Regret

March 27, abandoned Equestrian Spec Ops facility

Temperature: -42 degrees fahrenheit

Time: 4:19 A.M.

“Shadow, do you even remember where the elevator is?” Dusk asked Shadow as they walked around the facility. The stallion that Shadow had killed was the last of the surviving Equestrian Spec Ops operatives, all of the survivors of the explosion now deceased. Their spirits, however, still remained in the facility, still searching on and on for Shadow Rider.

“I’m fairly sure that the elevator out should be...” Shadow said. He slowed to a stopped and started at the mess before him. The elevator shaft had collapsed in the explosions, only a bottomless pit that led deeper into the facility. The area further up the elevator shaft was blocked by debris, nothing getting past.

“...right...here...” Shadow said, a disappointed tone in his voice.

“Great, not what?” Clarity asked.

“Hold it right there!” A voice yelled from behind the three. Dusk, Shadow, and Clarity whipped around. There was a group of seven Equestrian Saint operatives aiming their guns at Dusk, Shadow, and Clarity, their hooves on the triggers of their rifles. The flashlights on their guns pierced the darkness, brighter than the lanterns that Dusk, Shadow, and Clarity had. Dusk and Clarity got in an offensive stance.

“Calm down, girls, we’re out numbered and out gunned. Do as they say.” Shadow said quietly. Clarity and Dusk stood up straight and waited as the group walked toward them.

“Administration wants you dead, we’re just making sure that happens.” One of them said. There was a sudden sound of something being whipped through the air, and three of the Equestrian Saint operatives fell to the floor, a knife in each of their necks.

“What the hell?” One of the other operatives said, taking out one of the knives. The three operatives were dead, bleeding on the floor.

“Where did these come from?” Another operative asked. Two more knives flew form the darkness of the hallway, implanting themselves into two of the other operatives.

“What is going on!? Where are these coming from!?” Another operative said, aiming his flashlight down the hallway. Another knife flew from the darkness, the knife piercing the operative that was looking frantically down the hallway’s skull. The other operative started to back up and bumped into Shadow. Shadow grabbed him by the hind legs and pulled his legs from under him. The operative flew backwards and latched on to the elevator shaft’s doorway, kicking his hind legs to try and get up.

“Don’t... don’t do this! Please!” The operative yelled, nervously looking down the elevator shaft.

“If you weren’t part of the Equestrian Saints, I might reconsider. What a shame, I was almost going to let you go.” Shadow said. He kicked the operatives’ hooves from the elevator shaft’s doorway and the operative fell into the black abyss below, his screams echoing in the darkness of the facility. A faint ‘splat’ came from below, the light of the operatives’ flashlight long gone at the bottom of the elevator shaft. Shadow looked back up at the hallway and picked up a rifle the operatives had, aiming the flashlight down the hallway.

“You’re lucky I was able to find you in time or else it would be your ass would be down the elevator shaft rather than the operative you just killed.” The unicorn said as he emerged from the dark. He was wearing a cloak and face mask, the hood on the cloak over his head, hiding his body structure and face.

“Well I’ll be damned, if it isn’t my little guardian.” Shadow said.

“Who?” Clarity and Dusk asked. The unicorn walked up to them and looked at Clarity.

“This is the unicorn that warned me about the Saint’s operation to terminate Dusk and myself.” Shadow said.

“And you would be dead without me. I see you managed to get captured anyways. What the hell were you thinking when you jumped off the balcony? You couldn’t even see the ground clear from up there, you could’ve landed on a patch of grass and broken your legs other than having your fall cushioned by snow.”

“Yeah, yeah, but what else did you want me to do, stay in Luna’s room and get shot to death?”

“Alright, cool it, Shadow, unless you want your ass handed to you. You’re just lucky that I decided to not let you come down here without any help. It was a pain in the ass to send transmissions to you without the Saints hearing, but it worked out. At least, up to now, we still need to get out. Alive, that is. Do you remember any other exits?” The unicorn asked, looking back down the hallway. Dusk and Clarity each picked up a rifle from the ground and a few extra clips off of the dead Saint operatives.

“We already checked the other direct exits from the facility. They’re all blocked, we wouldn’t be able to move all of the debris out of the way, just the four of us. How did you get in here, couldn’t we just get out there?” Shadow asked.

“The whole area is surrounded by Saint operatives, we wouldn’t be able to get out without them noticing us, I almost got caught myself getting in. The squad that found you just a second earlier was sent down about an hour ago from there. I would have to assume that the way I got in is the only way to get out.”

“Well then we better get going.” Shadow said.

“What? Are you crazy? You just heard him, we’ll get spotted right away and shot on sight!” Clarity said.

“It is the only way of getting out of the facility, all of the other exits are blocked off. Unless you want to go insane like the Spec Ops operatives, then I suggest we get moving before they send down more groups to search for us.” Shadow said as he started to walk away with the unicorn. Dusk and Clarity glanced at each other.

“Let’s go!” Shadow yelled from down the hallway. The rifle was hanging from his body, the flashlight pointing out in front of him. Dusk and Clarity shrugged and followed them, the rifles slung around their bodies lighting the way.

______________________________________________________________________

“Which way do we go?” Clarity asked, looking down the hallways. There was a split path in the corridors, one leading to the left, the other to the right.

“Umm...” Shadow said, glancing at the hallway to the left.

“You were a Spec Ops operative for how many years?” The unicorn asked through his face mask.

“Shut your mouth, its been three months, do you expect me to remember every twist and turn in this damn facility? This place is gigantic.” Shadow said, glancing down the hallway to the right.

“Where do you think that these hallways lead?” Dusk asked.

“With the explosions altering the interior of the facility, who knows. One could be a dead end, the other could lead to the exit.” Shadow said.

“There’s only one way to find out. Let’s split up, two of us go down one hall, the other two down the other hall.” The unicorn said.

“Are you sure? For all we know, one of these could lead us to our death.” Clarity said.

“It looks like we don’t have any other choice.” Shadow said, turning back to the other three.

“Dusk, come with me down the left hallway. Shadow, Clarity, you two can go right. If anything goes wrong, I have my headset set to receive calls from your headset, Shadow. Remember, we aren’t out of the facility yet, watch your back for spirits and Saint operatives alike.” The unicorn said. Shadow and Clarity nodded and they started walking down the hallway as Dusk and the unicorn started walking down the other.

“And, Shadow, try not to get killed. I don’t want Clarity crying on my shoulder because you let your guard down.” The unicorn said through Shadow’s headset. Shadow glanced at Clarity with a slight smirk on his face and put the mic down to his mouth.

“We’ll be fine. Good luck.” Shadow said. He switched off his headset and lifted the mic up from his mouth.

“What’d he have to say?” Clarity asked, tilting her head to look at Shadow.

“Nothing...” Shadow said, staring into the black abyss that awaited them ahead.

______________________________________________________________________

A faint voice in the distance spoke out as Shadow and Clarity made their way through the terminal room of the facility. There were two Equestrian Saint operatives on the other side of the room, walking along side each other, their flashlights lighting the area around them. Shadow and Clarity got down and crawled their way around the cubicles, turning their flashlights off as they made their way through the room.

“Did you get anything back from Alpha?” One of the operatives asked.

“Nah, I’m not getting anything. What do supposed is going on down there?” The other operative asked.

“Hell, who knows. With the transmissions administration got back from the team they sent down a month ago, anything could’ve happened.”

“Yeah, this place gives me the fuckin’ creeps.” The two operatives sat down against the wall next to the door on the other side of the room, setting their rifles aside. Shadow and Clarity stopped as they reached the cubicle across the room from the operatives, the door only a few feet away. Clarity started to crawl her way to the door, but was stopped by Shadow putting his hoof out in front of her. Clarity hesitantly crawled back behind the cubicle.

“Hold up a second.” One of the operatives said as he got up. He grabbed his rifle and pointed it at the other side of the room where Clarity and Shadow had entered.

“What? What did you see?” The other operative asked.

“Look, over there. Do you see it?” The operative that was standing up said. Shadow suddenly realized what was going on. He had forgotten to unhook the hallucinogen that the last surviving Spec Ops operative had set up in the facility. Shadow started to notice the sound of rushing air through the vents around the room.

“What? I don’t see anything.” The operative that was sitting said as he got up.

“She... she needs help! We have to help her, come on!” The other operative said as he ran through the cubicles.

“Hey, wait a second! There isn’t anything over there, get your ass back here! Ah son of a bitch, wait for me!” The operative said as he ran after his partner. They both ran out of the room and into the halls, their hoof steps slowly going out of ear shot a second later. Shadow and Clarity got up.

“What was that all about?” Clarity asked, staring back at the door and turning her flashlight back on. Shadow was about to say something as his headset came on, the unicorn trying to contact him. Shadow turned on his mic and put it down to his mouth.

“What is i-” Shadow started to say. He was cut off by the sound of Dusk crying hysterically at something.

“Shadow, Dusk is... hallucinating, see keeps saying she sees her mother. She won’t budge, what the hell is going on?” The unicorn asked. Shadow sighed.

“I may have left something on that is flowing through the vents at this very second, and has been since we arrived in the facility.”

“Well what the fuck is it? Dusk is losing it.”

“A hallucinogen, the last survivor of the explosives went insane and tampered with the Spec Ops’ experiment of a bio-chemical weapon. He set the gas out in the course he set up and I think it’s leaking to the rest of the facility.”

“Did you even bother to turn it off!?”

“I forgot about it, alright! Now, listen, tell Dusk that it isn’t real. Do anything to snap her out of it. Clarity and I haven’t found the exit yet, so keep going.”

“Alright, I’ll try.” The unicorn said. Shadow turn off his mic and lifted it from his mouth.

“Are they going to be alright?” Clarity asked.

“...I’m not sure.” Shadow said.

“Well... we have to go find them, they could be in trouble!”

“Clarity, there would be no way we could find them. We have to keep moving forward and find the exit.”

“They need our help, Shadow, you heard Dusk!”

“I am not going back just to find out that Dusk was fine! She’s just hallucinating, she’ll be alright.”

“Do you ever think about anypony other than yourself!? What about Five, Two, and One!? Did you ever bother to help them either!? For all we know, they could be alive if we had gone and helped them!”

“I did what I was assigned to do on the mission!”

“You should have paid more attention to the lives that were at risk! Your mother died because of you 'completing' the mission!” Clarity yelled at the top of her lungs.

Shadow lost control of his anger. He picked up his hoof and swung at Clarity as hard as he could. Clarity’s head jerked sideways and she fell to the floor.

“She is dead because of the conditions of the winter! I had nothing to do with it! Do you think I wanted her to die!? Do you!?” Shadow yelled. Clarity looked up at Shadow with fear in her eyes, holding her face with her hoof. Shadow steadied his breathing and backed away, realizing what he did. His eyes started to fill with tears, a drop falling to the floor as he backed up into the door.

“Clarity... I’m... I’m so sorry...” Shadow said. He started to walk towards her, but Clarity scooted backwards. She got up quickly and stared at Shadow, who only exchanged a look of sorrow and fear with her.

“You’re not the stallion I loved...” Clarity said, tears forming in her eyes. She turned and ran to the other side of the room and out the door. Shadow only stared as she went out of sight, Clarity going to find Dusk and the unicorn. Shadow sat down and stared at his hoof, a little drop of blood on it.

“What is happening to me...?” Shadow said quietly to himself.

______________________________________________________________________

[Six months before Operation “Revival”]

June 21, Equestrian Spec Ops operative private quarters

Temperature: -22 degrees fahrenheit

Time: 1:09 A.M.

Clarity made her way down the halls to Shadow’s room from hers. The hallways were lit up by the torches on the walls, the light flickering as Clarity walked by. Heavy and light snores came from the rooms that lined the hall, most of the operatives sleeping. The hallway was empty, Clarity’s hoof steps echoing as she made her way to Shadow’s room. It was Shadow’s birthday, Clarity carrying a specially made knife she had created as a gift for Shadow around her hind leg. Clarity stopped in front of Shadow’s room door and she lightly knocked on it. Shadow’s light snores gave Clarity the impression that he was asleep.

She carefully pushed the door open and walked inside. Shadow was asleep on his bed, facing the door, the blanket messily on top of him. Clarity smiled and walked inside, gently closing the door behind her. She walked over to Shadow’s desk and set the knife down on it. Clarity took the time to admire the picture Shadow had of her and him, watching the sunset on their five year anniversary last fall.

The winter had grown to an ever-lasting blizzard by now, the conditions above ground worsening with every day. The Spec Ops team that was sent up to Cloudsdale was still up there, what they were doing was unknown to the Spec Ops operatives. Clarity walked over to Shadow’s bed and carefully crawled in next to him. Clarity put her front leg over Shadow and poked at his nose. Shadow grunted slightly and he rolled over, not knowing that Clarity was there. He opened his eyes to find Clarity staring at him, a smile on her face.

“Oh what the-!” Shadow yelled, falling off the bed a moment later. He landed on the ground with a hard thud, Clarity giggling at the sight of his hind legs sticking up in the air. She pulled her way over to the side of the bed and put her head between Shadow’s back hooves.

“Happy birthday, Shadow Rider.” Clarity said softly, looking down at him. Shadow tilted his head to look at her and chuckled to himself. He put his head back and glanced at the clock on his desk.

“A little early, don’t you think?” Shadow said jokingly, putting a hoof on his head.

“It’s never too early to wish my coltfriend a happy birthday. You should just be glad I didn’t do what I did last time.” Clarity said, giggling to herself. Shadow laughed at the thought of being barraged with ten pillows to the face again.

“Yeah... I guess I should.” Shadow said as he got up. Clarity held out her front legs to Shadow, an innocent smile on her face. Shadow smiled and laid down next to her, Clarity resting her head against Shadow’s.

“I don’t know what I would be without you, Clarity.” Shadow said, kissing Clarity lightly.

Clarity didn’t say anything. She only smiled at his remark. Next Chapter: Reveal Estimated time remaining: 58 Minutes