“Shadow.”

…

“Shadow!”

…

“Shadow Flare!”

Shadow jumped out of bed, revolver out and ready. The ghosts were starting to speak! He turned the lights on and looked around.

“Shadow Flare!”

The voice came from Kifo Herixleta’s box. Shadow shakily stepped over to it. He nervously set the revolver down. Kifo Herixleta had ‘spoken’ to him as it taught him to wield the blade, but never out loud. And not in that voice.

It was a calm, old voice that had seen many years and many things. From great atrocities to wondrous miracles. How a stallion was speaking to him he had no idea.

Shadow carefully opened the case. Kifo Herixleta leaped for it’s scabbard and latched onto the band. Shadow followed through with the draw and swung it around and into his favorite ready position, Sword by his head, pointed along his line of sight.

“You have never spoken to me before,” Shadow stated. “What is it you want. Or better yet, what are you?”

“I am what you see that I am. But inside me holds a deep enchantment. It translates to your tongue as a soul jar. I am part of a soul. I know not my maker. I know not my enchanter. I know not who’s soul I am from.”

“I know I am powerful. I am old. Perhaps older than the sword itself is. I am from a great master of the art of the sword. You know that already. I am fire and I am ice.”

“You are a Zebra sword,” Shadow stated. “But I hear no rhymes.”

“Do you rhyme with all you speak?”

“No,” Shadow said shaking his head. Part of him wanted it to be a dream.

“Then I do not speak in rhymes.”

“Fair,” Shadow said, lowering the blade.

He set it in front of the box so he could see it better.

Kifo Herixleta spoke quickly. “What is your purpose? What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“You are alone, abandoned?”

“Yes?” Shadow said confused.

“Who has done this to you?”

“My officer...”

“NO! Who has done this to you? Where do your problems below come from?”

“I do not know.”

“The wasteland has done this to you.”

Shadow took a second to think.

“Many ponies and things have caused our deaths.”

“And they are of the wasteland. Here to claim what is pure and good. It wants to consume you.”

“I won’t let it,” Shadow replied confidently.

“How?”

“How? I just will.”

“It consumed the last two with you.”

“They…”

“The enemy knocks at your door. What do you do?”

“Fight?”

“Is that a question or an answer?”

“Fight,” Shadow stated. “Fight. Kick them off my doorstep.”

“Run them through. Kill your enemies. All who wish to kill you. That is your fate, is it not?”

“Fate?” Shadow replied. “When did I ever say that was my fate?

“Black and white,”

Shadow joined in. “Day and night, my two colors are such a sight. Your Glyphmark is a sign, so is mine. The three pieces of the puzzle, oh so subtle. Speed. Power. Agility.”

“There is more than you have said. Ages ago, the great sages spoke of someone, you. It lacks the same beauty the old language carries and the tenses shift, but it’s meaning is undeniable.”

“Shadow Flare you will be given, for by a strong desire you shall be driven. Black and white, day and night, your two colors will be such a sight. The split is a sign, that is to be a guideline. One white and black, blessed for life while on the attack. The three pieces of the puzzle, oh so subtle. Speed. Power. Agility.”

“Thus will be your school, that you should be a tool. To protect what you love, from everypony, even those above. You are a gift to all kind, to be a real mastermind.”

“Fate’s eye fell upon your head, even before you had your own bed. To lead your kind to victory, and rewrite history. You will have a duty to impose, beyond your humble abode. A farmer by trade, who shall wield a blade. Your life set to be the link, to save us all from the brink. The change must be forged in blood, or else it will be a dud. You will be sent to start that mend, and bring the separation to an end. Between you and your true heart’s desire is a land full of fire.”

“To quench it shall be your new battle cry, and all who oppose must die. They will spill your blood in hate and force you to lay in wait. When it is the time to rise, you will once again see the sky. All that stands in your way, has had it’s time to play.”

“Your charge is to cleanse the land, so the Pegasi may stay grand. You are the one foretold, Mtoaji. The Mender.”

Shadow nodded his head. “Few things are of starker contrast than mending something through spilling blood.”

“Wait,” Shadow said. “Mwokozi said something. ‘A warning I give. A full life combative. It was not for your kind, for it was a mark against ponykind.’”

“His was, but you are a Pegasus. When you first drew me, I knew what you were and who you are. I heard the words the seers spoke. I knew the ones spoken about Mwokozi, and I saw their similarities by their differences.”

“That is what we are united. It is why I give you my knowledge, strength and guidance. Fate gave me over to you, the new blessed one. So that you could strike hard and strike fast. Be a shadow in the light, killing but out of sight.”

Shadow’s heart was beating fast. Things were moving too quickly to fully comprehend. He slowed it down and repeated the destiny chant. Nor’s experience led Shadow to believe the chant. It had fit his life. He was sent here with a mission. He was sent here to change things and fix things.

He would make sure it happened. And he would cut down those that harmed him and his friends. Even if it meant cutting his way through Fillydelphia, the Steel Rangers and through the Disciples, all the way to Nesha.

“I will,” Shadow said firmly, the fire inside growing. “I will do it. The wasteland has robbed me in more ways than one and it will pay.”

Shadow picked up Kifo Herixleta and slid it into it’s sheath.

“If I am to head out and slay it, I need to prepare. I can’t just run out. There is gear I need to gather. Stuff I need to seal away from others like my sister and comrades. This place cannot fall into the wrong hooves. I need to secure the armor as well.”

“Do not make the mistake of waiting and letting fear hold you back!”

“I won’t,” Shadow growled. “My mind is set. I won’t forget.”

There was plenty of things to do. Shadow looked around the room for the first one. His eyes were drawn to the naval armor and the symbol they had painted on it’s chest. The circle with the star in it. That would make a fine badge to wear and the Enclave had been sent a message about their badge change. There was plenty of silver objects collecting dust in the Stable.

He knew Kifo Herixleta said some comment about it not being fruitful, but if he was going to do it, he was going to do it right. The Armory had the hardware he needed to melt the silver objects into one and form it into a circle.

He let it cool and put a drill press to work carving out the pieces so the star’s points were obvious. He fashioned a strong clasp from some of the armor equipment, heated the badge up enough for it to bond them together and then let it cool.

Shadow grabbed the other’s saddlebags. He stitched them together so he had one on each side and then one on top of each of those. Four bags, plus two on his flanks. Everything had zippers. He would use his throw bag as well. The bag for ammo was on his left, the lower one. The zippers were set up to facilitate fast reloads. Shadow also made a simple ammo sling.

The bag next to his guns would hold his books, the statuette, the Pipbuck and the records. He set everything up to download all records of their actions. Every personal report was also recorded, including video footage. Their entire mission would come with him. It was classified.

The records from the civilian group they had slaughtered stayed safe in the room, along with their personal artifacts. There was too much and no point in taking them. He would return here to take them home when the time came.

The bag also was going to have several empty mini memory orbs and a few of his favorites stashed away. The memory necklace didn’t take up much space.

If he was leaving, this place needed caring for. The Inquisitors had worked too hard to let it rot.

“They earned it,” Shadow said to Kifo Herixleta as he went to bed. “They have been our shield from Dahlia and others. They will keep the special stuff safe as I cleanse this wasteland and prepare it for my pegasi brethren. Everything sacred, that I will need when the time comes, will be kept here, under their watch.”

“And what if they break the seals?”

“I will have to trust they won’t. They will be getting a great gift, along with being spared. I hope that trust will hold.”

…

“Herixleta?”

“Yes?”

“Next to you is a statuette of Rainbow Dash. It says be awesome. I feel a lot more awesome with it by me.”

“It is a powerful fragment holding her essence. It isn’t a soul or a soul jar. But it is powerful. The others in the set will hold great power as well. Keep is close. Find the others.”

“I will. Hey, what do you know about the charm necklace Mwokozi wore. I took it off him.”

The calm voice turned harsh. “It is wards you should not dabble with. Fate may have chosen you to follow after him, but that is powerful Zebra magic. For Zebras only.”

“If I put it with my books, the reports, and such, will it keep them safe? They are shielded by the guns, but…”

The voice calmed down. “It should protect itself from harms so it doesn’t break. It probably will encompass the entire bag.”

“Good,” Shadow said rolling over to slip into slumber.

There was a lot more to do. He had to move all the power armor suits to be locked away. He put them in Slice’s room. He had to dry out as much rosemary as possible. He cleaned and prepared four canteens. He would be able to keep two out of the bag on a strap.

For good measure, he attached several grenades to the strap as well. He was trained, well, but Shadow had never like grenades. Now that he was on his own, and lightly armed and armored, he might need them.

All of their special ammo had to be moved. Every rocket, minigun powercell, the Novasurge and laser gun packs, it all had to go. The 7.62x51mm had too many cases to try moving. But there were no guns that used it in the armory.

Shadow put a dozen crates of the 7.62x51mm ammo in his room He added at least a crate of the other ammo cases. It was better to store them here so it was condensed when the time came to return. More stuff like meds and food rations were also put in storage in his room. All of it would be his backup in case the ponies were able to use the others. They were guaranteed to be there for him.

His sister and the others were already reverently laying there. Shadow pulled out the dress he had brought back for Cardinal Spitfire. He looked it over and then folded it back into the dresser. It would be here when he went back. For her.

The last thing to pack was food and final equipment like water purifiers, meds, and caps. He hated having to stock a full bag of field rations, but it was how it had to be. It was guaranteed food.

The very last thing Shadow had to do was bring in the cloud terminal. He sent one final message.

CSM Shadow Flare,

After all this time, alone, I leave. Outpost Rosemary is going to be left in good hooves. They shielded us, unknowingly, from enemies searching for us. Don’t harm them. They are the keepers of our legacy, our work. When the time comes, what matters will be safe. All of the files I will be locked away will be there for you to retrieve. Hopefully I will return when you do.

I go to hunt down the true enemies of the Pegasus Race

Shadow paused before hitting send. He look out over the landscape. What he was about to do, there was no returning. Not the same as he was. He was turning his back on it all, to serve a higher purpose.

Shadow cleaned up the whole stable. He had forgotten about Nor’s gecko project. They had grown quite big. He sliced one apart with Kifo Herixleta ablaze and the other one iced over. A quick flame removed the slime and Shadow sent the two robots to cleaning it up.

There was one last thing Shadow wanted done.

Honored Resident,

This is gift for all you have done that you did not know. I have only two simple request.

Rooms 15, 18 and 33 are NOT to be unlocked. They will not open without the proper authority, which should only be with me. But no matter what, do not unlock them. Do not enter them or even look in them.

The second is the Mission logs in this terminal. They are password protected, but leave them be. It is safest if you do not know anything mentioned inside them.

The hydroponics lab has it’s own terminal with all the information you need to run it and the fertilizer compactor. The reactor room is being cleaned up from an experiment that didn’t go as planned, but that will be clean soon.

Everything else is yours. All the weapons. All the ammo. All the armor. Everything.

Mtoaji

Shadow grabbed the last of the files that had finished copying to data devices and put those in his bag, next to his seeds. The seeds reminded him of a lot of things. Most important, he realized if he had to settle down outside of Rosemary for a time, he would want to do a little gardening. It was in his blood. Fate or no fate, it was in his blood.

Thankfully most seeds were small. A few more herbs, some other stuff like tomatoes that he could get seeds from again and such. A few packets of varied grains so he had something strong to eat. On a whim, he grabbed a packet of apple seeds. It was more than enough for him to live comfortably on.

Soarin’s Lightning was broken down and securely in a bag with plenty of ammo for it. With it was the neatly folded Zebra stealth cloak Mwokozi had. It was too pretty to take out, but they hadn’t brought any regular ones back. He would need to use it with a gun like Soarin’s Lighting for cover. Shadow hope the enchantment would hold if the cloak was pierced and stitched together.

One last night and Shadow donned his new gear. He had cut up one of his old, patched flight suit so that he would have an under tunic. On top of it was his red jacket armor with the medal broach he made. It was pinning the cloak on.

His customized battle saddle was locked and loaded and he strapped on Mwokozi’s revolver. He secured combat knifes in two locations. The Zebra one was by the revolver and easy to get with the band, the other was easy to grab with his mouth. A blade didn’t run out of ammo.

Shadow made sure Kifo Herixleta was wrapped up in its cloth sheath and the ornate belt was also wrapped securely. The last thing he needed was to be seen with a super fancy sword belted around his waist and hunted for it. With a little work, the handle and guard had been bound tightly with extra gecko leather to further hide it. Kifo Herixleta was not happy, but understood. And it could still easily be drawn with the band and with no side effects.

His four bags were heavy, but they also ensured that he would be able to hide his wings well. With everything he was wearing, he had to grab the heavy, gecko cloak. At least his bags would explain the big cloak. Shadow tossed on his throw bag into the middle of his back, settling things and put his stetson on.

Shadow took a deep breath in and let it out. He was a much different pony in the mirror than he felt. He could still feel the necklace burning against his skin. A good reminder.

What he saw in the mirror was a haggard, angry pony who was torn up and beaten by the wasteland. One who had no idea how to find rest. Shadow knew where rest was. He knew he had taken a beating below. But what he felt on the inside didn’t look like the outside. Shadow didn’t know if he had weathered things as well as he thought, or if the mirror was a true reflection of himself.

The stable door sealed behind him. Shadow was unsure if he really wanted to leave, but he knew he had to go. It was filled with ghosts that would only drive him to insanity. It was that first step that was the hardest.

The elevator needed to be hooked up, or else Rosemary was inaccessible. At least Slice had worked out a bottom switch. He couldn't fly up with the gear in place. That was the idea. Plus, the ponies would need it up, not down.

Shadow walked down to the gate. It was still locked. He pulled out Slice’s cloud key and unlocked it, forever breaking Rosemary’s seal. He slipped it back into his bags and pushed his hat down more to cover his face.

It was a longer of a walk that he remembered. But they had avoided being closer to the settlement as it grew. His presence was notice quickly, and many were shocked, unsure what to do as he just strolled into their midst from a direction they were not expecting. Shadow stopped and the head pony, an older stallion, walked over to him. Shadow was going to stand there and not move, not even to turn his head.

“The Overwatcher from the plateau,” He greeted him.

Shadow replied is a raspy voice, starting with a chuckle.

“I guess I was not a invisible as I had thought.”

“What brings you down to our fair Sanctuary.”

“A deep pain,” Shadow replied. “I was, not alone. But it is all over now.”

Shadow felt the pain and anger of their deaths grow. The pain that he was having to leave Rosemary, despite it’s ghosts. His unjust betrayal was added to the fire. The Wasteland had made it so Shadow had killed Dream Catcher.

It was evident, even in his adjusted voice. “I have some big debts to settle. But I can not leave her without an owner.”

Shadow tossed a big bag at his feet. It opened and two PipBucks rolled out. More were inside.

“Everything you need to enter and open the doorway is stored in there. Also how you operate the elevator and open the stable door from the outside.”

There were hushed whispers back and forth when he said stable.

“It is a good place. Rosemary is her name. Good hydroponics that will feed you well. Make good use of her and everything she has to offer. Make better use of her than we did.”

“That’s it?” He asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Just two minor things,” Shadow replied. “First, don’t open rooms 15, 18 and 33. They are locked. Don’t even think about it. If they open up somehow, seal them back up without looking inside. The second is the Mission Logs in the Overseer’s terminal. They are locked with a password I have, but you do not want to unlock them. For your safety and because you don’t need to know.”

“Safety?”

“If others, and you will know them, come. Do not resist. They may open the files.”

“Are you coming back?” A mare asked.

Shadow spoke slowly. “I don’t know. I want to say yes…”

“I don’t understand,” She followed up.

“You can’t understand,” Shadow snapped. “You just can’t. Don’t make this hard. Just accept and let me move out.”

“It is a very tough world out there,” The head pony said. “I wish you the best of luck collecting those debts. We will use Rosemary well. She will greatly aid in living here. We will need a place to trade and exist outside from underground, but we will use her to the best of our ability. Especially the hydroponics. Ours isn’t growing very well.”

“There is plenty of fertilizer inside the lab,” Shadow stated. “You soil out here is desperate for key nutrients. Use them. I always prefer real crops rather than hydroponics, but one can not be picky at times. And hydroponics grow much faster.”

“We will keep her safe,” He assured Shadow. “And more importantly, we will keep her ready and waiting for your return.”

Shadow took in a deep breath. He silently began to walk down the street. He had no idea where he was going to head to first. He had to get free of them before his pain was unleashed.

“Who was that?” A mare asked to the others. “You said he watched us from the plateau?”

“I assume she, and her friends, were the ones Dahlia was hunting all those times she barged in here. We can not let Dahlia or anypony know of Rosemary. They will try and take it from us. She might have entrusted it with us until her return, but we are really meant to keep it and use it permanently. And watch over those files and rooms. Nopony else is supposed to get close to them. Whatever it is, its a risk for her.”

“I think she is a stallion and his name is Shadow Flare.”

They all looked at Ornate Charm.

“You know my story. It was a small white pony with a black mane. I never caught sight of the Cutie Mark because of the cloak, but it has to be him. It would explain where the three of them disappeared to.”

“One now,” The head stallion said sadly. “One very hurt and very angry pony who was robbed of so much. We should check out Rosemary, his gift. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Let him deal with things as he needs to. In his way.”

“In what way?” Another asked.

“Blood,” Ornate Charm said, her heart aching for him and his pain. “We were rescued, but it was bloody. And that was fun. They called it treasure hunting because they were looking for something. But the trip was something not planned, on a whim, and even when it meant battle, it was free from something.

“But this isn’t a whim. He is going to go do what he wanted to do, but was restricted from doing before.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 103 - Ponyville Estimated time remaining: 10 Hours, 3 Minutes