//------------------------------//
// Nightmares, Reconciliation 
// Story: Dear Maria, 
// by CalmHeart 
//------------------------------//

Dear Maria,

Sugarcube Corner's catering business is really taking off! Now with the Cakes living in a separate house, there's so much more room to bake and plan! I still see the twins when they need babysitting, and I'm planning a big luncheon for the School Of Friendship! (Since Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns does the same) But something's been bothering me..

Shady got back from a month long assignment, but he's been silent. He's been ignoring me. I'm worried for him. What happened? It.. is it something about me...?
Silly me, that's nonsense, he wouldn't hide feelings like that, we're married now. Would he?

A-anyways, chat with you later Maria!

From Pinkie Pie!



As Pinkie rolled out a large piece of pastry dough for a doughnut recipe she was trying out for the luncheon, she watched her husband pace upstairs. He had been repeating this routine for about 20 minutes; walking downstairs, through the front of the shop, sometimes stealing a glance at her, then going up the stairs again, only to be seen a few minutes after.

She was worried. Shadow had not said a word since coming back home 3 days ago, and Pinkie was starting to suspect something was wrong. Actually, scratch that, she KNEW when things were wrong with him. Only, this time, when she tried to confront him about it, he ignored her.

Pinkie sighed, looking back down at the dough.

The only thing she knew about his mission was that it had to do with the G.U.N infiltration two months back. She had also heard from Amy something about Equestria's portal almost being compromised in their world? That worried her even more.

As she began to cut out doughnuts, Shadow came back down the stairs. He stared at Pinkie for a minute. Pinkie stayed silent, stealing a quick glance at him.

Then Shadow did something different. He began walking to the kitchen.

Pinkie noticed, but intently focused on her work. When he walked into the kitchen, Pinkie put on a warm smile. She collected the extra dough and rolled it into a ball. Shadow stopped next to her, glancing at the doughnuts and doughnut holes she had made. She set it aside and looked at Shadow.
"Hi Shady!"

Shadow looked at her. He stayed silent for a minute, before his expression changed ever so subtly, to one of guilt.
He put a hand on her right cheek, and kissed her left cheek tenderly.

Pinkie blinked, smiling sweetly. Shadow looked away from her, and turned from her. He began to walk back to the swinging doors. Pinkie giggled lightly, still staring at him. "What was that for?"

Suddenly he froze. He turned his head slightly to look at her. His expression wore many emotions. He spoke quietly.
"I love you."

Pinkie felt how sincere his tone was."I love you too."

After she had said that, Shadow was once more climbing up the stairs.

When he was gone, Pinkie Pie sighed. She looked back to her ball of dough and rolled it out. There was something wrong with Shadow, and Pinkie wasn't going to take any more of it. For the past few nights she had also noticed him having night terrors. Nothing loud or bombastic, but quiet whimpers and avoiding her touch. Like he was afraid. As Pinkie cut out more doughnuts she made up her mind.

'I need to talk to him. whether he likes it or not.'



It was exceptionally hard to get under Shadow's skin, but when someone manages to, it left room for doubt. And he hated that. He was able to brush Mephiles and Infinite off, but this felt.. different. He wasn't the one in the conversation. Instead, it was the one he loved most...



It was nightfall as Pinkie trotted up the stairs, not too quickly but with some anxiousness. When she arrived to their room, Shadow was already laying down, back turned against her. She let herself briefly sigh, double checking all the lights were off. Pinkie then walked over to their bed, and for a minute she stood there, staring at Shadow.

He seemed to be sleeping already. Pinkie was disappointed. She never got to talk to him. She hadn't figured out what was bothering him. Why this period of avoidance had happened so abruptly after he returned from his mission. Pinkie had a light realization that his mission might not have gone to plan. But if that was the case, why wasn't he still on assignment? She figured that the situation had been resolved, because he didn't come home broody, but still..

She slid into bed next to him. He didn't move. Pinkie frowned, and turned the other way. It was starting to seriously upset her that he wasn't speaking out.

'Come on Shadow... Why won't you talk to me?...'



Metropolis. Noon. Or maybe midday. Or sunrise. He wasn't sure. The sky was a mix of colors, unable to be made out clearly.

He was on the outskirts of the city, in a green field. Maybe it was green.

He was looking all around when he saw Tails' portal to Equestria. It seemed to be running normally. He slowly walked up to the portal to pass a hand through it. But, as he touched the machine, it dissolved into sand slowly, panicking the ultimate lifeform. He gasped, hearing a familiar alien voice in the air.

"Shadow, it's you..."

He turned around, seeing a raccoon-like Mobian standing in front of the background of a burning Metropolis.

"You shouldn't have grounded roots there, in that perfect world."

When Shadow blinked, the Mobian was gone, a pool of white liquid in his place.

But instead of standing in the field, he was now standing on debris in the city, chaos around him. People running, screaming, buildings collapsing. Shadow gasped again, and tried to move. He found he couldn't. He looked down to see his feet and hands chained to the ground. He blinked again, and blood was spluttered on his gloved hands. His eyes began to widen. He heard Sonic's voice.

"IT'S ALL ON YOU..."

He blinked once more, and found himself in his super form, now in Ponyville. Things were on fire, maybe.

"It's ripe for the taking.."

He heard screaming. When he tried to close his eyes, his head started hurting. His eyelids fluttered open, and he was holding Pinkie by the neck. Someone was controlling him.

"IT'S YOUR FAULT! I SHOULDN'T HAVE-!"

He looked away from the situation, trying to push the horror away. When he looked back, he was on the ground, in his normal form, Pinkie a few feet away. She was injured heavily, and was laying in a pool of white liquid.

Shadow was horrified.

"PINKIE!"

He tried to run up to her, but was stopped by an invisible wall. He grumbled loudly, banging on whatever was separating him from her.

Pinkie tried to scoot away, tears in her eyes. "Please... s-stay a-away..."

She was gushing this white liquid, it was getting harder and harder to breathe for her.

His irises became small as he realized what was happening.

The same raccoon Mobian was here, holding a gun to Pinkie's head.

"I would have killed you first, but it seems he's done it for me." The strange Mobian chuckled, slowly walking away from the scene.

"I'll just continue my conquest forwards..."

Shadow was forced to watch her slowly slipping away to death. His voice was shrill at first.
"NO!"

His knees buckled as he fell to the floor.
"No!"

His voice became weaker.

"No..."

He hadn't heard one, but he felt a bullet go through his chest.
"Can't leave that stone unturned."
Shadow felt his vision slip.

"no..."

Before he felt a final breath..



"AH!"

He jolted up from bed with a start, terrified. He was breathing heavily, sweating, and felt his eyes water.

"Shady?"

He turned his head to see Pinkie sitting up, looking at him with those concerned sky blue eyes.
Almost immediately Shadow hugged her tightly, and began to cry. Pinkie hugged him back, surprised and worried.

"Shadow..."

He wept for a minute as Pinkie Pie calmed his nerves, rubbing his back, and whispering to him. "It's okay.. I'm here..."

His cries slowed, and Pinkie pulled herself back to look at him. "Please, talk to me."

He looked down at the bed, feeling guilty.
"I'm sorry..."

She lifted his chin with her hoof so he could look at her. "What happened with your mission to give you these nightmares?"

He sighed, and held her hoof. She was correct with the inference. For a moment he was silent, until finally speaking.
"There were documents stolen from the top secret G.U.N. headquarters a few weeks back. Only, they weren't G.U.N. files, they were my personal files. The ones that concerned me the most were Tails' notes about Equestria, and the blueprint for the portal he created to get here."

"Why did you have them?" Pinkie asked quietly.

Shadow elaborated. "Tails asked me to keep them close. He was concerned about someone stealing them, and finding out about your world."

He closed his eyes for a second, before opening them back up to continue.
"About a week or so later, Tails' home was broken into. They were looking for his portal. Fortunately Tails' managed to spook them out before they could. I told Tails what had happened to our files, and we figured out who was behind it. A raccoon Mobian, one that particularly had a disliking to me."

Pinkie put her other hoof on top of his hand. "Did you catch him?"

"We assumed he would be back, to find the portal and... presumably destroy it. So we waited. And finally, the day came when he found it out."
Shadow paused, taking note of how patient she was.
"We fought him hard, and he put up a good fight. All the while saying things to me, like how I wasn't worthy of living in such a place as Equestria. That I shouldn't have planted roots there. That it was only a matter of time before someone would destroy my home away from home."

He sighed, looking down to her hooves. "When he finally caught him, he kept saying these things. How he was going to take it all over. That I didn't deserve to be happy."

His ears drooped, and he frowned. "But the thing that hurt the most... He said.. that I'd destroy your world. That you were a detriment to me.. that before he could have k-killed you, I-i would have done his work for him. I'm ashamed to say..it spooked me."

Shadow refused to let himself cry this time, Pinkie gazing at him sympathetically. "I got scared. And normally something like this would just roll off of me, but the way he said it, with such fire and disgust towards me.. When he even entertained the possibility of him hurting you... of... me hurting you..."

A single tear fell from his eyes. "It hit a little too close to home.."

Pinkie embraced him warmly. "Oh Shady, I know you'll never let someone do something like that. You'll never do something like that."

Shadow hugged her back, resting his chin on her neck. He continued relenting. "I know. And I feel guilty. Guilty for crumbling so easily to his words.. I shouldn't be like that.."

Pinkie chuckled lightly. "That's why you have me. Some days it's dark, and certain things will bring you down. But remember,"

"We're in this together." Shadow finished, moving his head to look at her.

Pinkie smiled. "See? You know that."

She rubbed his arm gently, slowly leaning in. "You've always known that." She gave him a long, reassuring kiss and he returned it, thankful.

The two laid back down, Shadow holding her in his arms. He whispered to her.
"Sorry for ignoring you."

Pinkie understood. "It's- okay. You take the time and space you need Shadow, a job like yours isn't anything to scoff at."

He smirked, and the two fell into slumber, relieved.

Another night, another deep conversation.