Reveal

March 27, abandoned Equestrian Spec Ops facility

Temperature: -45 degrees fahrenheit

Time: 6:21 A.M.

Clarity stopped running and propped herself against the wall. She had been running for a while now, finally deciding to stop. She put a hoof up to her face again, wincing at the pain. She looked at her hoof. A little drop of blood was on it, Clarity wiping it off on the floor. More tears fell from her eyes as she stood in the hallway, her flashlight pointing into the dark stretch ahead of her.

“Clarity, is that... you?” A voice asked from behind her. Clarity turned around to find Dusk and the unicorn standing behind her.

“Dusk! You’re alright!” Clarity said. She ran up to Dusk and hugged her, Dusk putting her front leg around Clarity.

“What happened to your face?” Dusk asked as Clarity let go of her. Clarity remembered Shadow’s actions.

“We... ran into a couple of Equestrian Saint operatives. I managed to get hit, but we came out alright.” Clarity said, trying to stick to the partial truth.

“Where is Shadow?” The unicorn asked, looking past Clarity.

“We got separated a few minutes ago. I don’t know where he is.” Clarity said.

“Where were you two last together?”

“Back a bit down the hallway.” Clarity said, pointing down the hall behind the unicorn and Dusk.

“Let’s go search for him then. Dusk and I found the end of the path we took. A dead end, so we started walking the path that you and Shadow took. Anyways, let’s get going. Shadow won’t last long on his own.” The unicorn said. Clarity and Dusk nodded and the three started walking down the hallway back to the room Shadow was in.

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Dusk, Clarity, and the unicorn walked into the terminal room. They walked to the other side of the room and looked around. Shadow was gone, the only evidence of him being there was that the door was open.

“He’s gone.” Clarity said, peaking her head through the doorway.

“Where does he think he is going? He’s all alone, he is in serious danger.” Dusk said as she walked into the stairwell through the door. The area below was caved in, a long drop to the bottom of the stairs.

“Well, looks like he only had one option. Up. Come on, maybe we can catch up to him.” The unicorn said. Dusk and Clarity followed the unicorn as he started ascending the stairs. There was a clod breeze coming from the area above and a faint light at the top of the stairwell. A distant voice came from the top of the stairwell, addressing Dusk, Clarity, the unicorn.

“You three! Stay where you are or we will open fire!” The voice said the sound of hoof steps coming down the stairs made Dusk panic, looking around for an escape route.

“Don’t even think about it, Dusk. We’re not going to be able to get out of this one.” The unicorn said. Dusk steadied her breathing and waited as the hoof steps got louder. A group of twenty Equestrian Saints came into view, all of them pointing their guns at Dusk, Clarity, and the unicorn.

“Drop your weapons and come up the stairs slowly! Try anything and we will fire upon you!” One of them yelled. Dusk and Clarity took the rifles off from around their bodies and pushed them down the stairs.

“Alright, now come up the stairs and do not resist. You will be dealt with once administration gets here.” The operative said. Dusk, Clarity, and the unicorn climbed the stairs and were taken by the Equestrian Saints operatives. Clarity looked around as they were taken to the exit of the facility by the Saints operatives.

“Shadow, where are you?” Clarity thought to herself.

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March 27, exit of the abandoned Equestrian Spec Ops facility

Temperature: -38 degrees fahrenheit

Time: 6:52 A.M.

Clarity and Dusk sat in the corner of the room built into the side of the cave, their hooves tied as they waited for administration to get to the facility. The unicorn was sitting in the other corner, his face mask and cloak still on. The weather was fair, a slight breeze every now and then and a light snow fall over the ice lands. Canterlot could be seen from the window of the room, the sun rising on the horizon just past it. A carriage rolled into the cave, three stallions sitting in the carriage. The doors to the carriage opened and they stepped out onto the floor of the cave. Clarity and Dusk watched as they walked into the room they were in, standing on the other side of the room. A group of Equestrian Saint operatives followed them in, watching Clarity and Dusk.

“Dusk and Clarity. I see you managed to make it this far without getting killed. The facility is quite a sight, isn’t it? I should’ve warned you about the remaining operatives, that was very rude of me, please forgive me about that.” The administration stallion said. The other two administration stallions stood quietly, watching as the other looked out the window.

“But, as long as your going to be dying here. I might as well reveal our names to you. It’s the least I can do in your last moments.” The administration stallion said as he walked away from the window and over to Dusk and Clarity.

“Persistence, do you really think that-” One of the other administration stallions said. He quickly covered his mouth at what he just let slip out of his mouth. Persistence sighed and walked back to the other administration stallions.

“As you just heard, my name is Persistence.” Persistence said, hitting the administration stallion on the side.

“This is Star Gazer, who is in charge of the details of the operations, along with Continuum here at my right, who is in charge of approving the operations and other such things.” Persistence said.

“Do you really think it’s a good idea to just tell them our identities?” Continuum asked as Persistence walked over to Clarity and Dusk.

“They’ll be dead in a minute, why not let them learn some stuff before they go?” Persistence said, putting his hoof on Clarity’s cheek. Clarity moved her head out of the way and Persistence walked back to the other administration stallions.

“I would have to assume that Dead Eye is still down in the facility. Or is that statement incorrect? Why don’t you tell me, Clarity.” Persistence said as he took out a pistol.

“The last time we saw him was before your operatives took us. We don’t know where he is.” Clarity said. Persistence walked over to the unicorn and put the pistol to his head. The unicorn didn’t move, his face covered with his face mask and cloak hood.

“Unless you want your friend here to die, then I suggest you tell me. Where is Shadow Rider?” Persistence asked.

“Persistence, that’s enough. You are about to execute a civilian, I demand you stop this instant!” Star Gazer yelled.

“Not until I get an answer.” Persistence said, staring at Clarity.

“I’m telling you, I don’t know!” Clarity yelled.

“WHERE IS SHADOW RIDER!?”

“I don’t kn-!” Clarity said. She was cut off by Persistence pulling the trigger. Clarity stopped and stared at the unicorn, a bullet through his skull. Dusk and Clarity were speechless. Persistence put his pistol back and its holster and lightly chuckled to himself.

“A simple question.” Persistence said. He knelt down to look at the unicorn. The cloak he was wearing was covering his face, the face mask slightly down.

“Now, let’s see who our little mystery unicorn is.” Persistence said as he lifted the cloak from the unicorn’s face. The unicorn’s eyes were blank, no pupil or iris in either eye. Persistence gave the sight a confused look and he pulled down the unicorn’s face mask. There were no facial features, only a smooth surface in the shape of a unicorn’s head.

“What the hell is this?” Persistence said, poking at the decoy in front of him. The window on the other side of the room smashed open as Shadow and the unicorn jumped through, a rope guiding them from the over hang above the cave. They opened fire on the Equestrian Saint operatives that were behind Continuum and Star Gazer, all of them falling to the floor dead. They quickly dropped their guns and they both grabbed one of the administration ponies by the neck, Shadow and the unicorn each holding a knife to their hostages’ throats. Their knives already had blood on them, Shadow’s knife slightly dripping from the tip of the blade. The unicorn’s cloak hood had fallen backwards, revealing his messy white mane and dark red eyes, his face mask still covering his other facial features. A chill suddenly went down Clarity’s spine.

“Is that...?” Clarity thought to herself. The unicorn used his magic to slam the door shut as Persistence tried to run, his face smacking into the wood. Dusk glanced out the window looking out into the cave. All of the Equestrian Saint operatives that were out there were laying on the ground, dead, their throats slit open.

“Don’t even THINK about leaving. You’re going to give us some answers or your fellow administration officers get it.” Shadow said, glaring at Persistence with hate in his eyes. Persistence leaped for his gun next to the unicorn’s decoy. The gun flew backwards with a red aura around it, landing next to the unicorn as he let go of his magical grip on the gun. The red aura around his horn faded, the slight hum of magic fading in volume. Persistence glared at Shadow and the unicorn as they held onto Continuum and Star Gazer.

“Are the Saint the ones causing the winter to be this way?” Shadow said in a threatening voice.

“You really just don’t know when to stop, do you?” Persistence said as he got up from the ground, wiping himself off. The unicorn used his magic to levitate a shard of glass in the air and he moved it over in front of Persistence’s neck.

“Answer the question. Are the Saints the ones making the winter this way?” Shadow said again, his voice slightly more stern. Persistence’s mouth curved into a smirk.

“You read the details of Operation “Revival”, or should I say, “Dead Stop”, didn’t you?” Persistence said, staring at Shadow.

“ANSWER THE QUESTION!” Shadow yelled, bringing the knife he was holding closer to Continuum’s throat. Persistence paused for a second, thinking of a way to escape. He sighed and looked out the window behind Shadow and the unicorn, Canterlot barely visible in the distance through the snowfall.

“I didn’t want to do it, but “Revival” wouldn’t have gone the way it did if I hadn’t.” Persistence said.

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The winter was a set up, a decoy to make you believe that Operation “Revival” was an actual mission. Once we got started, there was no going back. The three of us ordered five hundred of the Spec Ops operatives to Cloudsdale. Their orders were to force the workers in the weather stations to continuously create snow with no delay. Any pegasus that refused was shot on sight, we couldn’t allow the winter to end before “Revival”. The pegasi that tried to fly out of Cloudsdale to tell the other nations what was happening were either taken back by force or shot, the orders coming directly from us. Any information that got out of Cloudsdale were lies, a cover to make the ponies below in Equestria and the rest of the world believe that everything was fine.

Little did they know, Cloudsdale had turned into a prison, the pegasi that inhabited it forced to work until the operatives told them to switch roles. At this very moment, the operatives up in Cloudsdale are waiting for the order from Continuum, Star Gazer, and myself to come back down and return Cloudsdale to its normal ways. This can all end if you are willing to pay the price, Dead Eye.

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“And what would that price be?” Shadow asked, kicking Continuum as he tried to wriggle his way out of Shadow’s grip.

“Your life. The sole purposed of the winter was to trick you into thinking that Operation “Revival” was legitimate. It could all have ended if you had died. But you didn’t, and because of that, the winter still continues on today.” Persistence said.

“So now you are just using the winter as a tool to guilt me into letting myself be killed!? Do you realize what is going on out there!? Ponies are freezing to death, starving, fighting for survival, all because you failed to kill me!?”

“The Dead Eye name is the most deadly in all the world! It has claimed over seven hundred lives with only five successors to the name! If it continues any longer, that list can multiply by several times, all it takes is the teachings of the skills the name comes with! Your mentor was the first active Dead Eye in twenty five years, and he had already eliminated one hundred targets within his first year of training! Do you see why this can’t go on any longer!?”

“My teachings to Shadow were to carry on the Dead Eye name in honor of my great-great-grandfather, the first ever Dead Eye. I was not about to let his work die for nothing!” The unicorn yelled as he took off his face mask. The face mask landed next to Dusk, a voice alterer stitched onto the fabric. Shadow stood in awe at who had been helping him for the past three days.

“Specter...?” Shadow and Clarity said as they both stared at him, the words barely coming out of their mouths. Shadow and Clarity believed that Specter had passed away after he gave Shadow his final lesson, supposedly dying from the conditions of the winter only a day later.

“I went into hiding to finally get away from all the killing. I knew that if I stayed with Shadow and continued teaching him, I would have to stare death in the face again and let him take another life at my disposal. I couldn’t stand to see another life being taken by the single pull of trigger, I had to get away from it. But, despite all my efforts, I keep getting pulled back in. I hope you can understand, Shadow.” Specter said.

“You left me to become death’s messenger... just so you could get away from it all?” Shadow said.

“Now you see why the Dead eye name is unforgivable. Once you embrace it, there is no going back.” Persistence said. Shadow turned back to Persistence, Continuum still tight in his grip.

“I understand the consequences of holding the Dead Eye name, but it is no reason to make thousands and thousands of ponies die because of one stallion. I will give you one warning before I slit your fellow officer’s throat. Take the operatives out of Cloudsdale and end this.” Shadow said, bringing the knife closer to Continuum’s neck.

“You know that’s not going to happen.” Persistence said.

“Then so be it.” Shadow and Specter shoved their knives into Continuum and Star Gazer’s necks and cut sideways, Shadow and Specter putting a hoof over their victim’s mouths. Persistence winced at the sight of his partners losing their life as they fell onto the ground in a pool of blood.

“You realize this won’t go without consequences.” Persistence said, looking back up from his deceased co-administration stallions. Persistence grabbed a flash bang from the dead Equestrian Saint operative next to him and pulled the pin, throwing it into the middle of the room. The flash bang bursted, Shadow, Specter, Dusk, and Clarity’s vision turning to a blur. Shadow stumbled along the floor for a while and he regained composure, quickly looking around the room. Persistence was gone, the door of the room flung wide open.

“Damn it, he got away.” Shadow said to himself. He stood up straight and walked over to Specter, Dusk, and Clarity. Specter was beginning to untie Dusk and Shadow knelt down to untie Clarity. She showed some resistance, but settled down as Shadow untied her. Clarity got up after Shadow as done and she walked out into the cave. Shadow looked down at Specter, a slightly pleading look on his face.

“Alright, I can explain everything later. Go talk to her.” Specter said, motioning his head to the door. Shadow nodded and quickly walked after Clarity. She was standing at the edge of the cave, looking out at Canterlot. Shadow walked up next to her.

“Clarity... I really am sorry about-” Shadow started to say.

“No, I’m the one that should be sorry. I should’ve just kept my mouth shut about your mother. I’m sorry I ever mentioned her.” Clarity said, her eyes starting to water. Shadow put his front leg around Clarity and they sat down.

“I still want to apologize. I shouldn’t have let my anger take me over. Do you think you can forgive me?”

“You know I could never stay angry at you Shadow. Besides, I’ve gotten worse injuries while on missions.” Clarity said with a slight smile on her face, looking at Shadow. Shadow turned Clarity’s head slightly to examine the wound. Shadow took his hoof off of her face and Clarity turned back to look out at the ice lands.

“What are we going to do about Persistence? You realize he’s not going to take the operatives out of Cloudsdale just because you and Specter killed his fellow administration officers.” Clarity said.

“Yeah, but he won’t be able to think clearly with Star Gazer and Continuum gone.” Shadow said. They both took a moment to admire the winter landscape outside of the cave. Although it had killed thousands of ponies, something about it was peaceful as Shadow watched the snow flakes fall from the sky.

“Looks like we’re going to have to take them out of Cloudsdale ourselves.” Next Chapter: Capture Estimated time remaining: 46 Minutes