Shadow woke up early. He had stuff to get done. The most pressing concern was not something Shadow could directly deal with. He had gear to sell and a renovation to finish paying. Shadow groaned as the heavy bags once again pressed against his body, straining his muscles. He had to make sure he could become Black Widow at any moment, which meant carrying more stuff.

It didn’t take long for Shadow to make his trades. Shadow wasn’t picky. Except for the radio. That trade, Shadow shopped around. And the others knew he was looking for the best sale. The household goods store by Quality Hardware was the winner of that prize at 500 caps. They would make double that in the sale.

Shadow was about to get lunch when a commotion began in the center of the market. He knew it what it was. Shadow dashed to the back into an alley and tossed his bags in a trashcan and flipped into his Black Widow outfit. Getting onto a roof took three vaults, but he made it.

Shadow used the Zebra cloak to get in close and look over the scene. A poor copy was below and the target was obvious as the citizens singled him out. Mixes of fabrics, the wrong sized hat and the hoof wraps were missing. Shadow couldn’t see her face to evaluate that.

She wasn’t even going to try and give a sentence as she drew a pistol with magic. Shadow flipped the Zebra cloak off and dropped the two stories down. The cape flowed out and made a brilliant show as he came down. Shadow expertly rolled into a jump and landed right next to her. She was a solid hoof taller than he was.

“NOPONY IS ME BUT ME!” Shadow announced. “THERE IS ONLY ONE PUNISHMENT FOR THIS CRIME. FOR STEALING MY NAME! FOR ACTING ON MY BEHALF WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!”

The combat knife was out faster than light and her neck was slit open in one swift move. She slumped to the ground. Shadow pulled off the hood with relative ease. A pink head and springing mane popped out.

Shadow’s glowing red eyes shot straight to the stallion she had been singling out. He pointed his hoof at him. “WHO IS SHE!”

He gulped. “Sweetie Dash.”

Shadow took a few steps forward. “WHO IS SHE TO YOU!”

“We were together for a while. But its been over for months.”

Shadow continued slowly closing the difference.

“WHY WOULD SHE COME FOR YOU, DISGUISED AS ME!”

“She… I… might of hit her a few times. But she ended it! She was smart.”

The city guards stepped forward, blocking him from retreat and sealing in the stallion. Shadow was right by him at that point.

“YOU HIT HER?” Shadow declared. “NO CAUSE?”

“Ou… ou… out of anger. The drink, you know. I let it get to me. I’m sorry! But it it it is that enough to justify killing me?”

He was flanked by the guards now.

“WE!” Fiery Blitz declared. “WILL TAKE OF IT FROM HERE.”

Shadow tilted his head. “A HIT? WHAT IS A HIT?”

He was panicking and sweating. “It wasn’t that bad. Just some minor bruising! It haphaphapened like three times. It was wrong but I only struck her once. Not repeatedly. Not a beating.”

“A HIT FOR A HIT THEN?” Shadow asked. “IS THAT FAIR?”

The stallion nodded and the guards were unsure what to do.

“LIKE THIS?” Shadow asked as he threw a quick jab to his throat.

The stallion staggered into a guard and the others took aim at Shadow, prancing anxiously. The stallion was pushed back onto his feet but he collapsed, clutching his collapsed throat. The guards backed down as they watched him suffocate. They were afraid to try and bring Black Widow in.

“TWO OTHERS CONCEALED THEMSELVES AS ME!” Shadow announced. “TWO OTHERS TOOK THE LAW INTO THEIR OWN HOOVES, WHERE IT DOES NOT BELONG! TWO OTHERS SPILLED BLOOD THAT DIDN’T HAVE TO BE SPILLED! THEY HID BEHIND ME, IN MY SHADOW TO COVER THEIR CRIMES! I COME TO THIS CITY TO RIGHT A WRONG, LEFT TO DEAL WITH OTHERS LIKE BLACK JACKPOT, AND THIS IS WHAT YOU ALLOW TO HAPPEN? THEY WILL BE MADE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR CHOICE! AND IT WILL BE A PUBLIC SENTENCING!

“NO UNICORN, NO EARTH PONY, CAN DO THE JOB I WAS BORN TO DO. I ALONE AM TO BRING THE SEPARATION TO AN END, AS FORETOLD BY THE SEERS LONG AGO. BY EQUESTRIA’S REQUEST! I DID NOT CHOSE THIS LIFE!

“EQUESTRIA WILL BE UNITED ONCE IT IS BURNED THROUGH THE FIRE THAT WILL TEST IT. THE PROBLEMS WILL BE CONSUMED, FOR THEY DO NOT HAVE A PLACE IN THE FUTURE. THEIR TIME TO REIGN THROUGH TERROR IS OVER. THEIR TIME TO PLAY IS DONE. THE WASTELAND IS CHANGING. BUT IT MUST COME AT THE COST OF BLOOD. THE BLOOD OF THOSE WHO WILL HOLD IT BACK.”

Shadow put his unblinking glowing eyes right at Fiery Blitz. Fiery Blitz gulped as he stared back at them, unable to look away.

Shadow vaulted high, clear over Fiery Blitz and the other, not in a threatening way. His cloak billowed out, catching in the air, and making Shadow look twice as big as he was. They would remember that size, not standing right next to him. They instinctively ducked, the other guards raised there rifles but the crowd prevented them from taking any shots. They gave chase.

Shadow wound his way through the crowd quickly, but not plowing anypony over. The guards were ordering him to stop as they fought to get to him. He led them to towards Quality Hardware and the city exit, where Shadow ducked away and cloaked himself.

He led them the exact opposite way where he had come in. Getting back to his stuff was easy. Shadow got it up to a roof top to make the quick change out of it in relative privacy.

Now he had to go back to being normal. Shadow slipped down and then it was easy to duck into a shop and blend back in. The marketplace was a buzz as the guards tried to clean up both bodies and keep the area secure and with some semblance of control.

Shadow finally sat down for food, at the start of the marketplace proper, near the entrance of the city. He looked at the basic menu. It was all prewar shit. But it was better than nothing. His cupboards were bare and he would only be able to stock it with war shit because it would last in between his travels.

“Hi, I am Ocean Daisy and this is Sonata Concert, she is training,”

“Hey!” Strawberry replied, actually happy. She was glowing.

“Well,” Shadow smiled at her. “Its barely past noon and you have a job.”

Strawberry smiled proudly. “With everypony skipping town, a spot opened up. And I am not leaving unless this place burns to the ground. I have nothing to regret and don’t fear Black Widow.”

“Good,” Shadow nodded. “I am glad that things are making such a fast turn around. It is always good to know how my friends are doing.”

“This job should do nicely for me in the years to come,” Strawberry replied. “And I know I have barely been here a day, but I am already finding this place to be home. But I know you have to be hungry.”

“These Dandy Buck Apples and a serving of the instamash stuff,” Shadow sighed. He missed his home cooked meals. He missed cooking meals in Rosemary.

“A drink?” Ocean Daisy asked.

“Sparkle Cole,” Shadow replied. “Make it two.”

Shadow ate lunch, watching the crowd calm down. He couldn’t afford that luxury. Somewhere two more ponies had tried to use Black Widow to mask their crimes. And they would be brought to justice. He had to figure that out somehow. And he had nopony he could ask for inside knowledge.

As if on cue, the chair across from him was occupied.

“Red Tip,” Shadow said, almost jumping in surprised.

“Lost in your thoughts?” Red Tip asked.

“Yes,” Shadow said with a nod. “Black Widow struck again. The marketplace is in an odd balance between fear and awe. Makes me wonder where I fit into it all.”

“I heard about this last one,” Red Tip said.

Strawberry came over and Red Tip ordered a Sparkle Cola for himself and another for Shadow.

“I am out of guns and have closed down for a few days. To get a little vacation. Maybe not out of the city. But at least relax outside my shop. Doing something. Did you enjoy the Lux?”

Shadow shrugged. “I had some fun. You saw some of the pickings I got. I won big the first night and bartered it for scavenging rights. I won. And I got to sell them some high class jewelry I found and some outfits. I also found an untouched safe room. That is where the bulk of my haul came from. I did play some. Things got complicated, but I didn’t loose more than I started with.”

“And her?” Red Tip asked.

“Wanted out,” Shadow shrugged. “So I helped her out. But keep that sealed tight.”

“They won’t like that,” Red Tip nodded. “And I don’t like them either.”

Shadow chuckled. “I won’t be welcomed back. We will leave it there.”

They sat in silence for a while, enjoying their Sparkle Cola.

“So,” Shadow sighed. “While I was gone, two others were killed by false Black Widows?”

“Apparently,” Red Tip shrugged. “An old murder suspect. And somepony else that didn’t ring a bell.”

“Murder suspect?”

“Ten years ago. Nothing was proven that he did it, but the wife was very vocal and almost hostile for a while about it. Claiming injustice and calling the city guards crooks and ball less. Crazy type, but she had just had her husband brutally murdered, and to be fair, the city guards didn’t handle the whole thing the best. Especially her emotionally. They were callous.”

Shadow nodded his head. “Tragic. Has she spoke out?”

“Not that I know of,” Red Tip replied. “But apparently it was so bad, she took a vow of silence.”

“Complicated,” Shadow replied.

“It’s a city,” Red Tip replied with a sad chuckle. “Complicated is only looking at the surface.”

Shadow changed topics. “How are you going to spend your days off?”

“I might head out to the dam to practice my shooting skills. Make sure I am still sighted in.”

“That would be wise,” Shadow replied.

“I always do enjoy getting out by myself and taking some shots. It happens less and less as I grow older, but the shop has gotten busier too. And now I work alone.”

“That will do it,” Shadow replied, not pushing things more.

They sat in silence for a while until Red Tip said he was going to get ready to go shooting the next day. Shadow paid his bill and left to stock his cupboards. He sighed as he got back to his place and turned the lights on. It just wasn’t right. At least that was getting fixed.

With cupboards stocked, Shadow walked to his window. The gardens had sprouted. A lot faster than he had expected. They were growing well in the enriched soil. Maybe he wasn’t as bad at farming as he thought.

Shadow shut his eyes as the memories flooded back. He wanted to be back on the farm so badly. He wanted to be home. Tears welled up in the corner of his eyes as his thoughts moved to Dream Catcher. She was gone now. They could never all go back. And he had killed her.

Shadow leaped back from the window in rage over all he had lost and punched the wall. He felt it hit the stud and then his forehoof crack.

Shadow yelled in a mix of rage and pain. It felt good to have the physical pain to feel. The wasteland had consumed the Inquisitors and made them kill the Pillars of the Community. The fear of the wasteland infected and corrupted everything else.

He lost Silent. Shot by Steel Rangers trying to fight for the peace he didn’t believe could happen. Because he believed in Shadow. Nor had died protecting Shadow and helping get Dream Catcher back. At the callous, evil, hooves of Dahlia.

Storm had died in the jaws of a Manticore. There was nothing more wasteland than a creature that can consume a pony whole and isn’t touched by radiation. Slice had just given up and let the wasteland consume him and Thunder chose suicide over being turned into something he wasn’t.

Shadow poured even more memories into the pain as he gasped for air against the rage and tears. Cardinal Spitfire was all alone up there. He had no way to safely get back. And now he was further gone from her after leaving Rosemary. But Rosemary would have driven him to suicide. Her ghosts were too real.

Shadow collapsed from lack of oxygen, coming to a little while later when his heart had calmed down. The pool of tears was still fresh. Shadow just laid there on the hard floor, clutching his broken forehoof.

He was now even more determined to make the wasteland pay. He would have to be aggressive to punish the copy cats. And then he was going to take his sword to the Lux and burn it in a cleansing fire. All that filth had to be destroyed. Shadow would kill who he could, but if some survived to tell the tale, so be it. None would return to the Lux after he was done turning it to ash.

Next Chapter: Chapter 113 - Copy Cats Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 15 Minutes