From Darkness

Operation: Skulking Eagle, Phase II

Location: BLACK HQ (Unknown)

Date and Time: September 24, 2037. 7:34 Hours.

Subject: Shadows

Objective: Get insider intel on the operations within BLACK. And avoid the debriefing room if possible...

Fucking plans, they never work.

I don't know why I ever bother making plans. Nothing ever goes according to plan, ever. Cogs, Spitfire, and I all gathered together and made a seemingly flawless plan. Get Twilight, get in BLACK, steal shit, get out. Plain, simple, and to the point. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. Fucking Celestia.

She knew what happened in there, she knew. Why! Why does this shit happen to me? Why not somebody else? I'm the good guy! I'm not supposed to deal with this! I get shit done, and then I go home and get rewarded. Then, I repeat.

Well, I can't say I never knew this was coming. My actions would catch up with me eventually, maybe it's better that it happened this way. Without her here to see...

YOU MONSTER!

Fuck, this won't end well...

Operation: DATA CORRUPTED

Location: DATA CORRUPTED

Date and Time: DATA CORRUPTED

Subject: 5H4D0W5

Objective: DATA CORRUPTED

Well, insanity is about to be my new friend.

Yup, it's official. I'm about to go insane; that is, if I haven't already. I was gonna be handcuffed to that table, and forced to re-live the events of that day. I hope that Luna shoves her horn up Celestia's ass when she finds out she's still alive.

The guards dragged me down the hallway. They had me by my arms, and I was barely keeping up. These were the cyborgs Gear Head talked about. I could hear the spinning of the gears inside them and the fact that my efforts to resist did nothing at all, proved my hypothesis.

I could see it, the debriefing room. That's where it all happened. Well...not all of it...just the sad, sad ending. I hope Celestia intended to watch a soldier break down and cry in front of her, because I think that it was about to happen.

They shoved me in the room, and slammed the door behind me. The table wasn't in here. What the fuck? Celestia walked in behind them, and the door slammed shut again. She gave me a pitiful smile, and directed me to one of the chairs. What the hell was going on? Where is the table? What is she planning?

"Shadows..." Celestia snapped me out of my reverie

I sat there, silently, killing her over and over in my mind. What made me freak out is that I actually wasn't doing it!

"I'm here to help you..." Celestia continued

Help me? "Yeah right!" I accused, "prove it!"

"You may have noticed, I had the table removed from the room..." Celestia calmly replied

Shit. She had me there. Why would she help me though?

As if reading my mind, she said, "Because I need your help."

"My help? You have an entire agency. What can I do?"

"You can give me intelligence I have needed for a long time." Celestia frowned, more so than she was already doing.

"Me? I don't know anything!"

"Yes you do. You know more than we do." Celestia admitted

What? How is that possible? I mean, sure, I operated within Illesia, but that doesn't mean that a fully funded and operational military base should know less than I do! The whole reason I was here was because I thought she did! This wasn't adding up, "How can you know less than me?"

"Because we've refused to tread in Illesia for ten years now. Last night was a desperate attempt to achieve as much information as possible, to make up for lost time." Celestia explained, "Equestria was taken by the Elites, and I have been afraid to see what they have done with my wonderful land. In fear of seeing it twisted beyond my expectations, I refused to gather intelligence from the area. My fears were realized tonight. When Equestria was changed to Illesia, not much changed in physical appearance. Many buildings stayed up, and the new ones don't alter much from the originals. It still looks like Equestria, but the morals of the people are what have changed. The Elites are cruel. My agents retrieved many reports about robberies, jailbreaks, murders, and even...rape. Equestria was a land focused on love and tolerance. Just to hear about my home being transformed from such a beautiful thing into...such a horrible place, pains my old heart."

Woah. This was some personal stuff. Fine, I take back some of the stuff I said. "Why lock me up then? If you're on my side?"

"Can you honestly say you wouldn't turn tail and run at the first site of me approaching you?" Celestia countered

Wow. For an old princess, she sure knew how to win an argument. Then again, she was a woman...

"But first, you must cleanse yourself."

Wait. What? "I had a shower just before I left for the mission, thanks."

"No. I mean of mind and spirit."

"What? I don't understand."

"You have to face the past, Shadows..."

"What!? I DON'T HAVE TO DO SHIT!"

"Shadows. If you do not face your past, it will destroy you. You must."

"I...I...I..." I sighed and looked at my feet. She was right, it would destroy me. I always thought I could just ignore my past, and put it all behind me, but it had been bothering me lately. Every time I looked at an enemy, I thought of...her. It was time I faced it, and accepted it, and hopefully, come to terms with it.

"When you are ready, I will manifest the table..." Celestia told me, glumly

That table, that was where it all happened. Well, there I go again, not all of it. Just the really bad part. Shoot, not even the really bad part, just the part that affected me the most. I looked to Celestia, and saw she had a smile on her face. She looked like she used to ten years ago, back in happier times. She had the smile that said, "I'm here to help you, no matter what happens!" I missed that smile, and I knew this was gonna be one of the last times she ever gave it, so I took a mental picture. From here on out, we were at war. There wasn't any room for smiles during war, and those that found time for them, normally ended up dead. She would help me, "I'm ready..."

Celestia's horn glowed, and a pop could be heard behind me. I turned around, and faced the interrogation table.

Along with the wave of memories that came with it...

I was a soldier following orders! I didn't know that would happen!

YOU WERE A MONSTER! YOU ARE NOT THE MAN THAT I LOVE!