Shadow kept flapping his wings. It was cold and getting colder the further north he flew. He was a day out from the mountains at most. Shadow’s hope was that above the clouds was warmer. He had no idea what the weather down here was typically at, but it was only Autumn above. Late Autumn. There was no gliding with this cold.

Shadow found a shallow cave among the mountain’s craggy bottom. Wood was easy to retrieve to battle the cold. He burned through more than expected overnight.

Shadow gathered more after a few hours of sleep. His bags were near empty. He only grabbed a single one of the rad meds, one extra set of GPER and two Laser. His food was minimal as well. The less he carried, the faster he could fly. Plus, if he found anything useful, he needed to have space.

Shadow adjusted his saddlebags and took off, following the mountain, in the only direction a mountain travels, up. The clouds met him quickly and Shadow began to slide around the side to find where the clouds should not be fully controlled by the SPP Base.

Shadow quickly met Ice. The clouds were only a few dozen feet and the air had dropped well below zero C in a matter of feet.

Shadow leaned back and fell. He lined up and opened fire with his Novasurge. He blasted a hole in the ice. Above was amazing. And terrifying. Shadow had to head south in order to get further east to the entrance to the canyon to the cave.

The North’s breath had it’s teeth sunk into the area. The armor was slowing down, although there was no ice forming. It was a bitter, dry cold.

The cold soon bit through the armor’s outer shell and then encroached upon his coat, under the flight suit. It was a suit designed to keep the wearer warm in the frigid temperatures of the high skies.

Shadow looked south. He had grown up on these clouds and his eyes were sharp. He could see a farm in the distance. A log distance. To interact with them would put them in danger. But he needed a blanket. There was no going back. He was so close to leaving the message. With the way things were, nothing would change for months.

Shadow began to move south, barely above the ice, flapping to keep himself from locking up. He would snag a blanket, head to the cave and return it the day after. He would not steal from them, but they could survive a night or two missing one.

The farm was much closer than Shadow had believe. It was so iced over it it was amazing it was still standing. The storm had been fierce. Legendary.

Shadow steeled his heart. There may only be frozen bodies. There would be nothing he could do for them without revealing a visitor had come. Perhaps others had already come to care for them.

The house was weather protected, but quiet. It looked lived in. Shadow slipped into the house. It was a standard design. The occupants were not present. Their blankets were carefully folded for their return and the fire was down to a few calculated coals.

“HEY!” A stallion shouted from behind him. “WHO ARE YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!”

Shadow was frozen in his crouched position. He was in no danger. It was they who were in danger. And he felt terrible.

“I asked you a question!”

“I am a traveler,” Shadow replied, grateful that the mask distorted his voice. “The cold for here at this time is, unexpected. I only wished to borrow a blanket while keeping you from knowing my presence. I should not be. It would be wise of you to forget me.”

“You won’t make it to the cave before the temperatures kill you, even with a blanket.”

Shadow turned his head to look at him. And what ended up being his family. They were relaxed, so Shadow stood up. He body was already freeze together at his joints.

“And if I am going to this, cave?”

“You will need to spend the night or freeze. The Grand Pegasus Enclave has correctly labeled this as a disaster. But, it is bringing in good things. I am wearing a winter coat they distributed and they have given us even more blankets. Good ones too. Things we never could afford. Food as well. This farm lost all of its crop.”

“I am sorry to hear of the misfortune,” Shadow replied. “But the rest is good news.”

“You must stay the night,” The Pegasus who had to be his wife said.

“I am a danger to you,” Shadow said shaking his head. “I should not be here.”

“Regardless, our hospitality beliefs make it so that we will take that risk.”

“I,” Shadow stumbled. “I. Can not risk it, as you have pointed out. I have to make it there. But to know of me…”

“You already said that,” The stallion stated. “What is done is done. We can not avoid it. I am Cinnamon Tulip. My wife Berry Song, our first born Daytime Shower, his wife Star Symphony and our second is Divine Sun. He has a little time to go, but wants to join the Enclave.”

“I do not fly their colors,” Shadow confidently stated. “But to know my name…”

“You are headed there, and a shadow,” Daytime Shower said. “We shall call you her. Rainbow Dash.”

“That is,” Shadow paused. It kept things less complicated. Shadow nodded. “Acceptable.”

“Good,” Cinnamon Tulip smiled. “Tomorrow morning then Daytime Shower will take you there.”

“That is a risk I can not allow,” Shadow objected as they settled under blankets and rebuilt the fire.

“Blanket first,” Berry Song insisted as she tossed one to Shadow. “And relax. Things can not be worse than they are.”

“Yes, they can be,” Shadow said warping himself up. “Which is why you can not see my face, or know the true sound of my voice. If you did...”

“You are well known?” Divine Sun asked.

“Of course,” Shadow said, smiling under his helmet. “Even as awesome as I am, I can not say any more. But I must go alone to the cave. There is a task of, great importance and secrecy.”

“I help the fillies and colts make the journey from here,” Daytime Shower stated. “I can get you there quickly and safely. Even with this weather.”

Shadow sighed. He knew the way, but not well enough. It was a risk Shadow could not afford with the weather.

“Fine,” Shadow nodded. “But what do you mean journey for these, young ones?”

Shadow had to look like he was not from here. He chose to say young like Nova would.

“It’s a ritual around here,” Berry Song smiled. “A coming of age. I remember when I went. It was a small group, of just us real locals. We wanted to get there first for the year before others came. We made it, and then two weeks later, the others started coming. You sneak away in groups and journey to the cave. Rainbow Dash is a legend, a figurehead here. One of loyalty, community. ”

Shadow nodded. “My, mission, won’t take long and my mission should never stop them from doing this, ritual. That is not part of my reason for going.”

“What do you know of Rainbow Dash?” Daytime Shower asked.

“I abandoned the Pegasus Race,” Shadow nodded.

“So we have heard,” Daytime Shower smiled. “We can not dispute that. We speak of Her before the spells came. We tell the stories of Her and her Shadow fighting the Zebras. Dozens of them of Her killing generals and other officers. Including a nemesis, Two Toned.”

“She kills them all?” Shadow asked.

“Not Two Toned,” Daytime Shower said shaking his head. “The spells came before then. She never met him again after their second encounter. Their first was-”

“Bloody,” Shadow finished. “I know what I did. I know all of the records. I recorded them. Including the death of Two Toned.”

“You know the final tale?” Daytime Shower stammered.

Shadow nodded his head. It was harmless to tell them the tail. It wouldn’t go anywhere. And it would help sell his persona.

“How? I have learned all I can. I am the master keeper of her stories. Not even the written copies have a hint of it.”

“Well,” Shadow chuckled. “I am the record. I know my life. I know that story very, very well.”

“I shall settle for learning just the final tale,” Daytime Shower sighed, laying his head down on the floor. “Tell me how you finished things with Two Toned.”

Shadow took a breath in. It was time to really act awesome. He didn’t feel awesome, but he had to be her. Tell it like her.

“It was a mission unlike any other,” Shadow started. “For Two Toned was resetting the Zebra army for a new strategy. He laid easy traps for the Equestrian military, losing most of the time, but letting them trust his leaks, how his secrets got revealed.”

“When the time came, he let me know where he was. But there was much more at stake. Two Toned had built a fortress, Kifopiga. It was unlike anything seen before. They cut it from the rock itself, chopping the top of a mountain clean off and made the front a cliff, with plenty of open ground in between so that they could not be surprised.”

“The division was put under my command. I was to lead them all in battle and destroy the fortress. This was now a mission under my ministry, the Ministry of Awesome. They needed the most daring, most fearless, most awesome leader Equestria had. Me! With me leading them, we could not lose.”

“My forces were gathered below the top of the cliff, hidden from view, or so I thought. The Zebras had cut hidden viewing holes in the rock face, so they knew we were there. It was going to be a standard attack formation, but with some special surprises.”

“My pegasi were ready, hovering just below the cliff. I slid up to it and perched, right below it, holding on for dear life. It was high up, and not using my wings while I held onto the slippery rock was a new sensation. I was going to be the first one over. I had such confidence, I wore my dress uniform and without a single weapon. I hate dress uniforms almost as much as I hate dresses. Although, mine looked pretty awesome.”

“Up I went, skimming over the top, keeping a low profile. They followed my lead, but it quickly became an all out charge. Some were low, but in the air, others on their hooves. I chose to stay on my hooves.”

“What we thought was halfway, was not. The base was very low and it made judging the distance impossible. For us that is. We had entered their kill zone. They opened up with artillery, cannons, and machine guns. A great many pegasi fell. There was no reason to dodge or weave, they couldn’t pick individuals out at that range.”

“I lost half my pegasi forces in the great charge when my Cloudships finally got into position above us and landed safely, their heavy forces galloping ahead of us. We were their distraction, their cover. Many cloudships got hit by artillery as they took off.

“The Earth Ponies were stunning in their glistening power armor. The Unicorns had all sorts of new, heavy weapons. The Pegasi were not done. They formed up and took to the sky. We had committed ourselves to this battle and we would win.”

“The ground forces began to be hit with Zebra rifle fire. TAT TAT TAT! TAT TAT TAT! No pony stopped. No pony second guessed what they were doing. We were one mind with one mission. It was awesome! I can’t describe how bone chilling it is to be there with so many asserting themselves and going right for the enemy. An enemy they could not see.”

“I had caught up to the front and got out in the definitive lead. The rifle fire was coming from slit trenches. You could barely see the Zebra heads popping out. I jumped over the first and into the middle ground between it and another slit trench.”

“Ponies behind me dropped grenades in or opened up with their new machine guns that spit bullets faster than anything seen before or since. The Zebras in the second trenches charged out with saber and spear to shed our blood the old fashioned way.”

“A spear was thrust at me by a charging Zebra. I lazily deflected it and side stepped his forward motion. I was not going to offensively touch a weapon and I was not going to fight. I was there to lead. He was killed by a Unicorn behind me, who’s job was to do just that.”

“The soldiers never stopped as they hopped up and over the low stone works and onto the top of the fort. Like I said, it was set into the stone. They turned some of the fort’s cannons against itself. But the cloudships were still not safe.”

“Two Toned released the dragons and the true epic battle for the sky began. Raptors materialized out from the cloudship cover to combat them. They proved why they were known as Raptors and were the true rulers of the sky.”

“We didn’t just bring guns that spit lead faster than ever, we brought fire like the dragons spit. The fortress was a giant bunker with slits where they fired machine guns from behind the safety of the thick concrete. So we spit flames down their throats and into their heart. What didn’t burn, died from suffocation as we poisoned the very air inside.”

“My army was crawling all over the outside, shutting down every defense and taking the trench system between the bunkers. We found the main door and busted it down. The inside was crawling with even more of them. And they were brewing something dark.”

“Unknown to us, Kifopiga had a spell chamber hidden inside. Our attack disrupted their work and the fools lost control. It… well, not all of us made it out before it consumed the whole fortress and we were able to fall back in a calculated retreat.”

“And Two Toned?” Daytime Shower begged.

Shadow sighed. “I killed him. It was like our first battle, but all the worse. He was waiting, ready for me. I made my way to his command room, sliding by soldiers fighting throughout the fort. I dashed in, throwing the first punch. There was no playing around, no feeling each other out. It was a strong block with the sole purpose of destruction. It hurt, like a real block should.”

“I faced down a series of blows, forcing me to take a step back as I deflected them. Pain was the game as I forced him to take an unwanted step. He came in with a fake strike. I saw it and slipped in, bashing my forehead into his eye.”

“The move was costly. Not only because it deals pain to both sides but because I was inside his range. Before I could respond he bucked me. I landed and rolled in pain. I wiped the blood from my nose as I rose up again.”

“I launched a series of blows which he expertly dealt with, often with simple dodge and weave tactics. He caught my rear hoof and brought his down, cracking it. The pain was… death is a worse fate than any and all pain.”

“I was the more agile one, compensating for my broken leg and cracked ribs. I was able to turn his strike against him with several quick blows. I almost buckled his rear hoof by striking the nerves, but he was a master and I got kicked in the face.”

“He attacked right where I had been. I had launched myself up and landed where he was exposed. I bucked him in the chest, tossing him back like a rag doll. I heard and felt my broken leg shattered more.”

“I was on top of him before he could move. Three was enough, but I made it four. Savage doesn’t capture the animal I had become in order to win, or at that point, survive. It was a deep blood lust. We had done it the time before. At our first meeting. Neither of us walked away whole.”

“I don’t know how he was able to rise from it, but he did. The fool still had his sword on. I drew it and sliced his head off. That finished the fight for good. And then before I could figure out where we were in the attack the balefire bomb exploded.”

“I give you only what will not leave you nightmares. There was more. There is always more.”

“I led the army in on an charge of epic legends. We fought. We spit lead and fire. Our Raptors ruled the skies after wiping out the last of the dragons. And I drew the only blood I would take from the fight. And they made their mistake, sealing their deaths.”

“You tell a good tale,” Daytime Shower said. “As if you were actually there. Like you actually fight him.”

Shadow gave a sad chuckled. “I was. I did. I am heading back for a reason. The ice was, unexpected.”

They were looking at Shadow as if he was the real Rainbow Dash. It dawned on Shadow that if The Captain had survived in the state he was in, Rainbow Dash could have as well. He was safest playing it off as he was her. It felt wrong, as if he was cheating her out of her awesomeness.

“Well Rainbow Dash,” Cinnamon Tulip said. “You have brought light to our community's mystery. This story will spread quickly among us. I am glad you didn’t hold back on the details as we pass it on. You deserve the honor for all you did during the war. And all you represent. Loyalty: always there to back each farm up.”

“You do not know how good it is to hear that,” Shadow replied. “It brings me joy. Things are tough. I go back, for… special reasons.”

“Well you can’t do it on an empty stomach,” Star Symphony said. “The Enclave has given us prepackage rations. And it is a good thing too because the cold is making cooking impossible.”

“I already ate today,” Shadow stated. “But thank you.”

“Once is not enough,” Star Symphony chastised.

“Really, these,” Shadow stumbled as he was thrown one.

He juggled it but caught it. It was not the same as what he had.

Shadow read it out loud. “Grand Pegasus Enclave E-Rations.”

Their K-Rations were much more compact and had toilet paper. These E-Rations actually looked edible. The only problem was his helmet. If he took it off, they would know him immediately. The community had passed on his words and they knew about the initial ice threat from him. At least his name and colors had to have been passed along.

Shadow tried to figure what to say. His stomach begged for the food loud enough to answer that question for everypegasus.

“You don’t want to see my face,” Shadow said ducking it away.

“You will be warm enough if you went to a bedroom to eat,” Star Symphony smiled. “And it probably would be good for you to be able to breath a bit without that helmet on.”

“Thanks,” Shadow chuckled. “I think I will. But the helmet does not bother me. Odd, I know. I have worn much, much worse.”

Shadow got up and went upstairs and opened the closest bedroom. It was a wall of cold. They kept the bedroom doors closed for a reason. He was surprised at how good removing the helmet felt.

The cold didn’t give him much luxury. Especially when the food was decent. It was leagues better than the K-Rations, but it was leagues behind in the calorie and nutrition department and not suitable for military use where one meal might be it for the day.

Shadow wrapped himself in blankets again and rolled onto his side with a sigh. It was much to early for sleep, but he felt like he was in the way. They had nothing better to do other than wait out the cold, but he had already contributed what he could. He already told them a new story.

Shadow realized they could still tell him them. He propped himself back up.

“So, I already told you about The Legend of Kifopiga and my final clash with Two Toned. But you have not told me any of the tales you tell of me. I do not even know what has survived.”

Shadow sat and listened late into the evening as they picked stories to tell. Each one told their favorite tale. Divine Sun’s favorite was the pirate ship tale. Shadow chuckled through it at his exploits. It was the best retelling of the tale he had ever heard.

The morning meant another quick meal in the cold bedroom before Shadow and Daytime Shower began. They warmed up with a several mile jog to get the blood flowing and their lungs accustomed to the cold.

They stayed low to the ground as they zipped along. Shadow picked up the pace, forcing Daytime Shower to pick his up. Shadow put good stress on their flight and they were soon in between the mountains and winding their way back to the cave. Daytime Shower was able to put out a very good pace. Especially for the cold.

The cave’s slim entrance was on the leeward side of the wind, shielding them. Shadow slipped in first, twisting his way back until it opened up into the first cavern. Halfway into the cave it was obviously cut out and reinforced with concrete.

The debris hadn’t moved from where he had last seen it years ago. The pathway was as clear as ever. The only thing different was the lights. As foals, they had to use flashlights to see anything. Now, lights he didn’t know existed where on. And they didn’t appear to be normal lights at all. At least, there was no actual fixture or bulb to be seen. Just a soft ambient glow from the ceiling. Shadow followed the path for now.

“Wow,” Daytime Shower stammered. “Lights have never come on.”

Lights were new. It had to be connected to something in Shadow’s suit. It was amazing that the system was still up and running.

Shadow shrugged. “Its connected to my suit.”

“What exactly did you do here?” Daytime Shower asked. He was referencing the destruction on the place.

“I didn’t do anything here,” Shadow replied. “I had others take care of here.”

Shadow stepped off of the path. He couldn't avoid disturbing some of the things littered around. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t care either.

The zebras painted on the wall were clear and clean. Ignoring the small chunks that had been picked out by time. The spots had been made by the darts on the floor and a few still in the wall. Now that Shadow got a solid look at them, they were a small flechette, not a dart.

Shadow looked around, focusing on the real mission at hoof. He could play around after. He walked over to the wall that jutted out from the cave. It was right there when you walked in. He flipped out his his laser cutter and went to work. Daytime Shower silently watched.

Shadow made a giant, obvious, heart. He made a cut down the center, just like their pendants had. CSF was inscribed in the middle in the proper location. The next thing was to inscribe the date. He put ‘Vengeful Inquisition’ below it. Shadow finished with their recon symbol and his stripes off to the heart’s right.

“Is that the mission?” Daytime Shower asked, unimpressed.

“I know, nothing to be impressed by,” Shadow chuckled. “But leaving coded messages can do more than you understand. It just takes the right group to understand and look for the codes. Otherwise, its just glossed over.”

“You put the date,” He pointed out. “That kind of cracks some of the code.”

Shadow shrugged. “Some things are unavoidable. Reconnecting can mean certain risks. Unavoidable. But if it works, which it should, the cascading events will move the entire foundation of all you know.”

“Now, to survey the damage.”

The area certainly had it’s perks, but it was hiding something. Nothing flowed. For starters, the wall coming out was odd. Sure, it funneled the room into the back area which had been collapsed, but it didn’t flow with the cave.

As he came around the side his HUD picked up the rectangle on it. It was a doorway. It’s trigger was not visible. Shadow just walked right up to it and then it opened. He smiled as he pushed his way in.

The door recognized the war time coding in his suit. Opening a random section of the wall looked impressive. Like he belonged.

Shadow examined the room inside. There was a desk with a battered cloud terminal on it and several filing cabinets. The walls had Wonderbolts posters, from before the war, tacked on.

Shadow tackled the computer first. It was powered on and working, but the keyboard had deteriorated. The top right corner had ‘Lightning Dust’ on it, like it was the user’s name. Since the keyboard didn’t work, Shadow pulled the back off and removed the data drives. He could plug them into a terminal back at Rosemary to read there.

Shadow opened the file cabinets and was surprised at what he saw. It wasn’t paper or any files. Not in the top one. A band with a clasp was just sitting in there. It had a circular divot opposite the clasp. There also was an orb four times the size of the one Nova had given him.

Shadow picked the band up. The divot was designed to cradle something. Shadow slipped his hoof into his saddlebags and withdrew the orb Nova had found. The band snatched the orb from his hoof as they were brought together.

It was too large to sit on the head well, but it would be large enough to clip around his neck. Shadow slipped it up to his neck around his armor. It was going to be a snug fit, but he clasped it in place.

As the clasp connected it all into one ring, Shadow felt as it he had been hit in the back of the head and his very person had been shoved out of his body. It fell into a new body, soaring in the clear skies above Equestria.

He couldn't look around. He was forced to just watch as the memory played out. At least it had sound.

“Ma’am, there!”

The view panned out over the water. A small line could be seen with a bit of smoke in the water, way below.

“There it is,” A somewhat raspy voice said. “Lets take them out. We can not afford for them to reach the bay. If they take out the docks there, the fleet will never get built in time. And if they intercept stardust while she is sailing out, that plan will be ruined too. They can not know about Operation Starfall!”

They picked up speed and headed straight for the ship. If Shadow could have gulped, he would have. He was freaking out, having this all played out with no control. His mind was the lesser of the two, but he was excited. He knew where this was going.

The Pegasus turned and dove straight at the ship. At the last moment, the wings were flipped out to break and a grenade was dropped. It exploded right before the landing. The other two with him dropped below the deck though the hole it made.

Shadow enjoyed the show as watched his favorite story be played out. He was being pulled more an more into it as he let go. He was Rainbow Dash as she cut her way through the crew, using only a few grenades for support. The sword fight was exhilarating as Shadow felt every movement, every single ping of vibration the blade transferred to his teeth as it clashed with another.

The First Mate opened fire, which was dodged, cloaked himself, and Shadow just knew where he was and threw the knife. It stripped the cloak off of him and then they charged into a contest of blades.

Shadow felt the blade ring through his hoof as he kicked away first mate’s sword and ran him through.

“You never stood a chance. I'm Awesome.”

The Captain was dead at the helm. The Shadowbolt, a stallion, in front of him had dealt with him.

“Well, looks like I get to check off being a pirate,” Rainbow Dash chuckled.

“Here!” The Shadowbolt said tossing Rainbow Dash a hat. “I snagged this before we left. Just in case. I wanted your fantasy fully fulfilled.”

“Then I officially commandeer this vessel in the name of Luna! For Equestria!”

“Dash!” The other Shadowbolt barged in, panting. “They rigged their magazines. This whole thing is going to blow.”

“Then lets make sure it doesn’t cause any trouble!”

Shadow pushed the controls to call forth all the power into the engines. He felt it shift as the ship was quickly but calmly turned to face east, away from the coast into open waters. With two strong bucks the controls were broken, ensuring the ship stayed at it’s new course.

They took off into the sky, looking back once it was safe. The explosion took a lot longer to happen than expected.

“Dang it. I wanted it to be torn in two, not sink like that. Like bluh. Just melting into the water. That was not an awesome ending to an awesome mission. But, I got to be a pirate and commandeer that vessel in the name of Equestria! Now for boring paperwork.”

Shadow blinking back to reality. He was cold. And on his side. He slowly moved to get up.

“Ah, you are awake,” Daytime Shower said from the corner where he was behind a fire. The wood was from what Shadow had stashed in his bags the day before. “You should have warned me. I had no idea what had happened other than you fell. It took me a moment to notice the collar and the ball.”

“Yeah,” Shadow said unhooking it. “I should have. I forgot you were here.”

“You already had that orb with you, didn’t you?”

“I told you that codded messages on the wall was a good way to communicate,” Shadow said sitting by the fire. “I had hoped to find out what this orb contained. But I needed that collar and I was reminded about here.”

“What did it contain?” Daytime Shower asked intrigued.

“Nothing you don’t already know. Just the account of me taking out the ship, from my point of view. That is what these collars and orbs do. Record and play back the memories it forges inside.”

“You were out almost an hour,” Daytime Shower nodded.

“I need to check the rest of the files, Shadow said getting up. “I probably wont get to come back here. At least not for many moons.”

The file cabinets had rows of orbs neatly filed by number. Inside was a master list of the numbers and what date and mission name they were. There were other drawers with cushioned tubes of fresh, unused orbs. Each one warned about broken orbs and partial memories.

Shadow stashed a dozen unused orbs and then began to empty the others.

“Let me help,” Daytime Shower said shivering.

They needed to leave soon. Very soon.

It didn’t take long to correctly file the orbs away with their number and the master list. Shadow grabbed the larger orb and they stepped out into the rest of the cave. The door closed behind them and blended in with the wall.

“One last thing,” Shadow said heading towards the collapsed back.

He had to leave the end of the trail and walk through some debris to meet up with the actual rubble. He poked his head in, trying to see into the darkness behind him. More lights flipped on from his proximity and Shadow peered behind the rubble.

He saw a row of lockers. Two were open and he could see their front. One had ‘Thunderlane’ on it, the other ‘Icy Mist.’

Shadow pulled his head back out and looked at Daytime Shower.

“We can go,” Shadow declared. “I already risked us too long with this weather. But I have confidence you can fly. Really fly.”

“We can make it before dark,” Daytime Shower smiled.

Next Chapter: Chapter 97 - Treasure Hunting Estimated time remaining: 12 Hours, 11 Minutes