//------------------------------// // Just Before Lightning Strikes // Story: Shades Of The Past // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// Flashback... Shade had worked among the Fifty Thieves for some months now. The cart he gave up to the Thieves had given him quite a lot of bits, even for being ‘pocket change’, allowing him to finally make enough to get the first of many treatments for his mother. However, he didn’t want anypony to know about what he was doing, so as soon as he went to Prairieville, he quit his job, returned home to his mother, told her that he found two ‘well-paying jobs’, and that he might have to go out of town very often to do them. Fortunately, his mother seemed to have bought it. Still, in case he ran into somepony that might recognize him, he decided to take up a hat and poncho, to serve as a disguise, and insist that the others call him the ‘Western Shade’. Many of the thieves weren’t as amused by the name or his outfit, but Solomon himself was willing to oblige (assuming that he was just a scared kid). And for the past few months, life has been pretty okay. The pay from their jobs was pretty good, he got to see many new places and faces, and as Solomon promised, he himself was starting to become quite a stallion, with his strength and speed increasing drastically, and his repertoire of skills growing rapidly. The rate in which he was growing was surprising, even to thieves like Scirocco. However, there was one problem. While Shade himself had taken to the life of a thief real well, he did not like the ruthlessness and cruelty that the other thieves displayed in their robberies. More often than he liked, he seen the thieves participate in vicious acts of violence, some of which that Shade could barely stomach to witness. Worse yet, this was not only allowed, but greatly encouraged by Solomon. Shade never had a taste for senseless violence. He only ever fought anypony that would try to get in his way while robbing places, and even then, he only go as far as incapacitating them. There was a part of him that wanted the Thieves to just stop it, but he was only the ‘new guy’, and even with the growing he had done in the past months, he had no doubt that the Thieves would make him suffer for ‘voicing’ his thoughts. Speaking of the Thieves, they had recruited more new members since then. But despite Shade no longer being the newest member, he was still thought of as a "rookie" by many, since the recruits since then had all had a measure of experience in larceny and theft before joining up. Some were incredulous at Shade's inclusion, but many were won over by his growing skills. In fact, several were becoming quite friendly with him, and Shade was starting to reciprocate, in spite of their brutal ways. One evening, Shade was about to leave the hideout. 'Another day, another fat pile of cash.' He mused, as he held up a bag with his take. 'And another step towards mom getting better...' Suddenly, Shade was pulled aside and brought into a dark cavern. "What the...?" He frowned. "What kind of dirty trick..." A nearby lantern was lit, revealing the pony who had pulled Shade in: Scirocco. "Hello, Shade." Scirocco said curtly. “Scirocco?” Shade grimaced. “What’s the big idea?” “I just wanted to talk you about a serious matter.” Scirocco declared, “One that I think you might be interested in hearing.” “Is that so?” Shade frowned. Scirocco had never been very pleasant to him, even after all these months, “Okay, I’ll bite. What exactly is it you want?” "It's not what I want, but what we want." Scirocco declared. "We?" Shade asked. “He means us.” Flying Daggers spoke up, as he held up his own torch, revealing him and all the other thieves, including Knots, Girth, the Chineighse stallion, and the triplets. “Um, why is everypony here?” Shade blanched, “And where’s Solomon? Shouldn’t he be here as well?” “Solomon is the serious matter I am referring to.” Scirocco growled. “Huh?” Shade raised a brow. “What do you mean?” “Putting it bluntly, we want to get rid of Solomon.” Flying Daggers deadpanned. “What?” Shade gaped, “You want… I don’t understand, isn’t Solomon our leader?” “That he is.” The Chineighse stallion nodded, “But we fear that he is leading us in a rather precarious direction.” “Meaning what?” Shade frowned. “He’s going to get us all killed eventually.” Knots scowled. “You might not know, kid, since you’re still new…” Flying Daggers sighed, “But when we first started, Solomon had been good to us. He led us on heists and robberies that made us hundreds of thousands of bits, and we wanted for nothing… however, over these past few years, the jobs he had been giving us had started to get… iffy.” “Iffy how?” Shade asked, not liking the sound of that. “Well, Shade, in case you haven’t noticed, we had been packing on a lot of weaponry and stuff.” Scirocco glared. “Solomon has been having us attack these compounds and warehouses, some of them guarded by military companies. The stuff they had wasn’t as much gold, as it was crossbows, cannons, swords of many assortments… and at one point, a bomb.” “Solomon claims that we can get a killing on the black market with some of them, and that we can use some of them to pull tougher heists…” The Chineighse stallion explained. “But somehow, I feel Solomon is trying to get us in terrorism.” “Terrorism?” Shade repeated. Robbing and hurting a few ponies was one thing… but terrorism? That was far worse. “Yeah.” Scirocco snarled. “And while we are okay with hurting ponies, we don’t want to do it if there is no money to be gain from it. The thing is, in the past months, we had been making much less than we had in our entire career.” “Yeah, we ain’t got the dough no more.” Girth added. "Well, I can't complain." Shade shrugged. "My take has been more than enough to take care of my... personal expenses." "Lucky you." Knots snorted. "But the rest of us are used to getting a little more." "Solomon was a great leader." Jump admitted. "But that was then, and this is now." Leap added. "He's starting to slip." Spin declared. "If he continues to lead us down this path, we'll lose out on all our profits… and possibly, our lives." Scirocco finished. "But what does all this have to do with me?" Shade asked, “It’s not like I can do anything about it.” “Actually you can.” Flying Daggers declared, “The only way Solomon will ever stop this is if somepony were to challenge him for leadership and beat him.” “And that somepony is you, Shade.” Knots pointed to him. "Me?!" Shade spluttered. "Seriously? You want me to go against the guy with lightning coming out of his horn?! Why not Scirocco?!" "Loathe though I am to admit, your already-impressive skills have grown to the point where they have eclipsed my own." Scirocco admitted grudgingly. "And Solomon isn't that much better than me. You can definitely take him." "But… I’m no leader… I’m just a guy struggling to get by. I wouldn’t know what to do." Shade frowned. "You can't be any worse than Solomon." Knots said derisively. "Ever since you joined us, you have shown both great strength, and great intelligence." The Chineighse pony declared. "Yeah, remember that plan he had for robbing the bullion delivery?" Jump asked. "Boy, do I?" Leap nodded. "Inspired!" Spin agreed. "This is quite an opportunity we're presenting you, Shade." Flying Daggers declared. "Can't you imagine yourself as our leader? You could change this gang for the better." Shade took a second to think about it. While challenging Solomon and leading a pack of thieves was very daunting, he thought of all the needless violence and killing that they had been doing. If he were leader, he could be in a position to do something about it... "...Okay, I'll do it." Shade nodded. "Excellent." Scirocco smiled. "Yeah!" Girth cheered. "Brava!" The triplets cheered. "Well, let's go give Solomon your formal challenge." Flying Daggers grinned. "Wait, now?" Shade frowned. "I was just about to go home..." "No time like the present." Knots shrugged. "Or would you prefer we live another moment under Solomon's flawed leadership?" The Chineighse stallion asked. "...Okay, let's do it." Shade nodded. In his personal cavern, Solomon was busy sharpening his swords. "Solomon, we need to talk." Solomon turned to see Scirocco and the other seven Thieves standing before him. “…Um, what is this?” Solomon glanced around, “Did Girth swallow some Bits again again?” “Oh no, ‘boss’…” Scirocco declared. “Somepony has something he like to say to you.” The thieves immediately parted, revealing Shade, as he stepped forward with trepidation. “Shade? What could you possibly want?” Solomon frowned. Shade glanced warily at his fellow thieves, as they gave him a nod to go onwards. Shade let out a sigh as he adopted a firm gaze. "Solomon Thunder, I hereby challenge you for leadership of the Fifty Thieves.” Shade declared. The room was silent for a moment… before Solomon laughed. “Hehe… what?” Solomon gave a snide smirk. “You want to challenge me… You, Shade, the new kid, want to challenge me?” He let out another laugh. “Oh, that’s a good one, Shade.” “I’m not joking.” Shade said firmly, not appreciating the condescendence in his voice. “Did Scirocco put you up to this?” Solomon glanced at Scirocco. “Only somepony as stupid as him would try something this crazy.” “I’m not stupid! And we are serious!” Scirocco snarled. “We are sick of you leading us to rob weapon depots and assault soldiers! Seriously, we are thieves, not terrorists!" "You guys will be whatever I say we should be." Solomon glared. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life doing nothing but jumping random ponies and pilfering their meagre possessions. I want to make a statement. Prove to the world who is truly superior!" "Faust, do you listen to yourself?!" Scirocco spat. "You sound like one of those sand rats over in Saddle Arabia! Why not say 'Death To Equestria' while you're at it?" "You small-minded dolt." Solomon sneered. "You've always lacked vision." "The vision of a madstallion?" Scirocco spat. "The vision of a genius!" Solomon retorted. "Just stow it, Solomon!" Shade barked, having grown tired of the fighting. "They want me to overthrow you, and that is what I will do. Nothing will change my mind." Solomon glared at Shade... which soon faded as he sighed and give a snide smirk. "Very well..." Solomon shrugged, "By all means, if you want my throne, you are welcome to try... Let's take this outside." The rest of the Thieves were alerted to the challnge, and they all gathered on a alcove atop the caverns. It was starting to grow stormy, the wind blowing through the alcove as the assembled masses awaited the showdown. "Ah, nice weather for a brawl, wouldn't you say, Shady?" Solomon sneered. "The weather doesn't matter." Shade said curtly. "Let's just do this." "Okay, guys, we all know the rules." Solomon announced. "Shade has challenged me for leadership. By our bylaws, he must face me in one on one combat. Winner take all... and it is to the death." "Knock 'em dead, kid." Knots told Shade. "Seriously." Shade blinked back some fear, and stood face to face with Solomon... "You are way in over your head, kid." Solomon growled, "You should have kept your mouth shut." "We'll see." Shade countered, trying hsi best to stand firm. A thief then came up and handed them both swords. "Try to keep it clean, you two." The thief murmured. "No promises." Solomon scoffed. "Why am I not surprised?" Shade sneered. "You just love using excessive force, and letting the others use it too." "It gets the job done, doesn't it?" Solomon smirked. One of the Thieves stood between them, raised his sword, then brought it down, signifying the start of combat. Solomon lunged at Shade, swinging his sword. Shade blocked the blade with his own. "So this is what it has come to." Solomon frowned, "After all that I have done for you. If it weren't for me, you would be stuck in that dead-end job... or dead. Have I not been gracious enough for you?" "Yes, you were..." Shade nodded, as he pushed him back, as the two circled each other. "But the others were concerned about the way you had been leading this operation. Some think you will eventually get them killed." "Oh, boo-hoo." Solomon scoffed, as he swung at Shade a couple of times, with Shade dodging them. "What's a few ponies here and there? I'm not gonna waste my whole life doing nothing but pilfering. I have big plans for the world, and big plans calls for bigger arsenals." "Well, you'll just have to do them without the Thieves." Shade grunted, as he parried one of Solomon's slashes. "They are counting on me, and I won't let them down!" "Well, then you'll die for them!" Solomon snarled, as he slammed his sword down. Shade only just managed to dodge the swing, then retaliated with some of his own. Solomon threw a punch at Shade, but Shade ducked the attack, and kicked him in the stomach. "Oof!" Solomon groaned. "Rotten punk..." Solomon swung his sword again, Shade caught it. They struggled for a moment, before Solomon pushed Shade back. Solomon slashed at Shade, but Shade batted his blade back with his own, and threw some swings of his own. Solomon's greater experience enabled him to dodge several of the attacks. However, one swing caught Solomon off-balance, almost knocking him to the ground. "Looks like I've picked up more than you bargained for." Shade smirked. "Scirocco's right. I can take you." "Think again." Solomon sneered, his horn sparking. With swift movements, electricity traveled from his horn to his hoof, as he then fired a bolt of lightning, knocking Shade's sword from his hoof. "Yeow!" Shade yelped. "What the-?" "Didn't see that coming, did you?" Solomon sneered, as he rose to his hooves. "You didn't think this was just a sword-duel, did you? No, this is a no-holds bar fight to the death!" Solomon pressed his advantage, firing lightning from his hooves and horn, as well as slicing at Shade. Shade dodged a swing, only to gain a bolt of lightning to his side. "Gah!" Shade yelped, feeling as if he had been jabbed with a dozen static shocks at once. as another bolt headed his way, he leapt to the side, then dodged another sword strike. 'I need some space here...' Shade backed away quickly, dodging more swings. "Come on, you can't keep running forever!" Solomon taunted, "Or do you finally see that you can't win?" Shade growled, knowing he was right about running. He had to act fast, or he would perish. He quickly glanced around, finding where his sword had landed. Shade quickly rushed over to the sword... however, as he did, Solomon blindsided him with a slash to the shoulder. "Ahh!" Shade yelped, clutching his wound. The other Thieves gaped in horror, as Solomon raised his blade to finish his opponent... "Lights out, kid." Solomon brought his sword down... However, Shade grabbed for his sword and blocked the downward swing, a flash of lightning shining upon the two. "I'm... not... finished... yet." Shade growled. Solomon, undaunted, gave a grunt as he pushed against him, the two moving towards the edge of the alcove. Shade, in a burst of strength, was able to throw Solomon off balance, and slugged him in the face. Angered by Shade's move, Solomon retorted by firing another bolt of lightning, striking Shade dead center. "Ahh!" Shade cringed. The red Pegasus stagged back a few inches, panting heavily, his back hooves right at the edge. "Enough of this crap!" Solomon snarled, as he then fired a particular strong bolt of lightning. Shade instinctively blocked the oncoming attack with his sword... however, the blast proved too great, as Shade was pushed over the edge. "Agh!" Shade screeched. "No!" Girth gasped. "Shade!" The triplets gasped. "Poor kid..." Flying Daggers sighed. "Perhaps this wasn't the best idea after all." Scirocco frowned. As Shade fell from the alcove, he quickly spread his wings, slowing his descent as he was able to correct himself and hover onto a smaller ledge, not far from the alcove, his landing a little less graceful. "Ho... ho..." Shade huffed, his hooves a little tingling from the lightning blast. While his shoulder was still bleeding and his whole body was frazzled, he was still alive and safe for the moment... "You can't escape me that easily!" Or so he thought. Shade glanced up as Solomon slid down the ledge, using his sword to control his falling speed. As soon as he was down to Shade's level, he pulled it out and approached him menacingly. "There's no getting out of it, Shade." Solomon sneered, "Either you die, or I die. Not really a tough choice, pal." "There's always a choice." Shade declared. "Not for you!" Solomon swung his blade. They clashed once more. Solomon lashed out with savage fury, while Shade struggled just to hold his own. "Hah... hah..." Shade panted, his body aching and shivering from the wet breezes that were blowing along the side of the cliff. As he glanced behind him, he realized that he was being pushed to the edge of the small ledge, and he had no more room to maneuver. "This is the end of the line, kid." Solomon taunted, as with a swift shot of his lightning, Shade's sword was jolted from his hoof. "No!" Shade yelled, as the sword fall into the water below, as Solomon then held a sword to his face. "This is the end, kid." Solomon admitted, as he then glanced at the weather. "And don't think of flying away, because I will fry your chicken legs." "Solomon... come on, you won... just..." Shade felt his fears coming back. "It doesn't have to end like this..." "Naive to the end, aren't you?" Solomon scoffed. "Did you not just hear me when I said that either you or I have to die? I wasn't kidding around." "You'd really kill me?" Shade panted. "You think you're the first guy who challenged me for leadership?" Solomon sneered, "As of now, you're the seventh guy who challenged me... and you can guess by me being here what happened to the six guys before you..." 'What have I gotten myself into?' Shade despaired. 'Sorry, mom. Guess I won't be coming home...' "I will not lie, you're the one that I had the most displeasure having to put down." Solomon sighed. "You were one hell of a bandit, and you put up a good fight... that is why your death will be quick and painless..." "Solomon... Solomon, please..." Shade quivered. "Good bye, SHADE!" Solomon roared as he charged right at him. Quickly thinking on his hooves, Shade summoned the last of his strength and with a flap of his wings, broke Solomon's charge and staggered him. "Ugh!" Solomon grunted, as he toppled backwards, as he then began tipping over the edge. "OH SHIIIIII-" Solomon screamed as he finally fell. Shade gasped as he tried to grab Solomon's hoof, but he was too late. Solomon fell towards the shallow waters, vanishing completely from sight... "No..." He sighed. Even though Solomon had tried to kill him, he had no wish to return the favor. Shade slumped against the cliffside, lamenting what he had just done...when a rope dropped down. Without a second thought, he grabbed onto the rope, and was pulled up, where the other thieves all were waiting. "You killed Solomon..." Scirocco declared... before giving a geniuine smirk. "That means you're in charge now. Way to go, boss." "Yeah..." Shade frowned. "But I didn't mean to-" "Don't mourn that fool." Flying Daggers snorted. "He had his chance. It's your time now, Shade." "Shade! Shade! Shade!" Girth cheered. The other Thieves joined in the cheering. Though Shade felt guilty in taking Solomon's life, he felt a bit of pride knowing that he had accomplished something that he sought out to do. Besides, with Solomon gone, and him in charge, he can actually make some changes that could help this band of Thieves for the better. 'And I know just where to start...' He thought. "As your new leader, I'm giving you all the night off." Shade announced. "Tomorrow, we take on a new beginning! A whole new way of doing things!" The Thieves cheered happily. As Shade headed off for home, he put Solomon's fate out of his mind, focusing instead on what his new role as leader meant. 'From now on, it's a whole new Fifty Thieves...' He smiled. In the shallow waters of the underground caverns, situated under a skylight that just happened to be before the ledge where Solomon had fallen, all was quiet and tranquil, not a hint of movement in the darkness. Until... Until bubbles began forming on the surface, soon followed by crackling of lightning dancing along the water. It was not before long as Solomon burst out of the water, his body badly bruised from the fall, but his will and spirit not... and very severely pissed off. "RAAAAARRRRGGGGH!!" Solomon roared, as against the pain and the broken bones in his body, stood tall amongst the water, as his body began crackling with electricity, caused by the lightning flowing from his hooves. It hurt like hell, but Solomon barely felt anything... all of that was dull by his all-consuming rage. "YAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!" He tried to storm his way out of the water, lightning sparking from his horn. As he struggled, he slipped, and fell onto a sharp rock, resulting in him gaining the lightning-shaped scar he had in the present, his sparks cauterising the wound instantly. Undeterred by the injury, Solomon kept going, finally collapsing on the shore. "I gotta... gotta keep going..." Solomon weakly snarled, his body still coursing with electricity. "I'm not done yet... So much still to do. So many to avenge myself upon..." His eyes grew bleary, as the pain overrode his rage... he felt the whole world growing dark, as all Solomon could do in that moment was just fade into nothing... That is until he saw something approaching him... "Tis a pity, isn't it? It's seems that your rage had led to your oblivion..." A deep and ominous voice echoed in his head. "Wha... what?" Solomon murmured. He struggled to move his head upwards, his sight failing him. All he could see was a blurry vision of a pale white cloaked figure, gazing down at him, like a ponification of Death himself. He couldn't tell what kind of pony he was, but judging by how he seem to stand, he was tall... and had a sense of superiority upon him. "I had been watching you from afar, Solomon..." The voice continued. "Your powers to bend the lightning is a skill that I had not seen in many years... such potential and power in one stallion... yet you squander it all, just to lead on a pack of wild mutts." "...Say that... say that to my face..." Solomon growled, trying to gather all his strength. "I can sense what it is your heart." The voice declared. "...Vengeance... one that is of a grand scale. Something that a gang of paltry thieves could never offer you. But... I believe I could grant you what you truly desire..." "Oh, really?" Solomon's anger waned. He struggled not to pass out, as the stallion had piqued his interest. "All I ask is your eternal loyalty and servitude to me and stand by me and like-minded ponies as we shape the world in which everypony will be happy and content. Do this and I promise you... eternal vengeance will be yours." The voice offered. "I... I'm in..." Solomon said weakly, as his vision started to fade completely. "But... who are you?" "My name is one that has been forgotten by time, my son..." The voice explained, "But you may call me..." The world went black. "...Father..." The Present... "Oh... my head..." Shade moaned, as he was beginning to regain consciousness. He was about to bring a hoof to his head... only to realize that he couldn't move his hooves...or his body. "What the..." Shade glanced at his body, seeing his entire body was tied with lots of rope, obviously Knots' work. He could barely move, "What is this?!" "Oh, look who's up..." A voice sneered. Shade glanced around, finding himself being carried by Girth, while the other Thieves were walking aside him. "Guys!" Shade struggled in his bonds, "Let me out of this! Please!" "Never!" The triplets chorused. "Not after what you did to us." Knots snarled. "What are you talking about?!" Shade growled, "I didn't do anything!" "Oh, really?" Flying Daggers glared, "Then why is forty one of our numbers rotting in jail cells over in Canterlot?" "...Wait, what?" Shade gaped. "What do you mean?! I was over there, and I didn't see any of them!"' "Probably because you were smooching it up with your rich cousin and his rich friends." Scirocco sneered. "What happen? Did you decide that you were too good for us?" "Are you bucking kidding me, Scirocco?!" Shade snarled. "You're the one who came up with the idea!" "Maybe, but my idea didn't entail ratting out our hideout to the Guards." Scirocco smirked. "How else could they gotten the magic words? I heard that you were getting pretty cozy with them." "No, it isn't like that!" Shade insisted, "I didn't tell anypony anything! This is some crazy misunderstanding!" "Well, it seems perfectly undertsandable to us." Scirocco declared. "You sold us out to your new Canterlot friends. So you could live the life of luxury and not have to consort with us 'ne'er do wells'." "I would never do that!" Shade yelled. "Whatever Solomon told you is a lie!" "But it all adds up." Knots declared. "He must be right." "And you believe him?" Shade frowned. "You and the others were the ones who wanted me to challenge him in the first place, because you didn't want him to lead anymore!" "That's because we thought you could do better than him." Flying Daggers admitted. "But it looks like we were wrong." "After being forced to endure your weak leadership, I think we've all realized how much we really needed Solomon." Scirocco sneered. "For all his flaws, he didn't waste our time with nonsense like 'mercy' and 'restraint'." "So you're just going to let him take control again?" Shade asked. "Things are going to be different this time." The Chineighse stallion declared. "Solomon has teamed up with some very powerful ponies since we last saw him. In fact, that's where we're headed right now: to meet them." Shade had no idea who Solomon's new associates were, but he was certain they weren't going to be a pleasant bunch. 'What are you dragging us into, Solomon?' He thought. Soon, they came upon a cave in the cliffside gazing upon Canterlot. Waiting just outside it was none other than Loveless and Sterling. "There you are, Solomon." Loveless declared, "I was wondering what was keeping you." "Sorry to keep you waiting." Solomon apologized, as he gestured to the Thieves, "I had earlier obligations to attend to before we got started." "Earlier obligations, huh?" Sterling glared, as he glanced at the group, "And who is this motely crew? I wasn't aware that we would be having desert rats on this trip." "Hey!" Scirocco snarled, as he held up his bladed hoof, "Who ya callin' a desert rats?" "Easy, Scirocco." Solomon soothed, as he glared back at Sterling, "These desert rats happen to be my old friends from before I joined the Forefathers. I used to head their team back in the days, and now, I wish to bring them along to assist us with our... 'project'." "Really?" Sterling grunted, "As if this plan of yours wasn't already dangerous enough, you're now adding guys we never met into the mix?" He then noticed Shade, who was still struggling, "And who is this? A hostage?" "Just a loose end I need to tie up." Solomon explained, as he then walked over and pushed Shade onto the ground, elliciting a groan form him. "This here is Shade Paladin." "Paladin?" Loveless gasped, "As in Prince Shine Paladin?" "Yes, but it goes much deeper." Solomon smirked darkly. "This here is Black Knight's son." "Black Knight?" Sterling raised a brow, "I was not aware that he had a son." "Well, apparently, neither did a whole lot of ponies." Solomon shrugged, "I figure he would make for some interesting conversations when we take Canterlot by storm." "Canterlot? What are you doing, Solomon?" Shade growled. "More importantly, what does my father-" "Hey, is that Lightnin' I hear?!" Coming from the cave was Ricochet. "Yo, it is!" Ricochet smiled, "Whaddup, boss?" He then noticed the Thieves and Shade, "And who are these guys? Some homies of yours, Thunder?" "You can say that." Solomon nodded, "But onto important matters... is it ready?" "Well, we're glad you asked, Solomon." Loveless smiled, as he gestured into the cave, "Come this way." "Hey, you hadn't answered me!" Shade snarled, "What are you planning-" Scirocco suckered punched him in the guts. "Shut it, punk." Scirocco sneered. As everpony made their way into the cave, a recovering Shade being dragged by Girth, they came upon a frightening sight: a monstrosity of metal, resembling a giant spider. It was well over a hundred feet tall, with framework comprised of solid steel, cannons and other weapons built into its body. Dozens of workers clung to its body, making final adjustments. As Shade brought his head up to gaze at the machine, he was stupefied. 'Holy buck...' He gaped. "Is that... a giant spider?" Flying Daggers asked. "Big bug..." Girth said, slack-jawed. "Spiders are arachnids, not bugs..." Knots growled. "A tad excessive, don't you think?" The Chineighse stallion asked. "You know what they say." Jump declared. "Go big... Leap stated. "Or go home." Spin finished. "What is that monstrosity?" Scirocco asked, gazing at the metal spider. "The key to the kingdom..." Solomon smirked. "This here, boys, will be our ride to Canterlot. Loveless, if you will..." "Gladly." Loveless wheeled to the front. "Gentlecolts, I present to you, the Iron Arachnid Mark Two. A fully loaded war machine, capable of operating in all terrain, climbing up and down walls, heavily armored, comfortably carries one hundred ponies... and gets sixty miles to the gallon." "Don'tcha forget the best part, Wheels!" Ricochet joined him. "This baby comes loaded to a T with the best weapons on the black market. High-powered artillery cannons, spear-flinging turrets, flamethrowers, missile launchers, and capture nets, to fit the spider motif. Also comes loaded with AC, stereo systems, and air bags as standard. And my favorite part..." He walked over to a leg, and elbows it, as a lid open to reveal... a fridge filled with an assortment of alcohol. "Nine coolers stocked with beverages: one on each leg, and one in the cockpit." He took out a can, open it, and began chugging. "...And why did you add that to a war machine?" Solomon glared, "This is meant for battle, not a night out on the town." "Be a great way to pick up some tail, though." Ricochet smirked. "Personally, I would have done without all those things cluttering up my invention." Loveless frowned, before turning to Solomon, "But aside that... what do you think?" "Gotta say, Loveless, you outdone yourself." Solomon smirked, before tilting his head. "But... I'm not that crazy about the name. I mean, Iron Arachnid? That sounds so boring. Might as well call it the 'Metal Spider'." "To be honest, I wanted to call it the 'X-ATM092'." Loveless shook his head, "Unfortunately, some fools over at some country called 'Galbadia' already owned the name." "Galbadia?" Ricochet grimaced. "That's a rather stupid name for a country. What's next? Balamb? Trabia?" "Well, I for one think 'Iron Arachnid' suits it just well." Sterling smiled. "...But Mark Two? What happened to Mark One?" "...I rather not say." Loveless murmured. "It's something I rather not go into." "Good, because we have a busy day ahead of us." Solomon clapped his hooves, as he turned to the Thieves, "Bring our little prisoner to the cockpit." "At once." Scirocco nodded. "Come along, boys." Shade was pulled out of the cage by Flying Daggers. "Come on, traitor." Daggers spat. "For the last time, I'm not-" Shade started. "We don't care!" Knots shoved some rope in his mouth. As the Thieves departed, Silas and Lunard emerged. "Ah, there you are, Solomon." Silas scowled. "I have a bone to pick with you." "What is it, Silas?" Solomon growned. "Oh, I don't know." Silas snorted. "Maybe it's the fact that I'm being forced to bunk it down in the belly of the machine with this featherbrain!" He pointed to Lunard. "It ain't exactly a picnic for me, either." Lunard snarled. "I thought I was gonna see some action, not the insides of a metal spider with this whiner for company!" "Dudes, chill." Ricochet frowned. "You're totally harshing our moment of triumph." "Yeah, right..." Sterling snorted. "You should be glad you're playing a part in the operation of my greatest creation." Loveless scowled. "I didn't join this outfit to be a grease monkey." Silas spat. "And I didn't join to stand around doing enough while others are having all the fun!" Lunard added. "Just stow it, alright?" Solomon snarled, as he turned to Loveless. "So, is this thing ready to get going?" "Fully operational." Loveless nodded, "We mobilize at your order." "Good." Solomon smirked, his anger abated, "Let's get this party started..." The group entered the machine. The workers all climbed inside. Moments passed. Then slowly, ominously, gears began to grind, as the mechanical spider rose up, and began to crawl its way out of teh cave... Meanwhile, back in Canterlot... Shade awoke in bed, Celestia nuzzled up against him. "Good morning, cherryblossom." He smiled. "Good morning, darling." Celestia sighed. The two of them got out of bed, cleansed themselves, and shared breakfast. "I think I'll go check on the Guards." Shine declared, as tehy left the dining room. "As you wish." Celestia kissed him. "I'll be in the garden when you're done." "I'll be there." Shine grinned. As Shine walked down the hallway, he took the time to take in how things were turning back to normal. After that one talk, it seemed like all the anger and animosity that had lingering over both their heads had faded away. All morning, there had been no arguments, no yelling, and no cold shoulders. It was as if the few days had never happened. Everything was as it should be... or so Shine had thought. As he went about his walk, his mind would keep lingering back to Shade. Despite everything, it hurt Shine to let him go like that. He felt as if he had failed, and that Shade could go down the same path his father had. Shine shook his head. "What's done is done, Shine." Shine sighed, "You did all you could, but if Shade wants to live his life a thief, then you just have to let him go..." Suddenly, a guard approached him. "Your highness, there is a mare at the front gates who wishes to see you." The Guard. announced. "She says it is 'urgent family business'." "Are you referring to Mist?" Shine frowned. "No, sir." The Guard shook his head. "This mare is a Earth Pony, possibly from out of town. She claims that you know her son..." "Son?" Shine gaped, "No... it can't be... why would she be here?" "Sir, are you alright?" The guard asked. "...I'm fine." Shine nodded. "Bring her to the throne room, and I will speak with her." Shine quickly found Celestia in the gardens. "Shine, is there something wrong?" Celestia noted his tiredness. "Not exactly." Shine shrugged. "I just need you to come with me to meet somepony who wants to see me. It's... urgent." "...Very well." Celestia nodded, seeing the panicked look in Shine's eyes. "Let's go." The two made their into the throne room. Just as Shine suspected, it was School Belle. She seemed very tired, and her eyes looked like she was crying recently. "Your majesties..." Belle bowed. "I thank you both for wanting to see me." "The pleasure is ours." Celestia nodded, noting her condition, "But forgive me for asking... why brings you here? My husband told me that you wanted to see him." "Right..." Belle raised to her hooves, "I am here, because I am looking for my son... Shade Paladin." "Shade?" Celestia gasped. "You mean... you're Shade's mother? As in the mare that... Black... slept with?" "That I am." Belle nodded. "I know what you must think of him, but to me, he was a charming, caring stallion." "I see..." Celestia said flatly. "Miss Belle, I'm glad to see you up and about... and a little surprised." Shine mused. "I was under the impression that you were still stricken with illness." "My doctor tells me I've been responding better to the treatments than he expected." Belle revealed. "In fact, I'm almost back to full health. I certainly had enough strength for this little trip." "Well, I'm sorry to inform you that Shade..." Shine let out a sigh. "...went home." "I know that!" Belle frowned. "That's why I'm here! When Shade came back home a few nights ago, we got into this argument, and he just left..." She sniffed, "And I haven't seen him since. It wasn't likely, but I thought maybe he came back here." "Well, he didn't." Shine shrugged. "Perhaps he's just spending time with some... friends." "He'd choose to be with 'friends' rather than family?" Belle asked. Shine glanced at Belle in shock. "I... I don't know what you mean." Shine said awkwardly. "Please don't insult my intelligence, your highness." Belle declared. "I knew from the moment I saw you that you and my Shade were related." "How so?" Celestia frowned, "I mean, your son and Shine don't look that much alike." "I knew because I saw Shine's necklace." Belle pointed to Shine's necklace. "...A long time ago, Shade's father, Black Knight, made one exactly like that for me. He told me that it was unique, a piece of him for me to hold onto. When he left, I gave it to Shade. It was a long shot, but I knew it was more than a concidence... you must be White Knight's son." "Wait, you know about White?" Shine gaped. "I didn't think Black would have told you given..." "He didn't." Belle shook her head. "When Black was with me, he often had these nightmares, and he kept constantly murmuring White's name in his sleep. When I learned who Black was, I looked into his family, and I found White Knight..." "Then you are aware of what had befallen Black?" Celestia frowned. "Yes..." Belle sighed. "I know how you both must feel about him, and wondering why I would even consort myself with him. But I will have you know that the pony that died on the day of the Crystal Sun incident was not the Black I knew..." "Well, if it's any consolation, I like to think he wasn't at his best, either." Shine sighed. "I wanted to make sure Shade didn't go down that dark path... but things didn't work out like I hoped..." "Judging by the bag of gold he was carrying, I think I can guess what happened." Belle frowned. "Yes, he did try to steal from us." Shine admitted. "And he was arrested for it. But I broke him out." "You did?" Belle mused. "Yeah." Shine nodded, "He might had been a thief, but he was still family... or at least... was..." "Oh... I see." Belle murmured, "That explains why he was in such a bad mood." "Things didn't exactly end well between your son and Shine." Celestia put a comforting hoof on Shine's shoulder. "We had thought that we would never hear from him again... but yet you are here... which begs the question... why are you looking for your son?" "Well... I believe he might be in trouble..." Belle frowned. "Like those Fifty Thieves may have done something to him." "So you know about them?" Shine murmured. "So do you, apparently." Belle noted. "I wasn't sure if you did or not, but I had to risk it. I wasn't exactly sure myself till that night he came home with that bag of loot. That's what led to the argument... I didn't want him to steal for me anymore..." "I assume Shade didn't take that very well?" Celestia frowned knowingly. "Absolutely." Belle nodded, "That's why I'm here. I hadn't heard from him in days, and I think he might had gotten into trouble with those thieves." "Well, Belle, you might be interested to know that most of the Fifty Thieves were captured by the Guards." Celestia revealed. "...Wait, they were?" Shine turned to Celestia. "Call Duty brought in many of their number just before the celebration." Celestia recalled. "I didn't think it was particulary important at the time." "Well, I guess that eliminates them as suspects." Shine shrugged. "Shade's not with them, at least." "Then what happened to him?" Belle frowned. "You must do something!" "...Look, Belle, I wish I could help you... but I can't." Shine frowned. "I already stuck my neck out for him once, and look where that got us. I do not wish to make the same mistake twice." "Please, Shine, I know he has wronged you..." Belle pleaded. "But he is my son. He's all I have left in this world. He is a good boy, who got led astray... "Who betrayed my trust." Shine retorted. "Our being family didn't mean anything to him, so why should it mean anything to me?" "Shine..." Celestia frowned. "Look, Shade might had made some mistakes." Belle declared. "But that doesn't mean you'll have to. I know what kind of stallion you are, Shine... and you would never forgive yourself if you let something bad happen to him..." Shine's determination started to falter. "Shine, you know how I feel about Shade." Celestia declared. "But for all he has done, his mother is innocent. She doesn't deserve the pain of losing her son, no matter what kind of criminal he is. and, as much as I hate to admit it, it is our duties to help all in need, even the likes of Shade." "Please?" Belle pleaded. Shine sighed deeply. "You're right." Shine shook his head. "Shade isn't my favorite pony in the world right now, but he's still family. I have to least make sure he's okay. I'll put the Guards on it immediately." "Thank you, Shine." Belle beamed, as she let out a few coughs, "You have no idea how much this means to me." "I think I do." Shine nodded. "I assure you, Shade will be found. "In the meantime, we'll have one of the servants escort you to the one of the guest rooms." Celestia smiled. "As you wish, your highness." Belle beamed. After Belle was shown to her room, Shine and Celestia stood in the throne room. "Are you sure about this, cherryblossom?" Shine asked. "I know Shade is kind of a sore spot..." "I meant what I said, Shine." Celestia smiled. "Shade, for all his failings, is in need of help. Regardless of my personal feelings, I would never allow one one of my subjects to suffer needlessly." "You're the best, cherryblossom." Shine nuzzled her. "So are you." Celestia beamed. Outside, Elite was about to depart. The time had come for him to return to the RDL Headquarters, located in Quadtico, not far from Canterlot. There, he would be announcing the new RDL General. Fletcher and Call had been called to join Elite in his carriage, which was being prepped. Caboose and Dull passed them by. Fletcher gave Caboose the cold shoulder. "Heh, there go two wastes of perfectly good armor." Call said snidely. "So, this is it." Elite nodded. "Once we arrive at HQ, there will be a few further evaluations, and by the end of the day, I shall pick the new successor. Any questions?" "Only one." Call held up a hoof. "Why is the captain here? My understanding is that there was only one position." "There is." Elite nooded. "Then why is he here? I assume that both he and the Lieutenant were out of the running." Call glared at Fletcher. "As wrong as I want to say you are, I too am curious." Fletcher frowned. "I feared that recent events have altered your opinion of me..." "Well, at first, I was unsure to even consider you anymore... but then I realize that it was unfair to just write a pony off for one mistake." Elite smiled, "That is why, as of now, two of you are both in the running." "Really, sir?" Fletcher lit up. "Just mind your behaviors from here on out and you might have a chance yet." Elite assured. "Seriously?" Call scoffed. "I'm sorry, but I had in little time, brought in forty-some bandits and caught the Western Shade, on top of all my other accomplishments as a Royal Guard. I don't get why I am not a shoe-in at this point!" "You forgot to mention that while you caught the Western Shade, you also lost him in the same night." Elite frowned. "...Minor details." Call pouted. "In spite of everything, it's still anypony's game." Elite declared, "It won't be till tonight that I finally make my decision." "Thank you so much, sir, I promise you, I won't let you down." Fletcher smiled. "Good to hear." Elite smiled. "Well, I for one, am sure that the best stallion will be chosen." Call smirked. "So am I." Fletcher nodded. "So... Fletcher, I couldn't help but notice the stink eye you were giving the Lieutenant when we got into the carriage." Elite remarked. "...Is everything alright between you two?" "Honestly?" Fletcher felt a cold scowl on his face. "No. I only made the mistake I made because I listened to him. But don't worry, I swear, it will not happen again." "But you two seem to get along so well." Elite frowned. "Yeah, we did..." Fletcher sighed, before scowling again, "But it's all his fault. He brought this upon us. Upon me..." He fumed. "...Caboose actually came by my quarters later that night." Elite revealed. "...What?" Fletcher gaped. "Oh, yes. He told me everything." Elite explained. "He told me about how much this position meant to you and how he made a promise to you. In fact, he even asked that full responsibility over that 'Western Shade' debacle should be leveled on him, so it wouldn't effect your standing..." "So he's the reason he's here?" Call glared. "Caboose... actually did all that?" Fletcher murmured, his face fraught with guilt. "Indeed. He was even willing to let me have my way with him if it meant giving you a second chance." Elite smirked. "...That Lieutenant of yours gave up his own shot at the job so you could have another chance." "Oh, Caboose..." Fletcher sighed. "He also mentioned how he was trying to hold back so that you would have a better chance." Elite continued. "Something I don't really care for, you know... but that's something I will look over... only if you answer me this one question." "What?" Fletcher frowned. "Why is it that you are so intent on gaining this position?" Elite asked. "So much that you would cast aside a friend like Caboose for supposedly ruining your chances?" "Well... because I seek to protect and uphold the laws of Equestria." Fletcher replied. "It's been my dream..." "An good dream as it is, I sense that's not the whole reason." Elite said sagely. "Please, Captain. The whole truth." "...Okay..." Fletcher sighed, shaking his head. "The truth is... my wife and I... we're going to have a foal. I mean, we aren't poor by any means. The job I have and Dove's career suports us both nicely, but when the foal come, it would soon just be me supporting this family, and I... I..." "Let me guess. You are uncertain that your job would be enough to support your family, so you want the General position and that hefty paycheck." Elite said knowingly. "I know... it is completely selfish of me." Fletcher sighed, "Wanting such a prestigious job for something as pitiful as money..." "Of course not." Elite assured him, "You just want to take care of your growing family. Something as noble as that can never truly be selfish." Call scoffed quietly. "Thank you, sir." Fletcher smiled. "...However, that doesn't mean you should throw away your friendships." Elite remarked. "...I know." Fletcher sighed, "I guess I just got so caught up with this whole mess with Shade and trying to please you that I..." "We all make mistakes, Fletcher." Elite nodded, "But just a word of advice... friends like Caboose don't come often. When you find one, you hang onto them." "That's what you should do, yes..." Fletcher sighed. "Caboose was a good friend. He did so much for me. But I threw it all back in his face... said such awful things..." "I'm sure it was nothing that dolt didn't deserve." Call said snidely. "Whatever you said, it was far too soft-" "Shut up!" Fletcher rounded on Call. "Do not talk about Caboose like that!" "And why not?" Call asked. "He's a joke of a Guard! Always has been!" "No, he's not." Fletcher retorted. "He is the most loyal, dependable, and capable Guards it has ever been my pleasure to work with. A pity I can't say the same for you!" "Well at least I don't consort with criminals!" Call sneered. "Don't forget, it was because of your soft spot for that scum that the son of Black Paladin almost came and robbed us blind." "Which kinda begs another question." Elite frowned. "How exactly did you figure out that Shade was the Western Shade and that both Fletcher and Caboose knew about him? Only Shine confirmed that he knew about Shade in the first place." "I have my resources." Call said gruffly. "Ones that you won't share." Fletcher noted. "Sounds suspicious..." "We all have our special secrets that help us get ahead." Call grinned. "Perhaps, but we musn't forget that we are part of a team." Elite declared. "A part of something bigger than ourselves. Which just where we're going..." "Exactly, sir." Fletcher nodded, as Call glared. "And now, my fine fellows, destiny awaits..." Elite smiled. On the front of the carriage, a sullen Caboose and Dull sat, holding the reins of the pulling ponies. "What do you think they're talking about in there?" Caboose frowned. "I don't know..." Dull sighed. "At least Fletcher still has a chance." Caboose tried to keep a happy face, but his voice was tinged with sadness. "Even if it cost us our friendship." "I still can't believe Shade was a crook..." Dull frowned. "I thought he was a friend. How could things have turned out so badly...." "Could be worse." Caboose shrugged. "We could be getting attacked by a giant mecha spider. Meanwhile, the towering mechanical 'Iron Arachnid' made its way toward Canterlot. In the cockpit, Solomon, Loveless (who, as the machine's creator, was behind the wheel), Ricochet, Sterling, the Thieves, and the still rope-tied and captive Shade were on the control platform (situated on the behemoth's head). "Steady as she goes, Loveless." Solomon grinned. "Soon, Canterlot will know our wrath." "Don't you worry, Solomon. This machine was built to be unstoppable." Loveless assured, "It took me years, but now the Iron Arachnid is truly a force to be reckoned with!" "...Eh, still not crazy about the name." Solomon frowned. "Yeah, only you are the only part of this whole plan is the part that is not crazy." Sterling snorted. "Is there something you want to say, Sterling?" Solomon glared at him. "Yes. I don't mean to doubt Loveless's hoofiwork, but this seems to be a bit of overkill, if we are just going after Celestia and Luna. I mean three dozen cannons? Is there anything else you want to kill while we're out?" Sterling growled. "You think that those princesses are going to let us waltz up to their front door?" Solomon sneered, "No, they're probably gonna call in all the reinforcements they can get. With this baby, we can just plow right in." "Boy, won't that be a sight?" Ricochet smirked. "Seems like an overblown show of force to me." Sterling snorted. "This whole thing is nuts, if you ask me." "Then why are you here, Sterling?" Solomon growled. "Maybe I want a front row seat when it all goes to pot." Sterling sneered. "And then I get to say 'I told you so'." He gave a sideways glance at Loveless, who was too focused on piloting the machine. What he said wasn't entirely true... but he wasn't about to say what it was to him. "Or, on the other hoof, the plan will go off without a hitch, and I will lord my victory over you." Solomon smirked. "Jeez, guys, can't you turn it off for like, five seconds?" Ricochet groaned. "You're really killin' my buzz. Can't we just enjoy the fact that we're about to rain down hell?" "Oh, I certainly will." Solomon smirked. "You would..." Sterling muttered. "This calls for a couple of beers!" Ricochet smirked, as he elbows yet another panel, which turned out to be another cooler, as he pulls out a couple of beer bottles, "Herdekins all around!" "Oh, this is gonna be good." Knots smirked. "Yeah, the score to end all scores." Flying Daggers added. "Good thing we've got room to carry all the gold and jewels." Girth grinned. "We will go down in history for this." The Chineighse stallion smirked. "As the greatest thieves ever!" The triplets chorused. Suddenly, Ricochet turned to a speaker fixed to the panel. "Yo, Darkpony! Crackerbeak! Want some?!" Ricochet called. In the lower levels, Lunard and Silas were lurking around, having been ordered to do so. "No thanks." Silas said sullenly to the return speaker. "Don't really see anything to celebrate about down here. It figures that I get stuck behind the scenes." "What about me?" Lunard pouted. "I was looking forward to seeing the show. And yeah, I will have some beer. Anything to kill the boredom." "How about you three?" Ricochet pointed to Solomon, Sterling, and Loveless. "Can't. Driving." Loveless refused promptly. "No thanks." Sterling shook his head. "The only buzz I will need is when Titanfall reaches completion." Solomon gave a dark smirk. "He sure is obsessed with that Titanfall thing." Girth mused. "With the amount of riches it'll net us, I don't blame him." Jump declared. "Come on, guys." Shade tried to reason with his old friends. "This isn't right. You have to let me go!" "We don't 'have' to do anything you say anymore." Flying Daggers scowled. "Because you are no longer our leader." Knots added. "Betrayal tends to have that effect." The Chineighse stallion spat. "I didn't betray you." Shade insisted. "I never would. You guys are like family to me." The Thieves' faces fell, touched by Shade's admission. They, too, had felt the same way. "Don't listen to his lies." Solomon approached them. "He'd say anything to try and curry sympathy..." "You lying, doubledealing..." Shade growled. "That's right, shoot off your mouth." Solomon sneered. "That's all you can do right now... and just for the record, nopony's listening." "Um, excuse me!" Solomon and everypony looked to see Scirocco coming in. "What is it, Scirocco?" Solomon asked. "Well, since we are doing this thing and all, I decided to look this baby over and... I found something quite disconcerting." Scirocco announced. "Oh, really? What is that?" Solomon said nonchalantly. "Where are we supposed to put the gold?" Scirocco inquired. "Gold?" Sterling and Loveless frowned, the latter turning away from his machine. "Hey, what's Baldie talkin' about?" Ricochet asked. "What do you mean what I am talking about? Solomon told me that we were pillaging Canterlot. You know, taking their riches and murdering their loved ones? Yet this baby looks like she carries less then a small bank full." Scirocco pointed out. "Taking riches?" Sterling snorted. "Look, pal, I don't know what you think it is we're doing... in fact, I don't even know what exactly we're doing, but there was no 'robbing' in the detail." "Say what?! Solomon!" Scirocco glared at him. "What's going on here?! You said you would be bringing us to our former glory!" "Surely, you must be mistaken." Loveless frowned, as he then honked a horn, which set the spider on autopilot. "This is Project: Titanfall. An operation in which we usurp the princesses from their throne, take over Canterlot, and further the power of the Forefathers. Nothing entails that we would be making off with anything of monetary value." "But we were told-" Scirocco started. Solomon chuckled darkly. "Solomon?" Scirocco frowned. "Solomon, what is with the laughing?" Loveless asked. "Yeah. You only do that when somepony is about to get dunked on." Ricochet admitted. "He never did that before..." Flying Daggers frowned, as the other Thieves looked on awkwardly. "What are you going to do, Solomon?" Sterling muttered. "Here it comes..." Shade frowned. "Oh, Scirocco... it seems you misunderstood my intentions." Solomon smirked. "I said I have no need for money. That means this mission is solely for the sake of bringing down the monarchy that is the Princesses of Equestria. No bits involved." The Thieves were aghast. While they had no problem with killing, overthrowing the rulers of Equestria was never even considered (they didn't really understand what Loveless meant by usurp). But none were more outraged than Scirocco. "You bucker! You say we would be making a killing!" Scirocco roared. "How can we make a killing, if all we are doing is killing? That makes no sense!" "And who said you would be taking part in this killing?" Solomon grinned. Scirocco stepped back, noting the gleam in Solomon's eyes. "What are you talking about?" He asked, a tad afraid. "What are you doing, Solomon?" Shade spoke up. "Taking care of business." Solomon declared. "Why, you-" Scirocco raised his hoof. Suddenly, Scirocco was hit with a lightning bolt, one far more powerful than those Shade had experienced. "Scirocco!" Shade yelped. The other Thieves froze in shock. Scirocco stumbled back, his body twitching with electricity, catching himself on the railing. Solomon held up a hoof, crackling with said electricity. "You idiot... you were so blinded by your bloodlust, that you couldn't see that you were being played." Solomon taunted him. "Solomon..." Scirocco panted. "I... I don't understand." "Hmph, you are a fool, Scirocco. Thinking that you could go all these years having done what you did, and not fear retribution?" Solomon sneered. "Retribution?" Scirocco was struck by realisation. "You mean, back then?! You said you were over that! That you had more important things than some petty grudge!" Yes... that important thing in question was planning yours and the Fifty Thieves' demise!" Solomon roared. "What?!" Shade gasped. "Demise?!" Scirocco croaked. "DEMISE?!" The thieves screamed in unison. "Fifteen years ago, after everything I'd done for you, you guys decided to overthrow me... kill me... and replace me with this kid!" Solomon pointed to Shade. "You really think I would just forget that?! Have you no idea the crap I had to deal with before I met you buckers?!" "Um... no..." Scirocco murmured, "You never once said a thing about your past. In fact, we never knew what went on in your head. That's a part of why we wanted you out!" "Oh, because you were afraid of what I was capable of?" Solomon glared. "...Yeah, that's about it." Scirocco confessed. "But why are you doing this now?" "Unfinished business." Solomon declared. "You see, when I barely survived that fall from my fight with Shade, I was approached by none other than Father himself. He came to me, promising me that eternal vengeance would be mine. Over a decade has passed, and in that time, I had let you, Shade, and the lot of you go unpunished. So I devised a plan that I would enact before carrying out Titanfall. A plan that would allow me to do away with the group that betrayed me." "So... you ratting us out to the guards..." Solomon frowned. "Just killing forty-some birds with one stone." Solomon shrugged. "Fortunately for me, there was this guard so full of himself, that it was easy to get him to do my bidding... and bringing Shade to me." "So you were the one that told Call..." Shade deduced. "Of course." Solomon nodded. "But I knew that Shine, being the noble bleeding-heart stallion he was, would break out his 'no-good cousin' and you would scurry back to your home..." He looked upon the seven thieves. "And you seven buffoons did well in securing him." "So... Shade... didn't betray us?" Girth gaped. "No, you dumb fat-ass." Solomon sneered, "It was all me. But you seven were so stupid as to believe anything somepony told you. Especially me, the one you all betrayed." "What have we done?" Knots frowned. "How could we have believed that monster?" Flying Daggers asked. "We are all idiots!" The triplets chorused. "Shade... you did not deserve this..." The Chineighse stallion sighed. "...It's alright, guys..." Shade murmured. "So, with most of the team behind bars, jailed for life... I would personally take care of the those who remained..." He turned to Scirocco. "Especially you and Shade." "Me?" Scirocco yelped. "Hold on. Shade was the one who took your spot as leader! Not me!" "HA!" Solomon chuckled derisively, "You fool, you think I don't remember how it was you who put Shade up to challenging me? Well, here we are now, with you teaming up with me in taking down Shade." "Scirocco?!" Flying Daggers roared. "You were in on this?" "You went behind our backs?" Knots growled. "Despicible!" The triplets yelled. "Guys, guys, it's not what it seems!" Scirocco stammered, "I only wanted things back to the way they were!" "Yet the only reason it stopped being like that was because you were unhappy with the way 'things were'." Solomon sneered. "Why was that, Scirocco? Why were you unhappy with how I run things?" "It.. it was like I said before." Scirocco stammered. "Your way of doing things... just wasn't working any more! W-we needed a new brand of leadership!" "Then why did you want Shade gone?" Flying Daggers snarled. "You were always complaining about how Shade was too soft!" "He was soft, but he didn't waste our time on taking weapons!" Scirocco retorted. "Solomon may have had us taking on more than we could chew, but we were free to be as brutal as we liked! But there was so little profit, unlike with Shade..." "You don't think I see what it is you truly wanted?" Solomon glared. "It was never about who you wanted in charge... it was a matter of what stood in your way of leading the Thieves yourself." "That... that's ridiculous!" Scirocco spluttered. "Is it?" Solomon sneered. "You really are pathetic, aren't you? You wanted somepony better in charge, but you didn't have the stones to go for the job yourself. Because you didn't want the responsibilities of being a real leader. No, much better to be the number two, so you can reap the glory, but not the blame. You spineless fool." Scirocco's anger grew with each word. "It's hard to say who's a bigger disappointment: You, or Shade." Solomon snorted. "At least Shade had the guts to challenge me directly. Even if you talked him into it, like the opportunistic weasel you are." "You son of a-" Scirocco threw his bladed hoof at Solomon, only for Solomon to catch the blade with his hoof, not bleeding at all. "And now, your time of reckoning has come." Solomon announced. "Take pride in knowing that the empire that we once had together is destroyed, because of your own pitiful needs to be in charge." "I'm gonna kill you!" Scirocco tried to pull his hoof free. "I will make you pay for this!" "Yeah, that will be the day..." Solomon sneered. "Solomon! Don't kill him!" Shade pleaded. "What's this? You're asking me to spare him? After what he did to you?" Solomon mused. "Yes! He's a rat, but he doesn't deserve this! None of them do!" Shade nodded. "Please..." "The kid's right." Sterling nodded. "Stop this!" "Yeah, be cool!" Ricochet added. "This was not part of the plan!" Loveless added. "Leave the poor wretch alone!" "I'm sorry, everypony... but that's just not your call." Solomon said coldly. Solomon's electricity began crackling, flowing through Scirocco's blades into his body, shocking him, his screams of agony becoming hard to bear from the others in the cockpit, especially to Shade. "ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!" Scirocco screeched, as Solomon poured more voltage into his body. "Ah, sweet vengeance..." Solomon gloated, a mad gleam in his eyes. "This isn't right..." Loveless said weakly. "I think I'm gonna..." Ricochet's mouth bulged as he vomited. "You monster..." Sterling growled. "NO! Solomon, please! Please!" Shade begged. Solomon ignored Shade, increasing the voltage spewing form his hoof. Scirocco cried out in agony, as his body was roasted. His blood boiled, escaping his eyes, and his bald head was frying. "That's enough!" Shade yelled, on the brink of breaking down, "Please!" "Not yet it's not." Solomon snarled, unleashing another surge of lightning. "YAHHHHH!" Solomon screamed louder than ever. The scream was replaced by a gurgling wheeze. Solomon finally released Scirocco, and his scorched body fell to the ground, lifeless. "Scirocco..." Flying Daggers gasped. "No..." Girth whimpered. "Murderer!" Knots roared, as the Thieves turned to face Solomon. "How could you?" The Chineighse stallion snarled. "Quite easily, actually." Solomon smirked, as he blew smoke off his hoof. "You'll pay for that!" The triplets yelled, as the remaining Thieves closed in on Solomon. "I think not." Solomon sneered, as he kicked a nearby switch. Suddenly, the metal under the Thieves' hooves sprang up, tossing them off the platform and into the air. "Guys!" Shade screamed. The Thieves landed with thuds along the side of a cliff, not far from Canterlot. "Owie..." Girth groaned. "Well, that was... rude." Knots cringed. "Ha... ha..." Flying Daggers gave a snide laugh, as he rose to his hooves. "Is that all you got?! Throwing us off the spider?!" Suddenly, the Iron Arachnid stopped, as it then turned to face them, with cannons primed to fire. "Those are... really big cannons." The Chineighse stallion gulped. "No kidding." The triplets cringed. "Whoa, that wasn't a challenge, now!" Flying Daggers grimaced. "Solomon, what are you doing?!" Loveless demanded, as Solomon took his place at the control panel. "Scirocco was first on my list." Solomon sneered. "I'm just taking care of the rest of them before I move on to Shady here." "Solomon, no!" Shade yelled. "Please, let them go! Your beef is with me! Leave them out of this!" "I'm sorry, Shade, but I cannot do that." Solomon smirked as he glanced at the Thieves, and yelled. "Any last words before I turn you all to paste?!" The Thieves glanced at each other... before one of them spoke. "We're really sorry, pal!" Flying Daggers yelled. "...Seriously?" Solomon scoffed. "Apologies won't fix a thing!" "WE'RE NOT TALKING TO YOU!" The Chineighse stallion snarled, "WE'RE TALKING TO SHADE!" "We should never have doubted you." Knots sighed. "You were the best thing that ever happened to us." Girth added. "You did so much for us." Jump declared. "And asked so little in return." Leap nodded. "And this is how we repaid you..." Spin sighed. "We're so sorry, Shade." The Chineighse stallion bowed his head. "Please, forgive us." Flying Daggers pleaded. "Guys..." Shade felt tears in his eyes. "Oh, enough of this bullcrap." Solomon snarled, "Good-bye!" "NOOOOOO!" Shade screamed. The Thieves cringed in defeat as the cannon fired. KABOOOOOM! Rocks flew everywhere as a big explosion flew up into the air, leaving nothing but smoke... "Guys... no..." Shade broke down, tears streaming down his face. "Woo... gnarly explosion, dude..." Ricochet wooted weakly, still sick from Scirocco's electrocution. Sterling and Loveless stared, silent with outrage. "Good riddance." Solomon growled. "All that remains now is-" "Why?" "Huh?" Solomon turned to Shade. "Why what?" "Why did you kill them?" Shade whimpered, his tears of sorrow turning to that of anger. "They were once loyal to you... and you just... just..." "Stupid boy..." Solomon sneered darkly. "In this world, it's kill or be killed. Why would I pass up such an opportunity to kill off the ponies that had wronged me? All that had wronged me doesn't deserve to live. But don't you worry... you will be joining them soon." "...Solomon, I swear to Faust... when I get out of here..." Shade sniffed, his face contorted into a anguished snarl. "I am going to kill you. I will make you burn for this." "Please." Solomon sneered. "Even if you somehow escaped, you couldn't follow through on that threat. You never had the guts to kill, boy. I can't believe I ever thought a soft fool like you was worth my time..." Shade could do nothing but glare hatefully at Solomon as he turned away. "Loveless, proceed onwards to Canterlot." Solomon declared. "And somepony get Scirocco's body out of here! It stinks to high heaven!" Loveless glanced sympathetically at their captive, before glaring at Solomon as he returned to the control panel. At the same time, one of their minions grabbed Scirocco's burnt corpse and tossed it overboard. Sterling himself was fuming. "Was that really necessary, Solomon?" Sterling growled. "Killing them, I mean." "Yes, actually." Solomon nodded. "Those fools had it coming." "And you planned to kill them from the start?" Sterling frowned. "You were just stringing the along?" "Oh, yes." Solomon smirked. "I had no idea you could be so cruel, and petty." Sterling spat. "You disgust me." "I don't really care what you think of me." Solomon retorted. "Just as long as you stay out of my way for this one. Think you can do that?" "...We'll see." Sterling muttered. As the mechanical arachnid drew ever nearer to its target, Shade's thoughts turned to Shine. Despite their argument, Shade could help fearing the worst for him and the others. 'I'm sorry, Shine.' He thought. 'Maybe if I hadn't tried to overthrow Solomon in the first place, this wouldn't be happening now...' Shade's guilt and remorse only grew worse, as the spider descended upon Canterlot. On the other hoof, Solomon anticipation and twisted glee grew stronger. "Canterlot's about to undergo some urban renewal..." He cackled. "Not to mention a change in the class system..."