Fallout Equestria: Falling Shadows

“I love you with all my heart and I give my love and my soul to you.”

I looked out across the open expanse of Crimson Canyon, not far from The Den, marveling at the griffons who were still cleaning up after booting the Unchained Talons out. We’d only gotten back a few minutes ago and Violet went to rest in one of the larger caves up the cliffs near The Den, Harmony followed her so she could talk with Violet while she rested. I was shocked she was able to teleport all of us so far. She’d explained to me before she went to rest that alicorns could build up power by soaking up magical radiation. That was a surprise to me, I didn’t even know alicorns were immune to radiation, let alone used it to get stronger for a short amount of time. To be fair, I didn’t know much about alicorns, well not the kind my many greats grandmother was now at least.

I was taking in the sight of Crimson Canyon now. I haven’t been back here since the day it fell. There was still a massive area that was blackened and flattened in a circle where I’d lost control of my magic that day. If it hadn’t been for Wind Thrasher, I might’ve killed myself and done a lot more damage. The sight was a reminder of the power inside me even without Aquila. I knew that I had to get better control of it, even now. I then looked over at the rubble that was left of the ten rules of The Red Talons and the statue of Greta. I was glad to see those rules gone, but I was sad to see the statue destroyed. Thanks to the memories I’d gotten of Absent Moon, I knew what kind of griffon she’d been. She’d been Loyal, strong, funny, and brave. She built The Red Talons to give her people a place to belong and to grow and survive. Her son built the statue to honor her, and now it was gone.

I didn’t get any more time to look around the canyon before I heard a loud yell of happiness as a large silhouette flew down from high above and tackled me to the ground, hugging me tight. I found myself hugging him back nearly in tears as I felt Stardust holding onto me, saying, “I missed you so much.”

I pressed my face into the crook of his neck, saying softly, “I missed you too, I’m so sorry for being away for so long.”

He pulled away letting me up as he wiped tears away, saying, “I’m sure you were expecting me to yell at you for leaving like you did, but honestly, I’m just glad you’re alive and back.”

I looked up at the descending Bitter Cob as it started landing in the center of Crimson Canyon. “I’m guessing you’re just getting back from Baltimare.”

He nodded. “Yeah, we just got in a few minutes ago and Solstice already sent a message to Byte telling us you’d all arrived back safely.”

I looked over at Solstice who was already moving over to us before she pulled her brother into a hug. “Missed you, big bro, glad to see you made it back safe.”

Aura, Oricalcos, and Vervain came over as Aura wrapped a wing around me and pulled me close. She looked over at Stardust, saying, “I’m still not happy with you three for running off like you did to Baltimare, but I’m glad you finished the mission out there and got back safe.”

He smiled, then looked at Aura’s wing wrapped around me, then at the band around my right foreleg with a black and red feather on it. “I see you two patched things up. So does that mean you two are getting hitched too?”

Aura rolled her eyes. “It’s called a life bond you uncultured dickwhad, and yes, Shadow and I had time to talk and figure things out. We’re hoping to set up the ceremony to be in a couple days.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “So quickly?”

I interrupted before they could start arguing about the upcoming bonding. “What do you mean by getting hitched too? What did I miss?”

Stardust blushed as he said sheepishly, “Well, I asked Wind Thrasher a couple months back if she’d marry me and she said yes.”

I grinned. “You have no idea how happy that makes me Dusty,” I hugged him again, “Where is Wind Thrasher anyway?”

He looked around then shrugged. “Not sure honestly, she said she’d be in Crimson Canyon when I got back with the kids, maybe she’s taking a nap. The foal tires her out quickly nowadays. She’s been spending a lot of time with Fletch in her cave, keeping her company.”

I looked over at Aura. “I’m guessing she laid her egg?”

Aura nodded with a sad smile. “Yes, she’s been having a hard time over the past couple months. Her egg should hatch in the next few days, but after what happened with Gouger she’s been depressed. So, Wind Thrasher spends a lot of time with her.”

“Wh…what happened to Gouger?” I asked feeling my heart ache as I thought of the big goofy griffon who’d been in love with Fletch for years.

“He was killed when we took back Crimson Canyon. Gina did it, but it was an accident, kind of,” Aura said sadly.

“How do you accidentally kill someone?” I asked.

“I can explain that later, for now just trust me on this. We all have a lot to catch you up on, but I see the kids coming and I’m sure they want to say hi. I think they took you leaving even harder than I did,” Aura said as she looked over toward the Bitter Cob as I saw Byte and Wingnut run down the gangplank.

My eyes went wide as I saw them both. Byte didn’t look too different, maybe a little taller and her mane was down, but Wingnut had grown a lot. I looked at Aura and Stardust, asking, “Is that really Wingnut?”

Stardust smiled happily as he said with a laugh, “Yeah, the kid grew a lot over the past few months.”

Wingnut finally made it over to me and before I used to have to look down at him, but now he was taller than me. For a moment he looked down at me then I saw his lip quiver and he started crying as he hugged me tight. He couldn’t even talk as he sank down to the ground crying into my shoulder. I found myself tearing up as I hugged him back, patting his back slowly. Taller or not he was still Wingnut. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Byte smile before going over to Solstice, Vervain, and Oricalcos to talk with them while Wingnut just kept trying to speak through his tears.

It took a while for him to calm down before he was finally able to say, “Please…don’t leave me alone again. You’ve become like a big sister to me, and I can’t lose any more of my family.”

I pulled away slowly and said, “I don’t plan on leaving you like that again. I can’t promise that I won’t have to leave again in the future, but I can promise that I will talk to you first and say goodbye before I do. Okay?”

He nodded before getting up and wiping his eyes. “I can live with that.”

“Such a crybaby,” Byte teased.

I was surprised when Wingnut didn’t snap at her for the remark, he just smiled and laughed. “Yeah, but I can’t help myself sometimes.”

Aura cleared her throat, then said, “How about we all head into The Den and we can all catch up on what’s been going on with all of us. I’ll have someone bring us something to eat, then I need to meet with a few griffons to start setting up the ceremony.”

Right as she stopped talking, Vi landed next to us and said, “No you don’t Aura, Syn and I will be dealing with most of that for you with a little help from Vervain and Oricalcos if they don’t mind helping. We had an idea we’d like to run by them before Nightshade makes his way down here from Stratus.”

“My dad’s coming?” I asked feeling another smile pull at my lips. I’d missed him more than I was willing to admit to myself.

Vi smiled at me then moved close to hug me. “Glad to see you back here Shadow, and yes, he just contacted us a few minutes ago. He’s finishing with something going on in Stratus, then he’ll be heading down.”

Aura rolled her eyes. “Fine, but I still wanna have a little say in what’ll happen during the ceremony.”

“I know and Syn and I will check in with you later tonight,” she said before looking back at me, “When you have time tonight would you go see Fletch? She knows your back and she really wants to see you. I think it will do her good.”

I lifted an eyebrow at that. Fletch and I weren’t that close, even if she was a lot nicer to me than she had been. “Why do you think seeing me would be a good thing?”

Aura interrupted, saying, “Fletch does like you Shadow and being the sister that’s closest to me she probably wants to talk with you about what to expect when we bond. It’s kinda her job.”

I was confused, but I decided to just go with it and nodded. “Okay, I’ll go see her when things settle down.”

Vi smiled. “Good, now I need to start getting things set up before Aura starts thinking she has to do everything herself.”

When Vi flew off we all headed toward The Den. I was still a little shellshocked at my friends not being angry with me after how I acted. Though it was possible that they were just holding back their anger until we were in private. Either way I’d take whatever they had to say. I was just glad to be home.

***

It took us a few hours to catch up on everything that had been going on while I was away. An hour into our talk, we were interrupted when Wind Thrasher came into The Den, and I went through another round of hugs as the batpony hugged the four of us who’d been gone for so long. Then I had to comment on how good she looked even though she was around six months pregnant now which she took as me calling her fat. Once that settled down, I listened to everypony tell me all that had been going on around New Pegasus while I was away. The news wasn’t good, and I understood now why we’d teleported right to Crimson Canyon instead of Freedom or The Strip. I was still one of the most wanted ponies in the area. I was surprised to hear that over the past couple of weeks, nopony had seen Aquila. It was like she’d vanished into thin air, but intel said she was held up in a tent at the middle of a large camp of her cultists, but she hadn’t left for a while. I was told about how the NLR was losing ground to The Romans and how the Steel Rangers were being forced to go back into hiding at Hidden Sands because the NLR, Romans, and a few gangs along with The Star Cult were all on the warpath to kill every single Steel Ranger in the area.

I also heard news that more and more ponies were being forced to either join one of the strong factions or die. The ones who could get away had all went to Freedom or The Strip to get away. The NLR had also been kicked out of The Strip and Freedom by Mr. Tops after they started attacking The Queens again or Rangers who were near the area. Also, it seemed like a branch of The NLR broke away from the rest, most of them NLR Rangers and NLR Veteran Rangers who didn’t agree with the way things were going. A civil war was about to break out between the two sides all while The Romans moved closer to the dam and New Pegasus.

Even worse was that Mr. New Pegasus had up and vanished, leaving his radio station quiet for the past month. Nopony knew where he’d gone, only that the last broadcast had been a plea for the ponies of New Pegasus to put their trust in me. He’d been on my side even after what happened with Aquila and I right before I left. Right after that, NLR soldiers went into his station to pull him out so he’d stop trying to stand up for The Courier, but they never found him. Lonely Hearts had also gone into hiding when cultists tried to kill him in his own office just last month. His secretary hadn’t made it out alive sadly, but the old synth was now in Crimson Canyon staying out of sight. The news just kept getting worse, The Queens were constantly having to patrol Freedom with the help of Mr. Tops’ robots to keep NLR, cultists, and Romans out of Freedom and The Strip. Crimson Canyon was also always on guard to make sure no one got in and The Shadow Talons were not taking any contracts right now because they didn’t know who could be trusted. Luckily the casinos and Mr. Tops were paying any available griffon to help The Strip, Freedom, and the surrounding areas.

The last bit of hard news to hear was the new faction that had been showing up around the area. Well faction was a strong word for them, but they had been troublesome for a few ponies. The former Enclave Pegasi who refused to follow the new laws my father had set up were kicked out of Stratus and they now formed up into a large group down here in the wasteland calling themselves The Fallen. Luckily, they weren’t too bad to deal with since none of them were able to leave Stratus with anything like power armor.

“I can’t believe so much happened just because I was gone,” I said.

“It’s not all because you left Shadow,” Aura said, “A lot of this would’ve still happened even if you’d still been around. The biggest problem with you being gone was mostly the rise in crime and Aquila’s cult getting so big. If they had it their way, there’d be a big bounty on you just like there is for us from them, but Aquila’s been telling them they can’t put one on you.”

I laughed and shook my head, “Well she’s doing a shitty job because according to Quick Draw, a bounty hunter who came after me a while ago said they had a 50,000-cap bounty on me, dead or alive.”

“If that’s true, then Aquila doesn’t know about it, but I bet that their leader has something to do with it. The dude’s a nutjob,” Stardust said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he set it up thinking that Aquila will be pleased with him if they captured you or took you to her dead. She has said that she wants you to be left alone, but they don’t always do what she wants. They have this whole thing about taking what she says and thinking it’s a test of some kind,” Aura said.

Wingnut looked over at me and asked, “So, are you going to tell us what happened with you while you were gone?”

I winced, then said, “I can tell you a lot of what happened, but I warn you now…my story is dark and please let me get through it all before you ask me anything,” they all nodded, and I started telling them about what I’d been doing while I was in the badlands.

I did my best to tell my story to my friends as they all sat around The Den. I watched as their faces went from shocked, to scared, to sad as I explained my mindset, my actions, and the dark depths I fell into while I was in Armadillo. I held nothing back, even my slight relationship with Solstice, which Aura already knew about, but Stardust looked a little pissed when I told them that part. I then explained what happened to me when I was hit by the megaspells, at least to the best of my knowledge at the time. I even went over my journey to find my true self and ended on part of the conversation I had with Aura when I got back. By the time I was done, the sun had set, and moonlight was drifting in through the tent flap.

“You…were going through a lot while you were away,” Wind Thrasher said softly.

I nodded. “I was going through a lot, but I was also being selfish. I had no right to act the way I did toward any of you, but when I left, my mindset was so dark I couldn’t think straight. I’ll understand if none of you forgive me for leaving like I did and for how I acted.”

My friends all looked at each other before Stardust looked into my eyes and said, “Shadow, I will admit that the way you acted was immature.”

I looked down, saying quietly, “I’ll do anything I can to make it up to you all…”

Stardust interrupted me, saying, “I wasn’t done,” I looked back up at him as he continued, “You did act immature yes, but none of us blame you for what happened or for you acting the way you did.”

I was confused at that. This wasn’t the first time I’d acted out or left without talking to anypony. Normally I’d get at least a stern talking to by them or yelled at or something. I wasn’t expecting this.

Wind Thrasher looked at me next, saying, “Shadow, in the past we’ve always either yelled at you or blamed you for acting out or doing something stupid. After you left this time, we all got together once we got over the shock of finding that you’d left and talked. We realized that we’d been putting a lot of pressure on you which isn’t fair for such a young mare like yourself. You’ve carried a lot on your shoulders ever since you left Stable 28, and the weight has only gotten worse as time went on.”

Stardust put a hoof on Wind Thrasher before continuing, “I’m not sure if you’ve put it together or not yet Shadow, but a lot of shit happened to you over the week before you left. For fuck’s sake, you had a monster pulled out of you, then right after that your mom died. You almost died along with your uncle after Aquila got her own body. You barely had time to process your mother's loss and the trauma your body went through. You then went into the Los Alicorn Steel Ranger’s stronghold, took down The Palisade, almost died again doing that, then went up to Stratus and had to once again risk your life just to save your father and Stratus. Right after you did that, you got attacked by the last of The Sins, then had to deal with the Hidden Sands Steel Rangers, hearing the griffon you love say something that sounded like she didn’t love you, watched a mare you used to care for as a friend die hating you, got attacked by Aquila again and framed for killing more New Appleton ponies and became the most hated pony in the area all in an hour. No pony could’ve dealt with all that and not broken.”

“What they’re trying to say,” Aura said sounding sad, “Was that you didn’t let us down or betray our trust or anything like that. We were the ones who didn’t see all the shit that was happening around you. We didn’t take the time to make sure you were okay. You might’ve done some bad things while you were away and leaving like you did may not have been the smartest move on your part, but that’s not all your fault.”

“I’ve been trying to get her to talk to me for months now to try and get her to understand that.” Vervain said with a slight smile, “But we all know she’s not the best at listening when she’s angry…or drunk.”

That made me laugh a little, then cry, then laugh again. When I finally calmed down, I said with a smile on my face, “I’m lucky to have such an amazing family.”

“Now that we got all the mushy stuff out of the way and we all know now that no one is mad at each other,” Stardust said glaring at me, “Why in the Goddess’s name did you think it was okay to seduce my sister!?”

I looked over at Solstice who grinned at me, saying, “Yeah Shadow, why did you seduce little old me?”

Stardust looked at Aura next. “And how are you okay with this?”

Aura looked at Solstice, then at me, then winked at Stardust. “Hey, we were technically not together at the time and your sisters fuckin’ hot.”

“Awww thank you Aura,” Solstice teased.

I just smiled as Stardust got even more flustered. “I…I thought you didn’t like mares!”

“Normally I don’t, but it’s not uncommon for same sex relations to happen sometimes in the Enclave and I may like stallions, but Shadow and I just needed something to get our minds off the shit going on at the time,” Solstice teased, “Plus, we both have needs that must be satisfied to keep us sane.”

I laughed. “The question is Dusty, why do you care so much about your sisters sex life?”

“I…I don’t!” he said.

We all started laughing and the teasing kept going on. Later that night my dad showed up and again I was lost in hugs and stories as I was reunited with more of my family. I could tell that he had news, but seeing me back I could tell he was going to wait to tell me or Aura about it. Later, Harmony finally came down from visiting with Violet and she got to meet everypony. It didn’t take long for her to get into a deep conversation with Wind Thrasher. She was fascinated by the bat-dragon pony.

I smiled as I watched my family all sitting around The Den, talking, and telling stories all of us catching up after five long months apart. I watched as Vervain leaned her head on my uncle’s shoulder, her eyes half open. I saw Wind Thrasher run a hoof over her growing belly as Stardust pulled her close. Wingnut and Cookie Byte were even sitting close and not fighting for a change. Harmony was talking enthusiastically with my father now. Solstice was talking with Aura about Gaston of all griffons telling her about what he was like and how he’d been a big help over the time he’d spent with us. I leaned into Aura, feeling her talons wrap around me as she listened to Solstice. Aura told me a little about what she’d learned about Gast from her aunt, but she wanted to know more about her cousin it seemed. I just smiled wider and closed my eyes, letting this small moment of peace flow over me. Things were going to get chaotic again soon enough, so I was going to take this moment to relax and hopefully things would stay this way long enough for Aura and I to preform our bonding.

After it was late into the night, Syn came into The Den and came right over to me, saying softly, “Shadow, do you have time to meet with Fletch? She’d really like to speak with you before she goes to bed.”

I looked up at Aura first. “Think you’ll be okay with out me for a bit?”

She smiled. “I think we’ll be okay, but I can come with you if you’d like.”

Syn looked over to her little sister, and said, “Fletch wants to talk with her alone.”

Aura sighed before saying, “Fine, just don’t let my sister keep her too long okay.”

I got to my hooves. “If she does, I’ll be sure to wake you when I get back. Are you still in your old cave?”

She nodded. “Yeah, it’s just two caves down from where Fletch is staying. If I don’t see you back here before I head up, I’ll pop in and check on you before heading to bed. I need to talk with your dad and Syn anyway.”

I kissed her. “Okay, I’ll see you later then.”

“You know where to go then?” Syn asked.

“I do, you can stay here and talk with your sister,” I said before saying goodnight to the rest and heading out of The Den.

A moment later my dad followed me out, saying, “Wait up Shadow, can we talk on your way up to see Fletch?”

As he came over toward me, I saw four pegasi in power armor move closer, then stop as my dad put a hoof up and shook his head at them. They stopped and went back to their posts a little way away, keeping an eye on everyone around them. I lifted an eyebrow. “I never thought I’d see the day that you’d be down in The Wasteland without your stranger garb on and with guards.”

He smiled sadly. “Comes with the job sadly, I can’t go anywhere without a guard it seems nowadays. I’m the sole leader of The Western Cloud Alliance and I’ve made a lot of enemies over the past few months. The heads of the military and the city councils insist on me having protection.”

I started heading to the incline behind The Den that would lead up to the caves where Fletch should be. As we walked, I asked, “Western Cloud Alliance?”

He rolled his bright green eyes. “Not my idea, trust me on that, but with the fall of most of The Enclave back east and with Stratus and Nimbus pulling away from The Enclave before that we needed a better name. Nimbus joined up with us four months ago after an old enemy now turned ally went out there and took out the old city council and put a mare in charge who has been a good leader for the city ever since.”

“Who’s this enemy turned ally?” I asked.

“Sloth,” My dad said with a smile, “He’s been a big help in getting Nimbus and the Twin Cities on our side and helping defend that area now that Stormy was able to help him with his energy drain problem.”

I lifted an eyebrow at that. “Sloth was cured or whatever from his problem?”

My father nodded then said, “Kind of. What was done to him ended up being not Dr. Stormy’s work but that of her Synth. Stormy did come up with the research many years ago before the whole Stable 97 stuff, but she decided to never go that far, fearing it was a bad idea. Her Synth however wasn’t fully under Stormy’s control as she thought it was and she was the one who made Sloth. Stormy was able to fix some of his problems with burning through his energy so fast, but it came at the cost of him losing about forty percent of his strength. Though he’s okay with that. He’s still very strong and fast for a pegasus his size and still tires out quickly, though it takes him around an hour or two to hit that point now.”

I smiled at that. “I’m glad to hear that he’s doing okay. Was he able to reunite with his family?”

Dad nodded. “His mother is the new head of state for Nimbus and The Twin Cities. He’s also been working with The Kingdom to help reunite Dashites with their families.”

“Sounds like things are going better up in the clouds,” I said.

“For the most part, though we’re having problems with The Crystal Empire,” he said sadly, “Them and Cirrus.”

I looked over at him. “I thought Cirrus was just a legend and what kinds of problems are you having with our old home? I thought The Crystal Empire was fully controlled by Nimbus.”

My father sighed, then said, “The Crystal Empire was controlled by Nimbus, but when I banished the pegasi and unicorns who were loyal to the old way of The Enclave, a good number of them went to The Crystal Empire and took over. It’s a very easy city to defend from outside forces. With The Black Wall of Death blocking most ways into the territory, that only leaves one way in for most and that’s through the small bit of sky over the city. As for Cirrus, well I’ve known it existed for some time now, but only recently found its location. I believe it’s where Thunderlane has been hiding for all these years. I’ve been having Thundercracker, or Greed I guess, keeping an eye on it for me and just a few days ago he ran into a problem.”

My eyes went wide. “Is he okay?”

He nodded. “He’s fine, mostly thanks to his ultimate shield. The problem was that he saw a newly repaired Palisade docking at the fortress there and soon after he was attacked by a unicorn going by the name of Hacker. Apparently, she was able to use some kind of dark magic to give herself wings made of shadows and she attacked him. He barely got away with his life.”

“So, she’s working with Thunderlane?” I asked as I paused outside of Fletch’s cave, then looked over at my dad, “It’s not good news, but at least I know more now about what to expect when I go after Thunderlane. As for The Crystal Empire problem, I think I’m going to have to talk with Violet and see if she has any ideas on how we can get into the city.”

His eyes went wide. “You’re still planning on going there?”

“I don’t have much of a choice, it’s the last tower I need to activate before I can unlock the systems in New Pegasus and finally put an end to Falling Shadows. To do that I need to get into The Forgotten Library which is under the castle,” I said.

He sighed again. “The city is occupied by a large force of former Enclave, I’m not sure how you can get close to the castle.”

I smiled a little. “I’ll think of something, that’s why I need to talk with Violet about it.”

“I’d love to help you,” he said.

“But you can’t…” I said, then stopped and thought of something, “Well, maybe you can, it depends on what I can find out about the black wall of death.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Not much to find out about that spell. It’s a large spell that makes a dense black fog that rolls continuously toward The Crystal Empire. Anypony that goes into it dies within a minute of walking into it.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I know the stories. Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence sacrificed themselves to power a massive spell that put up the barrier that protects the city. Nopony really knows how they did it or why the barrier is still protecting the city even with the former rulers dead.”

“Yes, that’s the story I was told too. What you don’t know is that their bodies were crystalized when they performed the spell, and they’re still in the throne room to this day. The beam of power coming from the castle starts right from their connected horns. I’ve seen them myself. That’s why the castle is off limits to most of the citizens. No one knows what would happen if their bodies were tampered with,” he said.

I thought it over for a moment then shrugged. “That’s not important right now. The problem is figuring out why the black wall of death is still active. Spells like that should’ve faded away many years ago.”

He laughed. “You’ve heard about the Pink Cloud that was in Canterlot before it fell right?”

“I’ve seen it and what do you mean Canterlot fell?” I asked.

“Oh yeah, I forgot you probably didn’t hear about that. The Enclave back east destroyed the city not long before The Stable Dweller took over the S.P.P. The entire city is gone,” he said, “My point is that the pink cloud there was still active for two hundred years, so there are spells that can last that long.”

I wanted to ask him what the hell the S.P.P. was, but I didn’t have time. “That spell is a mystery too, but my point is that the only way for a spell to keep running for so long is for it to be feeding off some kind of power source. Something is keeping the black wall from fading and I’m sure Violet might know what it is.”

“Maybe that’s true, but even if it is, how do you plan on stopping it? The spell will kill you too,” he said, looking worried.

I smiled. “Every spell has a counter, that’s why I need Violet. For now, we shouldn’t worry about it. Right now, I want to go see my soon-to-be sister-in-law, then get some sleep before planning my big day with Aura. I’m going to take life one day at a time for now.”

He smiled. “That might be a good idea for right now. I guess I’ll go see what Aura needed with me before I head back up to Stratus. You get a good night sleep though my Little Star.”

“You’ll be here for the Bonding, right?” I asked.

He chuckled. “Sweetie, you’re my only child, and I wouldn’t miss your wedding day for anything.”

I laughed. “First of all, it’s a Life Bond ceremony. Second, it’ll be at night according to Aura.”

He pulled me into a hug. “Either way, I will be here in three days to give you away to Aura. Life Bond or wedding, a father has the right to do that one thing for their daughter.”

I hugged him back. “I love you dad.”

“Love you too Little Star,” he said before flying back down to The Den.

I waited for a few moments then turned to head into Fletch’s Cave…

***

I’ll say this, I wasn’t expecting the conversation I’d have with Fletch. Turns out that she’d wanted to speak with me for a few reasons. The most important of all was that she wanted me to name her chick when he hatched. I knew the honor she’d offered me after seeing Aura do a similar thing for an old friend of hers after her life partner died. I was nervous because I didn’t know the first thing about naming a griffon. They tended to have strange names compared to ponies and I also came from a place where ponies normally changed their names when they came of age. Fletch told me to talk with Aura and her sisters along with Toby the grandson of Tonto and new story keeper of the Shadow Talons to find the right name for her son. She also told me she knew the gender because Stormy had told her. I don’t exactly know how, but I guess it was with science. Maybe there was a flashlight involved.

We spent more time catching up and hearing about how she’d been doing since Gouger died. They’d only been bonded for a short time and their own bonding had been quick due to the nature of the fighting going on at the time between The Unchained Talons and The Shadow Talons. She might not have had her soulmate for long as a bonded partner, but she’d grown up with Gouger and his loss has been hard on her. In just a few short months, she’d lost both griffons from her wing. Pluck died saving Gouger when Crimson Canyon fell to The Unchained. Gouger fell when they took it back and only because he’d tried to help his leader and friend fight against who he thought was an enemy.

One thing was clear when I talked with Fletch, she wasn’t the same griffon I’d met so many months ago when I was flying toward Hidden Sands. I’m sure if it wasn’t for her soon to hatch chick and her loyalty to her sisters, she would’ve let herself die by now. On a happier note, we did spend a while talking about what to expect for the Life Bond Ceremony. Later Arys came to find us, and she joined in the conversation going over a few things I’d need to do and what else to expect and what would be expected of me. There were two things however that worried me. One was that I needed to make something like the band Aura had given me to indicate our bond to other griffons, that was something Arys said she’d help me with which was nice of her. The second thing was a bit scarier, part of the ceremony involved something they called a trust fall. It was at the start of the ceremony, and it wasn’t simple.

When I heard it at first, I thought it was no big deal. We’d done trust fall exercises when I was in Stable 28. Not hard really, just fall back into the hooves of your partner. It showed trust in the one you fell toward and helped young stable ponies trust each other so they could perform their jobs in the stable better. Then they told me what this trust fall was really about. As the one who was asked to make a life bond by Aura, I had to do the fall and Aura had to catch me. It wasn’t a fall from a desk or anything like that. Normally a griffon had their wings tied and they fell from a great distance, trusting their partner and soon to be bonded to catch them. The trust part for the one catching the falling griffon was to trust that their soon to be partner would take the leap. If this wasn’t done, then the griffons couldn’t be bonded. You can’t start a life bond without full and open trust in your partner. I wasn’t scared that Aura wouldn’t catch me or anything like that…I just didn’t look forward to closing my eyes and willingly jumping toward the ground, but I would do it…for Aura.

After we talked, I headed out right as Aura was just about to pop in to check on us. I followed her out of Fletch’s cave, and we went to our room and soon fell asleep. Over the next couple days, Crimson Canyon was full of activity as The Shadow Talons got the large open area in the middle of the canyon ready for the upcoming celebration. I was kept busy as I worked with Arys and Syn and sometimes Fletch when she could get out of her cave for a bit. They all helped me make my own band for Aura which was easier than I’d thought it would be. Turned out that the band needed to have something of mine on it to show that Aura was mine just as my band that I had wrapped around my right upper foreleg was the sign of me being Aura’s.

What we ended up doing was using some of my longer silver hair to make a braid that with the help of Uncle Ori I cast a spell on that would keep it held together for decades without falling apart or fraying. I also put a small ruby on it that held a small bit of my magic in it making it glow just a little. It was simple but beautiful at the same time and I’d give it to Aura on the day we were bonded.

On the second day, ponies started showing up at Crimson Canyon and I soon found myself in the company of The Queen and her brother Sugar Buck with a few more of The Queens as guards to the leader of the gang. They’d been told by some of the Shadow Talons that I was back and what was going to be happening soon. The Queen and Sugar Buck both wanted to be here for the ceremony which I was happy to hear. Sugar Buck also told me that he’d be doing my mane and tail for the celebration which was great to hear since I hadn’t taken the time to fix it up since I’d been back.

The ponies that were left of Stable 28 and Cartwheel had gone back to Sandstone, the small mostly destroyed town outside Crimson Canyon when The Shadow Talons took the canyon back. They were now living there with new homes they built while I was away and most of them were coming too. I wanted Milkshake to be part of the ceremony since she was my oldest friend. She couldn’t however, since she’d just given birth to twins only a week before I’d gotten back, but she’d be there with Balefire while one of the former Stable 28 mares watched their twins for the night. She was still too tired from giving birth to be part of the ceremony. Wind Thrasher and Solstice were going to be part of it and Solstice was going to be my mare of honor, something griffons didn’t do for a Life Bond, but I found out that this Life Bond celebration was going to be different than most. According to Vervain and Oricalcos, they, along with my father had insisted that some of the pony culture should be part of it too. I heard it had been an amazing argument between Vi and dad when it was brought up while I’d been talking with Fletch.

In the end they came to an agreement with the help of Vervain and Oricalcos. As the days went by, more and more ponies I knew started showing up which surprised me since we were trying to keep the fact that I’d returned to the New Pegasus area secret, but when you have so many griffons flying in and out of the canyon all the time, I shouldn’t have been surprised word had gotten out. Luckily, so far, no one had come looking for me. Well, not anypony who meant me harm at least.

Nexus showed up on the second day with Laser Light, who hugged me tight when she saw me. Nexus apparently doesn’t do the hugging thing. That same day, Rusty from Trotston showed up with Javelin from Spitfire’s Flight Academy. Later in the day a few pegasi from Stratus showed up. Well, it was mostly just Fairy Glitter and her husband Cascade and a few guards to keep an eye on the new General of The Western Cloud Alliance. I was happy to see them both, even if they’d only taken a moment to say hi to me before they went right over to Solstice to first hug their daughter before they started laying into her for disappearing for five months.

Probably the best or at least funniest guest to show up came that second night. Greed flew down and nearly squeezed me to death when he landed and hugged me tight.

“Damn Shadow you have no idea how good it is to see you!” he said as he finally let me go, “I hear you’re getting hitched, too bad you’re settling down, guess I missed my chance to sweep you off your hooves.”

Harmony was with me when the large blue pegasus had shown up. She tilted her head at him, asking, “Who’s this weirdo?”

Thundercracker looked over at my zony friend and a huge smile came to his face as he took one of her hooves into his own and kissed it, “Names Thundercracker, but my most fearsome enemies call me Greed a former member of The Seven Sins of Equinity. Who by chance would you be?”

She pulled her hoof away before taking a step back. “I’m Harmony, a friend of Shadow’s. Why do they call you Greed? That’s kind of a stupid nickname.”

It was at that moment, Thundercracker’s ego was shattered by the most innocent of souls. I almost burst out laughing at the dumbstruck look on Greed’s face. I turned toward Harmony, saying, “Greed was his codename, just like Oricalcos used to be called Pride when he was the leader of their group. It’s the name they’re given to represent the crime that got them in trouble with the Enclave.”

Greed smiled again, mentally super gluing his ego back together. “That’s right, they call me Greed still because I get whatever I want. Be it caps, items, mares, or status,” he finished with a wink.

She cocked an eyebrow. “Whatever you want huh? Yeah, I doubt you can get whatever you want, and only a creep would go around saying he can get things like mares like we’re some kind of treasure to be horded by a stallion.”

His grin fell a little as he looked at me, ego once again shattered. “I’m confused, is she making fun of me?”

“No, I’m not,” Harmony said, “I’m just saying that the way you’re acting and how you’re describing yourself isn’t the best impression the first time meeting a mare or anypony for that matter,” she then looked at me, “Is he a friend of yours or what?”

I chuckled, then nodded. “He’s not that bad. He’s honestly been a big help in the past and he’s mostly harmless, he just has a big ego. Well, ‘had’ I should say. I believe it’s lying there in a decimated pile on the floor.”

“Hey not cool Shadow, you shouldn’t be talking about a stallion’s ego in front of a young mare like Harmony here,” Greed teased, trying to get back to his normal attitude.

Harmony laughed. “Wow, you really are full of yourself, aren’t you? First, I’m older than Shadow by about two years. Second, I’ve heard and seen things that most mares would find disturbing when I was a slave in Hoofington.”

His grin never faded as he said, “I do like mares with a spicy side to them. How about the two of us get a drink sometime miss Harmony, and I can show you that I’m not as bad as you seem to think I am,” he finished with another wink.

“Does this crap really work on mares? I’d rather fall into a vat of taint,” Harmony said after rolling her eyes, “Listen dude, I don’t like stallions who think like you. You’re rude and creepy, if you want to catch the interest of a mare like me, then you’d have to act like a gentlecolt and act like I’m more than just some mare you want to stick it to. I’m not a whore, I’m not a slave, and I have more respect for myself than to do anything with a buck like you,” she then turned to me, “Shadow I’ll be with Wind Thrasher if you need me. Scrubbing the residue of ‘loser’ out of my ears.”

I nodded at her, still chuckling as she walked away. Greed looked at me looking utterly confused. “Um…what did I say to piss her off?”

“I think you remind her too much of her old life and the way stallions looked at her when she was a serf. If you show her some respect like you have me over the past few months, she might not hate you outright,” I said.

Greed watched her walking away for a while before he said softly, “She’s beautiful,” he then shook his head then looked back at me, “Wind Thrasher’s up in the higher caves, right? Why isn’t Harmony flying up to them?”

“She told me that she never learned how to fly. Her former owner never allowed her to learn and since she grew up away from pegasi she wouldn’t have had anyone to teach her anyway. She said she knows how to glide if she needs to get down from high places and she’s very dexterous with her wings,” I said.

He looked toward where Harmony had gone. “Poor thing, I wonder if she’d let me teach her how?”

“Solstice said she’d be willing to teach her. So, if I were you, I’d check with her first. I’d also suggest that you try and be a little nicer to her,” I said, reaching up and patting him on the shoulder.

“But, I’m a nice stallion,” he said winking at me.

I chuckled. “Yeah, you are, but you’re also greedy and only think about yourself most of the time. Just start thinking of others more and you might find that you’ll get more out of the exchange than just thinking about yourself. Also, lose the twitch you got going on there, it’s weird.”

He chuckled before shaking his head slowly. “We’ll see shorty. Well, I’m gonna go check in with the others. Oh yeah, before I forget,” he leaned closer and whispered to me, “When you need that freaky looking glowing diamond back, let me know or if something happens to me, ask your pops. I needed to hide it because that Aquila chick’s been sending her goons out to find me to get it back.”

“How did she even know you had it?” I asked.

He shook his head, then shrugged. “No idea, my best guess is that somepony from Spitfire’s Flight Academy told one of her cultists that they saw me flying away just after talking with you. I can’t be sure though, but because I knew she was looking for it, I hid it in a place where only myself and Nightshade know where to find it. It was the best I could do.”

I took a moment to take that in, before saying, “At least it’s safe for now. Keep the location secret from everypony but my dad for now. I’ll ask for it once the time is right, if I need it that is.”

He smiled softly. “I’ll do that,” he smiled wider then bumped me with his hoof, “By the way, I’m looking forward to the ceremony tomorrow. Make sure you make it a night to remember for everypony and griffon there.”

“I’ll do my best,” I said with another laugh before hugging him and heading off to finish up with a few more tasks.

Around 1am I was suddenly whisked away by Solstice, Vervain, The Queen, Stormy, and Sunspot the pony-griffon hybrid. At first, I wasn’t sure what was going on because I wasn’t taken to the cave I was sharing with Aura, I was taken to Violet’s cave where Wind Thrasher and the alicorn were waiting with Toby. I was confused at first until the young griffon spoke.

He was a couple of years older than me but still looked like a young griffon. He’s mostly grey with a hint of light green around his eyes and on his tail with a black beak and talons. When he spoke, he said in a soft kind voice, “Shadow Star, I’m glad your friends and family were able to find you. I hope they did not pull you away from anything important.”

“Not really, I was just finishing up with a few things to get ready for tonight,” I said.

“You look tired Shadow,” Violet said as she looked me over.

“I am, but I’ll be sure to get a nap in before everything starts tonight,” I said before yawning.

Toby chuckled to himself and in that chuckle, I heard a younger version of Tonto in him. When he was done, he said, “You will have plenty of time to rest now Shadow. I am the one who will be preforming the Life Bond for Aura and you and I know that some parts of how this Life Bond will be different than is normal for us griffons, some of our traditions need to be met. For the rest of the night and into the morning and afternoon you will stay in this cave with your closest female friends and family. You will take this time to rest, relax, and reflect on the step you are about to take.”

“But…I thought I had to finish a few more tasks? I also told Fletch I’d come check on her before I took my nap, she said her chick will hatch soon and she wanted me there to name him,” I said starting to feel my heart race a little, “I also wanted to see Aura before everything got going.”

“I know you want to be there when the chick hatches and I also know about what Fletch wants you to do and the honor she’s passed to you,” he said kindly, “I promise that if her egg starts hatching before the ceremony, I will have a griffon come get you and take you to her. I do believe however that her egg has a couple more days before that happens, so you should be fine.”

“But what about seeing Aura?” I asked.

“Aura knows about the time apart and the reflection stage. As of right now, this is the beginning of the Life Bond. Aura is also in another location with her female friends and family for the next few hours. Three hours past noon Male family members will be allowed to visit but it’s rare that happens before you two will meet at the site of bonding,” he said.

I looked down at my hooves, saying quietly, “So, I’m just supposed to sit here doing nothing for the next few hours?”

He laughed softly. “You’ll be resting and reflecting, but I’m also sure your friends and family will keep you entertained. At 3pm you’ll start getting ready for when you go down to meet Aura. She’ll leave her cave an hour before you since she’s the one who asked to make the bond. Do you think you can respect this part of our traditions Shadow?”

“It’ll be hard, but yeah I can do that,” I said, even if I felt bad that I could see Aura before everything got started.

Solstice looked over at Toby, asking, “Will Sugar Buck be able to visit a bit earlier? He’s the one who’s doing her mane.”

“Ah yes, I almost forgot about that,” Toby said, “He can come by as early as 2pm if he needs to, but if he doesn’t need that much time then I’d prefer if he only stopped by after 3pm. The start of the full Life Bond ceremony will be at 8pm so he should have plenty of time.”

“I’ll be sure to let my brother know,” The Queen said as she looked over at me and winked, “I’m sure he can do it in the time given, though I’m sure he’ll make a mighty fuss about it.”

“I am glad, now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go see Aura once more before I take my rest. Have a pleasant night Shadow and the rest of you,” Toby said before bowing a little and heading out of the cave.

“Okay, well I wasn’t expecting to be pulled away like that and told to say in one place for the next few hours,” I said with a laugh.

“We were only told about this an hour ago,” Wind Thrasher said.

I smiled, “So what’s with only females being allowed around me right now?”

Violet was the one who answered. “Griffons have an odd way of looking at marriage or bonding in their case. For between twelve to fourteen hours before a life bond, they believe that it’s only proper for the griffon or pony in your case, to have only the same gender around them so that griffon can concentrate on what they need to and reflect on the choice they are making. It’s an outdated way of thinking if you ask me, but griffons are big on tradition, even The Shadow Talons.”

I looked around the spacious cave. “Well, if I’m stuck here for a while, what should we do? Charades?”

“You’re going to go to sleep young mare,” Vervain said with a chuckle.

I yawned again. “I could use a good night’s sleep, but what will the rest of you do while I’m sleeping?”

“I plan on getting a nap in myself,” Stormy said, and a few of the others nodded as well.

“I have to go see Oricalcos before I get to bed, but I’ll be back before you’re up,” Vervain said.

“Well, I’m glad that on this last night of me being an unbonded mare, I have you all here with me, though I wish Byte was here. Why didn’t she come too?”

“She has to finish up with something special she’s working on with Nexus and Wingnut for tonight, you’ll probably see her when you wake up,” Wind Thrasher said, “I’ll be staying with you, the foal in me hasn’t been making sleep easy for the past few days and I’m going to try and get as much rest as I can.”

I smiled at them all, saying, “I’m kinda nervous, I hope I can get to sleep.”

Violet smiled. “I can help you if you need, I remember my own wedding and how nervous I was. Come, let’s get you settled in the nice bed The Shadow Talons loaned me while I’ve been staying here.”

And with that, most of us headed further back into the back of the cave…

***

One Hour Before The Ceremony…

I slept for hours, thanks mostly to Violet helping me with a powerful sleep spell. Normally those didn’t last long on me, but my grandmother isn’t a normal pony or even alicorn. I’d awoken just past noon and for the next few hours I’d started reflecting on what was about to happen in the next few hours. I’d been told what I needed to know about how this was going to happen, but I was still nervous and every few minutes I felt like was going to puke. Oddly enough that’s normal according to Violet and Vervain. For the first three hours since I woke, I did my best to keep myself calm as I thought about the life changing event that was going to be happening soon. It came down to a few facts I had to run through my head to finally calm down. I knew deep down that Aura, and I were meant to find each other and to always be together until the end of our lives. I loved her and my time apart from her only made that clearer. I couldn’t be apart from her ever again for that long, and because of that, I knew that the choice I made by taking the band with Aura’s black and red feather on it was the right one.

When three-o-clock rolled around two stallions showed up at the cave. One was Sugar Buck, and he was in fact very flustered that he wouldn’t have enough time to fix my mane and tail perfectly. I thought five hours to get ready was plenty of time…yeah that shows how much I know about shit like this. The other stallion was my dad. He’d come over and hugged me tight and soon I felt tears fall onto the top of my head as he cried silently. At first, I was worried until he started saying quietly, “I’m so proud of you my little star, I just wish Grim could be here to see this.”

I hugged him back tighter, replying just as quietly, “She’s keeping an eye on both of us Dad, and I know she’s happy just like you are.”

He pulled back, and it was strange to see the stallion with tears running down his face. Nightshade was a strong pony but seeing him cry didn’t make me think of him as weak or anything like that. My dad was the kind of stallion who showed his emotions when he could, and I loved that about him. I could still remember him on top of the sky carriage when I still thought he was only The Stranger, crying over the stuffed bird his daughter had given him. He’d been crying then too. It made him a strong buck in my eyes. Yeah, there are times as a soldier where he had to hide his emotions, but he never did when it came to those he loved.

“You ready for this Little Star?” he asked as he wiped his eyes.

“I think so,” I said.

“Good, well I’m gonna let you get ready. I’ll be down there waiting to walk you down to the platform,” he turned his gaze to Vervain, “You ready?”

“I am,” Vervain said before coming to hug me tight, “See you in a few hours, okay?”

“Okay,” I said before she headed out with my dad. I was then pulled away by Sugar Buck.

“Shadow honey, we don’t got much time, and there’s so much to be done,” the eccentric buck said as he pulled me further into the cave, “We gotta get ya washed up. Then I gotta get that mane and tail trimmed up nice, then ya gotta get into your dress and then I’ll have to fix up your mane even more. So much to do!”

I didn’t have time to argue before I was tossed into a bath that Violet prepared. I learned a new lesson that day, never try and fight against a buck whose special talent is doing manes and tails, and it doesn’t matter how old you are, on your wedding day you’re never clean enough. Four hours…four fucking hours I spent getting scrubbed, brushed, washed, trimmed, washed again, measured, trimmed again, washed again, and more as the mares and one Sugar Buck did everything, they could to make me not look like a dirty dishrag. A dirty dishrag that spent five months in The Badlands, getting covered in blood, guts, dirt, grime, and so many other nasty things that I’m sure most wouldn’t want to try to even guess at. A mare that spent little time caring for herself and it showed when they started to clean me. Yes, I said ‘they’, because I also had no control over the fact that Violet, Stormy, and Solstice thought it was their jobs to clean my entire body. Yeah, I’m glad life bonds can only be a one-time thing, because I never want anypony cleaning me like that ever again…unless I’d been knocked out first. You have no idea how embarrassing it is when a mare like Stormy comments on parts of your body that normally only a few ponies get to see up close, well griffon soon…only one griffon…forever.

One hour left before I’m allowed to leave my cave and head down to stand with Aura. Sugar Buck was clipping back my mane, muttering something about stupid traditions making it harder for him to make my mane look perfect. I was dressed up in the silver dress Empress Sheena gave me back at The Kingdom, only somepony altered it. It now had red trim running around the neck and down the back meeting at the end and giving a beautiful contrast to my mane and eyes. I didn’t have a vale or anything like that, it’s not something that’s easy to find in The Wasteland. I was lucky to even have a dress. Either way, this isn’t a pony wedding, it’s a griffon life bond and griffons don’t hide their faces for something like this.

My heart was racing as I paced back and forth trying my best to keep my nerves down. After Sugar Buck left, the only ponies left in the cave with me were Harmony and Vervain. After a few minutes, Harmony said, “Shadow, you gotta relax, you’re acting like you’re about to get into a fight or something.”

I did my best to take a deep breath before I responded, saying, “I feel like I’m about to head into a fight.”

“Why are you so worried?” Harmony asked.

“I’m not…worried, per-say, I’m just…nervous. I’m not even sure why,” I said before finally stopping and running a hoof over my face slowly.

“I’d be surprised if you weren’t,” Vervain said with a kind smile, “Most stallions or mares are nervous on their wedding day, and this isn’t a normal wedding for a pony. I’m sure even Aura is nervous, it’s normal. You just need to remember to take a deep breath and remember that everything’s going to be fine.”

I looked over at her and did my best to keep tears out of my eyes as I said quietly, “What if I mess something up, or I say the wrong thing?”

“If you keep acting like that then you will. You need to stop thinking so much and just let your body relax. Trust me, when you go out there, you’re going to see Aura and forget about all your nerves. You look beautiful sweetie and for the first time in a long time you look happy. If you mess up a little or say something silly that’s okay, because it doesn’t matter what anypony or griffon thinks. You’re bonding with the griffon you love and who loves you just as deeply. That’s all that matters,” she said before coming over and pulling out a handkerchief to wipe my eyes.

“Vervain’s right Shadow, just remember to keep watching Aura and you’ll be okay,” Harmony said with a smile.

I sniffed, then smiled back before taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, then saying quietly, “I wish my mom was here.”

Vervain looked sad for a moment before she hugged me again, saying, “So do I sweetie.”

“At least I have my other mom here though. I know my mom’s watching me even now, but I’m glad you’re here for me,” I said.

Vervain pulled back, saying softly, “You’re the daughter I always wanted, even if you can be a pain in the ass now and then.”

I chuckled, then checked the time on my Mark II. “It’s almost time, you two should head down and get ready. I think I need a few minutes to myself before my dad comes to get me.”

“Damn, do we have to? I was hoping to stay in here as long as I could,” Harmony complained.

I wasn’t surprised, she’d been told that she was supposed to be seated right next to Greed. She was avoiding him as much as possible. I have no idea how that happened, but I was getting a little amusement out of it, so I said, “Avoiding Greed will only make him try harder to get to know you. I say give him another chance to show you he’s not so bad. If he does do something that pisses you off though, just keep the anger down until this is all over, then tell Oricalcos. He’ll make sure Greed leaves you alone.”

She sighed. “I guess he’s been trying hard to get me to at least talk to him, so I’ll give him that chance. Still, my first impression of him isn’t good. I just feel like he’s trying to get me to like him so he can add me to his tally of mares he’s claimed as his playthings.”

To my surprise Oricalcos showed up right then, saying, “Thundercracker’s more talk than anything else. In the few years I worked with him, he’s only been with two mares, both of whom he was dating. He talks a big game when it comes to mares, but really, he’s a romantic at heart. One who’s more honest with mares he likes than most stallions.”

Harmony lifted an eyebrow. “So you’re saying that he has a crush on me now or something?”

Oricalcos shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not, but he finds you interesting. It’s probably because you’re a zony, and not just any normal zony, but a pegasus. His codename of Greed didn’t come from the fact that he’s a good thief, which he is, but because he finds rare things to be interesting and he wants to either have them for himself or to understand them better than most.”

Harmony sighed, then said, “Fine I’ll go sit next to him, but I’m not going to be happy about it!”

“Just don’t make a scene until after everything’s finished, please,” I said before hugging her.

“I’ll do my best,” she said in a teasing tone before walking out of the cave.

Vervain followed, hugging me again, saying, “I’ll see you soon and good luck sweetie,” she then moved over to my uncle and kissed him quickly before heading out of the cave after Harmony.

When they were both gone, Oricalcos looked over at me and smiled, “You’re beautiful Star.”

“Thank you, Uncle Ori,” I said blushing slightly.

He moved closer, then used a bit of magic to fix a stray lock of my mane, before saying, “I wanted to give you something before you headed out there. Well, your father wanted to give you this too, but since he gets to walk you down to Aura, he let me do this small part.”

I cocked my head. “A present? I thought those were given afterward.”

He chuckled to himself. “Normally yes, but this is different,” he pulled out a beautiful statuette.

My eyes went wide as he held it in his magic. It was just like the other four I found. It was perfect, as if it had just been made yesterday. It was an earth pony mare with a straw yellow mane and a cowpony hat bucking at the air. An inscription was on its base saying ‘Be Strong’. It was Applejack. I took it slowly with my magic and just like with the others I felt something slightly change within me. I felt…stronger, not only in body but in spirit. I looked back at my uncle, saying, “Thank you…but where did he get this?”

“Your mom gave it to him on their wedding day, she found it when she was up in Nimbus back when she was still dating Striker. She said it was in an old lab she was told to use when she started working up in Nimbus. It was just sitting on a desk with a few notes left over that Grim said used to belong to Rainbow Dash. From what I’ve learned over the years, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were very competitive with each other, but they were also the closest of the six ministry mares. Grim thinks it was left there by mistake when Rainbow Dash had to leave Nimbus. No idea why she’d been there in the first place or why she was in a lab of all places, but that’s what your mother thinks,” he said.

“This makes five that I have so far, the only one I haven’t found is Pinkie Pie,” I said happily as I looked down at the former leader of The Steel Rangers and the Ministry of Wartime Technology.

“We both wanted you to have it. I know you’ve been collecting them, and your dad wanted you to have something that used to belong to Grim. Something happy at least,” he said with a chuckle.

I went over to my saddle bags and placed Applejack inside right next to Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. When I was done, I went back over to Oricalcos and hugged him. “I’ll treasure it for all time.”

He hugged me back. “I know you will. Now I need to head back out, your dad is going to be waiting for you just outside the cave. He said to head out when it’s time.”

“Isn’t he coming in here to get me?” I asked.

Oricalcos shook his head. “He said you need to take those first few steps alone. He also said that you’ll know the right moment to come out.”

He hugged me again, then started to leave, but I stopped him. “Uncle Ori, before you go, can I ask you something?”

He looked back at me. “Sure thing Star.”

“I’ve wondered this for the longest time, and I know it’s in the past now and really doesn’t matter, but why did The Enclave name you Pride and give you and the others the name of The Seven Sins of Equinity? I’ve never really understood what The Sins really are. I understand not being too prideful or lustful and all that crap, but it’s not like those are part of any known religion I’ve ever heard of or even part of Enclave law or belief,” I said as I looked at him.

He laughed for a moment, then said, “The Enclave didn’t give us the name…I did. They did give me the codename Pride because of what I did, but that was also partly because of things I said during my trial. However, The Seven Sins of Equinity are from an old rhyme I read in a book once. It goes like this.”

He cleared his throat, then recited, “Listen my foal, for now you shall hear of the only seven slayers a pony must fear. First beware Pride, lest belief in one’s might has you discount the foe who is braving your sight. Never Envy other ponies their wealth, power, or home for dark plots and plans will bring death to your own. Your Wrath shouldn’t win, when spears strike your hide, anger kills cunning, which you will need to survive. A pony must rest, but Sloth you should dread else long hours napping may lead death to your bed. ‘Greed is good’ or so foolish ponies will say, until piles of treasure bring killing thieves where you lay. Hunger is your body, and at times you must eat, but Gluttony makes fat ponies who can’t fly at their need. Lust for glory, gold, or mares leads reckless young colts to the deadliest of snares. So, take heed of this wisdom, precious foal of mine, and the long years of life are sure to be thine.”

“Sounds a bit strange as a rhyme for ponies,” I said.

“I thought so too and it’s possible that was copied for ponies many years ago from dragons or the zebras or even griffons, I’m not sure. The thing is I always found it to be words of wisdom, because there may be many things in life that can kill you, but those seven are the deadliest. They’re sins in the eyes of some and even though we all find ourselves falling into one or more of those sins, we should still try to pull away from them,” he said.

I smiled. “Maybe you’re right,”

He shrugged, then said softly, “Good luck Star.”

“Thank you, Uncle Ori,” I said before he left the cave.

I took a moment to look myself over in the mirror one last time while I waited for the so-called sign to leave. I felt a small smile pull at my lips as I took myself in one last time. It was hard to believe that not long ago, I was dressed in damaged and dirty combat armor, my mane messed up most of the time and hunting down ponies. The mare I was looking at in the mirror didn’t look how I saw myself most of the time. She was beautiful. I was beautiful. I reached a hoof up and brushed it over the feather that hung off the band around my foreleg. Finally, I turned away from the image and headed toward the mouth of the cave. I wasn’t going to waste even a second once it was time for me to go down. Right before I reached the cave entrance, I saw red and blue lights come to life just outside, illuminating the interior of the cave. At the same moment, music started to play slowly at first, large drums gave off deep notes.

Thump…thump…thump…thump, Thump…thump…thump…thump…thump, thump.

The notes were soon followed by other instruments. I took in a deep breath. Then, holding my head high, I stepped out of the cave. I forgot that I was in one of the highest caves of Crimson Canyon. One where the landing moved out over the central area. My eyes went wide as I saw what everyone had been preparing while I’d been in the cave. The full moon was high in the sky, shining down its beautiful pale blue light. Along the highest edges of the canyon, lighting had been placed all around it mixing reds, blues, greens, pinks, and so much more to make a beautiful display as they wrapped around the canyon moving down the pathways that led down to the central area. High in the sky, griffons and pegasi were flying in tight formations with streamers on their talons or hooves, doing tricks in the air. All around I saw more ponies and griffons all looking up at me as I made my way to the edge of the platform. As soon as I reached the edge and looked down, I saw my father waiting for me at the end of an isle that had been set up at the other end of the canyon. I knew he was going to walk me down to Aura, but I thought he’d be waiting for me up here. It was then that I remembered what I’d have to do. I’d have to take a last step, a leap of faith in my soon to be bonded partner, a trust fall. I had to show the griffons of The Shadow Talons that I trusted Aura with my life and Aura had to show that she would always be there to catch me. Her trust part of this was trusting me to take the leap and to put all my faith into her.

It was just then that I heard her voice echoing across all of Crimson Canyon and my eyes fell on the stage. She was dressed in her own dress. It was a deep blue with silver threading running across it. A simple yet beautiful addition to her and she looked great in it. I took this all in, in a matter of seconds before Aura’s words finally reached my ears and they weren’t just words. She was singing, her pure beautiful voice flowing out into the world. A song just for me, but one everyone was present for. I wish I could remember the words to the song, but at the moment the words didn’t matter to me, only the meaning behind them. I knew she was telling me to put my life and my trust into her talons. I smiled and closed my eyes right as the words of her song told me to…I think…like I said, I can’t quite remember the words. I then took that last step and fell toward the ground level of Crimson Canyon.

As I fell, I twisted in the air, spreading my hooves wide for a moment before I tilted my body down and crossed them, diving straight down. Normally something like this would have terrified me. I was still scared of heights even if I spent the past few months flying around with griffons or pegasi, but I trusted Aura to catch me. I knew the music and Aura’s song was still going, but for that short moment in time that I fell toward what could be my death, everything was quiet. I could feel the air rushing past me, almost pulling my mane out of its styling, but Sugar Buck’s work was perfect. I smiled and I felt Aura coming toward me a moment before her talons wrapped around me, pulling me close to her. Then the world came back as I was lifted once again into the sky, Aura finishing her song right as we swooped over the griffons and ponies. Cheers erupted from them all and only then did I finally open my eyes and look up at the griffon I loved.

She smiled down at me and winked. “Good job Shadow and thank you for putting your trust in me.”

I kept my words quiet as I replied, “I will always trust you Aura, I just hope I don’t need to do that again,” I blushed as I said that, hoping she couldn’t feel my body shaking a little. I mean sure I trusted her to catch me, but my body didn’t seem to know that.

She smiled again as the crowd cheered for us. Aura flew me down and set me next to my father. Without another word she flew back into the air and landed on the stage where Toby was waiting for us along with Wind Thrasher and Solstice on one, and Viridiana and Syn on the other. I also saw Vervain up on the stage too, though I wasn’t quite sure why she was up there.

My dad smiled at me, then hugged me softly, “I’m so proud of you my little star.”

“Thank you, dad,” I replied.

“You ready?” he asked, holding one foreleg out.

I nodded. “I am, but why is Vervain up there in the spot you’re supposed to be at?”

I knew how the griffons did this ceremony now and the spot was where Dad should be as my parent. When griffons did a life bond like this, one older family member, normally a parent, had a part to play before the two can be bonded. My dad just smiled as I asked him this, before replying, “I am your father, but Vervain was the one who raised you. I’m letting her take my place because she knows you better than either Grim or I. I gave her my blessing to take my place as your mother for this. I love you so much my little Star, but I can’t do what Vervain can for that part of this,” I saw tears in his eyes even though he was smiling, “That’s why I wanted to give you away like this. This part is a father’s duty to his daughter and the small part I can play in your next step in life.”

I teared up too but did everything I could to hold them back. I hugged him again, saying, “I love you dad.”

He sniffed, then I took his hoof right as the band changed to play the music that was at every wedding for ponies. This was some of the few changes that were made for the life bond to honor my race. I walked next to my dad slowly, my eyes fixed on Aura’s as I made my way closer to her. I heard a few cheers from ponies and griffons I knew, but my attention was only on her.

Soon I was at the stage, my father stopping at the bottom of four steps that led up. He pulled his hoof back, then leaned in and kissed my cheek before looking up at Toby. The griffon smiled down at the two of us and said with his voice echoing across Crimson Canyon just like Aura’s had, “Stallion, state your name and your relationship to the mare that will join her soul with this griffon.”

When my father spoke, his voice was also projected, I was guessing that a unicorn, probably Stormy, was casting a spell to make sure everyone could hear, “I come to you today as a father, my name is Nightshade. I am the leader of the Western Cloud Alliance, but today I am only the father to Shadow Star.”

Toby lifted his beak a little higher as he asked, “And Nightshade, Father of Shadow Star, why do you come before me today?”

“I come to perform the duties of a father and give away my daughter, letting her join our family with that of the Bloodtalon line,” he said.

“Very good Nightshade. One last question, will you be speaking on behalf of your child tonight?” Toby asked.

“I may be Shadow Star’s Father, but I was not the one who was blessed enough to raise her. That honor goes to my good friend Vervain. She has been watching over my daughter since she was four years old, when she first went to the Steel Rangers with my wife Grimoire Spell. She looked after Shadow Star while her mother had to work, she taught her how to be a good pony. When my wife had to leave Stable 28, Vervain gave up many years of her life to raise Shadow Star as if she was her own. I love my daughter very much, but she is not the pony she is today because of me, but because of Vervain,” my dad said, his chin shaking a little as he spoke.

A softness came to Toby’s face as he said, “It takes a strong father to admit something like that. You are a brave stallion and a good parent to give your place as the one to speak for your daughter to another who knows her better. With that said, please let Shadow Star come forth to start her new life with the one she is meant to bond with.”

My dad bowed, then moved to hug me once more before he went over to the seats not far off the stage. It was only when he took his seat next to Oricalcos that I heard him let out a small sob, but when I looked over at him, I only saw pride in his eyes. I then turned back toward Toby and Aura and took the next four steps up to join them. Once I was next to Aura, I gave her a small smile then faced Toby right as Aura did.

The Young Griffon stood up on his hind legs and lifted his talons to the air, saying, “Everyone, today we have gathered here in Crimson Canyon, the home of our former talon company The Red Talons, now the home of your new talon company, The Shadow Talons, to join the lives of Shadow Star and Aura Bloodtalon. I know that to the griffons here who know our old ways find a little of this life bond ceremony to be a bit strange, while the ponies here most likely find a lot of this to be strange as well. Before we begin, I want to explain so that everyone here understands. This is the first time a griffon and a pony have been bonded like this in many centuries, but it has happened before. In the old texts that have been passed down to the keeper of the ways, I was able to find how it was done in the past. The best way to explain is to say that we have mixed what a normal pony’s wedding is with that of the griffon life bond. This is to honor both the pony and the griffon who are to join together on this night. As many of the griffons know, but I’m sure some if not most of the ponies may not, a griffon can only be bonded on the night of a full moon. In the past two hundred years we haven’t been able to know for sure if a bond was taking place on the right night, but now with the sky free of the clouds we are making sure to follow this tradition. For the rest of the night, I ask that everyone stays quiet so that we may proceed properly and respect this ceremony. If anyone has a problem with a griffon and pony joining like this, they may leave now. If you stay and try and stop anything from here on out, you will be escorted out of Crimson Canyon.”

He waited for a few moments then with a smile he went back down to all fours looking a little relieved. He then looked at Syn, then Vervain. “Syndy Bloodtalon, Vervain, please stand next to your family member,” when Vervain came to stand next to me, I looked at her and saw she was smiling. When they were both ready, Toby continued, “You two are here to represent the family member for Shadow or Aura. Do both of you swear to speak truthfully and with the best interests of your charges in mind?”

Vervain bowed her head a little, saying, “As the pony who raised Shadow Star as a second mother, I do so swear to speak truthfully and with Shadow’s best interests in mind.”

Syn spoke next, saying, “As the griffon who watched Aura grow up and took care of her when our mother was busy with her work as the leader of the former Red Talons. With our mother no longer with us and as the oldest of her sisters I do so swear to speak truthfully and with Aura’s best interests in mind.”

This was the part of the whole thing I found a bit weird but Fletch and Aura had both done their best to explain it. For the griffons, they couldn’t form a true-life bond without having a member of their family or someone close to them speak on their behalf to show all that this wasn’t something that was being forced or hurried into by young griffons. A life bond is truly till one of the bonded dies. There’s no divorce for griffons. The family member is the one who speaks for the two bonding to show that this is what’s best for both parties. If the two family members can’t agree on the bond, it could all stop here.

“Very good,” Toby said, “Vervain, to the best of your knowledge, is the life bond that is about to take place something that you agree with? Was Shadow Star forced to make this pact with Aura Bloodtalon either through promises of riches, power, or force? Also, is Shadow Star going into this life bond with full knowledge of what will be expected of her and the permanence of this bond? Lastly do you see any problems with your family joining with that of the Bloodtalons?”

Vervain stood straight as she responded, saying, “My foster daughter Shadow Star is only joining into this pact with love in her heart. She understands that this life bond is for life and cannot be broken,” she then looked over at me and smiled, “I have no problem with our families becoming one. I see the love between these two and know that they have always been meant to be together. They have faced good times and even more hard ones and always find a way back to each other. I trust Shadow’s life in the talons of Aura Bloodtalon.”

“I am happy to hear that,” Toby said before he looked over at Syn, “Syndy Bloodtalon, to the best of your knowledge, is the life bond that is about to take place something that you agree with? Was Aura Bloodtalon forced to make this pact with Shadow Star either through promises of riches, power, or force? Also is Aura Bloodtalon going into this life bond with full knowledge of what will be expected of her and the permanence of this bond? Lastly do you see any problems with your family joining with that of Shadow Star’s?”

Syn smiled and bowed her head, saying, “My sister has had a hard life and gone through many trials. I have watched her sink slowly into depression over the years as she did her best to hide who she truly is from the rest of our family. It wasn’t until she met Shadow that I saw a change come over my sister and watched as she found joy in her connection with this pony. My sister understands what is expected of her with this life bond and is only entering into it with love in her soul. I also believe that Aura and Shadow are meant to be together and that they are true soul mates. My family and I are happy to see our family join with Shadow Star’s.”

Toby smiled wider then bowed to them both. “With that said, both of you please shake hoof and talon. When that is finished, Vervain please present Shadow’s symbol of love and the life bond to Syndy. Syndy, since your sister is the one who gave her own symbol to Shadow, please present the band to Aura.”

Vervain turned to me and with a shaky hoof I took out the band I had made for Aura. It was made from my own mane clippings, wrapped into a few tight braids then joined together into one large braid held together with magic. On one side I’d placed a ruby that held a bit of my magic which made it glow softly. I gave it to Vervain who took it gently before bringing it over to Syn. She took it and brought it over to Aura and for the first time since Toby started speaking, we both faced each other. I saw wonder in her eyes as she saw what I’d made for her. A tear fell from her eye as she held up her left talon for her sister to place the band high on her foreleg. When that was finished, Syndy gave her blessing to Vervain for me.

“Now that the bands have been given you two may step back or take a seat,” Toby said, then he looked at Wind Thrasher and Solstice, “The two of you are the representatives for Shadow am I right?”

“We are,” Solstice said, “I am her mare of honor and Wind Thrasher is her bride’s mare. This is a normal role for close friends or family in a pony wedding.”

Toby smiled. “I respect Shadow’s race’s way of bonding, and you are free to stay up here and stand witness to the bond just as Viridiana and Syndy will do for Aura.”

They both smiled before Wind Thrasher said, “We’re happy to be here with our friend and sister.”

Toby then looked at Aura and I. “You two I understand have something to say to each other before we proceed, am I correct?”

We both nodded and when Toby didn’t say anything else, Aura spoke, “Shadow, when I first met you, I was only looking to collect a bounty so I could find a way to rejoin my family and my former talon group. Back then, all I cared about was forgetting about the death of the mare I loved…the mare I had to kill because she’d gotten sick and lost her mind. That night, I almost died because I underestimated a small unicorn and her goofy pegasus friend,” Aura looked toward Stardust who was sitting in the front row and winked at him, “You showed me kindness that night and saved my life. What you don’t know is that you did more than just give me a potion to make sure I’d heal from my injuries, you started me on a new path to find who I truly am. I am a griffon who never quite fit in with my own kind. I am a griffon who was scared to admit who I was. I was a griffon who hid from the world. You changed that, and even though we have had our ups and downs over the past few months. I’m happy that I decided to steal a bounty from my sister Fletch that night and go after a scared stable dweller. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have met you, the mare that I know is my true soul mate. I love you with all my heart and even when you’re being a stubborn fool, I will always be there for you and love you. Today I give you not just my heart, but my very soul. I love you Shadow Star of the Crystal Empire, Courier of the Marejave.”

I was crying now but my smile was wide as I took in a few deep breaths and responded, saying, “Almost ten months ago, I left my Stable not knowing anything about myself apart from the life I had in Stable 28. I was foolish, angry, stubborn, and scared. In all this time I’m still foolish, angry, stubborn, and scared, but thanks to you being by my side, I’ve learned that I can trust others to help me see when I’m being a fool, or to calm me when I’m angry, and to force me to see another way when I’m being stubborn, and to hold me when I’m scared. When I first met you, I was scared. When you followed me to pay back a debt, I was annoyed mostly that I had to deal with a random freelancer griffon who I didn’t know. Back then I had no idea where my life would lead me next, and thanks to you, I found my way. That griffon who followed me around first to pay back a life debt then as my bodyguard and later as my friend, helped me become a better pony, even if I didn’t always listen to her advice. I am thankful every day that I met you and that you forced me to tell you how I felt. I’m happy that on that morning when I first came to you after I made a big mistake at The Applewood that you didn’t judge me for what I did, but instead held me and made me feel better. You have done so much for me Aura that I sometimes wonder if I’m stuck in some kind of dream. I don’t deserve a griffon as wonderful as you, but I’m happy that you are mine. I love you with all my heart and I give my love and my soul to you.”

Toby smiled when we finished then pulled a beautiful gold silk ribbon out from a pouch at his side. “Beautiful words from you both. Now please face me and Shadow lift your right foreleg and Aura your Left.”

We both turned toward him and did as he asked, our forelegs touching as we did. He took the gold silk ribbon and wrapped it around our forelegs in a looping pattern, binding us together before finishing with a single knot. When he was finished, he took a step back and once again stood on his hindlegs as he lifted his talons to the sky, “On this night, under the full moon and under the watchful eyes of our ancestors who have yet to be reborn, I hereby bind these two as one.”

Before he could say more the moon overhead seemed to get brighter and as Aura and I looked at each other time seemed to stop. As it did it felt like only Aura, and I could move in that moment of timelessness. Then a speck of light shot out of my horn and from Aura’s chest and met across the gold silk. Both of our eyes went wide as a whisper flew over us on the wind. Two voices speaking as one, one sounded like a mare, the other a male griffon, “Through time and space, through life and death, two souls will always be one. The bond has been made once again, treasure it and the one you love for all time as we did long ago Aura and Shadow. In this life and the next, you two will always be one.”

Before I could ask what the hell that was, time started again, and Toby was back down on all fours. He smiled at us both as if he had no idea what had just happened. He bowed to us both, saying, “The life bond is made, now seal your bond with a kiss and show your love for all to see.”

Aura looked just as confused as I was, but she smiled and moved close, saying quickly, “We can ignore whatever that was for now,” then she kissed me.

I kissed her back right as everyone started cheering. As we kissed Toby said loudly, “I give you all Aura and Shadow Bloodtalon, the two leaders of The Shadow Talons!”

I smiled as I pulled back from Aura, saying softly, “I love you Aura, but there’s no way I’m letting anyone call me Bloodtalon.”

She laughed and kissed me again…

***

Two Hours Later…

“Now this is what I call a PARTY!” Solstice yelled as she downed another Sparkle Cola Black.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself sis,” Stardust said loudly over the roaring music that was filling Crimson Canyon.

Aura and I were sitting together at a long table right in front of The Den, Wind Thrasher was next to me, and Syn was sitting next to Aura. We were the only four sitting down for now, taking a break from the celebration and dancing going on around us. Wind Thrasher was in her later stage of her pregnancy so she really couldn’t do much, though she’d slow danced with Stardust for a little while before everything started getting wild. I knew griffons could party, I’d seen it at the rebirth celebration, but holy shit a life bond celebration seemed to top even that.

I laughed at my two friends watching the hundreds of griffons and ponies drink and enjoying life for the moment. Fletch had been here a while ago but she needed to get back to her egg and I was planning on seeing her before Aura and I retired for the night. I felt kind of bad for her being alone while the rest of us were having fun. I smiled again as I watched Wingnut dancing like a fool with Byte not far off, both laughing at each other. Vi was also having a good time dancing with a large griffon male. It was good to see her enjoying herself too.

“Are you sure you don’t want to have something to drink Shadow?” Syn asked, looking around Aura.

I smiled and shook my head. “Trust me, I’d love to have a sip of Wild Pegasus, but I made a promise that I wouldn’t drink anymore.”

Aura smiled at that. “Yeah, sadly she has a bit of an addiction problem to the stuff or at least that’s what Vervain said. I just want her to go a few months without drinking any booze. We’ll see how she deals with it later, but even before she went to The Badlands, she drank to deal with her pain, so no drinking for a while.”

“I think it’s a good thing to stay sober,” Wind Thrasher said.

I laughed. “Of course you do, you have one drink, and you turn into a bumbling fool.”

She glared at me. “That happened once.”

“Yeah, and it was fucking hilarious. Just remember Wind Thrasher, it’s all about the pink bombs and weasels,” I said, laughing harder.

She looked at me confused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I have no idea Wind Thrasher, you’re the one who said it to me when you were nearly passed out drunk during the rebirth celebration,” I said, now laughing so hard I was in tears.

She growled at me. “I did not say that!”

“Oh, you did, just ask Dusty…no better yet, ask Vervain. She’ll tell you the truth, Dusty might lie just to keep you happy,” I said, trying to catch my breath.

“You’re so mean,” Wind Thrasher said, then she started to giggle, “Okay, if I did say that then I can see why it would be funny. I mean what the fuck does that even mean!?”

We all started laughing then and I kept watching the party go on. After a little while of small-talk I finally got to my hooves, then said to Aura, “Come on love, let’s go show the rest of these drunken fools how to really dance.”

She grinned. “What kind of dance did you have in mind shrimp?”

I stuck my tongue out at her. “Oh, now you did it, calling me a shrimp comes with consequences. You see I learned how to do some very interesting ballroom dances from Elder Applejam.”

“Oh, I’m scared now.” she teased back.

I waved goodbye to Syn and Wind Thrasher before trotting over to the band that was playing not far off and made a quick request. The griffon I talked to grinned then nodded signaling to the rest of his band mates as I made my way back to Aura. “Let’s see if you can impress this shrimp Aura Bloodtalon,” I teased as I pulled her with my magic toward the center of the dancers, who all moved out of our way until an open small circle formed around us.

She cocked an eyebrow at me, but still smiled as she watched me, move a couple meters away from her, then stand on my back hooves. Honestly what I was about to do was something I’d learned from Applejam, but I never mastered it when I was young. It was too fast paced for my sick body to handle and even when I was older and better, it would’ve been hard. That was until I’d started training with Gaston on how to fight and learning balance and form. As I balanced on my rear hooves, I moved one hoof forward and the other back and up over my head then cocked my head to one side and gave Aura a grin right as the band started to play a quick fast-paced tune.

“Let’s see if Aura Bloodtalon knows how to tango,” I said.

She grinned, then moved into position showing me that she at least knew the first steps. “I’ll take the lead.”

That was good, because it wasn’t easy to take the lead when you were the smaller partner. As the music started up again and exploded around us, Aura moved. She moved up to me taking my hoof into a talon and pulled me close, her other talon moving behind my back right before she pulled me close, her face nearly touching mine. At the same moment we moved. I followed her lead, my hooves keeping balance as we circled around the small opening. I kept my eyes locked on hers as we pulled away from each other for only a moment, then Aura pulled me back in sharply and we danced.

The night went on and I held onto Aura, and she held onto me as we tangoed then moved from that into another dance and another, the griffons and ponies around us joining in after a quick round of cheers and applause. I think this was the first time since that night we stayed at the Applewood that life felt normal and free. When we finished our sixth dance, a slow number that I utterly enjoyed, I reached a hoof up and pulled Aura to me, kissing her deeply as the song ended. If I could’ve chosen a perfect night in my life, this would be the night.

When we finished, we started moving around the crowd, talking with griffons and ponies, some I knew, others I didn’t. Most gave congratulations, others offered gifts, more just talked with us and asked us questions about how we met and all that noise. At some point in the night, I saw Vervain and Oricalcos slow dancing near the edge of the crowd. I smiled as I saw the love they had in their eyes which made me happy. Then they kissed and I turned away gagging. I mean yeah, I was happy for them and all, but still…no pony wants to watch ponies they see as almost parents kissing.

Later when Aura was talking with the leader of one of the smaller talon groups from the area, I walked around just saying hi to ponies and griffons when I found Wingnut and Byte both passed out next to one of the huts. Smiling I took a moment away from the fun to pick them both up in my magic and take them to bed. Byte might be only a few months younger than me, but she was still a filly and the two of them did have a lot of fun tonight. I did however put them in separate huts. We had enough pregnant ponies and soon to hatch griffon chicks as it was. See…I can be responsible sometimes!

It was when I was on my way back that I ran into a pony I never thought I’d meet, honestly, I kind of dreaded meeting him. The stallion was older, with a brown coat, a silver-grey mane and a grey fu manchu mustache. He was wearing a black and gold fedora and a blue suit and tie. When he trotted up to me, he smiled and held out a hoof which I shook, not knowing who I was about to get into a conversation with…not until he said, “It’s nice to meet you at last Courier, I’m Mr. New Pegasus.”

My smile fell faster than a falling star, “Oh…” that’s all I could get out.

He lifted one silver eyebrow, “Oh? I thought I’d get more than just an ‘Oh’ from you Shadow.”

I dropped his hoof. “Sorry, it’s nice to meet you Mr. New Pegasus.”

He chuckled. “From the sound of it, I’m guessing that’s just you trying to be polite. You can also just call me Mic or Audio Mic if you prefer my full name, but Mic is what I prefer when I’m not on the radio.”

I sighed but did my best to smile. “I don’t mean to come off as rude, but I wasn’t expecting to find you here. I heard you’d gone into hiding after some shit went down in New Pegasus with the NLR. I didn’t think you’d come here though.”

Mic laughed. “Well, it wasn’t my first choice I tell ya, but the Shadow Talons offered me a place to stay for a while until I can get back to my studio in New Pegasus.”

“Yeah, now that I think about it, I believe I remember hearing something about that from Vi,” I said.

“She’s a sweetheart that Vi, scary but also sweet when she wants to be,” he said before moving closer to a table that had refreshments on it.

I followed and picked up a Sunrise Sarsaparilla. After I took a sip I asked, “So I’m guessing that you’re going to do a report about me being back and what happened here tonight.”

He looked over at me, sipping on a glass of wild Pegasus. “Normally I would yes, but I also understand that the Shadow Talons want to keep the fact that you’re back in New Pegasus a secret, at least for now. I can respect that, though for how long I’m not sure. I pride myself on being a reporter that tells the truth.”

I looked down at my drink then took another sip. “You won’t have to wait for too long, I just need time to recover from what I went through over the past few months. It’s been a hard road and tonight is the start to something better. I know I’ll have to deal with the NLR, The Romans, and The Starlight Cult soon, but right now I just want to be a normal pony, at least for a few days.”

He smiled. “I watched the ceremony. It was beautiful and so are you. I expected a bit more ruggedness of a Courier such as yourself.”

I smiled a little then looked over toward Aura who was laughing with her sisters and our friends. “Thank you.”

He tilted his glass toward me, before saying, “Listen Shadow, believe it or not I do know that you don’t like all the fuss that DJ and I say about you. What you need to understand is that like it or not, The Courier gives hope to a lot of ponies. That’s why we tell so many about you and the things you’ve done, the good and the bad. You see it’s not hard to tell the wasteland about a hero going around fixing the wasteland one enemy at a time, ponies eat that up like you wouldn’t believe. Sadly, after a while the stories of all the good they are doing start to feel like a lie, because no pony is perfect, and wastelanders know that. That’s why we tell them the whole truth about you, just like DJ did for Littlepip the Stable Dweller and Blackjack The Security Mare. Ponies need to see that their heroes aren’t just perfect stories, but real ponies going out and making mistakes just like the rest of us.”

I looked up at him. “I do understand, I mean I did catch a few broadcasts about The Stable Dweller and Security, but unlike most ponies I did my best to ignore the radio. It was hard to hear about those mares dealing with their own shit just like me. I know how shitty the wasteland is and I just hate hearing about the mistakes I’ve made. I’m nothing like Security or The Stable Dweller. I mean, hell, Littlepip brought the sun back to Equestria. I’m not sure what Blackjack has been doing since I haven’t been near either of your stations for the past few months, but I’m sure it was awesome. I’m just a mare from The Enclave who’s doing her best to fix what her ancestors broke.”

He looked sad for a moment, then said, “Last I heard, Security’s missing, she stopped some massive rock from destroying us all or so I’m told, but she disappeared after that and most believe she died. I have a feeling she’s still around, maybe doing her best to be normal for a bit, much like you’re trying to do right now. She finally beat the dealer and wants to mosey outside of the casino for a bit and relish in the peace of victory.”

I smiled. “From the stories I heard about her from her friends when I was out in Hoofington, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

He chuckled. “Now that’s a story I’d love to hear sometime. I had no idea you’d gone to Hoofington, but I’m guessing that must have been during the last time you disappeared for a while.”

“Yeah, it was and maybe when everything is over, I can tell you about it.” I said with a smile, “I think that ponies like P-21, Scotch Tape, and Morning Glory deserve to have their own stories told as well. There are a lot of strong ponies on Equus, it’s not just the nut cases like me.”

He put a hoof on my shoulder then said, “Shadow, I want you to know that you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. You look at Security and The Stable Dweller and see amazing ponies who did what most would think is impossible, but so have you. DJ Pon3 might hype you up a lot, but I make sure that everypony sees the real you, good and bad so they can make their own choices about you, but I myself, believe you are a true hero, even if you can’t see it yourself.”

I laughed. “We’ll see about that, but you might be right. At the very least I need to finish what I started, and Aquila is one of the first ponies I need to take care of.”

He cocked his head to the side. “I didn’t know you knew Aquila. That mare came out of nowhere and started her little cult and started acting like she was the real savior of New Pegasus, but I can see the truth. She’s a scared pony who’s hiding who she is behind a mask of power.”

“I know her better than anypony can, but that’s a story for another time,” I said, “But you’re right, she is a scared mare who doesn’t know how to stop doing what she’s doing. She has good reasons for the way that she is. I’m hoping that I can make her see things clearly soon, but I will say that she isn’t a good pony, but she’s also not a bad one either.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. If I ever get back to my studio, I might just have to do a story about her, once I can get more intel on her that is,” he said as he rubbed his chin, “Say, would you by chance have an hour free tomorrow or the next day?”

I shrugged. “Maybe, I mean my friends and I have to get things ready for a trip we need to take, but I might be able to spare a little time in a couple days. Why do you ask?”

“I’d love to sit down with you and do an interview. You’ve been gone a long time and with all the crap that happened right when you left, the Courier’s name isn’t doing well nowadays. I want to give you a chance to give everypony your side of the story. Tell them who you really are and why you fight the way you do. Tell them what really happened on the night you left New Pegasus. It may not change the minds of everypony, but it will help bring a lot of ponies back to your side. That’s something that I think you’ll need soon.”

I took a moment to think it over before I smiled and said, “Sure, I can meet with you at noon in two days. I warn you though, I’m going to be as honest as I can about where I came from. I’m not sure how many ponies will still like me once they find out I’m a former Enclave pony from The Crystal Empire.”

He just grinned. “Oh, I don’t think that’s going to be much of a problem at all Shadow. Las Pegasus was a city built by ponies from across Equestria and New Pegasus is no different. It was wonderful meeting you and once again, congratulations on your life bond.”

He shook my hoof again then trotted off to go talk with more partygoers. When he was gone, Aura made her way over to me. “Was that Mr. New Pegasus?”

“Yep, he wanted to talk with me and set up a time for an interview,” I said smiling up at her, “You were right, he did come find me.”

She smiled back. “Yeah, looks like Vi owes me five hundred caps. I knew he’d want to meet with you and get your side of things. Now all I have to do is get some griffons together and help him get back into The Strip. If we want to start getting ponies to trust The Courier again, we’ll need Mr. New Pegasus on your side.”

“I love you Aura,” I said kissing her.

She laughed. “You just love that I have a knack for planning things out better than you.”

“That’s true,” I said before looking around, “So where’d my dad get off to?”

“He retired for the night,” she said, “I gave him the recording you made of your mom’s final words, and he said he wanted to take time to listen to them. He said he’ll see you tomorrow.”

I frowned for a moment, then sighed. “I hope he’ll be okay.”

She hugged me. “He’ll be sad, but he also needs to hear those last words. He’s been suffering a lot over the past five months. With you leaving and Grim dead right after he escaped execution and fixing up the Western Cloud Alliance, he needs this. This will help him heal.”

“I hope so,” I said before looking up at her, “So, how much longer do you think we have to be grateful hosts?”

She cocked an eyebrow at me. “Maybe an hour or so more, why do you ask?”

I grinned then whispered in her ear. “Because I’m not sure how much longer I can last when I can’t keep my eyes off that sexy ass of yours.”

She grinned back. “You know…we are the leaders of The Shadow Talons. We make the rules right? I think it would only be right for us to…retire for the night and let everyone else have fun.”

I giggled. “I hope that they aren’t the only ones having fun tonight.”

She laughed then picked me up and placed me on her back. “I hope you aren’t tired yet Shadow, because I’m not letting you get any sleep for a long time.”

And with that, we flew off toward our new cave. A cave that thank The Goddesses was far from anyone else’s…and it had a door…and thick walls…and another door into our new bedroom. Oddly enough, I’m still not sure no pony heard the two of us. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have cared. This was Aura’s and my night to be together. Griffon or pony, wedding or life bond, the ceremony still needed to be consummated…right? Who cares, I normally try to keep my story as tame as I can, but fuck it. I was going to fuck Aura’s brains out and she was going to do the same for me and in the words of Rainbow Dash…it was awesome…and perfect…

[FOOTNOTE: LEVEL UP!]

NEW PERK ADDED!

Till Death Do Us Part: Do I hear wedding bells? It seems you’ve tied the knot, fastened the ol’ ball and chain, gotten hitched, taken the plunge, etc. When traveling with your romantic partner you now gain +15% accuracy in S.A.T.S., and as an added bonus as they say, after intimate relations, you gain +30% accuracy in S.A.T.S. for eight hours thereafter. Congratulations!