Shadow woke up a bit after lunch like he wanted to. His armor was still repairing itself so he emptied the military gear and removed his double saddle bags. They were not nice to wear without the armor since they were heavily modified for it.

Shadow wore his recon flight suit and used the cloak left at his door. He added the cowboy hat he had found. It left him without a weapon, so his first thought was weapon, then food. That changed when he found the café open and the smell drove his stomach to change goals.

“Shadow!” Nor called out from a seat. He was also wearing their recon flight suits and the cloak. He was having similar problems with his saddlebags.

“Dinner with the others will be interesting, considering some of the menu options.” Nor smiled as he ordered another salad for Shadow. “For now, enjoy good, fresh food you didn’t have to cook.”

“I like cooking,” Shadow frowned.

“I know,” Nor laughed. “Enjoy the break though.”

“Good point,” Shadow chuckled.

“How is you armor?” Nor asked.

“Still working, but it should be patched up by the evening,” Shadow replied digging in.
“Most of the damage was crushing, so little metal was removed.”

“Good,” Nor nodded. “I was going to trade first, but my stomach got the better of me.”

“Same,” Shadow chuckled.

“All of this is quite simple. Like bits, but cheaper,” Nor commented.

“You said fresh. This is farmed?”

“I guess so,” Nor replied. “I didn’t think to ask where it was from, just that it was fresh vegetables. Way better than those field rations.”

They paid for lunch and headed over to the first shop. It was a general store, and they both had weapons, not general goods. It gave them a good idea on pricing, but there was nothing either of them needed. Slice and Storm would have a field day though.

They didn’t see their caps as their own, but they each carried a varied amount, depending on what they had found. Independent stashes in a collective. If they needed it and had the caps, they would buy without asking the collective.

They walked into the Naval Cannonade Weapons Emporium.

“How can I help you?” The clerk asked.

“I am without my combat gear,” Shadow stated. “I am looking for a side arm, holster and a sheath for this combat knife.”

“You have some heavy weapons from what I hear,” The clerk replied. “I have a beautiful revolver you will love. 44 Magnum and double single action.”

Shadow recognized it immediately. It was the revolver many of the Disciples used.

“That is a big bang,” Shadow stated as he picked it up. “How much ammunition do you have for it?”

“That is the drawback,” he replied. “I have 113 rounds. It is a powerful gun, but no other guns used 44s. 9mm was much more common. I have no 9mm revolvers. I do not think they made them. But it was popular enough of a gun. Reliable, and if you really wanted to stop somepony, or zebra, you bought a 44.”

“You are a good shot,” Nor said nudging him. “And you will rarely not have your gear.”

“How much?” Shadow asked turning it over.

“I’ll let it go for 92 caps. She is in great shape.”

Shadow looked down the trench sights. The revolver used a bit and mouth trigger, aligned for the right eye and opened out to the right. The initials CTV etched in on faceplate. It was sleek, but had good weight and being a full steel weapon it was durable, needing minimal maintenance.

“I have some weapons to sell as well,” Shadow stated as he set it back down as well. “Shall we barter?”

Shadow and Nor began to unload their saddlebags.

“How much would you pay for a minigun, and plenty of ammunition?” Nor asked. “We have one running around in our group, somewhere.”

“Right here!” Slice said startling them. “You better not be buying weapons without my input.”

“Revolver,” Shadow pointed. “A backup.”

“We have plenty of 9mms back at Rosemary,” Slice said with eyebrow raised.

“Yes, but not with us. I admit I didn’t think it through,” Shadow replied. “And they are for unicorns. You will have to do heavy modifications to fix that.”

“That didn’t occur to me,” Slice shrugged. “Cost?”

“92 Caps,” The clerk replied.

He began to look it over.

“She looks to be in prime condition,” He finally announced. “But how much for ammunition?”

“Three bottle caps per round,” The clerk replied.

“9mm cost?” Slice asked.

“15 caps for a 50 round box.

“Expensive ammo.”

“It is how it is,” He replied. “I have boxes of ammunition for most things, few for this. Few ponies can handle the power. Despite her size, your companion looks like she is able to handle it.”

“Yeah, he could,” Slice chuckled.

The clerk didn’t know what to do for the mistake.

“But lets barter,” Slice continued, rescuing him. “Minigun with 647 rounds, all linked.”

“Nopony will buy that from me,” The clerk said shaking his head. “But check in with Lieutenant Steel Impact. He is in charge of supplying the militia and city guards.”

“Damn,” Slice swore. “I will then. But I have other guns and ammo.”

Slice dug around.

“68 12 gauge slugs,” Slice smiled. “With those things out there, you got to roll a dead exchange for the 44. Round for round. Even our military grade 00 buck won’t do much, but a shotgun slug.”

“You know your ammunition,” The clerk replied. “68 for 68.”

“And a resale value of five,” Slice added as they counted out the rounds.

“I could probably get six here,” He replied. “But I will let lieutenant know. I have the ammunition market cornered. They get 48 hours for the good stuff or it hits the shelves. I’ll sell these rounds to them for 240 with 8 extra rounds free. Four caps each. Don’t bite the hand that feeds and shields you.”

“And we do not need to hoard caps,” Slice smiled. “I hope. I am willing to let some things go low. Shadow Flare is the real genius with bartering. He grew up doing it.”

Shadow chuckled. “I won’t rob you, but you won’t rob me either. Mutual trust for the good of both parties.”

With 13 guns and a large chunk of assorted ammunition on the table, the revolver and the last 45 rounds were picked up easily. They walked out with plenty of caps on top. They had everything to gain and nothing to lose. They sold a bit low.

Storm was at the general store and they joined him. He was also out of his armor.

“Its all junk,” Storm said shaking his head. “Worthless.”

“HEY!” The mare running the store protested.

“Sorry,” Storm blushed. “I have a specific project I am working on. None of what you have is helpful to it. A hope, but not a surprise. Long range communication devices are not easy to make.”

“Do you have any 44 Magnum rounds?” Shadow asked.

“Sorry, we sell our rounds and guns to the Emporium. Like the shotgun you sold me this morning. I turned it and traded cap for cap. We support each other that way. Sometimes ponies sell in bulk, and we don’t like to force them to run around. You were too tired and already a miracle worker.”

“Wise choice supporting each other that way,” Shadow complimented her. “I could use a holster as well and knife sheath.”

“Lace Hem in clothing and light armor can help you. She is on the other side of the Emporium.”

“You have a nice little center set up,” Shadow commented.

“This used to house a lot of the raw materials for the ships, which we have put to use as our walls. Now we use this warehouse for goods and services. We have some rooms in the back for the clerks and owners, as well as our reserve stocks.”

“This store has been in my family since its start. Eight generations. The Emporium was the first store, but as the city grew, it changed to focus to only weapons, and added weapons into it’s name. That way more trade and economic success was built. We have prospered for it.”

“You certainly have,” Shadow smiled. “How is food handled?”

“I cover war and pre-war food. For fresh, there are nine other dry docks on the south row, past the middle warehouses. They have been filled in and used to grow our food. Some had half built ships in the before they were filled in. The fresh food is only sold to the restaurants.”

“This place was bustling during the war,” Slice marveled.

“At least with workers,” She replied.

“Do you need anything? Shadow asked Slice.

“Not that I can think of,” He replied.

“Electrical for the entrance?” Shadow asked.

Slice smiled at Shadow and dove into the store. He had forgotten about that project. Storm was right behind him.

Shadow and Nor headed off to Lace Hem’s Garment Gallery. She had a good holster available, including slots for extra ammo on the outside. Shadow left the knife with her so she could make a sheath. He would pick it up after dinner.

“What is this jacket?” Shadow asked.

“It is an old riot jacket for law enforcement. A bit heavy, but solid protection. It isn’t hard or plated like combat armor. The design was to allow for as much defense while still allowing for quick offensive action and reduced weight. I dyed it that crimson hue to cover up markings and some age discoloration.”

“Cost?” Shadow asked.

“Its good armor, but the size is odd. Nopony can fit in it. I sold my larger sizes for 380. I will sell it to you for 220 because of the size.”

Shadow slipped it on. It fit well.

“First step into blending in without our armor,” Nor stated looking him over. “220 is reasonable to me.”

“180 because of the size?” Shadow began to barter.

“I’ll go to 210 because it fits you perfectly. Even with the odd size, somepony will find a use for it. They always do, even if it is to cut and adjust it to fit them.”

“I’ll take it,” Shadow smiled.

The logic was sound about its value for being able to be adjusted into imperfect armor. They added it to their overall purchase and left.

“Big change,” Thunder greeted them outside the Emporium. He was in his armor, but left his helmet in his room. “Looks good. Strong. Still like a mare, but strong.”

They laughed. Shadow would never be able to get rid of looking like a mare.

“Did you sell gear?” Shadow asked.

Thunder nodded. “I wish they had rockets for us, but the few they had are the regular launcher rockets, not for our suits. Ours are probably specific to our, group.”

“Probably,” Shadow nodded. “Are you concerned about tomorrow?”

“A bit,” Thunder nodded. “We were not gentle coming here. We will fall onto laser rounds. I think that is where we will still have water in our wells when we finally make it back. But they take a lot more to drop those creeps. Damn thick skins.”

“But we can worry about that later,” Thunder smiled. “Salt Waters wants to treat us to dinner on the deck of Discord. It has another restaurant. I understand there are a total of five food restaurants here.”

“Wonderful,” Shadow sighed contently. “It is nice to relax with real ponies. Not ghosts.”

“Every time a horn lights up,” Thunder sighed shaking his head.

“Its really begun to bother you?” Shadow asked, concerned.

“The more real blood we spill, the more it haunts me,” Thunder confessed. “I took on the residential quarters. I have no better answer, but it still is getting to me.”

They stood there for a minute without anything to say.

“It still is before dinner,” Shadow said shifting the conversation. “I think I will check out the farming situation.”

“We will join you,” Thunder replied. “Make sure you do not get lost in it. And it will be happier than dwelling on things that can not be changed. Mistakes we learn from, harshly.”

They laughed and joked about Shadow getting lost in the dirt as they headed to the other side of the five central warehouses. There was a lot planted. Shadow began to check out the crops.

“The foreigners interested in Farming?” A Earth Pony said walking up. “Mineral Swirl. The master farmer.”

“Shadow Flare,” Shadow smiled, shaking his hoof. “Born and raised farmer. Is this a typical oat yield?”

“No, this is a good year.”

“Compost?”

“What?”

Shadow looked at the ground and shook his head. “I can triple your yield on the oats. Better hay, more fruit, bigger vegetables.”

“Oh really?” He asked annoyed.

“Very inventive and great use of the dry docks,” Shadow continued, ignoring his attitude.

Shadow picked up a sample of dirt and sniffed it. “Low potassium.”

Shadow licked a bit. “Needs more calcium,” He reported.

“You won’t get used to that,” Nor chuckled to Mineral Swirl. “I can guarantee you he is right. His farming background is legendary. Over two hundred years of knowledge passed down from generation to generation, in one of the most prestigious of farming families. He is fourth born. They all learned farming to exceptional degrees.”

“Wherever you come from, fertilizer must be plentiful, but here,” Mineral Swirl shook his head.

“What do you dump in the bay?” Shadow asked. “Food waste?”

“Yes.”

“Bodily waste?”

“What? Yes. The ships have emptying systems that we collect in barrels since the ships are still in dry dock, and not safely in the water for disposal.”

Shadow shook his head and then smiled. “You know, the Super Ponies...”

“NO!” Nor exclaimed, cutting him off. “Not going there. Never going there. NEVER AGAIN!”

“Fine,” Shadow groaned. “But we still need to get you doing compost. Which will mean more food and less effort. Less chance of it rotting or spoiling before they are ripe.”

“Don’t take it personally,” Thunder told everypony who had gathered. “He has been doing this before he was born. I have witnessed his skill with plants. He rolls back to his family and community at times. Like this.”

“Shadow, play time later,” Thunder called. “It’s dinner time.”

“Right,” Shadow nodded and mentally filing everything away.

“This is fun for him,” Nor laughed. “Relaxing to him.”

Shadow started walking back, grinning. “I look forward to discussing things more.”

“They totally took that as an insult,” Nor said to Shadow who just shrugged.

“Wait until after tomorrow,” Shadow replied distracted. “But for now, an enjoyable dinner.”

Shadow washed up after digging in the dirt and Thunder took off his armor.

“Welcome!” Salt Water greeted them.

Slice and Storm were already there and Sweet Waters was there as well.

“It is great to see you up,” Shadow smiled at Sweet Waters.

“Metal Heart, our healer, is good, but she couldn’t do any more than what Slice already did. Especially with the health potion. And magical bandages, Metal Heart makes her own.”

Shadow shrugged. “We were trained well. Silent…”

Shadow sighed solemnly. “Its good we cross trained as much as we could.”

“Sorry,” Sweet Waters said.

“Its not you,” Slice said putting his hoof on hers. “Its circumstance. We never will get over it, but time will heal that wound.”

The dinner went smoothly after that. They had a wonderful time. They learned all about life in Dry Dock City. Salt Water worked the barge and trash clean up. Sweet Waters worked alongside her father. She had gone out with a group scavenging, to try and get some extra caps to live off of.

There were eight, with three designated guards, and they were well armed. They had not ventured far, but there were jumped by a large group. Despite the fight they put up, they all were taken alive. There was nothing else that needed to be said.

“Shadow already has your farmers hating him,” Nor poked. “He knows what he is doing when it comes to feeding ponies. But they felt insulted by a few raw facts.”

Shadow just shrugged. “Facts are facts. Now to get them to let me help them for you all. I can’t leave a farm lacking. It is against my upbringing.”

“But,” Shadow said standing up. “I hate to leave early. I have work to do that pertains to our job. I am sorry I can not stay longer. Thank you for the meal. I look forward to seeing you and hopefully spend some more time together.”

Shadow ducked out. It was still early, but he needed to think and plan. First he had to pick up the knife and it’s new sheath. Then he went to his room and tossed his jacket and hat onto the bed. Pistol strapped on and knife secured, he headed out.

Shadow went to the carrier’s flight deck and stood there, watching Fort Strong fade away in the light. The bay was large. There was only so much he could see. There was nothing known about the fort. The Captain had never visited. He never had needed to.

The wind was picking up as Shadow heard the others assembling. He was focused. Ready to discuss the plan.

“We are all here,” The Captain said. “In case you missed it, we are hitting Fort Strong in the morning. To clear it out and move as much equipment and goods as possible. We do believe there is a lot that can be salvaged. Better put, a lot that was stored away for these ships that they can not get to. We never had the stability and strength to attempt this. I will be on the assault team, along with our new friends. They have been trained well before coming here.”

“Assault team?” Somepony asked. “You are going to hoof it all the way the there. That is suicide!”

Shadow felt the wind pick up and let it catch his wings, displaying them clearly. A silhouette against the few camp fires burning around the fort. Everypony gasped.

“Shadow Flare?” The Captain called. “Do you have anything to say.”

Shadow brought his wings back in and walked over to the others.

“Those chevrons,” The Captain marveled. “What rank are you?”

Shadow took a deep breath in and stated fact. “Command Sergeant Major, of Reconnaissance.”

“Damn,” The Captain swore in shock.

Shadow silently nodded. The other ponies were lost when it came to ranks.

“Things are more serious than I thought,” The Captain stated.

Shadow shrugged. “First team made 100% with the wasteland in mind. I was built for this role. The rank is a title, earned, but a title to give my expertise weight. I am the junior member of the group, but the only one specifically trained for reconnaissance.”

“The first one trained for the role in our whole group. Few will ever be specifically trained. I wish I was a Captain. That would solve a problem, but…” Shadow let it trail off unsaid.

He looked at all of them.

“Listen up,” He began. “You are surprised we are pegasi. It is as it is. We were sent here to find out what is going on in Equestria after being disconnected since the war. We are loaded out with the best equipment and gear our group has in order to survive the long deployment to such a remote place.”

“The information we have is old. This shipyard isn’t even on our maps. We have no record of Fort Strong. So it is a blind assault. We trained for blind and I know The Captain also is trained to fly into situations blind.”

“That is our job. Clear out and secure Fort Strong. After that, you will be brought in. We are going to organize you into four groups. Blue is water. They will stay on the boats and deal with loading and unloading. We do not know that side of the operations, so we will need one of you to lead that.”

“Salt Waters has the best experience,” The Captain replied. “He has worked the barge like his fathers did before him. Blue will fall under his leadership.”

“Red will be with Sergeant Thunder,” Shadow continued. “This is a defense role. They can only come at us from the land, and Red will prove to be the defending line as we back out. We will not be holding the ground if they counter attack. Waste of ammunition and risking lives we do not need to. Just the last defenders to make sure we all make it back alive.”

“Green will fall in with Sergeant Nor’easter. He is recovery team one. Your job is to find and move resources and equipment. Yellow is with The Captain. You will be recovery team two.”

“I saw this coming,” Slice said tossing a bag to Shadow. “Ribbons to tie onto our legs as team bands.”

“Thank you,” Shadow said smiling for the first time.

“What about you and the other two?” A pony asked.

“I will be overseeing the operations and making sure things flow,” Shadow replied. “And Sergeant Storm and Sergeant Slice will be examining the area for specific technologies and mechanical things of great value. That is their field of expertise. The recovery teams, Green and Yellow, will be directed by them.”

“This will hopefully take a lot of time,” Shadow informed them. “We want it to last all day. That means we are getting a lot of supplies from there. Things that may hopefully improve your lives. But any naval cannon shells need to be removed for your safety.”

“What do you get out of it?” He was asked.

Shadow turned his back to them, to look at Fort Strong. “Satisfaction that our bullets are killing something unredeemable. Maybe supplies, depending on what is there. And the moral boost of helping a rare flower continue to bloom and grow. A lot has been robbed from us.”

The Captain knew them better so he began to organize them by their colors. Thunder, Nor and Salt Water stepped away from the group so that the Captain could move ponies to them to show the teams clearly.

Shadow stepped to the very edge of the ship. It was a good hundred yards down to the docks, even further into the pit. The water was being kept at bay by giant doors, over a few feet in front of the nose of the ship. Shadow looked back at Slice and Storm. They nodded their heads and Shadow tipped forward into free fall.

He pulled out of it, skimming the water, even to the point of letting the tip of his feathers tickle it’s face. He shot up, free, and let loose his speed. It felt good. He felt mostly whole. He had recovered well. But that wasn’t the purpose.

Shadow began to do high aerial recon over the fort, for at least a feel on the layout. They could use one of those gun turrets on the ships, if they were active, to pound some of the defenses. If it was possible, Slice would have spoken up.

Shadow dropped out of nowhere back onto the deck, scaring the shit out of everypony, including The Captain.

“Shit,” The Captain coughed. “I only ever saw that move performed once, by three others. Shadow Bolts. And they were in their special armor.”

Shadow just nodded. “I learned on my power armor, from a very skill flier and fighter. She could stand wing to wing with any of them. If I had followed the path she took, I would be able to stand wing to wing with them as well.”

“Dude, you already can,” Nor said from his group.

Shadow chuckled and then turned to business. “Slice, are any of these guns functional?”

“Haven’t looked,” Slice replied. “There isn’t a single round here to fire so I haven’t taken a peak. The ships would need to be padded though. In dry dock like this, with the gun’s kick, it could easily dislodge them, causing massive damage. Not worth it.”

“I figured that was a no,” Shadow shrugged. “I just had to ask. We can handle things fine. At least the exterior.”

“Shadow,” Thunder called. “The city’s armory has a ton on mines. We will be setting up a minefield to cut off Fort Strong from the mainland. The arm is a nice choke point.”

“Perfect!” Shadow exclaimed.

“The city bought my minigun,” Slice added. “And its been mounted, or should be by now, on the tug boat’s nose. They had another they are going to mount on the other tug boat. The Barge’s roof might get a gun placement as well. But that won’t be for tomorrow.”

“Great!” Shadow replied. Being able to use them in support roles will help the city out greatly. And if they can get the machine gun emplacements on these ships in working order, they will be able to stop any attack from the water. It is a big weak point for them tactically.”

“I want to see the Anti Air guns from the safe side,” Slice added. “I doubt they will ever need them, but to know they are working, ready to be used, is better than wishing they were.”

“That would be good,” Shadow nodded.

“Command Sergeant Major,” The Captain said. “All units are placed.”

“Thank you,” Shadow nodded his head. “Any questions? Or is it self explanatory. I lose track of what is normal for non military types.”

They chuckled. Their leaders had given a good run down while Shadow was doing his recon, so there were no questions. They were dismissed.

“How did it feel to fly?” Nor asked. “To really fly?”

“Good,” Shadow smiled. “I do not know if I will never be one hundred percent ever again, or if it is just in my head. It wasn’t a far flight, and I could only gain moderate speed for me, but I had no real pain or strain and I do not anticipate any more issues.”

“How badly did they shoot you up?” The Captain asked.

Shadow sighed. “I took a lot of hits. My armor was shredded. I still have fragments of at least two rounds floating around in me. Deep inside.”

“We pulled out a dozen that barely made it past the armor,” Nor added. “Several were past two inches deep. He is really lucky to be alive, let alone standing.”

“I can see the strength in your tiny body,” The Captain marveled. “I couldn’t see it under the armor. Now I can see the farming influence. Cloud farming can’t be easy.”

“All farming has it’s difficulties,” Shadow smiled. “And we were so far north, the weather teams only pushed stuff our way. The weather was mostly from the north mountains. It got cold. And there was basically no power.”

“I am puny by their standards. All of my family easily dwarfs anypony here. My Father and his friend could scare off these Super Ponies by standing there, looking at them with disapproving eyes. My sister's are near that size too, they just do not have the same mindset and hard edge to pull it off. But loving in their own ways. True, good farmers, who just want to feed ponies.”

“But,” Shadow said shaking his head. “It is getting late. We have an early morning. What is our attack plan? We know ourselves, but we do not know you Captain.”

“You and I know the same tactics and should employ them as a team,” The Captain replied.

“Good,” Shadow nodded. “I was hoping that was your thoughts. Nor and Thunder, Storm and Slice, you guys know what to do in your teams. We will put fire from the air first, trying to make a dent or hole.”

“Take the covers off your armor. Lets keep them in good condition. No point in letting them get torn up more and causing extra work for ourselves. They know enough to not be surprised.”

They agreed and broke apart to head to bed.

Next Chapter: Chapter 43 - Starting Strong Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 25 Minutes