Author's Notes:

BOOK 5: PART 1: REUNIONS

They had left behind the injured in the care of two medics and the capable hooves of Dry Dock City. It had been a logistical struggle to land all the ACUs and reorganize them to the three cloudships. Thanks to delegation, Shadow and Cardinal Spitfire didn’t have to do that task. Deke, his two Captains, and Golden Dawn undertook that task. Olive Pit was busy with the final logistics for the wounded.

Shadow got to have a quiet dinner with Cardinal Spitfire, Slice, and Sweet Waters. It was as quiet as it could be with the noise of the count and organization of the ACUs. Sweet Waters was in full support of Slice going with them. He was still reluctant, but she wasn’t.

Shadow also got to do a quick meet and greet with others like Crystal Kiss, Black Bolt, and others he got to know in his initial, short stay. He had forgotten about one special individual living in Dry Dock City, but she wasn’t there when he had visited. Cloudy Snow had made it to Baltimare. She only knew what Black Widow had told her, nothing more. Shadow surviving was a great surprise that she was thrilled to find out.

Wonderbolt Squad 19’s Commander Fuchsia Sky and Lieutenant Commander Bronze Wings undertook a secret mission shortly after the Solar was destroyed. They took all night and arrived in the early dawn. They held off the launch for them. Shadow was pretty sure they made a run to Fort Griffin’s Gate. A tough job, but doable. Either way, it didn’t change their orders.

Slice was on the Firecracker with a small group of ACUs. The Zebras Sergeant Izala, Corporal Sumida, and Corporal Sensha were accompanying them. They were making a beeline for Rosemary. Their job was to recover almost all of the items stored there. With the ACUs, it would take no time at all. Only a few designated things would be left, locked away, like their fallen comrades bodies.

Without wounded to care for, Olive Pit joined them on the Twilight Sky. Golden Dawn’s ACU, Unit 47, was also with them. The Captain had taken residence in Deke’s Captain’s suite. Deke didn’t hesitate to hand it over to such a prestigious pegasus. He didn’t know the full details, but he knew The Captain was called Captain for a very good reason.

At full speed, the Corvettes had made short work of the distance to Fort Wind. It still took them two days, but the Corvettes were amazing for speedy travel.

Shadow was on the small bridge with The Captain, Cardinal Spitfire, Simi, and Ukuzwa as they came into the fort. The rest were in the bay below, ready to deploy. The main Headquarters Base was still there, along with Wind Hamlet, but most of the training grounds had been destroyed. Years worth of trees, foliage, grass, and buildings were gone. The Squad Barracks had survived, but they were already suspended above the Cloud Base.

“We are being directed in to Blue Flight Deck,” A com officer said as they approached from overhead. “The Ebony Grace is being routed to another docking location.”

“Do it,” Deke grunted.

“Sir, another transmission is coming in, for you.”

Deke nodded and it was put through.

Shadow didn’t recognize the voice. “Captain Derecho, we were under the impression that you also had the Firecracker under your authority and with you.”

“The Firecracker is on a special mission to recover valuable items, equipment, and resources that the recon team, the Inquisitors, were forced to bury for security reasons after they were betrayed. It is the utmost importance to the mission that we recover what Shadow Flare couldn’t.

“The Firecracker has a small, but sufficient ACU continent with them for the recovery. They are making a low overhead beeline straight to the location with orders to not engage. They will outrun anything before they ever engage any forces. They will be along shortly.”

“Understood,” was all the pegasus said, ending the communication.

Black, Yellow, Red, and Green Flight Decks were all taken up. The cloudships were parked directly on top of the flight decks, not perpendicular to them. It had to be important to be parked over at the Squad Barracks.

There was a party waiting for them as they touched down. None of the ACU troops would move out of the ship until they got the orders. How Shadow and the others exited the ship mattered because they had several extra surprises. The Captain was shielded behind the Wonderbolts at the moment, but he was in his full Equestrian Military dress uniform, including all of his medals. That also included his Blue Beret and his general’s stars. The unit patch on his beret was back with a gold lightning bolt, flanked by silver wings.

Shadow didn’t have a dress uniform and the Wonderbolts hadn’t brought theirs. Deke was dressed out from head to hoof in his though, including his medals. The only non-regulation item on him was his eye patch. Even his gold ear cuff had been switched out with his nearly invisible clear plastic hook.

They walked down the ramp towards the group in front of it. Shadow Flare didn’t recognize anypony in the front, but all of them had stars on their uniforms or other indication that they were high ranking individuals. He followed Deke’s and Cardinal Spitfire’s lead.

Deke was no help as he immediately broke rank and so did one of the mares. They hugged.

“I was so worried,” She said. “The reports were bad and scattered. I didn’t have confirmation that you were safe.”

“Please,” Deke chuckled. “I am the best cloudship officer Equestria has. It’s going to take more than what they threw at the First Fleet to take me down. We never took any damage. Even against the Solar.”

Deke backed up a bit, but Cardinal Spitfire was the one who continued.

“I present to you, Command Sergeant Major of Reconnaissance Shadow Flare.”

Claps and cheers went up from the officers.

“Shadow, what you need to know right now is that is General Firestorm, Wonderbolt and head of the entire Aerial Combat Battalion. That means the Wonderbolts, the Aerial Combat Units, Scout Command, and the Reconnaissance Teams. She is not in charge of the science missions that have been happening below.

“That is Admiral ‘Little’ Lightning, Third Fleet. The next is Lieutenant General Striker, head of the ACUs. Beside him is Lieutenant General Gunmetal, Fort Wind’s master Quartermaster and she wears those Silver Wings for a damn good reason. I see that Scout Command’s Lieutenant General Misty Thunder is joining us.

“Last, but most concerning, is Colonel Quick Blitz, the pegasus over the Reconnaissance Teams. He falls under Lieutenant General Misty Thunder’s direct command. Recon and Scout have been on a tight leash since the shit storm that marked you as MIA. There were other problems with the previous set of mission as well. I am not sure if I like him, even after all this time”

Colonel Quick Blitz’s wings were out in gentle surrender to that fact. He recognized the situation and the position he had been thrust into.

Shadow nodded in understanding. “We are bringing back our cloud terminal. I understand that you were not able to properly recover this side’s terminal. It won’t matter in the end. I already pegged Honey Bee center mass from about two miles out with my sniper rifle. That’s how they found me. I was shooting troops as he moved. Fucker had enough time to move with that much distance between us.”

“We had not heard that,” General Firestorm stated. “But I am glad he is gone. He was a blood sucking pest that only caused problems. It was best that he died from sniper fire in the battle. It lessens the blow back we have to deal with.”

“I am ready to debrief you,” Shadow said. “But we have a few things to cover right here, right now, before we proceed.”

“We don’t have much time,” General Firestorm warned. “We have some VIPs joining us. I’ll need you all on deck, combat ready. But they are a few hours out still.”

With an approval nod Shadow continued. “First, is that the Solar was destroyed outside Baltimare. In it is a small city. They can’t help us much, but they are caring for the wounded ACU soldiers. A few medics are with them. But they do make a solid ally, even if it is just on the books. The Inquisitors met them early on-”

“You got shot in the head,” General Firestorm interrupted. “Fractured your helmet.”

“Yeah,” Shadow chuckled. “We kind of fudged some of the report to save that delicate flower. We left quite an impact on them. I knew that with their city defense canons, which we got them, they would be able to help.

“Upon arrival the other day, I make a discovery that I am still a bit shocked at. It turns out that Sergeant Major Apple Slice’s suicidal departure into the wasteland took him to Baltimare. He doesn’t remember much, only that he woke up there. He took absolutely nothing with him. He planned on dying. He is on the Firecracker getting his armor, the rest of our supplies, and our cloud terminal.”

“Good,” Admiral Little said. “We will need all that. And having him as a second voice about the current situation will be invaluable.”

“He has better information than I do,” Shadow explained. “I saw a lot more of Equestria than he did, but then right before I left to force my way up, I got booted from Equestria proper. I was hunted for my wings. I pissed off some very powerful forces.

“I ended up south, in the Zebra lands. I survived with a village, did my usual helping them improve their situation, and came back with Kikosi Kisasi, my new team. It translates as Vengeance Squad. It’s a multilayered meaning. I never would have made it back-”

Shadow narrowed his eyes at Lieutenant General Striker. “SIMI!” Shadow growled.

Simi uncloaked next to Striker. All of the officers jumped in surprise.

“We had this planned out,” Shadow yelled with command as he stormed over. He grabbed his cloak and brought him eye to eye with him. “I trained you! I instructed you so that you became the best Zebra warrior of this age. You know better than this, than these foalish acts! We had a calm plan. Currently I am unsure if you are fit to lead Shanyisa! A commander faces things head on with tact and does not taunt the enemy. This disruptive behavior is not appreciated.”

“Sorry,” Simi gulped. “I did not act with honor and tactfulness. I will do so from here on out.”

Shadow let go and heard two ponies laughing. Two laughs he thought he never would hear again. In the back, out of the way, was Nova and Marble Falls. Nova was missing his injured wing. It finally had been surgically removed.

Shadow smiled at them. “I have some stories to tell you! Honey Bee was nothing. It was an enchanted rifle. I have taken several shots well over a mile with regular guns. I have done a lot that you would not believe.”

Marble Falls smiled kindly at him. “I was expecting a weathered and worn veteran soldier on your return. But it looks like our little Shadow Flare grew up to be a strong commander. I have been telling my recruits about your great improvement over your time with me, but I never expected you to turn into a sniper of the caliber you are stating.”

“Oh,” Shadow chuckled. “I have some real stories to tell you. But it ultimately ends with me becoming the commander of and trainer of Zebra forces. Hence why they are with me. And beside Simi and Ukuzwa there, I have 10 more. Several are on the Firecracker.”

“You brought 12 Zebras with you?” Striker said, shocked and appalled.

“Yeah,” Shadow nodded as he walked back to where he had been in front of the admirals and generals. The others had tactfully uncloaked and moved to be visible. “And don’t worry. Ukuzwa here is a master magician, of the good arts. She created several various talismans. One is a cloud walking talisman; another grows wings on their backs. They are all competent fliers.”

“I can attest to that,” Cardinal Spitfire added.

“Is that all?” An old pegasus, who had also been tucked away in the back, asked.

“General Shielded Vengeance!” Cardinal Spitfire exclaimed. “I never expected to see you here. You retired.”

“And I was enjoying my quiet retirement,” Shielded Vengeance snorted, annoyed. “But the other day, I was attacked, in my home. A team tried to assassinate me. They believed I would cause trouble for a particular military group. They forgot the key reason why they found me a threat. I was a Wonderbolt. All 15 died. Some painfully.”

“You can’t always kill them quickly in a fight like that,” Shadow nodded. “Death isn’t instantaneous as you disable them in hoof to hoof combat.”

“You have obviously seen more than your fair share,” Shielded Vengeance nodded.

“I have. And no, my report is not over. I have one more point. Baltimare’s last secret. Second to last, but for now the last I can share. Admirals and Generals, active or retired, meet Reserve Lieutenant General Soarin, Equestrian Military and Former Equestrian Wonderbolt.”

Wonderbolt Squad 19 split to reveal The Captain who stepped forward. General Firestorm, Shielded Vengeance, and Marble Falls were bowing low.

“It is a deep honor and pleasure to meet you Lieutenant General,” Firestorm said. “Forgive any misjudgments or actions. We have never dealt with any ghouls. Still, we are honored by your presence. I hope we carry on your legacy to a satisfactory level given what we have.”

“I never got the chance to defend Equestria when the spell hit Baltimare,” The Captain declared. “I woke up a while later as a ghoul. By then, the clouds were sealed up. My Equestria was gone. Now the sun shines on it once more, and the Enclave is reeling from their decisions. I am here to fight for the reunification of the three pony races. so Equestria can actually rise from the ashes. The Pegasus Race plays an important part in Equestria, and it is high time that they remember just how important of a role they play. And it is high time for them to ascend and reunite with their pony brethren. Now, rise!”

“General Soarin, we are gathering here to do that,” General Firestorm said, standing proudly. “We have been trying to hold the Pegasus Race together because we didn’t have solid information on below and politics were in play. We did the best we could to protect our families.”

General Firestorm’s face turned into a wicked grin. “Now, the clouds are gone. What protects our families is to unify Equestria. We are willing to die to do that, but we are hoping we won’t have to. Several plans are moving in place, and with the Cloud Terminal recovered, we can release all of the information publicly.

“The Citizens are already leaning towards our side, without knowing there is a military force that backs them. I am more concerned with the soldiers. We have to convince them to break from their comrades and their officers to do what is right for the Pegasus Race and Equestria. That won’t be easy. But we are setting things up to make it as easy as possible. And more importantly, to do it with as little bloodshed as possible.”

“Good,” The Captain said. He looked at Shadow. “I hate to do it, but I guess it is time to reclaim my name.”

“It still holds power behind it,” Shadow smiled. “A power that can rock the Enclave. And as you said, the sun shines on Equestria once again. You said you will fight for the unification of the races once more. The Captain can’t do that, but General Soarin has the authority to do that. The skill and the know how.”

“Wisely put,” he nodded. “Then once more, I shall go by my given name at birth. If only the others could have lived to see this day. We would be a proud and fierce force to contend with.”

“And we are,” Shadow stated. “You remember the Inquisitor’s skill? Well, the ACUs still have them outclassed with ease. And they may not be your Wonderbolts, but they are still the best fighters that the Pegasi can field.”

“We have things to do before the VIPs arrive,” General Firestorm said. “Command Sergeant Major, let’s debrief you for the next hour. And when I say debrief, let’s hear the good, fun tails. We can make the real moves once the VIPs arrive.”

“Oh boy,” Shadow chuckled. “There are so many stories I can tell. Simi, take control of your troops. Ukuzwa, make sure the enchantments are still holding before any of them walk on the clouds. And keep Simi in check. No cloaks here. We are among friends.”

“We have some ACUs open,” Lieutenant General Striker said. “I will get them set up in them. I don’t think I need to be there for story time. I will finish the preparations.”

“Understood,” General Firestorm said. “Quick and Misty will assist you. Neither of them are associated with Shadow, but I know that Gunmetal got an earful from Golden Dawn.”

They saluted and split.

“You did a lot of changes,” Shadow said as they flew to the Wonderbolt’s Unit Building by the Squad Barracks. Nova was forced to ride behind them on a sky chariot.

Fort Wind had shifted to become the headquarters for the Aerial Combat Battalion, and by logical extension, the rally point for the Wonderbolts. They had a large unit built for the main Wonderbolt Squads stationed at Fort Wind, as well as a barrack style unit for visit Squadrons.

General Firestorm explained the changes. “Since you were here, we expanded the troops almost three times their previous size. Scout was officially restarted, so we had to allocate more units to that. Recon took up buildings as well. And yes, the Squad Barracks itself had to be expanded. The Wonderbolts moved out of the Squad Barracks and into our own, large unit. Unit 0 was the first multi-story building built outside of the Squad Barracks. They are the medical unit for the ACUs. We have a separate dining hall allocated to different units and other changes to cope with the expansion. We had to solidify more clouds to build on.”

“Marble Falls,” Shadow called. “You wear 2 stars on your collar. What has you at 2 stars?”

“Oh, not much,” Marble Falls chuckled. “I am just the general over training. Fort Wind is mine. And I am still a Wonderbolt. I am Wonderbolt Squad 5.”

“That is a big upgrade,” Shadow chuckled. “Fitting for you though. Very fitting.”

“General Red River wanted me as his replacement, the Council agreed and I was put in charge of positions to prove I could do it. Having a teacher as General has improved our training regiment.

“Although, I have 1000 soldiers locked up and sitting on their flanks because of the developing situation. Without the clouds, I lost a lot of my training ground. All field exercises had to be halted because we had no fields to do them in. And even if I were to graduate my lead class, I have no places to send them for secondary training. At least, not anyplace that I want to. I refuse to send them out where we might have to shoot them. I won’t give them that sentence.”

They landed and General Firestorm swiped her security card and opened the door.

“Shadow, I will get you a security card. It won’t take me but a minute. Get situated in Room 1 while I do that.”

“Why do I need a card?” Shadow asked. “I am not a Wonderbolt. And this says Wonderbolt Unit. It has your unit symbol all over the front of the building. Tastefully done of course.”

Firestorm was confused. “Because your wife is stationed here and her room is here. That is why. Or is there something I should know?”

“Oh,” Shadow chuckled. Deke and Cardinal Spitfire joined him. “I was married to her for a few short weeks before I went on my mission. We shared a bed only a few times, and each of those were rented beds. I am still not used to it. Even though Deke had me in the officer suite Cardinal Spitfire was using, I am still not used to it.”

The rest of them were relieved. There was a tense moment that they thought something had happened between Cardinal Spitfire and Shadow. And they knew Cardinal Spitfire had held on to their vows.

“If I have a room here, then can I ditch this power armor?” Shadow asked.

“Of course,” Firestorm chuckled. “Cardinal, show him to your room.”

Cardinal took Shadow upstairs and down a hallway to her room. She swiped her card to her room. They had very tight security on all their rooms. As a colonel, she had access to every room, but every swipe was recorded and time stamped. Gunmetal had the entire system locked down.

“You will also be given an 8 digit pin to use in case you lose your card or the reader stops,” Cardinal Spitfire said before she opened the door all the way. “Obviously report a lost card immediately so we can shut it down before it gets used.”

Cardinal Spitfire opened the door and then closed it almost all the way. She was very nervous and freaking out. This was a moment she had wanted for years, but it also had her confused. Shadow planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Show me our room, Card.”

With that Cardinal Spitfire grinned and threw open the door. “My sanctuary!” She declared. “The one place I could cry, and truly miss you. And I cried a lot over the years.”

Shadow took it all in. It was a simple room, but ample space for two pegasi. She had several full bookcases along the walls. His eyes settled on the desk where the glint of polished bronze caught his eye. He walked over to them.

“Why are your medals kept in their boxes?” Shadow asked. “Shouldn’t they be on a rack, ready for your uniform.”

“Because,” Cardinal Spitfire said joining his side. “Those are not mine. They are yours.”

“Oh,” Shadow said, taken aback. “I never saw them. I got a message detailing awards, but that was all.”

“I am sure they are getting you an updated uniform,” Cardinal Spitfire said. “But I do have your old ones.”

“This is enough for now,” Shadow said, stepping out of his power armor.

His flight suit had his Recon Rank on it, but that was enough since it was an informal talk. He did belt on his sword, both combat knives, and his revolver. Old habits died hard.

They finally sat down in the debriefing Room. Shadow was at the head of the table with Cardinal Spitfire on his right. His security card was on the table in from of him. Marble Falls, Nova, Soarin, Firestorm, Fuchsia Sky, Shielded Vengeance, Deke, Little, Gunmetal, and Golden Dawn were all in attendance.

“I would love to test you as a Wonderbolt,” Firestorm said as they settled down. “But we need you as Recon Team 4. 4 was a Wonderbolt Squad, and currently, it is still you. We want to retire it, permanently. And of course, Sergeant Major Slice too. I will have to get used to the idea that he is alive. We got a team below and they discovered you had left, alone. And that the others were most likely dead.

“But we want the fun tales,” Firestorm smirked.

“Fun, right,” Shadow sighed. “I’ll start by catching you up on the Inquisitors. Much of my tale isn’t fun. Storm died in Manehatten, killed by a Manticore. Then we got kill orders for Dashites, who were actually the Pillars of the Community. I was the one who put the bullet in my sister. At least she didn’t die knowing it was me. And it hit her perfectly so she died quickly.

“On our way back to Rosemary was when we hit trouble. Dahlia had her Dragoons, a Steel Ranger squad. She tried to stop us. Nor was our screen to get me and my sister back. Rosemary has a sanitary waste recycler for their hydroponics lab to compost everything. We used it for most of the burials. Silent Wind was left where he died and his armor set to explode. Nor…well, Nor’s story is a long one. Magic is involved. Deep, old magic. He died protecting me so I could bury my sister as best as we could. Their composted bodies are safe in Rosemary and are not coming back at the moment.

“Slice tried to commit suicide by giving himself over to the wasteland, and Thunder blamed himself for not being able to stop him. Among other things and the great sins we committed. Thunder couldn’t bear the idea of everything and he was going to be an Enclave soldier to the end. Rosemary was haunted by the ghosts of the ponies we killed to get it. We cleaned out an entire stable, young and old. Most couldn’t fight, let alone fight us. It was driving us insane. He put a grenade in his mouth and pulled the pin, rather than submit to the wasteland.

“I didn’t last much longer in Rosemary before the ghosts were whispering to me as well as visiting me. So, I went out and hunted. And I had a mission as well. I’ll get to that later. We want fun stories.”

“I’ve killed Hydras, helped multiple farms, and that such. None of those are good.”

Shadow thought for a moment and then grinned. “This one is for real laughs. Thunder, Slice, and I went treasure hunting. This was well after the betrayal, over the winter. We were bored and out of ideas. It’s how we got my sniper rifle, Soarin’s lighting. It’s an enchanted anti-machine rifle built for Pegasi to easily carry in the air. I will have to show you all later. Yes, it was being built for that Soarin right there, but he has graciously left it in my care.

“Anyway, we had to go back into Fillydelphia. Only once it didn’t draw my blood. It loves how I taste. This was not that time. We were going after an arms designer, Walter Arms. He designed a ton of the Equestrian Military’s weapons. From small pistols to the big canons. We were looking for Soarin’s Lightning and its sister rifle, all thanks to a hint Soarin gave me.

“We got there and we stepped into a trap. We were in basic gray combat armor, light rifles on battle saddles. The Kings were there and had us surrounded. They were an interesting raider gang. Vulpes, the leader, thought I was a mare. It saved our flanks. He bartered Slice’s and Thunder’s lives in exchange for me joining his harem as one of his Queens.”

Everypony at the table snickered.

“Oh yeah,” Shadow grinned. “He was cocky, good looking, smooth, but entirely too trusting. I killed him, but it took a few hours for me to get to that. Meanwhile, I had to act like a mare, including a nice, red, sequined dress.”

Shadow let them laugh as he chuckled at the memory.

“Card, the dress is coming back with Slice. I had to keep it for you. It is a beautiful antique and will fit you.”

“I cannot wait to see my husband in it,” Cardinal Spitfire said with an evil grin.

“Anyway, Vulpes had four other queens, and all bought me as a mare because they were told I was a mare. My wings were tucked under the dress, completely hidden because of its high back design. It actually helped the dress fit better with my size.”

More snickers as the others thought about Shadow’s small size.

“As night closed, Vulpes already had a bed for me and everything. I was his queen. I was treated well. I didn’t have to worry about anything. He did try to seduce me that night, in his private chamber. It ended with my big reveal and my knife slitting his throat.

“Thunder and Slice then hunted the Kings to extinction. His first and most loyal queen stabbed me in the shoulder with a sharpened file for hooves. I snapped her neck. I had to kill one of the others as well who wouldn’t bow. He had saved her from slavers, so her loyalty was to him.

“The other two joined us. They had equally been ‘saved’ or trapped into being his Queen. He wasn’t a bad pony when it came to caring for his Queens. And he had rescued two of them from a life of slavery. He wouldn’t force them to do anything either. But still, the choice had been taken from them. And they did not like that.

“We finally broke into the armory, which no one had been able to do. That was all thanks to Slice’s skill. In the end, we had no other choice but to leave the mares with the growing Sanctuary settlement that was below Rosemary. They have settled down there well over the years. But the rest of the adventure with them wasn’t that great. We got some beautiful pieces from the armory and first production models. Nothing that will help us in this war. And recovering Soarin’s Lightning took us elsewhere to where it had been stored.”

Shadow took a sip of water as he thought of the next tale.

“Alright, here is one of my actual military skill. I was living in Trottingham, and entered into the Steel Ranger’s rodeo exposition. The Trottingham Contingent of the Steel Rangers might actually be someone we can ally with.”

“I like the sound of that,” Firestorm said.

“Well, they had this rodeo exposition, and several events were shooting competitions. I entered it at the prodding of a friend. There was this awesome reactive rifle course, that is what it was called. It was one of the most popular competitions and a lot of ponies watched it. We had to move through a course as fast as possible, with as little shots as possible to take down pop up targets. It was slow compared to what you put us through, Falls. I flipped off the wall a time or two and put on a real show.

“I won with the second best time, but negative 2 points. I hit two targets with the shotgun I had mounted above my rifle and then I also showed off by kicking a spent casing that was launched up. It knocked a target down and registered as a hit, without a bullet hitting it, so I went negative two points and won the competition.”

“That’s the Shadow I was trying to forge,” Marble Falls smirked. “Looks like I did.”

“It gets more exciting,” Shadow grinned. “No dress, but I did it while wearing an original Blue Beret uniform. It’s with a friend in Trottingham, safe. I do want it back.

“But the other competition was a long-distance shooting one. I couldn’t use my magic rifle because they would have wanted it and taken it. Instead I got one of the non-magic versions. It’s a lot longer than me, heavy, and kicks almost as hard as I can buck.”

Those who knew the anti-machine rifles laughed.

“I took multiple shots past a mile as we whittled down the competition. This was a huge event. Tons of ponies also watched this event. It was the last one for a reason. A real blast for shooters and those in attendance. They had to wait for the announcer to give scores since most didn’t have binoculars to see that far.

“I was shooting against several expert shooters, most of whom were not Steel Rangers. We fired a total of 72 shots. I beat out the friend who got me to join the competition for the win. He used a 308, I used the 50 cal. I couldn't see from the pain of shot 72. But I won.”

“Damn impressive,” Nova chuckled. “You were not the same Pegasus we sent down. And that is a good thing.”

“I have a request for you Shadow,” General Firestorm said. “I want you to think over the next day or so about how many times you were injured, or things you did on the same levels as the other awards you got. A quick glance at the tally marks, and I have no problem giving you the awards you deserve, but it is clear you never gave up being an Enclave soldier. I want an honest report on those actions. We may need to load you with medals to back your time being gone, but being active.”

The other generals and admirals agreed.

“Understood,” Shadow nodded. “I will.”

Shadow traded a few more stories before they had to stop and prepare for the VIPs.

“Shadow,” General Firestorm said, hanging back. “I want you to wear your power armor. I know Cardinal Spitfire has your old uniforms, but right now, we need power armor.”

“Understood.”

“I am certain you can handle yourself, but this is going to be a difficult VIP meeting.”

Shadow and Cardinal Spitfire just nodded in reply.