Neptune nodded in agreement. Grey Mane gave his student a small bow. "Good luck, Shadow Streak." Shadow returned his bow. "Thank you, Master." With that, Shadow left the palace to continue this ever-growing mission of hers. Now she had not one, not two, but three objectives to complete. Find and eliminate the rest of the conspirators, find and protect Solaris, and keep an eye out for any of those dangerous items. But out of all the things Shadow had to worry about, there was one that bothered her the most: her next location. It just had to be Hoofington, didn't it? She truly did not want to enter that city again, but her mission demanded it. She had no choice. She couldn't let her emotions get in the way of the mission, not again. Since that was the case, she was in for an interesting, bittersweet trip down memory lane. She just couldn't wait.