Author's Notes:

BOOK 1: PART 4: COMMITMENT

“Damn it Filly Fooler! And you too Cardinal Spitfire! I trained you both too well. And then I made it worse with Filly Fooler's weapons training.”

Shadow and Cardinal Spitfire were laughing. It was another successful mission and Unit 41 was making it look easy.

They had been put into similar tracks with targets like they were in Basic Training. Then they moved to Units. That was a whole weak. Dog fighting with the training vests was next on the list. Shadow had to get the regular gear for that, but he kept the same rifles.

Their squad dominated the skies again. Cardinal Spitfire and Shadow made sure they built Unit 41 like they had built Filly Foolers. Each individual in their squad was left tenacious and unyielding.

It was day three of ground exercises. They were to take and hold objectives. The catch was that the objective they were assigned had at least one other team trying to take and hold it. It forced them to use aerial combat tactics and face off in ground combat.

Shadow's weapon knowledge was holding the ground, and Cardinal Spitfire was tearing the sky up. they were leaving most of the leading to their squadmates. They proved they could lead, so it was up to the others to prove themselves.

“Tomorrow changes things,” Captain Marble Falls announced. “Tomorrow is the new segment, Crowd Control. You will not need your armor. After that, it is the final practicums and test, in a similar fashion as to what you did in basic. You will not have ground tactics applied like they did. Everything is focused on the get in get out set tactics the ACUs use. Those will include being tested at night, but it won't be extended field time. Go hit the showers.”

Cardinal Spitfire slammed the door to their Unit closed. “Came off a great evening win and then we have to do that shit work tomorrow.”

“Its simple,” Arrow bounced back. “Its not ACS, but it shouldn't be hard.”

“It is bad,” Shadow insisted. “We got a look at things. Twice for me.”

They caught them up on their special assignment and Shadow explained what he did with the Captain in Las Pegasus. He also told them the story about his free day in New Heaven.

“Sounds like that was a fun day though,” Cardinal Spitfire pointed out. “At least you played it cool. And honest. Better than him yelling about shoving his quantum harmonizer into you.”

“What?” Shadow asked.

“Wait? You do not know that joke?” Cardinal Spitfire asked intrigued. “It is some war question thing that has survived. We don't have an answer.”

“That isn't true,” Arrow clarified. “There are four answers, but nopegasus knows which one is right. Or where the thing comes from.”

“He knows pre-war and war legends,” Cardinal Spitfire explained. “And yet he doesn't know about this. It is unheard of. Then again, you might have the answer. Okay, the set up is: You are approached by a frenzied Stable scientist, who yells, 'I'm going to put my quantum harmonizer in your photonic resonation chamber!' What's your response?

“A: But doctor, wouldn't that cause a parabolic destabilization of the fission singularity?”

“B: Yeah? Up yours too, buddy!”

“C: Say nothing, grab a nearby pipe and hit the scientist in the head to knock him out. For all you knew, he was planning to blow up the stable.”

“D: Say nothing, but slip away before the scientist can continue his rant.”

Shadow looked at everypony. They wanted to know his answer.

“This is really a thing?” He asked.

“It split my class into a four way feud,” Arrow giggled. “Friendships died. And no matter what, it hasn't been able to be stamped out by the Enclave. If they care. But it is before the sealed up the clouds and they tend to care about those things, a lot.”

“What is a stable?” Shadow asked.

“That is part of the mystery,” Flags said. “It survives because there is no understanding and there is no answer. We just don't know. So your answer?”

Shadow rolled his eyes. “Slip away quietly.”

“Damn it!” Cardinal Spitfire swore. “Wrong answer! The right one is up yours!”

“You said 'up yours'?” Arrow gawked. “I thought you were the pipe pegasus.”

“I went and still am pipe,” Flags chuckled.

“Destabilization,” Dipper popped in.

“Shadow, I am with you,” Chocolate said. “Slip away. I had to do that twice who some of my classmates wanted to get physical over my answer.”

“You keep this alive?” Shadow asked. “I can't believe this. But it is too well formed.”

“He also has visited Rainbow Dash's secret training cave,” Cardinal Spitfire laughed.

“Back to this?” Shadow groaned as he had to tell the basic story. He kept the dangerous details out. When he finished, they turned the lights off, and like good trainees, were asleep in minutes.

The morning they had a whole new instructor. He was simply known as Bull. They did not expect the labyrinth that crowd control would bring. Riot shields, cuffs, stun batons, pepper spray and more. Their job was learning how to stop and control a group that had gotten violent and chaotic.

“I CAN'T PIN SHADOW TO CUFF HIM!” Cardinal Spitfire growled as Shadow stood up and she slipped off onto the ground. “Bull! Prove you can!”

“I don't take orders from trainees,” Bull said sternly.

“You don't what?” Shadow said walking over to Bull.

“Back at it.”

“No.”

“What?”

“Make me.”

“Not going to work,” Bull grunted. “You fail this, you fail Aerial Combat School. I don't give a shit if you pass or fail.”

“Cool, because I am here for aerial combat training, not the school. I can fail this. It isn't aerial combat.”

Bull looked at Shadow. They stared down. It was obvious that Bull had no soul from his eyes. Shadow guessed that in order to do this stuff to others, you had to have no soul. None of this was conductive to society. It was power. All about power. At least combat was about a different form of power. This was torture and abuse.

Shadow bopped Bull on the chest. He did it again a half a minute later. By now, everypony was watching. Shadow smiled and did it again, but two at a time. Shadow rolled his eyes and plunged into Bull, chest to chest as he tried to move him.

Bull struck. Shadow twisted in his grip so they were side by side and used Bull weight against himself. Bull toppled and tried to pin Shadow. Shadow slipped out and around. Bull Stood up, thinking Shadow had broken contact. Shadow was holding onto Bull's neck and his chin was resting on his head.

Bull tossed Shadow to the ground, not letting go. Shadow twisted around and rolled away at a satisfying 'click' echoed. Shadow stood up and Bull looked at his back legs. Shadow had cuffed Bull's hind legs with Bull's own cuffs. Shadow didn't even have a pair because he was being cuffed first.

Cardinal Spitfire and Captain Marble Falls were outright laughing.

“Shadow,” Major Winters Breath called out sternly. “That is not conductive to training. Even if it is not apart of your requirements. It now is.”

“Fine,” Shadow said rolling his eyes. “If you or the Captain can subdue me.”

Major Winters Breath was fuming, but he didn't come down the steps of the Squad Barracks.

“I'll play ball,” Captain Marble Falls said. “Watch and learn.”

Shadow threw himself at her like he had see in Las Pegasus. She slammed his back onto the ground. Shadow swung his legs up and around her shoulders where he flipped her on her side. It broke contact and Shadow took a step back.

“This is when you use pepper spray,” Captain Marble Falls said.

Shadow didn't know she had a can and she sprayed him. The burn was the burn. In his eyes, nose, throat and lungs. But he still read her moved and avoided her from cuffing him.

Shadow grunted as a sharp pain was jolted into his hindquarters. He forced his leg's muscles to do what he wanted them to do and drove a sharp kick into Bull's chest, which also broke the stun baton. Captain Marble Falls looked at Shadow.

“What are you?” Bull asked.

“Not a good pony to try and subdue,” Shadow said. “A farm pony who grew up working hard and in control of his body.”

“Damn it Filly Fooler!” Captain Marble Falls said walking away. “Stop trying to resist period. Don't put up a fight. Just let the other do the exercise. Or you will fail the aerial combat portion.”

“Fail me then,” Shadow said.

Captain Marble Falls was speechless.

“Shadow?” Cardinal Spitfire asked. “You have nothing to prove. If this was all about not begin able to be subdued, you won. What is up?”

Shadow took off into the sky, leaving them behind.

“DAMN IT CAPTAIN YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO CONTROL HIM!” The Major yelled.

“Control him? He is YOUR subordinate to control! I never took on responsibility for controlling him. I am not stupid.”

“If you had taken the assignment in the first place this would not be happening!”

“Take the assignment? You know why I won't! And you know that has nothing to do with it!”

“I need him! I have nopony else lined up that can do the job we need from him. Every other option is shit! Do you want this mission to fail!”

“Do I? Nopegasus has ever asked me that yet! YES! I DO WANT IT TO FAIL! IT IS STUPID! WE ARE NOT READY!”

“THERE IS NO READY POINT!”

“I AM GIVING IT MY ALL, MAKING SURE HE IS READY FOR YOUR MISSION!”

“YOU JUST SAID YOU THINK ITS STUPID!”

“I DO! I DON'T WISH IT UPON ANYPONY! AND I MEAN ANY PONY! BUT I DON'T TRUST ANY PONY WITH TRAINING HIM! I FIND IT MY DUTY TO MAKE SURE HE LIVES THROUGH YOUR STUPID PLAN!”

“YOU WERE GIVEN THE OPTION TO MAKE ONE, BUT YOU TURNED IT DOWN! THEY TOSSED IT TO ME FOR SOME FUCKING REASON AND THERE WAS NO PASSING IT AFTER THAT! DO YOU REALLY HAVE A BETTER ONE?”

“BETTER AND STUPID ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS! AND IF YOU NEED HIM, WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME? YOU SHOULD BE FIGURING THAT PLAN OUT!”

They were out of breath and out of words. All they had left in them was to stare at the other with all the anger they could muster.

“While you were screaming at each other, I have a solution,” Cardinal Spitfire said calmly.

“What is it?” The Major growled.

“Not without out giving me something first,” Cardinal Spitfire said with an evil grin.

The door to the Squad Barracks banged open. Captain Nova was standing there. He spoke kindly yet firm.

“Cardinal Spitfire, please come here. Major, you are an idiot. Dear, you are letting the stress get to your head. Let's talk in your office in a bit. Let Shadow go. You two officers should be ashamed at yourselves. Especially you MAJOR. You claim to have gotten to know him, yet you do not. And you put too much on his shoulders. There are others that you do not see. You are striving for perfection when that does not exist. Bull, get them back to learning these unfortunate necessities.”

Captain Nova led Cardinal Spitfire down the main hall and out the other set of doors that looked out over the empty recruit flight decks.

“It is not as bad as they are making it seem,” He said as they sat down. “Not as bad at all. And I know the plan. Like any assignment, it holds it's danger.”

“The real problem is that the Major's career is now weighing on this mission, and he was not happy about being given it. He didn't ask or want it. It was just given to him for unknown reasons. He has done a wonderful job, but it is a huge stress to him over these past few years.”

“Shadow is special. He could find another. But Shadow is right here and best of all, in training. Nothing is set in stone with him. He can, and is being molded into their new plan for a recon soldier. That is to his advantage. He will survive. He is too hardy to fail. Which is what is needed down there. He handled the pepper spay that takes down all but the very few and that stun baton, he beat science. He forced his muscles to stop contracting and broke the stick.”

“But you, you can not afford to take advantage of them in their anger. It would have backfired badly. I could not let that happen to you. You have real worth as a soldier. The answer to your question is yes.”

“Sir,” Cardinal Spitfire said softly. “That wasn't my question. It wasn't a yes or no. I wanted to know who the active duty pegasus is who survived going below.”

“My team started and ended everything. All those numbers, it was just us two by then. They halted 15 new scout units and a new recon team. They disbanded them and split them up to the four corners of Equestria. Marble Falls can't take that assignment because it is too traumatic.”

“The pour dear. Barely out of ACS. Like she wanted, she was given a scout assignment. They were the hot thing and you had to be really good to grab a spot. Down we went and immediately under tremendous fire, flying for our lives and unable to climb to the safety of the cloud for half an hour. I had never taken anywhere close to that fire in all my missions. I lost the love of my life, and she lost her innocence in such a drastic, horrifying way.”

“She got through being grounded and made it into the Wonderbolts, only to find out, they have to be ready, very ready to go below. She has focused on passing down the knowledge about below so she could hopefully save some lives. I do the same with my teaching, although I never recovered like she did. I lost my… at least she found him later. And then the mass began to be a problem about a year ago.”

“Now you know the answer to your question. And the answer to the question about Shadow is that he will be alright.”

“Sir, he will push and resist as long as he is in the training.”

“Oh? Why do you say that young one?”

“Because this is all wrapped up into one thing. Food. Food is… his family. He is a farmer, every small little, frail bone in his body. He feels his duty to them is here. It is. He already took a beating when we did our special assignment helping with the incident in New Heaven. We were some of the half baked troops the General sent.”

Captain Nova chuckled. “I went on some rant I assume.”

“Yes Sir.”

“I remember the important things. The better I feel, the more I remember. But that makes more sense. He can not continue training it. How do you feel about it?”

“I was a farmer, but close. He was the outer reaches. It bothers me, but I grew up with giving our food to the system. He didn't. His was a true tax. The world was perfect in his naive eyes. Or well, the imperfections were really small comparatively. But I know it has him in a worse position.”

“Would it stop you from acting?”

“Maybe. I do not know. If the Wonderbolts need it…”

“They are overkill. Being used in a few places because they are well trained, but they are not trained to do that stuff. I have a call to make. This was a good talk. If anypony asks, you have my permission to not participate for now.”

“Thank you Sir. I should probably go find Shadow.”

“No young one, let him think and process. He didn't go far. Even if he heard the argument, it would be mute to him. He will be on that recon team. Because he needs to be on it. Not the Major, or anypony else. Because he needs it. And his squadmates are lucky to have him.”

“You have been keeping tabs?”

“A bit. I am restricted from certain things, but remember, I was one of two left with real information. I had survived it all. They came to me. But I must go to speak to Marble.”

Cardinal Spitfire had no idea what to do. She decided to walk over to the spot Shadow and her had really talked at. She laid down and just let her thoughts go. Shadow, her home, Shadow, their training in Black, the Captain going below, Shadow, how odd Captain Nova was, and on and on. All that had happened over the last year.

Cardinal was brought back to reality with a small tap. She looked up to see Shadow smiling at her.

“We are wanted in the Captain's office,” Shadow said. “Its past dinner.”

Cardinal Spitfire sighed and looked at the ground.

“Come on Card,” Shadow softly encouraged her. “I am standing, so you can stand.”

“A lot…”

“Yeah yeah,” Shadow batted it away. “I know a lot is riding on me right now. Fuck it. I am going to do my job in recon. I am going to do it better than they ever expected. They will underestimate me. And I will come back to my family, the community, two new fouls in the family, and you. I will come back to you.”

Cardinal Spitfire smiled and he helped her up. They walked to the Squad Barracks and into the office. It was not crowded, but full. General Red River, Major Winters Breath, Captain Marble Falls and even Master Wind.

“There you two are,” Captain Nova said.

“Shadow,” General Red River said taking in a deep breath. “Where does your loyalty lie?”

“Please be more specific than that Sir,” Shadow replied.

“Crowd control. When does your loyalty lie when it comes to their vocalization to the food distribution system?”

“I am a loyal Enclave citizen who does his duty and has taken up the mantle of protection on his shoulders. But I can not deny my heart. My Home. My… everything. I can not accept their disruption to society, but I can not enforce it as my heart lies with my fellow cloud farmers. The protesters are not cloud farmers, but still, I have always done all I can to work and feed everypony. Doing my duty to here helps my community. But I am a farmer. I know that is different than the distribution system. But I am where it starts.”

General Red River sighed deeply. “Cardinal Spitfire? What about you?”

“Me?” Cardinal Spitfire asked unnerved. “I… I… enforcing the law isn't why I came. I want peace and order and to do all I can, but on our special assignment, I also froze. Food is still a part of me. Not like Shadow, but its been my life. Even though how food is handled is completely different… I can not guarantee you that I will be able to do my duty. Because I fear they are right and much of me wants to go home and make sure every tree grows twice as many apples.”

Shadow was not bothered by his admission, Cardinal Spitfire was deeply ashamed. They all stood there in silence for several minutes.

“General,” Captain Nova urged.

General Red River sighed. “Sergeant Shadow Flare, you are excused from crowd control training and are to pick up training as soon as the segment is done. Specialist Cardinal Spitfire, you too are excused from crowd control. I will mark both of your files as unable to perform crowd control duties. You two are too closely linked to the issue and are therefore, unreliable in that aspect.”

“I know Shadow could not enforce the population limit,” Captain Marble Falls stated. “I doubt Cardinal Spitfire could as well.”

“Population limit demonstrations?” Cardinal Spitfire asked cocking her head. “I have not heard about that being a contested issue. I am the third in my family. I was allowed because of my brother's condition. I have a huge problem with the population limits. I have no solution because I know what will happened, but I in no way signed up to enforce that.”

Captain Marble Falls opened a folder on her desk. She slid it towards them. “Six more days of training on crowd control. That means on the morning of the seventh, you had better be in gear, ready for the real test of your skills in aerial combat.”

“Passes?” Cardinal Spitfire said picking them up.

“Passes for leave,” The Captain nodded. “New Cloudsdale is the favorite around this base for anything past three days. It is a long days flight for most, less for you two. BE BACK, ON TIME.”

“Yes Ma'am,” Cardinal Spitfire agreed.

“I am lost,” Shadow said.

Captain Marble Falls hoof hit her head. “You have permission to leave the Fort, on your own, for the next six days. Before, I escorted you and that wasn't leave. Now its on your own.”

“Oh. OH. Thank you! All of you. Especially for understanding. I didn't until the discussion began in here.”

Cardinal Spitfire dragged Shadow out of the room and the door closed.

Major Winters looked at General Red River. “General. On day one, you were watching him and already trying to convince me he was right. You warned me he would be a problem if he lost his everypony verses everypegasus. I fear that it is beyond that.”

“Oh?” General Red River replied.

“It is no longer about speech,” Major Winters Breath said. “It is him. He keeps his foundation, he will overcome and out think it all as he has already done. If he looses it, if it breaks apart, then he will take that same tenacity, endurance and skill and be unleashed upon us all, no discrimination.”

“I think that is a solid assessment,” General Red River said after thinking for a bit. “We must make sure he never looses it and therefore forever wins, in our favor.”

Cardinal Spitfire was dragging Shadow down the hallway.

“You can stop pulling I can walk,” Shadow said finally slipping away.

“Lets get packed and ready for an early flight. New Heaven is okay, New Cloudsdale is another thing entirely. Plenty to do.”

“I just want to stay here and relax,” Shadow sighed.

“That defeats the entire purpose of leave!” Cardinal Spitfire retorted. “It is called leave for a reason. Otherwise they would have just excused us, or made us do something else for the week. Captain Nova is good.”

“Captain Nova told you?” Shadow asked.

“No, but we talked after. You missed the big fight between the Major and our Captain. Pointless fight about the mission, not about the problem at hoof. I was going to solve the problem, after they told me who the active duty soldier who went below is. Captain Nova stopped that before I got myself in trouble for extorting officers. And I found out. So win, win, win.”

They entered their Unit and the others were there. Cardinal Spitfire hesitated at the door and Shadow just plopped onto his bed.

“Is this something to talk about, or ignore?” Flags asked. “Your call. After I say that Captain Nova saved your ass Cardinal Spitfire.”

Cardinal Spitfire looked at the floor and was tracing circles with the tip of her hoof. “Yeah… he did. And the rest…”

“I can't do crowd control,” Shadow said like with nothing. “It… just goes against everything in me because the main set of demonstrations are about food. I didn't realize the conflict of interest at all until it was brought up in the meeting. Neither can she. Our files are marked as crowd control being a unable to perform because we are closely linked with the issue. We are farmers. Unreliable to perform those duties.”

“Damn,” Arrow said slamming her hood into the mattress she was laying on. “You two would handle the physical aspects fine too.”

“Shadow would do what he did,” Cardinal Spitfire pointed out. “Act out childishly and cause a problem. Probably flip sides or get squashed in the middle. Its one thing to agree and want peace… I can not side with the Enclave on the issue, despite being loyal…”

“I get it,” Flags said cutting her off. “Bull was tough and didn't pull any punches. We know what we are having to deal with at the very best… and the worst… well neither of you a suitable. You make bad ass soldiers. Great peace keepers, but crowd control at a demonstration, no. Not a weakness. Not with your backgrounds. So, what are you to do?”

Cardinal Spitfire didn't want to answer.

“They gave us something called leave,” Shadow announced. “Cardinal Spitfire explained it, but I still do not get it.”

Flags burst out laughing. “You work too hard man. Have you ever had a day off?”

“Not before coming here,” Shadow said. “I mean, there were lax days, but we usually were forced just to wait for something big, like harvest, because we were all ready. Otherwise, no.”

“I do not know how you survived,” Arrow groaned. “Its work. You have to have a break.”

“It was life, not work,” Shadow continued. “Just like breathing. You just do it.”

“And this is what will make you such an amazing recon soldier,” Chocolate chuckled. “You just do. On or off for you. And it is really hard to turn you off.”

“How long do you have off?” Flags asked.

“Six days,” Cardinal Spitfire said. She was still embarrassed. “Back in formation as soon as the rest of the real school begins.”

“They never have had to deal with crowd control and conflicts within their troops yet,” Flags pointed out. “Learning experience for all. Y'all headed to New Heaven then?”

“We can easily make it to New Cloudsdale apparently,” Shadow said. “Might as well find a new place to make me want to go back to my home out in the middle of nowhere and live in fear.”

Shadow couldn't keep it together after putting himself down like that. The others laughed with him. They all needed the laugh.

“Lets get some sleep,” Flags said. “It is a bit of a break for us, but you guys need to get out of here early to make the most of things.”