The next days Shadow became acquainted with the large majority of the inhabitants of Ponyville, finding out that they were all nice and friendly people; Shadow said to everyone to call him if they ever needed any help for something, though just a few had asked for his help so far .
Those days Twilight and the other girls went on keeping an eye on Shadow; just to be sure that he wouldn’t do anything suspicious, like waking up in other people’s bed. But Shadow was behaving absolutely perfectly, even if they could not admit it: no matter where he was going or what he was doing, the girls never saw him flying or activating his wings, even if he had claimed to be a volante the day before, but maybe he simply preferred walking than flying and so the girls didn’t really care about this oddity.
But even if the girls didn’t notice it, Shadow was getting more restless each day, and at the same time a feeling was growing inside him, a feeling both strange and familiar, desired and despised, waited and feared.
And so one night Shadow and Nekuro were alone in the offing of the Everfree Forest on their way back to their new home, when suddenly it happened what Shadow knew had to happen and that had already happened many other times.
Shadow was suddenly hit by violent pains and collapsed onto the ground with a wail of grief, holding his stomach with his arms.
“Meow?!” Nekuro exclaimed jumping worried next to him.
“It seems that time has come.” said Shadow through his teeth while trying to control the pain “I’m going to have an abstinence crisis, the Hunger has returned.”
Nekuro understanding immediately what was happening started to run towards Ponyville saying: “Meow!”
“No!” Shadow stopped him “I’ve already said it,” he whispered between wails of grief “the people of Ponyville are untouchable, no matter what.”
Nekuro turned around to look at him and nodded understanding, but since he didn’t know exactly what to do, he asked “Meow?”
“There should be one or two cities near the forest.” said Shadow standing up with difficulty “You and Cheshire know the parameters, we will meet later.” Shadow ended while the pain was decreasing slowly.
Nekuro didn’t need to hear anything else, he knew perfectly what to do, and so with a jump he disappeared into the vegetation of the thick forest.
The forty years old Stone Burst opened his eyes with a terrible headache, the last thing he remembered before fainting, or maybe falling asleep, he couldn’t remember well, was… actually he didn’t remember anything at all of the last few hours, “It’s already night-time.” As he realized that it was all dark around him.
“What happened?” he thought staring to what seemed trees crowns for him, Stone Burst tried to stand up but something was blocking his movements, confused he looked at his arms and legs and found out that his wrists and ankles were tied to a sort of table.
“What’s going on?! Where am I?!” Stone Burst yelled worried trying to break free in vain; the ropes were tight enough to prevent even the smallest movement.
“Why everyone asks always the same, trivial questions?” said a voice extremely bored; Stone Burst looking towards the point where the voice came from saw a young man with green eye and white and azure hair.
“Quick, untie me!” Stone Burst shouted at him, pointing with a movement of the head to the ropes that were tying his wrists.
“Untie you?” asked confused Shadow “Can’t you really understand it yourself?” he said disappointed shaking his head.
“Understand what?” Stone Burst, who wasn’t in the right mood to solve stupid riddles asked irritated.
Shadow approached Stone Burst and lowering his face, until it was a just a few centimeters from Stone Burst’s, he said “Obviously that I was the one who tied you.” then raising Shadow concluded with an evil grin “So It doesn’t make any sense that I free you now.”
“What?” Stone Burst asked starting really to worry, but still not understanding what was going on, “Why would you do such a thing? What do you want to do to me?” he said hoping that it was some kind of bad joke.
Shadow with a sigh of resignation complained “Again with the same boring questions. Never something original.”
“But who are you?” Stone Burst, who started to be very scared by the extremely relaxed and yet threatening behavior of his interlocutor, asked.
“That’s a question!” exclaimed happily Shadow “See? If you put your mind to it, you can do it!” he said mocking Stone Burst.
Then becoming suddenly serious Shadow said “You have to know that I’m called by different names: shadow, dark, crazy, assassin, mad, psycho.” then turning around, showing his back to Stone Burst, peacefully said “Ah, and if you really want to know, I’m going to kill you now. No hard feelings I hope.”
Hearing such news Stone Burst winced surprised, then since his darkest fear had been confirmed he shouted angry “You are a monster!”
Shadow, hearing him, stopped a moment, then he started approaching Stone Burst from behind , getting out from his line of sight, Shadow cold said “Right, they call me that too.”
Shadow’s totally apathetic answer was too much for the poor Stone Burst; who started having have a nervous breakdown, whined “Why me? I don’t even know you!”
Shadow reached the table, which he had prepared behind the one where Stone Burst was, and picked up a sort of medical chart lying there and read “Stone Burst, terrestre, fourty years old, brown hair, orange eyes, he has recently lost his job because of big financial debts, as a consequence he has been left by his wife who took their only little daughter with her, he is now considered a homeless.”
Smiling satisfied Shadow ended “Practically no one will miss you.”
“You won't get away with it!” Stone Burst, driven by a sudden wrath yelled “Someone will notice my absence and then they will find you!”
“Why should they notice?” asked innocently Shadow, entering once again in the line of sight of Stone Burst, and then checking the chart said “After all there’s at least three…”
“Meow.” Nekuro quietly interrupted Shadow, appearing silently from the dark wood.
Shadow checked the chart once again and corrected himself “... Sorry, four witnesses saw you drunk going into the Everfree Forest at night.” Then looking at Stone Burst with a sneering smile he giggled “Not the smartest idea …if you allow me to say.”
“Please let me go.” Stone Burst, totally terrorized at this point, begged him “I promise you that no one will know about this.”He smiled, anxiously trying to convince Shadow to free him.
“I’m sorry, but I really can’t do it...” said Shadow with a so sad expression on her face that even Stone Burt, for a while thought that Shadow was really sorry; then approaching the other table Shadow continued “Trust me, this is going to hurt me more than…”
Shadow was unable to complete his phrase as he exploded into a maniacal laugh and yelled “Sorry, sorry, I really can’t keep going…” after drawing breath Shadow continued “Who I’m trying to fool?! I’m going to enjoy it so much!” sentenced while picking up from the table a giant black meat cleaver ,covered with orthogonal red lines, so easily as it was light like a feather, even if it was a metre and a half long.
Shadow stood right next to Stone Burst, who by that time was completely petrified from that sudden behavior, and with a slight smile Shadow asked “Tell me, do you know how does an Equestrian to which an arm is cut off sound?”
Stone Burst was terrified and, being convinced to have misheard , tried to ask “Wha...” but he was interrupted by Shadow who with a swift movement hit Stone Burst with his meat cleaver cutting off cleanly Stone Burst’s arm with a thud.
“Exactly.” said Shadow ecstatically licking off some blood drops that had spattered on his lips, while Stone Burst started to yell for pain and surprise.
“Oh my... please Celestia, help me!” prayed Stone Burst through his tears.
Shadow preparing to hit again, bothered said “I’m sorry, but your alleged god can’t help anybody, and for sure can’t save you…”
It was almost sunrise and Shadow, still covered with Stone Burst’s blood, was peacefully sleeping with his back sustained by a tree when Nekuro approached him and said “Meow.”
“Already?” Shadow asked opening his eyes “Well, I suppose it is normal, after all he was bleeding a lot.” He reasoned standing up.
Turning around the tree Shadow saw again the same scene of when he had gone to sleep: Stone Burst without his arms and legs hanging from a tree ,tied with hooked chains, the only difference was that Stone Burst wasn’t yelling or moaning anymore , as he was doing up to a few minutes ago.
“Disgusting.” commented Shadow, without specifying the subject.
“Meow.” Nekuro sad said, trying to raise his partner’s spirit.
“We have already discussed this!” answered hasty and rusty Shadow “I am not like you, so don’t push on, please.” he said melancholic, looking at Nekuro.
“Call Cheshire.” Shadow told him getting off the subject, and watching the corpse again “Tell him that his meal is ready.” then walking away from that place he seriously exclaimed “We must clean up everything; we can’t afford errors or distractions.”
Nekuro nodded keeping staring the corpse, as hypnotized from its oscillation caused by a light breeze that was able to pierce the dense Everfree Forest.