//------------------------------// // The Shadow // Story: Cold Days and Warm Hearts // by moguera //------------------------------// Chapter 14: The Shadow More snow shifted and fell away as the mare pulled herself out, taking a moment, she shook herself off, scattering the last few flakes from her form. She was clad in a mottled white, form-fitting suit that covered nearly her entire body, save for her wings, with openings on the head for her eyes and muzzle, allowing her to see and breathe. Though the suit was thin and light, it was also extremely well insulated, allowing her to lie in the snowbank for an extended period of time while waiting for her target. The mare stared impassively in the direction Dawn Lightwing and the two adult ponies that accompanied him had gone off in. Her breath escaped her in a small huff as she thought about how close she had come to being discovered. She understood quite well that Dawn's sudden bout of alertness had been because he had sensed her. As she had been led to believe, the colt was extremely well aware of his surroundings and never missed a cue that might suggest an enemy was nearby. It seems that the report that he uses the Gale King Style was not entirely a fabrication, she thought to herself. She had concealed herself completely in the snowbank so that only her eyes and muzzle were not covered by the snow. Thus, it must have been her breathing that had nearly given her away. Dawn had sensed the tiny amount of air moved by her breath and had been instantly alerted to her being there. Had she not stopped her own breathing the instant Dawn had sensed her, she would have been discovered. The rumors of how dangerous this colt is weren't exaggerations. Still, she was at least safe for the time being. The mare spread her wings and took to the sky, rising up above the lights of Ponyville. From below, she would be almost invisible, merely a gray shadow, moving against the backdrop of the clouds. Her flight took her past the outskirts of Ponyville and over the Whitetail Woods, all the way to the rocky cliffs that ultimately rose to become the mountains that would lead to Canterlot. There, the mare entered into a small cave on the cliff face, landing on the small ledge outside of it. From the ledge, it was a sheer drop down to the ground below, while the stone above rose nearly perfectly vertically upwards. These traits made it inaccessible to creatures that could not fly, which precluded its use by such things as hibernating bears, which made it perfect for the mare's purposes. The inside of the cave was surprisingly cozy, consisting of flat, smooth rock. What dust had accumulated had been swept away by the mare when she first took up residence. At the very back of the cave lay her bed, which had been woven from tree branches, with a heavy sleeping bag set atop them to protect her from the winter chill when she slept. Between the bed and the entrance was the fire pit. As soon as she was inside the cave, the mare went about setting up a fire to provide a little warmth and light for her to work by. She'd made sure to dry the wood that she found and was careful to never make the fire too large, lest its light give away her location. Still, it was enough to briefly warm the space enough for the mare to slip out of her garment, which she carefully folded before sliding it into the sleeping bag. The suit slid off to reveal a charcoal-gray coat that blended perfectly with her mane and tail. The fire illuminated her cutie mark, a swatch of cloth with a mottled gray and black camouflage pattern. She shivered slightly in the still-cold air as the fire slowly warmed the cave. A pair of saddlebags leaned up against the stone wall of the cave. The mare opened one of the bags and withdrew a notebook, along with a pen. Gripping the end of the pen in her mouth, she opened the notebook and laid it out on the floor of the cave, close enough for the firelight to illuminate it, but not close enough that the pages were at risk of catching. Day 12: Continued observation of the target. The target spent the late morning and early afternoon hours of the day at the teahouse. All known members of the target’s social circle, save Twilight Sparkle’s dragon assistant, spend similar hours in the teahouse. It would seem that they have a part-time job there, serving customers and possibly making the tea. While the hours of the target and his companions shift occasionally, there is a clear presence of routine, broken by the occasional day off. After leaving the teahouse, the target and Scootaloo adjourned to the Whitetail Woods, where they engaged in an unusual form of snowball fight that seemed to be halfway between play and training, possibly in the Gale King. The target’s behavior around Scootaloo shows continued signs of changing. Evidence would seem to suggest that the target is embarrassed and nervous in close proximity to Scootaloo. His behavior is suggestive of a colt in the much earlier stages of a relationship with a filly he likes. This is the most compelling evidence to date that the target does not have a full understanding of equine feelings and can only emulate them to the best of his ability. While Scootaloo did notice the change in his behavior, there is no evidence that she suspects the target is faking his attachment to her. I was not able to approach close enough to hear their conversation and can only conjecture what excuses the target used to hide the idiosyncrasies. After their conversation, the target and Scootaloo adjourned to the house identified as Scootaloo’s home. I was unable to get close enough to observe what happened inside the house at first. Later on, the ponies identified as Fluttershy (EoK), Rainbow Dash (EoL), along with the mare identified as Scootaloo’s mother (Melon Cream), as well as the stallion identified as Fluttershy’s coltfriend (Caramel), joined them in the house. After continued observation, I determined that it was safe to move closer in order to observe events in the house’s interior… The mare wrote on, carefully recounting her observations and noting any details that stood out. She also recounted the events of Dawn nearly detecting her on his way back with Fluttershy and Caramel. …Continued observation shows that the target shows that the target’s abilities fall within the scope of the Gale King Style. However, the target seems to show an unnatural aptitude for the style. I have observed evidence that he is capable of lightning-based techniques, the highest tier of Gale King techniques. Somepony as young as the target is reputed to be should not have such a high level of mastery, suggesting that the target is drawing upon knowledge and experience beyond his stated lifespan, further evidence that the spirit animating the target’s form is not equine in nature. The target shows a high degree of fidelity towards maintaining the illusion of drawing his power from the Gale King. Thus, the best way to counter the target would be twofold. First, the target must be drawn into a circumstance where the techniques of the Gale King would be restrained or inhibited. A closed environment would be best. Ponymade structures would not suffice as the Gale King could easily destroy them from within. A cave with especially thick walls or deep enough in the earth would limit his movement while forcing him to curtail the power of the Gale King to avoid bringing the cave down on himself. Second, a witness must be secured. If the target’s skills in the Gale King are properly restrained by the terrain, then a witness will fetter the target from drawing upon any genuinely supernatural abilities he may have at his disposal. Should the target break from his fidelity, the witness will confirm the target’s true nature. After that, the only true concern is ensuring that the target does not find some way to dispose of the witness, should his true nature be revealed. But first, I must locate a suitable location and then identify a pony to serve as an appropriate witness. The mare closed the book with a sigh. Twelve days days of observation and she was still disturbingly far from realizing her objective. Looking around, she thought that the cave she was currently occupying was a good choice. If she could use some stones to further close off the entrance, she could conceivably bottle the faux-colt up in here with no room to maneuver. Then, in close combat, victory would be hers…or so she hoped. The mare sighed as she flipped through the pages of her notebook, reviewing her past entries, which not only included written observations, but detailed drawings of the colt, carefully noting his features. One of the drawings was a closeup illustration of his eyes, though black and white couldn’t properly depict their captivating color. The mare stared at those eyes for a long time as the fire crackled in the background. I know that the official word is to leave things to the Cardinal, but I can’t simply accept the idea of remaining inactive. If they haven’t made their move by now, then something must be wrong. Perhaps they have already been discovered and disposed of. If they are unable to take action, it will fall to me. I will dispose of the colt myself. Though Dawn Lightwing was proving himself to be a challenge, the mare was confident that she would ultimately succeed. This was the sort of battle she had trained for. Either Dawn Lightwing would show his true colors or he would die. Either way, victory would be hers. “And you’re certain that you sensed it here?” asked Arkenstone, slowly sniffing about the area as Dawn nodded. As soon as the sun had begun to breach the horizon, Dawn had been up to greet his namesake, quickly darting out from the house and rushing to the teahouse, where he hoped he could enlist Arkenstone’s assistance. The previous night, Dawn had gone to bed, certain that he’d simply been imagining things. However, as morning drew nearer, his doubts grew little by little, nagging him in the back of his mind, like an itch that was impossible to scratch. Fortunately, if there was anypony who could either corroborate Dawn’s suspicion or dismiss it, it was Arkenstone. Already, the Celestial Knight was sniffing around in a slowly widening circle from where Dawn stood, right in the spot where he’d gotten that eerie sensation last night. Pausing for a moment, Arkenstone lifted his head and rubbed his nose. “The cold numbs my senses a little…” he mumbled before returning to his work. Dawn watched the Knight quietly, doubting his…doubts a little more with each passing second. I must have imagined it, he mused. “Ah!” Arkenstone’s quiet exclamation made Dawn’s ears stand upright as he rushed to the stallion’s side. Arkenstone was carefully sniffing at a bank of snow that had been piled up against the side of a house. “What is it?” asked Dawn, his eyes narrowing as he carefully looked the pile over in the early morning light. “There was a pony here,” explained Arkenstone, “Her scent has faded somewhat, but she was evidently here for at least some time. Her scent has soaked into this spot a little.” “There!” said Dawn, reaching out a hoof, hovering it over a small spot where the snow had been compressed down in the unmistakable shape of a hoofprint. Arkenstone nodded, brushing a hoof against the pile of snow, drawing Dawn’s eyes to it. Small chunks of rolled away and Dawn realized that the snow here had been churned up strangely in comparison to the rest of the snowbank. “She must have concealed herself by burrowing into the snow and covering herself,” observed Dawn, “Hidden like that, my wind-sense would have passed completely over her. But what gave her away?” “Intent…” suggested Arkenstone. Dawn shook his head slowly. “No. What I felt wasn’t intent. It was connected to my wind-sense…almost as though…” “Oh…You’ve been practicing what I taught you then?” asked Arkenstone with an approving smile. Dawn nodded. “I must have sensed her breath. But it was only for a moment. Did she hide by holding it?” “Possibly,” remarked Arkenstone, “That means that this pony, whoever she might be, is an astute adversary, possibly one who knows a great deal about the Gale King, if she hid from you by holding her breath.” Dawn slowly chewed his inner lip. “Do you think…it was Terra Heart?” Sniffing once again, Arkenstone shook his head. Leaning down, he carefully closed his jaws around something before raising his head back up. Between his teeth, Dawn could see a tiny gray tuft of feather down. Turning his head, Arkenstone spat the tuft out. “This is a pegasus. From the scent, I believe she took to the air almost immediately after coming out of concealment.” “That will make tracking her…difficult,” mused Dawn. Though a scent trail might drift back down to the ground, it would scatter and make any attempt to track the source exceedingly difficult at best. "I can still get a basic direction," said Arkenstone, tilting his head and sniffing the air some more, "It would seem that she was heading in the direction of the Whitetail Woods." "It would seem that somepony has decided to come after me in spite of what the Cult Solar's leader has ordered," said Dawn with a heavy side. "Never forget," said Arkenstone, "that this group is not some sort of monolithic foe that moves with singular purpose. It is composed of individuals, many of whom may have their own reasons for pursuing you. The fact that this mare is here simply means that she is acting against the will of the Cult's overall leadership. That has been a possibility from the very beginning." "So you know it's a mare?" asked Dawn, eyeing the disturbed snow expectantly. "Mares have distinctive traces in their scents that set them apart from stallions," explained Arkenstone, scooping up a hoofful of snow and sniffing it, "I can also tell a few other things." "Like what?" "Our mare appears to have some form of connection with the Guard," explained Arkenstone, "I'm also picking up the scents associated with a particular kind of insulated fabric utilized for skintight, insulated snowsuits that maximize mobility while protecting the wearer from severe cold conditions. She also utilized advanced concealment techniques by concealing her body completely within the snowdrift. The fact that she was aware of how to counter the Gale King indicates that she's done her homework as well. All of these suggest several things about our opponent, including the fact that she has had elite Guard training and a great deal of experience in the field." "Does that mean we can figure out who it is?" asked Dawn. "It certainly narrows down our list of possible suspects," said Arkenstone, "I'll send the search criteria to Shining Armor and see if he can identify a few probable candidates." "Please do so," said Dawn, a chill that had nothing to do with the weather creeping down his spine. All things considered, this tiny slip had only hinted at his watcher's presence to him. If it was the first mistake she had made, then it was entirely possible that she had been watching him for who knows how long without him cluing in until now. If that was the case, then they were dealing with somepony whose threat possibly equalled that of the assassin, Willow. Dawn didn't relish the idea of a similar encounter. Arkenstone rested a gentle hoof on Dawn's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll find out who's behind this and put a stop to it." "I hope we do so soon," said Dawn, worried about what this new adversary had in store for him. After his meeting with Arkenstone, Dawn began to make his way back to the house. His ears perked up again when he sensed the approach of another pegasus. However, he relaxed as she got closer. Already, he could sense the unique rhythm of her wingbeats and even felt her awareness brush against his own through the wind. "Hi Dawn," said Ditzy cheerfully as she landed behind him. Turning around, Dawn smiled back at her. "Good morning Ditzy," he said. "You're up early," observed Ditzy as one of her eyes rolled out of alignment again. She was dressed in a jacket of heavy blue wool, with a light-blue scarf wrapped around her neck. Two bulging saddlebags hung from her side, stuffed with letters and parcels that probably weighed several pounds apiece. But Ditzy moved as though they weighed nothing. Dawn quickly realized that, in spite of the clumsiness that had originated from her poor eyesight, Ditzy's experience with hauling heavy loads had given her an impressive amount of strength and endurance, possibly surpassing his own. "How are things?" asked Dawn. "Really good," said Ditzy as she fell in next to him as he continued to walk towards the house, "Mac and I are making plans to move in together." "Will you be moving out to the farm then?" "I think so. It won't be too much trouble for me to fly from there to the Post Office. Apple Bloom says she doesn't mind sharing her room with Dinky until Mac can build an extension for the house." Ditzy closed her eyes with an ecstatic giggle. It was clear that she was beyond excited about the whole affair. She and Big Macintosh had tentatively scheduled their wedding for the spring, after the winter snows had been cleared away. "Has anypony been giving you any problems?" asked Dawn, carefully watching Ditzy's reaction to her question. Ditzy's expression softened from its previous giddiness and her smile became smaller, but no less sincere. "Well, there were a few mares saying things behind my back. But, when Mac found out about it, he talked to them and they haven't said anything since." "I'm not surprised," murmured Dawn with an amused smile of his own. It was always said, "Beware the wrath of a patient pony." Dawn knew of nopony more patient than Big Macintosh and got the impression that if the red stallion ever dropped his impassive manner, he could be almost indescribably terrifying. As the two of them reached the house, Ditzy paused to pull a few envelopes out of her mailbag. "Here you are," she said, hoofing the mail over to Dawn, who took it with his wing and tucked it up against his side. "Would you like to join us for breakfast?" asked Dawn. "I wish I could, but I need to stay on schedule and make my rounds," said Ditzy, "I don't want to fall behind. But I'd be happy to have you, your mom, and Caramel over for dinner at my place one of these nights. I know Dinky would be overjoyed to see you again." "Alright," agreed Dawn, "I'll talk to mom and dad about it." Ditzy let out a barely audible squeal at the sound of Dawn calling Caramel "dad." She wondered if that meant her wedding wouldn't be the only one in the near future. Bidding a final farewell to Dawn, she lifted off and resumed her delivery route as Dawn stepped inside the house. Neither Dawn nor Ditzy noticed a small cloud, one of many that hovered in the partly cloudy sky above Ponyville, keeping the temperature low enough to stop the snow from melting completely. The cloud had been chosen because of its position to the east of Dawn's house, facing away from the rising sun so that there would be no light glinting off the binocular lenses that only just barely protruded from the surface of the cloud. The mare had been watching Dawn's meeting with Arkenstone. Her heartbeat quickened as the beige stallion pinpointed the exact location she had been hiding the previous night with almost supernatural speed. Though she was too far away to read lips, even with the aid of binoculars, the mare had no doubt that Dawn Lightwing and the stallion had managed to discern several things about her, even from the scant evidence she had left behind. She found herself wondering who the stallion was. She knew that his name was Arkenstone and that he ran the teahouse adjacent to the library. She had also heard that he was apparently the coltfriend of Twilight Sparkle. If anypony could catch the eye of the Bearer of Magic, they must be exceptional indeed. But if Dawn Lightwing was turning to this stallion for help in countering her, there must have been even more to him than that. I may need to do some more research, she thought with a frown, wondering just where she could find more information about the beige earth pony. However, regardless of Arkenstone's true nature, the mare knew that she couldn't afford to dally. Dawn Lightwing was onto her, which meant he would be all the more alert, watching out for any more slip-ups on her part. The mare knew better than to imagine herself as being perfect. She would have to have her confrontation with the faux-colt sooner, rather than later. I need to find my witness as soon as possible. The mare's eyes and thoughts turned towards Ditzy Doo as the mailmare continued to make her rounds, completely unaware of the fact that she was being watched. Perhaps she might be the answer to my problem. When he'd come in for his shift at the teashop, Dawn had been worried that the thoughts of his mysterious stalker would distract him. However, as he got into the rhythm of work, he slowly began to relax. The teahouse was Arkenstone's territory after all. Even if the mare was skilled enough to evade Dawn's notice, there was little chance of her escaping detection by a Celestial Knight. Furthermore, her skills seemed to indicate she was better at hiding outdoors, rather than indoors, as the places that could conceal her within the confines of the shop were almost nonexistent. Here, at least, Dawn felt safe. "Everything okay?" whispered Scootaloo as she passed him with an empty tray after serving one of the tables. "Later," Dawn whispered back, drawing a nod from his fillyfriend. There was no point in trying to hide anything from her. She'd spent so much time around him and come to know him so well she could easily tell when he was uneasy or upset about something. More to the point, it wasn't right to keep her in the dark about this. Their work went smoothly. However, at about noon, Spike came rushing in, a heavy manilla envelope clutched in his claws. He went straight for the back room, where Arkenstone was working. A few minutes later, Arkenstone was out in front, helping the Crusaders and Spike close down the shop for the lunch hour. After they'd ushered the last of the customers out, Arkenstone gathered the foals and Spike around a single table. There, he laid out the envelope Spike had brought in. "Before we begin," said Arkenstone, "Dawn should explain the situation." Dawn nodded and told his friends about his experience the previous night, as well as what he and Arkenstone had uncovered earlier that morning. There wasn't much to say yet, but it was enough to put everypony's nerves on edge. "What do we do about it?" asked Scootaloo, a slight hint of anger in her voice now that she knew yet another pony was coming after Dawn. "We've already started," explained Arkenstone, "I have my suspicions that this mare has ties to the Guard and asked Shining Armor for a list of candidates based on certain criteria. She's extremely skilled if she's able to conceal her presence from Dawn so completely, so she's most likely a covert operations specialist with extensive knowledge and experience in wilderness camouflage. Her behaviors suggest that she has a great deal of experience in general, so she's most likely a veteran of the Guard with several missions under her saddle. That's going to afford us with a very narrow list of candidates." Opening the envelope, Arkenstone slid the contents out onto the table. Rather than being a list of ponies, as Arkenstone and Dawn had been expecting, it was a complete file on just one pony. "Well, that was fairly easy," mused Dawn. "So it would seem," agreed Arkenstone, "She must be exceptional then if she is the only pony fit the criteria." He took the top page and gently began to run his frog across the writing, examining it. "Her name is Shade Steel. That's a rather ominous title." "Maybe she changed it after she got her cutie mark," suggested Sweetie Belle. "As good a guess as any," agreed Arkenstone, reading on, "Born in Hollow Shades, joined the Guard at fifteen years of age, served with distinction and was recommended for transfer to the Royal Guard at age seventeen, that's impressive..." "Is it really?" asked Dawn. Arkenstone nodded. "On average, it takes at least five years for ponies to reach a level of competency that they can earn a transfer to the Royal Guard. You can go to Canterlot and apply directly, but the standards for admission as just as demanding as they are for transferal. It takes most applicants anywhere between four and six tries. Shining Armor is one of the scant few who actually made it in on his first try." "So she's really good at her job?" asked Scootaloo. "Exceptionally," replied Arkenstone, returning his attention to the file, "Not only did she gain admission into the Royal Guard, but she was also enlisted in the SES." "The SES?" asked Spike. "Special Equine Service," answered Arkenstone, "They are an elite unit of the Royal Guard tasked with clandestine and covert operations. They are typically deployed to deal with organized crime, smugglers, and particularly dangerous groups of a bandits, who tend to operate outside of the jurisdiction of any particular town or city's Guard. They are highly trained in both urban and wilderness combat, as well as stealth, espionage, and survival skills. Their standards are even higher than the base standards for the Royal Guard. Joining requires and additional year of training if the candidate manages to make it past the selection process." "She's very dangerous then," concluded Dawn. Arkenstone nodded. "She continued to serve in the SES with distinction for the next five years. She earned several decorations and commendations and was considered to be, for all intents and purposes, a model Guardsmare." "Hard to believe that somepony like that could be with the Cult Solar," muttered Rumble. Arkenstone nodded. "She may have been inducted into the Cult at a young age, seeing as she is from Hollow Shades. That town is fairly far off the beaten path and is mostly surrounded by wilderness. It's the kind of isolated place that is perfect for fostering a group like that." "Is she still part of the Royal Guard?" asked Rumble, "If she is, then maybe Shining Armor could do something to keep her from causing trouble." Arkenstone shook his head. "Unfortunately, she has been 'retired' for a few years now. In fact, the date of her departure was shortly after..." He paused, his voice trailing off. "Shortly after what?" asked Apple Bloom nervously. "Shortly after Princess Luna returned," said Arkenstone slowly. "Well, Ah guess that settles it then," muttered Bloom petulantly, "Bet she didn't like the idea that she'd have to start takin' orders from Princess Luna too." "I don't get it," said Sweetie Belle, "If Princess Celestia hates the Cult Solar so much, how'd she let somepony who was in the Cult stay in the Royal Guard." "I don't believe she was aware that any member of the Royal Guard had any association with the group," explained Arkenstone, "Until recently, she had been operating under the mistaken assumption that the Cult had been, more or less, reduced to irrelevance. It's only been in the past few months that we've come to realize that the Cult Solar not only survived, but is far more powerful and influential than we'd ever thought possible." "Is there any other information about this Shade Steel we should know?" asked Dawn. Once again, Arkenstone returned his attention to the file. "Her specialty definitely lies in stealth and concealment." A hint of amusement crept into his voice. "It even states here that she earned her cutie mark after winning Hollow Shades’ annual Hide and Seek Tournament. According to the file, she's only gotten better since then. "Aside from that, she also specializes in close combat. She's especially proficient with knife-fighting. Though she's a pegasus, she is also very skilled at combat in enclosed environments." "This sounds bad," said Scootaloo with a gulp. Her eyes came to rest on the photograph of the mare that was on the front of the file, taking in her gray features and sharp, blue eyes. "We need to keep any eye out for her." "You won't see her," said Arkenstone, "It was only the luckiest of accidents that clued Dawn in to her her presence in the first place. If any of you see her, it will only be because she wants you to see her." "What do we do we do if that happens?" asked Sweetie nervously, scooting so that she was pressed up against Rumble's side. Rumble wrapped a reassuring wing around her, but kept his attention on Arkenstone. "If that is the case..." said Arkenstone, "Then, so long as she expresses no direct intent to harm you, make no effort to fight or resist her. Assuming she is here for Dawn, he is most likely her only target and she will make an active effort to avoid harming anypony else. That aside, do whatever she asks you to and cooperate fully with her." "No way!" exclaimed Scootaloo, "I'm not selling out Dawn like that!" "If you fight her," said Arkenstone, "She will win. You aren't experienced enough Scootaloo." He leaned forward until his muzzle was inches from her own, his milky-white eyes opening fractionally. "Do you think Dawn would be happy if you got yourself hurt on his account?" With a gulp, Scootaloo shook her head and shot a concerned look at Dawn, who merely nodded in sober agreement with Arkenstone's words. With a sigh, Scootaloo settled back into her seat and asked Dawn, "Can you handle her?" "Maybe," said Dawn, "The problem is that she has clearly done her homework. She knows how to counter the Gale King and will do her best to ensure that our confrontation takes place under the most favorable situation possible for her." "Ugh!" groaned Bloom, "Does that mean we've got to wait until she comes after ya?" "It isn't all that different from the situation with Willow," remarked Arkenstone, "She won't strike until she has ensured that she's in the strongest possible position. However, I will do my best to locate her. I will have Storm Front and Red River do likewise." "Then I suppose that is that," said Dawn, giving the file one last glance. Arkenstone nodded. "It's going to be difficult, but we need to be patient.” The next couple of days were troublingly uneventful. Dawn and the others went through their daily routines, watchful and alert, but never catching any sign of the mysterious former Guardsmare. Under other circumstances, the lack of anything happening might have been taken as a sign that she had changed her mind and given up, but, thanks to the file Arkenstone had provided him with, Dawn knew better. Shade Steel’s file indicated that she could spend weeks observing a target, discerning weaknesses and opportunities before finally taking action. She had never once backed out of an assignment and she hadn’t failed any either. Still, it was no use trying to strain his nerves. Shade Steel would come for him when she was ready for him, no sooner, no later. Until then, the only thing Dawn could do was wait and hope that Arkenstone’s investigations turned up some kind of lead. It was a bit of a longshot, but if anypony could track down the elusive cover ops specialist, it would be Arkenstone. In the meantime, Dawn tried his best to simply go on with his life and enjoy his time with his friends, however, difficult the lingering shadow of Shade Steel’s presence made that. Dawn was at least grateful that he didn’t have to worry about her coming after him in the schoolhouse, now that winter vacation was in full swing. The last thing he needed was for his classmates to be traumatized again. For the time being, Arkenstone had decided that it would be best to keep the number of ponies aware of Shade Steel’s presence small, limited to Dawn’s friends and the Element Bearers, as well as the two mercenaries assigned to watch out for Ponyville. Dawn suspected that Arcana was aware of the situation as well. Though, if the effeminate stallion was contributing any help at all, Dawn couldn't see it. Of all of them, only Arkenstone, Red, and Storm were actively searching for Shade Steel, while the others waited and did their best to remain patient. As it was, Dawn had all but forgotten about his brief conversation with Ditzy that fateful morning two days earlier. He had just gotten off of work with Scootaloo. The two of them were heading out towards the park to play/train in the snow once again. Ever since he’d learned about his stalker, Dawn had opted to confine their play to the wide-open expanses of the park, where he could hopefully see any attack coming with enough warning to keep Scootaloo from getting caught by it. The two of them were walking side by side when a shadow passed over them. Scootaloo flinched instinctively, sinking into a crouch, her wings extending in preparation to ward off an attack. Dawn was impressed by how well she’d trained herself by this point, but refrained from doing the same as he recognized the familiar flight pattern passing through his wind-sense without having to even look up and confirm it. “Hello Ditzy.” “Hi Dawn,” said Ditzy, her tone softer than usual, seeming to lack her usual excitement and enthusiasm. “Oh…” said Scootaloo, now realizing that she’d almost been expecting an attack from Ditzy and rising out of her stance with a blush, “Hi.” Ditzy settled down in front of them with a cheerful smile, one that didn’t quite match the tone of her voice earlier. Something about her expression looked a little bit…forced. Dawn and Scootaloo both noticed it. “Is there something you needed to talk about?” asked Dawn, his ears standing up. He was getting an unusual feeling from Ditzy. There was no question that something was off about her. “Actually,” said Ditzy, smiling sheepishly at him, “I need your help with something.” “What do ya need?” asked Scootaloo. “Um…well…actually…” Ditzy hesitated. “It’s just Dawn’s help…that I need.” “Huh?” Scootaloo tilted her head. Dawn’s uneasiness began to increase. “What is it that you need help with?” asked Dawn. “You see…” said Ditzy, using one foreleg awkwardly with the other as she averted her gaze slightly, “I have to get something out of the Whitetail Woods, but I’m not good enough at precision flying to get it, so I need somepony who’s really good at maneuvering to get it.” “And that is…?” prompted Dawn. Through his wind-sense, he could pick up the faint increase in the pace of Ditzy’s breathing. She was becoming agitated, possibly close to panicked. Already, Dawn had a fair idea of what was going on. She needed him to come into the Whitetail Woods with her…and without anypony else. “Alright then,” he said quickly before Ditzy could work up some other excuse or break down completely, “We should go then.” “Huh?” Scootaloo stared at him in surprise. She could easily tell that something was up with Ditzy and that the walleyed mare was behaving strangely. It shocked her to see that Dawn was just going along with it. “We’ll have to train another time,” said Dawn turning around. He pulled Scootaloo into a hug, kissing her on the lips as he folded his wings around her. The two of them held that pose for a moment before Scootaloo finally relaxed. Dawn faintly whispered something in her ear, which seemed to help the filly make up her mind. When they stepped away from each other, she was blushing, but willing to accept his decision. “I’ll see you later then,” she said as she took to the air and began flying back towards Ponyville. Dawn turned back to Ditzy and gave her a small smile. “Alright then,” he said, “Let’s be off.” He could see the lump in Ditzy’s throat move as she swallowed before she turned and led the two of them towards the forest. Their walk was taking them through some of the densest parts of the trees. Dawn had attempted to make smalltalk with Ditzy over the course of their walk, but she had stuttered awkwardly through all attempts at conversation, clearly not comfortable with something…distracted as well. The further they went, the more her nervousness increased. Dawn had a rough feeling that he knew where this was going, but chose to continue following Ditzy anyway. It wasn’t until he asked about how Dinky was doing in another attempt to start up a conversation that he got the most important clue as to what was going on. As soon as he said Dinky’s name, Ditzy’s body went rigid, her wings springing out. She froze mid-step, her eyes going wide with an expression that Dawn could only interpret as stark terror. I figured as much, he thought ruefully, now getting a clear idea of just what was going on. Shade Steel had made her move. She was prepared as she was going to be to confront Dawn and had decided to initiate that confrontation. And now…Dawn knew exactly how. Slowly, he turned and looked into Ditzy’s eyes, which were aligned properly for the first time in a long time since he had known her. “Ditzy,” said Dawn slowly, “where is Dinky?”