We entered into Rarity`s house/clothing store, Rarity was busy babbling on about the new designs she would be able to finally apply to her artistic talent. Fluttershy trotted with a fearful pace behind my floating body, she was nervous about eye-contact but she never took an eye off my serious expression. Fluttershy knew I was doing something, and whatever it was it was coming soon.

50…51….52…

“It will just be darling! I can’t wait to try out these new ideas!” Rarity cheerfully galloped as she still suspended me in the air with her magic.

53…54…55…

“I know I don’t mean to brag, but this is just absolutely fabulous!” Rarity said with flair, not noticing Fluttershy gently poking her in the chest.

“Rarity, I think you should see Shadow….Rarity?”

56…57…58...59...

Fluttershy desperately tried to snap Rarity out of her fashion fantasy state, but didn’t notice me raise my hidden blade towards Rarity’s magical aura surrounding me as I counted up to fifty-nine.

“SIXTY! THAT’S IT!” I shouted through my confinement alerting both Fluttershy and Rarity.

I plunged my blade into the magical aura and a second later it popped and I dropped to the ground, anger flowing through my veins.

“Shadow! How did you?” Rarity began to ask but I quickly shoved her away from me as I dashed past her towards a table.

On the table stood a lamp, just your average fancy decorative lamp one might see anywhere. I grasped it in my hoof and turned my head towards Rarity who was dumbfounded and Fluttershy how was cowering from fright.

“What are you doing with my lamp!?”

I swung my hoof bringing the lamp towards the floor; it crashed in a series of pieces with the floor tiles beneath it causing a slightly hard hole to form.

“RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!” I shouted into the noon sun.

After my shout I calmed down and cleared my throat, “Alright, let’s do this before I change my mind. After all I need to help you pay for the damages,” I smirked as I stepped over the broken floor tiles.

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief, “At least that’s done with.”

I took off my robes which were still ash stained and slightly burned from the Griefer fight and hoofed them to Rarity.

“I’m ready, just make it quick.”

Rarity looked at my robes in her hoofs and her face turned to one of pure joy.

“….INSPIRATION!” she exclaimed as she skipped to a different room, Fluttershy looked at me and I shrugged.

“Shadow… how did you break the magic with your blade… also why are you so scared about clothing stores? I mean I’m scared of everything but never of Rarity’s boutique, do you want to talk about it… that is… if it doesn’t make you uncomfortable…” Fluttershy said.

“An interesting thing Fluttershy is that magic barriers always have one weakness, a successful strike on the right area and its down. As for my fear of clothing stores, it’s not really a fear just a series of agitating long events that was caused by my father’s bank meetings.”

“The short version is, he was very fussy with style always dress to impress. For me and my brother… well let’s just say 6 hours of being prodded with a needle has its repercussions.”

“I find clothes to be quite comfortable if I find the right ones. Also if you didn’t realize I’m technically still training today while everyone else isn’t. That’s why Fluttershy, could you do something for me if I start to relive one of those memories?”

“Sure Shadow, I would be glad to help you. Um... just asking what is it?”

“Stare at me,” I said seriously.

“St... stare?” she asked nervously to which I nodded my head just as Rarity entered the room carrying a series of fabrics and needles.

“Alright Shadow let’s begin your cultural expedition!” Rarity then hoofed my old clothes to Fluttershy, “Could you be a dear and fix these while I work on Shadow?”

“Well… I’m going to have my hoofs full watching Shadow and…” she squeaked but was ignored by Rarity who had put an outline on top of my back.

“Here we go!” Rarity said bringing her needle down on me.

Oh no, I knew I should’ve jumped out a window after I broke her lamp….

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“Come on Shadow! Just a few more stiches!” Rarity encouraged me as I started to sweat profusely.

I can do this… I can do this……. NOPE!

“Fluttershy stare! STARE AT ME BEFORE I LOSE MYSELF!” I shouted at her as a repressed memory of bargain hunting burst into my mind, making me relive the horrifying moments of shopper rage.

Fluttershy dropped my robes she was working on and grabbed my head to look into her wide open eyes.

I stared deep into her eyes, my memory spasm stopped and all was calm, except for the fact we were now having another ‘stare’ contest.

“I’m not losing this time Fluttershy!” I joked to her as rarity prodded the needle at my side.

We stared at each other for what felt like eons then finally came the satisfying sound I’ve waited for all this time.

“Done!”

Fluttershy closed her eyes to release her stare hold and Rarity removed the fabrics from my body.

“Whew who knew dressing up could be so agitating?” Rarity laughed as Fluttershy hoofed my fixed clothes to me and I put them on.

“Well I don’t know about you Rarity or Fluttershy but I’ve learned a lot from this little event.”

“Oh really?” Fluttershy said.

“Patience and assistance, plus here’s hoping I don’t break anything else in Rarity’s house!” I laughed.

Our laughter was stopped when a nearby window crashed bringing a cyan Pegasus flying through the room and landing into a pile of dresses.

“Man Shadow, how do you do those window jumps anyways?” Rainbow Dash said while holding her head from her dizzying impact.

“Rainbow! What a pleasant surprise to see you here, even though you broke my window…” Rarity said with a fake smile.

I came over to the cyan Pegasus and helped her up to her hooves, “You should be more careful Rainbow; my outfit protects me from most of the shattered glass.”

“Ya…but I guess that slows you down right? I need to be the fastest flier in Equestria!” she said.

“Well, I’m still fast despite my outfit. Remember when we raced up the hideout, also remember who won?” I baited Rainbow with my trap.

“Of course I won, I’m the best!” she boasted.

“And on the way down I did so it was a draw,” I smirked, Rainbow’s face went to a bright red.

Trap card activated!

“No! I won and I will prove it again, I challenge you Shadow to a race to see who really is the most fast and daring of us!”

“Ok Rainbow I accept. Where do you want to race to?”

Rainbow went over to the window and scanned outside until she spotted something.

“That mountain over there!” she pointed her hoof to a nearby mountain. “First on to get to the top wins!”

I motioned my hoofs towards the window, “Ladies first.”

Rainbow had an annoyed look on her face then quickly flew out the window towards the mountain, I tuck and rolled through the window and chased after her on hoof.
Fluttershy and rarity were left behind bewildered.

“Um… what just happened?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t know, now I need to replace my window… again,” Rarity facehoofed.

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I was chasing Dash who was miles ahead of me with her wing power as we raced through the town of Ponyville.

So it would be Ponyville, then some forest and finally the mountain itself. This race is more about endurance rather than speed. I’m sure to catch up once she’s burned out.

Still I should take as many shortcuts as I can.

Avoiding the filled streets of ponies I climbed onto a small building and raced along the rooftops. I could see her flying speedily over the town as I vaulted over a low chimney.

Running out of roof I leaped from the building and rolled on the ground below to maintain my momentum.

The crowds of ponies noticed my high-profile racing actions.

“What is he doing, is there a race going on?”

"I'm just a civilian I don't know anything!"

“I thought I saw Rainbow flying above me, poor sucker must’ve challenged her.”

“Damn kids and their damn racing games! In my time we…”

As I ran through the streets I noticed I was back in the marketplace, Applejack’s stand was gone from the day’s work.

Maybe I could see her once I’m on top of the mountain.

Then I heard a familiar pair of voices a few blocks ahead.

“I’m Commander Beard and I’m telling you THIS is the best store in Equestria!”

“Commander!” I shouted at him and Garrus who were hustling a store clerk.

“Oh if it isn’t Shadow, what’s the rush?” Garrus said as I got closer to them.

“BOOST! I NEED A BOOST!” I shouted back.

“Alright one coming up!” Beard said bringing his hoofs together as he prepared for my jump.

I stepped onto his hoofs and he flung me as hard as he could into the sky. Soaring through the air, I carefully open my wings up and glide towards the forest in front of Ponyville.

Garrus looked over to Beard once he was done, “Everypony needs a boost sometimes, now for this guy to get a little boost of his own…” they turned their attention back on the nervous store clerk.

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The distance I was able to cover due to Beard’s help was commendable. I landed in a nearby tree and grasped my hoof onto a tree branch as I balanced myself.

Still didn’t see Rainbow yet… doesn’t mean I should give up the chase.

I thrust my hoof downward on the tree branch as I propelled myself across the above foliage. Nearly running out of trees I landed on the grassy ground and ran through the thick woods until I noticed some hoof steps marked in the ground in front of me.

Its Rainbow’s trail I bet, guess she finally got tired and continued on foot.

Without wasting any more time I followed her trail as I proceeded closer to the mountain.
Suddenly a flash of a rainbow mane caught my attention darting through some bushes I ran closer and heard pants of exhaustion.

I could either sneak by or rush ahead or I could cut through this clearing and motivate her to move.
It’s not just about my training but I guess it’s Rainbow’s too.

I jumped through the bushes scaring Rainbow on the other side.

“What… Shadow? How did you get here so fast!?” she exclaimed.

“Hello Rainbow Dash, nice weather we are having!” I shouted to her as I overtook the lead.

Now running ahead I burst through the foliage of the forest to see the mountain standing at its steepness of its incline.

Guess I better climb…

Rock climbing wasn’t so different compared to buildings so I was able to get a good hoof hold in the mountain’s base. I reached up and grabbed a jagged rock as I hauled myself up the steep side.

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About two-thirds up the mountain I paused at a small outcrop of a cliff and laid my back against the cold stone. Peering over the edge Rainbow Dash was struggling but continued to fly upwards despite her exhaustion.

I noticed around my surroundings that certain rocks seemed to be sticking out providing a pathway to climb even further up.

Suddenly my head started to hurt, this caused me to give a moan of pain and I fell down to my side as my vision blackened. Just as quickly as my headache came, it went and I was able to stand up on my 4 hoofs once more as if nothing happened.

Damn that hurts! Maybe I hit my head on something before or it’s the lack of oxygen.
Whatever, I need to continue up this mountain.

My hooves touched the stony surface as I gripped the side of the mountain once more. After 15 minutes of climbing the cold upper wind buffeted me from behind. My hoof slipped on a holding but I quickly jumped to another outcrop.

I heard a voice behind me, “That was a close one Shadow, but you still can’t win!”

Rainbow! I need to climb faster now that we’re almost to the top.

I scrambled up the side of the outcrop and paced my way up the mountain’s side. Rainbow Dash was flying almost alongside me trying to tackle gravity with pure wing power alone.

“Rainbow! You need to climb or else your wings will give!” I shouted next to her as the wind deafened my voice.

“Then I wouldn’t be able to use the updrafts then!” she smirked as a gust of wind flew from beneath us and made her rise even higher.

This was a perfect time to do my wing/climbing combo. I spread my wings as wide as I could without getting hurt from my damaged right wing. A gust of air propelled me upwards and I was literally jumping up the mountain with my hoofs. I caught up to Rainbow and I exchanged a smile with her as we raced closer and closer to the top.

Hoof after hoof, gust after gust there was no stopping our determination, our goal in mind, the top.
I could see no more of the rocky surface just a few feet up; it was the finish and Rainbow and I were neck and neck.

Rainbow thrusted her wings up as hard as she could and grabbed onto the edge of the peak.

“HA! I WIN SHADOW, I WIN….. wooah wooAAHHH!” the rock she was holding onto broke and she fell downwards, her wings were too tired to open and save her.

“Rainbow!” I leaped off the side of the mountain and grabbed her mid-air.

A gust of freezing cold air rushed up under my wings and we both glided to the snow-capped mountain peak. We were finally at the top and more importantly we are safe.

“Shadow…. a draw?” Rainbow asked as I put her down.

“Sure thing Rainbow,” I chuckled.

We took in the amazing view on this staggeringly high mountain, it wasn’t as high as the one on Canterlot but it didn’t matter for we could see for miles around Ponyville.

“It just takes your breath away doesn’t it?” Rainbow softly said. “That’s why I love to fly, to be able to see this sort of thing every day. But it was the first time I actually flew up this entire mountain. The highest I’ve ever been up here was when Fluttershy defeated that dragon so long ago,” she said as we both sat down on the snow.

“Fluttershy defeating a dragon? Now that’s shocking but I guess it’s better she’s on our side,” I joked.

“Thanks Shadow for convincing me to have this rematch,” Rainbow said as she laid on her back on the cool snow.

“Anytime Dash I was worth it, tell me when you need me to persuade you to run up a mountain again,” I laughed but was then silenced by a snowball from the laughing Rainbow. I recovered and we continued to stare off into the distance.

It has been a while since I was on a decent viewpoint, but this trouble with Dave and Balthazar has completely made me lose touch with my natural side. I don’t know where they are or how to get them.
All I have now is that party Dave mentioned…. I know it’s a trap.
We’ll meet soon enough…

I stood up from my flank and went over to the side of the peak, I looked back at Rainbow who was lounging in the snow, “You going to stay up here for a while?”

“Ya I like it up here, it gives me time to think about stuff. What about you?”

“Oh I just need to help Applejack with a few things on her farm, but I guess other than that my training is concluded for the day.”

Rainbow shook her head, “Guess you should get going soon, the sun is starting to set,” she pointed over to the sun which passed its afternoon mark.

“You always have a plan don’t you.”

“Always, now if you will excuse me Rainbow….”

I leaned over the edge of the mountain peak.

Folding my wings back I took a leap forward.

A moment later and the wind rushed across my body as I fell downwards back to Ponyville.