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What does it mean when I tell you that your mind is always stronger than your body? When I speak those words, you think you understand. You don’t. It means that you keep going, no matter what. When you’re tired, keep going. When you’re tired and you no longer wish to carry on, push harder. When you are tired and your will has deserted you, and your body refuses to obey, that is when you must take the next step! You think you understand, but you won’t, until you’ve proven it unto yourself.

-Thorn Blueblood

Four Years before...

“Open up you old stallion! You can’t hide in your office forever!” Shadow pounded on the office door a few more times in futility. Hooves shod in the gold-tinted adamantine of Castle Guard’s armor hammered loudly against the heavy wooden door, causing a heavy thumping to ring through the empty hall. Buried at the back of the administrative section of Canterlot Castle, nopony was around on Friday afternoon.

Dive had promised to be there, and had even taken time off to make sure of it. His schedule was up beside the door, underneath all the other mess that dignified an officer’s room, and a little note that lied to him:

Captain Grade Nine Dive Skyward

Head Records Clerk

Unavailable on Friday, 24 Blossoming, due to personal visit.

That was supposed to be my time. Where the hell are you?! Shadow had been through everything just trying to find some time to talk to his father. Ever since graduating from guard academy, every last effort had been frustrated. Upon graduation, he’d been allowed to pick his post, and had decided to forego the esteemed platoon command of the Border Scouts, or even the remotely interesting job as a City Watch Officer anywhere else in the kingdom, he’d opted to be Castle Guard. Only a small portion of the guard had the distinct honor of standing around all day in heavy armor doing nothing at all, and there was one slot for an officer to manage their shifts.

After having to endure several shifts to understand what his stallions were going through, Shadow was allowed to take up residence in an office and write shifts, approve leave, resolve petty arguments, deal with highly unimportant incidents, and other staff officer work. Protecting two Goddesses was some kind of joke, really. Posting guards around the castle and sending escorts with the princesses was first for deterrence, and second for decorum. If ponies were seriously stupid enough to try to assassinate Celestia or Luna, they’d find out very quickly that the princesses were immortal, and that they were not.

Having such a posh job was no reason to go soft, and for lack of much better else to do in his days, Shadow had frequented the gym and the flight obstacle course daily, building his strength and endurance. Sometimes out of sheer boredom, he’d lock his office door and put up the soundproofing spell built into the door, and practice his singing. All that free time was not at all what he’d expected.

The sole reason he took the Castle Guard posting was the close proximity to the Royal Guard administrative offices, housed in the same castle. There his father worked as the records clerk, the mundane job of making sure records on pay, enlistment, postings, leave, and such were recorded down into the Guard archives. It was a kicked-upstairs dead-end posting, and everypony knew it. It would logically follow that Dive had plenty of free time, and the two of them could catch up on everything that had happened since Shadow had been sent to boarding school.

That was a pretty sentiment, and one that proved to be entirely false. Dive was constantly busy dealing with all kinds of work from the higher-ups, apparently fixing all kinds of old issues in the records. When officers and nobility were not hogging Dive’s time, he was out of office, and out of town, conducting business. At times, whole days were blocked off his schedule, labeled as ‘out to retrieve records’. While Shadow was in charge of castle security, it never seemed to get him in front of anypony else to visit. Outside of work, both Dive, and his wife Sure Splint were constantly gone or busy, and the few times that they were home, they had said they did not want company.

It had been an entire month since Shadow had made grade two; the little silver star sitting next to the new moon on the forehead plate of his helmet. That made thirteen months in the guard. Thirteen months in which he’d gotten used to having his coat and wings change to white upon donning his helmet. Over a year to get used to wearing the red plumed helmet of a company grade officer, and learn that an honorific didn’t make him all the more respected, but it sure gave him more paperwork. That long, and he’d only run into his father at formal dinners and inspections, occasional group PT sessions, and twice that he’d dropped off a formal record of shift rotations.

Two weeks back, when Shadow had hefted that mass of paper to leave for Dive to deal with, he’d found Senior Sergeant Swift Slash finishing the recording for Dive. The sergeant had given Shadow a friendly greeting, and informed him that Dive was out for the next few days. Shadow had demanded that a message be given to Dive that he wanted a private meeting, and soon. This morning, Swift Slash had come by with a letter promising Shadow that meeting on Friday afternoon.

Now waiting outside the apparently empty office, Shadow grit his teeth. I don’t care if he’s a captain, he shouldn’t be ten minutes late. And he’s my dad! Short of the kingdom being in a war, he should be able to make at least a little time for me! A faint rustling stirred from the other side of the door, and Shadow lost his patience. He walked up to the door and pounded it again, bellowing.

“This is the commander of the Castle Guard and I hereby order you to open this door!”

A click sounded as the door unlocked, and Dive opened the door. He was missing his helmet, and the dull gray of his coat showed under the gilded armor. A sort of wariness showed on his eyes; but not the same you’d get from a guard threatening to kick in your door.

“Sorry I’m late, I had some stuff come up. Do you want to come in?” Dive ushered Shadow forward with a foreleg. The younger stallion followed, and his anger came with him.

“Late?! What do you mean? You were in your office the whole time!”

“Please don’t shout.” Dive shut the door. “I know you’re angry and you have every right to be, but if you just give me a minute I’ll explain everything.”

“Whenever is good for you. You’ve taken your sweet time so far.”

“Hold on now. I meant what I said. I’m sorry you’ve had to put up with me being busy, but there is a good reason for it. And I made time for you here because I want to offer you a chance to be part of it.”

Shadow’s heart lept at the thought before coming back to reality. “I’d really like to spend some more time with you, dad, but being the security commander here is boring enough without transferring to the records office.”

“Well, that wasn’t exactly what I meant. I think it would just be easier to show you.” Dive led Shadow around behind the desk, where the glowing runes of a still active teleportation spell burned on the floor. “Well, step on and let’s go.”

True to the few times he’d practiced travel by such a spell in basic, Shadow stepped onto the spell, and found himself immediately on the other side; no bright lights, noise, or change in pressure. What did change was the smell of the air, and the surroundings. He was in a circular room hewn from stone with a concrete floor, several lengths in radius. There were three other ponies standing in the room, wearing black body suits of sorts. Dive trotted over toward a large stone door one the edge of the room.

“Wait here, I’ve got just a few things to take care of.”

Looking around, Shadow couldn’t see any way to get out of the room except the stone doors in front. They looked heavy, and there was scarcely a chance that he could get them open before the other ponies clobbered him senseless. They were all pretty big, or at least taller than Shadow.

Out of both a desire to figure out a way out and a hefty measure of boredom, Shadow sized up each of the guards, or at least he figured they were guards if they were in some secret room that Dive had access to. They were all out of regulations, wearing their coats and manes all in their original colors. To his left, a tall pegasus stood, red of coat and with a short pale yellow mane. He looked slightly bored, but not nearly as impatient as the pegasus on Shadow’s right. Just as tall as the first, but sporting a coal-black coat which made his armor seem brighter. The dark pony had a pale blue mane, with streaks of white running through it. Shadow looked until that pegasus turned to face him, and was startled when he saw the eyes looking back at him. One was a dull red, while the other was a bright blue.

The only one seemingly unaffected by the long wait was holding a helmet with the stars of a Stable Sergeant on it, holding very still in the middle of the room. The little bit of his coat exposed by the suit showed to be the same white as pegasus guards wore in regulation, and his mane was gray, but it was too even to be the result of old age. He wasn’t as tall as the other two, but still taller and far more thickly built than Shadow. All three were in contrast to Shadow, whose mane and coat were an even white and blue; the spell built into his helmet keeping them firmly in regulations.

Failing to see any way past the guards, and for want of anything else to do, Shadow was about to speak up when the door him opened again. All of the other guards snapped to attention, and after a moment’s hesitation, Shadow did as well.

“Ok, relax. This isn’t going to be any more fun with you all standing like that.” Without further introductions, Dive made his way closer to Shadow, such that the four other ponies were standing in a ring around him. “Sorry for all the cloak and dagger crud, but it’s just gotta be this way. Anyways, I’m offering you a transfer of position to something very different than guard duty. After getting your cutiemark in basic, we’ve had our eyes on you to join up with Timberwolf Team.”

“I’ve never heard of ‘Timberwolf Team,'” replied Shadow in a voice far more scared than he would have liked.

“Good, because you shouldn’t have. I know you wanted to do your guard job, but do you really want to serve Equestria? Because if you do, this is your chance to become her finest servant, after the Princesses you protect.”

Shadow nodded earnestly.

“Very good. Now we all know who you are, but for the sake of introductions,” spoke Dive as he pointed to the red pony, black pony, and white pony in turn. “This here is Sergeant Razor Wings, though he’ll probably ask that you call him Savage.” Savage winked at Shadow, who winced at the harsh name.

“This is Sergeant Wild Wind, and we all call him Chaff.” Chaff smiled eagerly at Shadow. “He’s very happy to meet you at last. And this…is Stable Sergeant Storm Crasher. He’s dangerous, and even though he goes by ‘Crash’, I don’t think he ever has. Have you?”

“Once, sir.” Replied Crash in a calm voice.

“Well, guess I was mistaken. And you already know who I am, so let’s get down to business. You graduated top of your class, good marks for leadership, levelheaded thinking, and fitness. Since we needed a designated markspony, Princess Luna gave me permission to test you to see if you were up to serving with Timberwolf Team.”

“Test?” This should be good.

“Mhmm. Can’t let just anypony join, we need to see if you have the grit to get the job done. Nopony who we’ve selected has ever failed, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy. This is your chance to prove to us how badly you want to serve, how badly you want to bleed to serve your country.” Dive began to shout. “So do you?! Can I count on the colt I raised myself to grow up into a stallion I can be proud of?!”

“Yes, sir!” bellowed Shadow.

Dive looked pleased, but also sad. Looking behind himself to the still open doors he called out; “Alright then. Mama Wolf, bring it in.”

In through the doors trotted an aging unicorn in several shades of dark gray, which Shadow immediately recognized as Sure Splint. What is she doing here? She was carrying a large bundle of items in her magic, which she divvied up to the pegasi present. She laid it at Shadow’s hooves, with a friendly smile. “You’ll be wanting all of that, Shady.” Oh she did not just use that old name with these guards here! At the very top of the bundle was a small piece of parchment, showing a map.

It was mouth-drawn, but very detailed. Many trees were strewn across the middle, which Shadow guessed was a forest. To the north, from all the way on the left to the right edge of the map were a set of jagged triangles, which could only mean mountains. North of those, an irregular darkened shape sat, almost as wide as the page and perhaps a tenth of its height. Wait, I know this place, that’s Frostdale lake!

“This is a map of part of the Windego Wilds. That’s over a thousand miles away.” Shadow stated the obvious, in hopes that it would somehow not involve going there. The Wilds were a frozen and inhospitable land, where the Wendigos had been banished to after they had attempted to freeze Equestria. It was a realm of snow and ice, and few who went there ever returned.

“A good observation. Now, do you see the marks?” Dive pointed to a circle in the lower left-hoof corner, and then to an ‘X’ on the north end of the lake. “You’re starting there, and you have forty-eight hours to make it to the other mark. If you can make it to that point before time is up, we will know you have what it takes. Don’t get caught by the local wildlife, and you’ll probably want those.” Dive pointed to the rest of the bundle, which contained a compass, a set of heavy winter boots, a full body coat, and a thick saddle which Shadow hurriedly donned. While he dressed, the ponies around him popped their backs and legs nonchalantly.

“Ok, now that everything is in order, Mama Wolf, if you’d please?” asked Dive.

The gray mare nodded and her horn suddenly lit up with a double-aura of magic. As Shadow stared, the world around him faded from gray to white to gray again. A chill washed over him as he realized there was snow up to the pits of his legs. His torso was faring no better, as the wind left it freezing despite his heavy coat.

Shielding his eyes against the torrent of snow, Shadow looked around for everypony else, and found them standing in a ring, much the same way as when they had left, save for the snow blowing between them all, rendering them ghostly outlines. Dive strode toward Shadow until his form took upon detail and then yelled over the wind.

“Alright boy, we’ll see you at the end, or not. Good luck.”

A flash of magic followed, which faintly lit the surrounding area. When it faded away, Shadow found himself alone in the snow. The cool gray of the snowstorm was rendered nearly white a moment later by a flash of lightning, though the lone pegasus could see no further into the torrent of snow. Thunder boomed overhead, and he forced himself to begin marching toward where his compass said was north.

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If it was cold during the day, while the world was shrouded in endless gray, at night was cold enough to numb to the bone. When the darkness fell, the temperature dropped with it. That was two hours ago now. Shadow reckoned that was six hours after he’d entered the forest and two after he’d started. The thundersnow had kept going the whole time, harsh light coming between the dark trees.

It had been hard going at the start. The snow was very deep, a little over halfway up his legs. Not for the first time in his life he cursed his short stature. Each step had to start with pulling his leg up several hooves before he could begin to move it forward, and four times just to get one pace in. It was hard going to keep up a reasonable pace, and before he knew it, Shadow was sweating.

It wasn’t noticeable in the cold, as the constant wind kept what little body he had exposed completely numb, and the rest very cold. He noticed finally after a drop dripped down his mane and into his eye, the salt stinging the dry edges. The sudden pain caused him to jump and then fall down again into the snow. Shifting around, Shadow could feel the dampness under the heavy clothes and saddle he was wearing, and the realization chilled him more than the wind. Unless he could dry out the gear, it could very well be the death of him in wind like this. The sweat would cool and then freeze, leaving him equally cold and frozen. With a renewed determination he pressed forward, hopeful that he could get a fire going in the forest, both to dry his gear and warm himself up.

Nearly an hour passed before Shadow could make out any change in scenery in the distance. A wall of darker gray lurked at the front edge of his view. In excitement he waded harder through the snow, and that gray yielded itself to be a wall of fir trees, stretching left and right for the few lengths he could see in the snow. He couldn’t see what color they might be as each branch was buried under nearly a hoof of snow. The forest floor was equally obscured, but thankfully at a depth less than he had been trudging through out on the tundra. Trotting forward as quickly as he could, Shadow hurried into the woods.

Inside the protective wall of trunks and branches, there was little wind and far less snow than the plains he had left behind. The snow was still about two hoofs deep, but that was less than half of what it had been. While it was by no means fast going, Shadow was able to make much better time. As he pressed on, he glanced from side to side, looking for any kind of dry wood. As the minutes wore on, he was found to be disappointed; everything that wasn’t wet with snow was frozen solid. This was only made worse by the realization he lacked anything to start a fire with.

For lack of a better option, Shadow continued on in the hope that his body heat would dry out the heavy coat. He kept careful watch on his pace, making sure that he wasn’t over-exerting himself. Without the wind blowing over his form, and less snow clinging to his legs, Shadow warmed up considerably. Feeling returned to the skin under his hair, first around his torso, and then his neck and upper legs, though his face and lower legs still had no feeling.

After some time, Shadow grew hungry, yet he hadn’t seen anything above the snow to eat since he’d entered the forest. Hell, I haven’t had anything since lunch! If there was one physical condition that could slow Shadow down, it was his stomach complaining to him. Not willing to keep going if food was an option, he stopped to dig around in the snow.

Shadow was not expecting much in the way of vegetation under the snow, but what he found caused him to groan. Or rather, what he didn’t find. Beneath the snow, and beneath the ice below that, there was nothing but dark brown of the frozen earth. How these trees grow here I’ll never know. Pine needles for dinner it is.

Looking over to the nearest pine, Shadow found it as deeply coated as every other tree he’d seen in the seemingly endless forest. The tree was so large that there were no longer any branches low to the ground, so Shadow spread his wings and gently made his way up to the nearest bough. As he fluttered closer, the lightning took another chance to strike, close and bright. The resulting boom caused him to jerk forward into the branch, upsetting it.

Realizing his mistake, Shadow jerked backwards, but not in time to avoid being caught under a heavy mass of falling snow. He hit the ground hard, nearly thirty hooves below. Instinct forced him to try to inhale, but he was unable. In desperation he bucked through it, only to find that it was little more than two hooves deep. After poking his head up through the snow, he looked around to find himself at the edge of a large ring of snow around the tree, most of it far deeper than what he’d been buried under.

“Sun-damn-it!” He swore as he realized snow had gotten down his collar and inside the coat, soaking it and his fur coat once again. “At least it’s time for some greens.”

The tree itself was now revealed, tall and broad. The many branches it had bore needles of a green so dark that it almost yielded to black. Shadow licked his lips, uncertain of what he was about to eat, but too hungry to try for something else. Hesitantly, he bit down on the closest branch, and leaned back to let his teeth strip the needles from the branch. As he chewed, the familiar tang of pine filled his mouth, but far more bitter than usual. Hunger washed away any other objections, and he took another mouthful, and then another.

Ten minutes later, Shadow’s face was coated in frozen slobber and sap, and he was full and happy. Still cold, and colder still when he rubbed his face clean in the snow, but Shadow was not too concerned. He’d just dumped a lot of fuel on his inner fire, and that would keep him warm for a while.

Pegasi always have had an innate knack for finding their way. Pony scientists have theorized that they have magnetic portions of their brains, much as birds do, but whatever the case, when Shadow took out his map he had a decent idea of how far he’d gone. He didn’t like it either. Tracing a booted hoof along the map, he found himself perhaps a sixth of the way there. That’s never going to do. I may not make it at this rate if the wind doesn’t die off and I can’t fly there. Trotting further into the maze of the forest, he soon faded into the gray haze of snow.

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Night came far sooner than Shadow reckoned it would have. He’d heard tell from the visiting Crystal Empire guards that the days were darker up north, but nothing prepared him for the early fading of the light. As the sky faded to black, it took with it every last ounce of warmth and light from the icy forest. If Celestia were there, Shadow would have seriously considered swearing to her face that his bones had gone numb, before throwing himself on his face and pleading for warmth.

In an effort to keep himself warm, Shadow had turned his pace back into a forced march. Reasoning that he needed to keep going if there was any way to get there, and the exertion prevented him from getting too cold to carry on, but only barely. Going hard was just enough to keep himself from really going numb, but it didn’t stop him from getting cold. He knew all too well that the real danger lay in his insides getting cold, and so he made two more stops for food during the night.

Trying to see much anything beyond the darkest shades of gray was an exercise in futility, and the frozen pony was forced to to keep his compass out for the flashes of lightning that had kept tearing through the skies as day had worn into night. Several times a minute, a brilliant bolt would illuminate his surroundings just enough for him to either see where he was going, or read his compass, but never both. A split-second to ascertain the way, followed by a minute of walking in the dark, stopped as the land became lit again, it was the same pattern for hours upon end.

For what seemed to be the thousandth time that night, the woods lit up for a fleeting moment, and Shadow marched onward around where he thought the trees were. If he ran into a tree, it wouldn’t have been the second, or the third time a load of snow had been piled over his form. The land had been gradually getting steeper; hills and rocks had started making the trek more treacherous. As much as they made it difficult, it was heartening to know that he had to be getting closer to the mountains.

How those bat-ponies in the Night Guard see in this muck I’ll never understand. Why the Tartarus did I agree to this anyways?! What am I proving here? I was already the fastest flier in horse-shoe camp. I just wanted to see dad, and here I am out in some Sun-forsaken wasteland whining to myself like Private Pansy. Damnit this wind is cold!

It took Shadow a few moments to realize he’d been walking for nearly two minutes since the last flash of lightning. Uncertain, he paused, and waited until the landscape was harshly lit once again. When it did, he realized he wasn’t surrounded by trees anymore. After waiting for the light to come back to visit several more times, he found himself not in a clearing, but on the edge of the forest, mountains tall and intimidating looming to the north.

Realizing that there was probably nothing else to eat in between where he stood and where he was going, Shadow turned back to trudge toward the forest to fill his stomach one last time. This task was doubly difficult when he couldn’t see, but it was worth the effort to make sure he wasn’t buried in snow again. Getting soaked before going out into the open wind again was a death sentence.

Once full, he looked up, and this time could see the faintest outline of the trees, a mass in front of him slightly darker than the slope to their opposite. Though there was no alpenglow to herald the day, Shadow took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and began his trek up into the hills. The wind blew the snow into his face, the pain grinding through the numbness. Through occasional breaks in the snow, he could see the jagged peaks of the range. If the snow down here is deep, it’s just going to be awful up there.

After half an hour of steady slope and gradually improving light, the snow stopped suddenly. Perhaps five seconds elapsed from near-whiteout conditions to completely clear. Confused, Shadow glanced back over his shoulder to see not fifty hooves away, the snow was still falling in a thick curtain. Panic seized him, and he dived into a nearby snowbank.

The thing Shadow knew about being buried underneath snow is that it didn’t get any colder than the temperature water froze at. So in theory, his hiding place wasn’t going to get any colder than when he first landed in it...at least he thought so until an unholy chill passed through him. Right through the snow he was buried under, right through his thick coat, he could feel the cold chilling his skin, his bones, and even his thoughts and emotions felt like they were dampened. He wanted to close his eyes and bask in his cool hatred of everything around him until a rough braying caused him to snap out of it. Poking his snout just far enough clear so that he could see, Shadow watched as the wendigo came into view.

It was ice blue and incorporeal, if the way its backside blew with the wind was anything to go by. Where its hooves met the snow, there was no noise as the powder turned to ice. Its eyes were everything the legends told. They were a glowing white, every bit as angry as they were cold. Shadow’s eyes only came up to the wendigo's midsection; the abomination stood as tall as a horse.

The wendigo sniffed the air, and turned its head from side to side, as if looking for something. Shadow held deathly still, praying to the sun and moon that he wouldn’t be found. Sun knew how he was supposed to fight it. Legend had it that he was supposed to defeat it with friendship, but here he was, alone in the frozen wastes. Grah...I hate...nononono! I...agh! Why the practical level of his mind was trying to work out how to fight the monstrosity, the rest was a chaos of hatred.

I’m so cold. So sun-damned cold. I could go out there...beat it up...tell it how much I hate being out here freezing my rump off. No! If I go out there it will freeze me into ice! No it won’t, I’m a Lieutenant of the Royal Guard. My job is to beat things like this into submission. Go! NO! GRAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

During this mental strife, Shadow still hadn’t moved a sliver. Not seeing anything, the wendigo let out another blood curdling cry, and flew away. As it left, Shadow felt feeling return to his body, and clarity to his mind. No wonder the first tribesponies fought with those around. It was all I could do to hold still.

Not wanting to take chances, and enjoying being out of the wind, Shadow waited for another five minutes, carefully watching against the wendigo’s return. Nothing disturbed the stillness, not even lightning or the wind, which had died off soon after the wendigo left. The air was cold and still, and his range of vision had grown drastically, such that he could see both the forest below, and the peaks above, all under a haze of dark clouds.

After shoving his way out of the snow, Shadow found himself grateful for both. It was far warmer without the wind, and chancing a pass through mountains above treeline with lightning just seemed like a bad idea. Not wanting to be caught by surprise again, he made sure to be listening carefully for any braying as he trotted upwards and onwards.

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Hunger. It emptied every part of him, from the inside out. It started in his belly, then worked its way out to each of his legs, making them floppy and weak, and then finally out to his head and wings. Each step took longer and stretched him thinner, leaving his legs leaden. With each breath through his narrowly opened mouth, his teeth clenched down on the empty nothingness of the bitter air. It did not satisfy.

Hunger and cold. There was cold, and then there was biting cold. Every bit of exposed coat, every breath he inhaled burned. That burn had quickly become a cough; weak and feeble, but almost loud in the silence. His nose had been running like crazy, and what he didn’t wipe off froze to his face, and it had been like that all day. A day that was almost over.

Hunger, cold, and exhaustion. When each step one after another seemed to plod on endlessly into the next, mile after mile, ridge after valley, mountain after mountain, it turned into a constant way of living. Every stride became mechanical, hurting no less and no more than the one before it, and the one coming slowly after. So far into the forced march, it was becoming hard to separate the exhaustion of over a full day’s hard travel from two days without sleep. Worse still, it had long since become impossible to tell if that fatigue was from the exhaustion, or from hypothermia. Without any way to tell, the only choice was to press on. Shadow’s tail drooped as he made his way along the ridge, trailing in the snow behind him.

Night was falling just as swiftly as it had the day before, and Shadow was still trying to find his way through the maze of peaks. The snow being deeper than on the tundra hadn’t been a problem as it was so cold that he could walk on top of it without his weight pushing through. On the downside, it was so slick that he had to constantly use his wings to push himself back on-balance whenever he slipped. Flight was the only reason he hadn’t fallen to his death hours ago, and the only reason he was able to keep going. Three times that day he’d followed what he’d thought to be a pass or a saddle, only to find it drop off steeply a mile or so later, and been forced to fly onward.

It had been hard enough to find his way when he could see what he was doing, and Shadow worried that his wing strength wouldn’t hold up to constantly correcting himself all night. If he had some way to tell how far he was through the mountains, it would have given him some hope, but the map was so rough that he couldn’t glean any insight from it. All that was left was to cover as much ground as he could before the night covered the land, and left him missing the lightning.

Too soon the darkness fell, and Shadow was left with nothing else to go on save for his last impression of the next peak and valley before him, and the slope beneath his hooves. He followed that slope up for as long as he could, and as slowly as hunger and sleep deprivation would let him. As the time wore on, Shadow could have sworn he was getting better at following the ridge he was climbing. It seemed as if his need to correct himself was getting less frequent, as if he were able to somehow see what was going on.

That prospect seemed so laughable that he decided to stop and wave his hoof in front of his face, if nothing else to remind himself that it was black as pitch. To his surprise, it was visible, a dark shade of gray against the black landscape. Puzzled, he leaned back on his haunches and stared up at the sky. Unfolded above him, the heavens were not entirely dark. A rift in the wall of clouds allowed a glimmer of starlight to fall to the slopes below, burning white to the eyes that had been so long in the darkness. Luna’s stars! Oh thank goodness!

As Shadow stared at the sky in wonder, the gap widened, letting more and more light spill down. The reflections lit the surroundings in a faint glow, more than enough for Shadow to see all around; the ridge he was standing on, the peak he was trudging toward, the valley far below, and the other peaks all around. They stood as silent sentinels against the cold, bright sky, for miles back the way he had come from.

The heavens finished revealing themselves with the arrival of the moon on the far horizon moments after Shadow reached the peak. Silver light, made nearly as bright as the day by the snow, washed over the land laid out before him. Having been so long in the dark, now everything around glowed with a brilliant moonfire. There was a beauty in the sheer cold that threatened to leave him frozen; the bleakness which he stood against as one dark speck in a rolling eternity of white.

A length in front of his hooves, the mountain ended, with a fall of hundreds, if not thousands of lengths to the valley below. To either side, the range of peaks ended similarly, in a very sheer drop to the land beyond. That forested land was adorned with a vast lake, gleaming darkly under the moon’s light. There was no mistaking it for the one on his map, it stretched far enough in each direction that he couldn’t see the ends. The far side was visible though, where the darkness stopped reflecting the moonlight had to be where the lake ended and the trees began. There wasn’t much further use for the map now that his destination was in sight, however far away, so he tucked it and the compass back into his coat.

Looking across the sky to the moon, Shadow realized with a start that he didn’t have too much time left, perhaps less than eight hours. Without a timepiece he could only guess when he was supposed to be there, and the dawn was no sure indication. It certainly came late the day before. With that came the sinking realization that he was going to have to cross over the lake rather than around it. Shouldn’t be a problem, it has got to be well frozen.

Resolve set forward, he took as deep of a breath of the biting air as he could without coughing, and spread his wings wide. The sudden stretch on the limbs so long held in place caused a tremor of pain to shriek through the numbness. Three steps forward took him into a shallow glide toward the near edge of the lake. Hunger, and the weakness it left complained to him that he should just close up his wings and dive, but it was an instinct suppressed. He was going to get every hoof of distance he could out of having to climb that last mountain.

When his hooves finally met snow, Shadow was still half a mile from the lakeshore, having been forced to take a steeper trajectory than he had wanted due to all the heavy winter gear. Back below tree line, the snow was warm enough that he sunk into it, but it was also shallower thanks to the trees. These pines were much the same as the ones he had seen on the other side of the mountains, and so he tore ravenously into the needles it had. Once full, he made his way down to the shoreline, to discover luck was on his side yet again tonight.

The lake was completely frozen, which was what he expected, but frozen deeply. Stomping a boot hard on the ice caused no disturbance save for a muted *clack* that echoed across the frozen waters. It could have been just his imagination that it got a little colder right then, but he certainly wasn’t imagining the breeze that stirred the air. Waiting no longer for whatever might be following from the woods, he trotted out onto the ice.

It was slow going at first, each hoof-fall slipping on the smooth surface. The only thing that kept him from planting his rump or face on the ice was the leather of the winter boots he was wearing, making the grip for him. Further out onto the lake, the wind was beginning to pick up, blowing into his face. It left him cold, but more frustratingly, constantly slowed him down. Several times he lifted himself from the ice to take the next step, the wind found purchase to pick him up and blow him several lengths back the way he came, sliding him against the cold lake until he managed to halt himself.

After several hours of trying to get to the other side, Shadow felt every bit as cold as the ice he stood upon. The wind had only gotten stronger, making it nearly impossible for him to cover any more ground on hoof, and dangerous to fly. Yet that seemed to be his only option for going forward, taking off into the spirit of winter blowing against him. Unable to decide, Shadow paused to look back the way he came, and to his panic found it far closer to him than the far shore.

Realizing he would have to turn to his wings to get to the other side, he shrugged off his saddle, and then the overcoat and boots. Without any protection against the wind, it plunged daggers of ice into his coat, and down into his skin. Within moments he was too numb to feel it anymore.

In a well-practiced motion, Shadow leaned back on his hind legs and pushed himself into the sky, flapping hard. The wind blew furiously, driving him higher and backwards, and he fought against it. The tired muscles cried out in protest, but after angling down and pushing hard, the pegasus started to gain ground.

Alone against the storm he flew, eyelids half closed, head bowed and staring down at the lake below. The dark ice reflecting the silver of the moon and the howl of the wind were his only company as the minutes wore and his back burned. At the roots of his wings, the muscles grew tight and began to sting amidst the agony he felt. Just pretend you’re back at basic...and Sergeant Pinion Punch is making us to do a wing workout...just keep going…

Locked into such a state of mind, Shadow was only focused on forcing his tired body to keep flying, and was not ready when the wind gusted hard on his left side. He heard a loud *POP* and felt pain blossom along his left wing. Before his mind could register what was happening, he plummeted the scant ten lengths to the ice below.

Impact caused the pain to course through his body, jolting his mind out of its single focus. When managed to force himself to stand again, his left wing was hanging along his side, fully extended and resting on the ice. Dammit! I hate dislocated wings. He’d have to reset it, which was difficult for a pegasus to do to himself. Slowly and tenderly, he wrapped his teeth around the leading edge of the wing and braced himself for the pain. As he went to shove the wing-socket back into place, an ear splitting cracking noise deep in pitch shook the ice beneath him, and caused him to shake his already hurting wing.

“SUNDAMMIT!” he screamed in agony, but his voice was lost in the rumble of ice. It took him a fraction of a second to understand what had happened after he shook off the pain. Somehow, the ice was breaking. He needed to move. Falling through into the sun-forsaken depths of the frozen lake would mean a quick death and a forgotten grave. No time for re-locating the wing.

In half-terror-half-desperation he sprinted forward, his hooves clacking noisily on the ice and his left wing dragging as he ran. The ice was not only slick, but the surface was changing its slant every time a new *CRACK* rang out in the air, causing him to slip and slide several times. Chips and flecks of sharp ice flew through the air to coat his face and body as jagged fissures rent the lake’s surface. In his eyes were his goal, not five hundreds lengths away was the far side, and somepony had a fire going. Around it stood what looked to be about a dozen figures, but that was all he had time to see before the noise all around him picked up drastically.

Faster and higher pitched, the noise seemed to be all around him now. I’m not going to make it! Shadow slid to a halt as cracks started to appear in a random fashion in the ice below him. Running on raw instinct, he bit down on his his left wing and shoved the bone back into the socket. The click of the wing going back into place was inaudible above the sound of the lake opening it’s maw to swallow the pony. As the ice split, it collapsed inward and spat water into the sky, narrowly missing Shadow as he flung himself into air.

For miles around the cracks propagated and caved inward, and Shadow found himself flying over dark waters as he pushed himself to make the last bit of the flight toward the lake. The pain in his wing was strong, but the adrenaline blocked it off, hopeful he might survive. It was in this state, his breathing fast, heart pounding, and mind solely focused on making it to the other side that the wind gusted even harder in the middle of his upstroke. This time his wing didn’t pop once, but several times, breaking it completely.

Screaming in agony, Shadow fell from the air to land with a splash amidst the floating chunks of ice. If it was cold as ice before, beneath the water was as cold as death. It sucked the air out of him and the feeling from his body, leaving the hurt from his broken wing the only thing he could feel. He clung to that pain, letting it drive him to kick his legs until he broke the surface, gasping for air.

Orange and yellow greeted his vision; the shore was close. He didn’t care about the cold, or the pain, or anything else he could see or feel at that point-he would make it to the other side if it killed him. Numbly, he kicked his legs again, and then again, driving himself toward the shore. It came up to meet him, and soon he felt solid ground below his hooves and found his snout in the snow.

“GET UP! GET OVER HERE! DON’T YOU DARE STOP NOW!”

Shadow looked up weakly to see Dive bellowing at him.

“Yes...sir...” murmured Shadow weakly. He pulled himself to his hooves and started stumbling slowly over to where his father stood, shaking and shivering the whole way. It feels...warm…

Halfway there his legs gave out, and he flopped down in the snow. With a growl, one foreleg shot out and pulled his body forward. Then another. Hoof over hoof and leg over leg he crawled through the snow until his body lay at the hooves of the pony who’d sent him out here in the first place.

“Look up.”

Following the gentle instruction, Shadow raised his head to look around. Dive was standing there, as was the rest of Timberwolf team. Behind them were stone statues, having been recently melted out of the snow by the fire. Two pegasi, two unicorns, and an earth pony, standing tall and regal forever cast their gaze out toward the lake.

“Do you see them? They were the first Timberwolves. They are whose name you aspire to bear. Today you have proven yourself worthy to try. If you still wish to, answer me now. DO YOU SWEAR, ON YOUR LIFE, YOUR BLOOD, YOUR HONOR, AND ALL THAT YOU HOLD DEAR, TO DEFEND EQUESTRIA WITH ALL THAT YOU HAVE UNTIL THE DAY THAT YOU DIE? WELL DO YOU?!”

“I swear...” muttered Shadow with the last of his breath. Spots swam at his vision, and all went black.

Dive watched as his son passed out and planted his muzzle in the snow. He regretted hurting the poor stallion so much, but now he knew for sure.

“Well that’s just barbaric! Here, get out of the way.” Sure Splint pushed him aside in order to get to the unconscious pegasus. She levitated him up and over to lay by the fire, and began to tend to his wounds. Several clicks were heard as she mended his wing, and his shivering stopped as the magic warmed away the hypothermia.

The rest of the team looked on as Sure Splint draped a blanket over Shadow and began preparing the spell for them to go home. Crash walked over to Dive, looking conflicted.

“Was it really necessary for me to break the ice, sir?”

Dive sighed and gave Crash the honest truth. “By the time I told you to break it, he was already done. He would have made it just fine if we hadn’t done so. I just wanted to see what he would do...and he didn’t disappoint.”

“So he’s in?”

“Of course. There’s no way we’d pass that up. Lets just hope he’s still as excited about it when he wakes up.”

Hone

View Online

I don’t fear to kill. Why would you ever fear to destroy those who would harm your loved ones? If you are the kind of pony who would feel guilt over killing your foe, think instead on how much more guilty you would feel if you left him alive and he hurt somepony you cared about.

-Granite Face

Three and a Half Years Before…

The sun had just set, even though it was little past four in the afternoon in the height of summer. Daylight had yet to fade from the high mountain valley, and the dull heat would not leave until later that night. As the blinding light in the sky slipped behind one of the bare, rocky peaks, it became far easier to see in the curious mix of light and shadow that pervaded the alpine meadow.

Toward the edge of the field, where the forest met the creek, the earth had been upturned, and drenched. Above the mud pit, a heavy iron bar lay suspended from two posts. Hanging from that bar, Shadow Wing gasped as he struggled to hold on. Sweat rolled down his face as his forelegs shook under the strain.

“Come on, rookie. Keep it up there. Two more minutes and you can be done for the day. If ya’ let go, it’s another five.” Wild Wind paced back and forth beside the pit, occasionally glancing at the stopwatch screen on his fetlock pager.

Everything came back to the pullup bar. Pullups, wing pullups, hindleg hangs, and flagpoles. The day began and ended there. That end was close, but his forelegs felt like they were being pulled out of their sockets. “Yes...Sergeant Wild Wind…”

“Stow it rookie, you’ll need your breath. Keep breathing. And don’t get formal with me, we’ve been over this before. It’s ‘Chaff’ to you. I’ve earned that name, and that’s what you’ll call me. Just like you’re ‘rookie’ until you merit one of your own.”

“Ok...Chaff…” Shadow panted around breaths. One more minute…

“Hey rookie, you seem like a good fellow, so I’ll tell you about my sister Marigold. She used to live in Spurlin a few years ago.”

“Wait...didn’t that place...get...ah...bombed…?”

“That’s right, it did. Whole damn city wiped out. And do you know where Marigold went when the bombs fell?”

“Uh...the shelter?”

“No. She went everywhere.”

Sore muscles no longer able to hold steady, Shadow fell, landing with a loud squelch. The impact threw mud into the air and drove the wind from his lungs, ending his shocked laughter. Coated in mud, he forced air back into his tired body, coughing at the pain in his gut.

“Yeah you’d better stop laughin’. It aint funny.”

“But...hrk! Chaff, you don’t have a sister.”

“Not anymore I don’t. Now get your ass back up on the bar! Five more minutes.”

Complaining would have been useless, and Shadow didn’t have the energy to protest. Chaff had been a jerk, and they both knew it, but the rules had not changed. Giving his wings a few shakes to dislodge the extra mud, Shadow jumped and flapped his way to hang his forelegs back on the bar. Once that lift stopped, all of his body was suspended from those leg muscles, and the pain began again.

Seconds stretched on, each one in no hurry to arrive and long overstaying before departing. It was easier to give up on counting the ever slowing ticks of time, and rather focus on the drops of sweat running along the skin under his coat to drip off his nose and wingtips. When numbness overcame the pain in his legs, it refused to go away, instead sinking down to become a dull ache in the sockets and joints.

Five months gone, and while that pain gradually went away, his trainers were skilled at bringing it back. It had started with long days of nothing more than a workout, but it soon had become apparent that a tough body alone would not be enough to get through. After the first week, he had to find his instructors in the air or on the ground, among the trees and clouds before the day could begin. After two weeks of hoof-to-hoof combat training, meals were no longer free, and sparring or grappling with Savage or Crash had to happen before Shadow could eat. Soon enough, the workouts gave way to weapons and tactics training, though they didn’t disappear away completely. Dive had promised that they never would.

Difficult as it was, each day was a new challenge and a new test. Every time he’d thrown up during training, every time he’d fallen in the mud was another day that he wasn’t at a desk, dealing with the disciplinary forms for a guard that had gotten rowdy at the bar. Moreover, while there was the promise of a glorious future, there was also the promise of a break; less glorious but still very desirable.

“What’s that? Alright.” The sudden noise caused Shadow to surface from the haze of memories and pain to look over at Chaff, who was talking over his headset. “We’re done, and will be there asap. See you.” Crash paused to look over at Shadow, but this time didn’t raise his voice. “Come on rookie, we’re due at base. Go on, get off the bar.”

Gratefully letting go of the bar and easing his weight onto his wings, Shadow fluttered off into the air, following Chaff into the blue. One more wing workout for the day.

------------------------------------------

“Why do you want to be here, guardspony?”

“Well I want to serve--”

“No, you don’t, and you’re not getting through this if you don’t know why you’re here. You can lie to us all you want, and we won’t care, but you can’t lie to yourself.”

“Fine. I’m here because I joined the guard when my fiance told me to go burn in Tartarus, and guarding a desk sucks. I want to do and be more than that.”

“Well, you can and will, but first you have to learn how. And that will hurt like your trek last week every day for the next half of a year. Are you sure you’re up for it?”

“I am.”

“And know that you will not be the same afterwards. You’ll be a killer.”

“I understand.”

“Very well then. On your face.”

--------------------------------------

Getting mud in his feathers had never really bothered Shadow, but as the hot stream of water from the showerhead eased dirt and sand through every inch of his plumage, it sure did itch. All the better though, he couldn’t afford to linger in the shower. When he’d arrived with Chaff back at base, the sergeant had told him to get cleaned up, and report to the briefing room ‘as quickly as equinely possible.’ Cleaning up had been a long process though, with most of his body caked in drying mud.

Not that Shadow was just waiting for it come off. Every moment was another of furious scrubbing and cleaning, even if it had taken more than a little effort to reach a hoof up to grab the soap bar. It had been like that every evening in the shower, finding out just how exhausted and beat up he was from the training that day. Those would be the days he would just sit under the flow of burning water and wonder if that time was worth the seconds he was losing from the scarce few hours of sleep later that night. Not this time though. Something was going on, and if it was important enough to end training early, it was certainly important enough to hurry up in the shower for. That thought held his tempo as he dried off, and neglected to spend too long preening his wings, favoring speed over appearance.

His room was far more spacious than the average barracks room, moreso even than standard officer quarters. For all that space, it only made the room seem empty. Four bare, gray stone walls looked down on a cot and a chest of drawers. The floor was made the same cold stone, as was the ceiling. No armor stand or armor adorned the space, and he had no clothing other than the cold weather gear left over from his indoc months ago. Nor was it necessary for the warmth of summer, and so Shadow pushed open his door and made a swift trot the the briefing room.

He’d been in there several times before, when assigned training ‘missions’. It was the same dull gray as the rest of the mountain base, with two long benches set out in front of several tables, screens, and a chalk board. In the months past, one of the Timberwolves would give him mouth-drawn maps, camouflage gear, tranquilizer guns, and anything else he had needed to make it through. Today though, the room far more full.

Corporal Razor Wings was the first to look up as Shadow entered the room. The youngest of the enlisted on Timberwolf Team, Razor Wings was probably the one Shadow liked the most. Having been dubbed ‘Savage’, Razor Wings preferred to just go by ‘Raze’, and didn’t throw any punches he didn’t have to. Nor did he pull them when Shadow didn’t live up to his standards. Seated next to Razor Wings, Chaff gave a grin to Shadow.

“Well get on over here.” Crash pointed toward the next spot on the bench over. “We’re all waiting on you.”

Shocked into motion, Shadow bounded over to take the seat. It was a curious mix of emotion he felt, and the moment was a bit too much to figure it all in. Crash, or Stable Sergeant Storm Crasher had been his head trainer for the past few months. Every morning before the sun had come up, Crash was there and ready to work him out, and he was there to mentor the younger stallion each evening long after the sun had gone down. Never once had Crash yelled, but when he grew angry, he would lean in close to make sure his point got across. There was no question in their interactions. Shadow may have been an officer, but Crash was the one in charge when it was training time, and would continue to be until Shadow had finished. There was apprehension against the admonishment for making the team wait, but that could not overcome the excitement mounting in Shadow’s chest. For the first time since he’d sworn himself, something bigger than his training was happening.

The door gave a slight click as Dive Skyward, captain of the team strode through and closed it. At the head of the room he joined a figure familiar from the days before training had begun. Colonel Argent Fire, commander of the Intelligence Division had stopped pacing, and cleared his throat. “Alright, now that you’re all here we can begin. I know most of this is old news to you colts, but the lieutenant here has been out of the loop for a few months, so we’re going to go over relevant information to the intel.”

“Two weeks ago, changelings under the control of Queen Chrysalis attempted a hostile takeover of Equestria. The invasion was successfully repelled, but their army was quite literally thrown into the swamplands along our southeastern border. We’re not quite sure how many survived the landing, but there are likely five hundred to one-thousand combat capable changelings remaining, and two to three thousand in various states of injury. As you’re likely aware, that region is far too vast for us to search, and too hazardous to consider mobilizing to clear out. However, we can’t leave a force that large unchecked just outside our borders.”

The colonel paused, manipulating the controls for the screens. An old topographic map of the near swamp region zoomed into focus; lines meeting themselves in circles to indicate a large number of hills. “Unfortunately, our intelligence on the area is dated. This is the newest map we have, and I’ll make sure it gets uploaded to each of your helmet sets. One of our regular patrols in the area noticed smoke toward the southern end of the hills. Upon closer inspection, the source was found to be an entire changeling scouting camp.” A red point flashed in a low area toward the bottom of the map. “Our scout didn’t manage to get video, but we have this image here.”

A still flashed onto the screens, replacing the map. Though slightly blurred, the camp was still visible. The ‘camp’ was certainly of changeling make, half constructed out of cloth tarps strung up into makeshift tents, and the rest of the structures built out of dirt molded into stable huts with green slime. Moving between those structures were unmistakable black demi-equine creatures, some carrying weapons that were shorter and sleeker than the HAY-K rifles they normally bought from black market dealers.

“While our scout couldn’t stay on site long enough to get a full mapping and force estimate, this should give you some idea of what you’re up against. We can guess at full occupation, the camp has between fifty and one hundred armed hostiles.”

Chaff let out a low whistle. Everypony else shifted a little in their seats.

“Which is why their armament is important too. While most changelings just rely on magic based attack like plasma bolts and enervation rays, or knock-off griffon rifles, these have collected Equestrian firearms and guard’s shoes. We can only speculate they stole those from slain guards, as they lack the infrastructure to machine them on their own.”

“So how does this make things any better?” Savage was rubbing his forehooves together slowly.

“Before our scout had to pull out, she spotted two sealed crates of demolitions grade explosives. Yes, they were of Equestrian make, and also likely stolen in the invasion. The important part was that they were moving them into one of the tents. We don’t want those going anywhere, and while recovery would be ideal, it wouldn’t be feasible. Instead, if you can get into the middle of the camp, crack one of the cases, and set a timed charge on it, you’d have enough force to breach both crates, and utterly incinerate the camp. Unless the camp got a lot bigger in the last few days, that should easily be enough explosive to leave the camp as a crater. Trouble is, cracking one of those will take some time. That’s why I insisted you need overwatch for this mission.”

“Mission is as follows: Assault team will be Captain Skyward, Stable Sergeant Crasher, Sergeant Wind and Corporal Wings. Overwatch will be provided by Lieutenant Wing. Tomorrow morning at zero-four-hundred, you will move out from base and attack target at zero-five-forty-five. Overwatch will post on a cloud, or if no cloud cover is available, a hilltop, guide the assault team in, and cover them during the arming. Assault team will move in under camouflage, gain access to the crates, set a charge, and clear camp for detonation. Both teams will stay on site to mop up survivors. Any questions?”

“I’ve got one.” Crash leaned forward. “If they have our guns, our shoes, and our most powerful explosives, is there anything they don’t have?”

“As of this point, we really can’t confirm either way. Just assume you could face any level of weapons tech outside of what is provided to Timberwolf Team.”

Shadow paused for a moment, mulling his questions over. It seemed so stupid, but this was a live fire mission. Real bullets, real targets, and very real consequences. Looking stupid was a lot cheaper than patching up a wound, or burying somepony. “Under camouflage? Sir, I know these stallions are the best, but it will be daylight by that hour, and nearly impossible to get to the middle of a camp that is actively guarded. That and...how are we getting all the way over there in less than two hours?”

Savage, Crash, and Chaff all began to chuckle, and Dive and Argent both grinned. The low warmth of embarrassment began to flush his gut until Dive spoke up. “Lieutenant, I’m afraid you aren’t familiar with all of the gear we’ll be taking on the mission. Rest assured, the Colonel isn’t just sending us all to die...I think. That last April Fools mission was pretty damned good. Sir, is that all the intel you’ve got for us?”

“I’m afraid that’s it. I’ll be in touch the whole time tomorrow. Good luck out there, boys.” Argent Fire left the room, leaving Dive with his stallions.

“Alrighty gents, it’s about time we’re going to do something like this without making Chaff play designated markspony.” Chaff let out a whoop and raised his forehooves toward the ceiling. “My thoughts exactly. Take the intel to heart on this one, they really could have anything, so I want you to prep your gear both for the infiltration mission, but imagine you’re preparing an assault for Canterlot. Grim to think of I know, but that really might be what we’re up against. As for you, Shadow, it’s time we took you to the armory.”

--------------------------------------

Mud. Coating his cheeks and chin, caking his lips and blocking his nostrils. The price of letting that last pushup go. For easing that fire in his muscles, it was worth it. It wasn’t the first time he’d been covered in mud in the last hour.

“Get up rookie! I SAID GET UP! What the hell do you think you’re doing? It took more effort to get through the first fucking hour of your indoc! And here you are, giving up after just a few pushups. You’re not even going to be welcome in the first circle of Tartarus with how pitiful you are!”

Bending one foreleg over to brace himself, Shadow forced himself back up to near standing. Raising his gaze, he found himself level with Savage, who was staring him right back.

“I said I’d do every last one with you, but I didn’t count on you giving up. So you’re going to do thirty more, right now, before we start counting again. You think you can do that, little filly?”

“Rgh!” He spat the word around mud and saliva. “Yes.”

“Drop.”

--------------------------------------

“You’re going to love this. Heh, this might be my favorite part of the job.” Dive chuckled as he led Shadow down the hall. “And I’m pretty sure our tech has been working on something special for you.”

“I don’t understand. I know you’re pulling me for this mission, but that’s really sudden. Don’t I have training left?”

“You were going to ‘graduate’ in two days anyways. And by graduate, I mean we were going to let you have one good fight with Chaff, Crash, and Savage all at once, and then we’d get you really drunk. I see no reason why we can’t do that afterwards. There’s also a final mission, but I’m fine with substituting the real thing.”

Shadow frowned. “That’s why I’m concerned. Do you think I’m ready for this? I haven’t really had any training with the team as a whole.”

“Oh but you have. Remember your training op when you got a radio headset, and Savage as your wingpony, where you had to try and get through Hangmare’s Pass undetected? Or when you were put in charge of everypony to try and hunt me down in the woods? You’ve had over a dozen training session where you worked with us as some form of a team. And the kicker? You were in charge for all of them. You may not have always succeeded--”

“Yeah...about that…”

“The point is, the only difference is that we’re all on the same side now. Oh, and you’ll have gear.” Dive stopped in front of a doublewide steel door and bit down on the handle. It swung inward silently at his push.

The first thing visible once the door opened was a bright yellow reflective sign with red lettering.

DANGER!

EXTREMELY HIGH VOLTAGE

TOUCHING CAUSES INSTANT DEATH

50 BIT FINE

Immediately below the sign, the large cables came through a notch in the wall and ran into an open copper transformer, from which a faint buzz emanated. Shadow could feel the hair on his body shifting just a little bit as he walked past the device.

“And don’t mind that-but don’t touch it either. I keep telling Ray that he needs to cover the damned thing up, but he never listens.”

“Did I hear my name?” A stallion’s voice, high pitched and excited wafted from somewhere in the massive room. Shadow craned his neck, but couldn’t see anypony. Not that there wasn’t plenty room to hide. Dozens of steel and wooden tables covered with machinery, tools, parts, and other equipment filled the open space of the room. Along the left wall, weapons of all kinds well hung from pegs. Rifles, shotguns, pistols, shoulder mounted machine guns, and weapons he had no name for were displayed, painted black. Below them, open bins filled with small mountains of brass lay against the wall. To the other side of the room, helmets and various kinds of body armor were set on shelves. The clanging of hoofsteps on the steel floor grew closer, until their source became clear.

“Shadow, I’d like you to meet Refract Ray, our armorer and techie.” The unicorn was a light beige, and while taller than Shadow, still shorter than most. His red mane was a mess, long and unkempt, and burned off in some places. Over his eyes sat a reflective set of protective goggles. The rest of him was covered by a formerly white lab coat, stained in a number of places and burned in others.

“Well hey! I was wondering when I’d finally get to meet the new guy! Welcome to my lab, and if you have any questions, feel more than free to ask at any time.”

“Just one.” Shadow gestured toward the sign. “Should I seriously touch that, how are you getting into my bank account to pay for...what kind of damages are there from that anyways?”

“Oh! Well you see, your next of kin would be notified, and they would pay to have your body removed, and any ashes cleaned out of the lab. Not likely though...you are a pegasus. Oh, and by the way, that was three questions.”

Dive coughed and punched Shadow in the shoulder. “If my boy here is really dumb enough to stick his tongue on the power coils, I’m NOT paying for you to carry out the body, Ray. You already get paid a small mountain of bits for your work. I’ve been waiting a long time to wow him, so lets get to the good stuff?”

“As have I, and yes, let us indeed.” Refract Ray turned and lifted a foreleg, making a sweeping gesture across the armory. “Welcome to my lab; ‘Ray’s Really Ridiculous Rifle Reserve’, ‘Timberwolf Tools and Toys‘, and ‘Boots, Bolt-Actions, and Big Bucking Bombs.‘ I would give you a grand tour, but Dive insists that we cut to business. Still, once you’re done out there tomorrow, do come back and let me show you around, mmm?”

Not waiting for an answer, Ray led them deeper into the shop. Delicately steering his way around a small collection of saws and chisels hanging off the edge of the nearest worktable, he hurried over to the gear shelves. They clanged their way past sets of metal guard armor, and continued on, Ray not even looking at the sets of lighter cloth based gear some city police forces had started using. “I brought all this junk in here to figure out what exactly it could and couldn’t do. There was a lot of the latter, and not much of the former. Rest assured, you’re getting all the bells and whistles too.”

Shadow leaned over to Dive, and whispered just loud enough for him to hear of the hoof-falls. “What the hay is he talking about?”

“You’ll see.”

Reaching the end of the row, Ray pulled a black body suit off the shelf, and tossed it to Shadow. “Here, put it on. I’m mostly sure this one is in your size.”

Whatever Ray had just given him was no more than a few mots in weight, and felt like a halfway mix between rubber and cloth. Curious, he donned the strange body armor. Or at least I hope it’s body armor.

“So I’ll bet you’ve been wondering how we got to those chokepoints before you, or why you never saw any of us until we jumped you? And you wanted to know how we’ll achieve an ‘impossible’ level of stealth, and cover six hundred miles to the objective in under two hours? Well here is your answer.” Dive nodded to the gear. “Though...I figure Ray would rather explain the fine points.”

“What you’re putting on is the Combat Skin, Version Two. Version one had--”

Dive cleared his throat loudly. “Ray, I’m sure you can tell him about everything in the darned room after we get back tomorrow. Right now, just run him through what it does and how to use it.”

“Oh...ok. Well, Version Two is a combat ability amplifier in a body skin form. This beauty is a little pinch of technology, but mostly woven with a lot of magic. It will reduce the friction coefficient around you, your wings, and your tail to the point that you can fly very fast without tiring or overheating. When you get the helmet on and the visor sealed, it will regulate its own pressure, allowing you to submerse or travel through toxic environments. The whole system has a built in cloaking device. Spell isn’t perfect just yet, but it’s better than painting yourself.”

Once the skin was on, the loose parts shrunk to fit his form. The inside warmed, and then cooled to the point that Shadow couldn’t tell that he was wearing anything at all. Ray picked up a sleek helmet, which he handled with ease. As Shadow took it, he couldn’t help but notice how light it was compared to his ceremonial dress armor.

“The helmet has a built in communications system. Not something you need to manually use, again, it’s all spell based. It has verbal override though, in case you can’t seem to keep your thoughts straight. I put that in after Chaff couldn’t stop opening the comm lines for wisecracks. Other than that, it shows your airspeed, vertical airspeed, altitude, pressure, air temperature, local topography, holds your mission data, and allows intel to send you anything else you might need on the fly. There is an IR filter, night vis filter...I can’t get the passthrough view filter up yet, but that’s coming soon. Oh, and there is an integrated zoom. Dive said you didn’t have room to pack binoculars.”

“No, we have plenty of room, we just don’t often have the time to use them. There is a difference. Anyways, Shadow, what Ray didn’t tell you is that the combat skin isn’t body armor. Don’t let yourself get hit, because even small rounds will go through this. You should be ok for a hard landing in case that happens, or crawling over gravel, but for the love of the moon don’t get shot. Once that happens, your pressure seal is gone, most of your flight aids will be gone, and of course there is the injury problem. The helmet isn’t much better. On the plus side, if you’re getting shot at, odds are the mission has really gone to hell anyways. Try it on, will ya?”

At the insistence of both stallions, Shadow set the helmet over his face. As the bottom of the neckline met the top of the body skin, the two fused together, leaving his skin prickling underneath. It constrained his vision a little to each side, but no worse than traditional guard armor would have, and it was oh so much lighter. Wearing this helmet for a day wouldn’t leave his neck cramped and aching. I wonder how I put down the visor. The sudden response caused him to jump, as a clear visor slid out from the top of the helmet to seal with a faint hiss. Numbers appeared on the side of the screen, showing that his altitude was below ground level, and that he wasn’t moving at all.

“Yep, that’s how it’s done. Glad you figured it out so quick.” Ray chuckled, “now, try activating the cloaking system, and then pinging intel. Just wanna make sure it all works.”

With barely a flicker of thought, the entire skin faded out, somewhere between completely invisible and the same shiny gray of the steel floor. Bemused, Shadow waved his foreleg around, trying to catch a glimpse of where it was. A faint shimmer waved as he flexed the leg. “Gosh...well...I guess I know how you’re all getting into the camp now. How the heck am I going to be able to see where you guys are though? Wouldn’t want to shoot a friendly.”

“Ah...that’s one more thing. Your helmet will outline your team, so you can identify them. Civilians too...but that one is still in debugging. Just as important, it will flag the bad guys for you. If it gets a red outline, I’m pretty sure it’s safe to shoot. Got most of the problems with that one fixed...still can’t always tell the difference between hostiles and well...foals,” muttered Ray. “Anyways! Got a few more things for ya!” The armorer hurried further down the rack, til what looked like the ‘almost free’ bin from the guard surplus store was crammed onto the shelving. A number of old canteens and waterskins stood next to worn cloth saddlebags, fraying and faded.

“All this exclusive tech and we can’t afford new combat saddlebags?”

“Well what Princess Luna can’t appropriate for us, we just have to make do. She still helps me enchant the gear though, so don’t you dare be ungrateful.” Ray pulled down one of the saddlebags and looked it over, shaking his head. “No...still too big. Cap, you sure raised an undersized colt there.”

“You know it matters more how you use what you’ve got than how much you have.”

Dive facehoofed.

Nonplussed, Ray tossed over a smaller pair of saddlebags. “Try this one. I hope the straps will tighten all the way, as this model is fitted to be used by fillies.”

Staring down at the floor and up at the ceiling, anywhere other than Ray, Shadow buckled down the saddlebags. It was a bit of trouble finding where they went until he remembered to turn off the cloaking, and retract the visor to bite down on the straps. Thankfully, it fit, though he had to tuck the rest of the slack back around under the straps. Letting the buckles go again, he set it back down in front. “Yes. It works. Now what’s so magical about it?”

“Well, aside from enchanting them to not break or wear out? Open it up and see.” Ray practically danced in glee.

Well this had better be good. Biting down on the closing buckle, Shadow opened the left main pocket-and then just stared. Before him was a pocket lined exactly as he would expect, save for the size. He reached his foreleg in, and then leaned forward a little further, and still couldn’t reach the bottom.

“Hmph. I knew they’d be too big. Don’t fall in now.”

Shadow was too excited to bite back. “Whoa! And with the lighter armor...I can actually carry everything I could hold in these.”

Ray grinned again. “That’s the other thing. They won’t weigh much more than they do empty...unless of course you actually break them. Hence the armoring spell. Made them weigh a bit more, but I don’t think you’ll notice.”

“So you can armor the saddlebags but not the combat skin?”

“Well...the combat skin is saturated beyond any reason with magic at this point. Gets harder to add each spell as you go, and sooner or later it just stops taking them. Again, I’ll go over it with you when you get back. Time to move on to the goodies.”

The other side of the armory was focused towards the offensive end of the trade. Rows of standard weapons hung from racks on the walls. Rifles, pistols, shotguns, any matter of barreled weapon that went bang. Dozens more were in various states of disassembly on top of workbenches. Bins on the floor below were filled with brass, and the ones toward the corner with blocks of explosive and telltale cylinders with pins. With a whoosh of magic, one box of large caliber ammunition landed with a clatter on the table, along with an ammo belt and another box full of empty magazines.

“Load up, thirty mags.” Dive pointed toward the bin.

“Thirty?!” What the hay?

“Yes, because you’re going to need to take your weapon out to the range to get familiar with it. If you really need that much ammo downrange, we’re toast.”

Taking the first magazine in one hoof, Shadow began delicately pushing the cartridges down and then back, one at a time. Like the Starlight sniper rifle he had trained with, this magazine held the rounds in two columns. Ten rounds went in before it was full, and he moved onto the next one. Only twenty-nine to go. I wonder which one they go to. Slowly, his eyes wandered from his work to the rifles hanging on the wall. Some were familiar, others looked like they had a few modifications, and some were kinds he’d never seen before.

“Yes, I know they’re pretty, but your girl is over here.” Ray trotted past the wall of black and brass to the next workbench over, devoid of tools and metal filings. Placed alone on top lay a rifle, a halfbreed between the Starlight rifle and a windigo hunter’s rifle. It was a third again as long as the former, sporting the bolt-action of the latter, resting on a bipod and the stock monopod. The muzzle brake was both wider and longer than he was used to; several more holes bored into the chunk of metal. Finished in a dark carbon fiber, it radiated a cold sense of purpose. This could be love at first sight.

“Say hello to...well she doesn’t have a name yet, I saved that honor for you. Everything on her is custom tooled and enchanted, save for the scope, which is just enchanted. Has all the same filters as your visor, ‘cause I figured you’d actually want to put your eye up to the scope instead of trust my targeting optics. Those cartridges are unique to this rifle alone, so don’t go stuffing anything else in it, and make sure you have enough. The silencing spell is built into the barrel, you activate it the exact same way as you do everything else in the gear set I’ve given you. If you use it too much though, the power crystals in the rifle won’t be able to hold up the spell, and it will weaken. Now listen up, this part’s important. While I’m giving her to you, she’s my baby. Whatever you do to her, I’ll do to you. Understand?”

“I do.” Shadow took the proffered rifle with a grunt. The extra weight caused it to sag a bit in his grip. The reach to the trigger and the points on the grip were exactly the same as the guard rifle he was used to, as well as the balance, but it weighed down slightly more on his forelegs. The metal of the body, while coated in the finish, was still cold against his coat. The chill was familiar, in an unkind way. “I know what to call her. Her name is Winter.”

“Winter huh? It fits. Cold as death...and I spent all last winter slaving away over making sure she turned out perfect. Whoa! What are you doing?”

Shadow paused, his fetlock wrapped around his knife. “Is that some kind of trick question?” Not waiting for answer from Ray, he inscribed the rifle’s name in capital letters in the stock.

----------------------------------------

“Here, take this knife. Don’t lose it, it will be the most important thing you have to get through this.”

“But I already have a starlight rifle and a set of camo body paint. Why would I need a knife to sneak across two mountains and shoot a target?”

“You can cut branches to splint a leg or a wing, you can cut your way out of restraints if you’re quick, you can use it for a signal in case your wingpony needs to be notified. Did you forget you’re in charge of you and Savage this time?”

“No, but it’s so close. As soon as I can see it, I can shoot it.”

“And if you get tackled on the way there? What then? You really think you can use a rifle that is a length long to shoot somepony that is a hoof away from you?”

“Wait...you’d really want me to fight back with a knife if I got tackled, or try to shoot one of you?”

“I expect you to do whatever it takes to get your mission done. No more. No less.”

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Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

The shot rang out through the darkness between the peaks. And then again, and again as the echo hung in the air. As the echo began to fade, the clink of a bolt-action sliding back overtook it, and one more empty case plunked into a growing pile on the ground. Ninety-nine down, and one to go until it was time to try the silencing spell.

Glowfly Valley had been named for the insects that lived along the creek on the south side, but it had become the firing range for being the one place in dozens of miles in the mountains that had a two and a half thousand length open space that held some semblance of being level. The targets at one hundred, two hundred, five hundred, one thousand, fifteen hundred, and two thousand lengths all had small clusters of neat holes in them. The last one had only nine holes in it. Sliding the bolt forward, Shadow raised the scope one more time until the the crosshairs sat several mils over the painted circle. One breath in, one breath out. Second breath in, halfway out, hold, and fire. Winter boomed once again, and after a moment’s pause, the final hole appeared in the target. She wasn’t so cold after twenty minutes of breathing fire into the night.

After flying out to change the targets, Shadow returned to try out the silencing spell. Slotting a new magazine in and flicking the bolt forward, he lined up the scope a bit below the hundred length target. Taking the same breathing pattern, he clenched his foreleg to fire again, and Winter kicked just as she had been doing all evening, but the sound had vanished. The only noise Shadow could hear was the click of the trigger pull, and there was no flash at the end of the rifle. It couldn’t have been the noise of the rounds; the new helmet was shielding his hearing too well. The second and third shots failed to ring out as well, but the growing numbness in his shoulder was proof that Winter was still spitting.

Shifting to the two hundred length target resulted in a cluster of almost the same size, as did the five hundred. Winter was a firm companion, the bolt sliding quickly and the magazines changing with ease. Each round seemed to go right where he wanted it to, and those were big rounds. He wouldn’t be needing a headshot with rounds like those; one to the gut of a changeling would cut it in two, and if he was in the sweet spot where the bullet just went subsonic, the round would probably blow the poor bug to pieces. It’s going to come to that...but it’s what I trained for. I’m sure I can pull the trigger when the moment comes.

----------------------------------------

Darkness. All around him the light was gone.

“You know what it is that you must...what you want to do.” The voice was that of a mare, and it echoed as from from high mountain walls. Cruel but righteous, calm but encouraging. He gave it the only answer that came to mind.

“What? I...I don’t know what I must do. I wanted to find...love. I found the next best thing. Isn’t that enough?”

“Whoever said you could not have both? But first, you must embrace who you are meant to be.”

“And how do I know who I am meant to be?”

“A pony who has a plow and a spade is a farmer, a pony who has a hammer and tongs is a smith. So you will know who you are by what you bring on the journey.” Through the darkness shapes appeared. Far off at first, the soon became ones he knew. Winter was there, still smoking at the end of the barrel. His knife followed close behind. Lastly, his helmet came to rest in his hooves, visor staring back at him.

“If these are my tools, then what do that make me?”

“You will know soon. And when you do learn it’s name, do not be afraid to embrace who you are. But get up, for it is time for you to discover this wisdom. Get up.”

“Hey rookie, get up! Come on!”

Chaff stood in the doorway, his features darkened from the shadow he cast upon himself. His normally jovial grin was gone, exchanged for a tight-lipped frown. He was covered in the black of a body suit, his helmet balanced on his back. “It’s zero-three-thirty, and we need to dust off at four. Get your shit together and be in the briefing room at ten-til.”

The door thudded shut, and Shadow threw himself off the bed to find the light. The room was exactly as he left it the night before, the previously empty floor now covered with a small mess of gear. Ignoring that for the moment, he bounded toward the shower and then stopped. Remembering he’d showered the night before was one thing, but the thought of being unable to get his damp coat fully dry before sticking it into a full body combat skin told him it would not be a good idea.

This time it went on much faster, and he was ready for the suit to snug up to fit his form. His saddlebags went on next, already packed from the night before. Everything that could possibly create more drag in flight had been stowed inside, save for his guard's shoes. After putting them on for the hundredth time, scar tissue covered the spot. All that was left was his helmet. Cradling it in his hooves so the visor looked back at him, Shadow stared into the sheen. A shiver ran down his back as the dream came back to mind. So this is what my visage is going to be. But...is this going to be me? If he expected an answer, he was disappointed. Stowing the helmet under one foreleg, he bounded to the briefing room.

Crash, Savage, and Dive were all sitting around the briefing room tables, chewing on a light breakfast. A small collection of protein bars, snack cakes, and breakfast chow ‘borrowed’ from the guard mess hall was scattered across the tabletops as well as a few jugs of water. Not being particularly hungry was a turn-off from all the goodies, but not knowing what the day had in store was strong motivation to consume at least a little bit. He was halfway done opening one of the ‘Powerbolt Bars’ when Chaff bounded into the room and looked through the food in a frenzy.

“...what? No coffee? What is this madness?”

Dive swallowed and grinned. “I told you the only reason we let you have that is because otherwise you wouldn’t stay awake behind the scope. Well, you’re not going to have to hang back anymore, that’s Shadow’s job now, so no more coffee for you. Also means we don’t have to stop for so many darn piss breaks on the way.”

“But...coffee!”

“You can have it when we get back. Now grab something if you want it, it’s just about go time.”

Grumbling, Chaff sat down and swept up anything sweet within leg’s reach. Ripping open wrappers, he tossed the cakes into his mouth whole, chewing only once or twice before swallowing. After four, he looked up to see Shadow staring at him.

“Whrrt?!” He swallowed noisily. “I gotta get all I can before I go out there. Who knows, maybe I won’t be coming back, and then I won’t ever taste these Little Daisies cakes again. Or coffee.” He gave Dive a withering glare.

Unwillingly, Shadow’s eyes wandered back down to the half-finished protein bar in his hooves. He set it back down, and forced himself to swallow the rest. It didn’t want to go down, suddenly dry and hard. Trying not to think, Shadow seized the nearest water bottle and chugged out of it. The first few swallows washed the mix of oatmeal, nuts, and peanut butter down, but one morsel got caught in his windpipe. The sputtering and coughing got everypony’s attention, and Crash pounded him on the back.

“Don’t mind him, rookie. Chaff always goes ‘all serious’ once the mission starts, and he’s just working on getting there. We’ll be fine.”

“Yeah...I’m sure we will.”

Hunt

View Online

When all else fails, get out alive. Your cause won’t fight for itself tomorrow.

-Wisp

Three and a half years before…

Weight. Every day that it was time to leave the safer parts of the world and press on into danger, it was always there. Plate steel gilded with a spell was the garb of a guard. Armor skillfully enchanted to ensure the even appearance of a warhorse, ready to stomp everything before him into oblivion. And it was heavy. Metal on the shoulders, metal on the hindquarters, hoof-gauntlets on each leg, the plumed helmet trying to force the neck and head down. Pride held them up, a fierce devotion to do the right thing. That pride remained, but the weight was gone.

As Shadow sprinted behind Dive to the teleportation chamber, the only thing that weighed down on him were the saddlebags, lighter than he’d pack for a day hike into the woods. No armor covered his head and shoulders, nothing would protect him for the first time in his life that the bullets would fly, and yet he was carrying more ways to kill quickly and quietly than he’d ever done before. This was real.

The pentacled chamber filled with the soft thumping noise of their padded hoof-falls as Timberwolf team filed in, one standing in each point of the symbol. Waiting in the middle circle, Sure Splint sat, eyes alert.

“Make sure to come back nice and quick, I’ll be making breakfast for you all while you’re out.”

“Oh I think we’ll be fine. I don’t suppose you could make me an onion omelette?” Dive gave his wife a quick kiss.

“I can, so long as you bring our colt back in one piece.”

Her eyes were like Shadow had seen so many times during his training. Each time he’d come in with a broken leg or a bleeding side, she’d patched him up without question, sometimes to see him run back out only moments later. This time the eyes were softer. They pleaded with him, to make sure to come back. I will for you, mother.

“Transi aevo vincula...en hanc vim meam ab eis…”

As Sure Splint chanted, the world shifted around Shadow. Gray walls soon faded to the darkness of an early morning sky. Until the last vestiges of the stone faded, his body stayed where it was, though the feeling of standing on no more than air grew until it became reality. It was then that everything clicked into place. Inside, somewhere deeper than his conscious mind, he knew he was facing a few degrees east of south. That instinct clenched, and his wings spread to catch the air as gravity reached up to take him. Holding level, Shadow spun around several times to take in all the sky. The alpenglow had yet to stretch its edges over the eastern sky, and the only light within sight was from the lights of Canterlot on the horizon far to the north.

“Hey rookie, turn on your camouflage and lets get going already.”

Oh, right. Stop goggling at the damn not-sunrise and focus. Though his body was nearly invisible in the darkness of the night sky, it became impossible to see as it seemed to fade from reality. Outlines appeared in his vision--four pegasi carrying saddlebags like his were outlined in white, flapping gently to hold position in mid-air. In the space between those outlines, there was nothing other than the night sky. Data scrolled along the corners of the helmet display, no longer static. Altitude showed nearly fifteen thousand hooves, and current coordinates and objective coordinates were listed in a gentle glow.

“Ok, enough staring.” Dive spoke no longer as the kind father, but now as the stallion in charge. “Team, in wedge position. Lieutenant, I want you on left rear. Make a lot more room than usual. Move out!”

Crash took point, with Dive and Savage following on the right. They waited several moments to give room; an entire five hundred lengths. Flight vortices only pull out to about fifty...putting the thought from his mind, Shadow took off after Chaff, giving the same vast space. Perhaps it was the early start, or maybe the adrenaline from going on his first combat mission, but Shadow felt himself picking up speed quickly. Oh well, the drag will kick in soon. I won’t overshoot Chaff.

But the airspeed indicator only kept ticking up. Over one hundred and fifty lengths per second, and still going. Moreover, Chaff was getting further away. As if reacting to a wish, the display pointed out that Chaff was over a thousand lengths out and only putting more distance between the two, while climbing sharply. It would be moments before somepony noticed, and told him to cut out the idiocy, forcing him into the position of a fool. Even if it was because of knowledge he did not yet know, that was just unacceptable. Time to see what this combat skin can do.

Flying was not just a strain on the wings, but on the muscle in the back that pushed them, on the legs to keep a fully aerodynamic posture, and of course on the cardio. Flying was like running, or sprinting if a pegasus went at it hard enough, and right now was sprint time. Magical reduction of flight drag or not, it quickly turned into work. Catching up with the sergeant would have been a trick of its own; each wingstroke quickly adding a tiny bit of burn to the back muscles.

Inside of Shadow’s mind there was little room for thought. One goal covered everything else: catch up. There was exactly one way to do that--fly faster. That dictated his form to be perfect, breathing regular, and focus narrow. Breathe in-wings up, breathe out-wings down. Repeat and repeat.

In this single-minded state, nothing broke through until the green display of the velocimeter shifted to yellow. Giving no pause in the flight, Shadow flicked his eyes to see that the readout in lengths per second had been changed to ‘B x 0.93.’ The second digit crept up as he struggled to figure out what what the new reading was for. B by what? Boom by? No...that can’t be--

The air shook around him, and then tore apart. A slam of dark blue light flared from behind in a giant arc, but there was no noise other than the rush of the wind going ever faster. Now, the distance marker to Chaff was reversed, and Shadow was gaining. The velocimeter now read at 1.07, removing all doubt out of his mind. Between the reading, the flash of light, and an innate sense of speed deep in the subconscious of the pegasus mind, Shadow knew he was going supersonic.

Beyond the barrier, the going was hard, but not too much harder than the other side. Each wingstroke pushed him faster, and soon the boom meter read one and a half times the speed of sound. The feeling was exhilarating, even if somewhat muted by the helmet and combat skin. Here he was, going faster than the very speed of sound. Only one pony had ever done that before, and now he was following in the hoofsteps of Rainbow Dash of all ponies. Perhaps magic had helped him to it, but now he knew why she enjoyed it so much.

“Slow down there rookie, and stay in formation. Supersonic is fun, but we don’t want to get there early, or announce ourselves with that much noise.”

Snapping out of his high, Shadow saw that he had just overshot Chaff, and winced. Leaning to the left, he pulled up and to the side, bleeding speed until he dipped back to subsonic and again took his place in the wedge.

“Sorry sir, didn’t realize that would happen.”

“It’s alright, just save it for when we’re really in a hurry. And we don’t really want to arrive on site making that much noise. Anyways, we’ll be leveling off at ten thousand lengths up.”

“Why so high?”

“Air’s thinner up there, it will make it even easier for us to get there, and have a good bird's eye view on the whole thing. Optics in these helmets make for an easy recon, and intel back home would like to see what’s going on too.”

“Yes, sir.”

Shadow grinned and slipped into the the monotony of holding an even pace. Even subsonic, he was flying at nine-tenths the speed of sound higher than he’d ever flown before. He’d enjoy every minute of it until they got to their destination, and try to avoid thinking any further than that along the way.

----------------------------------------

“Ok, that’s all the confirmation we need, Timberwolf One. Move in, and conduct the operation. I’ll be on standby.”

“Roger that, Firesword. Ok boys, let's get on down there.” As Dive spoke, several markers appeared in the helmet display, pointing to the ground far below. “Lieutenant, I want you down somewhere on the west side. Looks like the best overwatch is down there. Get your gear out, and we’ll move in when you’re ready.”

“Yes, sir!” Descending would take a few minutes to do quietly, and Shadow was determined to use every moment of it to take in what he needed. The sun was still a quarter hour away, leaving the foggy landscape in half-light. While not so wet as the bogs below, the hills harbored almost as much mist, and it was only with the helmet filters that he could see through them from so far up. Few trees grew on their bulk, but the same clinging marsh-grass covered them. The whole mess was a mix between green and gray, shrouded in the morning mist. Central to the marking point lay a set of hills slightly higher than the rest, overlooking the most shallow approach to the camp.

That camp was more or less the same as Argent Fire had described, if not a bit bigger. A number of lean-to’s and molded slime earthen huts littered the small valley. Nowhere near any source of food, and with several changeling forms toting rifles standing guard, it was clearly not some innocent settlement. Two were posted outside of the largest tent, and other than that, the whole camp appeared to be asleep. No one was standing guard by the paths leading in or out of the camp, or in front of whichever tent held the explosives. And why should they? They were camped out of sight, fifty miles outside of the Equestrian border.

The hilltop underneath the grass was damp but not muddy, giving slightly as he spread himself out along it. Trying to locate the straps on his saddlebags took a few too many seconds of groping blindly at the air. I can’t see where my leg is, or the strap. Oh fuck this. It took just a few more seconds to crawl back down from the crest of the hill and let the cloaking spell go. A few seconds more that the dawn was waiting for, and the camp was closer to waking up.

Fast was important, but quiet came first when putting on gear. His pistol was resting on top of the mess crammed into his bags. Somehow, between armament and survival gear, he’d managed to fill most of the extradimensional pocket. Setting it to the side, he pulled out the magazine harness and slipped it around his midsection. The pistol went on the right, and the knife on the left. One blade, one firearm, fifteen rounds for the pistol, and fifteen more in the weapon. Thirty lives, or ten if the bullets were flying and adrenaline was kicking. That didn’t count the fifty larger rounds cradled in their magazines hanging from the belt. Winter was waiting.

She lay disassembled; the scope, stock, and barrel all cased in hard plastic and nestled in foam. Save for the two former, everything else had been left where it was attached. Each piece went together seamlessly, welded by some arcane energy. Ray had promised it would set right back to how it had been sighted in before, courtesy of yet another spell. It would have seemed like cheating, but with his foe waiting over the top of the hill, a fair and honorable fight sounded like a very bad idea.

Slipping the first magazine off his belt, Shadow took a moment to admire the brass within. Each cartridge was longer than his hoof was wide, and surely would pack far more of a punch. With practiced ease from the night before, he slid the magazine home, giving it a slight tap beneath for good measure. One flick took off the safety, and two more sent the bolt forward, and then down. Willing his camouflage back online, he slowly put one leg forward and then the next, dragging himself back to the crest of the hill. Setting the bipod down, he released the helmet visor and leaned forward to the scope. It was a few moments before he had the nearer of the tent-guards lined up.

“Five, in position. Overwatch is up.”

“Understood. We’re three to the dirt.”

Those changelings were nearly half a mile away. Plenty of space for a nice, quiet shot. Movement caught his eye, the second changeling was gently setting his rifle down on the ground. While the first one gave a wide-fanged yawn, the second removed his coat. When they both sat still again, they were slouching. At the distance, it was hard to guess if it was exhaustion, hunger, boredom, or some combination of all of the above. They reminded him unsettlingly of the guards he used to be in charge of, when they got stationed at odd points in the castle where nopony would see them. He’d sneak up quietly to find them chatting, reading magazines, and even napping. These changelings were barely any better, and they were going to be nothing more than a crater in a few minutes. Suddenly, white outlines of pegasi appeared in the scope, as Dive and his stallions landed like a whisper a dozen lengths away from the guards by a second tent. Three kept their weapons trained on the guards, while the last one opened the tent flap and poked his head in.

“Empty. But there are indents in the dirt. Looks like they were here before,” whispered Crash.

“Split up. Savage, you’re with me. Check the other tents and structures quietly.” Dive took the lead toward the next tent further down. At the same time, Crash and Chaff turned toward the closest slime-hut. Still Shadow waited, his aim unerring.

“Negative on this tent.”

“Over here! Found them.” Shadow jumped as an image of a view into the inside of the hut winked into existence in the left half of his vision. His right eye was still pressed to the scope, and he took a moment to re-adjust his aim before paying attention. The hut was dim, but lit up by night vision. Two crates, a length square to a side rested on the inside, as well as two changelings asleep on a cot. Is this what Crash is seeing? Fascinating or not, seeing two things at once was distracting, and he needed to focus on the guards. Reacting to his will, the scene faded out, but the sound of Crash and Chaff cutting the throats of the changelings still came over the comms just fine. Steel meeting chitin and flesh made a sound not too different from sticking a knife into a meat grinder.

“Hut’s clear.” Chaff raised his voice just a little.

“Good work. Get that crate open, and we’ll be right there.”

Dive and Savage darted between the huts and tents like wraiths in the morning mist. Shadow followed them with his eyes, but didn’t move his forelegs. The seconds were long, but still merely seconds by the time all four of them were inside of the brown and green earthen structure. Sounds of a cutting torch echoed through the radio, and as it started, the changelings by the tent stood up. Shadow took a sudden breath, and gave the bad news.

“Guards have been alerted, standby.”

“Can you give us your view?” asked Dive.

“Uhm...hold on.” Shadow stopped to focus on what was happening, willing whatever spell controlled his helmet to broadcast the image. The guards began to chatter animatedly with one another, gesturing at the hut with legs and guns. Some kind of decision reached, one sat down to use his other foreleg to brace his rifle, while the other walked cautiously over toward the hut. Leading the changeling ever so slightly, Shadow followed him with his scope.

“LT, take the one by the tent, I’ve got this sap.” Chaff sounded almost happy.

“Copy.” It was the tiniest of changes to shift back over to line up the shot on the other guard. The scope said the guard was a few lengths short of half a mile away, where the rifle was sighted in. Gently he teased the crosshairs over the torso-and waited. Two long moments, waiting for the other changeling to finish making his way to the tent. Chaff began counting down the shot. Shadow inhaled and exhaled, then inhaled again, exhaled halfway, and held it. Shit. This is it.

“Three, two, one, mark.”

One flex of the foreleg, a familiar twinge of pain in the soft part of his hoof, a slight click as the trigger cycled, and the striker dropped. The slam of Winter kicking him in the shoulder all seemed to happen too fast, and he waited. Not quite one second passed, and the changeling exploded. Green blood and slime coated the ground and dripped down the tent canvas. The head and three legs scattered into the dirt, but the last leg crashed through the tent flap. At that moment, Chaff reached out of the hut, and yanked the approaching guard inside. Shadow winced at the clink of the knife-work. Still watching the tent-flap, he called the comms up again.

“Be advised, camp may be alerted.” Reaching back to cradle the bolt action, he cycled it up and back, then forward and down. One smoking brass case flew to land on the grass beside him.

“Noted.” Dive sounded no more rushed than before leaving the base. “Crash, how much longer on those crates?”

“Halfway. They’re damn thick.”

A bead of sweat ran down his forehead, tickling the skin underneath. Each hair shoved aside protested with another plea to be relieved, but Shadow kept his focus like a razor on the tent. Five seconds passed without any change, and then ten. Without moving his trigger hoof, or eye from the scope, he slowly shifted he left foreleg up and wiped off the sweat. Just as slowly, he put it back down to brace Winter again. Two more seconds passed before the alarm sounded.

Green spell-light flooded the camp, erasing all the glow from the dawn as a high-pitched shriek echoed through the valley. It forced the last measure of adrenaline to flow through his veins and make his stomach feel light. Every inch of his being demanded that he get up and fly, go do something to help, but reason kept him firmly grounded. Reason and fear were given no more time to bicker when the tent finally opened, and a changeling halfway into her body armor stepped out and looked around. The second trigger squeeze was easier, and the rifle kick helped force him back to reality. She went down just like the guard before her -- torso shredded beyond recognition and limbs oozing into the dirt. Some use the body armor had been. Shadow cycled the action again.

From the motion in the tent-cloth, something was hiding just behind it, trying not to be seen. One blue eye peered through, trying to find out where the shots were coming from. Another trigger squeeze, another slam into the shoulder, and the cloth was torn away. Green innards of the changeling splattered the inside of the tent, covering several beds and two tables. All the furniture had been overturned, and any remaining occupants were hiding behind it.

Satisfied that nothing would be venturing forth soon, Shadow turned his attention back to the rest of the camp. Some fifteen changelings were already out, garbed and armed in all sorts of motley gear. A group of six were making their way toward the command tent, but none were moving decidedly toward the hut where Shadow’s team was waiting. Shifting his gaze again, one of the changelings was making a bolt for the path out of camp. She was running in a straight line, and hadn’t even taken flight. Oh you fool. One more leg squeeze, one more twinge of pain, and one more mess lying in the dirt.

“Movement out front, engaging!” That group headed toward the command tent had turned to investigate the crate-hut, and were firing shots through the door from behind barrels and other tents. Two dropped to the ground bleeding green as Savage and Chaff returned the favor. “Rookie, lend a hoof?!”

“On it.” Sliding the crosshairs over the changeling holding a griffon-made heavy rifle, he took the shot. This time, he didn’t wait to see it impact before cycling the bolt and moving to the next target. His team was in trouble. Now crouched behind a rain barrel, the next changeling was blindly looking up to the hills, trying to find where the incoming fire was coming from. He was rewarded with a round right to the face. The last two made a break for the nearest hut, and the one in front was immediately stopped by Chaff and Savage. The latter hesitated for a moment at the sight of his comrade lying in the dirt. You’re mine. Once more Winter kicked, and the last changeling lay in pieces. “You’re clear outside.”

Shadow worked the bolt one more time, and took a moment to count his shots. Four left in the mag. The pile of smoking brass to his right had grown considerably. Most all of the hostiles below had taken some kind of cover, and most of it was pathetically insufficient. Perhaps it would have held up to a ground sweep, but from his bird’s eye view, they all stood out. Black on brown, and black on gray, all easy to see in the faint light of the just-rising sun. Several of them were pointing toward the hut with the explosives, but none moved. Chaff cut onto the comms breathing hard.

“There, got it! Charge is primed. We’ve got thirty seconds to clear out.”

Another flash of light overpowered the green glow in the camp, as one of the tents winked out of existence, replaced with a dome-shaped energy field. At even points around the field, changeling adepts were holding the spell in place. It wasn’t the mages that had Shadow’s gut sinking again. It was the large Royal Guard issue mounted chain-gun that a fifth changeling was leveling at the hut. No, not at the hut, the doorway. A hail of lead covered the only exit his team had from the hut. Without any more thought, Shadow leveled the crosshairs on the gunner, hazy through the wall of green. The round impacted, causing the shield to flare as it shrugged off the impact energy.

“Shadow, the mages! Shoot them!”

Not wasting time on reply, Shadow put a round right on top of the nearest mage, causing him to split and shower the nearby changelings with ichor. The second mage went down just as fast, Winter ever so happy to oblige. The third took a moment longer to aim for, as one of the regulars had put his own body between the adept and the incoming fire. It was for naught, and Winter tore them both to pieces at the same time. With each kill, the shield became more transparent. As he moved to shoot the last caster, his stomach sank further.

“What are you waiting for?! Kill them!”

Cycling the bolt and tapping the magazine release were actions he could complete in concert, but reaching for the next magazine on his belt was a more difficult motion, and took just a little bit longer. With Dive’s order and plea still ringing in his ears, he slammed the magazine into the slot, and cycled the bolt back forward. One more changeling waited, and this time nothing stood in the way. Winter slammed into the sore muscle of his shoulder, and the last mage died as the rest had before him. The spell-shield faded away, and the gunner was exposed. Still mindlessly tearing the air in front of the hut, the changeling never stood a chance. Blood splattered the gun, which fell silent. In that reprieve, four figures tore through the hut opening and took to an immediate vertical. Four explosions, blue, gray, navy, and a darker gray radiated outward as they took to supersonic. The sound of the sonic booms was drowned out as the entire valley was consumed in fire.

A split second after the first explosion, a second just as great rocked the ground where Shadow lay. From the thermal on his optics, the blast alone covered several hundred lengths in all directions, and the dirt and smoke a thousand more. After five long seconds, bits of earth began to fall on his backside. Now several thousand lengths up, the rest of the team halted to look down on their work below.

“Scanning all frequencies...nothing. They’re all gone.” Shadow let out a breath of relief as Dive gave the all-clear. It came out with a shudder, the cool resolve brought on by necessity quickly abandoning him to shake like a foal being told ghost stories. Again and again he inhaled, tasting the acrid smell of cordite in the air, rising from Winter’s barrel and the pile of twelve empty casings beside him. “Mission accomplished, boys. Come on LT, pack up your gear, and lets get on home.”

----------------------------------------

“You know, I’ve had a lot of close ones, but I don’t recall ever having to sit beside a crate of demo-explosives rigged to blow by my own hoof and not being able to go anywhere.” Crash mused as the landscape passed below. “Pucker factor of ‘I’m going to need a lot of fiber with my breakfast.’”

“Or coffee,” chimed Chaff. “This is going to be the best mug I’ve never had. Heh, breakfast after shooting things. I love my job. I’m pretty sure I confirmed both of those kills as mine, Savage.”

“Perhaps you did, though you have little right to brag. Crash got all of them.”

“Well, I suppose you’re right. Though honestly, with that much firepower who wouldn’t have?” chided Crash. “Though I’m pretty sure Shadow Wing here is the stallion of the hour. I was too busy cutting through several inches of steel to keep an eye on the video feed, but how many did you bag?”

Shadow started at the sudden change in discussion. “Uh...Eleven.”

“Well holy eclipse. And I’m pretty sure ‘saving our sorry rumps’ counts for just a few more than that. Well done, Rookie.” The team chorused their thanks until Dive stepped in.

“See, what did I tell you? I knew you’d do just fine.”

“Yes, sir...I guess you did.” Ok...what else do I say to this? Right. “You know, if it weren’t for me, our cover wouldn’t have been blown at all.”

“Come off it right now. You’re lucky Ray just gave you an overpowered rifle instead of one packed chock full with signal flares. If you hadn’t shot that guard we would have been given away anyways, so quit dwelling on it.”

Silence ensued for several minutes, and Shadow savored it. Far below, the verdant fields of the south of Equestria soaked up the morning sun. The air was cold, but crisp and refreshing, and it left him with time to ponder everything that had just happened.

It had all been so fast, and yet it seemed to have taken forever. Now replaying those moments in his mind’s eye, barely a minute would elapse before it was over. None of the changelings had found him, even though many had tried. Not one bullet was fired at him, and yet the adrenaline had been more intense than he had ever felt before. How could it not have been? His father and brothers in arms would have died if he had not shot.

There had been no question, no hesitation. When Chaff had asked, Shadow had known he needed to shoot. Once that first changeling had been turned into bloody oblivion, there was no time to think, only to act. Each shot had been given only the time it needed to be perfectly lined up to ensure another changeling went on its way to Tartarus.

Eleven lives. He’d woken up that morning having never caused more harm than a hoof-fight back in boarding school, and now...now there was this. It wasn’t as if they would have lived anyways. When those explosives leveled the camp, there was nothing left. Death by Winter was probably almost as fast. So much trauma would have snapped the spinal cord, had the heads of his victims not completely been torn off. Shadow shuddered at the thought.

Each one had died, bloodily and horribly, at his hoof. He was the one who had pulled the trigger, and it was him who had stared into their eyes as the bullets landed. The oath he’d taken upon becoming a royal guard had him bound to serve his kingdom as so ordained by the Princesses, and that included killing those who would murder the innocents of the land. Duty, honor, and reason demanded that his team should come before the entire species of the changelings, and there was no doubt in Shadow’s mind that he had made the right choice. He hadn’t expected it to feel good, but what exactly he was feeling wasn’t the elation of a successful mission, nor the joy at seeing his team alive and well.

This day had been coming, one way or another. From the day he’d completed his indoc, having taken an oath with the words far stronger than a guard’s oath. I said, no, I swore that I would kill with my brothers. That no power in any world would stop me from delivering death and destruction to those who would harm my country, and I would do what is right no matter the cost to myself. Even...even if that cost is my own conscience.

There were no words for that sorrow. His body, he knew could suffer whatever tribulation was heaped upon it, and his mind was ready to fight through the challenge of thinking after days of sleeplessness. To give up his innermost self though, it would take some time. But I will have to. They can’t train another pony for this soon, and even if they could, he would still have to face the same as I. And I promised I would do this. So I will. If father can do it, if Wild Wind, Storm Crasher, and Razor Wings can steel themselves to this grim vocation, then so can I.

The fields gave way to rolling hills; the southern approach to the Azurite Mountains. At the pace they were holding up, it couldn’t be more than twenty minutes back to base. Each wingstroke was somewhat strained; the weight of the gear on his back cumbersome after a morning in the field. Wait a second...it’s been way too quiet for Chaff being here. And Ray said the comms could be used for select groups...they’re leaving me out of it. Clearing his throat, Shadow pinged the team.

“Hey uh...you guys all still there?”

Chaff was the first to respond. “Oh yeah, sorry ‘bout that. Just thinkin’, you know? So anyways, how you doing, LT?”

“Uhm...kinda sweaty?” That earned a chuckle from everypony.

“That’s not exactly what I meant.”

“Well...my neck and shoulder hurt where I held Winter.”

“Ok, let me be as blunt as you are. How does it feel to be a badass?”

“Oh. Uhm...feels kinda the same, except the tired of little sleep has hit, I’m hungry, and sore. Why, anything else I should be feeling?”

“Other than the thunder of hundreds of mares rushing toward a stud like yourself? Probably not. Being awesome usually leaves me being hungry and tired too. But I was thinking...when you were up there saving our rumps from those changelings, you kept your cool like you were out there hunting wendigos. A stallion, his rifle, and a bunch of dead changelings. One at a time, nice ‘n easy. Bam, bam, bam.”

“Exactly!” added Savage. “Shadow Wing out on a hunt for changelings. Making sure he gets every last one he wants. Leme tell you, Hunter, you were doing better than Chaff ever did as our designated markspony.”

“Wait, what did you call me? You can’t be serious.”

“I think you’ve just earned yourself a name there, Hunter.” Crash paused, weighing his words. “Say what you will, but that’s who you are now. Better get used to it.”

“Heh, he won’t need to get used to it. You love you new name, right Hunter?”

Must even my name remind me of this? “Yeah, I do.”

----------------------------------------

Breakfast and brief, or this case, debrief, followed as soon as the team got back home. Still wearing their combat skins, but having ditched the helmets to let their manes out, the Timberwolves chowed through everything Mama Wolf put in front of them. Not just Dive, but everypony had some kind of favorite ‘after-guns snack.’ Chaff had already finished most of a coffee pot, and was now chewing through every donut he could reach. Crash was working his way through a plate of biscuits and gravy, while Savage was eating an entire loaf of bread, plain.

Finding something he actually wanted to eat took a little while, but Shadow soon settled on some thin strips of what appeared to be meat. Not exactly a common part of the pony diet, but it was hot and salty, and something to chew on. Apparently it was called ‘bacon’, and could only be found in Gryphemi. It was supposed to be expensive too, but right now he didn’t care.

Argent Fire strode into the room, this time wearing his gilded armor with red and gold plumes. “Alright! Got just a few words and then I’ll let you get on your way for the day. I imagine you have a lot of important things to take are of. First things first, you blew up everything that needed to be blown up. Good job. You guys know the ramifications, but Princess Luna asked me to pass on her personal thanks for a job well done. Now, as per usual, we’ve got nothing in particular lined up, so stay sharp for the next time one of our intel boys passes down something else that needs to get broken. Any questions or concerns you’ve got for me?”

The question was met with the quiet noise of chewing from the assembled stallions, before Chaff took another loud slurp from his coffee.

“That’s what I like to hear. Last business item then. Lieutenant, make sure you report to Ray and go over weapons specifics. Having reviewed your helmet feed from the mission, I think a few changes are in order. Ok, well you all have a good day.”

When Argent left, the room dissolved back into conversation through half-full mouths. Still not very hungry, nor eager to join in the chatter, Shadow got up and made his way down to the armory. The door was shut, but opened to his touch. It was heavy, but weighted evenly such that a simple push sent it inward. All of the lights were on, and the field from the transformer by the door caused his coat hair to stand on end, and his mane to rise ever so slightly.

Nothing was moving or making noise, and the clanging of his guard's shoes echoed harshly off the walls. Row upon row of one-of-a-kind weapons and contraptions he had no name for passed on both sides, but they were not what he was after. Right at the back of the room was a scene out of his college days. Wedged into a nook in the wall were a table and a mini fridge, and Refract Ray was asleep, dead to the world hanging halfway off a sagging brown sofa. He did not stir as Shadow drew closer.

“Hey, Ray, wake up! Ray?” Shadow nudged the scientist gently on the foreleg, and was rewarded with a twitch before he continued to snore. Letting out a terse sigh, Shadow whacked Ray on the back on the head. “Wake up, you asshole!”

Ray jumped, then sat back down, stretching wide and yawning loudly. “Oh hey, short guy, why’d you get me up so early? You know evil geniuses are made when genii like myself don’t get enough sleep.” Meeting no response from Shadow other than a deadpan glare, Ray continued. “I suppose you’re here to talk about weapon modifications.”

“Lucky guess?”

“Naw. I stayed up to watch the whole thing from the briefing room. Pretty damn cool. The colonel and I agreed that you might want some adjustments. Be thankful. I’m not paid to be nice.” Shadow gritted his teeth. “So what can I do for you?”

“Well, I’m sure you saw the rifle was a bit...high-powered. It sure made the targets go down, but I wanted them to drop, not...disintegrate.”

“Hmm...that’s not quite how I would have described it. Here, I’ve got the file on my datapad so we can review it and figure out exactly what needs tuning up. Tip-hoof top secret and all that jazz.”

Sitting next to Ray on the moulding couch, Shadow was treated once again to what he’d already remembered dozens of times that morning. The video file was from his helmet, and Ray had loaded from right as he was scoping out the first guard.

“Ok, so range on the helmet and the scope agree, a bit over half a mile out. Your sight in looks good...ok lets move this forward. First shot is...here. Oh geez! Ahahaha!” At the sight of the first changeling exploding he let out a snort of laughter, and then caught himself. “Wow, I didn’t they’d work that well.”

“That what would work, exactly?”

“Oh, glad you asked. See, the rounds for Winter are not just special in that they hold their accuracy at long ranges, but I put a spell on them to start tumbling just before contact with soft targets, so that whatever got hit would be utterly torn up. I’m pleased to see that they were a success.”

Shadow took a slow breath. “And you didn’t think to tell me about this before I went downrange?”

Ray grinned and slapped Shadow on the back. “Well, no? I figured you’d just want the most destructive weapon you could get. This way it works in case they decided to transform into something big, like a manticore. It sure worked, didn’t it? Those changelings got what they deserved.” Resting in Ray’s forehooves, the datapad showed the scoped in view of the changeling fleeing the camp. Fear was etched onto her face, her rifle bouncing around by its sling. No longer staring through a haze of adrenaline, Shadow could see she wasn’t running to get help, she was running for her life. “And look. This bitch is about to get it so hard. Hah!”

As Ray chuckled again, Shadow felt something snap inside. He knocked the datapad clear out of Ray’s grasp, causing it to break on the steel floor. Before any protest left Ray, Shadow reached over and grabbed him. Rearing up on his hind legs, he pinned the unicorn to the wall and screamed at him.

“Do you hear anypony other than yourself laughing? Huh?! No? That’s because it’s not fucking funny! You didn’t have to watch everything go horribly wrong from behind the scope. The whole damn time you were sitting on your rump six hundred miles away in safety. You didn’t have to see them fall to pieces when you expected them to go down quietly. I know you think I’m a new piece of shit here that you can jerk around, and that’s damn fine. But as soon as your idiocy causes the lives of Dive, Crash, Chaff, and Savage to be on the line, you’ve crossed it. If you can’t bring yourself to think that I’m worth helping and keeping alive, then you’d better at least tell me when you’re doing something like that for their sake. You got it?”

Eyes wide and shaking, Ray avoided Shadow’s gaze. “Look...yeah. I’m sorry. I’ll...I’ll make sure you get told of every last update and change to any of your gear, and what it might do. I was...worried, because I really wanted that tested, and it doesn’t do crud to those paper targets you practiced on. I wanted to see what it did to real meat. And I was certain you wouldn’t like it.”

“Well, you were right.” Letting his legs fall back, Shadow released Ray to fall back on the sofa. He took one more moment before sitting down too, letting his head hang with a sigh. “Look, I’ll test whatever you want me to, just so long as I can test it when I know it is feasible to do so.”

“For what it’s worth, I probably already have the fix that you want. I put together two more barrels for Winter, each with their own ammunition. You can swap them out by hitting the correct release with the hook on your guard’s shoes. All of it will fit in the saddlebags, and the sighting should more or less hold, though it’s still undergoing fine tuning. Then you can use the one on there now for extreme distance work, and the other two for shorter and middle ranges. And I appreciate that your offer a lot; the rest of them long since stopped helping me.”

“Sure, though I can see why they did.”

“Yeah...I’m sorry, Shadow.”

“Me too, Ray, me too.”

----------------------------------------

Back in his room, Shadow stashed the saddlebags and combat skin beside the bed. It somehow wasn’t dirty, despite him having lain in the dirt and sweated buckets. It was still late afternoon, and he was tired. Not sore, or physically worn out, but his body still seemed to be drained of energy. After half an hour lying on his back, slowly letting his eyes flutter back open to stare at the ceiling, he’d given up on sleep. Still, having cleaned Winter and taken a shower, there was nothing else to do. Training was over, and nopony was in his room screaming at him to get up, and no new training or workouts had been announced. Perhaps I can just go get dinner.

As Shadow opened the door to head down the hall, he was greeted with the smiling face of Savage without his combat skin, one hoof poised to knock.

“Hey, Hunter! Was wondering where you’d been. The boys and I’ve got a little surprise for you out back. Come on down, I think you’ll like it.”

“Will there be food?” Dive did say something about an initiation this morning.

“Oh you bet there will, but don’t ask me more. Kinda ruins the effect.”

Together they walked through the hall to the stairs, and took the steps up to the highest floor of the sub-mountain base. A room like the teleportation chamber below, but smaller and imbued with a permanent spell left them standing in the meadow behind the mountain once again. The sun was behind the nearest peaks, but the sky was still blue. And it’s only been a day.

“Over there.” Savage gestured, and the two of them took flight back over toward the mud pit and pull up bar. Dive, Crash, and Chaff were all there, likewise divested of gear. When they landed, it was Crash who spoke up.

“Hunter, you’re one of us now. Your name is well earned, and you have done as you swore in our oath. Today, you fought with, saved the lives of, and killed for your brothers. That bond in words is now an oath bound in blood. Remember well what you said. There is nothing too petty to be asked for our sake, because there is nothing too great you can ask of us. But, I’m sure you’ve had more than enough of the grim and solemn for one day. Shall we get to the celebration?”

Trying to ignore the gurgling in his stomach, Shadow nodded. About time we got to food. Dive smiled right back at him.

“Oh good. Well, in that case, boys, he’s all yours.”

Wait, what? Like a bird of prey, Shadow jumped and spread his wings, but was far too late. Savage tackled him from behind and the sheer force of the impact took them both into the mud pit. Being smaller was both an advantage and a hinderance. Shadow was faster, but couldn’t match Savage’s raw strength. For several moments the two grappled, utterly caked in mud, until Shadow slipped a hinderhook in, and flipped Savage completely over. Letting out a yell of triumph, he pounced on top to pin the larger stallion down. Secure in his victory, he never saw Crash and Chaff coming.

Knocked clean off of Savage, the weight of two more opponents drove the wind clean out of him. One took his forelegs, another his hindlegs, and the third sat cleanly on top of him. Struggling had no effect other than to evoke laughter from one of the Timberwolves. Realizing it was useless, he stopped shoving, and soon one of them let go of a foreleg.

“Well, tap out, filly!”

Facedown in the mud and unable to breath, the only obvious choice was to reach his one free foreleg out and tap whoever it was who was sitting on his upper back.

“Ok, let him up boys.”

The air was sweet. It really didn’t matter that he’d just been dog-piled by his brothers in arms, or that he was coated from ear to hoof in mud, he could breathe again. “Wow guys, you really got me. Totally forgot that Dive mentioned that this was a thing.”

“Heh, well glad you liked it. Because here’s round two.”

Wings now mud-logged, Shadow didn’t even get a chance to dodge the three forms converging on him. After just as short span of time, the second round was over. And then the third. Thankfully, they stopped after that, and helped him out of the pit. Somepony dragged out the nearby hose and cranked on the pump, dousing them all in freezing creek water to clean up. Shivering, they huddled around the fire Dive had built while they were wrestling.

“Ok, now that you’ve had your beat-up session, I think it’s time we had some fun.” Dive ruffled Shadow’s mane, and then dragged over a bin filled with junk food and a large number of brown and clear bottles. “If you can walk without falling over your hooves by the time we’re done here, you’re doing it wrong. But make sure to put this on first.”

Dive hoofed Shadow a small leg-band, containing a phial of clear fluid. The rest of the team already had them on.

“What’s this?”

“Well, you know how you got called out of training due to an emergency, and we had to go quickly? That was a long time compared to how long we normally have to get ready. So, if you ever want to go drinking, you’ve gotta have one of these on. The serum in there will purge all the alcohol and by-products out of your system in under a minute, and it will hurt like hell. After that, you’re good to go.”

Nodding, Shadow put it on. “About going out drinking, did you mean like other than out here in the middle of a field?”

“We’ll get you outfitted with gear like a pager watch and a skyphone tomorrow, as well as deal with finding you work back out in society, so you can live a normal life while you’re not here, but again, that’s for tomorrow. For now, we celebrate.”

The hours passed, and Shadow listened to their tales. Stories of their best shots, closest calls, best and worst decisions, and places that they wanted to see again some day. Regrets, hopes, dreams, fears, and stupid things they’d done with mares they’d met. Between the booze and the insistence of his friends, he told them about Sherry Berry, and why he’d joined the guard.

Midnight had long since come and gone by the time Shadow found himself back in his room. For the first time since he’d left it he stopped to think, and realized the haze of the alcohol kept him from remembering in clarity what had happened earlier that day. I can...feel peace. This is probably a really bad idea...but so long as it’s not too often...it could work. Pressing the end of the bottle into his muzzle, he drank.

On his nightstand, twelve spent casings rested. I don’t remember leaving those there...oh well. Even if I’m ready to forget for now, I should remember who I am upon waking.

No memory was left of climbing into bed, nor of pulling up the covers. Just the echo of the voice of a mare speaking to him as the darkness of sleep took over.

You have found yourself, young warrior. Now you know that you are a hunter, a hunter of those who do not deserve to live. Rest well, knowing that the next time will be easier, and the next easier still. Do not fear what it is you will become, for it is closer to me. Be joyful…

be…

content...

Fly

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Sure, speaking softly when you threaten is a good way to go about it. But never be shy about backing up your threats with a lot of force. Be ready to bring the fire. Enough to burn the very stones they stand on, so that they understand just how wrong they were.

-Ashen Path

Three years before...

The world had a habit of being an awfully civilized place whenever the best solution was to break things and kill bad guys. Every time tensions rose, a good shouting match that should have ended with a hoof-fight and been over with after two minutes seemed to be stretched out into a long-fought passive-aggressive game of words. It wasn’t just once either. High society made an art out of complaining about things. Perhaps it was just because those with too much money had so few problems, and needed to find something to make a mountain out of. Or maybe they’re just all pricks. Never had to face any real problems not on paper; never grew any balls.

Still fuming as he walked down the hall, Shadow gave what little part of his mind wasn’t ranting over to balancing the tray on his back. Making a mess of things this close to closing time would just be a waste of the evening. The memory still lingered though. An earth pony mare, wearing a dress inlaid with diamonds and wearing a rope of pearls around her neck, making a mess on the table because the spoon in her soup bowl was not rotated all the way around. How her husband had demanded to speak with the owner over ‘such rudeness.’ At least Shiny Platter had the gumption to tell the noble that he would not be welcome again if he couldn’t keep his wife on a leash.

Remembering those words made Shadow chuckle as he set the tray down for the bus-colt. To imagine himself doing such things again, after all that had transpired in the last few years just seemed ridiculous. Join the Guard? Check. Get dragged into a black-ops group? Check. Wield a custom-tooled sniper rifle? Fly faster than the speed of sound in level flight? Shoot something from over a mile away in the line of duty? Check, check, and check. For all the thrill that came with it, a life of living under a mountain and never coming back out to the world was not an enviable one. But with a little messing with the records (courtesy of Dive), and a few strings pulled (courtesy of Argent Fire), Shadow had been ‘traveling’ the last year, and thus away. Argent’s sister, Shiny Platter, just so happened to offer him a job as a waiter at her restaurant. It didn’t pay a lot, but it was enough for a small apartment in the crummy part of town. Not that Shadow was worried about dealing with thugs.

Six hundred thirty-eight bits, and seventy-two pieces. That was his takeaway for the last two weeks. It was nice, putting that little check in his saddlebags at the end of the pay period, but it was just a drop in the bucket. All his real pay came from working with the Guard, and even then it was all in hard cash. Argent made sure everything was kept off the books. So long as Shadow used his paycheck from waiting tables to cover his rent, and a little bit of food, it was foal’s play to leave all the nicer things back in his room at base. For that matter, there wasn’t much he had want for.

What else could I want, really? The thought flittered back and forth through his mind as his hooves traced the familiar path out the back door of the restaurant and down the alley. It would take him home, just like it had night after night. The cobblestone that paved every street and alley in the city was worn smooth by the rain. Originally white, it had been turned gray by the many years of rain and hooves beating down upon it. I’ve got the best job in the world, so long as I don’t tell anypony about it? And who would I tell anyways? I get to play with the biggest guns, fight alongside the bravest stallions, and each day I can see that my work goes to good use. Canterlot is still here, isn’t it?

Speaking of toys, the next few days were all for making good on his promise to Ray. Something about a recoilless rifle, which would be cool, and a new version of the combat skin. Both sounded like they couldn’t really be bad, but knowing Ray, they were both very dangerous and would probably hurt to try out. It would sure beat the hell out of listening to uppity nobels whine about their soup spoons though. But that wouldn’t be until tomorrow, and Shadow still had time to kill tonight. That would consist of little more than sitting in front of the music channel and drinking--crap. I’m out of beer.

Stopping dead in his tracks, Shadow looked around, only to realize that he’d passed the grocery store he normally stopped by on the way home half a mile before. It didn’t matter too much. There was a liquor store six blocks past where his apartment was, and it would still be open this late.

The beauty of the Canterlot night was in full swing. Late hour or not, the city never slept, and there were always residents out and about doing something. Nighttime joggers, ponies with late shifts hurrying out to get groceries or pick up their foals from day care, colts and fillies out playing without regard for the chariots that raced down the streets--all of them were what made the city what it was. Sure, the high reaches of the mountains were beautiful, and the vast expanses of the oceans mighty, but no wilderness Shadow had ever seen came close to the feeling of life that the city brought. Every moment was a new one, with a new face, and a new name waving hello. Sometimes too literally. A cry for bits washed over his ears as a scraggly stallion waved a hoof toward Shadow.

“No, I don’t carry any bits in cash, sorry.” Darn beggars. That stallion even had a spell woven, hoof-embroidered saddlebag. Any damn fool could see he wasn’t really homeless.

Pressing on faster, Shadow almost didn’t notice where he was until the store loomed in sight. Situated in the corner of a strip mall, it was right beside a smaller road which led into a section of apartments, and Shadow recoiled. That was where she lived. Memories washed over him, dragging him back to a happier time.

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“Oh cmon, Shady. Won’t you eat your dinner now? I made it just for you.”

“Sherry...I’m not all that hungry tonight. Sorry.”

“You know you can’t lie to me that easily, Shadow. I know you’re hungry. Here, go on. Start eating. I know there has got to be something that’s bothering you.”

Shadow took the plate, and slowly began eating the fried rice off the edge. Sherry was far too good of a cook. Even with his stomach unsettled, it was still marvelous. Soon the plate was empty, and Sherry was grinning at him. Her eyes sparkled and her smile twinkled. She took the plate and wrapped one foreleg around the back of his neck. Tingles ran down his neck, but before he could shiver, she pulled him into a tight embrace. The warmth of her breath down his neck was enthralling.

“So why don’t you tell me deary? What’s wrong?”

“I...don’t think...I…”

One hoof over his lips cut off the nervous stammering.

“Oh Shady. We can wait til you’re ready to talk about it. It’s not like we just have to sit here awkwardly and wait until it’s right.” Her lips met his, and he lost all desire to speak. They were warm and calming, and he wanted nothing more than to share the kiss with her. Before he knew it, Shadow was lying on his back on the sofa, his legs wrapped tight around Sherry. She held him close, but left one leg free to play with his mane.

It seemed to last an hour, even if the embrace was only for a few minutes. Sherry let the kiss go, and leaned her head back, looking down expectantly. Shadow licked his lips, feeling the warm mix of saliva. It was...comforting, knowing that the mare who he was going to marry was sitting there on top of him, holding him close. She wouldn’t abandoning him now, after promising him a life together. Not even with the news he had. She might not like it, but they were still in this together. And soon he’d have the bits to buy her a really nice wedding bracelet.

“Sherry?”

“Yes, Shadow?”

“I...got turned down again. Side Room Sound didn’t hire me, and all the auditions flunked again. I’m clean out of a job.”

“Oh it doesn’t matter, it’s not like you wouldn’t be moving in with me in a few months anyways. Just keep looking, I’m sure there’s something else out there.”

“I did find something though. Sherry, I did it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I signed my papers for the Guard.” She frowned, and Shadow continued desperately. “Look, Sherry, I know you don’t like that, but I think my dad was right. There just isn’t any work for me in music. The Guard will actually pay me. They’re gonna make me an officer, and officers get paid more. I might even get to stay here in Canterlot, and then there won’t be any change to our lives, except that I won’t be living on spare bits. Please...I’m sorry, but I did this for you…”

“You know how I feel about the Guard, Shadow.” Sherry slowly pulled her legs out from behind Shadow and sat back up, leaving Shadow feeling cold still down on the couch. “You’re better than that you know? Don’t do this to me, Shady. You’re my colt! I thought we were going to live a life of peace and beauty together!”

“Sherry, I did so such that we’d have the money to do just that. I just can’t seem to make bits as a musician, or a sound tech, and if we’re going to have a life together, I can’t just let you do all the work.”

“But you can! Please, just tell me you can tell them to take it back! You can tell them to take it all back right? You can move in here with me, and we won’t worry about a thing.”

“No. I can’t. I leave for training in a week.”

Sherry paused, tears running down her cheeks. She held out one hoof before him. “Shadow, I love you! Please, find a way to...to make it right!”

“There isn’t any way. Sherry...if there was I’d do it, but I did this for you. For us!”

Sherry began to sob, every tear crashing down to the floor.

“I’m not going to have a husband who would be a murderer. It’s them or me.”

“I told you, I can’t take it back now.”

“Then you’ve chosen to be a killer. Give...give me that bracelet back.” She began to cry, but kept her hoof out.

Slowly, trembling, Shadow took off the diamond bracelet, and set it on Sherry’s waiting hoof. A thousand responses, replies, and retorts all rose in his throat, but he choked them off and stood up. Somehow, his hooves found their way to the door, and opened it for him. It wasn’t until he was many paces away, and the rain had slicked down his mane and coat that he began to cry, adding his own tears to the downpour.

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“I’m so sick of seeing kids like you in here. Give me an ID, shorty, or get out.” The voice ended the daydream with a harsh dose of reality, the rainy streets faded away to be replaced with the front end of the store.

Shadow looked up from putting the bottles on the checkout conveyor to see a scraggly beige unicorn clerk sneering at him. Oh you little punk. Shadow nosed through his saddlebags until he found his bit pouch, and pulled the little embossed and gilded card with his photo out and held it out in his teeth to the cashier. Magic yanked it from his teeth, and the clerk stopped sneering as he saw the card. It was Shadow’s old Guard identification, still valid for a few years after he ‘got out.’ Wordlessly, the cashier floated the card back over and started totaling the purchase.

“That will be one-hundred and fifty-five bits.” With the air of a pony conferring a favor upon a lesser being, Shadow put the gold in front of the clerk. Now I remember why I stopped shopping here.

The trip home was uneventful, and for that, Shadow was grateful. One more memory, asshole, or surprise out of no-where and he might have just struck it in the face and moved on. Instead, after a contented dinner of leftovers from the restaurant, Shadow plunked himself down on his sofa with the first of several bottles. Sure the morning was early, but it was test day, not ops day, and somehow the schedule hadn’t shown him working again for another three days. Ray probably phoned Argent again. Jerk.

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“Ray, wake up, you bastard!”

The yell followed the echo of Shadow slamming open the armory door, and the sound jumped off each metal wall and floor to fill the room with cacophony.

“I’m up! I’m up!” cried Ray from further back in the room. “Sweet Celestia, what time is it. It’s...damnit Hunter, it’s eight-thirty in the morning!”

Shadow chuckled and followed the pained voice toward the back of the room, where Ray was holding an alarm clock in one hoof and his goggles in the other. Found Ray without his goggles on. Check one more item off the bucket list. “Well, you said to be here early.”

“Right! That means sometime before noon! And preferably after ten! Not everyone runs on your freakish military hours, you know?”

“Can it. You dragged me up here to do ‘stupid stuff.’ Waking up the tech early qualifies as stupid. What’s next?”

“We get to work.”

“I thought you said officers don’t work.”

Ray stuck his snout into a pouch of coffee, and inhaled deeply. “That’s right, you don’t. I figured out the tech, I designed the tech, I built the tech, now who’s gonna help me test the tech? You. But that’s the fun part, not work. Want some coffee?”

“You know I don’t drink coffee, Ray.”

“One day you will. You won’t be young forever, you know.”

“Depends what you’ve got for me this time.”

“Well hang on. I’m not going to let you kill yourself without having a mug for me to sip on.”

True to his word, Ray took twenty minutes to make a cup of coffee, and consume a boxed pastry from the cabinet next to his desk. When he finally finished, he swept the crumbs off his desk onto the floor.

“Ok, so you get to pick what we’re testing first. Your options are ‘really big gun’ or ‘new suit.’

“I do like guns. What have you got for me?”

Ray chuckled. “Something big enough to compensate for even you. And the best part is, it doesn’t even have any kick.”

“No kick?” mused Shadow as he followed Ray over to one of the larger benches. Sitting on the top was something that probably better fit the description of an artillery piece than a gun. The bore was more than a quarter the width of Shadow’s hoof, and the entire contraption was mounted onto a saddle arrangement. Several belts holding shells the size of a small sweetcorn cob lay to the side, ready to be loaded in. The most curious part of the whole contraption was that the back end of the barrel was open.

“How’s it work?”

“Well, it’s supposed to vent most of the expanding gasses out the back, so in theory the recoil would go down a lot. Ninety-three percent if my math was all spot-on, which should make it manageable enough to make what normally should be a light artillery piece into a pony-mobile platform.”

“You gonna tell me what happens if your math wasn’t ‘spot-on?’ Last time you said that I wasn’t able to get the smell out of my coat for days.”

“Oh come on, you big baby. You should have just taken a longer shower. The worst that could come from this is you get a good shake.”

“Really?”

“No. The worst that would happen would be the harness coming apart under the force, and ripping right through you. Now lets go shoot it.”

“Why can’t you?”

“Because you get paid to do stupid and dangerous things. Worse still, I’m pretty sure you enjoy it.”

That earned a laugh from both stallions. “Sure. Let’s go.”

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The range was warm and peaceful under the morning sun. ‘Warm’ was relative for a high mountain valley, but that was of far less concern to Shadow than the targets at the end of the range. A sloppily drawn changeling in black marker was taped to cardboard and propped up with rocks.

“Really, Ray?”

“Hey now! My art is great! I’d love to see you draw something that good.”

“I’m talking about it being paper. You really want to test a weapon that’s built for breaking through walls on a target that couldn’t stand up to a colt with a water pistol?”

“We’re not here to test what effect the gun has on the target. It is very well known what quarter-hoof shells do. What I want to know is if you can fire it safely, and if that’s confirmed, whether or not it’s accurate. Also, I’ll be measuring stats on the shots. Muzzle velocity, drop, so on and so forth to see if there is any change due to the setup.”

Ray levitated the harness over Shadow’s back, cinching down a series of straps until they were tight. The entire setup didn’t feel too heavy until the telekinesis went away, and the full bulk of the barrel thudded down. Shadow huffed at the sudden weight, and spread out his stance. It was heavy, and with the saddle harness all the way tightened, the only way to aim was to shift side to side and rotate.

“There!” exclaimed Ray as he slotted in the first round. “Should be all good to go. Point at bastard, shoot, and I’ll take notes.” He scampered back a safe distance and whipped out a clipboard.

“Wait...Ray? How the hell am I supposed to aim this thing? I can’t really get a good idea of exactly where it’s pointing.”

“Check your helmet, there should be an option to toggle on the targeting feature. I’ll turn it now now.”

A simple crosshair appeared in the HUD, up and to the right of the cardboard changeling. It dipped up and down with each every inhale and exhale, making it just a little tricky to line up over the crude target.

“Alright, firing on my mark. Three, two, one, mark.”

At that last syllable, Shadow bit down on the firing bit, and the unmistakable roar of a quarter-hoof gun sounded over his right shoulder. Most of the noise was sealed out by the helmet, but it was still a thundering reminder of how much firepower he was packing on his back. Every last muscle from head to hoof had been kept relaxed to avoid shaking the the aim, and prevent injury should something go wrong. After a second or two, no kick came, and he was still standing in the exact same place. The gun hadn’t so much as jerked on the harness. Down the range, there was a hole where the ‘head’ on the target had been.

Ray laughed, stomped his hooves, and then cheered before slotting in another shot. “Oh hell yeah! It works! Give it a few more shots, will ya’?”

“Sure thing. Firing in three, two, one, mark.”

Like falling sideways into the wall of a hurricane, the sudden force twisted Shadow off his hooves. The air whipped through his mane, and the feel of gravity spun so quickly that not even the ancient pegasus instincts deep in his brain could tell him which way was down. Just as suddenly as it all began, the ride came to a sudden halt as the barrel of the rifle lodged in the dirt. Still carrying the momentum of the flight, Shadow slammed into the side of the harness, and then the entire mess of pony and weapon came to a halt, leaving him hanging upside down a few hooves off the ground. All around, the world spun fast enough to make butterflies dance in his stomach, and Shadow hurled up his breakfast.

“Well...I guess it needs some adjustments,” admitted Ray as he lifted Shadow free of the harness.

“Yeah, I suppose you could say that.”

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Hoofsteps, outside the door. The clang of keratin against the cold stone, even while muffled on the other side of the wall still seemed preternaturally loud. That noise dragged Shadow’s unconscious mind from the depths of sleep like a dragon plucking a sheep off the side of a hill. Eyes wide open, Shadow took everything in. The bed had plain brown sheets, the floor was of plain gray stone, the door was carved out of the rock, and in a flash it came to him. Oh. Right.

The door opened, and Shadow winced as the light from the hall hit his eyes. “Good Morning, Ray.”

“Holy shit, you guys all seem to wake up before I get there. You did sleep, didn’t you? Do you ever sleep, for that matter?”

“Of course I do. You’re up awfully early though.” Shadow rose from the cot and followed Ray down the hall to the armory.

“Never went to bed. No way I’m getting up early enough to see you test this thing.”

Together they shared a meal of toaster pastries, cereal, and other things that were of dubious breakfast quality. It was all nothing but sugar, and while that would normally be a bad idea, it was the ideal food source for the morning’s work. While Shadow ate, Ray was digging around in the back of the lab. After a few minutes of low cursing and clanging, he emerged and plunked a suit identical to Shadow’s down on the table. “Ok, so this is version three-point-oh of the combat skin. Just finished it twenty minutes ago.”

“I don’t see any difference.”

“Of course you don’t, that’s why I’m the one telling you what it does and not the other way around. This model has the improved FOF tagging system that Dive has been nagging me for, so hopefully you won’t have to go through any more messes. It’s ever so slightly more bulletproof, and by that, I mean you can probably crash through a canopy without ripping it into pieces. Bullets will still go right through, though.”

“Did anypony ever explain to you what ‘bulletproof’ means?”

“And most importantly,” continued Ray, completely nonplussed, “the friction co-efficient of the suit has been enabled to be next to zero. I know that’s what I said last time, but this is a factor of eight-point-seven improvement. That was far enough I had to enchant it to add the friction back just on the underside of your wings for each downstroke, otherwise you wouldn’t displace any air. It also comes with the ability to be manually controlled, so that you don’t just slide when you land. Anyways, I want you to test just what it can do.”

“You don’t know? You built it.”

“I know what the numbers say. If the math is right--and don’t roll your eyes at me, I spent a lot longer working on this than the recoilless rifle--with your wingpower, you should be able to achieve an altitude of over three hundred thousand hooves.”

Three hundred thousand hooves. It was the hypothesized edge of space, but nopony really knew for sure. After all, it wasn’t like anyone had ever been there. An average pegasus might make it to twenty thousand hooves in the air. Up there, the air might be cold, but it was the necessary range to work on the weather. After all, it was only for ceremonies and the such that the pegasi left the clouds but a few hundred hooves off the ground. On the other hoof, a good flier could make it to sixty thousand. The Wonderbolts held records at ninety thousand and change, and that was after hard training and using oxygen gear. Even with the flight training that Crash and Dive had bestowed upon him, and the pressurized enchanted flight skin that Ray had built, Shadow had never flown over half the height Ray wanted him to try to reach.

It seemed like a bunch of big numbers, but really, the width of an average pony’s hoof was pretty small compared to the vast heights of Equestria. Mount Eternity was only twelve thousand, three hundred, and thirty-eight hooves high. In the summer, all the snow melted clean off the top. Further back in the range of the Azurites, there were peaks that kept their snow all year around, not summited by pony explorers. It had kind of figured that at least one morning a week, Dive made them go climb one without flight, which was only allowed if one of their number slipped and fell. The wild clouds in the highest parts of the atmosphere had always been out of reach of the pegasus race, save for scant legends of heroic and divine figures reaching their lofty heights. Thunderhoof the Mighty and--Ray’s hoof waved several times in the air in front of his face. All of the daydreams of some legendary figure accomplishing the impossible, and himself taking their place were shattered with the trip back to reality.

“Command to Lieutenant Wing, are you there? Hello-o!”

“Real funny, Ray. Did you really say three hundred thousand hooves? That’s insane! That’s twenty miles in the sky. You said you wanted me to test the suit, not to go to space!”

“Well, aside from a few ideas I’ve had about putting surveillance equipment into something called ‘orbit,’ yes, I do really want to see just how high you can go. There’s a bonus to that, but one you can’t tell Dive about.”

Oh boy… “And that is?”

“Well think? A twenty mile dive? In a new nearly-frictionless suit? Think of how fast you could go.”

The thought was tempting. It would be like something out of those old legends, except that it would be a chance to really feel all that speed and power. “Pretty damn fast.”

Ray rolled his eyes. “Like, ‘boom-by-four’ kind of fast, Shadow. Think. Almost nopony will know, hell, nopony will ever know, but how would you like to be the fastest flier in the history of ponykind?”

Nopony will ever know. The words echoed in Shadow’s skull, and refused to go away. The fastest ever. High enough to touch the stars. That’s the place of a pony in a fairy-tale, yet it would go to the soldier. “I’m never gonna be able to look at a news article about the Wonderbolts the same ever again, will I?”

“As sure as Celestia shines, you won’t. Now get in the suit, and let’s get going. You’ve got a trip all the way out to the Mahorri Desert this morning, and the teleporter isn’t going to stay warmed up forever. Also, I’m getting sleepy.”

The Mahorri was a place of ‘fond’ memories for everypony on the team. Located past the changeling swamps and the zebras grasslands, it lay in the far south of the continent Equestria was situated on. The land would have been claimed, but it was so hot and dry that there was no point in trying to live there--perfect for practicing high altitude, high speed flight maneuvers. The intel folks liked to call it ‘area fifty-two.’

Putting on the new combat skin was utterly the same process as the old one. It didn’t look or feel any different, but nonetheless came with a shiver of excitement. This time, as the material tightened to conform to his body, there was a hint of a promise coming with it. Today was the day to write a legend. Every step was a bit closer, and every inhale a taste of the tale. Too soon though, Shadow found himself standing in the teleportation chamber, looking over at Ray’s grinning visage as he lit the runes up. This time, as the world faded away, it also got warmer, until it felt for all the world like standing in the middle of an oven as the room faded away.

The sun had yet to come up, leaving the red sands of the desert dark, and a deep purple where the waves lapped against the shore. Off against the horizon, the edges of the dawn were just starting to form, promising to bring day to the empty and heat-blasted wasteland that was the Mahorri Desert. For fifteen hundred miles south there was nothing but sea, and the surrounding desert was half that large in every other direction. Shadow took a moment to savor the salt in the air, before pressing the helmet over his head, and letting it seal him into the cool little world that was his new skin.

“Ok, Ray, I’m all ready to go. You recording this?”

“You know that’s a stupid question, Shadow. We both know that you know that your helmet is always recording what is going on.”

“So that we can both get in trouble with Dive later?”

“Totally worth it.”

“Well, if we’re keeping this then…” Shadow cleared his throat and stood up tall. “This is an official record, officiated by--”

“Whoa whoa whoa, hold on there. Why bother making it an official record if nopony other than you, me, and the rest of the team is going to see it?”

“If no one else is ever going to see this, why do you care?”

Silence reigned on the comms until Shadow started again.

“This is an official record, officiated by Lieutenant Grade Three Shadow Wing. Record subject: altitude record attempt. Time and date: zero-four-forty-five, twelfth of Sunfire. Witnessed by Refract Ray. Officiating party would like to designate a warning for vulgarity on the record.”

“...Seriously?”

“Go get your popcorn Ray, it’s my turn to do the work.”

Just like the thousand times before, Shadow took to the skies, building speed as he shoved the air underneath his wings. With each passing moment, more and more of the surrounding landscape was visible, revealing it all to be rolling dunes of red and waves of blue. There was nothing else in the Mahorri. Even as the air went from stifling hot to freezing, the view was all of the dead land and endless waves. The line between the two stretched further and further in both directions until the distinction faded away. Wind and wingbeats were the only two sounds in the lonely skies, dark above and dark below. It was a special serenity and an ancient struggle, the pegasus reaching for the sky. As it grew ever closer, it remained ever far away.

“You’re going kind of slow, aren’t you?”

Ray’s voice jerked Shadow right out of his reverie. “Dammit, Ray, can’t you leave the flying to the pegasus? Even if your friction magic works, it doesn’t turn off gravity, does it?”

“No…?”

“So if I try to fly that high all in one go at top speed, I’m gonna burn out long before I get close.”

“Oh. Ok.”

The silence following remained only for a few minutes until crashing and banging sounded on the other end of the radio. Shadow grit his teeth, and then gave up altogether.

“Damn it, Ray! Can’t you not make any noise for just two minutes?”

“Not me this time, I think you’re going to have to ask Chaff and Savage.” Ray chuckled, and judging by the picture, was getting into some kind of vintage bottle. Shadow shut off the video feed.

“Hey hey! Hunter!” Chaff’s tired words were only interrupted by the unmistakable slurp from a coffee mug. “What the fuck are you doing? It had better be awesome, because Ray got me up at four in the sun-damned morning to see it.”

The altimeter clicked to 120,000 hooves, and Shadow leveled off. It was almost as high up as they flew when heading out to mission, and just about as high as he’d ever been. Still catching his breath, he braced himself for whatever Chaff could bring. “I’m pretty sure he told you.”

“Oh Ray told us,” answered Savage, sounding bemused. “Something about you testing his new gear, not blowing up, gonna fly really high, and generally stuff worth getting up early for. You know Dive was gonna have us up in another few minutes anyway to do his crazy sprint drills, so don’t feel bad about it.”

Endless chatter seemed to fill the radio after that. Ray and Chaff were like two little colts; they seemed to just feed off of each other and get louder and louder, while ignoring everything else in the room the whole time. Annoying as it was, it gave Shadow some time to catch his breath. It also gave Dive time to find out that nopony was at the ready room for the drills, and storm into the armory.

“What in the hells below are you all doing in here? Ray! You better not have kept them all up again!” There was just enough pause by everypony for Dive to notice what was playing on the screen. Collectively, everypony winced inside. “And Shadow, I know you said you’d be away today testing tech. Carry on.”

“Yes, sir,” answered Shadow.

“Oh he’s like a freaking robot,” laughed Chaff, and suddenly Savage, Ray, and Dive were all laughing too. “Capn’? Shadow is about to get really high.” That earned another bout of laughter.

“Is he now? Did he have a willow bark chew with his beer?” asked Dive.

“Oh no, sir.” Seriousness filled Chaff’s tone. “The lieutenant is about to cut loose and do something fun with his life. Recommend that we stop him, sir, before he finds a way to get the stick out of his rump.”

“Shaddup, Chaff!”

“I’m denying and rescinding your order,” uttered Dive, still somehow chuckling. “And I’m not so sure, Chaff. This could get good. Shadow? I want you to go ahead and get as high as you want.”

“That’s not funny, sir.” The laughter on the other end said otherwise.

“Where is everypony?” demanded yet another voice. Crash had apparently managed to wander over to the armory as well. Oh great. Gonna try to set a world record in front of the whole squad. No pressure or anything. Not like I need to focus on this. And now the stable sergeant thinks Chaff is a comedian. Ray probably dragged them all in here to watch, and he knew I’d hate it. There wasn’t training on the schedule, I remember it!

“You still there, Shadow?” Crash’s voice cut through the cacophony, steady and re-assuring. “Look here soldier, you’ve probably figured out that we just wanted to watch you do some badass flying. Now, if you can get up there and do some cool stuff, Savage and I will hold Chaff for you to punch when you get back. Sound like a deal?”

Shutting Chaff up or removing everypony from the room other than Ray would have been a better deal, but since neither of those were going to happen, it would have to do. “Alright, I’ll take it. We’re going to tape it too, so if Chaff screams like a filly, we can keep it forever.” Cheers of agreement met the suggestion, and Shadow grinned. “Ok Ray, I’m all ready to go.”

“Ok there, Hunter. I’ll be monitoring the suit status the whole time. If something goes wrong with it, I’m gonna tell you to bail, so be listening for that.”

“Got it.” Time to go.

The long climb ahead would demand every last bit of speed possible. Turning right to follow the coastline away from the impending dawn, Shadow put every bit of his back into it. Slowly at first, but quickly growing to the point that it howled louder than any bray of a windigo, the air whipped past his helmet and under his wings. Yet even as the the sonic barrier approached, and passed with a flare of deep blue, the air seemed to continue to part in front of him. Split by the wedge of forehooves, the surrounding zephyrs had no choice but to go around, seeking some other avenue, only to find that it was as if nopony were there. Each time the riled and hissing winds sought to slam into his side or wrap around his wings, they slid right off. A modicum of fear passed through Shadow as he saw the ground start to pass by swifter than ever before. For the first time in his life, the readout on his helmet display clicked over boom-by-two. A muffled chorus of gasps filled the radio as the air finally began to find purchase on his form.

With the change in drag, the sprint finally began to take its toll. Each intake of air became a precious gift, and each twitch on the body was another drop of sweat that soaked into his coat. The display was fixed at ‘Bx2.18,’ and apparently wouldn’t be going any higher without a waste of effort. Leaning back into a steep climb was all it took to start letting that speed go. Furiously flapping the whole time, each inhale went from deliberate to desperate as Shadow fought to keep whatever speed he could on the way up. He winced as sunlight flared all around him, the result of already being ten miles into the sky. The ground below would still be dark, but he refused to look down or over to see the sunrise. Maintaining balance was critical at this speed; one push too far in any direction could throw him off, or even into a spiral.

As bright as the morning light was, it failed to bring any warmth to the sky. Even after all the effort of getting just a little bit closer to the great light in the sky, the air seemed to be getting colder and colder. As that chill settled in even through the heating magic in the combat skin, the downstrokes seemed to be getting more and more slippery. The air just keeps getting thinner. Shit! Each wingbeat became more and more frantic, faster than the one before, and yet speed kept bleeding off the boom meter. All the while, the sunlight continued to grow brighter, and the sky above somehow grew darker. Even with the great light of the sun behind him, all Shadow could see of the sky above was blackness.

It was safe to stare; the speed had bled off to subsonic, and despite all the flapping, Shadow was just drifting on the leftover speed from before. Up above, perhaps a few hundred lengths away, though it was hard to gauge the distance, narrow wisps of cloud intertwined with each other. Angling toward it, Shadow alighted on the top, and almost slipped as the clouds slowly started to melt under his weight. They were so thin that he could see the ground through them. The ground! It was so far away! All of the ground was so far away. Not just the desert and the ocean, but with the optics zoomed forward, the land on the far side of the ocean came into view. Taking another step onto newer cloud as to not fall, Shadow turned his head to look out to the north, and gasped. There was no mistaking the faraway features of the changeling swamps, or the even further away forms of the Azurite mountains. I can see home from here, a world away.

The sky above was a perfect black. All the stars were obliterated from view by the greater light of the sun, which from the height was visible opposite of the slowly setting moon on the horizon. Still, for being bathed in both the light of the sun and the moon at the same time, the chill sank deeper into his bones, not far from that of a windigo. Shadow shivered and stepped forward again, just in time to avoid falling from the heights as the cloud wisped away.

“Ray, I’m getting really cold up here.”

“That’s what you say upon setting a world record? Really? Look at your altimeter. Three hundred and seven thousand hooves. And two hundred and four more, but who’s counting at this point? You’re on the darn edge of space right there. No wonder you feel cold. Your suit is reading an external temperature of higher than anything ever recorded on the surface, but there is no air to conduct it. All that ‘heat’ is coming from the radiation, which is quite high, by the way. Chalk up two world records. Oh, and whatever you do, don’t take of your suit. You’ll explode from decompression, then asphyxiate, and die of hypothermia, in that order.”

“Good to know. I didn’t really plan on it.”

“Well, I think that about sums all this up,” added Dive. “Ray, looks like the suit was a success, and soon we can get our space surveillance system set up.”

Shadow’s ears pricked up at that. “Wait! I’m going to have to fly this again?”

“Several times!” replied Ray, sounding cheerful. “But I think you’ll find it will be very worth it for when you have to go out on mission.”

“Don’t worry about it for now though, you can come on down now.” Dive sounded relieved and excited. Time to smash that to pieces.

“Alright. I will. And I don’t think the suit is quite done being tested.” Clearing his throat, and shifting one last time to another patch of cloud, Shadow started another record. “This is an official record, officiated by Lieutenant Grade Three Shadow Wing, in addition to previous record. Record subject: airspeed record attempt. Time and date: zero-five-one-five, twelfth of Sunfire. Witnessed by Refract Ray, Sergeant Razor Wings, Sergeant Wild Wind, Stable Sergeant Storm Crasher, and Captain Dive Skyward. Officiating party would like to designate a warning for vulgarity on the record.”

“Fuck! Shadow! What the fuck are you thinking?” screamed Dive.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Shadow was aware of Ray trying desperately to tell Dive that it would all be alright, and everypony else cheering. It was all loud, but none of it was there. It couldn’t compare to looking straight down off the edge of the cloud, twenty miles to the ground below. It was just one step.

He jumped.

And fell.

The fall was slow, or at least it seemed that way with nothing around save for empty sky to compare it to, and the ground apparently not getting any closer. Still, Shadow kept his legs stretched out forward and back in the diamond posture, trying to gain every bit of speed he could before the air grew thick again. Chancing a glance at the readout, the altimeter was dropping too fast to count, just past two hundred and seventy-five-thousand. The boom meter read at zero point nine nine.

The internal thud of jumping the sound barrier washed over Shadow, though the navy blue light of the boom was next to invisible in the dark of the upper sky. Just like further down, there was no tangible difference in the air from one side to the other, just a rapidly increasing number on his boom meter. Before two-hundred and fifty-thousand hooves were met, it had passed the two-point one-eight it had reached early and kept going.

“Why in the name of the Hell-Judge Shellot are you doing this, Shadow?!” demanded Dive, clearly through with the argument against Ray.

“Testing the suit.” It seemed like a rude answer, but everything seemed a little too surreal to care at this point.

“I get that! Do you understand that if something goes wrong, there won’t even be a smear of you left?! We won’t be able to put you back together if you’re just scattered ash on the wind!”

The boom meter passed three. Far below, the ground lay, but much closer than before. Crash was shouting. Chaff was stammering. The chill began to wear away from Shadow’s bones as the air began to take upon substance once again. The sheer friction of moving at three times the speed of sound, even in the enchanted suit was incredible. Perhaps Dive is right, this ends with me in ashes.

“I won’t know that unless I brave the fire.”

“You really think that?!”

“I am still in control. If I feel myself start to lose it, I will pull up.”

“...I can’t stop you, but we are going to talk about this when you get back.”

Three point seven. One hundred-seventy-thousand hooves. The air was growing hot; the heat ran up his hooves and legs to rest like fire on his body. It hurt, as it should.

“Shadow, pull up now!”

Three point eight. One hundred and forty thousand hooves. The voice didn’t matter. He was ever so close to four.

“Shadow, pull the fuck up, you’re on fire sundammit!”

Three point nine. So close. One hundred thousand hooves. Something lit up everything in his eyes--holy sun that is fire!

With every muscle in his body, Shadow heaved against the downward velocity. Ever so slowly, the view in his visor rotated toward the ocean. No softer of a landing if it didn’t work out, but something to put out the flame would be welcome. Under the raw pressure of trying to change a boom-by-three dive to level flight, Shadow’s wings folded almost entirely inwards, jerking on the sockets as he struggled to push them back out. Even that tenth of a hoof of room was enough to airfoil a little, and turn the fall into an arc.

Three point one. Fifty thousand hooves. The fire was blinding. Only a sliver of vision remained between the waves of yellow rage. It was filled with blue--the sight of the sea under the new dawn light. And it was getting closer fast. Celestia save me.

An echo of a voice sounded, and over the howl of the wind there was no way to tell if it came from the radio, or inside his own head.

She can’t help you. But it is not your time.

The whispers faded away, and then were erased entirely by a force that struck Shadow all over. With a whump the fires went out, extinguished by the moisture in the air. Two lengths below his outstretched forehooves, the waves of the ocean passed below, hundreds each second. It was their spray in the air that had extinguished the fire, and the force of the flight was rending a giant cleft in the water.

One point eight. Twelve hooves.

With a cheer, Shadow pulled up, and watched as the sea followed. The wings of water to each side rose for hundreds of lengths into the air after him. In the light of the morning, each arc of the sea glistened with the colors of the rainbow, until at last the water returned back to the waves below. Slowly they fell back down, and soon the whitewash of the upturned sea returned to the endless blue.

“This is Hunter, I made it, and I’m coming home.”

----------------------------------------

“I’m not going to lie. I’m really just glad you’re alive. Don’t do that to me ever again.” Dive paced back and forth, still scowling. “Whatever happens, neither of us tell mom about this, alright?”

“Deal.” Shadow breathed a sigh of relief. Under the Equestrian Code of Military Justice, he had disobeyed several orders, and recklessly endangered his own life. This left him reprehensible by being discharged from his office. The real world however, didn’t leave anyone with such luxuries. It wasn’t as if there was a quick way to replace him.

“Now get out of my office!”

“Yes, sir,” chuckled Shadow, as he ducked out the door, and ran right into Ray.

“Oof!” gasped Ray as Shadow knocked the wind out of him. The larger stallion took a moment to get up, but grinned when he saw who was responsible. “Just the Hunter I wanted to see, completely alive and in one piece! Mind coming with me to the armory for a minute?”

“Only if we’re not testing any new tech. No exceptions.”

“I can promise that. Just need to go over a few things with you.”

The armory was once again devoid of any life, and as soon as they got inside, Ray closed the doors.

“Ok...Shadow, I’ve got some news that might make you just a little mad. I’ve been running the scans on the suit since you got back, and part of the enchantment, almost a quarter, is just gone. There really isn’t any other explanation...you absorbed it.”

“I...what?”

“Shoot. Look, Hunter. It means the frictionless enchantment wore off on you. I don’t know if it was the enchantment going funny, the speed and temperature you put it under, or some combination. Frankly I’ve never seen this happen before. But you’re gonna have to deal with that...pretty much for good. It wasn’t designed to come out easily. I know you’re gonna be pissed, but it’s there to stay.” Ray looked down, dejected, until Shadow hoofed him in the shoulder.”

“Oh come on Ray, why would I be mad? You’re telling me that I got something as good as those junk-ad wing-expanders or horn-extenders claim to give, except it’s real. I can’t complain.”

“Well, still. Watch yourself out there. I’m not quite sure what you’re capable of now. Would be really easy to slip up and do something stupid.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, but I doubt there will be any trouble.”

Forgive

View Online

Roots, herbs, spells, and potions can only go so far. Sometimes the best medicine is forgiveness. And the best revenge is to have a good life.

-Wild Thyme

Two years before...

Ledgers and binders, bills of sale and of purchase, and an old computer all occupied the desk. Of all the tools mightier than the sword, none were so powerful as the pen, or in this case the quill and inkwell. Perhaps a lack of recent use dulled desire and familiarity, but never removed their necessity.

With deft twitches of his jaw, and jerky turns of his head, Shadow drew the quill over the paper, twice signing a messy signature. Shiny Platter adjusted her glasses, then took the paper and read over it, nodding slowly. “Wait, you sure you don’t want a few more days? As much as we’ll miss your help, you haven’t taken a day off in...a long time.”

“I think it will be fine.”

“Alrighty young stallion, well, you be sure to call right away if you want a little more time, ok? I’m sure my brother would approve. I do say, all you young fellows work too hard these days, or at least the ones he sends me. It gives me hope for you folk.” The old yellow mare did her best to smile charmingly.

“Alright.”

“So what are you off to go do, if it isn’t too much for me to ask? I don’t suppose you’ve found a nice mare?”

“Just some family business, nothing much.”

“Oh? Well do tell the folks hello for me, will you?”

“Of course.”

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I probably don’t need all of this.

The saddlebags that Ray had provided never really seemed to run out of space, and after shoving in two days worth of field rations, water, and a very large bag of bits, they weren’t any heavier. Hell, they were lighter than the ones he had kept his books in back in college. Meh…

Throwing the clasps shut, Shadow hefted the bag and turned to leave his room. It was a second room...and a second home. Buying an apartment with money from his cover job was a requirement, as was living there most of the time. However, having a room fifty paces away from the briefing room was a plus, and the food ‘borrowed’ from the palace kitchen was free. There was only one good reason to stay in his own apartment.

“Oh hey, Hunter!” And that reason was Wild Wind. “You’re sure all packed up real early in the morning. Where you headed to?”

Shadow shoved his way past the larger pegasus, pulling the door shut behind him. It was especially important that Chaff would be ignored this morning. That meant turning tail, and just walking away. With whatever scraps of luck still existed in the world, Chaff would wouldn’t follow him this time, and would just go away after being ignored.

“You’re not getting away that easily. Come on, start talking. How about I call in some favors, huh?”

“That would have worked, were I the one of us owing favors, not the other way around. I’ve saved your life four times now, and you’ve returned the favor once.”

“That’s because you’re the sniper, not me, you wuss. Saving my rump is your job, so I’m not sure it merits favors. I’m talking about setting you up with Marigold. Oh, and spotting you drinks last friday when you forgot your bit pouch.” They walked down the hall, the smaller stallion standing up stiffly and looking forward as if dead to the world. Chaff was not fooled. “And since I’m such a nice guy, I’ll call both even if you know the correct answer to this question: Where is Hunter going this weekend?”

“Nowhere.”

“I would believe you, except the roster says you’re taking leave, and that bag of coins in your saddlebags is big enough for a good time even if it were only full of pieces. Though judging by the sound it made when I shook it, you skipped both bits and pieces, and went right to crowns. Several thousand bits is a lot to be spending in one weekend. Didn’t Dad ever teach you to be responsible with your money?”

Shadow gritted his teeth as Chaff continued.

“I may not have a fancy degree like you types with those moons on your collar, but I don’t think you’re going furniture or chariot shopping, unless of course you’re going furniture shopping with Marigold...I didn’t think she had tastes quite that expensive.” Oh please don’t. “But who am I to judge? I suppose if I were a lonely virgin with way too many bits like you I’d also be doing whatever it took to get into her bed.”

“It’s not like that Chaff.” No...don’t let this happen again.

“Ahh...well if you swing that way, I should just advise you that both Crash and I are already married to the mares of our dreams, and Savage doesn’t swing that way. Even if he did, you can’t do that with a subordinate.”

“The fuck are you talking about?! You know I’m not a colt-cuddler! Just because I don’t like the prissy mare you shoved on me does not mean I’m gay. It could be possible she’s a bitch, in which case you made that night hell on me. If you can, use your superior experience and thinking powers to mull that over for just one minute.” Shadow bit down on one of the clasps on his bag open, and nosed through until he found two crowns, which he promptly spat at Chaff’s hooves. “And there is all you spent on me and more. I owe you nothing. Fuck. Off.”

“So...will you tell me if I ask nicely?”

The base exit slammed in Chaff’s face. That particular passage led to the far side of Mount Eternity, a sheer cliff face opening to a high altitude view of jagged peaks. In other words, the only place deserted enough to slam a concealed door. That’s exactly what Shadow did, with enough enthusiasm to cause an echo to ring out from the surrounding mountains.

Those jagged rock faces still lay in the dark under a blue sky, the sun not yet having crested the eastern range. A slight tailwind followed as Shadow ploughed a path south through the air, wings beating furiously and a scowl on his face.

----------------------------------------

High noon found a much sweatier Shadow in the moist air over a vast savannah. Staying aloft was easy, but moving forward had become far more difficult. It didn’t help that the scenery was boring. Tall, tan grass stretched out in every direction, save for a vast green jungle on the southern edge of the horizon. Somewhere in the reaches of that rainforest lay a small village where his contact was waiting. Somewhere. Zebras had never consented to have their lands mapped by Equestrian cartographers, leaving Shadow with a crude mouth-drawn map and some hastily scrawled directions.

Find the lake that looks like a swan, land on the eastern shore,

Follow the hoof path for five minutes into the forest,

Once you run into the village, you want the last house on the left.

The air grew drastically wetter as the edge of the trees passed below. The already chilled air of two thousand lengths above the ground grew suddenly colder. A drop of sweat on his face froze into place as the temperature rapidly changed. At least it was easier to see the lakes this far up--all of them. There had to be hundreds, small and large, in every shape and size. It was worse than trying to gaze at clouds as a colt, because this time he couldn’t afford the luxury of going to do something else. Stopping to hover, he pulled out the map, and then spent the next twenty minutes trying to match the forest below to it.

When he finally found it, none of the savannah remained in his sight. That doesn’t look anything like a swan. True to the directions, a well worn path wound into the trees by the shore. Sweat fell like rain from every point of convergence on his body as he landed, the stifling heat assailing his body. The rich thick mud of the forest floor ate up on his hooves, making him sink to his knees. Down on the ground level, the trees kept most of the light out, leaving the way forward in darkness. After a moment’s hesitation, he followed it.

Inside, the mess of low-hanging branches and vines formed a tunnel through the rainforest. Dead leaves, branches, and other plant matter squelched underhoof. For how dark it had looked from the outside, numerous shafts of sunlight filtered down, leaving more than enough light to see by. Before long, the path opened up to a clearing, in which a few dozen huts in all shapes and sizes filled the center of the open space. Zebras young and old were spread throughout the clearing, toiling in gardens and tending to fruit trees. A few looked up as Shadow walked into the village, but most just ignored the smaller creature. The entire settlement lacked any discernible order. Finding the last hut on the left would have taken a while, had not a zebra with an arrow glyph mark walked over.

“Good day, you are here to see the shaman, yes?”

Craning his neck back, Shadow gazed over the zebra’s face. “Yes.”

“Well you follow Hesh-katiah then!”

And so Shadow did. That very quickly turned into a straight walk through town. As they passed by the humble dwellings, the interiors came into came into view. Far from being primitive living spaces, they contained all kinds of modern Equestrian technology, clashing with traditional Zebric implements. Steel knives lay on shelves beside cooking gourds, spell-based music players were placed beside wood flutes and clan masks, and traditional farm tools hung next to computer terminals. Where do they get the power for those?

Hesh-katiah led Shadow out of town, and the path led back into the woods on the other side. But a few lengths down the next trail, Hesh-katiah turned sharply to the left, and shoved some low-hanging vines aside. There, hidden behind the foliage was a much more spacious home, boasting several rooms and a second story. A garden of plants bearing fruits and pods in shades of purple and blue lay alongside the house, fenced in with simple wire. Vines creeped up earthen walls; crimson berries hanging in clusters from every point the vines split.

“He is home! Hope he help you!” Hesk-katiah left Shadow in front of the open entryway. Immediately inside was a traditionally decorated Zebric home; masks hanging on the walls next to drying herbs. It would have had an exotic feel to it, if it weren’t for the brushed aluminum refrigerator in the corner. No noise came from within, save for the humming of the refrigerator condensor. The strong odour of smoke came from inside.

“You came a long way from home, pony. Are you not going to come inside?” The voice was calm and smooth, but didn’t cause Shadow to relax.

“Are you Thar-Aru?”

“That I am.” A tall zebra stallion walked into view. Scattered tufts of gray still lingered in his white mane, contrasting with the charcoal gray eyes that stared with a burning intensity. “And as pleasant as your conversation is, it is a social requirement in both of our cultures that unless one is a door-to-door salesmare, leaving a guest outside is rude. As is ignoring an invitation from your host. I have a pot of rooibos boiling, and it wants sharing.”

Sighing and taking a reluctant step inside, Shadow soon found himself in the kitchen, seated on a soft rug and holding a large mug of steaming red tea. Rooibos was not a common part of the Equestrian diet, even though cuisine from every part of the world could be found close to their borders. Having never had such tea before, he found it to be sweeter than the black tea normally offered at home. Though, I could be mentally projecting the color onto the flavor...sure smells different, though.

“I know your kind likes to skip the pleasantry in favor of business, but forgive me if I wish to know a bit more about my guest.” Thar-Aru sat facing Shadow, slowly sipping on a mug of his own. “I would have you do the same of me.”

Uhhh…. “Every zebra I’ve met before rhymes, but you don’t.”

“That’s just...what you might call a lifestyle choice. Those who enjoy appearing mysterious do so, and I understand that as such they might make more money around your kind.”

“Oh.”

“Quite so. Now, how about you introduce yourself? Tell me your name, something about your family, where you are from, and what you enjoy doing with your time. And as you declined to ask such things of me, I will answer mine for you. I am Thar-Aru, son of Eldrah-Aru and Mina-Ara. My father was a grain farmer, and my mother taught me the arts of alchemy and medicine. I have lived in this village three and seventy years, but when I was younger I traveled the world to learn the ways and languages contained therewithin. For my own pleasure I tend to my garden, and visiting my foals and grandfoals when I am able. And now, what of you?”

“Well...my name is Shadow Wing; my parents are Dive Skyward and Sure Splint. My father is a clerk and my mother is a doctor. I was born in Canterlot, but I grew up and went to school in Seaddle. I work as a waiter, and when I am not at work, I enjoy lifting weights and singing.”

Thar-Aru simply stared in silence after Shadow stopped speaking. First for a few seconds, then a whole minute he looked straight forward. Those gray eyes never wavered, seemingly reaching out for something deeper than sight. He took a long swallow from his mug; the noisy slurp seeming to come out of nowhere into the silence of the room.

“Ah...so your mother is a unicorn and your father is a…?”

“A pegasus. How did you know that?”

“One can see many things if he looks close enough. Tell me, do they not make the medical workers in your kingdom swear an oath to do no harm?”

“They do, why do you ask?”

“Then why did your mother curse you?”

No… “I do not understand.”

“You really do believe those lies, don’t you? As much as I enjoy your company, I know your kind is always on a timetable, and you came here for a reason. My contact in Manehatten told me a pegasus by your name would be coming soon to have a problem fixed.” Thar-Aru set his cup down and stared Shadow in the eyes. “I have cured hexes and curses to earn my bread since three decades before you were born. I know my art.”

The ancient zebra stood up, finished his tea, and walked across the room until he was forced to crane his neck down to look at Shadow, who was trying to force himself to remain still. After a few moments, he continued the examination. “Yes...you bear a curse of silence. Things you have been forbidden to say. This curse has been with you most of your life...and was bestowed without your consent. That is good; it will be much easier to break. Now, it seems you are lying to me about your father, or this pegasus you mention is not your father and you are unaware of it.”

“How...did you know?”

“The spell was cast by both of your parents. Either your father is a unicorn, or he is not your father. Something you said was a lie, intentionally or not. Would you like to explain now?”

There was no use in pretending further. It wasn’t as if Shadow could lie to himself, and he had traveled far and waited a very long time to be told the words that were washing over his ears right then. “My parents...are not my birth parents. I was taken in by them after my old parents c-c-c-ck-kk!”

Cracking a gentle, reassuring smile, Thar-Aru sat down. “And it would seem that there is very little creative about this spell too. Strongly cast, but so very crude. We can get it removed in about ten minutes, though it make take you a few hours to overcome the physical and mental shock of having it removed. This spell has been an integral part of you for many years, and while I can’t quite liken it to any other healing you know of, this cure will take a toll.”

Coughing at first, the nervousness cleared from Shadow’s chest as he began to laugh. “I’ve probably been through worse.”

“Probably, but you’re more than welcome to stay here afterwards until you are well enough to travel home. Now, how do you plan on paying me?”

Reaching into his saddlebags, Shadow drew out the sack of coins. “At least I have an honest answer for that. That’s two thousand, nine hundred and sixty bits in crowns and some change. I know your agent said you would tell me how much it would cost after examining me. I hope this is enough.”

“Thar-Aru laughed deeply, looking up to the ceiling and then back down at the sack. “That’s more than I would charge for six with your condition.” He paused to grin. “The needed potions and runes took me half a day to prepare, and I grow all of my own ingredients. Those bits you give me go to buy the niceties for my village.”

“Ah, then keep the rest as a promise to not speak of our business.”

“I never speak of such things unless given permission. Keep your gold.” The zebra stood up slowly, and motioned for Shadow to follow him into the next room. Inside, a large mahogany platform stood, looking for all the world like a dance floor that was covered in chalk dust. Along the sides of the room, a half-dozen stone cauldrons simmered over wood fires, filling the room with a haze of smoke. Thar-Aru gave a flick of his foreleg, and the smoke shifted. Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed from the door behind them, blowing the smoke out through an open window. Once the room was clear, he made another flicking motion, and a second gust blew the chalk from the platform. With a satisfied smile, the ancient zebra pulled an earthenware jar from a shelf, and ladled a generous amount of the contents of the largest cauldron into it. Shadow took the proffered jar, and examined it before swallowing. A light blue liquid with the consistency of water gazed right back.

“Once you finish drinking, we can begin.”

Shadow held the jar tentatively. Oh come on. I flew five hours to get here, and I already gave him my bits. I’ve only waited all my life for this, so why don’t I want this? Drink it, you little filly! Forcefully, he put the jar to his lips, and swallowed. It went down quickly, making his throat tingle like a leg gone to sleep. As the first drops hit his stomach, it seemed to empty and feel hollow, as if he had not eaten for days. Strangely, no pangs of hunger followed. Thar-Aru took the the jar, and set it on a shelf. Nodding in satisfaction, he led Shadow to the center of the floor.

“Wait here, and move not.”

“Alright.” Shadow knew he should be alarmed, or at least cautious, but it was all he could do to force out the slightest bit of curiosity. “What did I just drink? And what are you doing?” The words seemed to come out slowly.

“What you just imbibed was a magical sedative. It will keep you calm, so you do not break the spell circle, and in turn the ritual. Also, if there is an energy backlash from breaking the spell, that energy will be absorbed by the potion, rather than destroying your body.” Thar-Aru returned from the edge of the room with a bucket of fine white powder. He dipped one forehoof in, and drew a circle around Shadow. “As for what I am doing, I am drawing a shape opposite to the one within you.”

For the next ten minutes, Thar-Aru traced lines, shapes, runes, glyphs, and sigils onto the floor. By the time he was done, Shadow could barely hold his head up. Darkness licked the edges of his vision, and the light seemed to be fading from bright to dark over and over again. Only a small part of the floor appeared to be used, but it was really hard to get a concrete idea of how much space there really was.

“I’m ready, are you?” The aged voice seemed to echo around the room.

“Yes…”

“Very well. Whatever happens, do not break the circle.” Candles flared up as Thar-Aur held them one wick to another, and set them around the outer ring. Every muted thump of a hoof-fall blended into the rise and fall of the echoes until the noise was that of a churning sea. No more tip or trough, yet hundreds of peaks and valleys one after another washed over his ears. Above those waves, Thar-Aru’s voice rose.

The words seemed to have no meaning or order, but they spoke to Shadow. They told him to listen, and he did. They told him to follow, and so he went. Those words built upon the waves like ships upon the sea, a barrage of gentle but firm threat against what lay within. The pitch of the chant changed, again and again, but the first phrase still hung in the air, forming an overtone. It held power; no joy, no sorrow, no passion or anger, just a firm insistence that he be free once again. The waves crashed upon him, until one voice stood above the rest.”

“I bid you to speak!”

Forced by the command, a howl rose in Shadow’s throat, drawn by the ritual and fueled by two decades of rage. With a vengeance it tore from his lips, harsh and animalistic, sustained until the last wisps of air were gone from his lungs. A wind blew upon the candles, their flames flickering toward the edge of the circle before blowing out. The chalk followed, blown into a fine dust. Then darkness claimed him.

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Waking up with the feather flu was always a painful ordeal. The aches, cramps, headache, and sore throat made it suck to wake up, and impossible to go back to sleep. Right now though, Shadow was feeling the raw throat, and the headache, but none of the rest. Focusing on keeping his breathing steady, he explored his feeling of touch. Something soft lay beneath him, and there was a pillow placed under his head. HIs legs and wings were not bound, and so he chanced to open his eyes slowly, without moving his head.

The room before him jumped back with a suddenness that jogged his memory. Shadow sat up and rubbed his forehead with a foreleg. From his place on a mat in front of the desk, Thar-Aru turned to face Shadow.

“Ah, you're awake! And how are you feeling?”

“I…” rasped Shadow, his voice dry and clicking. “I’m a bit sore in the throat, but otherwise alright. Did it work?”

“Perhaps you will desire a few sips of this this before you find out for sure.” Thar-Aru passed Shadow a jar of something that smelt like tea and was still steaming. “To know, just try to say what you couldn’t before. I will leave you be; I suspect they are words you do not wish for another to hear.”

The tea was good, though that could have just been the sore throat begging for warm liquid. By the time Shadow had finished drinking it, Thar-Aru had long since left. In his absence, Shadow looked around, then reached for the pillow his head had been resting on. He inhaled, and then pressed it into his face. Here goes. Words slipped from his lips, and a low whisper rendered silent by the pillow, but he knew.

“It worked!”

“That is indeed comforting to hear. I am truly glad for you. Freedom of the tongue is the difference between a slave and a free pony. Are you well enough to travel?”

Pfft. “I’ve dealt with worse. I’ll be fine.”

“I wasn’t asking about your body. You appear to be quite hardy to me, but I wanted to know if you’ve decided on what to do with your new freedom.” Shadow shook his head. “Ah...I thought so. Do you desire my aid in that decision?”

“No.”

“Very well.” Thar-Aru picked up the bag of coins off a nearby table, and dropped them on top of the saddlebags. “You’ll find that I took no more than I promised I would. I hope that we meet again someday, and that when we do, nothing is troubling you. Safe travels, and may the wind rise to meet your wings.”

The bits secure in the sack, and the sack secure in the saddlebags, Shadow swung them over his back. “Perhaps. Thank you.” Stepping outside into the faint light of the jungle floor, he retraced his steps out to the path, and followed it back to the clearing. The open sky above called him home, and he took to it. He’d need every minute of it to deal with the new questions crying out in his mind.

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‘The Break Room,’ as it was so dubbed, was filled with whatever items the Timberwolves could pilfer when the Royal Guard threw their toys out. Two sofas, old and sagging lined the walls, and an old television that Ray had somehow found time to fix occupied a coffee table at the end of the room. A coffee machine, worn from a great deal of love sat on a counter next to an old refrigerator. Sprawled out on the cleaner of the two couches with one wing hanging lazily over the side, Shadow lay with his eyes, open, staring into the ceiling.

He’d rushed so fast into getting the curse lifted, or at least as fast as he could without being obvious. After the issues of something being wrong with him as a colt had been discovered, Dive had tried to get it fixed. No doctor or mage, military or not, could seem to do so. That was about the time that Shadow made up a sob-story about his parents being killed, and, Sun bless him, Dive ate it up. He had bought it all that Shadow was just stuttering and locking up because the memories were traumatic, and that the curse was so difficult to remove because there never had been one to begin with.

If only that were true. Shadow had made sure to keep tabs on his birth family discretely. They certainly were alive, well, and getting along just fine without him. That certainly went both ways. He could go on his merry way of being a killer of evil creatures and getting paid to blow things up, and his parents go on living their lives thinking he was dead, and this siblings thinking they never had an older brother. Everypony wins. Except that, it was entirely possible that he could put all that to a halt. Not that Dive would enjoy one of his covert operators going forward with such news, but he might just permit it. And what would happen then? There would be no problem with evidence, as Shadow was alive and kicking to prove it. He’d be made to drink truth-potions and testify, and when they argued that he was just insane, the same would be done for his parents. That would be that, and under the law of Celestia and Luna, they’d be stripped of their wealth, titles, and land, and it would be given to him while they were locked away or perhaps executed.

It technically was his right to all those things, but would it really be justice? For the parents sure, but his brother and sister would suffer. That brother had inherited all of those lands, titles, wealth, honor, and the list went on. But he sure didn’t rest on it. He’d also joined the guard, and Shadow had run into him on a few occasions. While promoted quickly, it seemed to be on merit, not just an important name. And somehow, that success didn’t even really go to his head. He was also wedded to a reputable mare, and while the marriage would stay, they’d have very little left to live on afterwards. The sister was another matter entirely. She was independently successful, if not very wealthy. Having not inherited anything, she wouldn’t lose wealth or livelihood, but the loss of her parents could be terrifying. She had done nothing to deserve that.

And then there was the matter of what to do with all of the aftermath. Shadow would be expected to take the seat of the house, but there was no way he could do that and still work with the Guard. The idea of a pegasus leading an old noble house, and a stallion to boot? That was just laughable. Right was one thing, respect was another. And I can’t do this without casting the sins of the mother upon the daughter. Can I really be the one to do that? I don’t want to be the one to withhold justice, but I can’t give it without causing more harm. There has got to be a middle ground. Perhaps I could stop by and talk to them? But what would be the point? They would beg, plead, and apologize out of fear of reprisal and nothing more. And I can’t go spill this...if I do, somepony else will start deciding what needs to be done instead of me. Why can’t there be a ‘right’ solution?!

“Hey, Hunter, you got a minute?” Oh Sun above! Can’t Chaff leave me alone for five fucking minutes!?

“Yeah sure, whatcha got?” Shadow lay still, staring at the ceiling.

“Well…” Chaff sat down across from Shadow with a huff. “Just wanted to clear up any bad blood between the two of us from this morning, you know? I was just being curious and trying to have a little bit of fun. I don’t mind a few bits either way, they pay me plenty, I just wanted to see you with a good mare, ‘cause maybe she’d make you happier. All of that was with your best interest in mind, and so what I wanted to say was…

What the hell is he still yammering about? He can’t be serious. Ok, he’s still going at it, and looks like he’s pleading...shit he is serious. He seriously thinks I’m still mad about this morning? Wow. That would be all kinds of petty after everything else today. Chaff was still talking, and Shadow realized he’d totally lost track of the monologue.

“...and Dive would be happy too, then, and--”

“Hold on now, Chaff.”

“Look, Shadow! I’m just trying to say I’m sorry!”

“I know Chaff, so don’t worry about it. I lost my temper too quickly this morning, and that’s about all there was to it. No harm, and it’s behind us now.”

“So do you forgive me?”

Shadow gave Chaff an exasperated glare. “Seriously? Alright, well if you really need me to say it, I forgive you.”

Chaff’s face brightened, and Shadow felt some of the tension evaporate. That’s really all he wanted? Well damn. On pure instinct, Shadow blurted something he’d never said before.

“Hey Chaff, you know I’m adopted, right?”

Chaff stopped in the middle of thanking Shadow and grinned. “Pffft, yeah? Who wouldn’t have guessed?”

“Wait, really?”

“Well, Dive is tall, Mama Wolf is tall, you aren’t really colored like either of them, and you are a little too formal around your ‘parents’ for it not to be totally obvious. I don’t have any problem with that. Some scrappy orphan colt like you probably was destined to grow up tough. Why do you ask?”

“Oh no reason…” Well, uh…damn.

“Excellent. Well, since you have your worrying done, and I have my begging for forgiveness done, I can go back to annoying the hell out of you.”

“Heh,” mumbled Shadow as he grinned contentedly and closed his eyes. “Bullshit.” Thoughts were running one way and then the next in his mind. An old family, a new family, one that tried to kill him, one that he went killing things with. Getting revenge really wouldn’t help anypony, that he was now sure of.

“Oh really? Because I found your clop stash.”

“That’s nice.”

“I don’t think you heard me right? I found where you keep all of your porn in your datapad! Aren’t you at least a little mad?”

“I would be, if I had a clop folder for you to find. Some of us don’t need one to get by, you know. Maybe I should tell your wife that you’ve been looking for porn?”

“Huh...that’s funny then...I could have sworn this was yours from all the musician mares and Wonderbolt pinups…”

Shadow sat bolt upright.

“...oh wait...this isn’t your datapad, it’s Savage’s! My bad!”

As Chaff was reading the name on the back of the pad, Shadow lunged forward and seized it from his hooves. On the front was the image of a yellow and orange pegasus mare licking her lips and posing on her hind legs with a surfboard at the beach. Shadow tried to ignore the sudden rush of hormones that came with seeing the pin-up, and flipped the pad over to see the words set in the back: SGT. RAZOR WINGS. That datapad got tossed for a second time as Shadow threw it onto the couch, and tore into the hall, with his yell echoing for all to hear.

“Savage, I’m going to fucking kill you!”

Chaff chuckled quietly as he picked up the datapad and deleted the folder labeled ‘misc.’ While he was doing so, Crash walked out from behind the door, and tossed a small drawstring bag, which landed with a clink next to Chaff.

“Guess you were right, Chaff. He really is hot for her.”

“Told you so! There was no way he’d be hiding it after something like that.”

“Speaking of which, don’t you think that we should go explain that you planted those files before somepony gets hurt?”

A roar and a yell echoed through the doorway, followed by crashing.

“Naw. I’m sure it will be fine.”

Forget

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And when you write your name upon the pages of history, you will use blood. Yours, theirs, it doesn’t matter. Your name will never be forgotten…and I do not envy you. But I do envy your legacy. After all, your honor shall never be wasted.”

-Briar Blueblood, speaking to his brother, Thorn

Six Months Before… A city for the winged had no concerns for great heights. Thus it became a symbol of beauty and strength that Aveston was seated upon the edge of a mighty cliff. Further behind, jagged peaks reached for the sky, but even they yielded to the might which was the determination of the griffons. There, a mile above the ground on a spar of stone half again as wide and broad, an entire town had grown from a simple trading post. First built to see the beauty of the waterfall on the east side of the city, Aveston had become a mighty fortress and center of trade.

The sun rose in a chorus of light, streaming through the tower of water falling from the heavens to the earth. Rainbow at first, eventually the angle changed on the rise, bathing more and more of the mountainside in the yellows and oranges of the dawn. Gradually, the multicolored halo shifted to rest on the highest tower in the city. Part of the noble House Wintergleam, the battlements reached up to the elements like the talons of their creators. Slowly, the light focused until it rested upon just one window. A single pane of crystal, put in place to take in the rainbow hue of sunlight split by the water, holding a rare beauty amid the great emptiness around.

That window was going to be shards in a few seconds.

“That’s your target, now get there!” thundered Dive over the sound of a red marker appearing over the window in Shadow’s helmet.

“Sir, there is no way we can hide going supersonic right over a city.”

“Dammit, soldier! There won’t be a city if you don’t get there in time!” Argent was watching the whole thing unfold. Far away and helpless, but he’d still ordered Shadow out in front, able to get there just a little bit faster.

“You heard him! Shadow, you’re going through the window!”

“The window?”

“Yes, rotate through, and slam it with your hooves!”

Twenty miles and ninety seconds separated the rest of the team from the city’s airspace, but those were not the numbers which had Shadow worried. The window read as a little over a thousand lengths away on the optics, and it would take every hoof of that distance to slow down from boom by one point one.

“Shit!”

At supersonic, he couldn’t lose his posture, or the sudden change in air resistance could rip him in half. Changing wing position would head him off course--unacceptable when the target was a square length, and gliding alone wouldn’t cut it. The window would break, and so would he. That left one option.

“Ray, the suit!”

For once there was no sarcastic response, just a gasp as the tech realized what was being asked of him,

“Right! Turning the friction back up. Hang on, the remote access is slow…” The tower loomed closer, a stone pillar resolute and inexorable. “Got it! Hang onto your tail.”

The wind began to howl all around as it found purchase on Shadow’s body, pulling him back as the tower reached forward. For every dozen lengths dropped on the airspeed indicator, the window grew enough to demand turning down the optics. At two-hundred lengths, Shadow looked up into the sky, and rotated his wings back. His entire form was blown vertical by the wind, but couldn’t overcome the tremendous forward velocity. At the last possible second, he remembered to lock out his hindlegs.

Raw, unrelenting force pushed on his hooves, pain lancing through his bones as surely as if he’d impacted a wall of concrete. Lightning fast it raced up his legs, but the glass shattered even faster, leaving him falling uncontrollably through a hail of crystal shards. Sunlight glowed through the open hole where the window used to be, lighting up the razor rain all around in a sharp, sparkling halo. Just as soon as the wondrous sight began, Shadow slammed back-first into the cold stone floor and slid. All around, the glass fell, bouncing harmlessly off of his helmet, and stabbing into the fabric of his suit. That slide continued over several uneven stone tiles, shaking his back, and scraping his neck several times before he ran head-first into the wall.

Black took his vision for a split second, and it came back blurry. In that haze, one part stood clear: a large fragment of the window, hurtling right toward his neck. With a yell, Shadow heaved himself to the side and rolled over to lie with his back to face the impact. The fragment struck the stone floor, and shattered like the window it had come from. Slivers of glass shot out in every direction, causing Shadow to cry out as dozens embedded themselves in his back. Then the roar went away. No more scraping against the floor, no more glass breaking against stone, just the slow gasp of his own inhale and exhale.

“Shadow, get up!” And Dive on the radio. “Come on!”

It only would take rolling over to the left to get his hooves back on the ground, but even that motion wiggled the glass embedded in his skin, sending dozens of lances of pain up his spine. Growling through his teeth, he shifted onto all fours and slowly stood, keeping his back relaxed. Just to the side of his hooves lay the edge of an opening in the floor where a spiral staircase descended sharply to the lower reaches of the tower.

“Behind you, get to it!”

A pile of metallic, gray cylinders were stacked upright against the opposite side of the tower wall, four across and three deep. They were a quarter-length wide, and half as tall as Shadow. Each one could weigh more than Crash did, if they were solid to the core. One more cylinder lay on its side atop the rest, crudely duct-taped in place. Each pain-fueled, pissed-off step brought them closer, and closer, until Shadow was standing right in front of them.

“Ok, talk to me, Ray. How do I disarm this thing?”

“That’s a cluster-charge Sunfire Bomb. Judging by the setup, the upright cases hold the spell charge, and the case on top holds the spell-trigger. Gotta open it up to disrupt the mechanism and spellwork--and no explosives. A sudden energy discharge nearby could set it all off. Try your knife first; let’s hope that they didn’t case it in steel.”

“Can’t I just cut the tape off and carry the trigger case off, and fly it out of here?”

“No! The trigger is harmonically linked to the charges, and if you move it too far away, the whole thing will blow. It’s going off in two minutes, so get that can open!”

“Right!” Spurred on my Ray’s cry, Shadow ripped his knife from his saddlebags, gripped it deftly with his left foreleg, and brought it down hard. Steel rang against steel, and the knife slipped from his grasp. There was not so much as a nick on the casing. Sundammit! Four more times Shadow tried to force his blade through different point on the cylinder, to no avail.

“Ray, this isn’t working!”

“Well, shoot it open!” yelled Dive.

“No! The gunpowder combustion would almost certainly trigger the explosion.” Ray coughed, and Shadow sat, staring at the bomb as he waited. Two beads of sweat ran under his coat down his forehead. “Agh! Try to buck it in. You might be able to crush it.”

“Got it!” Shadow dropped his knife and spun around, wincing as his back screamed blood and fury at the sudden motion. Looking over his shoulder to aim the kick, all the weight went onto his forelegs. Pushing with every bit of strength into the stone of the floor, he slammed both hindhooves into the case. Like bucking a brick wall, there was no give at all, and Shadow landed on his face. The ring of horseshoes meeting steel sounded, and blood dripped down his back. For the second time that morning, he pushed himself back up, and turned a wary eye to back to the bomb. There, indented in the metal were two deformations where his hooves had landed, and a slight bowing inbetween.

It’s working! Elation ran through his tired wings and burning back, calling him to buck the case again and again, the clanging ringing throughout the tower. With each kick, Shadow made sure to keep his balance, and land every strike on the exact same spot. The pain of holding himself up with two legs, and of trying to break through fought to the surface, and was pushed right back down. Half a million souls were unknowingly counting on him to break that case, and he was not about to let them down. Something was bound to bend and break, to tear and shatter if could just keep kicking. Somewhere, underneath the pain his his legs and back, the noise from the bucking and the cries of his team on the radio, it felt as if the metal was giving way.

A voice cut above the rest. Ray was yelling at the top of his lungs. “Hunter! It’s at thirty seconds! You need to get clear now!”

One more buck and Shadow turned, only to see the case heavily dented, but still intact. “Is it broken on the inside, Ray?”

“It’s still live! I’m still getting a countdown reading off of it! If you don’t leave now you won’t clear the blast radius.”

Shadow seized his saddlebags, leaving his knife on the floor, but still kept his gaze on the bomb. Ray had said the trigger just needed to be smashed, and it was so close to breaking. As if he sensed Shadow’s hesitation, Dive jarred Shadow back to reality.

“Get out of there, Shadow! That’s a fucking order!”

No further acknowledgment was needed on Shadow’s part than to turn and run toward the window he came in through. Each step thundered on the stone floor, pushing him along faster, while his wings were already beating to gain every last bit of momentum they could. Up ahead, the window was mostly empty, with just a few jagged shards clinging to the outside of the frame. Those too were ripped from their precarious hold as Shadow tore past. Out again in the open air, there was nothing else in his mind than the most furious sprint he could push through his wings. Even as his breath ran short he continued to race faster, streaking toward where his team was waiting.

Light flared from behind, and stayed bright, somehow rendering everything in front of him brighter, and casting a shadow visible in the air in front of him. A howl tore through the skies to reach his ears. It was the sound of a city boiling into vapor. Inhabitants, homes, and the very stone of the mountain all incinerated and gone. As soon as the sound started, a malevolent heat reached for his tail and hindlegs, throwing Shadow through the air to fall helplessly to the ground below. Eyes closed, he let it take him. There was no fighting back, nothing more he could do against this failure.

“Oh no you don’t!”

Something tangible wrapped around Shadow’s back, and he was no longer falling. It took a few moments longer to realize it was Chaff who had caught him, and had spoken those words. The roar died out as they settled to the ground miles away from the remains of the city. Shadow opened his eyes to find himself lying in an open field at the base of the cliff, looking up at where Aveston used to be. A giant plume of smoke, already miles high was still rapidly rising to the skies above a section of the cliff that had gone from light brown to tar-black.

There had been a city there. And now it was gone. He’d stood there as its last moments ticked away, fighting for a brighter future. That future had turned out as black as the carbonized remains of those souls who had lived there. The view of the cliff grew blurry, and Shadow realized he was crying. He took off his helmet, and cried into the dirt. Ray took off his helmet too, and put a hoof on Shadow’s back. That leg scraped across the newly burned flesh and glass, causing Shadow to choke on the sobs. He wouldn’t get back up again for a long time, not until the blackened stone and ash had fallen from the cliff and all had once again become still.

Author's Notes and Appendices

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Second verse, same as the first. Right here you’ll find the following items in the order listed: Character Listing and Description, Equestrian Military Rank System and Insignia, a setlist of the music I listened to while writing the story, and my final author’s note. For a full list of material for this universe, please see the story ‘It’s Not You They Fear.’

Characters:

Timberwolves and Guard Related: (Without later promotions)

Captain Dive Skyward, 'Dad', Male, Pegasus, Light Gray/Blue/Yellow-Gold/-
Lieutenant Shadow Wing, 'Hunter', Male, Pegasus, Pale Green/Navy/Gray/Matte Black
Stable Sergeant Storm Crasher, 'Crash', Male, Pegasus, White/Gray/Blue/-
Sergeant Wild Wind, 'Chaff', Male, Pegasus, Black/Navy/Blue/-
Corpral Razor Wings, 'Savage', Male, Pegasus, Red/Gray/White/-
Colonel Argent Fire, Male, Earth Pony, Red/Orange+Gray/Blue/-
Refract Ray, ‘Ray’, Male, Unicorn, Beige/Red/?/-
Sure Splint, ‘Mama Wolf’, Female, Unicorn, Gray/Brown/Yellow/-

Equestrian Military Rank System and Insignia

In case you missed it from the previous one, here are the rank insignia again.

Enlisted Grade:

(Buck) Private: One Star
Senior Private: Two Stars
Sergeant: Three Stars
Stable Sergeant: Four Stars
Senior Sergeant: Five Stars
Command Sergeant: Six Stars

Officer Grade:

Lieutenant: New Moon
Captain: Crescent Moon
Commander: Half Moon
Colonel: Full Moon
Branch General: Half Rising Sun
General: Full Sun

Extended Setlist:

Format: Song Title, Artist, section of story applied to.
Just like the first story, this is other stuff I listened to while writing the story, in case you’re a musical brony and want more soundtrack to it.

Chapter One
‘A Meeting Place and Time’, Woods of Ypres, up until the ice lake
‘Ice Queen’, Within Temptation, near the Wendigo
‘Seasons’, Dragonforce, on the ice lake
Chapter Two
Carolus Rex (Swedish side of the album), Sabaton, from armory scene on
Chapter Three
‘ULTAnumb’, Blue Stahli, the flight out of base
‘It’s Time’, John Dreamer, gear up and fight
Chapter Four (all for various parts of the space climb scene)
‘Lands Beyond Equestria (Instrumental)’, Plunder Steed (The climb)
‘Through the Gates’, Celldweller (The climb)
‘The Wings of Icarus’, Celldweller (Looking around up top)
‘Origins’, Eluveitie (The dive)
Chapter Five
N/A, was handwritten
Chapter Six
‘Time to Say Goodbye’, Jeff Williams
‘Crawl Through Knives’, In Flames

Author’s Note:

First of all, I want to lend my complete gratitude to Dizziestbeef of FOB Equestria for his constant editing, soundboarding, and general troubleshooting for this story. He’s always been there to help fix my style, my grammar, my typos, and my storyline, as well as lend a technical hand with guns for the story. Half the stuff in there that was specific about weapons either came from his advance knowledge, or research he did just for this story. The constant reality checks have been perhaps the most important thing for this story, preventing a horrible long string of cheesy scenes and crappy dialogue. I’d also like to thank my buddy Swift for going back through after the fact, and nuking the typos out of my story. It was always somewhat embarrassing to realize how much I’d fucked up, but comforting to know that the chapters were much prettier after he’d checked them.

I’m pretty sure at some point back in the past when I finished ‘It’s Not You They Fear’ and started writing Wasted Honor, I told myself something along the lines of ‘Oh, Sage, Wasted Honor is going to be short and easy. Five chapters, shouldn’t be more than 25k words, and you’ll have it done in two months.’ Ha ha...ha…each chapter became a game of ‘Oh I can add this, it will be neat!’ and ‘This will advance character development’ and ‘This will be foreshadowing for the sequel...’ and at some point, each chapter ended up longer than I planned. IRL only made it worse. If you followed my blog while I wrote this story, I finished my senior year in electrical engineering, got engaged, and commissioned during that time.

I suppose this story didn’t have a lot of direction to it. Save for chapters two and three, each chapter is a standalone mini-story, in the background of Timberwolf Team and Shadow Wing. Each one was fun for me to write, often in a somewhat personal way. The first chapter was slated to be published a few days after I nearly froze to death out on a long distance run in the mountains. After I got home, and making sure I was stable (half an hour in a burning shower, a gallon of boiling tea, and wearing three layers of coats) I went ahead to check it for accuracy. It was very interesting to see what I got wrong without ever having experienced late stage hypothermia, but downright scary to figure out what I got right. And no, that wasn’t an intentional experience (my fiance is still mad at me about it). Chapter four, on the other hand, was two years in the making; ever since I conceived Shadow as a character, I’d always wanted to write it. At first it was for funzies, but I realized it would be a good way to explain the whole sonic boom thing back in INYTF. Chapter five was the only chapter on here that was completely handwritten to start (over the course of a few months of senior design class and fraternity meetings). Oh, and I finally got to apply some real-life experience as an LT to my character.

All of this of course, is setting up my...what the hell am I calling this universe? The Timberverse? I do have two...three more stories to write in it, but if no one uses it other than me, does it merit the term? Hell if I know. The two one-shots will probably live to be published at some point, but the the novel-ish story I had planned? Well...I don’t want to be a jerk, but I’m having to wonder if it sounds better in my head than it is, and if the readership really cares enough for me to put in a few hundred hours making it a reality. The competing interest is the Fallout: Equestria story I’m working on. While it still has just as little appeal to the masses, at least I can get my old college buddies together to work on it, which is always a good time. In short, if you want me to forge ahead and write the sequel to INYTF, be vocal about it--let me know. Tell your friends about the story so they can let me know too. Otherwise it’s going to to get buried under a career, a (soon to be) family, and everything else that comes with life.

Either way, I will have to rework large swaths of INTYF for the graphic novel process. That was put off most of the summer, but is picking back up here soon. For those folks who actually liked chapters six and seven, I will be leaving them as a bonus chapter at the end. For me though, they’re just too cheesy to keep (especially because I promised my high school literature teacher that I’d give her a copy of my first novel...and I want it to be not entirely laughable for her).

Still, if you’ve made it this far (finishing both stories and reading through my wordy author’s notes) I don’t know what to say other than ‘thank you.’ I can’t be anything other than grateful that you’ve taken hours out of your life to read the story I’ve pulled out of daydreams to put down on paper and pixels. Farewell for now, and may the wind rise to meet your wings.

‘red Sage

Dominic Allen Everson