Shadow rolled out of bed, a new strength in his bones. He took a deep breath in, touched his necklace and pushed aside the last of the fear. He had a job to do. That was his focus. What he could do mattered, not the ‘mights’ or ‘what ifs.’

It was a quiet morning as the tossed on their gear and departed. They didn’t wait for the stable door to fully seal before they left the elevator. They were eager to get to Fillydelphia and make this mission happen so they could go home.

Because their plan was to approach the city from the south, they had to leave the forest before it’s eastern edge. They would hop over the train tracks and enter the forest between Fillydelphia and Manehatten at it’s northernmost point.

“Hey,” Slice called out to the others. He was still at the tracks. “This has been repaired. Recently. And I see wear marks that are recent too. Somepony is moving things by train.”

“These tracks connect most of Equestria,” Nor stated. “Including Appleloosa where those slaves were held.”

“These tracks would provide fast and secure transportation for slaves,” Shadow added. “And they can do a lot of things cheaply if you have the right holding facility. Nesha has control of the factories and the scout missions seem to indicate they are being used.”

“They also can make a good army,” Thunder grinned. “I’d rather kill somepony trained to fight than slaves. Slaves are a bother. A nuisance. Weak ponies who don’t have the strength to fix their situation.”

“They can not escape their lot in life. Free them, they will soon be put to work under another’s hoof. Arm them and they will either die poorly or be unable to escape becoming a slave again. The kind thing to do is to not let them suffer. Just put them out of their misery. It is the only escape for them.”

Nor chuckled. “Saving them from themselves by death. Only you would think up that logic.”

Slice let out an amused snort. “Does killing not fix anything for you Thunder?”

“I find this place unredeemable,” Thunder shrugged. “Best to clean it out fast to preserve our families and foals, their foals and for the generations after that. It will take a lot to cleanse it all. Hopefully we cleanse enough and they will bend to the Enclave and accept the salvation we can offer them.”

They picked up the pace as they swung southeast through the security of the forest. It wasn’t long before they had to head due east and out of the forest. The southern side was devoid of farms or any signs of life. A shack here or there was all that existed.

It forced them to make camp out in the open. Soon it was just Nor and Shadow awake. The others had turned in early.

“So, I have this PipBuck thing with me for mapping things out,” Nor said. “And it’s getting a radio station in loud and clear. From Manehatten.”

“Can you patch it into our coms?” Shadow asked.

Nor responded by patching it into only Shadow's so the others could sleep.

“Well,” Shadow said listening to the crystal clear voicing singing. “This is new information.”

Shadow listened closely as a DJ Pon3 set up the next few tracks and let them whirl.

“Can you pin down where it is broadcasting?” Shadow asked.

“Storm could,” Nor shrugged. Storm was fast asleep already. “But we would have to get closer to actually trace it to the original broadcast signal. Next mission?”

“Probably,” Shadow nodded. “Important information to know, and this is not a wartime broadcast. This is current.”

“Current is good,” Nor chuckled. “But tts old tech, which is why it was easy to match up our suits to key in on it, if we wish to listen. Storm isn’t the only one with a technical hoof.”

“Get some sleep Nor,” Shadow ordered. “I’ll take first watch.”

“No,” Nor shot back. “You have to run solo tomorrow. You need to sleep to stay sharp. I will wake the others to win this argument.”

“They would side with you because you made them get up to force me to do something,” Shadow argued back. “But fine.”

In the morning they ate what they could of their field rations and scattered the rest. By mid morning they were in the Fillydelphia metroplex.

“What are we looking for?” Nor asked as they walked.

“Intercoms, TVs, speakers, telephones and radios,” Storm replied.

“We have those at Rosemary,” Nor asked, even more confused.

“I don’t want to wreck our home,” Storm chuckled. “We haven’t even tried hunting yet, so lets. I would also rather not deplete nonrenewable resources back at Rosemary unless absolutely required. We can still leave, so we hunt.”

“Good choice,” Shadow added as he scanned the area.

“Lets pick it up,” Thunder said. “I am not happy with our current location.

They made it into the city’s fringes mid afternoon. They made camp on the third floor of a crumbled building. The real work would begin in the morning.

For now, they quietly went about picking through the ruins. They had a few close calls with Steel Rangers and armed patrols. Nothing of consequence, just reminders to stay vigilant and keep their heads down.

Shadow set the components he and Nor had found. Thunder had kept watch over the camp.

“Not shabby,” Storm said approvingly. “Not much, as we found basically the same, but some gems. No keystones of what we need to build transmitters, but good finds.”

When the light faded, they slipped up to the almost nonexistent top floor to survey what they could. They had to use their wings to get to their perch. Nor was taking notes. It wasn’t much of a view.

They could see a low wall, blocking off parts of the eastern city. Much of the wall was plywood and 2x4s. Simple building material, but it was a physical barrier. Explosives would rip it apart easily, but it did it’s job.

“I’m surprised the Steel Rangers let the wall stay up,” Thunder stated. “It’s not much of one. The Disciples will need more to keep them out.”

“It’s doing it’s job,” Shadow stated. “For now. But if they really want to hold off the Steel Rangers, they certainly will need a better one. Taller too.”

“Not much for you to use, Shadow,” Nor said.

“I will start there,” Shadow said pointing to one of the tallest buildings. “That is where I will set myself up. To start. At the darkest hour I will arrive.”

“Marked,” Nor said as soon as the PipBuck saved it.

“We will be making a sweep through there,” Slice added a moment later. “Does this building make for a good meeting point?”

Shadow looked at Thunder who nodded, giving it his tactical approval.

“So it shall be,” Shadow softly said. “We have a plan.”

“Can we really keep up being here and dodging them for a week?” Nor asked.

“Depends,” Shadow sighed. “If we can keep contact to a minimum or none, yes. We can map this entire place. But if they get a solid pin on us and what we are doing, we will be forced to flee.”

“Then if the time comes, we need to strike hard and fast,” Thunder added. “No mercy. No quarter. Fast so we can back out safely. Besides, they will give us none.”

They agreed and set watches. Shadow was given a break again. He needed it because he would be departing at third watch.

Shadow slipped up to the top of the building as third watch started. He put his helmet on and the suit sealed it up with a sucking squeeze. He took a few breaths. It was not the same through the filter, but he was finally getting used to it.

Shadow tipped off the building into a dive before he zipped up high and hopefully out of sight. It was still dark and he was easily concealed. Shadow dive bombed the top of the building. He braked just in time to softly touched down. He went prone to stay hidden as he slipped up to the crumbling edge.

He couldn't do much in the dark, so he put that radio station on, making sure to keep the volume low so nopony could sneak up on him. As the light signaled a new day, he killed the radio and began to work on the map. A hard, paper, surveyor's map.

The wall was not as solid as it appeared from their position the night before. There were plenty of places where it didn’t exist or varied in height. The old amusement park that was in Fillydelphia was the center of the Disciples’ activity. The park’s highlight was a giant steel roller coaster. It was all right next to the giant epicenter of the Fillydelphia blast zone from the megaspell.

“That is where Nova and Falls got slaughtered,” Shadow said to himself.

Shadow watched as a group of ponies were forced out of a building and corralled and prodded off to work. Their direction could either take them to the heart of the amusement park, or the factories.

At least two factories were running. There was no way to tell how much of each had been restored and it was too far away to tell what they were producing. That would be his next objective.

Shadow's map and notes were lacking details. He could only get an overview of the area. Another perch might be able to fill those gaps, but he would really need to be on the ground to pick up the finer things. There was little chance he could blend in with his armor, and his personality was wrong for that type of work.

From what Shadow could see, the slave pen was easy to tell. They were secured off by a tall makeshift metal fence. It often made use of buildings for it’s walls. There were several caged off farms. Poor quality, but they provided food. Some appeared to me planted on old parks for the fresh soil. The ponies inside didn’t have to leave, living in the shack provided in each one.

Shadow couldn't map out any housing or training grounds for the Disciples. He would have to move to get more information.

“Shadow?” Nor called over the coms.

“Sorry, distracted,” Shadow whispered back. He didn’t need to whisper.

“How goes it?” Nor asked.

“Smooth so far, but I haven’t tried to move,” Shadow replied. “I have a good map drawn out. At least for what I can see. How about you?”

“Eh, they are picking through buildings slowly,” Nor sighed. “Not much has happened. Its been really quiet. No patrols, no real noise, its been a walk in a… park.”

“How goes the pick n pull?”

“Honestly, I have no idea. A little boring. They have a lot they are picking through right now, but I do not know if it is worth anything. Thunder and I are on look out while they are lost in their work.”

“I see the slave housing. It is caged off. But I can’t see their training ground or real, solid details. I also don’t know where they are sleeping. I can’t ascertain numbers either. I have a lot of limitations.”

“Good info, but you are going to have to move,” Nor replied.

“Its getting late,” Shadow sighed. “I am afraid to take a new position in this light. They are moving around down there. Noon is not a good time to move. Its too easy to spot me.”

A loud bang distracted Shadow. He looked across the area to the sound. A section of the wall was opened up and in came a train of slaves, loosely tied together. Shadow watched as they were all forced to wear something around their necks before being led off to the main cage.

The handlers of the slaved were jumped and beaten savagely. They were ill equipped and easy prey. They had probably done the exact same thing to the ponies they had tied up. Their leader was brutally slashed apart and the others had collars put on. Shadow informed the others of what he saw.

“Alright Nor, I’m going to slip over to the next building,” Shadow radioed the others.

Shadow crawled back to the center and stood up. He took a few deep breaths before he launched up and cruised over to the next one. Shadow touched down gingerly.

He looked back at the building he was just on. MoM hub.

“Too bad that I missed checking a Ministry Hub out,” Shadow thought to himself. “But to the task at hoof.”

Shadow had no idea what building he was on. He slid forward like before and began to survey the new field of view. It got him closer to the factories, but was a worthless location. Shadow tried to ascertain his next move.

He was pulled to reality as a Shotgun was racked behind him.

“Don’t move,” A pony growled from behind him.

Three Griffin’s crawled up the sides of the building and took off from the sides to cover the air. Shadow ignored the order and stood up.

“Caught,” Shadow informed the others. “I guess I will be talking face to face with Nesha.”

“Good luck,” Nor replied. “We believe in you.”

The others agreed with Nor.

Shadow turned around see to the light blue Unicorn with the Shotgun. There were several other mares with her on the roof. They were all wrapped in dark cloth wraps and wore metal bands pressed together for armor. Several wore helmets that only gave a sliver to see out of.

They all had at least one knife and most were only armed with a large revolver. Some of those revolvers had long, sick blades attached underneath the barrel. The griffins carried short rifles that were blocky and rough, made by unskilled hooves and claws.

Shadow switched his helmet to project his voice. “Since you didn’t shoot me, I assume I get to meet Nesha.”

They all laughed.

“Nah,” The Unicorn said as she shouldered the shotgun. She drew a stamped knife like the others had. “We are going to take you so I can peel back that coat of yours. If you are lucky, I’ll pop out your eyes so you don’t have to look as it happen.”

Shadow chuckled out loud, letting a little insanity dance across it. “What makes you think you can take me in? Look at you and look at me. I also have a knife or two.”

“Then lets settle this here and now,” The Unicorn smirked. “Who is better with a knife.”

Shadow assumed the unicorn was high on something. Shadow was in his armor and the Unicorn was already beginning to circle and rake the knife back and forth on the roof top in an attempt to scare Shadow.

Shadow turned to fully face the Unicorn. He took a second and then let the hatred for Fillydelphia and the fear of it’s clutches out. In a single pounce, Shadow was alongside the unicorn. His hoof knife sliced open her coat nicely. It was shallow, just going for the coat.

Shadow turned around so he was behind the Unicorn who was screaming in both pain and pleasure. He made a pass at the base of the Unicorn’s tale and then brought the knife back for a pass from the other side. The tale plopped off, surrounded by a root made from the Unicorn’s coat.

The Unicorn was no longer having fun. Shadow leaped forward along his other side, flaying open her coat along the spine, causing her to seize up. Shadow peeled opened the Unicorn’s cheek while he stood by her side to talk.

“Now, now,” Shadow chastised. “I told you I had a knife of my own. I obviously know how to use mine better than you can use yours.”

The Unicorn slumped down, leading against Shadow and getting blood on his armor.

Shadow looked at the others. “Since you crashed my party…” Shadow traced the base of the Unicorn’s horn with his knife, scoring the skull around it. “I had to do some things I obviously didn’t want to. I guess now, I have to talk to Nesha. I have better things to do, so lets get this over with.

Shadow smoothly put the leverage into the push and popped the unicorn’s horn off. It had a chunk of the thin skull at the base which was dripping with cranial fluid and some gray matter. The others were visibly disturbed. They might like knives and torture, but this got to them just like Shadow needed it to.

It was taking all that Shadow had to not lose his mind over his actions. He tossed the horn into his saddlebags and and began to walk to the open hatch where they had come onto the roof. Several jumped in front to ‘lead’ him out of the building.

As the continued down the stairs they hit a floor where the center of the building was blown out. And not just on that floor. The central area took up most of the building and went down half of the floors.

“What building am I in?” Shadow asked firmly.

“A Ministry of Awesome Hub.” Was the reply.

Two stories above the ground the wall on the stairwell had fallen apart. All the way down the stares they had been trying to intimidate him. Shadow stepped over to the opening and casually jumped down. He let the armor take the fall, giving himself a good jar, but it was a strong power move asserting his dominance.

The Griffins took charge of Shadow while the others caught up to lead him through the city. The place was a mess. Shadow was glad his helmet was on. Their decorating was horrific. Dead pony was the theme.

If their flesh wasn’t peeled off them, they had nasty gashes. Coats were pinned to walls for display. The knives pinning them on the walls were like the knives they were carrying. Others ponies were locked in small cages, where they had starved to death.

Shadow was led past the main slave cage. Most of them tensed up. They wanted to jump Shadow. They had positioned him close to the fence. Shadow kicked the fence, breaking a bar off and bending it to a severe angle. They gave him more space.

They arrived at the entrance of the amusement park. Any amusement it held was gone. Now it was a twisted place where sadists could play freely.

Canvas was hung across the top of the entrance. Four black, spike knives were painted on it. Through their center was a red, curved, slasher knife with an open circle at the end of the grip; presumably for it to be able to slip onto a horn and spun around.

Troughs full of blood guided them through the gate and into the heart of Disciples territory. The buildings were where they were sleeping. Some of the rides provided good cover for them to lounge at or back rooms to place a bed.

Games like the horse shoe toss and ring toss had been turned into knife throwing games. The shooting gallery games were long ago shot out, but were still being used for a convenient place to put a target up and practice with their revolvers.

Slaves were around with blinking collars around their necks. They were doing all kinds of maintenance, attempting to keep this place alive in some sense. The decorations made the maintenance look pointless. Savage was almost not enough to explain the Disciples. Neither was bloodthirsty.

Shadow was lightly shoved towards a restaurant off to the side. The doors were opened up for him and he walked in. The Disciples knives insignia was all over the inside, covering the walls that didn’t have blood on them.

Leaning against the counter was a black Unicorn mare in a the same cloth and metal band wraps. She was reading something. Her helmet covered most of her face and had two blades sticking out like ears on either side of the helmet. The tip that was exposed had a few prongs trailing off of it.

The mare’s horn had four spikes around it from the helmet. They met at the top and were beat together so that they formed a blade that she could slice prey with, while still allowing it to be free and open for magic.

Shadow was shoved aside with no care as a new mare walked past him to talk with the one at the counter. The only metal she wore was wraps around her head. There was just enough room in between some of the bands to see out of and for her pink horn to force it’s way out. There was fresh blood on it as well as on her clothes.

“What is it Daisy?” the mare asked bored.

“We got a new batch in. 15. They won’t be a problem. Even before the collaring. I uh, took care of that while the final transaction was being completed. He had no idea he was playing into my hoof.”

“But what is up with our metal friend?”

“No idea,” She said still not looking up. “She has yet to say anything and the other fools seem to just be lucky to have led her here. I believe the blood on her is from one of ours. Fucking idiot must have gotten caught.”

The mare look directly at Shadow. “Why are you here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Shadow calmly replied.

“Don’t fuck with me,” She warned with a tad of silver on her tongue. “Now, what are you doing here?”

“Trying to figure out what is going on in Fillydelphia,” Shadow stated.

“Looks like you either got your wish, or failed. Which was it?”

Shadow chuckled. “Where I come from, we have a saying…”

Shadow had to quickly adjust the saying to remove wings and flying. “No matter how good the journey went. It isn’t over until you get safely to your destination.”

“Not bad. But, now you are in my house.”

“And you would be?”

“Nesha.”

Shadow laughed a bit. Just enough to get her attention. “That can’t be your real name.”

Nesha’s eyes narrowed a bit. “Leave us.”

The others backed out and the doors closed.

A third member joined them, coming out from the back. It was the first stallion Shadow had seen. He had barely any visible cloth on him. His body was wrapped in the metal bands, and quite a few shot out at angles and were sharped. His helmet was a simple round helmet with his yellow horn sticking our, metal put in front so it was bladed. Three spikes also fanned out at the dome.

Nesha continued. “That is Savory. One of my best enforcers. And Daisy,”

“I saw Daisy work,” Shadow interrupted her. “From my first perch.”

“Perfect,” Nesha grinned from under her helmet. “So we are on the same page.”

“Your name?” Shadow kindly asked.

“Full name is Nesh Amaranth. But Nesh,” She chuckled once. “I am neither soft or tender. Unless I am showing you just how skilled I am with a blade. But even then, that isn’t what Nesh means. I think you can understand Amaranth.”

“The flower,” Shadow nodded.

“Hm hm. Exactly. So Nesha it is. That isn’t common knowledge, but you, you, have peaked my interest. What is your name and how did you kill that fool?”

Shadow flicked out his hoof knife. “I’m called Shadow. She wanted to test my skill with a knife. Didn’t care I was in my armor. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t ready for my skill. She never was able to strike me I was so fast.”

“And that skill?” Nesha coaxed.

“A good body slash, just enough for the coat, since she wanted to remove mine. I cut off the tail. And I mean the flesh around the tail so it all fell off with a nice opening in the coat.”

Nesha’s attitude changed. She was playing coy. “Did you enjoy the unobstructed view?”

Shadow relaxed to match her as best as possible. “I wasn’t looking. I still had to finish the job.”

“And how did you do that?”

“I dragged my blade along the spine. While we talked, side by side, I made her cheek a flap.”

Shadow reached into his saddlebags. “While I was finishing convincing the rest to let me speak to you, I pulled on this.”

“Impressive,” Nesha said looking at the horn. “You didn’t break it. Keep it. For good luck.”

Shadow put it away.

“You know how to handle a blade properly,” Nesha smiled. “I am impressed.”

Shadow nodded in response.

“This is a kill or be killed world. We recognize it and are disciples of the natural world. And I am building the best gang for that. If you don’t recognize it, you are not fit to survive. Or at least without a bomb collar on. My only real rule is ‘don’t get caught’. And with the Steel Rangers, I won’t risk my neck for somepegasus stupid enough to get caught by them.”

“Our Griffins are good. They really know how to hold a blade because they can grip it a way hooves, mouths and magic can’t. A knife built into your armor like that, it is convenient. And more importantly, you also know how to use it.”

“But you didn’t just come here for fun.”

Shadow shook his head. “I represent a group that is trying to reconnect with the rest of Equestria. We don’t even know what is still standing from the war.”

“Reclusive,” Daisy stated.

“Quite,” Shadow said with a single nod. “We got a good understanding of the Steel Rangers the other day.”

“You were the visitors,” Savory said tensing up.

Shadow nodded once. “And they didn’t want to talk. They killed our contact in cold blood. Over our armor. Just to get it.”

“They have no skill,” Nesha said confidently. “Just go in guns blazing. Knives take skill. Did they get what they wanted?”

“No,” Shadow chuckled. “They didn’t. But neither did we. So we turned our attention to finding out who the Disciples are. The Steel Rangers seem to think they have you beat.”

“Ha!” Daisy spat. “That is far from true.”

“Obviously,” Shadow said. “Assuming your Disciples don’t kill each other.”

Nesha got serious. “They can fuck with the others in this city, like the Steel Rangers, as much as they want, and assuming they don’t get caught. But they can’t fuck with our own.”

“That is why we are the Disciples. We follow the order of life and preach it through practice. Kill or be killed. We are not wild, but you don’t want to anger us. The Steel Rangers are unable to take ground because we know how to deal with them. It is the game of survival. The fittest win, and the Steel Rangers are old and finding out, this world isn’t theirs anymore.”

“Sure, they have armor and guns, but they lack the drive to use them. They focus on what they want to keep, instead of fighting for what they should own. Their philosophy is weak and now they can’t take us out, even in a full on fight.”

“We may prefer to kill with a blade, but we have the factories running. One makes more knives, another our hoof made rifles. Every Disciple will soon be carrying one of those rifles.”

“Our metal armor serves us well enough, stopping plenty of bullets, and that is easy to produce here. We have another one that is cranking out ammunition. Even ammunition for our special sky guns, which are mounted all over this city. They protect this city from flying enemies.”

“Tell, me, how do you like our recruitment materials we are printing up?”

It was what Nesha had been reading when he came in. She passed him one. It was elegant and well designed. Their symbol was in the the top right corner. It’s diction avoided how sadistic a Disciple were, but it still gave them an edge over any other gang.

The flier made the Disciples seem majestic. They were the ones to rule the world because they followed the world’s rules. Everypony wants to be on the winning team. In the right.

“Well, what do you thing?” Nesha asked.

“Its well done,” Shadow admitted. “It leaves out some of the details of what it truly means to be a Disciple. Enjoying skinning ponies alive is a big detail to leave out.”

Daisy chuckled. “If they can’t take it then we put a collar on them. We win either way.”

“So, what do you say?” Nesha asked with a kind smile.

“Say to what?” Shadow asked confused.

“I could always use a skilled blade. And you certainly know how to use one. You didn’t think I would let the others leave if we were not talking business.”

Nesha laughed lightly as Shadow tensed up, shocked at the proposal. He should have seen a sale pitch coming.

“Whoever you are with now is irrelevant. I doubt they can adjust quickly. They sent you here, but now you know the truth. Kill or be killed. Do you have what it takes to survive without their immediate support?”

“Wherever you are in their organization, I know we can find a similar role. I assume its some military rank by some of the markings on your armor. And higher up. I could use somepony to lead my gang in direct assault of the Steel Rangers. Avenge your friend perhaps?”

“You don’t have to be so, keen on using a blade or prolonging pain to be a Disciple. Daisy will say otherwise, but I am the real leader. Plenty of my gang avoid more of the, bloody, aspects of making sure we survive.”

“I’m sorry,” Shadow said kindly. “You can’t match my rank. I am the top dog, Command Sergeant Major over Reconnaissance. Over every single recon team and soldier. Senior officers listen to me because I know what I am doing. The only place for me in your gang is maybe your second in command. More than likely its your position.”

“Even then, I couldn’t stand next to the others. I am not that savage. Besides, I have a family. A wife to go home to. Now that we know what is happening in Fillydelphia, we can go home.”

Nesha snorted. “You mean all this time, I have been talking to a stallion?”

“Yes,” Shadow nodded.

A large explosion overpowered the city. It was followed by the sound a building crumbling.

“We might have gone overboard with some things,” Nor panted. “We could really use some word from you. Please make it back alive.”

Shadow laughed a bit. “Sounds like the rest of my squad had to make an explosive exit. Probably against those bastard Steel Rangers. My squad is adequate with their knives. But these guns by my side, they have them as well and are very skilled. And so am I.”

“I bid you, farewell,” Shadow said turning to leave. “Well, not farewell. How far you take things with your killing is disgusting and sadistic. If I have the opportunity, I’d kill you. But I just don’t have the time right now.”

Nesha grinned playfully. “I sincerely hope you really don’t believe you can freely leave here. I don’t have to have you remove your helmet to place a collar on your. And that armor will only prevent chafing. The charge will blow your head off.”

Daisy laughed manically, twirling a knife around on her horn. “Step out the door, you will be facing all of the Disciples.”

“Well,” Shadow shrugged. “I hope they plan on using their guns, because their knives won’t do shit.”

Shadow put his hoof on the door to push it open, Savory racked his shotgun that he had stashed behind the counter. They couldn't see Shadow smile. Shadow was hoping this wouldn’t be an easy cruise. They got a chance to see the Steel Rangers’ skill, now they would see the Disciples’.

As the door cracked open, Shadow felt the blast from the shotgun. It wasn’t bird shot. Shadow spun on his front hoof and opened up with his shotgun, carpeting the area.

Daisy was on top of Shadow. The slash did nothing but grate against his armor. Shadow pushed the door open with his flank as he blocked the knife, slapping it out of her magical grip. It stopped the stab she was making, but she immediately had another one out.

Daisy never had a chance to use it as Shadow finished through with his block to drive the hoof knife into her. It was a bad strike, landing in the shoulder. She would recover, but not in time to get immediate revenge.

Daisy hit the floor as the front of the restaurant was lit up with gunfire. Shadow felt rounds slam into him. Several large caliber pistol rounds bashed the back into Shadow’s head.

Shadow vaulted sideways into a back hoof spring. They didn’t expect him to be able to move like that. Shadow’s hoof slipped on something, sending him sliding on his stomach, stopping at the hooves of a Disciple. She acted fast with her bladed pistol. Shadow batted it away with his foreleg and sliced a giant U on her chest.

He kicked her off of him, into another Disciple and rolled around onto his hooves. They were peppered with rounds, killing two off their own. Shadow launched straight up and out of their fire. Two Griffins dove on Shadow.

He rolled to avoid them, forcing them to break away to avoid slamming into a building. They were not alone. One blindsided Shadow, gripping him tightly. The armor prevented the sharpened, bladed claws from ripping into his coat. But one of his saddlebags wasn’t as lucky. He lost his food and medical kit as the Griffin’s claw ripped it open.

They were in free fall, the weight of the armor too much for the Griffin. Shadow was able to slip his rear hoof free and drive that hoof knife into her crotch. The slice was from hip to hip. Shadow didn’t want to think about the specifics that were in between.

It forced her to break contact, but Shadow still slammed into the roof of a building. He got his first look at what they called their sky guns. Triple barreled machine guns that were a heavy caliber. It was more like a small caliber cannon than machine gun. These guns would tear through anything in the sky, making a good defense for the city.

There were two ponies at the seats to load and control the gun. One used a wheel to turn the gun, the other raised and lower the gun. They were frozen, unsure what to do. The gun couldn't go low enough to attack Shadow.

Shadow launched two rockets from his spot on his stomach. He stood as the smoke cleared. The ponies were gone, but the gun wasn’t touched. Shadow popped off three grenades, same effect. Shadow knew he needed to move, but he switched to his Novasurge battle rifle. After five shots, the actions were melted, putting it forever out of commission.

The roof was stormed and Shadow popped off a grenade to clear them from the roof. He launched with renewed purpose, focusing on getting out of the situation and staying alive. Several more Griffins dove on Shadow.

He expertly rolled, just out of their grasps. They came back around but were grounded as the Disciples opened up with the sky guns that were able to see him. Shadow dove out of the sky, avoiding their blasts. The rounds were exploding in the air, sending shrapnel in all directions.

Small arms fire erupted from below, striking Shadow and forcing him to climb back up and out of their grasp. A sky gun round erupted close to Shadow's head, sending him into a roll.

Shadow’s head hurt from the blast. It was aggravated by his HUD flashing red, indicating his armor was being destroyed. Another explosion on the other side stopped him from gaining control of his fall.

His HUD now showed he was out of rockets, grenades, and both shotgun rounds. The suit could no longer contain his external magazines. It was a stroke of luck none of the rockets or grenades were set off. The belly magazines were protected a lot better, but they could fail and were likely getting close to it.

Shadow finally got control and pulled up before hitting a building. He was right in front of a double barreled sky gun and it was leveled at him. They opened fire. He pulled up into a barrel roll, taking shrapnel from the exploding rounds as they hit the building behind him.

Shadow got clear of the gun and the same set of Griffins came back around. All three of them were carrying their hoof made rifles. They lined up in the air and opened up, sweeping the air with their fire in an attempt to hit him as he dodged.

Shadow couldn’t avoid their fire. He opened up with his laser rifle on full auto. His fire was accurate as he rolled into a solid strafing run. All three were killed, one being whisked away by the breeze as ash.

Shadow was close to the eastern edge of the city, and currently free from any threats.

“Took some fire,” Shadow coughed.

“That sounded more than some,” Nor shot back. “Where are you?”

“East edge,” Shadow panted. “Griffins and big guns pointed to the sky. Taking evasive maneuvers to get back to you.”

“Just come straight to us,” Thunder ordered. “We can deal with Griffins and anything that comes after us. All of us have to run, now!”

Shadow banked hard. His pain level was rising as his adrenalin plummeted. Thunder was right, they had to get away from the city immediately. They could make a stand elsewhere. He also knew he needed to get medical help as soon as he landed.

Shadow made the last turn and locked his wings so he would make it. It was getting harder to breath and Shadow believed his last cough had blood in it. His vision started fading as he cruised in.

The others were out in the open. Shadow couldn't unlock his wings or get his hooves under him before he slammed into the ground. His head bounced twice against the concrete and he blacked out.

Next Chapter: Chapter 40 - Ordinance Estimated time remaining: 9 Hours, 38 Minutes