Inside a cave, just outside of Baltimare, a dark blue Earth Pony opened his eyes. He slowly stretched and got ready for his day. He looked out at the rising sun and reminded himself of the pledge he had taken to change Equestria. He had to fight to forced the picture of his murdered father out of his mind.
He then looked to the west, toward Appleloosa. He remembered a conversation that he had with his best friend. Former best friend, he recalled. It really did make him sad that he wouldn't be able to see Silver anymore, but he couldn't let his emotions get in the way of a better world. All of a sudden, his stomach growled, and the stallion went out to find some breakfast.
Shadow Blade had been living this way for several years now. He made sure to exercise his physical and mental strength every day. He also built up his magical abilities. He had previously found that by concentrating extremely hard, he could perform simple acts of magic. Since then, he has built up his endurance so that he can levitate one thing for several minutes or several things for a shorter amount of time. He settled into a routine that he never broke for anything.
Shadow thought of what to do next. He knew that he needed supporters to make a stand, but a violent protest is something that he wanted to avoid. He knew that his first plan of action would be to travel to Canterlot. The Princess was kind and caring, Shadow thought. She would be sure to listen to his concern and make some changes. He started planning the long journey.
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Shadow Blade spent the last bit he had on the train to Canterlot. He made sure to keep a low profile, because he didn't know if they were still looking for him after running away from home so long ago. He couldn't take any chances on anything, there weren't that many people left that he could trust. When he finally got to Canterlot, he was amazed at the business of the city. Everywhere he looked, it seemed like there were important ponies going someplace in a hurry. He couldn't keep up with all of the hustle and bustle. He made his way to the castle, being careful not to bump in any pony.
Shadow's mouth dropped open as he walked up to the enormous castle before him. He had never seen another structure as magnificent as this one. His attention turned to the front door and the guards standing to either side. He gulped as he walked up to the door.
Two spears crossed in front of him. "Halt!" the guards shouted in unison. "State your name and business with the Princess!"
Shadow Blade swallowed again. "Um, my name is Shadow, and I need to talk to the Princess about an important matter."
The guard's face was unchanging. "Step away from the door, please."
Shadow froze. "No wait, you don't understand, this is really important!" he begged.
The second guard spoke. "No pony sees Her Majesty unless they have an appointment! Now be gone, young colt!"
Shadow quickly sensed that there was no way to convince these two. He turned and walked away with a heavy heart. But soon the sadness turned to rage.
"Just my luck," he mumbled to himself as he got back on the train. "The Princess is too busy to see me. Who needs her anyways? She'd just call me crazy anyways. No, no one can understand me unless they've been through what I have. I just have to prepare until I meet these people. Then they'll help me...."