Shadow shuffled into Trottingham, bags full. He headed right to see if Red Tip was once again open. The lights were on and the sign was flipped so Shadow entered.

“Welcome!” Red Tip said from the back. “One moment.”

Red Tip came out of the back, covered in black soot.

“Sorry, I’ve been making our signature ammo.” Red Tip smiled when he saw it was Shadow. “Ah, its my favorite gun nut, who is also loaded down with guns. What did you do this time?”

“I targeted the Hawks,” Shadow stated as a matter of fact. “Got them all.”

“All? Including Razor?”

“Blue coat, steel gray mohawk?”

“Yep?” Red Tip nodded. “Did you turn her head in for a bounty?”

“Bounty?” Shadow asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, take her head to the Steel Rangers. Which means you didn’t.”

“Nope,” Shadow shrugged. “I got enough caps for a while.”

“You took them all down?” Red Tip asked, unsure.

“It took time,” Shadow shrugged. “But yeah. They had six buildings under their control throughout the city. It wasn’t easy, but I know how to handle them.”

Red Tip grinned and slid a piece of paper over the counter to Shadow.

“The Steel Rangers have a rodeo expo each year. Trottingham Rodeo and Expose. It started with the farms they protect, a way to blow off steam and have fun. The competitions reward are caps. Ponies from the area began to attend for enjoyment and it expanded into a big deal each year. It wasn’t long before the Steel Rangers began to do some stuff to show off their shooting skills and then they opened it up for citizens to test themselves against the Steel Rangers.

“If you can take out the Hawks, you should look at signing up for the Reactive Rifle Competition. You have pistols, rifle, and then long distance shooting competitions. Those are static, shooting at targets. Reactive rifle runs you through a moving course where you are timed, along with having to hit targets with as few shots as possible.”

Shadow nodded. “And where does this take place?”

“Most of the rodeo stuff is outside the Citadel, but a good deal of the Citadel is opened for viewing. They do some recruiting during that time period.”

“What is the Citadel?” Shadow asked intrigued.

“It is the place for the Steel Rangers in Trottingham. It was a pre-war building that has a giant central opening. Its been a while since I toured it, but its connected to the Steel Rangers before the spells came. They use that central area for training, while keeping the walls as their residence and such. Its been attacked multiple times, but its impossible to take. Especially with their skill.

“But for three days a year, they open up the place to be toured and such. They have designated tours, so you can only go certain places. But their cafeteria is easily accessible for food. Others set up food and game stands. The whole thing is a festival, but with heavy security. You definitely have to come. And you really should try your skill against others in their arms competitions.”

Shadow Flare gave a slow nod. This was the best, if not only chance, that he could get to see the inside of their home and see what he could do. They were outdated. They worked against peace and upheld a view that would continue to fight against unifying Equestria.

“Alright,” Shadow smiled. “I’ll sign up for the reactive rifle course. But… what about the long distance competition?”

“You think you can take on me?” Red Tip grinned. “The reigning champion.”

“You?” Shadow grinned back. “Yeah. I think I can. But I will need a different long range rifle. Do you recall my comment about the anti-machine rifle?”

Red Tip got serious. “You own a special one.”

Shadow pulled it out of his bag and carefully unwrapped it from the Zebra cloak. Red Tip’s eyes were glued to the special pieces as Shadow Flare put them together.

“Are those gems?” Red Tip marveled.

“Yes,” Shadow nodded. “And if word got out, the Steel Rangers would kill me for it. I have seen it happen.”

“I believe it,” Red Tip replied. “They are not the gentlest. Some take things too far. But they have protected Equestria for all this time well. Their priorities can be questioned at times, and its probably changed more than we want to admit, but they have protected and let this city grow on its own. The Trottingham Contingent has been really good to us. And the other branches function in similar capacities. They have held back the darkness in many parts of Equestria. Still, Black Widow will probably have an easy time sentencing them.”

“Happier things,” Shadow said. “Can I borrow an anti-machine rifle for the competition?”

Red Tip gingerly picked up Soarin’s Lighting like it was a holy object.

“It’s so light,” Red Tip marveled. “How?”

“Its not a prototype,” Shadow explained. “Its a special build for an old Equestrian legend who ended up in the military. A powerful Pegasus. Walter Arms designed it, along with it’s sister. I never got a look at it’s sister. Both are as powerful and as unique as the pegasi they were designed. And since they were for pegasi...”

“They have to be lightweight,” Red Tip finished. “So they can be used anywhere, even in the sky.”

“Mhm,” Shadow nodded. He left out the way it shot.

“Alright,” Red Tip said setting it down reverently. “I’ll let you borrow an anti-machine rifle.”

“Can I pick it up a few days early?” Shadow asked. “So I can make sure she is pristine.”

“I trust you won’t run off with it,” Red Tip replied. “Especially since you already have this pristine beauty. I do trust you have shot her.”

Shadow chuckled. “Had to kill a few hydras with her. Damn things took 5 shots. They refuse to fall or even stop. I shot them in both legs and they kept going.”

“Hydras?” Red Tip asked, begging for more.

“Yeah, swamps in the southeast. Stay out. Bad idea that almost killed the whole group, multiple different ways and multiple different times. I’ll leave it there.”

“And so will I,” Red Tip said. “Write your name down on the sheet for the competitions. They will pick it up in 7 days and in 10 the expo starts. I’ll get the rifle.”

Shadow Flare wrote his name down. Nopony else had put their name on the sheet other than Red Tip. But, there had to be a dozen and more of these sheets posted around the city.

Red Tip set the rifle on the counter next to Soarin’s Lightning.

“I never got a chance to see how nice she is,” Shadow marveled. “I had nothing to compare her too.

“This is the best one in the back,” Red Tip stated. “But purely on aesthetics, yes, you have an amazing rifle. On the mechanics, I wish I could feel her work, but I understand why. She must shoot beautifully.”

“She shoots uniquely,” Shadow replied. It struck him that the bullet was enchanted, which meant it didn’t have the same ballistics as a regular rifle. “But I think a gem changes things. How do you test your range skills?”

“I’ll rent you my steel targets. One for 800, 1000, 1200, 1400, 1600 and 1800 yards. 100 caps for each target per day. They are red blues, so when you hit it, the force swings it to the other side instead of the bullet punching through. And its set to be used again.”

“That’s fair,” Shadow replied. “Very fair. I will rent them after I can take a look at the inside of this rifle in the comfort of my room, in the light. They should be done today. Still, too bad this rifle doesn’t break down.”

“That’s something special. I have head about take down rifles that pegasi would use when going in, but none have ever crossed my path.”

“Never heard of any rifles breaking down like that,” Shadow shrugged. “But, I have guns to sell.”

Red Tip chuckled. “And I have shelves that need filling. Black Widow won’t be a threat anymore. At least for a while until some idiot does something stupid enough to draw her back.”

Shadow put several guns on the counter and began to break down Soarin’s Lighting. He wrapped it in the Zebra cloak. Red Tip eyed the exotic print, but didn’t say a thing as Shadow put them away. They had business to discuss.

With the transactions done, he went to his condominium. They were not done. They were behind and a large section of the bedroom’s wall was ripped open. Shadow got a complicated update and took the moment to water his garden before letting them work in peace. The work they had done was amazing and already worth a few more days away.

Shadow had to pay for two extra nights, but when the work was done it was emasculate. Strong yellow lights lit up the whole room. They had to add in several extra switches to control them all, but it was beautiful.

And they had painted it beautifully. It wasn’t just thrown on there. None of the holes Shadow had seen when he stopped in where visible in any way. The place was perfect. Truly livable.

The new finish only pointed out how sparse his finishing was, so Shadow went out and bought a couch and coffee table from Quality Hardware. He also bought a workbench that he slid up against the windows for some natural light, what little the clouds let through.

---

Shadow Flare met Red Tip at the gate of Trottingham. It was the first day of the Trottingham Rodeo and Expose. They had to check in to see if they had any qualifying rounds in the competitions. That was determined by the number of participants.

It was a loose caravan heading out to the expose. It didn’t take too long, but the route wasn’t direct. The Hawks might have been exterminated, but few were going to risk it yet. Plus several buildings had crumbled to the point where they blocked the streets. It forced them to spend almost two hours to get to the Citadel.

Shadow stopped to marvel at the Citadel. It was one giant, six story building. They were facing the opening, a steel, three story gate that was currently swung out to greet everypony. It took up the central third of the wall. The gate alone required massive machinery to move. But it wasn’t new. It had been built that way.

Flanking the gate was the ministry symbols. Ministry of Arcane Sciences was at the top, then the Ministry of Wartime Technology, Ministry of Peace, Ministry of Image, Ministry of Moral, and then the Ministry of Awesome. Each symbol had been kept in pristine condition. Dead center over the gate was the flag of Equestria that took up almost the top three floors.

Outside of the building had roped or fenced off areas where various challenges and trials would be for the rodeo. There was plenty of stands and bleachers that had been assembled. The pistol and rifle rangers were easy to spot.

Shadow followed Red Tip past it all and in through the gate. Inside the courtyard was a chaotic mess organized and corralled by the Steel Rangers prepared layout. They had to wait in line for a bit to declare their arrival.

Reactive Rifle had a qualifying round but long range didn’t. Reactive Rifle’s qualifying round would score by timing alone. The rest would be timing and shot percentages. Whoever could move through the course fastest would be ranked and the top 30 would proceed. Reactive Rifle qualifiers were on day two, with the finals in the morning of day 3. Long Range was on Day 3, in the early afternoon.

“Lets get settle in and then take a tour,” Red Tip said.

Shadow nodded in agreement, still speechless about this place. Since they were competitors, they had free housing provided. It saved them from having to travel the hours it took one way. They got lanyards with “Competitor” written on it and on the back their competition and ID number for that competition.

The accommodations were simple bunk beds set up in a large room. The bunks were wooden and solid. The ones along the wall had lockers in between to share, like Shadow was used to. The two center rows had footlockers. One on either side of the bed. All of them had complimentary locks. Many of the competitors had expensive equipment to secure.

Shadow instinctively moved to the back right and took the bottom bunk. There was nowhere else he could take, and since it was first come first serve, few were occupied. Red Tip set up on the top bunk in the middle, where he had been for the last 7 years. It was an unspoken understanding that they took their spots for good luck. Whatever would give them the best edge.

“I definitely need a tour of this place,” Shadow declared to Red Tip.

“Then follow me,” Red Tip smiled. “Its been a while since I have taken a tour as well.”

It was a small group for the first one since few were bucking for a tour this early in the festivities. Their tour guide was a stallion dressed in maroon robes and who was black with a slate gray mane, cut in a short military style.

“My name is Initiate Black Powder. I will be your tour guide. There are some basic things to keep in mind and rules that must be followed. Please remember that while we are so very glad to have you here, this is an active military installation. We are not on break for these festivities. There also are places we can not go for security or safety reasons. So stay with the group. Feel free to ask any questions, although I may have to decline answering them. Weapons must stay holstered at all times, but are welcome. Do not act sporadically. I am armed and trained. Remember, it is a privilege to be here.”

With that, Black Powder led them into the building.

“This building was built during the early years of the war. It serves as one massive Hub for all six ministries. They tried something different due to how the city had already been built up. They had to condense them all into one big hub. At the time it was known as the Harmony Hexagon. One side for each Ministry. One side for each Elements of Harmony. We are in the Generosity Wing, where the Ministry of Image resided. Here you will find our food storage rooms and our cafeteria. If you are a contestant, the cafeteria is free for you.”

They walked into the cafeteria. It was massive, but smaller than Shadow expected.

“Excuse me Initiate?”

“Yes, Sir?”

“Is this the only cafeteria. It seems small for a large scale military operation for this building.”

“There are a total of five cafeterias,” Initiate Black Powder replied. “But right now we only use two. This is the most accessible for the public. Each wing had their own cafeteria, except for the Ministry of Awesome who occupied the Loyalty Wing, which houses the gate. Not many worked there, so they would go to either the Ministry of Moral’s cafeteria beside them in the Laughter Wing or the Ministry of Wartime Technology’s in Honesty Wing.”

“So that puts us where?” A mare asked.

“I’ll step you through the location of the wings,” Initiate Black Powder smiled. “The gate is Loyalty Wing, which housed the Ministry of Awesome. Once inside, if you go to the right, it is the Honesty Wing with the Ministry of Wartime Technology. Next is the Kindness Wing and the Ministry of Peace. Following that and straight across from the gate is the Magic Wing and the Ministry of Arcane Sciences. Then where we are here in the Generosity Wing and the Ministry of Image. The last is the Laughter Wing and the Ministry of Moral, which is directly left of Loyalty Wing, taking us full circle.

“The Ministry of Image and Ministry of Peace did not approve of the joint hub, especially with it’s thick steel gate. But the Ministry of Arcane Sciences was leading the project and the Ministry of Moral believed it would be a good sign to Equestria to have all the Ministries share one hub in a city. The Ministry of Awesome never gave an opinion and the Ministry of Wartime Technology said it would allow them to better protect all of the hubs.

“We do what we can to keep the wing’s intended purposes true. We are in the Generosity Wing, and the accessible cafeteria is here, along with rooms converted for emergency shelter or to house guests in during the Exposition. Also kept here is the general quartermaster where ponies can come to trade. This wing sees a lot of use, as it also is where we house much of the food that comes in from the farmers for safe keeping. Together we work side by side to provide for their safety and security so they can feed not just themselves, but Trottingham as well.

“Now, as you follow me, you will notice down this hall that a very large and thick door is in place. It is the divide between the Generosity Wing and the Magic Wing. The reason why this door is so thick is to stop fire from leaping from one wing into the other. It is part of a giant fire wall system that divides the building.

“It proved to be a success late in the war when the Ministry of Moral caught on fire and soon the whole wing was ablaze. While the fire did leap into the Loyalty Wing, where it burned a large amount of Ministry of Awesome documents, the fire was held back by the fire wall between the laughter Wing and the Generosity Wing, where it protected an irreplaceable set of documents for a whole new line of posters the Ministry of Image was just finishing designing.

“Now, here in the Magic Wing, most of our scribes do their work. Much of it is done on arcane science technology as we work to preserve them and replicate what we need to. A lot of weapons and technology come in here to be worked on. You can see that this is one of those rooms where we work on the very weapons that our Steel Rangers charge into battle with. And then this one further down is dedicated to preserving information. This may be the single largest collection of terminals in Equestria.

“As we continue into the Kindness Wing, you will find another fire wall divider. This Wing is one of the two that is used 100% to it’s original intended purposes. Here, scribes work to make bandages, medicines, and others run the hospital. For those of you from Trottingham, this is a full service hospital and we do not turn anypony away. If it is more severe than what can be handled at their clinic, you can come here where skilled hooves will take care of almost any problem you could possibly be facing.

“We will just be passing through the Honesty Wing. This is the other wing used 100% for it’s intended purposes as it houses us and where most of the Steel Rangers function out of. The Ministry of Wartime Technology had a group serving here as guards and we use both the rooms and the built in firing range and training rooms to keep our skills sharp and prepare initiates like myself for our future roles inside the Steel Rangers.

“This is the most fun, the Loyalty Wing. Not much was done here. It was sparse to begin with. We will be taking the elevator up to the fourth floor and be crossing over the gate.”

It was a quiet elevator ride up. Shadow hated the ride. He felt the familiar unsteadiness come back and his wings begged to be used for balance. But he stood as strong as possible and kept his breathing slow.

The elevator moved quickly. It was not messing around. They exited and were led around to the outside of the building. It was impossible to see from outside, but many of the panes were one sided. You could easily see outside, over the whole field of festivities and the city, while remaining safe behind what had looked like a solid steel exterior. Shadow had no doubt that these panels were magic and able to shrug off direct hits from many weapons. Some of them were painted with the Equestrian Flag, but you couldn’t see that either.

“This walkway allows us to do more than just observe anything approaching,” Initiate Black Powder said. “Some of the panels can be opened slightly to allow one to fire from the safety of this wall. There are many spots like this all over the building. It was built to be a fortress if needed.”

They stayed on the fourth floor as they entered the Laughter Wing.

“This is the least used wing. Outside of some administrative aspects, most of this wing is storage. Much of the wing is still in need of repairs from the fire.”

“What caused the fire?” A stallion asked.

“That was never discussed,” Initiate Black Powder replied. “At least not in any known records in any of the wings. The fire was just something that happened and they were relieved that it never made it to the Generosity Wing. Most of us believe that the fire was started on purpose, which is why the sprinkler system never went off. No casualties were reported and only a few minor injuries from smoke inhalation were found in the Ministry of Peace’s terminals. A lot of records were lost. The Ministry of Awesome’s sprinklers half worked, so the general belief is that the fire was set so they could purposefully lose records. It also may have been sabotage from an outside source.

“But that now brings us full circle to the Generosity Wing. From up here you can see ponies setting up the Long Range Competition using Equestrian Drive as it’s range. The competition will begin on day 3, right after lunch, and the shooting positions are on the roof, where you can also find stands. There will be signs when you enter the Generosity Wing to direct you to the proper elevator so you can observe the competition. It is one of our most popular competitions. For the rest of you, Red Tip here is the current champion and several are looking to dethrone him.”

Red Tip gave a slight nod.

“We also have a new hot shot, Knight Yellow Quartz. She is looking to take the Reactive Rifle Course by storm and crush any competitors who try their hooves at the course. But, here is our exit elevator,” Initiate Black Powder said. “From here it is down to the first floor and then out along the hallway that will pass by the cafeteria.”

As they stepped outside and broke off from the others in their group, Shadow spoke. “What do you know of Knight Yellow Quartz?”

“Never heard of her,” Red Tip replied. “She must have been an initiate last year. Initiates can’t compete. The past several years the Trottingham Steel Rangers have been putting on a poor show in the Reactive Rifle Competition. Sure, its not the same as combat, but they still haven’t been showing clean, precise skill.

“It is one thing to lose the static competitions because anypony can learn to shoot and stand there. And few Steel Rangers enter the pistol competition because they focus on the rifles and heavy weapons. Even less ever focus on distance sniping. They don’t care much about those. But both rifle competitions are their pride and joy. Sure, its a new course from what they train on, but they have reactive courses to train on, so they should dominate.”

Shadow shook his head slowly, taking it all in. The crowd around them was much more behaved. Most of the competitors had checked in, relieving that line. Now it was ponies checking out the various stalls and games set up inside the giant central plaza. Since Shadow had walked the inside of the building, he was pretty sure the central courtyard about about 7 acres in total size. It was nice and big and allowed the Steel Rangers to do a lot in the safety of their Citadel.

They headed back out to where the rodeo competitions were already in full swing. Barrel Racing qualifiers were heating up. It amazed Shadow to see the Earth Ponies dashing around and in between barrels at high speeds and quick turns without giving them even the slightest tap.

Hay Bail stacking was next. It didn’t take long before a winner was declared. Speed Plowing was came next. It had to have taken a week to prepare that specialized field. Shadow wondered how Black and Buck would compare to these Earth Ponies. They were the same size and larger.

They moved on to a watch the qualifiers for an obstacle course. Up and over a variety of hurdles, around barrels in tight turns. Red Tip got more attentive when the announcer came over the speaker naming Earthen Charm as the next competitor. She was a lean, muscled, mud brown mare with golden locks braided in a similar way to Cardinal Spitfire’s braids. To keep them out of the way. And she was fast. Her speed put her easily in the number one spot. Earthen Charm trotted around in front of the stands in celebration. She stopped in front of them and gave a wink, clearly directed at Red Tip. She trotted off to the back to let the next pony up go.

Shadow just silently chuckled to himself. They hadn’t avoided the discussion, but they hadn’t pried deep into the other’s life either. It was good to know Red Tip wasn’t without any prospects. He put a lot of time into his work.

“Lets grab dinner,” Red Tip said. “They usually have good food for the competitors.”

“They give a lot of free stuff too us,” Shadow stated. “Why?”

“A place to rest our heads doesn’t costs much,” Red Tip replied. “Although they could charge. And they are giving caps as prizes for the winners. Those do add up. But the big thing is, it doesn’t cost much to feed or house us. The number of competitors is low compared to those who come to enjoy the show. They make way more on this exposition than they ever spend. And it also gives them a chance to scout the crowd and bring in new recruits. At least 20 join up every year because of this.”

Shadow was quiet while they got food. It reminded him of Fort Wind. Crowded mess hall with trays that got loaded down with food. Similar fixed bench tables and tight spaces in between to maximize seating.

Right after they sat down somepony popped down right next to Shadow, invading his personal space.

“Hey!” A cheery voice said. It was Earthen Charm and she had twice as much food on her tray than Shadow did. And Shadow could eat.

“Earthen Charm, this is Mtoaji,” Red Tip introduced them. “Mtoaji has become my biggest supplier.”

“Ah pleasure!” Earthen Charm beamed.

“Same,” Shadow smiled back.

“You know guns, are you going to be competing?” Earthen Charm fired back.

“Yeah,” Shadow replied setting his food aside for the moment. “The Reactive Rifle Competition and the Long Distance Competition.”

Her jaw dropped. “You are going up against Red Tip in long distance?”

Shadow gave a quick shrug. “Yeah.”

“You have a fight on your hooves,” She warned.

“I picked up on that,” Shadow chuckled. “But that is what makes it fun. I’ve never really tested my distance shooting, but I can handle my distance shots.”

“Charm,” Red Tip said. “If anypony new can take me, its Mtoaji. He is quite skilled.”

“Rumor is that there are a few new sharps in their ranks,” Earthen Charm warned. “A new Knight named Spotter has popped up in our circles. And then a new farmer, Slate, has a nice rifle that can play that game. Its going to be a great one.”

“That it will,” Red Tip smiled.

“So,” Shadow said, trying to finalize what he was going to say. “I haven’t been in the area long and have spent a lot of that traveling, but are you from the farms?”

“Yes,” Earthen Charm smiled. “I am. Although I am more than that.”

“You still don’t know if you want to farm for life or not,” Shadow stated.

“Yeah,” Earthen Charm blushed.

“I had to make my choice not long ago,” Shadow said. “Ultimately, I have family waiting for me when I do get back home. And I will live out the rest of those days playing in the dirt.”

“You don’t miss it?” Earthen Charm asked hesitantly.

“Every day,” Shadow sighed. “But that is one of the joys of my window gardens. I get to have some fresh herbs and dirt, even though I’m in a skyscraper in Trottingham a million miles from home.”

“Window Gardens?” Earthen Charm asked.

“Yep,” Shadow nodded. “Small rectangular pots mounted to the outside of my window where I put good soil I bought from the farms and planted some herbs in. Herbs to make tea.”

“Tea?” Earthen Charm asked confused.

Shadow rolled his eyes. “Its a drink. You put some leaves in hot water to soak. The flavor transfer to the water and you have tea. Just don’t drink the leaves. I have special mesh holders for mine so the leaves don’t float all around.”

“Interesting,” Earthen Charm replied. “Back home are those gardens popular?”

“I don’t know,” Shadow replied. “I’m not a city pony. I learned about them in a city, but I didn’t have opportunities to really explore who was doing it and with what. At that time I wasn’t heading out here. I tasked Quality Hardware with a special order for them.”

“Well, that is an idea,” Earthen Charm smiled.

“Its worked well for the short time I’ve had them,” Shadow replied.

Shadow finished eating and stood up. “I am going to check out the long distance range.”

“We’ll see you up there,” Red Tip smiled.

“Okay,” Shadow said walking away.

Shadow had intended on checking it out so he could give them alone time. He could handle navigating all of this without Red Tip. He had to be able to. All of this was in way to many ways familiar. He had to watch himself twice as hard so he didn’t slip up. Especially since the Steel Rangers would immediately jump him. They were everywhere and vigilant.

Shadow got to the elevator. Two knights were guarding it. They checked his badge to make sure it said long range on the back and let him head up. The light was almost fading as he stepped out onto the roof.

The range was clear and each competitor slot was neatly marked. There had to be seating for at least a thousand all around it. They stacked up high. Most of the ponies would probably be relying on an announcer for information. Even Shadow’s scope would have some difficulty at the longer ranges.

Shadow sat in the stands and looked out over the range. In two days he would be taking shots out to a mile. This was something that Marble Falls hadn’t directly trained him to do. But she had forged his shooting skills to hit tiny targets at fast speeds. Sizes that could equal distances of almost a mile in some of the set ups. But those were laser rifles that didn’t drop.

Still, Marble Falls would be impressed. So would Master Wind. If they could, they would be here yelling and hollering at him as he competed. They probably would get kicked out for making too much noise. He would win this for them, to show them he had really learned. The Reactive Rifle Course couldn't be worse than what Marble Falls put him through during either aerial combat segments.

Shadow sat there, contemplating how to deal with the Steel Rangers. The Trottingham branch certainly retained some good autonomy. He wasn’t sure how much, but the Inquisitor’s description wasn’t plastered everywhere as he had expected.

But to take on this complex, he couldn't. They were too present. Soldiers were never alone and the halls were a death trap. He couldn't lose them inside their home. Not when it was designed to be so straight and easy. If he went in, there would be no coming out. And they would blow the whole area apart to kill him. Trottingham was off limits for both Black Widow and Shadow Flare. He would have to wage that battle outside, killing patrols.

Shadow heard the elevator open and the laughter of Earthen Charm. Red Tip’s was quieter, as usual.

“Hey,” Red Tip greeted him when they saw him. “How do you like the view?”

“Its perfect for the competition,” Shadow replied solemnly.

“What’s got you down?” Red Tip asked, breaking away from Earthen Charm.

“My instructors would love to be here,” Shadow said quietly. “I couldn’t hit shit starting out. None of them could have seen a long range competition coming. But I know I can compete on the same level. I just wish they knew that. Being combat ready and being a sniper are two different things.”

“Well, you can tell them when you get back. Even second place will be impressive.”

They both chuckled. Shadow's was filled with memories and confidence. Red Tip’s was filled with concern. He felt threatened, but was doing his best to shrug it off.

Shadow stood up. “I know, its early, but I want to get some sleep. I have a tough day tomorrow when I hit that Reactive Rifle Course. Unless they are shit at creating a course, I will have to work to keep my position.”

“Your choice,” Earthen Charm said. “But you don’t have to go. And if you did take out the Hawks like Red Tip said, you will be fine. Yellow Quartz has this in the bag though. I am surprised she hasn’t sought you out to talk.”

Shadow sat back down.

“Do you ever get to go this high back at your home?” Earthen Charm asked Shadow.

Shadow gagged on a laugh. He had to cough several times before he could answer.

“I’ve been a lot higher,” Shadow calmly replied. “Over cities and over landscape. On this quest, I have been all over Equestria and even outside of it. Sure, this has a good view of the broken steel of Trottingham, but its not close to what I have gotten. It’s only six stories tall. Sure, there is the glimpse of the sea out there, but its not like its up thirty or forty stories up.”

Shadow looked around. Trottingham didn’t get hit like Fillydelphia, Baltimare or Manehatten, but it certainly hadn’t survived. The tallest buildings were twisted and crumbling. Nothing solid over 30 stories. And in the condition they were in, thirty wasn’t obtainable for most. Shadow had probably been on the tallest points when he eradicated the Hawks.

“This city is mighty short,” Shadow added. “I never noticed that until now.”

“I guess its different because you are not from here,” Earthen Charm giggled. “But I get all giddy getting up on top here. I live on the ground. None of our houses are even two stories.”

“All of the farmhouses back home are two story,” Shadow stated. “When you have large families, you can’t afford to make wide houses. That takes up land and we can’t afford to waste any. So we build up.”

“What did you grow up with?” Earthen Charm asked. “We do oats.”

“Turnips,” Shadow said smiling to himself. “Most of the farms in my community are parsnips. One a few grains. And then there is my sister’s cherry farm on the outskirts of the community. That’s where I am retiring too. With my wife. But I have to make it back safely.”

“What’s got you out here then?” Earthen Charms.

“It’s complicated,” Shadow shrugged, fighting off tears. He already had been thinking about home and didn’t have time to steel his heart. “But I have to find something. Until I do, I am here, scavenging while I search for a living. Its important to our security for me to find it. And that’s as much as I can say.”

“Oh,” Earthen Charm replied, unsure how to proceed.

“But,” Shadow said standing up. “I do think it is time for me to go to bed. I need to be able to see straight in the morning.”

Shadow took the elevator down and took the turn to the room. It was still early. The lights would be on for another hour. Shadow washed up and got in bed. He was tense and struggled to relax. He was afraid he would reveal his wings. Shadow was almost asleep when his bunkmate arrived. The whole bed shook as they jumped up and climbed under the covers. The bed was solid so the shaking wasn’t harsh, but it was enough to reset Shadow’s mind.

Next Chapter: Chapter 115 - Exposition Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 40 Minutes