Fallout Equestria: Shaping Shadow - Book 5

by Mindrop

Rating: mature
Tags: Adventure, Fallout, Profanity, Violence, Slice of Life, Crossover, Alternate Universe, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 131492

The final book in the Shaping Shadow series. Shadow returns to the wasteland after years in the Zebra Lands. The Light Bringer has arrived, and the final link my be forged.

The Lightbringer has come to the wasteland, which means Shadow Flare can head home. But home is in the middle of Operation Cauterize. The Pegasus Race is forced to its knees as Little Pip removes the clouds. But the Grand Pegasus Enclave isn't going to give up their high and mighty ideals about the Pegasus Race.

Reunification with Equestria may very well mean a civil war. Cardinal Spitfire is a Wonderbolt, Deke is a cloudship captain, and the rest of the friends Shadow has in the military are serving their rolls. A civil war may spell the end of friendships, and the great loss of lives for the Pegasus Race.

This is the final book in the Shaping Shadow Saga! There is a side story to this story, the Sagas of Shanyisa.

Note: This is on a slow release, not on a schedule.

The Series:
Book 1: Training
Book 2: The Mission
Book 3: Above
Book 4: Below
Book 5: (writing/releasing)
Sagas of Shanyisa: (writing/releasing)
Anthology

Cover made from elements from Lightning5trike, Another from Lightning5trike, and Zvn.

- Like what I do? I have a Patreon.
*Missing or forgotten information? The Fallout Equestria Wiki has Shaping Shadow and anything you might need to know.

Published 2020-03-23 23:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2022-01-20 02:56:53 UTC

Chapter 133 - Shadow

Author's Note

BOOK 5: PART 1: REUNIONS

Chapter 133 - Shadow

Colonel Cardinal Spitfire cruised over Fillydelphia. Operation Cauterize had just moved to Fillydelphia. The soldiers were hitting the ground for the first time below her. Her job was to provide aerial support and they already had their first job. A sniper was shooting some kind of unknown lightning gun at the deploying troops.

She was now the lead of a fairly fresh Wonderbolt Squad 19, the White Shadows. Pony Patrol was long gone, spread out to other squads in command roles. Her second was Commander Fuchsia Sky. The rest of her team was Lieutenant Commander Bronze Wings, Lieutenant Misty Glow and her inseparable twin, Lieutenant Misty Arc. The final member was Ensign Aegis Blade. He was an up an coming soldier and a risk taker. Colonel Cardinal Spitfire was supposed to calm him down. Outside of the Ensign, her team had at least 2 years in the Wonderbolts.

Commander Fuchsia Sky was in Cardinal Spitfire’s induction class. She was a good commander, it just took a little longer for her. She was also somepony Colonel Spitfire was supposed to nurture and grow, quietly. That was at the command of General Firestorm, the head of the Aerial Combat Battalion and the head of the Wonderbolts.

BOOM!

“Colonel!” Ensign Aegis Blade called over their coms. “The roof! That one! I saw it come from there!”

Ensign Aegis Blade still called her Colonel. He hadn’t broken from the old pattern yet. It was understandable. He had been a Sergeant before becoming a Wonderbolt.

Cardinal Spitfire led them into a wordless bank and then they rolled, turning back to the rooftop. At least her team didn’t need verbal commands for everything. Squad 19 spread out and landed. It was not a very big rooftop. Some mechanical stuff like AC units and vents were present, but nothing noticeable. Aegis Blade pointed her to the spot he had seen the shot come from.

Now it was up to Cardinal Spitfire. But there was nopony visible as she made the announcement. “This is the Wonderbolts of the Grand Pegasus Enclave. Show yourself! I know you have a StealthBuck. Surrender or face our wrath.”

BOOM!

“STEP AWAY FROM THE GUN!” Cardinal Spitfire order as she jumped forward into her shooting stance.

It was hard without seeing them. There wasn’t even the telltale shimmer of a StealthBuck. But she had seen something from where the shot had been made. And she had the sound to identify that they were still on the roof. A bold, but stupid, choice.

Cardinal Spitfire knew what a StealthBucks looked like uncloaking. But what unfolded before her eyes was a cloak being swept aside, leaving the pony under it visible. He was still half covered by it. The Pony didn’t move other that to flip the cloak. The armored pony was in dark blue power armor and around a beautiful anti-machine rifle decorated with lightning bolts.

“One moment,” The distorted voice said. “My target is in sight again. Bastard.”

“I said step away from-” Cardinal Spitfire stopped. Everything froze as she saw the markings on the flank's armor.

BOOM!

“STAND DOWN!” Ensign Aegis Blade yelled jumping forward to his Colonel’s rescue.

“Motherfucking bastard!” The armored sniper yelled from his perch. “You deserve worse than that! I just don’t have time to give it to you.”

“HEY!” The Ensign said with a click as his rifles went off safety.

“Don’t!” The sniper yelled. It wasn’t an order, but a warning soaked in fear. “Don’t move an inch or you will get shot. That goes for the rest of you too. But Simi might want that. So don’t test it.”

“Nah, I’m over here! Watching this bitch they call Stern.”

“Okay, well the fact still stands. Move, and you will either end up very hurt, or dead.”

“Fuck you!” Aegis Blade said stepped forward.

He landed hard as his front legs were swept out from under him with graceful ease. He was obviously pinned despite not being able to see the attacker.

“I warned you,” The sniper chuckled.

Cardinal Spitfire hadn’t moved. She was vaguely aware of the things were happening around her. She was still focused on the insignia on the flank.

“Shad…ow? Is that you?”

The sniper turned around for the first time to look at the Wonderbolts. They were indistinguishable in their armor. There were no markings, ranks, names, or anything. Not even their faces could be seen with the full helmets they wore.

“Shadow Flare is an old name,” He said firmly. “One most ponies have forgotten. If you know it, explain yourself.”

“It’s…me…me…” Was all Cardinal Spitfire could stutter.

The sniper hesitated, weighing the risk back and forth. “Card?”

Cardinal Spitfire struck like lightning. She tackled Shadow in a tight hug. It also rolled them off the building.

“Umm,” Shadow grunted as he kept one hoof on the edge of the old roof. “This is nice, but we are seconds away from falling. And you are chocking me through the armor. Somehow.”

“OH!” Cardinal Spitfire said, letting go. She dropped all the way down to the ground before opening her wings and flipped back up, unleashing her joy among the sounds of the battle unfolding. It was a joy she had long ago lost.

Shadow had his helmet off when she landed and she threw hers off, wrapping him in a hug.

“I always knew,” She breathed. “I never gave up.”

“I was always coming back,” Shadow said, smiling at the love of his life. “But I got chased out of Equestria before I could make it above. Shit happened down here. Your memories kept me alive.”

“No wonder why we could never pick up your trail after Rosemary. We tried once things finally fell back under General Shielded Vengeance's control.”

Shadow shrugged with a grin. “I was going by another name.”

“We left a recall message at Rosemary and Rainbow Dash’s Cave.”

“I checked the cave,” Shadow said. “But I must have been early. The air was still cold from the ice.”

“That was a bad storm. Your family survived fine.”

Shadow sat down hard. For now, he held his tongue.

“The bastard Honey Bee destroyed the data drive once it was locked away in storage. A shit ton happened up here from him. By the time we got control, it was too late.”

“He deserved more than the bullet I just gave him.”

“I’m confused,” Aegis Shield grunted from his position, still pinned.

“Didn’t you pick up anything the Colonel taught you?” Commander Fuchsia Sky quipped. “That’s Recon Team 4. They have been MIA almost a decade now. That’s her husband. You were told to be on a lookout for them. It was the first thing she covered with us.”

“Honey Bee kept dashing around,” Shadow spat. “I took out a few good soldiers trying to hit him from this distance. Its about 2 miles. He didn’t stay still long enough for the bullet to find him.”

“Who is here with you?” Cardinal Spitfire asked.

“My team,” Shadow smirked. “I got entrusted with building a new one. My second is Lieutenant Simi. I also have Master Ukuzwa, Tech Sergeants Bukhali, Sergeant Izala, Specialist Kogata, Specialist Kachi, Corporal Chiha, Corporal Koto, Corporal Kami, Corporal Sumida, Corporal Sensha, and Corporal Nukia. We are Kikosi Kisasi. The Vengeance Squad.”

Several Wonderbolts jumped as they found themselves dangerously close to uncloaking Zebra Warriors. At least one warrior had each of them in their sights. Two were in Zebra Power armor, strapped down with heavy weapons on either side.

Most of the Zebras had Equestrian guns they had reverently took from the outside of Kifopiga. To get Shadow home, they needed guns they could replenish ammunition supplies with. Equestria didn’t have enough Zebra ammunition for their team. Four had the Type 100 sub machine guns, but those fired the same 9mm rounds that was readily available in Equestria.

“Simi, is it anything we need to worry about?”

“Nah,” Simi said uncloaking from the other corner. He was sporting Shadow’s last battle saddle with the DCD shotgun and the 5.56 machine gun. He came trotting over and bowed low to Cardinal Spitfire. “It is an honor to finally meet Mtoaji’s Vrou. In my training, I have heard a lot of stories about your skill. I have no doubt it has only increased tenfold. Especially if you have 5 Wonderbolts under you.”

Simi stood and looked straight at Shadow with a look Shadow was all too familiar with. “Mtoaji, much blood is being spilled as we wait here. The Light Bringer is not here but her forces are. Below is now a three way war for the city. We must make our choice. We can not wait it out here.”

“We need to regroup,” Shadow said, breaking down Soarin’s Lightning. “Our job is done here.”

“Don’t run,” Cardinal Spitfire said, her heart torn. “I can get us a cloudship for pick up.”

“Do it,” Shadow said with a nod. “But that was about our role here. Honey Bee was going to die, and now he has. I still am a Enclave Recon Soldier, am I not?”

Commander Fuchsia Sky answered that. “By our records you still are. Including rank. You are actually still the Command Sergeant Major of Reconnaissance. I checked as soon as I caught your insignia. Our ID system still identifies you, and recon has never taken on another Command Sergeant Major because that is you. Even if you were MIA.”

Bronze Wings reported in. “Regroup is with the Twilight Sky two clicks south in the open. They know we have others coming with us. We need to get a move on it if we are to get there in time. Especially on hoof.”

“Ha,” Shadow laughed as he stretched his wings. “Already planned ahead for that.”

Corporal Nukia, who was pinning Ensign Aegis Blade, stepped off him and pulled out an talisman. He put it on and white pegasus wings grew off his back.

“They needed my feathers to form them,” Shadow explained with a shiver. “It was a pain, but it was worth it. They are not us or any of the Aerial Combat Units, but they are more than competent fliers.”

Shadow flipped his helmet back on and hopped backwards. It took him off the building and a second later he was joyfully ascending into the sky. Cardinal Spitfire launched to join him. They playfully flitted and floated around as Simi and Fuchsia Sky got their soldiers moving.

They cruised to the meet up point. As they touched down a cloudship blasted through the cloud layer.

“What is that?” Shadow asked.

“It’s the Twilight Sky,” Cardinal Spitfire explained. “A Corvette Class defense cloudship in the Third Fleet. She is one of the cloudships that brought us and a group of ACUs to assault Fillydelphia. They built her from nearly the ground up a year or so after you disappeared.”

Shadow took a very deep breath in. “I was gone a long, long time. It flew by while I lived in Shanyisa. But I never forgot you or my home. Every night in bed was agonizing without you.”

“I know you never forgot,” Cardinal Spitfire assured him. “My bed was just as empty. If you have a team, you were doing something big down there.”

“Eh,” Shadow shrugged. “More of the same old same old.”

“Ha!” Cardinal Spitfire laughed as the Twilight Sky performed a soft landing. “That is a tale I want to hear. Your normal was always fun.”

“Oh, I will tell you soon enough,” Shadow chuckled as they walked up the ramp together.

“Uh,” Cardinal Spitfire hesitated. “Everyone wait here in the Bay. Commander Fuchsia Sky has command. We will need to explain the Zebras.”

Shadow chuckled deeply in joy at the idea of them flipping out over his team. Way too many Pegasi were xenophobes. Still, Zebras were the last thing they were expecting in the wasteland.

Cardinal Spitfire took the lead as she brought him through the narrow hallways and up to the bridge. She knew the ship well. The Twilight Sky was in the air when they got to the bridge.

“Permission to come aboard?” Cardinal Spitfire asked at the door.

The Captain’s chair swiveled around to reveal a worn light blue pegasus with messy orange hair under his cover. A very big rack of ribbons was on his chest. A black eye patch sealed off his left eye, and a gold cuff covered his left ear.

“Always Cardinal,” Deke grinning.

“DEKE!” Cardinal Spitfire squealed. “When Bronze said Twilight Sky, I forgot that meant you as Captain!”

“Please,” Deke scoffed. “Its Commodore, not Captain. I am over the Ebony Grace and the Firecracker as well. And we seriously need to talk about your memory. I just dropped you off a few hours ago!”

Cardinal Spitfire laughed deeply. “I forgot you are holding onto that title. And my mind just got rocked hard.”

Cardinal Spitfire stepped aside so Deke could see Shadow standing in the doorway.

“No,” Deke breathed. He glanced at Cardinal Spitfire’s shining face and then bolted across the area to embrace Shadow.

“I WAS ON A MISSION TRYING TO CONTACT YOU!” Deke exclaimed. “Well, it wasn’t official, but I knew what was going on. But you had left Rosemary!”

“A lot of ghosts were going to kill me,” Shadow said hugging Deke back. “They got to Slice and Thunder. I turned my focus to hurt the wasteland rather than a gun on myself. Then I ended up south, in the Zebra Lands. But what happened to you, Deke? Last I knew you had a left eye and gold cuffs are not regulation.”

“I’m under special circumstances,” Deke replied as he sat back down. His mood shifted to quiet and somber. “The Buttercup took a major hit during a storm. I protected the ponies in the South Cloudsdale District, but we got pretty well crushed. I evacuated all I could, but all of the 14 crew members on board were gravely injured. The Twilight Sky is named for one of the four that died. So is the Ebony Grace and the Firecracker.

“I was broken and bruised, barely conscious, but I got us back. I wore glasses over the years, but the past few months it has just not worked. I’ve lot most of my sight in that eye. And the ear is because we did a hearing bypass after I fractured my head in the blow. Officially, I am on the way out from front line duty. But that got suspended as we organized for Operation Cauterize.”

“But that doesn’t matter right now,” Deke said waving Shadow further into the bridge. “We are in the middle of a battle. Command Sergeant Major of Reconnaissance, what should we do? We now have a third force attacking Fillydelphia. We were not prepared to face two enemies.”

“Pull back,” Shadow said. “The Light Bringers forces are too strong. She is going to squash us. We need to rethink the wasteland. It isn’t what we believe it is. Assuming the ideas haven’t changed.”

“I believe you said to burn Filly,” Cardinal Spitfire poked. “But no, the ideas haven’t changed much.”

“Filly needs to burn,” Shadow spat. “But we can’t do it. The Light Bringer cleaned up Red Eye for me. He was right, I was coming for him. He just died before I could clean that mistake up.”

“We can get a full report after,” Cardinal Spitfire said. “Deke, Shadow isn’t alone. He was kicked out of Equestria and survived deep in the south. He has a new team.”

“Zebs,” Deke snorted. “As soon as you got aboard my bay officer reported the presence of 10 Zebs-”

“SIMI! UKUZWA!” Shadow yelled.

“Damn it!” Simi said uncloaking just inside the door. “Do you really thing I am going to let my commander go with strangers without back up?”

“Ukuzwa?” Shadow asked firmly, but with more kindness.

She uncloaked on Deke’s left. “An amazing piece of engineering you have here. I see why they elicited much fear. The dragons never stood a chance. Even them you could certainly make prance.”

Shadow sighed. “Deke, Simi is the greatest Zebra warrior of his generation. I had the honor of training him. Ukuzwa is a master magician and seer. Both are critical members of my team.”

Deke looked Ukuzwa up and down. He blurted out his first question. “How did you get those rings on your neck? I see no clasp.”

“It was a difficult journey,” Ukuzwa said with a straight face, looking out the front of the bridge. “We had to start early. Slowly they wound the metal around my neck, tighter and tighter until my coat could not be seen a speck. A brutal process, but one of great success.”

Deke was unsure what to say back. He switched to Shadow. “Well, you said we need to retreat. Let’s sound the retreat.”

The pegasus at the communications station nodded her head. They were ready to transmit Deke's message.

“This is Commodore Derecho, Third Fleet, The Twilight Sky. We just recovered Command Sergeant Major of Reconnaissance Shadow Flare. He has advised us to fall back. His knowledge of the enemy forces and the situation below is beyond what our scouts have gleaned. He is ready to offer a full report to the Council so proper adjustments can be made. The Third Fleet is falling back so that we can regroup and strike properly.”

With the communication line closed, Deke turned to Shadow. “Shadow, what exactly happened? Why did you end up south, and not come back up?”

“I got forced out,” Shadow explained. “We were intentionally cut off in our communications by Honey Bee. And then the others died and I got chased off before the recall message was received.”

“Yeah, but why didn’t you just come banging on the door?”

Shadow sighed, steeling himself. “Our last mission that Honey Bee sent us on, with the promise that we could come back after…we were ordered to kill a group of new Dashites. The papers we found after we did our job identified them as the Pillars of the Community. We murdered them and I killed my sister. Literally. I put the bullet in her that killed her.”

Cardinal Spitfire latched onto Shadow, nuzzling his neck in support. It was all she could do at the shocking news.

“I see,” Deke said, contemplating the news. “That was something I was not aware of. The Pillars of the Community was a big blow to the reunificationists. It proved the dangers below.”

“I doubt anypony was aware,” Shadow said coldly. “It was covered up well. We were outright betrayed and discarded.”

“By a few ponies,” Deke spat. “But not by the Council. I am certain they didn’t know. Or else Honey Bee would have been in real trouble.”

“Commodore!” the ensign at the comm station called. “Incoming message from the Glorious Dawn.”

“Fuck him,” Deke groaned. “Put him through.”

“Captain Derecho!” the pony on the other side yelled. “You will not break in retreat!”

“Fuck you Admiral!” Deke shot back. “I am actually here, with Command Sergeant Major Shadow Flare, and we are picking apart his betrayal. A betrayal that killed or illegally sentenced their unit to banishment. Along with a variety of other orders that were illegal. We need to fall back and track this down before they do the same to us!”

“If you back out from your position, I will make sure you are banished below and then executed!”

“Sorry Admiral, I have Wonderbolts on official Wonderbolt business to ferry. Colonel Cardinal Spitfire must make a report about the Command Sergeant Major’s recovery.”

The comm line was cut at Deke’s nod.

“Alright,” Deke immediately said. “I have ACUs deployed down in that city. I doubt you want me to abandon Golden Dawn and Olive Pit.”

“Shit,” Cardinal Spitfire swore. “I forgot they were deploying here. Move us into position and get the others. We are falling back. Like you said, we have a lot we need to sort out.”

“Colonel,” the Comm station said. “We have a message coming in from General Firestorm.”

“SHADOW! IS THAT YOU!”

“I am here General,” Shadow replied. “Alive and mostly unharmed. Its been close a lot of times.”

“We searched for you! But you disappeared.”

“I only just got your messages,” Shadow replied. “I got forced out of Equestria. I’ve been waiting south in the Zebra Lands for the right time to come back.”

“Did you get kill orders for the Pillars of the Community?” General Firestorm immediately asked.

“Yes, we did,” Shadow reported. “Lieutenant Honey Bee ordered us to kill a large group of Dashites that the Council couldn’t prosecute because of the citizen’s had twisted their wings. I shot my sister in cold blood. After it was done, we realized our mistake and it was too late. We survived as best as we could, but we were down to 3 at that point.

“I eventually had to leave Rosemary or the ghosts would have driven me insane or to commit suicide. Like they did for Slice and Thunder.”

“Shit,” was all that came over the comm system for a while. “We pieced that together, but the data drive was pulled from the computer. We couldn’t recover anything. We did the best we could, but Honey Bee was from a strong family that protected him. We did all we could for you.”

“I know you did,” Shadow said. “I have pieced that together from down here. General, I recommend the ACUs be recalled before they get needlessly torn to shreds. A lot of information needs to be discussed. Their tactics are superior, but they are already out maneuvered and out of their league.”

“The Wonderbolts are coming back,” General Firestorm informed them. “And the Third is pulling out with the ACUs in tow. Some of the Wonderbolts didn’t…agree with your first message across all channels. They fought. Particularly the strike group sent to kill Little Pip.

“Cardinal, Cinnamon is dead. Her team fractured over the situation and she didn’t make it. They were right about to stop Little Pip when they destructed. Rasp and Fountain survived, but Cinnamon is dead. Her second turned on her for hesitating. Rasp won’t talk about it, but I believe she shot that degenerate. Eight of the Twelve died in the fracture of their two squads. They are regrouping at Camp Bullis.

“Shadow, this wasn’t just over you. A group was brainwashed, no, reset by Little Pip after they were captured. We have gotten an interesting look at the situation. I wasn’t able to pull the plug until I got you back. But I am certain others died over it. The ACUs are spread thin, and they are even more likely to not follow the orders.”

“General, Colonel, Command Sergeant Major,” Deke said breaking up the conversation. “Turns out, the ACUs can’t disengage. We need to go in and break them free.”

“Right,” Shadow smiled. “General, we will talk face to face soon. But I have been waiting to get back at that Red Eye fucker for turning on me and trying to kill me. It will be a pleasure to kill his army.”

“Did you set him up in Fillydelphia!” General Firestorm asked over the coms. “Last I knew the Disciples were in Filly and then our scouts and recon reboot confirmed it was Red Eye and a fledgling group.”

“He wasn’t talking like a tyrant,” Shadow fired back. “I have a feeling the slaves I feed stayed slaves. He needed a place to reclaim the wasteland, the Disciples were about to be eliminated. I…whatever. I can explain that shit storm later.”

“We have about 15 minutes,” Deke said. “Go. Cardinal’s room is already in the officer suite.”

“Uh, go?” Shadow asked confused. “Where? Why?”

Deke rolled his eyes and sighed, frustrated. “Cardinal, drag him out of here.”

“What? What is happening?” Shadow asked, not budging.

Deke spoke slowly. “You. Cardinal. Her room. Married. Go.”

“Oh,” Shadow said, finally connecting the dots.

“Go!” Ukuzwa ordered. “Simi, get back with the toon. Make sure they are ready to be a typhoon.”

Simi flipped his cloak on and disappeared. Shadow was being pulled away by Cardinal. Deke was just smiling as it all went down. He rotated back to face out of his bridge. Ukuzwa hadn’t moved. He looked her over again.

“You don’t appear to have a gun,” Deke commented.

“I am not a combatant. Magic is my skill as it might happen. Hexes and Curses I avoid, but it is wise to not make me annoyed.”

“I’m just trying to figure out what is going on inside that striped brain of yours,” Deke replied. “Like why rhyme?”

Ukuzwa rolled her eyes. “Zebs?

“I think I like you,” Deke chuckled. “And it’s the old wartime slang for Zebras. I never thought I would meet one, let alone one that could destroy my ship in the blink of my eye.”

Now it was Ukuzwa’s turn to look Deke up and down and snort. “You are not worth my time.”

“Exactly,” Deke mischievously chuckled.

Five minutes later Shadow came back onto the bridge.

“What!” Deke exclaimed. “I said get busy! Shoo!”

“Cardinal is recovering in the room,” Shadow calmly stated. “She always just...well, we have our secrets.”

Deke let out some evil laughs. “You two better get busy. It’s just not complete with just me and my mini mes. I need yours to really raise terror with them all.”

“Mini mes?” Shadow asked.

Deke turned his chair to full face Shadow. His face had the same, familiar mischievous grin on it. “Yes. Four to be exact. Four half me, half Early Blossom. They truly have blossomed alongside their half siblings. Yeah,” Deke chuckled. “That’s right. I got busy with your sister.”

“I regret my suggestion,” Shadow said with a straight face. “I regret telling them your name.”

“They got to ask me in person,” Deke continued. “Before they contacted me, I got to them. Also, I slept in your bed at the cherry orchard as I saved your family.”

“My first news from home,” Shadow sighed. “And it comes from Deke. Gloating about half sleeping with my sister.”

Cardinal Spitfire joined them in the bridge as if nothing had happened.

“They all turned out cute,” Deke’s First Mate, Crimson Rain, said. “I know, I know. With somepegasus like Deke, how could they? Your sister is cute enough to fix that downside to him. I can personally attest to all of that. We did a routine stop out that way a few months back.”

Deke broke down laughing, unable to hold it in. “I do love you family,” He finally said in between laughs. “They produce some really good cherries and turnips.”

“I have not met them yet,” Cardinal Spitfire assured Shadow. “I know you wanted to introduce me. My family knows. Your family knows only because you went MIA, but I have not met them yet. Your family only knows my name and that you got married. They are diligently waiting for you to introduce me to them.”

“As soon as this is all over,” Shadow assured her.

“Five minutes to rendezvous,” A lieutenant reported.

“We should go then,” Shadow said. “Ukuzwa, make sure Deke doesn’t do anything stupid.”

Ukuzwa just stood there, beside Deke. You couldn’t tell if she heard the order or not.

Shadow was beside Cardinal Spitfire as they jumped out of the Twilight Sky. Simi was leading the others except for Tech Sergeants Bukhali who was staying behind. Her specialty wasn’t fighting. It was technology. She didn’t need to be in the fight and risk an injury or worse.

They flew at their top speed, enjoying the feel of flying together once again.

Cardinal Spitfire issued her orders. “Twins, strafe the ground in between the ACUs and Little Pip’s forces. Discourage them from fighting. But don’t hit them.”

“Simi will handle that separation,” Shadow added. “Let the Zebras help force that front to hold off on shooting the ACUs. The wastelanders will respond better to the Zebras. We need to engage Red Eye with heavy prejudice.”

“Twins, still make that strafing run and then lock up that front with our ACUs. We can deal with Red Eye. Shadow has more than enough to rip them to shreds in your place.”

Shadow chuckled in glee over their coms.

“We got it,” Simi said. “I am readying us for the split and disengage tactics. But it is Steel Rangers. I am not sure how it will go.”

“Are they tied into our coms!” Cardinal Spitfire protested. “We tied in your com. That was easy. But we couldn’t even see their coms. These are a high priority and very secure network.”

Shadow let out a laugh “My Tech Sergeant made easy work of it. And She never had my system to work off of. I left all of it in Rosemary and just got it back. She is very good.”

“I trust you, but not quite them. Yet. Not cool.”

“They came all this way, leaving their families to cross the great sea of sand to fight in a foreign land for a foreign pegasus. We will be parting after this. I won’t be going to my home there. They are my team. They want to make sure I get to my real home and have a home to go home to. I have done a lot for them. And they just want to reciprocate something. I had fun helping them out of the goodness of my heart.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Cardinal Spitfire said dismissing it. “You ready for this strafing run?”

“They won’t even see it coming,” Shadow replied.

Shadow made up for the twins not being present. He unleashed his minigun, lighting up the entire area with deadly magical laser fire. It was four times stronger than the Novasurge rifles the Wonderbolts were packing.

They flipped around and landed in middle of the ACUs.

“Who is in charge?” Cardinal Spitfire asked. “I am Colonel Spitfire.”

“Her, in the power armor. General Wind Rustler just died of his wounds a minute ago.”

Shadow Flare surged after Cardinal Spitfire. She expertly slid up to the side of the pegasus.

“Golden Dawn!”

“Cardinal!” Golden Dawn exclaimed.

“We are here to get you out.”

“Out?”

“Retreat orders for the 3rd Fleet, ACUs, and all members of the ACBs. We need to regroup and reset. Shadow Flare has some new information for us.”

“SHADOW!”

Shadow just waved at his friend. They never had time to do more as a rocket exploded, forcing them all down.

“Damn rockets. We are pinned by it and can’t get a beat on it. And command has been shredded. I know I am in charge, but that is about it.”

“Got it!” Shadow said dashing away.

Shadow got into a better position. He waited for a second and then saw the glint he was looking for. He unleashed two rocket towards an eighth floor window. A rocket was launched back at them. The first rocket collided with it and the second found it’s home in the rocket snipers.

Minigun fire forced them to all dive out of the way. Red Eye’s forces were stronger than Shadow thought. Shadow came out of the dive and engaged his E.F.S. targeting system. Time slowed as he picked out the target. He locked on with his 7.62x51mm rifle and put down a single round.

The one with a mini gun’s head snapped back in confirmation of the hit. The Zebra rounds were great, but they were not his beloved 7.62 rounds. They were better than the 5.56, but the 7.7mm didn’t have the same feel.

More weapons fire opened up on them. Specialist Kogata and Specialist Kachi slid up to Shadow in their power armor.

“Mtaoji! The Light Bringers Forces are holding their fire. That cease fire is dire. Kachi and I are going to put the hurt on those guys. We won’t stop until there is not one left to issue cries.”

“No you are not,” Shadow said.

They ducked as more fire swept through the area and a few grenades were tossed.

“Fine,” Shadow said. “But I am coming with you.

“Anypony hurt,” A pony asked sliding forward.

Shadow snapped his head to look at him. He recognized his voice. Olive Pit was barely distinguishable under all of his gear. It was definitely him under all the packs and armor. His exterior was soaked in blood.

“You took a bullet,” He said to shadow. “Your chest is bleeding.”

Shadow looked down. His armor had taken several strikes in the same area from the minigun. One had poked all the way through. Blood was indeed drawn.

“Filly loves the taste of my blood,” Shadow shrugged. “Others need your help Olive Pit. More than me. I’ve taken worse. Card, get them out of here while we wreck them.”

Before they could respond Shadow disappeared under Mwokozi’s Cloak. Kogata and Kachi were gone as well.

“Who was that?” Olive Pit asked.

“That was Shadow Flare,” Cardinal Spitfire chided Olive Pit. “Haven’t you been listening to your radio?”

“Do you see this blood on me!” Olive Pit shot back. “None of it is mine! I’m trying to keep these guys pieced together. We are spread thin all across this wasteland and dying in droves. I don’t have time to keep up with that shit! I have to make sure we have supplies to continue to save your asses.”

“You won’t have to save them much longer,” Golden Dawn rebuttaled. “We are regrouping on the Corvettes. Get your Colonel Ass moving these ACUs! Unit 47, with me. Lets show this fuckers what Shock Troopers mean!”

The ACUs began falling back to their rear and then jumping into the air, back on their way to the Corvettes that brought them here. Cardinal Spitfire had Wonderbolt Squad 19 protecting their flank and funneling them. As soon as she was sure it was safe, they formed up on her.

“Shadow, we are out and clear. Your team has retreated as well.”

“I’m getting Golden Dawn out of her mess," Shadow replied. "As usual, she bit off more than she could chew.”

“Giving you cover then.”

Cardinal Spitfire looked all along their enemy lines. She picked out bodies. And then she began to see a trail of ice, fire, and blood. Bodies sliced in two or who had their heads removed.

She spotted Unit 47. They were making a brave defense. Golden Dawn’s Applesnack Submachine Gun ran out of bullets and the others appeared to be out or jammed as well. Cardinal Spitfire almost dove to the rescue, but stopped as movement caught her eye. A blur dashed in between the raiders as they converged on Unit 47. Ponies and griffins toppled after the blur moved on.

Golden Dawn crouched, ready to go into hoof to hoof combat as the last three got to her. They were cocky, but they had never faced Pegasus Shock Troopers before. She never had a chance for them to meet her as their heads fell off their bodies.

“GO!” Shadow ordered from right beside her. “Run! I mean fly! Back to the ships!”

Unit 47 didn’t have to be told twice. They all formed up in the sky and quickly pressed back to the cloudships.

The Twilight Sky was a mess and packed tight. The Ebony Grace had been turned into their medical unit. If you were not hurt, you were on the other two ships. The bay doors closed as soon as they got inside.

“Shit,” Cardinal Spitfire swore in frustration.

“What was that!” Golden Dawn pressed before they got split up. Out of nowhere you zipped over to us and their heads rolled.”

Shadow drew Kifo Herixleta from where it was concealed on his left. “Meet Kifo Herixleta. He is one of the pieces I inherited during the first few missions I was below. Its a rare, special variant of the Zebra swords. An old, powerful artifact. I can easily split your power armor from front to back with a single swipe.

“Its not the only magical thing I inherited or bought. I also have this sound dampener. I can shoot my battle rifle without it making a sound. It was more useful on my solo trips, but even in battle, its a great addition.”

“How are you gripping that?” Cardinal Spitfire asked.

“Oh,” Shadow chuckled. “Along with the sword, I inherited a very rare magical Zebra band that latches onto the sword and a few other Zebra weapons. Normally, the band can’t work through the power armor, but Ukuzwa spent a lot of hours, sweat, and tears boosting it so it could.”

Shadow put Kifo Herixleta away and headed for the bridge. Cardinal Spitfire shrugged at Golden Dawn and followed after him. The ACUs were now in Golden Dawn’s control. She was the senior officer for the group they had been deployed with.

“Deke we need to try and re-balance the troops,” Cardinal Spitfire said entering the bridge.

“Can’t,” Deke stated. “I am already accelerating. Plus, Olive Pit is good at his job. He split them down the center. They are a mess, but the troops are here. We can’t shift them around any better than they are.

“Plus, I have my orders from Admiral Ruby Snow. All 3rd Fleet ships are on recall. Immediate recall for the defense of the Enclave.”

“Sir,” a lieutenant commander at the navigation terminal called. “The Solar is breaking from the Glorious Dawn. It is turning for a pursuit.”

“Let them come,” Deke chuckled. “I have been waiting for this match up. Captain Green won’t find me an easy target this time.”

“Yes Sir!”

“Once we are sure they are following us, we can make a better choice. For now, stay on this course: North!”

“You are injured,” Ukuzwa said from the same spot she had been since entering the bridge.

“Eh,” Shadow said looked at his chest. “Yeah. I took direct minigun fire. Just a little blood. Except for my second to last trip into Filly, its drawn my blood every time. I’ve been shot, stabbed, and blasted with explosives. And not all in the same visits. I figured it would claim more once again since we were in the middle of a war.”

Ukuzwa shook her head. “Mponyaji and I worked so hard to clear you of lead. I still remember the cries you made as you bled. After all that turmoil, you just undid all our toil.”

“I can’t help it,” Shadow sighed as he walked over to stand in front of her. “It’s not like I want to get shot.”

Ukuzwa shook her head at him and then lifted a hoof that had plenty of jewelry on it. She waved it over the wound several times and a bullet popped out. A few move waves and the wound was sealed up.

“Small it might be, but it does not come for free. Watch your back, stay ready for any attack. I only have so much on me. We are far from home and my reality.”

“Yep,” Shadow sighed. “I’ll avoid it as much as possible.”

Ukuzwa’s smile was mischievous under its obvious care.

“Just how often has he gotten himself hurt?” Deke asked her.

“In one battle, he had a powerful warlord quite rattled. Every time he took a clear hit, he came back in a split.”

Shadow groaned. “That battle was bad. My fledgling team fell apart, I didn’t have anywhere near my optimal equipment, and I didn’t have my sword. I got patched up 42 times in the span of 3 days.”

“42!” Cardinal Spitfire blurted. “You took 42 bullets in 3 days!”

“It was a good mix of bullets, broken bones, and knife wounds. By the time we engaged the enemy, we had no choice but to either eliminate them or die. We didn’t bend, but I certainly bled for that win.” Shadow shrugged. “Just my normal stuff.”

“We need to redefine normal for you,” Cardinal Spitfire stated.

“After this war,” Shadow said. “When the enemy lies dead on the floor. When I crush them to the dust of the stars, then peace can truly be ours.”

“Most of his time wasn’t spent fighting,” Ukuzwa explained. “But when it was needed he struck like lightning. Our land is unforgiving, but he gave it no misgiving. In the end, our standard of living was raised. Something for which he has been greatly praised.”

The sky exploded in a flash of light. It ended their conversation as it blinded them. When they could see again, the sun was shining down on the wasteland, unhindered.

“And so it is,” Ukuzwa declared. “The Light Bringer has brought the light.”

Shadow let out a troubled sigh. He knew this would be the end result, he just had wished he had been able to warn them above in time.

“Thousands are now without homes,” Shadow stated. “Most of the farms are wiped out now too. Things just got very real for the Grand Pegasus Race.”

Explosions from Fillydelphia rocked the air itself.

“Sir, the computers are reading that the Glorious Dawn is going down. It took at least one direct strike from something. The Solar is also clearly on our tail.”

“We need someplace to go,” Deke said. “Someplace that doesn’t compromise the ACUs.”

“Set a course for Baltimare,” Shadow said. “I have some friends there who will probably lend us a hoof. Assuming we don’t try and burn them to the ground. Or pillage them. Just friendly relations.”

“I’m down for friendly relations,” Deke said.

“Sir…fire is reigning down from the sky on our troops and cloudships around Fillydelphia.”

“Someone got a hold of a megaspell,” Deke spat. “I don’t care how good they are, and how wrong we might be. That’s dark shit to be playing with.”

“There are times when it is a good thing,” Ukuzwa said. “Good was not what the Zebras decided to bring. But the Enclave’s assault is brutal and unkind. They do not fight with a just mind. Right and wrong can sometimes be bent, especially when your options are spent. The Enclave is spread thin, but even then the other side can not win.

“Blood will soon be spilled, for how else will we all rebuild? The last link is ready to be shed, beginning the true mend. Father against son, until either side has won. The final link must be forged in person, or things will forever worsen.

“A darker evil than any spell is upon us. Even a dull blade still cuts.”

“Huh?” Deke asked.

Shadow stared out the window. “She is a seer, Deke. She can, at special occasions, see the future. But it is rare and always vague. Deke, how big is the Third Fleet? And how big are the ACUs?”

“Uh, still pretty small. Even with our expansion, we are tiny. A dozenish cloudships and only a few hundred ACUs. Why?”

Shadow’s answer was cold. “Because, the Pegasi are going to war. But not a war on the ground. We have to decide who we are, and how we fit into that world as a whole. Things are not as we were told and everypegasus can now see it. We will be set against each other until we decide. And I doubt the blood sun will not rise.”

Chapter 134 - Baltimare

The Solar was trailing behind the Firecracker. The Ebony Grace was in the middle and all the way at the head of the train was the Twilight Sky. Commodore Deke could have outrun the Solar, but she would have hunted them down at some point. He couldn't lead them to their rendezvous location.

Instead he was baiting her into a chase. Shadow was pretty certain he could get Dry Dock City’s support against the Solar that would blindside the Raptor and protect all the extra lives aboard the three Corvettes. They couldn’t just let the injured loose, meaning the Ebony Grace was out of the fight until the there were no options left.

Baltimare was visible out of the Twilight Sky’s bridge. Shadow was giving the crew commands that brought them to a halt. It wouldn’t be long before the Solar would be on them. To keep her engaged they hadn’t given themselves a lot of extra space.

“This is good,” Shadow said. “Don’t move until we let you know what to do. If the worst happens, dump the ACUs into the southern part of the city to dig in defenses and take the battle out to the sea. But I don’t think it will go that far.”

“I don’t like it,” Deke said. “But I trust you. Go do this. Get us an ally.”

Shadow darted out of the bridge to the top of the Twilight Sky where Wonderbolt Squad 19 was, along with Kikosi Kisasi, his Zebra Squad. They leaped off the front and slowly cruised as one large fan towards the city. It was hard to see in the ruins. You had to know what Dry Dock City looked like to pick it out from the height they were at. And to the city, they looked like the enemy.

General Firestorm was quiet about what was happening. The channels were mostly insecure at the moment as the Enclave reeled from the blow to Operation Cauterize failing. The clouds being ripped out from under them also opened them up to jamming, which was happening. An aggressive move over open channels could bring every military unit down on them. It meant they had to stay low and quiet as they figured out who was making what stance.

The Council was quiet as things failed. Apparently, they were moving to a secure location since the clouds were no longer there to shield them. They would soon announce their next decision, but until then the military was quietly sorting it out among themselves. A lot of independent troop movement was happening between bases.

They coasted over the city and Shadow led them into a slow figure 8 taking them down into the middle of the city. He could already tell where the guards were and they were out in force. They probably had raised the militia, ever since the Twilight Sky came into view.

The two teams landed in a circle, careful to keep their backs to each other as they stared down the rifles of the residents of Dry Dock City. Shadow made a few steps forward to separate himself from the others visually and pulled his helmet off.

“We come in peace!” Shadow announced. “And we come seeking an ally. We are members of a new movement that opposes the traditional stance of the Grand Pegasus Enclave. My name is-”

“Command Sergeant Major Shadow Flare,” An old silver stallion said as he stepped out from behind a guard. “I never expected to see you again.”

“Governor Silver Sifter!” Shadow exclaimed, taking a few steps closer to him. “I assume it is still governor.”

“It is,” Governor Silver Sifter said with a smile. “But what has you here, with them, and with a cloudship?”

“Long story short and sweet, I got booted out of Equestria and forced to stay below all this time. I was in the Zebra Lands.”

Ukuzwa stepped out and over to Shadow’s side. “It is a pleasure to meet you,” She said with a bow. “I understand here is one of the truly good few. My name is Ukuzwa, the mage. I hope that we can start on a fresh page.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Governor Silver Sifter said, smiling at her.

The whole crew relaxed and all of the guards lowered their rifles. Things were not resolved, but the suspense was gone. The Wonderbolts, Kogata, and Kachi removed their helmets as a sign of good faith.

“Governor,” Shadow said, composing himself. “I know this is a big imposition, but we need Dry Dock City’s help. First and foremost, we are being chased by a true Enclave cloudship that wants to rip me and my friends apart. The Captain of the visible ship is a good friend of mine and he has been trading nasty words with the other captain, a big rival. Degenerate was the nicest thing our group was called.

“Give the word, and we set the battle to happen over the sea. But we only have 3 Corvettes. Fast ships geared towards the defense of the Enclave, while he has a Raptor, and it is a new one. The Raptors were the dragon killers of the old war, but they can tear up the ground with ease. It will be a tough thing to win. With the guns in Dry Dock City, we could turn the battle into an ambush and win.

“But that battle doesn’t concern you, and we respect your right to decline.”

“I will need to consult our military adviser,” Governor Silver Sifter said. “It is a risk. But I trust you.”

“I would not endanger this beautiful flower,” Shadow stated. “We could use an ally, at least on the books.”

“There is another matter you wish to ask of us?” Govern Silver Sifter asked.

“Yes,” Shadow said with a more confident nod. “Each of the Corvettes is stuffed with friendly troops. We need to get them back to our allies, but one is carrying a large number of wounded. We pulled them out of Fillydelphia before the Light Bringer dropped whatever it was on Fillydelphia they dropped. If we could leave them here with some of our medics to be tended, it would be very appreciative.”

A pegasus dropped in between Shadow and Ukuzwa. Shadow almost yelled at him except Deke rammed his hoof into his mouth.

“I am Commodore Deke, the Captain over the Twilight Sky. In ten minutes, no matter what happens in these discussions, the Ebony Grace is going to fly over here at full speed. She carries wounded and I can’t risk her being anywhere near us when the Solar attacks us. None of the units on my cloudships will attack you if we have to dump them for the battle. She had to make a sudden jump in acceleration and we are not wasting even a tiny bit with a course change.”

Shadow popped Deke’s hoof out of his mouth. “Shove it Deke. This is tense enough situation, and you are obviously not delicate.”

“You’re are missing an eye,” Governor Silver Sifter said to Deke.

“I lost my sight in it slowly over the years. Same with my ear,” Deke said showing off his ear cuff. “We were protecting a district from a very destructive storm that the Weather Factory unleashed on my fellow Pegasi. We physically combated the storm with our guns, blasting it apart while the non-essential crew warned them below and got them to safety.

“In the end, the 14 of us on board got steam rolled, hard. I saved the ship, but 4 of the crew died protecting their fellow sky brothers and sisters. The Twilight Sky and the Ebony Grace are named for two of the four that sacrificed their lives. It was on a different cloudship, but it was a Corvette like that one. Small.

“My time as a cloudship captain is at its end. The military is taking my command because of my compromised sight. Their decision to go to war below halted my phasing out. I served my race proudly, earning the Humanitarian Service Medal a total of three times over my service. I uncovered two other times where the Pegasus Race was about to take a lot of casualties due to natural disasters, and such. That is the highlight of my career and dedication to the safety of all pony kind.”

“That’s your highlight?” Shadow asked, looking at all the ribbons.

“Hey,” Deke shot back. “I have other proud moments, but they are personal pride, not saving ponies asses. That’s thanks to your influence.”

“Impressive,” Governor Silver Sifter stated. “You are not just some meat head looking for a fight.”

“Well,” Deke hesitated. “Captain Green has had it out for me since the start, and I am totally looking forward to this fight. We have been waiting for the opportunity to do this. He started it. He thinks his military heritage and blood make him entirely superior to me. I have experience, he has blood, and its not been calm between us. I won’t lie about personal gains in this upcoming fight.”

“Damn,” Shadow swore. “I missed a lot.”

“Yeah,” Deke sighed. “You did. I missed you the entire time. But, Sir, my crew is ready to combat a Raptor with a decent chance at winning, but we could use the support. I don’t want to die before Shadow and I can finally hang out outside of the military.”

The conversation halted as The Captain shoved a pony past the Dry Dock City guards. A green haired stallion in an oil and paint covered mechanic suit.

“I came as fast as I could,” The Captain said. “Shadow Flare, it is good to see you once more.”

The Stallion’s head shot up and they locked eyes. Shadow’s rage was tripped as he recognized the familiar face. It took nothing for him to cross the distance between them and back hoof him in the face with his armored hoof.

“I MOURNED YOU!” Shadow screamed. “I FUCKING MOURNED YOU SLICE! YOU COULD HAVE HAD THE DECENCY TO TELL THUNDER AND ME TO NOT WORRY. THAT YOU WERE HEADING HERE!

“Thunder,” Shadow seethed. “He blamed himself for not being able to stop you. Shortly after you left, he pulled the pin on a grenade and blew his head off! He couldn’t bare the idea of committing himself to becoming a wasteland pony. He had honor! You didn’t! I was the last Inquisitor because you ran off in secret!”

“I didn’t mean to come here,” Slice shot back, rubbing in cheek. Blood had been drawn, but Shadow had restrained the power in the strike. He hadn’t wanted to break his face permanently. “I left. I left with nothing. I expected to die. I couldn’t go back to my nothing life. And we had committed treason. Tricked into it or not, we committed treason.

“I couldn’t take the ghosts anymore. They were driving me insane. The damn unicorns were always just out of sight. And fuck, I killed some completely defenseless young ones. I just couldn’t take it and I lost it as I had to go. I deserved to die, so I threw myself into the wasteland.

“I just…don’t remember much. I doubt you understand that feeling. But its like a horrible dream that is all hazy, and when you wake up, you can’t remember anything. Well I woke up here, on the verge of death. And I built a life here. I am truly sorry you had to find out. I didn’t mean any harm. I meant to die. But now I got a wife and foals. I got a life here.”

“I left shortly after you did,” Shadow growled. “I killed Dahlia for you. I killed the Disciples for you. And I got forced out of Equestria, on the run, injured, bleeding out, and I lost track of everything for you. I came too weeks later in the care of some Zebras. I built a temporary life there, but I was always going to go home to my family. You weren’t even going to give them that courtesy!”

“My family is shit! You were lucky. My dad’s a drunk who hated that I existed. My dad can’t even be sure I am his. My mother doesn’t even know if I am his. My sister was always the star because of that fact. They didn’t shed a tear. They already shed them for my existence.”

Shadow was distracted by a little green filly slipped in between the guard’s legs and approaching Ukuzwa while the adults were distracted.

“Um, excuse me. Are you from Kifopiga?” Her voice was sweet and innocent.

“Tear Drop!” Slice barked. “I told you to never to mention that place. That is one of Daddy’s private stories. And you shouldn’t be here.”

Shadow caught sight of tiny wings on her back. She was a Pegasus like her father. That had to have made Slice proud.

“I have visited that place,” Ukuzwa smiled at her. “The grave carved from plagioclase. But your father is right, it is not a place to recite.”

Slice glared at Shadow. “Did you raid Kifopiga?”

“The Zebras reclaimed the supplies stored there,” Shadow replied. “And Ukuzwa needed materials they had stored there to learn the magic she was already gifted with. And right before we came here, we carefully acquired weapons that were more suited to the Equestrian wasteland. They don’t have the 7.7 rounds in enough quality to keep my team moving through multiple engagements.”

“We were always respectful,” Simi said, stepping over to them boldly. “I am Mtoaji’s warrior trainee. He taught me to protect my home. He protected my home. We are his team that protected the free cities he helped us build. We are here to make sure he finally gets home. We knew what we were getting into. Our Zebra weapons were not going to cut it here. But damn, your 5.56 round sucks.”

“I haven’t touched a weapon since I left Rosemary,” Slice said, conceding the point. “That is one line I am never again crossing.”

“Like hell you are,” Shadow growled. “I need you with me. We need to work together to make sure the Enclave falls.” Shadow poked him in the chest. “The only way she survives is if the Enclave crumbles and out of it we raise up a new Pegasus Race, one that works with below. One that is apart of Equestria. The clouds are gone, the Council is regrouping after the disaster with Operation Cauterize, so we have the opportunity to change the outcome of the Pegasus Race. We have the obligation to do that. You have a perspective that no other Enclave Soldier has!

“And yes Slice, you still are an active duty Enclave Soldier. Your MIA status has not stopped any of that. You are still Sergeant Major Apple Slice, Reconnaissance Squad 4. You gear is secure in Rosemary. And you will retrieve it and report for duty!”

“Fuck off!” Slice said turning to leave. He was blocked by the Captain.

“Slice, it has been amazing to have you become a full member of our community.” The Captain’s words were sweet and genuine. They matched his soft smile. “But you will be reporting for duty. The Pegasus Race needs you and your unique position. Dry Dock City needs you to do that. Sweet Waters needs you to do that. Your three foals need you to do that. I haven’t pushed you to ever pick up a gun because I understood things fell apart.

“But you will be reporting for duty. To do what you must for your race. And then you can come back and live here. Or, you can die making sure we don’t become the target of evil minded Pegasi. If you don’t go, you will not be able to stay here.”

Slice glanced over at Governor Silver Sifter who shrugged in agreement with The Captain. He wasn’t going to say a word though. He was just going to silently back The Captain.

“We have a second Cloudship almost on us,” The Captain said. “From what I understand from our coms, you need assistance?”

Deke gave them a 30 second run down of the situation.

“I see,” The Captain said. “Slice, ready the guns. Commodore, Slice will coordinate with you on the bridge from the south gun. You will be a spotter for us. For targeting assistance, you will need to be right above that gun. Slice knows the systems well.”

“I’m a little iffy on the Corvette’s gun batteries,” Slice warned them.

The Captain continued with his strategy. “I suggest we accelerate the Firecracker and swing her out over the ocean. You will give us the targeting info and bait the Solar in. Then you will fall back in retreat. We can open fire on an unaware Solar and from there, the battle can commence with all three of us working together.”

Deke grinned and bent down to take off into the sky. “I like it!”

The Captain nodded. “It will work. Slice, I trust you understand the full severity of the situation.”

“I do,” Slice nodded. “I will take personal responsibility and keep my hoofs on it all. I won’t miss. It won’t take 10 minutes to have us ready and 20 at most to be dialed in.”

Deke took off and Slice moved out on hoof.

“Take your defensive stations,” The Captain ordered the guards and militia.

All of the guards ran off to their stations, leaving none of them around the Wonderbolts and Zebras. Governor Silver Sifter and the Captain stayed with them.

“Anything we can do?” Cardinal Spitfire asked.

“No,” The Captain replied with the same, soft smile. “We will watch the ambush from the south gun. But this is something we are actually prepared for.”

“We should catch up,” Governor Silver Sifter said. “A lot has changed since last time. You guys did more than you realize you did. The farms are yielding four times more since you helped us with the composting. Fort Strong is ours, permanently. Nor’easter was correct, the Super Ponies just needed a strong organizational structure. They hold Fort Strong. We are one city, but it is easier that way.”

“It is advantageous to hold both,” Shadow added.

“Crystal Kiss and Black Bolt still reside over here with us. Black Bolt has made a wonderful teacher. And Crystal Kiss helped our gardens flourish. She is rather protective of her herb gardens, especially the Rosemary plants she got from you.”

Shadow chuckled with delight. “I told her something about her being the only one who could handle growing them.”

“You were right about that,” The Captain chuckled.

“But that is on the inside of the city,” Governor Silver Sifter continued. “Since we have Super Ponies on our side, things in Baltimare have shifted. The last direct attack on the city was eight months ago. We have been able to push them back. Or, better put, the Super Ponies have been pushing them back to Stable 50.

“We have been sending out recovery team into the cleared blocks before we lose them again. It’s been advantageous, but we can’t eliminate them all. The buffer we have is the best we can maintain. And that does shift periodically.”

“Anything pressing?” Shadow asked. “I can leave a few Aerial Combat Units here to help strengthen your lines and our alliance.”

“Nothing is needed,” The Captain assured them. “It is stable. I doubt you will have the resources after to do anything either. I have heard the brief reports over the radio.”

“We lost a lot of Pegasi,” Shadow sighed. “But most of them were not going to side with us. It was the First Fleet that primarily lost vessels. And most of the soldiers that went below were led by the officers that vote for a full eradication of the wasteland. Sad, but nothing to cry over at this moment. After the war is over, we can mourn the evil that is war.”

“You say that as if there will be a war,” Governor Silver Sifter said. “Are you so sure?”

Shadow looked at Ukuzwa who nodded. “I am a seer. Into the deep I can sometimes peer. When he first arrived, a prophecy I derived.

“When the sword is set in stone, It will sound a new tone. Home will be given, it is a sign, committed. Together we must gather, or forever be scattered. Listen to the master, and you shall avert all disaster. Many will block the way, and for that they will pay.

“The stone shall relax, when it hears the call of the Light Bringer. The last link will be ready to shed, beginning the true mend. Father against son, until either side has won. The final link must be forged in person, or things will forever worsen.”

Shadow explained. “The first half has come true. But that is why my team came. Father against son, until either side has won. The final link must be forged in person, or things will forever worsen.

“I have to make sure that we shed as little blood as we re-forge the link to our pony brothers and sisters. But if our military is how it was when I last was above, we are screwed. It won’t be a simple thing to sort out. The citizens will back me, the soldiers won’t. Unarmed citizens are useless except to waste their blood. And I won’t let that happen.”

“We can help with training,” Governor Silver Sifter said. “And I am sure we can set something up so that we can help train them out of the eye of the others. Right The Captain?”

“I don’t know,” The Captain admitted as he looked up at the Ebony Grace.

She thundered over them at the high-speed Deke had warned them. It was a good thing he warned them. She was low overhead, but not dangerously low. Her engines were huge compared to the size of the Corvettes. Deke had said they were the same engines as the Raptor Class used.

“Governor,” The Captain said once they could talk again. “The thing is, with the clouds gone, the game has changed dramatically for the Grand Pegasus Enclave. They can no longer deny what is below them. That will mess with their politics greatly.

“I can’t miss this opportunity. I am a Pegasus. I fought for Equestria. I trained the greatest Pegasi fighters Equestria has ever seen. Some of them were Shadowbolts, my prouder students went on to form the Blue Beret. And then when it all fell apart; I was here with my whole unit to begin sea raids. I have to go above and make sure the right choice is made. And if be, I will fight and die for the old Equestria that I still love dearly.”

“Sir,” Cardinal Spitfire cautiously said stepping forward. “Did you say you trained the founders of the Blue Berets?”

The Captain looked here over again. He snorted. “Wonderbolts, right?”

Cardinal Spitfire snapped to attention and saluted in the old style, with her hoof. The rest of Squad 19 did as well. “Sir, yes, Sir! Colonel Cardinal Spitfire. We are Wonderbolt Squad 19, Sir. Our nickname is the White Shadows, Sir. After my husband, Shadow Flare, Sir.”

“That’s your wife,” The Captain blurted.

“Yep,” Shadow grinned. “It’s been a long time missing her.”

“Faithful to the day I die,” Cardinal Spitfire said with the same grin. “All that time was worth it now. All the painfully lonely nights have meaning. My stalwart assurance that he would be back has won out.”

“She is a better fighter than me,” Shadow said to The Captain. “At least she was when I left. I know you didn’t get much time with me, only one mission, but she was amazing back then. In Filly, I got to fly beside her once again, and flight as well. She hasn’t slipped. The Squad easily holds up to the Enclave standards of being a Wonderbolt. How they hold up to your standards, I don’t know.”

“Sir,” Cardinal Spitfire said. “Only a few ever taught the Pegasi how to go to war. The Enclave Wonderbolts hold those secrets. We know the Enclave inside and out. We have to in order to keep it from falling apart over all these years. And we know our history, the real history. We know it so we can protect the others.

“That is broken now. With our regroup…I lost a friend who was betrayed. Her second shot her to keep to the old ideals. Four of the twelve made it out alive.

“So I have to ask you, Sir, what is your name? Only a few stallions were recorded as teachers who were of the old breed. The real breed.”

The Captain looked them all over again. He snorted again. “Some of you are more sure of your duty than others.”

“Yes, Sir,” Aegis Blade said, stepping forward. I am Ensign Aegis Blade, Sir. 5 years of service sir. I only just joined the Wonderbolts. Squad 19 is my first assignment, Sir. It has been a difficult transition, Sir. Especially with a Colonel such as Cardinal Spitfire, Sir. She is an idealist, but has the skill over most of the Wonderbolts to back it up, Sir.”

Commander Fuchsia Sky presented herself for inspection. “For the most part, Sir, we have been dealing with a lot of new information thrown at us. I am from the same year as when the Command Sergeant Major was declared MIA. I am well versed in that situation. The others are after that time. And we rarely test for new members.

“As far as I can tell, most of the Wonderbolts hold to a neutral position when it comes to the Enclave. Those who do not have probably been eliminated before it can bite us in the ass, Sir. General Firestorm is also an idealist and she wrote the current update on the History of the Wonderbolts. With her own comments about the developments since the last edition a few decades back, Sir.

“The real question is, Sir, how far will she take things? She wasn’t outright appalled over a recent incident where some Wonderbolts were ‘reeducated’ by the Light Bringer. Dang it, I mean Little Pip, Sir. The Zebras and Shadow Flare only know her as that, Sir.”

“The Captain,” Cardinal Spitfire said. “Shadow Flare’s recovery spawned the recall of the entire Aerial Combat Battalion and Third Fleet. I don’t know the extent of the damage because we have been running from the Solar. We can’t let them know our rally point.

“General Firestorm was furious that the Inquisitors were betrayed under her nose. She and our previous General did everything they could to recover them. We just missed them, but our evidence was that only Shadow Flare survived for unknown reasons.

“She was chomping at the bit to not have to send her battalion into this war. Shadow’s recovery gave her the tangible reason to. She doesn’t like to act without proper information. And at this moment, Shadow has the right information. And now, apparently so does the Sergeant Major. We thought he was dead. Thankfully we never claimed him as KIA. We didn’t have the concrete evidence to do so.”

“That works to our advantage,” The Captain said, thinking. He let out a sigh. “I can’t believe I lived to see the sun again. I can’t miss this opportunity to make a difference. When the shit hit the fan, I never had that opportunity. We got hit with a megaspell to our southeast. I woke up as a ghoul.

“I spent the rest of my life building and then watching over Dry Dock City. Over the years, the rest of my surviving team lost their minds and had to be put down. I thought I would lose mine before I saw the sun shining over my Equestria again.”

The Captain looked the Wonderbolts over again. He didn’t snort this time. “Colonel and Squad 19, I am officially Equestrian Military Reserve Lieutenant General Soarin. I was behind the scenes for everything, teaching. But then they needed me to take this position on Equestria’s first real naval fleet. We simplified things to Captain so that the entire fleet could operate smoothly. The poor Admiral would have been sweating the entire time if I was wearing my full rank.

“And that is how I got my second name. When Dry Dock City was raised from the ruins, and I led it, my soldiers were always reporting to me with Captain. The civilians did it then too, and I put Soarin behind me as everything turned to dust.

“But now, I once again have an Equestria to fight for. A real Equestria, with all three races united.”

“It will be an honor to escort you to our headquarters,” Cardinal Spitfire saluted, again it was with her hoof.

Shadow pulled his throw bag off his back and snapped together Soarin’s Lightning. “Sir, this belongs to you.”

Soarin stretched out his hoof to take it and then stopped, pulling it back slowly. He looked it over.

“She is beautiful,” He nodded. “But no. You recovered her. She is yours. I insist. I will take my battle saddle and dress uniform with me, but I do not intend to fight unless we come down to our last soldier.”

“Thank you,” Shadow said.

“Come, the time has arrived. I see the Solar on the horizon. We need to get to the south gun.”

The followed after The Captain at a quick pace. Slice was on the gun, ready. Most of the adjustments had been made as it pointed into the sky at a steep angle. He gave a nod to them all. Above them was the Twilight Sky. It was parked in perfect synchronization of its front turret to the gun on the ground.

Their coms were patched in to listen on the Bridge.

“Captain Green,” Deke said with way too much enthusiasm. “We have traded some heated words these past two days. And we have traded other words over the years. Are you so certain that this is the answer?”

“I don’t give a shit to how many Corvettes you have. The Solar is the finest Raptor the Grand Pegasus Enclave has. I was given her, not you. I know your name was tossed in that hat. You got passed up because I was the better Captain.

“And despite the setbacks over the past few days, we will come out victorious! You can’t match me, even with your speed. All I have to do is nail your ships with one hit from my main guns and you are done for! You have no armor. I do.”

“You are out matched,” Deke said, bored. “Because it was I who pulled my name out of that hat. I didn’t want the Solar unless I could bring her to the Third Fleet. I could not, so I bowed out before they put me in a position, I didn’t want to be in. Knowing that, if you really wish to press forward, you will find yourself in trouble.”

“I may not be able to see the Ebony Grace-”

“She is in the rear,” Deke interrupted him. “She won’t be joining this fight. She holds our wounded. I won’t risk them.”

“Do you actually think your jump tactics will allow you to infiltrate my ship before I take you out?”

“The ACUs are not a part of this engagement,” Deke calmly stated. “I will be engaging you with my ships in a match of guns on guns. And I will win. I won’t win because I have blood, I will win because I have a plan. I have always had a plan-”

“Plans is all you ever talk about! You were a shit officer on the bridge and you never deserved that Captain’s chair. They were so desperate to get new officers as the Third Fleet expanded that they had to resort to your kind!”

“My kind was actually given my commission by the Council,” Deke replied calmly. “Yes. You heard me right. I had my commission given to me by the Fifth Councilor. That is why you could never see my record. We had to hide it to help ease things over. You are all so blood focused, it wasn’t a fair advantage. Because, like I earned that commission, I was going to earn my own ship.

Slice looked up anxiously at the Twilight Sky. He was waiting for Deke to give him the signal. He was not expecting this long of a verbal exchange.

“Now, I hope you will all forgive me.”

“Excuse me?” Captain Green growled. “Forgive you?”

“Not you jackass. I have no problem with killing the likes of you who puts personal blood above the safety of the very Pegasi he claims to protect. I am speaking to your crew; through your own intercom system I might add. We have full control of that.

“I am sorry that all of you regular soldiers are caught up in this. If I could settle this personally with him, and any of you who think I am a degenerate fuck bag because I have ideals that back the situation below, that I deserves to be branded, castrated, and then brutally raped by the evil ponies below before they eat me. Well, if I could settle this with just them, I would. I am sorry that you have to serve under him. I am sorry that you have to die for the Pegasus Race in this way.”

The Twilight Sky’s first turret opened up with a volley from its 10 inch guns. A few seconds later they exploded against the Solar. The Twilight Sky immediately went in reverse. Deke wasn’t going to miss watching the action, but he had been told to retreat for the ambush to work. Even in reverse, the Twilight Sky was quick.

Slice did a final adjustment and fired the south gun. It was the only gun in Dry Dock City to open fire. A few second later the Solar exploded as it was hit. It was a lot bigger of an explosion than what the three guns the Twilight Sky had brought.

And then Shadow felt a heavy concussive blast hit him from the explosion. A very big difference in the explosions. The south gun was only a 6 inch cannon compared to the Corvette’s 10 inch main guns. The Solar was rent apart by the concussive force of the shell’s detonation. It was all left in a sparkling aura of tiny blue stars.

“Slice?” Shadow calmly asked. “Was that Star Dust?”

“Uh, yeah,” Slice said, not even trying to soften the blow.

“You didn’t know the real details about Star Dust,” Shadow calmly replied. “Not officially. The only three who knew fully what we found was me, Storm, and Nor. All you knew was our opening suspicions about what they were. And that was very vague.”

Slice chuckled. “Once we retook Fort Strong, the Governor made sure everything had been cleared, I know Storm’s codes by heart and unlocked it. I had to make a new cloud key since I left mine in Rosemary.”

“It came in very, very handy for me,” Shadow inserted.

“Well it took nothing for me to unlock that vault. It wasn’t hard to deduce what they really were. I had years to pour through their files. We only had a few hours to recover stuff from Fort Strong. Only The Captain, Governor Silver Sifter, and I knew what Star Dust was as we brought it back over. We decided to not leave it with our Super Pony family.”

“Wise choice,” Shadow admitted.

“And just what was that!” Deke asked as he landed. “That!” He pointed to where the Solar had disappeared from. “That wasn’t a normal shell! I though the plan was to hammer them from the ground and then the Firecracker would move in to strafe while she was distracted. And then Twilight Sky could finish the Solar with our broadsides. I fired explosive rounds to give you the final coordinates! I would have fired armor piercing if I knew you would blow her up in one shot!”

Slice pulled out the shell from the breach of the cannon. He held it up. It was stamped on the side with the blue seven-pointed star.

“Star Dust. One of the few true Equestrian Megaspells. Most of what was exchanged on both sides was at least based on the Zebra spell Balefire. The nasty stuff that turned our wasteland into a real wasteland. Equestria may have shot other spells as well. We don’t know those details.

“But Star Dust wasn’t meant to be like those. It was a spell housed in a canister designed primarily to be shot from a naval canon to eliminate Zebra installations and cities without leaving the same yuck behind.

“To be perfectly clear, this Star Dust is designed to be a visual spell. Point and shoot, hitting what you can see. Obviously, you need distance. But it was designed to pack a punch on the front lines, without endangering our troops.”

“No fair!” Deke said, storming up into Slices face. “Megaspells should never be used!”

“Do you not remember what I said before?” Ukuzwa asked. “I thought you had to be smart to be a commodore.”

Deke narrowed his eyes at her, but he didn’t approach her. He wasn’t willing to test his luck there.

Ukuzwa quoted herself. “There are times when it is a good thing. Good was not what the Zebras decided to bring. But the Enclave’s assault is brutal and unkind. They do not fight with a just mind. Right and wrong can sometimes be bent, especially when your options are spent. The Enclave is spread thin, but even then the other side can not win.

“That same mind came here. They would have destroyed this place these ponies endear. Look around you and see, this is a place that is truly free! Star Dust does not hold any evil in it, only that which the pony has in their pit. There is good inside, and that was something with which Equestria made sure Star Dust was fortified.”

“Fine,” Deke sighed. “I recognize that without it, the strategy was still a long shot. And I think it was more humane for the innocent lives caught up in this. And…Ukuzwa, do you think it is wise to bring some 6s with us. Our fleet will easily be outmatched any I have guns that can fire that. A few of those could level their fleets and protect ours.”

“NO!” Shadow, Slice, and The Captain yelled at the same time. They looked back and forth trying to figure out who should explain.

“I know him best,” Shadow said. “Deke, Star Dust is built on a concussive blast rather than a traditional explosion. That means while the shell can destroy things in its blast radius, and will, it creates a much larger wave that can easily liquefy a pony’s insides much further away than what a regular blast will produce. I know you felt that blast up there.”

Deke nodded.

“The biggest downside is also the biggest advantage. While one shell is powerful, if you put two in close proximity, the effect is amplified by far beyond double. Fourfold at least. It would only take ten of those shells to completely destroy New Cloudsdale. To wipe it off the map.”

Deke’s face fell in terror. He knew New Cloudsdale well. It was his home city.

“I think closer to eight,” Slice added. “Only eight if you place them right. Or three 16-inch shells. Since it is a cloud-based city.”

“Yeah,” Shadow said, confirming what Deke was thinking. “One shell is a lot of power, but a few can level a city with ease. And with no fallout after effects.”

“Tactical use only,” Deke nodded.

“This is still too risky,” Shadow said. “No.”

“Yes,” The Captain said. “Yes. I think the Commodore is correct. We are probably in a tight spot when it comes to the naval aspects. A few of Star Dust’s rounds could even that score. We can’t use it on troops, but ships, those battles will happen away from the cities.”

“Maybe a base or two,” Slice added. “Depending on how things fragment. But yeah. It’s one thing we will have that the Grand Pegasus Enclave wont. It’s our ace up our sleeve.”

“I will take command on the Star Dust project,” The Captain said. “Me and Ukuzwa will.”

“Corporal Chiha and Corporal Koto will join you,” Shadow said. “They are fierce fighters who will defend them to the last if things go wrong.”

“Blow it up,” Corporal Koto nodded.

“No rhyme?” The Captain asked, raising his nonexistent eyebrow.

“My team has mastered the art of short communication,” Shadow clarified. “It’s kept things less confusing as we run around in fights. Especially for me. Simi really has mastered non-rhyming communication, but only because he wanted to.”

“Interesting,” The Captain shrugged. “I was so proud of the Blue Berets, but I hated the war. I watched Equestria turn from light to dark in a shorter span that I ever could imagine. We were so peaceful. The Zebras were too, mostly. Their tribe squabbles were not the cause of the war and they were not ready for what we all got thrust into.”

“Neither side was aware of what was to come,” Ukuzwa stated with a sorrowful note on her tongue. “We were utterly bent to succumb. There was no right or wrong side, we all tasted the same sulfide. We went to draw blood, moving with a scud. In visions and dreams I have watched with tears; I saw both side’s affairs.”

Ukuzwa couldn’t continue as a tear clearly slid form her eye and dropped down off her face. She set the somber mood for a while. A time to reflect on the evils that once were, the evils that still were, and the evils that would come in the name of peace.

Chapter 135 - Return To Fort Wind

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Do it,” Deke grunted.

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

Deke nodded and it was put through.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Claps and cheers went up from the officers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They saluted and split.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Show me our room, Card.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everypony at the table snickered.

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

Shadow let them laugh as he chuckled at the memory.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Those who knew the anti-machine rifles laughed.

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

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

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

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

The other generals and admirals agreed.

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

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

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

“Understood.”

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

Shadow and Cardinal Spitfire just nodded in reply.

Chapter 136 - Conclave

Shadow watched the Lord Clove slowly make its way to the Squad Barracks. It was a slow ship, being a Monitor Class Cloudship. Shadow wasn’t the only one in power armor, waiting for their arrival. Every Wonderbolt currently at the Squad Barracks was there, about 60.

The Lord Clove smoothly came to a stop and lowered her ramp. Out of it came an old, white Pegasus with red tipped feathers. His uniform was spotless, but he was only toting ribbons on his chest.

“Admiral!” an angry pegasus called from the top of the ramp. “What is the meaning of this!”

Ruby Snow looked over his shoulder. “This is the most secure place in the Enclave, Sir. Fort Griffin’s Gate was almost immediately compromised. Here is where the Wonderbolts are gathering. Here is your only safe place.”

“Councilors,” Commander Fuchsia Sky said stepping forward. “I can personally attest to the state of Fort Griffin’s Gate. Commander Bronze Wings also was with me. Unknown enemy soldiers were all over the base. They wore all black, but flew no flag or any form of identification, except that they were Pegasi. We killed them, freeing several of our personnel like the Quartermasters and administration staff. Too many of them died trying to get to the bunkers there as the assault came out of nowhere. And extremely shortly after the clouds were torn away. They had to be waiting for a good moment to strike.”

That explained why the two of them had disappeared. But Shadow wasn’t ready for the idea that Fort Griffins Gate was compromised. The same for a force of black ops Pegasi that we not a part of the Wonderbolts or ACB.

“They probably were the same group that came for me,” Retired General Shielded Vengeance said as he stepped forward. “15 unmarked, masked, black uniformed Pegasi attacked me in my peaceful retirement. I was forced to take my wife here rather than risk my feathers and hers. I am a Wonderbolt, so they were no problem, but they still interrupted us.”

“A little clarity ahead of time would be appreciated,” a mare said as she came down the ramp. “But I think I understand your discretion.”

“Our communications are in disarray,” Ruby Snow replied. “We can’t tell who is friendly, and who isn’t. And the wasteland has tapped into them as well. A pony named DJ-PON3 has been all over our airwaves. We are working to set up secure channels, but I had to work off very little information. And I had to work off of the backup plan. One that I see was also heeded.”

“A few Third Fleet ships are purposefully out on special missions,” Little reported. “Most notably the Firecracker. She is out recovering Recon Team 4’s mission specific parameters, including their cloud terminal.”

“So, Shadow is back,” the mare said, shocked.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Shadow stepped forward, snapping to attention again and throwing up his wing into a salute. “Command Sergeant Major of Reconnaissance Shadow Flare reporting in and ready for duty to protect the Pegasus Race.”

The rest of the Councilors came down the ramp. They didn’t have much of a choice at the moment. The Lord Clove was not capable of handling their extended stay. It was a very cramped ship.

“The Wonderbolt Unit is ready for your stay,” Firestorm said. She was in her full-dress uniform, including her medals. “Follow me and we can get the debrief going.”

Only the three mares on the Council were calm. The others were frustrated and unnerved. Even though only a few Wonderbolts escorted them to the Unit, they were constantly shifting their eyes and glancing at them.

“We have rooms upstairs prepared for you,” General Firestorm said as she let them into the Unit. “Everything is key card enabled and every swipe or manual input is tracked. Nothing can happen without us knowing. We will get you cards momentarily. While we debrief, they will be made.”

They entered the largest meeting room, a lecture hall. At the front of it was a few tables put together with the chairs for the Council. It was as close to the Council Chambers as possible, but a very poor substitute.

Shadow took a seat in the front, along with the other important officers. It was mostly the ones he had met when they landed. Olive Pit and Golden Dawn were present, but they mattered because of the battle. Soarin was cleverly hidden under Mwokozi’s cloak. These seats were designed to handle the weight of power armor.

The mares took the Chief Councilor’s spot, the Fifth Councilor’s spot, and the Sixth Councilor’s spot. There was a clear difference in how they sat than the stallions. Especially the Third Councilor and the Fourth Councilor.

Cardinal Spitfire leaned over to quietly explain everything. “The Second Counselor is economics. The Third is science. The Fourth is army. The Fifth is navy. The Sixth is social. And the seventh is medical. The Chief is almost always held by the former Fourth Council position. Right now, it is held by the former Fifth Councilor, the navy. And they have a heated rivalry. The fact that the Navy is up right now is surprising. I suspect is has something to do with the Third Fleet and piggy backing off Deke’s recent success.”

Shadow just quietly nodded.

The Chief Councilor spoke first. As calm as she looked, she was not happy. “Would somepegasus please explain what happened to our military?”

Shadow immediately stood up. “I have a quick explanation. I wasn’t able to deliver the information until the battle at Fillydelphia had commenced. I had just arrived back from my exile. That is another debrief. In short, the wasteland was stronger than we ever believed. The Steel Rangers are a more formidable force and even the raiders are more problematic, raising their own personal armies, sometimes overnight. Our soldiers have never seen combat, and it probably attributed to a good deal of initial shock.

“As soon as I got reconnected, I was able to advise on a retreat to regroup. I was not aware that they had the ability to clear the clouds or that they had access to a megaspell. It shows their tenacity that they would fire it upon our forces. Especially since their soldiers were physically close to ours in that battle.”

The fourth Councilor grunted. “And what exactly prevented you from getting this information to us earlier?”

“In short, the Inquisitors were betrayed and banished by our commanding officer, a Lieutenant Honey Bee, after we followed his orders. He ordered us to kill a group of Dashites. After we did, we discovered the Council’s seal and permission for the Pillars of the Community to operate below.

“He had severed communications between us and we were left blind and certain we had just committed treason. When I finally decided to make a run for the top, I cleaned up a few loose ends below, and they retaliated in force. I was pushed south, out of Equestria. I couldn’t get above. The griffons made sure of it.

“I lived the past years in the Zebra Lands, surviving there until I could come back. We were able to pick up the radio station from the wasteland, and I coasted there for a while, building that little village up as I waited for the right time to come back. Obviously, I was a tad late. But I am certain I still have kill orders on my head from the Steel Rangers. I killed a good number of them in a single, personal strike.”

“I like hearing that,” The Fourth Councilor said with a nod.

“I gleaned a lot of information in my travels,” Shadow continued. “But I was unaware that another Inquisitor had survived until the other day. Sergeant Major Apple Slice gave up and committed himself to the wasteland for punishment for our crimes. We did a lot of dark things in the name of our safety.

“It chose to do as it willed for both of us. His suicide attempt ended with him in a small, niche community where he actually settled down. He is on his way here. He is picking up the cloud terminal we had so you can verify our reports. We continued to make reports after our communications was severed.”

“It’s just you two?” The Chief Councilor asked.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Shadow said. He took in a deep breath. “It would be a very long debrief. Thunder decided to stay pure, an Enclave soldier. He was not going to break and join the wasteland ponies. He decided to commit an honorable suicide instead. He put a grenade in his mouth and pulled the pin.”

“What drove you to this madness?” The Sixth Councilor asked. It was harsher than she meant it to be.

“Rosemary. Our saving grace as we arrived, was a populated stable. It was full of Unicorns of all ages. We slaughtered them, over a place to rest. We didn’t even hesitate about it, ever. It caught up to us in the end. Just out of eyesight was the ghosts of the dead, staring at us, never giving us rest. Right before I left, I too was hearing them whisper back and forth. So, I had to leave before I went insane.

“I am proud to submit that despite my forced departure, I never gave up any Enclave secrets. No one ever knew I was an Enclave soldier and my wings were effectively hidden throughout my time in the Equestrian Wastes. The Zebra Lands was entirely different, they knew about my wings, but no secrets were given up there.

“Alongside that, I cleaned out the wasteland. I slaughtered hundreds of raiders on my own, even against grave personal injury. I continued to glean as much information out of it as I could, to the very end. I always was coming back to give a report, as soon as I could confirm I was not going to be branded and banished. Or outright killed on sight.

“Sergeant Major Slice can give you solid information on life in the wasteland, and what it means to them. He can help us understand how to successfully adapt and how to integrate.”

“What about how to break their fighting spirit!” The Fourth Councilor barked. “Or what their weaknesses are! Things we need to know!”

“Councilor,” Shadow said slowly. “Have you looked outside? The Enclave doesn’t exist as it once did. Its shield is gone. We no longer can live as we once did. I was a Homestead Farmer so I know most of the farms are gone.

“I know what that actually means. No disrespect meant, but do you? We can’t sustain our population for long without those farms. If we lost even just 20% of our farms we couldn’t sustain our population, even calculating in our military losses, for even a year. And we maybe, at best, maintained 20% of the farms.

“We will have to send pegasi below, soon. And the wasteland ponies have proven they can hold us off to at least a draw. Their only weakness is their fragmentation. They lack unity like we have. We have the superior skill and maneuverability, but they can still bleed us dry because they are living a life of death, and often murder. We haven’t tasted that, they live it. That is their advantage, and something we can’t compensate for.

“We have no choice but to integrate, at least in calculated ways. We must take our military and turn it from aggressive actions, to tasks that reclaim the land, and mold it into the guardian force that makes sure that we don’t get bossed around, raided, or enslaved. We have a duty to protect our race. We have no other options. That is what our duty has become, whether any of us like it or not.”

The Chief Councilor stopped the storm of the Fourth Councilor. “You have thought long and hard on this, haven’t you?”

Shadow nodded slowly. “I have experience gleaned from years of existence below. Sergeant Major Apple Slice may have partially abandoned the Enclave after it abandoned us, but he too has drawn the same conclusion. And like me, he never gave up the secrets of the Enclave. He is as loyal as I am when it comes to protecting the Pegasus Race. He doesn’t want us to fall, so he is back to protect his family.”

“It was an unfortunate set of circumstances,” The Fifth Councilor said. “We did what we could to try and recover the Inquisitors, as I am sure you have heard multiple times by now, but we couldn’t act without more proof early on.”

“I have been brought up to speed,” Shadow said. “I blame no one but Lieutenant Honey Bee.”

The Fifth Councilor grinned. “Then you will be glad to hear he died in Fillydelphia.”

“Of course he did,” Shadow said coyly. “I put that bullet in him from two miles out. I had a team to avenge, and I didn’t have the time to exact what he really deserved for the horrors he placed on us all those months below.”

“That is an act of treason!” The Fourth Councilor yelled, jumping to his hooves.

“You were not even a part of the council when it happened,” The Chief Councilor spat. “I was. Shadow was going to kill Honey Bee and we knew it. It’s good it happened this way. Less of a mess to clean up. Much less of a mess than what he put us through trying to cover his ass after he betrayed them, which you also didn’t have to deal with because you were not on the Council.

“Besides, he had been clearly warned that Shadow would kill him when he got back. I doubt he believed it, but that was another incident you were not aware of because of your rank. At that point, I believe you were still only a Major.”

The Fourth Councilor was fuming, but he shut up and sat down. It was now clear why the Chief Councilor was chief despite her naval background. She was clearly the senior ranking military member when the previous chief councilor retired.

The Second Councilor spoke up. “Shadow Flare, despite the circumstances that just were discussed, we did unanimously decide to uphold your rank and status. Unfortunately, we do not have the capital to pay you for all your years MIA.”

“That is not even a concern of mine,” Shadow chuckled. “I never once thought I deserved a single bit in compensation. I have been very well taken care of since I got back, as expected. Just like I how left it.”

“Are we just going to sit here and ignore this?” The Seventh Councilor asked. “The Grand Pegasus Enclave cannot, shall not, break just because the clouds are gone.”

Cardinal Spitfire grabbed Shadow to force him to sit down, but he already was doing it. The Council was openly deliberating among themselves. Until they called upon somepony else, they needed to be left on their own, while they all just sat and watched.

Shadow quickly saw the divide. I was a 3 – 3 split, with three insisting they continue the previous course and make the wasteland pay; to physically retake locations for the refugees. The Chief Councilor, Fifth Councilor, and Sixth Councilor were in agreement that a new plan was needed. The Fourth Councilor was adamant that they had the strength to do it. The Fifth Councilor kept reminding them the state of the First Fleet, which was now only a single Sky Tank. The one who hadn’t voted and kept things from happening was the Second Councilor. He wasn’t sure what was best for the Grand Pegasus Enclave, economically speaking.

“Councilors,” General Firestorm finally said, standing up. “We will keep you under constant guard for your safety. We have your key cards with room assignments. But at this moment, we have troops we need to sort out. The destruction that happened below wasn’t just to the First and Second Battalions. It was also to the Aerial Combat Battalion, and I have to make sure they are properly sorted and secured. We will be just a call away.”

There was no discussing it. They had to depart while the Council continued to make their choice. It also was evident as they were given their key cards that they were not going anywhere without the Wonderbolts knowing. They were trapped in the building as General Firestorm did what needed to be done. And a huge part of what she had to do was protect them.

When the door closed behind them and clicked as the lock engaged, Soarin uncloaked and General Firestorm was right next to Shadow.

“Well done Command Sergeant Major. I can see that you truly deserve that new team. You must have done quite a lot to become their leader. More than just training some guards and building a few houses. That was spoken like a master.”

“I agree,” Soarin added. “You had authority, confidence, and experience. You didn’t pull any punches, but you didn’t outright sock them either. You put the pressure on them very well. I couldn’t have done any better.”

“Neither could I,” General Firestorm said. “I was nervous when you stood up. I was expecting a disaster. But you nailed it. With them deadlocked in a 3 – 3 – 1 decision, we may have to take the initiative and remove it from them. We didn’t kidnap them, but we are not going to let them ruin our chance for peace.

“The Fifth Councilor was once the Admiral of the Third Fleet, when it was just 6 ships. Then she moved to the Second Fleet, and on up. She was fully aware of what happened as it happened, and she is the perfect balance to the Fourth Councilor.”

“I could see that,” Shadow chuckled. “The Sixth Councilor though, that is a bit of a surprise.”

“She has refugees to deal with,” General Firestorm stated.

Retired General Shielded Vengeance chuckled. “And she is connected to Golden Dawn and Vengeful Blade. I don’t think she will ever forgive herself for that slip up. The time the Council spent watching the jump training put her in alignment with the Fifth Councilor. I knew they had multiple conversations over that short period. I am sure she made it so that Purple Breeze was able to take that Council spot because she could put forth a very solid replacement for the Fifth Councilor.”

“And it all makes me head spin,” Shadow replied with a sigh. “Now what?”

“Now, you get some sleep,” Firestorm said. “It is late. We will make our next choice in the morning. I am waiting for some final word from known allies. The Fifth Councilor has her allies in the Second Fleet. It is not going to be easy. Even with so many cloudships destroyed, we are going to be a small force compared to the Enclave’s Fleet.”

“Has Deke told you his idea for a name?” Shadow asked.

“No,” Firestorm replied.

“Equestrian Pegasus Military.”

“He has grown up. A lot.”

“He has,” Shadow chuckled.

Chapter 137 - Allies

Shadow sat around the table with the others. They were discussing their next moves. The Council hadn’t come to any consensus over the past two days. Even with the information from the Inquisitor’s cloud terminal, they were still locked into a tight 3 – 3 – 1 split. The Second Councilor was still unsure and refusing to give a vote to either side.

That left the fledgling Equestrian Pegasus Military on thin ice. If they tried to seize power, a lot of the military would automatically side against them. Without the known location of the Council, plenty of the military was unwilling to act. The purists were claiming the Council mattered, but that they had to continue the war that was started. They were using the fear of the megaspell used on Fillydelphia to their advantage.

The Citizens were mostly in favor of trying peaceful coexistence. Only the strong military lineages were against it. The idealists with the Pillars of the Community once again rose up. With the Testimonies from Shadow and Slice, it gave them an edge. But they were not wanting to be as military oriented as Shadow and Slice were pushing for. They didn’t know the real dangers.

Until then, the Equestrian Pegasus Military was trying to figure out how to position themselves with their allies and not tip anypegasus off.

“Shadow Flare?” Firestorm spoke up. “Do you remember my question for you to keep in mind was?”

“Uh, yes,” Shadow nodded. “I have the final count.”

“Lay it on me. I think it is time we publicly recognize your feats.”

“I hate some of these,” Shadow warned them. “I have alluded to my calling, and they fall under it. I wasn’t exactly acting for the Grand Pegasus Enclave.”

“Speak,” Ukuzwa snorted. “You were called for who you are, because of you are a true lodestar. Nothing you were then was not you. It was not some potion or brew. Only the outside changed, even if you felt estranged. Yes, some was dark, but it matters how you answer the lark. Truth is what matters, pain you felt, mistakes you made, but you never really changed. I know because you came to my home the same as you left yours.”

“I know,” Shadow sighed. “But some of this, if they knew below, I would be in serious trouble.”

“We will keep it discreet,” Firestorm assured him.

“I assume you calculated in the reports we sent after we were cut off?”

“Yes,” Firestorm said, playing with her pen.

Shadow nodded twice and then finally launched into it. “All of these are with light padded armor and a stupid 5.56 rifle. Sorry Soarin, I hate the pea shooters you gifted us.” Soarin snorted in understanding. “I also used a shotgun, revolver, combat knives, and my sword. I had no standard Enclave gear on me other than the standard issue combat knife.

“After I left, I cleaned out Ponyville by myself. That was a good 80 enemies of the Enclave. Then I cleaned out Trottingham’s well defended power plant after it was taken by raiders. Something like 30 raiders. I killed the Hawks on my own; they were a nasty 40 raiders in Trottingham. That included the troublesome Razor who had a price on her head.

“I went south. I destroyed the Slog. They were not trouble for us, but that was on a promise. Card, you remember the ghoul Pegasus mare in Baltimare we briefly met? Yeah, she was involved in that and she was gone before I slaughtered the others who were the problem.”

Cardinal Spitfire nodded in a wordless reply.

“This one is actually impressive. I killed multiple Hellhounds at all ranges of combat. From out almost two miles, to close combat. They didn’t draw my blood either. I got shot on the armor I was wearing though. It hurt so bad, and I was with two Steel Rangers. A Star Paladin and a young Knight. I couldn’t expose my wings for better healing treatment. They were Trottingham Steel Rangers, but still Steel Rangers.”

“How many Hellhounds?” Firestorm asked.

“My personal, confirmed kills were outwards of a dozen, with more injured or confirmed kills later. It was a long time ago.”

Firestorm nodded for him to continue.

“I killed the evil that was the Lux. That was a lot. 80 guards? Then I blew it. That was both good and dark. I killed a lot of the workers though. A lot were forced into sex for the pleasure of the patrons. They got caught up in the destruction. The Lux was a casino that specialized in the finer debaucheries of life, particularly selling other’s body for whatever the buyer wanted it for.”

Shadow let out a big sigh. “I basically brought down a Star Spawn on my own. With just my revolver actually. That is also impressive. I could only do that because I knew what stars looked like and because of my Silver Wings. We had to recognize patterns at blinding speeds. I found its weak points as it tried to kill me and the others. I almost died because it ripped my chest open. I almost lost my necklace. Fuck, I did lose it for a few hours. Only a few learned I had wings, and they kept it quiet. I know they hold that secret to this day.”

“I went to Manehatten. The Pack was a good 60 strong, at least. And they were one of those top raider gangs. Soldier like. I also killed another two dozen gangs there? Three dozen maybe? All smaller gangs. 10 raiders each, maybe.

“I stupidly tried to kill a foal that was joining the Steel Rangers in my anger. That was not good. I barely escaped their wrath. I had a lot of turmoil as I found myself again. But before I did, I burned down Dodge City, slaughtering all. They were innocent. I knew of no wrongs done by any of them.”

“You went through a lot,” Cardinal Spitfire said, planting a lingering kiss on his cheek. “But you came back as my Shadow.”

“That is what matters,” Ukuzwa affirmed. She was working on not rhyming for the sake of the Pegasi. She still had a clear cadence to how her words flowed. “Your sins are great, but so are your salvations.”

“Back to it,” Firestorm said.

“I had to clean out Ponyville again,” Shadow continued. “That was maybe 40.”

Shadow took a drink of water in preparation for his next adventure. He was grinning about this one. “I was going to make a break for home. So, on my way out, I killed Dahlia. I killed 8 strong, well known Steel Rangers who hunted the Inquisitors and other dark things in the wasteland. I solo hunted and killed a crusader and her team. I took 3 days. I got a note passed to them about how I would kill each member, and I did. Exactly as I said as they ran from me. It was pathetically easy for it being Dahlia. She was a major trouble to the Inquisitors and for me solo. She personally killed Nor’easter.

“Then I killed the Disciples. My scouting missions pegged them as a good 150 strong. I took several horrible wounds, but I killed them in one night. Their sleeping arrangements were compact, but not all were asleep. Not enough anyway.

“Then I destroyed every fucking sky gun in Fillydelphia. Every last one of those pieces of trash. A good thirty were active and working. The Enclave never faced them during Operation Cauterize because of me.

“I did Dahlia, the Disciples, and the sky guns for the Enclave. And the revenge for all the pain and misery they caused me was nice. And yes, each one of the Disciples had drawn my blood. They tried to buy my loyalty.

“Red Eye decided I was a loose end and tried to have me killed. I evaded the griffons and took a few more hits. The griffons were everywhere in the sky and on the ground. When I knew I wasn’t going to be able to go north, I bolted for Kifopiga. I decided to just out fly them. Thanks goes to Marble Falls for that idea. It’s how she always had to ditch me in training.

“I don’t exactly know what happened. One moment I was giving it my all as I bled out. I felt the resistance of the air, and then it was just…gone?”

Marble Falls crawled onto the table in excitement. “Did you do a sonic rainboom!”

“I don’t know,” Shadow shrugged. “Maybe? I was in a lot of pain and running out of blood. I just put everything into my wings. It’s all I felt and then I felt nothing as I shot forward.”

“That sounds like a sonic rainboom,” Firestorm said. “We knew you were a toss-up for that. The goal was to plug you right into the Wonderbolts alongside Cardinal Spitfire as soon as you got back.”

“Can you do it again!” Marble Falls prodded. She was still on her stomach on the table.

“Maybe?” Shadow shrugged. “But why bother? We have more important things to do, and we don’t know for certain.”

“Zebra Lands,” Firestorm said guiding the conversation back on track. “Go.”

“I totally missed the mark of Kifopiga. I woke up in Shanyisa weeks later. Injured, barely able to stand on my feet, I killed a warlord and her dozen warriors that was accosting the small village. I did it with my sword. Then, combat didn’t happen for a while.”

Ukuzwa spoke up. “Over ten separate engagements he led Zebras forward into battle against evil warlords, the equivalent idea to your raiders, but with a zebra flare that even your raiders do not have. Each time, he got hurt. One of those times I patched him up 42 times over 3 days. I was exhausted from healing him.”

“That was painful,” Shadow groaned. “And not from getting shot, beaten, and stabbed. Not all at the same time I must add. It was painful because my team was in complete disarray and if it wasn’t for me, they would have died.”

“There were talks,” Ukuzwa added. “Talks of taking over your land. Like we deserved it. Mtoaji stopped those. He gave us a new start and hope. He most certainly stopped an invasion that you would have to deal with.”

“Got it,” Firestorm nodded. “But, did he ever officially die?”

“You will have to define death,” Ukuzwa said. “For he stands before you today the same pony as he left. No necromantic magic was ever used on him.”

“Did you ever have to restart his heart?” Cardinal Spitfire asked.

“Oh, that’s how you define death?”

“Typically,” Cardinal Spitfire replied.

“Twice. Once just after we found him in the sand, and once in that battle where he kept getting deadly wounds. They were so certain they had killed him every time. I had to stop his heart once to patch him up before it pumped all his blood once.”

“I did not know that,” Shadow said raising an eyebrow. “Either of those.”

“You live. Why does it matter?”

Firestorm explained with a lot of enthusiasm. “Because I can lobby the others to give him the death medal. A soldier that gets to wear the MIA badge, purple heart with lots of stars, and a purple heart with a black strike for dying in the line of duty, yes. That will look awesome to the citizens. And it will make our enemies quake in fear.”

“I don’t like it,” Shadow said. “But do what you think is best. However, going overboard can backfire. Please, just figure out what I deserve and no extra flare. Please.”

“I also think it’s too far,” Marble Falls said. She was once again sitting in her seat.

“No,” Firestorm said. “I think it’s where we need to go. Let’s take advantage of these potentially technicalities and show the citizens that below has been prepared for them through the blood and toil of Shadow Flare. Let’s show the Soldiers that he did it; all of it. We need a living legend to prove that they can do it too. Because he is still here.”

“We will discuss this in private,” Ruby Snow said, ending it there.

They had already pasted his picture everywhere the news was. Slice as well. But Shadow was the one they were mostly parading around. The recovered MIA soldiers. Operation Cauterize did something by returning lost soldiers with extremely valuable information. The citizens saw that the loss of life brought something good back.

A knock came at the door and Deke popped his head in. “Excuse me? I have a question.”

“Come in Commodore,” Ruby Snow smiled. “What is on your mind?”

“I have to prepare,” Deke said. He was nervous and quiet, the exact opposite of his usual self. “I need to prepare myself and my ship. Operation Cauterize is over. My retirement was held back because of the operation, but now, where does that leave me?”

“Deke,” Ruby Snow smiled lovingly. “I never wanted to retire you. I fought to keep you on. You stayed on this long because of me. It was outside politics getting in the way. I have no intention of retiring you unless you can’t do the job. Can you not do the job?”

“Ha!” Deke snorted. “I am the best cloudship captain there is. Those two master the skies on their wings. Impressive. I am the master of the sky with my ship. And I get to carry more guns than they ever could, and bigger ones. Give me any ship and I still will be the best. One eye down doesn’t make a difference.”

“Then we have our answer,” Ruby Snow grinned. “Besides, I don’t need you and Little on the same ship again. As husband and wife…you two would cause a ruckus that I would have trouble containing.”

“You would never have to worry about that, Sir,” Deke said with a sly grin. “I would never just ride on a cloudship. I would lose my mind without something to do. Outside of course, bugging Little for normal marital stuff.”

“Get!” Ruby Snow said, shooing him out. Deke scattered, closing the door behind him with and excited thud. Ruby Snow shook his head. “He is an outright genius, but he doesn’t show it some times.”

Shadow and Cardinal Spitfire chuckled.

“You were not present in Basic Training,” Shadow grinned. “He was a giant pain in the ass, but he was good.”

“He just couldn’t fly to save his life,” Marble Falls chuckled.

“We need to get something moving,” Nova said. “We are playing it cautious up here, but can we do something below? What about Baltimare?”

“We can’t offer anything,” Soarin replied. “We gave you everything we have. We are small, and we don’t have more land that we can offer with the Super Ponies nearby. At least, not something that can be left without heavy guard.

“Right,” Nova said, exhaling hard.

“I have an idea,” Shadow said. “Trottingham. I have some friends and acquaintances there. We can try to see if the Trottingham Steel Rangers can help our refugees. They were the friendliest and truest Steel Rangers. Protecting Equestria came first, then hoarding technology. It’s a shot. A long shot.”

“We really only have long shots,” Shielded Vengeance stated. “It’s an option. I say, dispatch a ship with an ACU or two. Send Squad 19 and Shadow with some of his Zebra team. Let’s try to build a relationship.”

“Slowly approach the Citadel,” Shadow added. “It might work. Besides, I have stuff in Trottingham I want back. Assuming they don’t run us off too hard.”

“You left a lot of stuff,” Cardinal Spitfire chuckled.

“I lived in a lot of places and did a lot of things,” Shadow shot back. “I haven’t even gone over the items down in Shanyisa that I would love to get back.”

Ukuzwa was the only one chuckling. “We did a lot for Mtoaji out of our love. He never thought of us himself as above. I would like him to bring some of those treasures home. For too long he has been on the roam.”

General Firestorm issued her orders. “Striker, get two ACUs on the move. Ruby, what ship can we send?”

“Captain Sunny Swirl and the Radiant Sun will be tactful enough. Besides, they had just gotten to Trottingham when the recall happened.”

“She still has her four ACUs on board,” Striker said. “Or, at least all packed and ready. That is perfect. I’ll get them ready to send off. Shadow, grab who you need and Cardinal Spitfire, you know what to do.”

Shadow grabbed who he needed and then settled into another Cloudship trip. Without Deke, he stayed in the cabin with Cardinal Spitfire. He met Captain Sunny Swirl. She was a beautiful and sweet mare, but Shadow didn’t desire to spend time on the bridge like he had with Deke.

He spent his time filling Cardinal Spitfire in on the specifics of his time away. She had a lot to share as well. It would take them years to fully catch up, if they ever could. But what mattered was that they were trying to share everything, and happy that they could be once again sharing everything.

Shadow withheld the Trottingham stories. He wanted Cardinal Spitfire to get things raw, from their interactions, so she could make her own judgments, independent of his.

It took them all day into past lunch of the next day to arrive. Sunny Swirl was moving them slowly over the city, trying to be as friendly as a giant ship of cloud and steel with guns could be.

Shadow was on the bridge as they came into view of the Citadel. “Captain, we should lower the ramp. Without anyone coming down it should look good.”

The order happened and Shadow was given leeway to give the commands as he brought then as close as he dared. He already noticed one change. The Citadel’s door were closed.

“Card, it’s time to test this friend thing.”

“I trust you,” Cardinal replied with a nod.

They got to the ramp. Ukuzwa was the only one joining them. She was unarmed, Shadow was in his Recon power armor, and Cardinal Spitfire was in her Wonderbolt armor. The goal was with only three, that they could hold off being shot at long enough to talk.

They slowly glided towards the Citadel. As they approached, doors in the top of it opened up and sky guns slid up and out. They were manned as well. But while several tracked them, they didn’t open fire.

“I never saw those before,” Shadow said as he led them into a gentle, descending figure 8.

Three Steel Rangers in shining armor were standing out in the center of the courtyard. They landed softly in front of them.

“What brings the Enclave here!” the center Steel Ranger demanded.

“Negotiations,” Shadow calmly declared. “Things have changed dramatically.”

“Yeah,” one spat. “You now have no clouds to hide behind. You are scared.”

“Wrong,” Shadow replied. “But this is not a discussion to be have with a knight, or even a paladin.”

“You will not pass this courtyard. We will act as messengers.”

“So your windows open into the courtyard too then?” Shadow asked.

They didn’t know what to do with that. It was a secret that was closely guarded. The outside windows were part of the defense, the inside windows were a completely different thing. They never had a chance to figure out what to say before a Steel Ranger came charging out of a door from the Honesty Wing.

“You are out of line!” The center Steel Ranger said to incoming Steel Ranger. “Oh, forgive me, Ma’am, but we were given strict orders.”

The Steel Ranger ignored the three of them and looked Shadow’s group over. Shadow couldn’t see any identifying marks because of the angle she was at compared to them.

“Mtoaji?”

“Who wants to know?” Shadow cautiously asked.

The Steel Ranger pulled her helmet off revealing her monochromatic yellow coat and yellow mane.

“Yellow Quartz!” Shadow said, breaking their formation and walking over to face her.

“It is you,” She smiled, relieved. “Kifopiga?”

“A mission I did that only my allies would understand.” Shadow replied. “Everything else for me being down here was a huge shit storm. I only just got back to Equestria the other day because of it.”

“Stand down, Paladin,” Yellow Quartz ordered. “Everypony, stand down. I want the rangers on the sky guns to dismount. The Elder wishes to speak with Mtoaji, in private.”

Yellow Quartz was smiling as she pointed for them to follow her with her head. Only once she turned could Shadow finally see her trademarked blue shoulder cloak.

“You disappeared and I didn’t get my rematch,” She prodded.

“I’ll give you that rematch,” Shadow fired back. “But this time I’ll beat you with my real gear. And that trick shot I got…well I won’t need it.”

Cardinal Spitfire was wise and kept her mouth shot. It didn’t matter because the conversation ended there.

Yellow Quartz led them into the Honesty Wing and to an elevator. It went to almost the top where they stepped off.

Two Steel Rangers were guarding a pair of doors. They nodded at their approach and let them enter. The door closed behind them. Yellow Quartz was still with them.

An old Earth Pony was looking out of the glass into the courtyard. It was obviously the Elder’s office from the large wooden desk, sitting area, and other high-end things. The Elder just kept looking out of the one-way glass.

“So Mtoaji returns. And in a cloudship.”

Shadow was shocked. He knew that voice.

“Warding Blade?” He still asked.

Elder Warding Blade turned around to face them. He had a smile on his lips. “Now I understand why you couldn’t join. I was quite convinced you really did come from elsewhere. Didn’t Dahlia accuse you of that?”

“No, she accused me of plenty of other stuff though,” Shadow said, rolling his eyes. “Somehow she missed the Enclave.”

“So, what is Kifopiga?”

“An old Zebra war base. My friends above knew about it because of a report. My recon team was betrayed, well after our mission where we found Kifopiga. By the time I met you, it was just me on the team and I was surviving as I tried to figure out how to communicate with above, without jeopardizing anypony. I wasn’t going to let my friends and allies get branded and banished below because I got betrayed. It was an information game, and I was blind and deaf.

“Elder Warding Blade and Yellow Quartz, this is Colonel Cardinal Spitfire, Enclave Wonderbolts. And this is Ukuzwa, a Zebra magician. I got kicked out down south into the Zebra Lands before I could get above. I made some friends there over the years.”

“And what is your name?” Warding Blade asked.

“Right,” Shadow chuckled. “My given name is Shadow Flare. I am the Command Sergeant Major of Reconnaissance for the Enclave. I was MIA almost a decade, but nopony replaced me. I’ve been fully reinstated.”

“That puts us in a delicate balance,” Warding Blade replied, dropping the smile.

“Yes and no, Sir,” Shadow replied. “I certainly am a lot happier dealing with you than having to deal with the previous Elder. I forget his name. Although, I am surprised. You said you would never become and Elder.”

Warding Blade let out a troubled sighed and turned back to looking out the glass window. You could see the Radiant Sun from the office. “I had no choice. Two years, a Zebra Warlord cut a path north, straight to us. We engaged them in battle south of the city, in the open fields, to avoid putting the city in danger. We won, but we lost of a lot of good knights and paladins doing so. I was the most senior officer by the end of the battle. There was no option. I put Yellow Quartz as my Star Paladin and took over.”

Warding Blade turned around and found Shadow’s head hung, shaking. “Was it a Warlord named Shetani?”

“Yes,” Elder Warding Blade replied, confused.

“Fuck,” Shadow swore. “Ukuzwa, I told them. But they didn’t listen. If I had Kifo Herixleta I would have, but I wasn’t in a good position as the battle ended. I said the sands wouldn’t consume them, but the others were adamant that they would punish her.”

Ukuzwa just shrugged.

“Please explain,” Warding Blade said, barely keeping his cool.

“Instead of being able to go home in the clouds, I got forced south and helped build a fledgling village into a shining city,” Shadow explained. “It went from one, to two, then three, and we built and empire centered on light and kindness. We eliminated several warlords through the process. But one of our allies, Shetani, wanted to run the place. It turned dark. It was a bloody battle.

“In the end, she was left with half of her force, but out of ammunition. Most of them were injured. The vote caste by the tribes ended with banishment to the norther sea of sand. We sent them away with nothing but the bandages on their coats.”

“They were outfitted for serious battle,” Yellow Quartz said. “I took three bullets through my armor from one of their rifles. I was lucky the enchantment didn’t happen. I was already seriously wounded.”

“They must have found a Zebra war installation,” Shadow groaned. Shadow focused on Warding Blade. “The past is the past and I did what I could to stop Shetani. I couldn’t break the law I helped establish.”

“We had no law,” Ukuzwa stated.

“I don’t blame you,” Warding Blade said. “But before we can begin talks, I still have some questions for you.”

“Fire away,” Shadow replied. “I will answer almost everything.”

“I thought over it, long and hard. I fought by your side. I was soon convinced you had wings, but I never thought Enclave. I thought you were a Pegasus hiding from them.”

It wasn’t a question, but Shadow explained as best as he could. “In a way, I was. My friends and allies above had to do things in secret, to try and connect with me. It failed. And do you really think Dahlia would have let me live, even if I was a non-enclave Pegasus? I can tell you the answer is no. I witness them attempting to kill a freshly branded Pegasus.”

“Why the name change?” Warding Blade asked. “Was it just to sell not being a Pegasus?”

“No,” Shadow replied. “Although I believe my name had been compromised, it was more so because I discovered a prophecy, named for me without a doubt. It also contained a name for what Equestria was calling me to be. So I took it as I moved out. Ukuzwa saying it sounds way better than me. It is a Zebra seer prophecy.”

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

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

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

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

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

“That explains the name,” Warding Blade said with a nod.

“I still have one last link to forge,” Shadow sighed. “The one that will bind the Pegasus Race back to Equestria like it is supposed to be. A unified Equestria is why I am here before you. Only then can the Pegasus Race truly stand grand.

“We lost a lot of territory without the clouds. Clouds that were farmed. We have an unknown number of refugees, but there are a lot of them. We are struggling to get an accurate count right now. And worse, we won’t be able to live on our food reserves long.”

“Civil War,” Warding Blade said, obviously torn.

“That is what it looks like,” Shadow nodded. “The Citizens don’t want a conquest war. They now want change. They want to reintegrate with below, but they are unarmed and untrained. Not many in the Military want that, but enough of us do. The battle lines are being drawn. That is why no follow up attacks have happened.

“We need allies on the ground who can take in refugees and help us establish settlements. And that is what we are hoping to do. We are here to establish relationships with the Trottingham Steel Rangers for the eventual rebuilding of Equestria. In peace.”

“We are not exactly the Steel Rangers anymore,” Warding Blade said. “We are now called the Applejack Rangers. No Steel Rangers exist. Our contingent’s armor is not painted with the red accents yet. It’s all after our founder and with the same ideals: Protecting Equestria. And the way I see it, that means the Pegasus Race as well.

“I trust you. You wear the enemy’s uniform, but I fought beside you. Uniforms be damned, prophecy or not, I fought by you. I know that pure heart. I saw you rip to shreds a Hellhound, with a combat knife. And I saw you after the Star Spawn almost killed you.

“WAIT! Has Rebel been keeping a secret from me!”

Shadow slowly shrugged. “She and her crew might know about my wings because they might have had to bandage me up. As well as one or two Operators.”

“They are still going strong,” Warding Blade added. “The Operators have actually gotten bigger and they still work for the Hive Caravan. As to Rebel, she was moved to me shortly after you left.”

“Were you discussing that move with the Fillydelphia Elder when Dahlia was killed in her room?”

“Yes? Why-” Warding Blade stopped and snorted. “She was a jackass who deserved that. I understand she suffered a lot of mental trauma before getting home, as her team was ripped apart.”

“I’m proud of that one,” Shadow admitted. “I told Dahlia in a note how each one would die, and I did it. 8 legendary Steel Rangers killed by me alone. And all because Dahlia ruthlessly hunted me and my friends. She killed my best friend, Nor’easter, while I carried my dead sister on my back after we were tricked into murdering an approved Pegasus mission below. It was a mission of peace to bring healing. I had no idea my sister was with them, let alone going below. So yeah, I still hate Dahlia.”

“That was a lot to take in,” Warding Blade admitted. “And now I understand a lot more.”

“Sir,” Cardinal Spitfire said. “I am still learning stuff. Our friends are still trying to sort out all the information he knows. Shadow is still trying to figure it out. It was traumatic.”

“It was. It’s Cardinal Spitfire, right?”

“Yes Sir. And I also am Shadow’s wife.”

“Ah,” Warding Blade smiled. “He mentioned a wife. I got his necklace chain patched back up by our scribes after the Star Spawn ripped it off his neck. How bad is that scar?”

“I can live with it,” Cardinal Spitfire chuckled. “And all the others he picked up.”

“That is all that matters,” Warding Blade said, joining her laughter.

Warding Blade thought for a moment. It was obvious he was torn over something. He finally faced Shadow head on.

“I can take in 200 refugees, but only if they are farmers and even better if they are families. I can set them up with our farm, and they can work together. It will be less of a strain on everything. And, they won’t need much training, if any at all.

“Wait,” Warding Blade paused. “If you killed Dahlia and were kicked out south, then the Fillydelphia rangers were chasing you!”

“I hate the Fillydelphia Steel Rangers,” Shadow spat. “And I will always hate them. They killed several of our team, one during peace talks. And Dahlia was one of them. And yeah, that price put on my head forced me to go south, rather than north as planned. It kept me from going to the location I needed to go to, to safely get above.”

“If you killed her, and they hunted you, then you killed the Disciples. And then Red Eye came out of nowhere.”

“I killed the Disciples overnight,” Shadow confirmed. “It was pathetically easy despite their size and organization. I spent days preparing for it and scoping them out.

“As to Red Eye, he talked a different game than he played. I thought he was the next one after me. I was to burn and cleanse the wasteland. I was to build the links that would bind the Pegasi and the wasteland. I wasn’t the one who gets to pull them together. I prepared the wounds to be healed and stitched up. I don’t get that honor. And I didn’t have Ukuzwa to point out where I erred in my thinking.

“He was smart when he betrayed me, which was immediately. He wanted the bounty. He said if he didn’t take care of me now, I would come back for his head.

“I doubt the slaves I freed actually got their freedom. But I did the best I could. I told him he could discuss with them how they would do things, if they even wanted to work with him.

Shadow shrugged. “He was right. I was coming for him. We got patches of DJ Pon3’s radio in Shanyisa. Unfortunately, when I got back, Red Eye had already been killed by the Light Bringer. I was looking forward to cutting his head off and mounting it somewhere as a warning.”

“Elder,” Star Paladin Yellow Quartz said. “As Star Paladin, I am asking to be permitted to head back with them. To be our envoy for our new alliance.”

“You can’t walk on the clouds,” Warding Blade said, confused.

“I can stay on a ship, on the metal. Plus, when did Zebras have wings? Or be able to walk on clouds?”

“Can you do that?” Warding Blade asked Ukuzwa.

Ukuzwa nodded and pulled out two talismans and tossed them to Yellow Quartz. “Wear these and you will be free. Even in your armor, you will not be weighty.”

“Those wings come from deep magic that required my feathers,” Shadow explained as he shivered. “Those were dark days for me. She needed fresh wing feathers. Strong ones. We had to plan a time when I could be out of service and rest up, to regrow the feathers. She also, apparently, has a few extras. In the end, it has been absolutely amazing and worthwhile.”

“Then represent us well!” Elder Warding Blade decreed.

Ukuzwa audibly froze, closed her eyes, and took in a deep breath. Her head rolled back. She was being taken over by a raw vision.

"A red hoof, as black cloak, an air filter, a thin red band on a hat...and...wings. The sun. A shining blade. A chain. A cloaked figure standing on a small cloud as the wind sweeps their cloak out, waving in the breeze. The sun shines down on the figure. The stars shine in their praise. The moon gives her love. Yet a chain. Yes, a chain. Iron. A cracked link. If it breaks, the sky detaches and the sun is lost. It must not be allowed to break. Ah, yes! A new link must be built and forged in its place while the old one remains. Then the old one must be shattered because it is weak. Then the black figure can finally rest."

"You won't get used to that," Shadow immediately stated. "And it is always better when she has time to form the prophecy."

Ukuzwa shook her head. "Stop, start, begin a part. That was a horrible vision. But one that needs an immediate decision."

Shadow sighed and walked to the glass. "Warding Blade. I traveled all across this land. Even before I was betrayed, I did some very bad things in the name of good. My heart was pierced, infected. I eventually beat the darkness that infected me. But it was not easy."

"Mtoaji, I fought by your side. Like I said, I have seen the real you. They real you had fun at the exposition. War makes us all do evil things. I have made my mistakes. That is why I loved being a Star Paladin. I got to avoid so much and do more right than the politically correct wrong. Speak."

"I don't need a translation of that vision," Shadow explained. "I don't need it wrapped up nice and neat or with rhymes. She has spoke true words before, things she couldn't know. Things only a seer can see or hear. As you just witnessed. She knows my past, and she judges me on what I have done for her. But she doesn't know the finer details.

"No. I know what it means. It is something I have been growing more and more concerned with. The shadows have arrived at the Enclave. A darker shadow than one of war…or even civil war. The shadow of one with cold blood and who carries a just blade.

"Warding Blade, I survived out here. I made my living, but I did other things. Things not for a living. You heard my first prophecy. That was achieved here. And it was done once again in Shanyisa in a different way. But Equestria is calling me to become it once again. To finish that prophecy. Equestria needs Black Widow to strike the Enclave."

Warding Blade grunted.

" You were Black Widow!" Yellow Quartz exclaimed. "I trusted you. I…Dahlia was right?"

"I lost control towards the end," Shadow said, not turning to look at them. "But the name was an accident. I didn't choose it. I had no need to correct the mistaken sex. The costume was a way I could clean up the filth and still be able to go to towns, to live. It also struck fear in the hearts of raiders whenever I arrived.

“It did what it needed to. I cleaned up this wasteland. I burned it with righteous fire and prepared it for the Light Bringing to come. Do you really think she could do all she did with the way things were a decade ago?"

"No," Shadow said, answering for her. "Xys helped me come to terms with the past and to look to the future."

Warding Blade was next to Shadow before he realized it. "You did a lot of good. Fire isn't always able to be controlled."

"So I keep hearing, and so I have experienced," Shadow replied, coldly. "The number is near a thousand by my hoof alone."

"And yet you stand here with a powerful Zebra as your friend. And you earned that through your heart, being you. And I am sure you did more here in the wasteland than just a burning fire."

"Baltimare looks very favorably on me," Shadow replied. "We did a lot of good there. My recon team that is. When we were at full strength. Near full strength. We were not at full strength long before the Filly Steel Rangers murdered our officer, Lieutenant Silent Wind. In the middle of peace talks with some paladin."

Warding Blade let out a chuckle. "You and Filly have a really bad report."

"You seriously do not know the half of it," Shadow chuckled back. Shadow became somber and serious. "I have the Black Window costume. Well, I have it stored in a secret hidden space in my home in Trottingham. I'll have to go retrieve it. Actually, I can retrieve the caps I have stored too. It can help boost the refugees and make them less of a logistical burden."

"We will see," Warding Blade replied. "I'll accompany you there. However, it may be better to save those for future refugees and cities. The ones you build yourselves."

"It very well may," Shadow nodded. "I rarely ever took anything as Black Widow, as was the goal. But I did raid the Lux, after I wiped them out."

"That's right," Warding Blade growled. "You took the Lux away. I understand why, but I hated losing it as a field resource. That also was a bloody, righteous fire situation."

"It was," Shadow sighed. “And for losing that field resource, I was sorry. But they built up that punishment upon themselves. And they caught up a whole lot of ponies when that time came. It was another dark moment, but fire is fire.”

"We should go get this done then,” Warding Blade said, turning the conversation back to useful things. “You can do soft landings?"

“Of course,” Shadow chuckled. “They wouldn’t be a captain if they couldn’t.”

"Command the cloudship to make a soft Landing on the roof. Just straight forward. We will get on there and take it to Trottingham. I'll cover for you if I need to."

"Thank you," Shadow said, smiling at Warding Blade.

"Somehow, I think it's me who should be thanking you. You did restore the power plant to us."

"My first job as Black Widow," Shadow chuckled.

“You left a nasty impression on those raiders.”

“Exactly,” Shadow chuckled darkly. “They needed to fear the idea of who I was more than me.”

They watched the Radiant Sun move forward after Cardinal Spitfire radioed in the orders. Once she touched her ramp down, they departed. Outside the room a surprise was waiting for them. A certain pony in red and black combat armor was learning against the wall, outside the office.

"So you did return," Rebel Queen chuckled. "I heard that it was you, but I couldn't believe it. Even after I learned you had wings, I was convinced you were not Enclave."

"Then I played my cards right," Shadow chuckled. "It's good to see you."

"So you killed Dahlia and it was you who was chased out of Equestria by the griffins." Rebel Queen chuckled at the irony. "I still can't believe it. So small, but you out flew them with a black blast that tore the sky apart. Talon Company was afraid you would come back and hunt them for their heads and wings. I still think they are afraid of it happening."

"Wait! It was a blast?" Cardinal Spitfire asked.

"I saw what Ditzy Do put down the other day, and I saw what Mtoaji split the sky with. Different colors, same thing."

"You did do a sonic rainboom!" Cardinal Spitfire squealed before hugging him.

"Card, meet Rebel Queen, one of the few ponies who knew I had wings. Only because the Star Spawn I saved them from ripped my chest opened and I required their hooves to keep me alive. And Rebel, meet Cardinal Spitfire, my wife and the reason I was so focused on my necklace."

"I can see why," Rebel Queen chuckled.

"And the last member of this diplomatic party is Ukuzwa, seer and Zebra magician. Don't piss her off. If you think I am good at what I do, it wouldn't be hard for her to destroy the Citadel."

Ukuzwa just shrugged.

"She only uses her powers for good," Shadow affirmed. "But we have to be off. I have to grab stuff from Trottingham."

"I’m not missing out on a cloudship ride," Rebel Queen stated.

"I made her a Star Paladin," Elder Warding Blade explained. "Against normal policy of one Star Paladin, she deserved the boost. And it finally meant that the Trottingham Steel Rangers treated her with the respect due."

"Jackasses," Shadow spat as he followed Warding Blade. "You could never catch a break."

"Neither could your from what I pieced together," Revel Queen shot back.

"Oh, you have no idea," Cardinal Spitfire chuckled. "You didn't see him in Basic Training, or Aerial Combat School. If something went wrong, it happened to him. But he always managed to wiggle out of it."

"And Mtoaji only just returned," Ukuzwa added. "Both Equestria and the Enclave gave him quite the burn."

"I was betrayed, tricked into killing my sister, watched my friends die one by one, two by suicide, and then forced to live in the Zebra Lands once I disappeared from here; where I also went on a crusade to raise up a fledgling village into the shining city it is today, earning the respect and admiration from a shit ton if Zebras.

“All at the cost of multiple injuries and even more of my usual shenanigans that I got caught up in. Including my heart stopping twice, and being patched up 42 times in a single battle. That was not a good day, but that fucking stupid warlord bitch got what was coming to her when I finally skinned her alive and tanned her hide."

"She got what she deserved," Ukuzwa spat. "The punishment was something for herself she reserved."

"Yeah," Shadow said slowly as they stepped onto the roof. "She uh, was worse than the Disciples. And I eliminated them with ease in one night. It took me three days for that warlord. Zebra magic is something you can't forget about. And she had magic. Hexes and curses were everywhere. She was afraid she was going to be killed. And she was right. She just couldn't expect it to come in from above her, past her wards."

"This is a story I have not heard," Cardinal Spitfire stated. "I'm not sure how I feel about it."

"It's not the first pony or Zebra I had skinned," Shadow calmly stated. "And it wasn't the last. The equestrian raiders hold nothing compared to the Zebra Warlords."

Ukuzwa spoke to his defense. "Mtoaji had to prove he was better, or else they would have had the guts to rig him with a fetter. Quake in fear they did, some even attempted the hid. The evil it may seem that transpired, was nothing compared to what had been acquired. Freed our people he did, without needed to be bid. Slaves that fought for dominance they kept, and many more they raped and they crept. They would punish those under their reign, by literally taking a stripe away. Many of those stuck under their hoof, lacked any coat to show as proof. By magic they were kept alive, even if they tried to take a dive. The pain was so immense, that when freed their suicide them immediately commenced."

They stopped at the foot of the ramp. Warding Blade and Yellow Quartz were obviously nervous. Rebel Queen just fixed her crown, having no reservations about the cloudship.

"That punishment seems less harsh now," Warding Blade stated.

They finally board the Radiant Sun and Captain Sunny Swirl met them inside the bay.

"Welcome to the Radiant Sun!" She greeted them. "I am Captain Sunny Swirl. Despite it being a short trip and at low speed, we will be closing the bay door for your safety. But come, let me show you around. A brief tour."

"Wonderful!" Warding Blade replied. "I do look forward to this. Schematics and pictures can't do a real tour justice."

"Well you won’t have these schematics in your records. This design was post sealing up the clouds. I will cover that shortly.

“The Radiant Sun was named for a Pegasus who gave his life to save others from an overpowered storm the Weather Factory released several years ago. Most of the crew was under orders to abandoned ship in an effort to warn those below, as the farming district was in the middle of a dealing with major repairs to all the farms. They had no chance of surviving without the warning. Radiant Sun was one of 14 crew members who stayed on a ship just like this to physically combat the storm with what armament they could. 10 of the crew survived the travesty. I was one who was sent out to warn the unaware citizens.

"This, like the ship Radiant Sun served on, is a Corvette. A defense oriented, fast moving, cloudship designed to patrol the sky for the safety of the Enclave. That is why the main armament is on the top of the ship. A Corvette can cover more distance in the same time frame as a normal cloudship. Her tours are much more effective for defensive purposes.

"We have a significantly lower armament than a Raptor, but our speed, acceleration, and maneuverability is easily twice that of a Raptor. Theoretically, we might be able to win in a battle. But that has not been needed to be tested. Yet.

"Now that we have covered the basics, this is the main bay. From here we can deploy our fast, air focused troops we carry known as the Aerial Combat Units, or even deploy our Wonderbolts. This is also the only way we can bring in supplies.

"Behind the bay, through here, is our ACU barracks. It was originally designed as more storage, but we all prefer working with the ACUs. That wall does open for easier loading because further behind it is the main storage area for supplies."

"Welcome!" An ACU soldier said coming over to them. The area was basically multiple bunks bolted down with some other furniture. "I am Colonel Arrow. Nice to meet you. We knew we were running a diplomatic mission, but we never expected visitors."

"Arrow!" Shadow exclaimed. "I hadn't seen you!"

"Shadow!” Arrow said, elated. “It’s great to see you finally. I had us stay here on the ship, ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. I know you had a lot to do with debriefings, and catching up with with Cardinal Spitfire, and all that junk. It was easier with everything going on."

Arrow looked over the three Steel Rangers. "I am so glad we pulled out before deploying here. That would have been a major disaster. Yeah," Arrow chuckled. "We were the team that was supposed to hit Trottingham. Our original source of information said it was small and lightly guarded. Then we found out we were wrong from Shadow's reports. I'd rather make friends than war. But, you should get onto the rest of the tour."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Rebel said as the others walked away.

"My Aerial Combat School was with Arrow, Cardinal Spitfire, and 3 others to make a team," Shadow explained. "Catching up with them all has been, difficult. Our ACUs are mostly allied for peace and connection below. But not all have been able to get back to our base of operations yet. Some were deployed immediately after the recall for other missions. I don’t know much about those logistics. All I really knows is that it has been a very tense past few days for me. Without adding in anything social like friends."

"I can understand that," Warding Blade replied. "Equestria was certainly reeling from Operation Cauterize. We still are. And you have a war that's about to break out in your military.”

"Quiet and careful movements," Shadow replied. “That is the current game.”

Sunny Swirl continued as they got up to the next level. "This is the main deck. The Corvettes are the second smallest Cloudship, so we don't have many decks. Down that way is more sleeping quarters for personnel and the dining hall. Not much to see there. But this way is the gem. The bridge.

"I would give you a better tour, but by now we have to be almost to Trottingham's city."

Warding Blade grunted in both surprises and agreement as they entered the bridge. It was obviously unlike anything he had seen before. The same went for Yellow Quartz and Rebel Queen.

"This is a tiny bridge," Sunny Swirl stated. "But we still fit 14 Officers on a full shift. We currently are on almost a full shift. We only have one on weather at this moment, instead of a full two.

"And this is my First Mate, Commander Divine Storm."

"An interesting experience to meet you," Commander Divine Storm replied. "I do hope that soon I will find it to be a pleasure."

Warding Blade laughed deeply. "Your sincerity it very appreciated. I have a slight advantage in the meeting department. I at least knew and fought beside Shadow Flare, just under a different name. And, I am honored to be able to walk these halls. We have feared the cloudships of the Enclave for good reason. This short tour only shows me how solid that reason was.

"I also understand this was the lone ship sent to engage Trottingham. I am very happy that engagement never happened. Peace is certainly more preferable than blood. Unfortunately, peace often comes only once blood has been spilled. We are honored to ally ourselves with Pegasi who want peace between our three races."

"Some of my crew are less certain than others," Sunny Swirl stated.

"It's a complicated issue," Rebel Queen chuckled. "I don't blame any Pegasi for that. It's been years of fear and understandable animosity. At least this alliance is starting with one of the strongest forces in the wasteland. A force that had stood strong to protect all ponies since the spells came. A force that has only wanted peace between our sisters in the sky. One that has fought as hard as we could to provide a place for them. And now, one that I'd providing a place for 200 refugees. The maximum number we can sustain at a moment's notice."

A lieutenant at weapons turned around. "200!"

"I’m sorry it can’t be more. It's all we can protect right now," Warding Blade explained. "And since they are going to be going to farms, it has to be those who were farmers. We can't afford to teach them a new skill at this time. It's going to be a strain, but one we can handle."

"I thought these talks were stupid because we had nothing to offer! The Command Sergeant Major must have really impressed you."

"That he did, Sir," Warding Blade smiled. "He stayed true all throughout the time I knew him. I didn't know he was a Pegasus, but that would have complicated things drastically. Still, it was clear he was loyal to death for his home. And I saw him doing amazing things for his home."

"And there she is," a navigator said.

"Hard left!" Shadow ordered. We don't want to go right over the city."

"Show our guest our maneuverability!” Sunny Swirl commanded.

"The gate is at our 75!" Shadow informed them.

The pilot had fun. All forward movement was stopped and the Radian Sun did a full donut before moving off and around the city.

Yellow Quartz was the only one thrown in the move. Rebel Queen was laughing as she helped pick her up. Yellow Quartz was embarrassed.

"I would not have done that without you on board," Sunny Swirl replied, a smile on her lips. "We were trained by one of the best pilots in the Enclave. The lieutenant at the helm was recently transferred to the Radiant Sun after serving under Commodore Derecho.

"The Commodore is the one that beat the storm I mentioned. He lost an ear and his left eye's vision has steadily degraded. I was a new officer under his command when the incident happened. I still can't believe all of what he did. Not just his tenacity, honor, and skill, but he did things with the ship and reading the weather that no one thought was possible."

"Your admiration for him is great," Warding Blade said. "But it seems more than that."

Sunny Swirl's smile held some pain. "I did pine after him, but I knew him before the incident as well. I was not the only one. Admiral Lightning won that game. Commodore Derecho was split for a few years trying to decide. Of course, our duties made it hard to actually see each other most of that time. I think it was the best for us all though. It kept things calmer."

"So," Shadow chuckled. "Deke hadn't mentioned anything really. He has stayed silent about it. I think Ruby Snow said something yesterday, but it’s been quiet when it comes to that front. Everypony is just trying to give me space."

Sunny Swirl’s smile lost its pain. "You made an impact on him. He would not do anything physical because of your impact on him. It drove him nuts. He said something like the great Derecho being calmed. Or something like that."

Shadow chuckled, but the orders for them being taken down to the ground overpowered that.

"Ramp is lowered," Commander Divine Storm reported.

"Let's depart," Sunny Swirl announced. "And yeah, like hell I am staying on my ship! I am taking this opportunity."

"I should have expected that," Shadow stated. "But yes, let's go before the guards decide to storm it. They were not always the brightest. Good guards, but not the brightest."

They almost got shot, but the presence of Elder Warding Blade protected them. They were quickly confused over him calmly exiting a cloudship. Especially with his Star Paladins in tow.

"As you were," Warding Blade ordered them. "Mtoaji and I have business with these others in the city."

Shadow heard the whispers back and forth and he knew it was being reported.

"It's a lot more vacant than I remember," Shadow said as they were let inside the city.

Warding Blade snorted. "The guards must have ordered the residents to go inside. Let's do our business then."

"Bank, then home," Shadow said. "The Bank should be less to carry. I can organize from there."

"Sounds like a plan," Warding Blade nodded.

They walked through the empty street into the main market. Shadow caught the silhouettes of shop owners peeking out as they walked. Some did live in the back of their shops.

Shadow stopped and looked up at the building that held his home. His condominium was on the other side. What caught his eye was a window that was cracked on the ninth floor.

"I see you Red Tip!" Shadow yelled. "Nine up, 18 in from the entrance of the city."

The window opened all the way and Red Tip popped his head out along with his rifle. "Holy shit! You are good. They hired me to watch the market."

"Meet at my place?"

"Uh…sure!"

"I'm going to the bank first."

"The bank is closed. Locked up tight because of that cloudship."

"Well, tell the guards Mtoaji needs to make a withdrawal! I know you have a com unit!"

"Damn, you are good."

The window closed and Shadow chuckled.

"Weapons dealer and friend," Shadow explained. "I beat him in that long-range competition. Barely."

"That explains his location," Cardinal Spitfire chuckled.

Shadow snorted a laugh. "I had to worry about Zebra magic, and zebra snipers, and the king of them all, Zebra invisibility cloaks. Marble Falls taught us well, but I was forced to hone that skill or die."

Shadow led them up the familiar stairs and over to his room. Red Tip was blocking the door. He was obviously waiting for an explanation.

Shadow laid it out as fast as he could. "I was betrayed, lost all contact with above, my friends died because of it, meaning I was alone, trying to find out what was going on above. I killed Dahlia and then I got exiled to the Zebra Lands because I couldn't get above as the Griffons almost killed me. I survived there, building up a small village and keeping it safe. I only just returned, missing everything the Enclave was doing. We are in shambles and on the verge of a war between ourselves. I represent the Equestrian Pegasus Military and we just made an alliance with the Trottingham Applejack Rangers. We are taking care of our citizens, and they are helping us take care of all of Equestria's citizens. By the time I was exiled to the south, I knew we had to change our tactics with dealing with below. I just didn't have time to make that move before the Light Bringer did all her stuff and stopped the Enclave. Are we good?"

Red Tip narrowed his eyes for a minute. "Yeah," He grinned. "We're good now."

Red Tip knocked on the door. "Sonata Concert, it's Red Tip. Can you open up."

The door was gingerly opened up and Strawberry poked her head out. She was confused about all the ponies in the hallway.

"You remember Mtoaji, right?"

"Mtoaji!" She exclaimed, jumping out of the door as she threw it open. She hadn’t seen exactly where he was.

"Over here," Shadow said.

She threw her arms around his neck and then jumped back, angry. "That was not cool how you left! Just a note! A note! No real goodbye!"

"I...” Shadow stuttered. “Look, it was complicated. Very complicated. But it didn't go as planned. I just got back to Equestria several days ago. Also, my real name is Shadow Flare, but I am still known a Mtoaji."

"Let’s leave it at that," Red Tip chuckled. "But he isn't as bad as he is looking right now."

“Duh, I know that. I know the real Mtoaji. No matter what uniform he wears.”

Shadow entered the condominium he had called home. A lot more furniture had been added and a stallion was sitting on the couch with two foals beside him. He nodded courteously, unsure what else to do.

"You settled down," Shadow said.

"I did. I hope you don't mind me using your home."

"Please," Shadow snorted. "I left it in your care to do exactly that. I'm only back to fetch a few things I stashed here. Cardinal, this is Sonata Concert, but I know her as Strawberry. I'll leave it there."

"He rescued me from the Lux and a life of lewd dancing and sex at the bidding of others," Strawberry shamelessly clarify. "My family knows."

"So, typical you stuff?" Cardinal Spitfire asked Shadow.

"Absolutely typical me stuff,” Shadow nodded. “Including how I ended up trying to break her free. Oh, and Cardinal Spitfire is my wife."

"A pleasure to finally meet you," Strawberry said. "I always admired Mtoaji for his stalwart stance and obvious love for you. He wasn't ever going to cross the line. Something I never expected. Something unheard of down here, sadly. When he first met me and decided to help me break free, he paid for me for a night just so I could sleep in the bed he was renting from the Lux, while he took the couch. He paid to keep me from somepony else for the night without anything in return!"

Cardinal Spitfire's grin slid into a smirk. "Oh, I know he would never cross that line or even get close to it. He was raised right…and I am too hot for him to want anypony else. The rest of that sounds like him. So, this is where Shadow called home?"

"For a few months. He bought it instead of renting, and then he paid twice what it was worth to improve the lighting and add more. It was already one of the better lit units. Now with the sun, that doesn’t matter anymore. Mtoaji left it in my care, to be transferred to me and all his holdings with the bank if he went 10 years without returning."

The conversation ended as the heard the floorboards in the bedroom pop out of place. They both immediately headed over, along with Red Tip and Warding Blade.

Shadow already had Black Widow’s suit out and folded up neatly. He was stacking the bricks of caps.

"You robbed the Lux!" Warding Blade exclaimed.

"Yeah," Shadow grunted as he grabbed another one from his stash. "Well after it was blown up. Did you guys ever find Vault 1?"

"No, we never did."

"I didn't have that many caps. Mostly explosives and building supplies. It's an outside entrance off one of the big villas in the north, the high-end area, under bushes."

"And that explains how you blew up the Lux," Warding Blade snorted.

"Well, burning as I had originally planned was going to take more time than I had. I knew you would be coming, and with an army."

"Wait," Red Tip said glancing at the pile of fabric with the hat on top. "You didn't mention you were Black Widow!"

"Oops," Shadow chuckled. "That is another long story that is complicated."

"I know," Warding Blade told Red Tip. "And I also am not holding it against him."

"But," Red Tip stammered. "Magic! Black Widow is a unicorn. Mtoaji is an Earth Pony."

"Pegasus you blind sniper," Shadow shot back as he opened his wings. "A tiny Pegasus cleverly hiding his wings so he wasn't killed by Dahlia for having them...and a slew of other things she wanted to prosecute me for that I never did."

"But," Red Tip stammered again. "You are so strong!"

"Grew up on a farm," Shadow replied. “But all Pegasus. Never a drop of Earth Pony blood. Always cloud dwelling Pegasi.”

Shadow got up and went to the closet. Inside was a lot more clothing than he had ever owned over his entire life. But still hanging there was his black tux and his Blue Beret uniform and jacket. He pulled them out and laid them on the bed.

His anti-machine rifle and his China set were stuffed in the back where he left them. Shadow had forgotten about the stockpile of ammo he had also left. Ammo that would come in handy.

"You have a lot of stuff," Cardinal Spitfire chuckled. "I thought what Slice brought back from Rosemary was a lot."

"And Shanyisa still has some more," Shadow grinned. "I just, acquired the good stuff. Like this. It was old, antique China in perfect condition before the war. Do your really expect me to pass that up!"

"No," Cardinal Spitfire sighed, with a long laugh. "No. And that is why I love you."

"Red Tip, I need the rifle still. It's going to be useful against the power armor troops. The Grand Pegasus Enclave doesn't have many of them, and our large caliber weapons are low in number, but we don't have the advantage of the main weapons stocks. At least, not from what we can tell."

"As long as you are not shooting Steel Rangers and good guys, I'm fine with that. Need ammo?"

"I need whatever I can buy from you."

"I'll go unlock the shop and wrestle up a few guards to help out. Also, the bank is open now."

"Thanks," Shadow mumbled as he tried to figure out how to get all of it back to the ship."

"Fine," Strawberry groaned. "I have extra saddlebags you can use."

"Cool!" Shadow replied. "Also, I need you to come with me to the bank. I don't need this place. I got what I need, the rest is yours."

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that!” Strawberry growled in frustration. “You keep overdoing the nicest things for me! You keep saving me! I can never replay you for any of it!"

"Well..." Shadow said, out of a good response. "Well deal with it! I can't help it. Card, do we need this-"

"I am not fucking living on the ground," Cardinal Spitfire spat. "I am a proud, cloud farming Wonderbolt. Those don’t spell living on the ground. Ever! Besides, I know from Deke's bragging that your sister still has a place for us with plenty of rooms for our own foals."

"Good," Shadow smiled. "I was hoping that was the answer. I’ve had way too much time below the clouds already."

"Also, we are either dying as we fight for freedom and reunification, together, or we are living the rest of our lives as Equestrian Wonderbolts!"

"That room you have is nice," Shadow smirked.

"It is," Cardinal Spitfire nodded.

"I guess this uniform really was for you," Warding Blade said as he picked it up. "I see why you looked so good in it."

"Yeah," Shadow sighed, contently. "I felt right wearing it. You wouldn't happen to have any other artifacts for the Blue Berets, would you?"

"I'll check, for you. For the Equestrian Pegasus Military!"

"Let's get moving this stuff!"

The bank was easy. Shadow left 500 caps in his account. Over the years, they had borrowed from it and it had occurred interest from those times. Shadow didn't have time for long stacks of paperwork. He made the manager of the bank approve the forfeit of the rest of his holdings to Sonata Concert, with Elder Warding Blade and both Star Paladins as witnesses.

Red Tip's store hadn't changed. His battle saddle frames had not been sold either. The counter already had a long line of ammo cans on it. He was ready. And he was grinning.

"I have Armor Piercing 5.56, armor piercing 7.62, Black Tip 308s aka armor piercing, 50 cal. Anything else?"

"44?"

"Right, 44. One moment!" Red Tip was only gone 5 second "All the 44 I have. 62 rounds."

Shadow set three bricks on the counter. "No holding out on me now. I want those Sound Dampeners."

"Shit," Red Tip swore and he leaned over to look at Shadow's rifles. "You remembered all right."

"We have the Aerial Combat Battalion on our side. They can go very quite if they need to. I was one of them before Recon. Come on, I know you have them still."

"I got six I can sell you. I am keeping one for my rifle. And it won me all the long distance competitions since you disappeared."

"I'll be back for the next one. And you are going down."

"We shall see," Red Tip grinned. "But fine. I know you could use them. And I'm just sitting on them. How about a deferred payment?"

"What?" Shadow asked, unsure what that meant.

"Yeah. The way I figured it, when you win this, you are probably going to have some extra guns and ammo you can sell me. And, you guys are going to need those caps you got there as you join us down here. This is the stock I can risk selling you. Ponies are going to be stocking up and I need to be able to run out of something with enough capital to make it over the next few months."

"Deal," Shadow said without needing to think about it. "I will get you enough stock to reimburse you and more! We are in your debt in more ways than one."

"Just make sure you win," Red Tip said. "And make sure you come back. I want to get to know your wife. And, you have some other rematches that are waiting for you."

"I plan on it," Shadow grinned.

Red Tip nodded and they loaded the cans into saddlebags.

"Yo!" Red Tip yelled into the back. "Time for you to help!"

Chief Loch and several other guards came out of the back.

"I understand that you are Black Widow," Lock grinned. "At least I can close that case finally. Go get them. Let's end this bastard 'relationship' and forge a new era!"

The city was back to its usual lively self as they left. They all went straight up into the Radiant Sun. Once the stuff was set down inside, everypony except for Yellow Quartz left. Goodbyes were quickly said and then they were off. They needed to get back as quickly as they could. There was no time to spare.

Chapter 138 - Medals

The Radiant Sun slid up to the Squad Barracks. They had requested a short drop off. The ramp softly touched the clouds and the whirl of the engines began their distinct floating idle sound.

General Firestorm was there to meet them, along with many of the upper brass. Especially the retired officers. Cardinal Spitfire was the first one down the ramp.

"He acquired some interesting pieces during his time below," Cardinal Spitfire immediately said. "We also got an ammo supply. Things went…interestingly well."

"Ammo?" Firestorm asked. "How? Why!"

"Apparently Shadow is rich, and the years his caps were in the bank, untouched, made him richer. But actually, he is friends with an arms dealer. He sold us the ammo, all armor piercing rounds, on deferment?"

"Deferment? At what price?"

"Um, well, once this is done and over with, he expects payment back in salable goods like weapons and ammo."

Fire storm's eyes widened in shock. Several things played through her mind. "Initial thought...he doesn't have the authority to barter military equipment. Second thought, we hopefully won't need them all and our stocks are automatically compromised so it was a good choice."

"That was his friend's thoughts. We would not need all of them. And that we have more in storage. We didn't discuss our actual stock, only that we were probably coming up on the short end. Especially for ammo. We are talking several thousand rounds in each of our main calibers, all armor piercing."

"And where is Shadow?"

"Prepping our VIP. Things went surprisingly well. And probably waiting for me to shut up so he can make an entrance."

"Not true!" Shadow shouted back. "I…complicated!"

Cardinal Spitfire snorted. "Stupid Filly Fooler. Nothing is ever simple with him. He has more stories he is holding out on us. Like when he bought a hooker, didn’t do anything with her, and then helped her escape the place she was ‘employed’ at. He bought her for the night so she could sleep in his bed, while he took the couch. She is a sweet pony."

Shadow finally emerged, but not in his armor. He was wearing his neatly pressed blue Beret uniform. The beret was perfectly placed on his head.

"Holy Celestia," Retired Lieutenant General Soarin said in shock. "I haven't seen that uniform in a long time. Very few of them were ever worn, and even fewer wore it nearly as well as he does."

"I think this will work better," Shadow stated. "The first separation from the GPE by the EPM."

"Where did you get that?" Soarin asked, beating the others to the question.

"Years ago. I left it with my stuff in Trottingham. It was in the Quartermaster shop with the Steel Rangers there. I had one set of clothes, and they got all sweaty and dirty before the exposition. I needed something else, but comfortable. This was the only thing that would do and hide my wings. I also have the jacket. They tried to bait me into joining their ranks with more information about the Blue Beret."

"That is amazing," General Shielded Vengeance said, stepping closer. "Deke is the one who keyed us in on the Blue Berets, accidentally, and he is the reason why the ACUs now wear the berets. It's our heritage. I saw pictures, but we never had a uniform to really go off of."

Shadow looked back up the ramp. Ukuzwa was standing there, shaking her head. Shadow sighed and walked back up the ramp.

"I can't do this," Yellow Quartz whispered. "The clouds…"

"You have the Talisman on?"

"Only the cloud walking one. I can't handle wings yet."

"That's fine," Shadow shrugged as he walked to her rear. “Wings are finicky as you learn them. Especially wing boners.”

Before she could ask what he was doing, Shadow bucked her in the flank, hard. It forced Yellow Quartz to stumble forward and then she didn't have a solid footing as the ramp slanted down. She tumbled down in a roll.

Shadow jumped ahead of her and braced her against the roll. He got her to stop right before the end of the ramp. Ukuzwa was smiling mischievously as she helped Yellow Quartz up.

"Officers of the Equestrian Pegasus Military, meet another pony I know pretty well, Star Paladin Yellow Quartz. I personally fought with her against those Hellhounds and can attest to her skill back then, knowing it has only grown. She also was my rival in the Reactive Rifle Course, who I will be giving a rematch as soon as possible. Finally, the Star Paladin is of the order of the Applejack Rangers, the more defensive oriented Steel Rangers. The old Steel Rangers are dead, the Applejack Rangers now protect Equestria. And the Trottingham contingent has assured us of their support."

Shadow smiled at Yellow Quartz. "The Star Paladin requested coming here as an envoy. To represent her contingent. Like my Zebra team, she has a cloud walking talisman on. But unlike the Yellow Quartz I knew; she is suddenly too chicken to do anything. She can stare a Hellhound in the eyes and blow his head off at point blank range, but she can't-"

Shadow expertly ducked as she swiped at him with her hoof. As expected, she was still the same knight he knew. Goading her into her courage and honor mentality was easy. The swipe also forced her to take a step off the ramp.

Yellow Quartz looked down at the clouds under her feet. She stared at them for a while. "Cushy. But not saggy or heavy. Odd. But I can see why you like them. Enough to never live on the ground."

"Hey!" Shadow laughed. "Working with below in mutually beneficial ways and living below are two different things for some of us.”

“Do you want to tell them, or me?"

Shadow gave her a nod.

Yellow Quartz looked at the officers. "Friendly Pegasi, friends of Shadow Flare, I am proud to be the Envoy here for the Trottingham area contingent of the Applejack Rangers. I’m a little scared, but my heartbeat will return to normal soon. But I also am proud to inform you that we at the Citadel can take in 200 refugees with one stipulation."

"Name it," Firestorm immediately said, with a smile showing her relief.

"The only stipulation is that they must be farming ponies. It will be a strain, but we already protect those farms. It's all we can take, and to be less of a burden on all, we can't afford to teach anypony the basics of farming."

"That is absolutely acceptable," Firestorm announced. "We shall begin to assemble the list. Most of our refugees are farmers. But, I have to ask. Why? We barely are together and on the verge of a war in between ourselves, and you are sticking your necks out so far."

"The Elder knows Shadow Flare," Yellow Quartz explained. "He led the team of us three for the Hellhound hunt. He got a very good look at the real Shadow Flare. No flags, no wings, no preconceived notions. He also was over the long-distance shooting competition Shadow won. He needed a sniper, but Shadow Flare was so much more than expected. He was saving me!"

"That would be because of Marble Falls," Shadow chuckled. "Where is she?"

"Dealing with a problem with the recruits,” Firestorm explained. “They don't like being in holding like this. They want to go to war. Most of them are against peace. They joined for the war. It's a problem. But we will certainly organize a time where those friends of yours can brag about your skill. General Marble Falls will want to hear about how much you grew up.

"Now, Star Paladin, let's get your head on straight. Follow me to the Squad Barracks. We have rooms that are open. We will get you set up there. It will mean a solid thing beneath your hooves. This has to be disorienting."

"The wing talisman was worse," Yellow Quartz fired back. "My wings would not fold down, even when pressed down. But please, this is weird. It is worse than I expected it would be."

Soarin, Nova, and Shielded Vengeance were left behind with Shadow and Cardinal Spitfire. The others on board were unloading everything. It was evident that the three of them were growing close. At this point, all three of them were all old, retired generals, two of who were disfigured, and two who were Wonderbolts. They had a lot more in common than many would think of at a glance.

"You look dashing," Nova said. "Shadow, you look better in that than in the Enclave Uniform. It just…it's not that it fits you better, physically, but you are so much more confident in that. No, that doesn’t even fully explain it."

"Thanks,” Shadow blushed. “Elder Warding Blade is investigating if they have any other artifacts. The only problem is that this is a relic. Yes, it's in great condition, but it's not something I can go to war in.”

"No," Shielded Vengeance said, thinking. "But we don't need you to do that. Maybe this will be the face we need plastered on the news. A real, old school Enclave Soldier. And one who can show off the Equestrian Pegasus Military's might. Still with Enclave ranks, still with the awards and decorations, especially that MIA badge, but this uniform instead. The beret is already familiar in the public’s eye. Several years ago we ran a hard campaign about the ACU’s heritage, which is the very uniform you wear."

Soarin grinned. "I would be honored to approve your acceptance into the 1st ESF division. The only one currently, but the division need to be rebuilt somehow."

"And the meaning of the dagger and wings?" Shadow asked.

"They were the swords from the skies. It is amazing what they did. They cut up whole Zebra units with surprise attacks. And they didn't always come in from the air. They often set ambushes and even made a solid number of attacks from the Zebra rears. They were the perfect balance for the Steel Rangers.

"Their motto was De Oppresso Liber, to free the oppressed. Equestria was viewed as the defender. And it did hold a bit of an elitist idea. A touch of the idea that they were freeing the oppressed, regular units, from fighting on the stalwart lines. But it wasn't that bad of an elitist idea. Not like the later one that founded the Enclave."

Nopony reacted to the comment against the Enclave.

"I think I understand the balance," Shadow replied. "Plus, they literally came in from the sky to save the other units. It's what we do in the ACUs in support of the regular Enclave soldiers."

"So I understand," Soarin nodded. "A tactic that will prove invaluable if we go to war."

Firestorm found them in the same spot. "Command Sergeant Major, I need you to be ready for a late afternoon briefing, about 3 hours from now. You will tell the Council the agreement with the Applejack Rangers."

“Firestorm, Dear,” Nova said with a sly smile. “We have decided that Shadow should wear this uniform. Perhaps it will be the new uniform of the Equestrian Pegasus Military.”

“Fine,” Firestorm nodded. “Let’s go for it. The Council meeting will be a good test. Shadow, tell the Council of the aid given, but don’t let them know we are about to break off.”

Shadow nodded and repeated what he believed she meant. "Tell them of the alliance I forged with old friends below and that most importantly, they can protect 200 farmers. And," Shadow said, hesitating. "And tell them we are assembling the candidates and moving on the relocation of our refugees before they make a try at it alone."

"Nothing more," Firestorm said. "Oh, you will probably have to explain the uniform. And I have a set of more Medals after our deliberations on your brief reports. It is technically up to you whether you wear the set you were approved of before you disappear, or add new ones you were approved to wear. The Council did get a memo sent to them about it."

"I will be ready," Shadow stated.

“One last thing,” Firestorm said as Shadow and Cardinal Spitfire began to leave. “You will be the only one in the room, but we will be watching. We have a hidden camera and the room is bugged. We will be actively monitoring the briefing.”

“I didn’t expect any less,” Shadow winked.

Shadow and Cardinal Spitfire got to their room. It was now crowded with several boxes and bags.

“I now understand why you think I brought a lot back,” Shadow chuckled. “It wasn’t a lot when I was down there. I had to live there, somehow.”

Shadow opened up Kifo Herixleta’s beautiful case. He retired the sword there, for the moment. He didn’t need it for the upcoming meeting. It had been almost a decade since it had been in its beautiful case.

Shadow pulled the uniform off so they could attach everything. He was distracted as Cardinal Spitfire hugged a naked him.

“You know,” She said coyly. “I have been thinking about what Elder Warding Blade said.” Cardinal Spitfire stopped talking as she traced his chest’s scar. “I do like it. If you came back without your scars, I don’t know I could believe you when you say you did everything those medals represent.”

Shadow faced his wife with a kind smile. “I have to get ready for the meeting.”

“We have time,” Cardinal Spitfire shot back, a hungry look in her eyes. “And we have years to make up for. Now, go put on that red sequin dress you mentioned the other day. I want to see you in it.”

“I saved it for you to wear!” Shadow replied, resisting her ploy.

“So? I am okay with sharing it.”

Shadow took a deep breath in and sighed. He wanted a distraction. He wanted his wife. But he needed to be ready for the briefing. Cardinal Spitfire won that battle. Shadow slipped into the dress.

“That is awesome,” Cardinal Spitfire giggled.

“I stuffed my pistol and my combat knife under my wings,” Shadow added. “It was not comfortable.”

“And now?” Cardinal Spitfire prodded.

“It’s not bad. Better than I thought it would be. It’s not something I would ever be caught in public wearing, but it’s got its perks.”

Cardinal Spitfire lunged at Shadow. He couldn’t do anything since his wings were pinned up under the dress. Cardinal Spitfire was done waiting.

It wasn’t long until Cardinal Spitfire was laying on the bed in a content bliss. Shadow was sitting at the desk. They would need another desk for him to work at, but she had the room to slide another desk in. He had a stack of papers under several boxes holding medals. He was barely though reading his original awards. Shadow had to admit, when they were written up, all official, he certainly deserved them. It was odd since he was the one doing those action, and he never hesitated on any of them; but the obvious choice also came with more admiration and dedication than he realized.

In the end, Shadow chose to pin on only his original awards since that was all he had time to review. His Command Sergeant Major stripe pins went on the collar. He put on his MIA badge and then above it, he fixed Mwokozi’s jeweled ‘ribbon’ bar above the MIA badge. His Silver Wings looked marvelous against the blue uniform.

Shadow Flare met General Firestorm outside the lecture hall.

“I know you can do this,” She immediately said. “But if this is played wrong, we get on the bad side with the Council and that becomes a problem. Our enemy is getting bolder with their organization tactics. We don’t have much time.”

Firestorm smiled at Shadow. “I love it. The uniform looks great. You certainly wear it very well. I was kind of hoping you would wear all the medals.”

“I didn’t have time to look them all through,” Shadow replied. “So I stuck with what I knew.”

“And uh, what is above the MIA badge?”

“Remember Kifopiga? Well, I killed the Zebra Empire’s top general in hoof to hoof combat. He still had his mind after all those years. This was his awards bar. In Shanyisa I have the rest of his medals and awards, but I pulled these off the uniform he was wearing when I killed him. The Zebras confirmed my right to wear it.”

“I like it,” Firestorm nodded. “It is a good addition. It not only has meaning, but it has an air of mystery. The foreignness of the ribbons will help make thing unique and separate.”

Shadow faced the doors. Wonderbolts in their armor were on either side of the door. He swiped his card and pushed the door open.

The Chief Councilor looked at him. “Ah, Command Sergeant Major, we heard you were preparing a briefing for us.”

“It had better be worth the interruption,” The Fourth Councilor growled.

Shadow calmly walked down to the front and stood at ease before them.

“No salute?” The Fourth Councilor quipped.

“I am a Command Sergeant Major,” Shadow calmly replied. “The Command Sergeant Major over Reconnaissance. I act with respect to those few in authority over me, but I salute who I please, when I please.”

The Fifth Councilor snorted a laugh at Shadow’s fearlessness. It shut up the Fourth Councilor long enough for the Chief Councilor to get them back on track.

“Command Sergeant Major, you seem to be missing several awards. Awards we upheld the other day. All but the two Purple Heart with Black Stripe.”

“Yes Councilor, I am,” Shadow nodded. “I have not had time to review them all and the statements for what I did to earn them. It was all a big stack of papers and boxes of medals and devices. I wasn’t ready for it. For now, I went with what I knew. I have been busy. That is why I am before you right now.

“And one quick side note, thank you for not approving the Purple Heart with Black Stripe. I just relayed what happened and answered the questions. My heart may have officially stopped twice, but I do stand before you today. And I stand before you without the use of any of the dark magic arts.”

“You also stand before us in a different uniform,” The Chief Counselor stated. “Tell me, what is this. It looks great on you, but it is not regulation. Well the beret actually is.”

Shadow grinning slyly. The game started here. He had to play it perfectly.

“It is not Enclave regulations, but this is nearly full regs for the Equestrian Sky Force. I was lucky enough to acquire this antique uniform during my stay in Trottingham. I needed another set of clothing, and options my size are usually mare’s clothing. But nopony down there wants a Pegasus uniform. I still hid my wings with ease, and it came with the beret I am wearing. I also got the flight jacket that goes with this uniform, but it is not apart of the full dress uniform. It is just like the Wonderbolt’s jackets.

“I competed in the Steel Ranger’s Exposition in this uniform. The exposition was a bunch of contests, mostly centered around farming and rodeo things. I was competing in two shooting competitions, and I won both. There were the Reactive Rifle Course and the Long-Distance Shooting Competition.

“Not standard for this uniform is obviously the Enclave medals, rank collar pins, my silver wings, and the MIA badge. Above my MIA badge is also a set of jewels I won the right to wear. During the Inquisitors’ mission to Kifopiga, we fought at least a full battalion of feral ghouls locked up in a major Zebra base in the south mountains. We received the Silver Star for our actions. I also personally killed the Zebra’s high general, Mwokozi, known to Equestria as Two Toned. He was the only non-feral ghoul and I had to match his expertise and years of study in hoof to hoof combat with my own. I almost died, but I prevailed. This jeweled bar was the one he wore that day. It is just like our ribbon bars, except the Zebras used jewels. I took it and several other items of importance as my...reward. I figure it would be something I could wear exactly as I am today.”

“I agree,” The Fifth Councilor stated. “That is something you certainly earned. But that fight was not in the reports, if I remember correctly.”

“That entire mission was weird,” Shadow explained. “The report was actually immediate feedback. One of our only real time exchanges. Our plan was a full report with maps, but we never got back above to be able to give more than a cursory report over the terminal. It didn’t actually matter for the Enclave at the time. It still doesn’t.”

“Regardless of its value, it was an amazing mission,” The Chief Councilor stated.

“Why are you here?” The Fourth Councilor groaned impatiently. “I’m not impressed by some uniform you are not supposed to be wearing.”

“Yes, the briefing,” Shadow nodded. “I only just got back from a trip to Trottingham. It was where I had other things stored, like this uniform. But the trip was not just to recover some material possessions, no matter how valuable or rare they might be.

“I went there in search of some old friends from my stay there. One who I knew as Star Paladin Warding Blade, is now the Elder. What was once the Steel Ranger’s Trottingham Contingent, is now the Applejack Ranger’s Trottingham Contingent. The Applejack Rangers is a branch that was in response to a recent incident inside the Steel Rangers themselves.

“Their focus has shifted. The Trottingham Steel Rangers were already well focused on the defense of the ponies in their circle of influence. It’s why I destroyed all those Hellhounds on a mission with, the now elder, Warding Blade. Because they were protecting us all, I needed to get rid of them, and they needed my long-distance shooting skills. I killed more up close than I did at long range.

“The Applejack Rangers are now there to protect all of the residents in Equestria. To allow them to live in peace without the threat of invaders, raiders, Hellhounds, and other dangerous creatures. And the Elder in Trottingham believes that also extends into the sky, into caring for Pegasi as well.

“They understood immediately what no clouds meant for us: a lot of refugees and mostly from farms. And that is what we have. They have offered to take in 200 refugees. They just need them to be farmers so they don’t put as much stress on the farms they will be staying at. They are ready to aid us as much as possible.”

“And what should we do with this?” the Second Councilor asked before anypony else could say anything.

Shadow immediately answered. “We are preparing to take a final count of the refugees and sort out who can go below. Either we give these refugees hope that things will get better, or they will risk going down on their own. Not all will want to take the risk, but we can minimize the danger to our citizens by utilizing this generous offer. The citizens have to be getting restless and concerned, especially the refugees. They lost everything, and they will take risks if we don’t provide them with valid assurance and a proper solution to their situation.

“Their lives are on hold. I was born and raised a farmer, Turnip Homestead. I love farming. I’ll die in my old age on my sister’s Homestead. But I also love protecting my home. I understand what these refugees are going through; to lose everything, to go from busy serving their fellow Pegasi by raising food, to sitting on their hooves with nothing to do and taking up space and resources. It is the exact opposite to them.

“This solution helps solve that,” Shadow declared. “We don’t have any other options.”

The Fourth Councilor slammed his hoof down on the table. “We are not! I repeat, not! Begging them for aid. We are not going to grovel or stoop that low.”

“It was an offer out of kindness,” Shadow calmly shot back. “They recognize our current conundrum. It was an offer given out of friendship. One derived of the trust I earned from my time with them. It isn’t bowing to them or groveling. It is an honorable way for us to help our citizens.”

The Council once again launched into a loud argument on multiple subjects that were more or less related to the briefing. Shadow respectfully stood there as they argued.

“Enough!” The Second Councilor ordered. "This is involving me and the citizens. This has to do with the resources and economics of our citizens. This isn’t even social. I know the massive strain on our food that this means. And we are forced to have many of them housed in other pegasi’s homes because we can’t provide even that for them. I say we move forward with the plan. Unless you six all vote against me, you can't stop me."

"You will regret this," The fourth councilor hissed.

"I would rather regret it and face those consequences than regret not trying."

“Vote if you want, but I side with the Second Councilor,” The Sixth Councilor stated. “This is what is socially best for them. Plain and simple. Command Sergeant Major, please proceed with the plans.”

“I will go tend to them immediately,” Shadow said with a dip of his head.

“Still no salute!” The Fourth Councilor protested as Shadow walked away.

Shadow turned around and proudly walked over to the table in front of him. “You dare to ask me to salute you, and then scream, yell, and rant to the other Councilors? You have no honor or respect. I have seen honor and respect on the battlefield. I have seen it in Zebras, Ghouls, Ponies, and Unicorns. I have exemplified it in the worst conditions you can’t even image. You get no salute because of that.”

The Fourth Councilor stood up but Shadow shot him down before he could speak back.

“Might I remind you that I have kill more dangerous and skilled Ponies, Zebras, and Hellhounds with my bare hooves. You don’t scare me. You don’t even give me a second thought in preparation. I don’t even understand how one as yourself could even look like they had councilor material in them. You are not a leader.”

Shadow turned on his heals in perfect military fashion and walked out.

Outside the hall General Firestorm met him, grinning. “That was impressive. And almost stupid. But you earned the respect of the other six by how you handled him. It was amazing. You knocked him off his pedestal and into his place. Regaining what he once had will be difficult for him. Your threat was impressive, but a dangerous gamble.”

“I lost nothing by stating the facts,” Shadow replied calmly. “He already hated me.”

“That is most likely true,” Firestorm admitted. “On the real note, we are halfway through the list. We are going to pull from multiple cities for moral purposes. We need you to immediately declare it though.”

Shadow nodded.

“That uniform will do, but I want the rest of the medals on it.”

“I will be back shortly,” Shadow replied.

“Head to Unit 0. We have taken over one of their seminar training rooms. It was already clear and large enough to easily convert.”

“Understood,” Shadow said as he went back to the room.

“Well,” Cardinal Spitfire asked as he entered. She was still on the bed, and it looked like she was just covered by a hastily rolled on sheet.

“The Second Councilor asserted his position and that this was an economic issue. The Sixth Councilor added her approval, which meant they couldn’t have the 6 votes they needed if they wanted to overrule him. I have to put the rest of my medals on in order to tape the public announcement.

“The Council did agree on my awards. Which makes it a very odd mix of for and against many policies right now. They are currently useless.”

“It can take too long sometimes to get things done through them,” Cardinal Spitfire said, troubled.

She joined Shadow’s side, without even barracks wear on, and they began to put everything together. Shadow would have to read the official award letters after, but he had a duty to wear them. A duty to look as strong as he could to the citizens. If they saw a weak Pegasus, they would never believe in the option available.

They had been given a bunch of devices to pin on the medals and ribbons. They covered both devices worn on the award, and devices to cover multiple awards given. It was a headache deciding how to apply several of them.

Shadow already had:
• Pegasus Defense Medal Top Barracks Stripe with “4” device.
• Defense Meritorious Service Award
• Purple Heart x 2
• Bronze Star with Valor
• Silver Star x 2

The end results of their decisions from the reports had him also juggling: 3 Humanitarian Service Medals, 1 Council Unit Citation, 8 Defense Meritorious Service Medals, 11 Purple Hearts, 10 Bronze Stars, 3 Bronze Stars with Valor, Legion of Meritorious Service, 14 Silver Stars, 3 Distinguished Service Crosses, and the Order of the Wings, number 791. He also was given a Marksmanship Badge for Expert Rifle. It was a broach that had crossed rifles suspended below it.

“It’s all too much,” Shadow groaned into his hooves. “Way too much.”

“I know,” Cardinal Spitfire chuckled. “But you underwent multiple missions on your own, killing dozens of raiders and Enclave enemies each time. Those times fit the qualifications for these awards and decorations. It wasn’t approved without reason. And I wouldn’t surprise if General Firestorm gets one of them upgraded to the Enclave Wings of Honor. It’s just a lot to push right now.”

“I don’t understand the humanitarian awards,” Shadow sighed. His head was still on the desk in defeat. “I don’t recall any actions like that.”

“Well, we can find them in this stack later and then you can take them off if you want.”

“How do I even represent 4 Bronze Stars with Valor and all the regular Bronze Stars?”

Cardinal Spitfire made the executive decision for Shadow. “We will just put 3 V devices on and we can sort it out later.”

“Thank goodness you only wear one of the medals. Without the star devices, I wouldn’t be able to stand up straight.”

Cardinal Spitfire let out a laugh. It was true. “You know, some of these are really important. And not just for the citizens. The Legion of Meritorious Service takes time to earn, if you even care. And Deke is the only one I know with the Order Of The Wings. He is 790, one before you. That is impressive.”

“Ugh,” Shadow groaned, confused and defeated. He had a massive headache from the cursory glance.

Cardinal Spitfire put all the award stars and other devices on his medals for Shadow. He was too overwhelmed to do it himself. Besides, he needed to focus on the announcement he would be giving, in front of a camera. That was enough pressure.

Cardinal Spitfire got dressed in a dress uniform with her ribbon bar, and then they headed to Unit 0, together.

“I was getting worried,” General Firestorm said as they entered.

“You overloaded his simple brain,” Cardinal Spitfire stated. It wasn’t a joke. “Shadow is fine with awards, but he definitely feels like you just dumped them on him. Well, you technically did because it was making up for years.”

“Well they look good,” Firestorm said. “They look like an Enclave soldier who has been fighting for his life and race for nearly a decade. And all solo action.”

Shadow shrugged with a sad sigh. “Yeah, I hear you, but it’s still a lot to take in. I just did what I needed to do to survive, and such.”

“You basically spent all those years in combat. Action after action. You hold the record for most combat awards in the Enclave because of it. I wasn’t the only general or admiral approving this list. And we had others consulting. We also talked with Simi about the Zebra engagements. He has no concept of medals or awards. So trust us on this. And trust that the Council only approved ones they believed you were worthy of.”

Shadow let out a chuckled. “I know they denied your Purple Hearts with Black Stripe request.”

General Firestorm shrugged. “It was a stretch. I put that in as a consideration with the two instances. It was up to them with that, and they said no.”

“Alright,” Shadow said shaking his head. The medals on his chest clinked lightly together. “I am ready.”

“We can re-shoot if we need to,” General Firestorm added. “This isn’t live.”

“I won’t need it,” Shadow shot back.

Shadow was directed where to look. It wasn’t directly at a camera. Most of them were just off center to catch his medals and awards.

“Citizens of the Grand Pegasus Enclave. I am Command Sergeant Major of Reconnaissance, Shadow Flare, Enclave Military. I was one of the recently recovered MIA soldiers. But I am now back after years below. Years spent not just surviving, but acting in the interest of the Enclave. Years spent getting to know the wasteland.

“With the clouds gone, we no longer have our shield. And worse, we lost a lot of farms and communities. I urge you, do not venture below. There is a lot of turmoil, and Pegasi are not being trusted right now. We did just attack most of the cities below.

“However, we are not just sitting here. We are actively solving the problems that arose. At least I am not sitting still, and neither are my friends. I have just come back from the field once again. This time, my mission below was to reestablish contact with several old friends.

“Those friendships from my time below have netted us a big reward. A strong group known as the Applejack Rangers has opened their doors to us. Its limited, but they are willing to support and protect 200 Pegasus Ponies. That is their upper limit. We didn’t ask for this. We asked for open talks; a relationship. They decided to offer more. A lot more than we ever thought possible.

“There is one caveat. A small one. The 200 Pegasi must be farmers. They will be staying and working on farms with real soil. It’s going to be a strain, so they need individuals trained in farming. At least, as trained as we can provide. I can attest to the differences in farming the soil. But we are survivors! We can overcome this!

“The Economic Councilor has approved of the mission. We are setting up to transfer the various refugees to this new, hopefully temporary, home. The opportunity will be presented throughout the majority of the Enclave cities. We will spread it out as fairly as possible.

“Everything has changed. That is the fact of the situation. We will have to find a new way to live. I didn’t make that rule. I didn’t ask it to happen. But it has happened.

“I am not dumb. I recognize the sacrifice this will mean. I also can attest to the opportunity it presents. These are good, hard working ponies, just like you have always been. I was a farmer before I joined the military. A Homestead Farmer from the illustrious Turnip Homestead. I joined so I could protect my family and the farms I loved. Part of surviving below meant farming the soil for the food I needed to survive. I will go back to farming after I can no longer protect you, to live out my old years on my family’s Homestead.

“I know how tough it is for you to sit and do nothing. Living below comes with its risks. But life comes with its own risks, no matter where you live. And these ponies and the Applejack Rangers are prepared to minimize that risk as much as possible.”

“Do not come looking to join this. We will select you. We know who you are. And fear not, if you are selected you can decline. This is not compulsory.

“But I challenge you to not just try something new, but to look at your duty to the Pegasus Race. The duty of providing for them. It’s not a light task to undertake. It will require a strong heart and mind. Do not think that taking this opportunity means you are betraying your race in any way. It means you are willing to go that extra step for them!

“If I had stayed on my family’s farm, I would not have gotten the honor of serving all of you. That is something I have always been proud of. Every day of my life. I never would have met my wife, who stayed faithful to me all the years, despite my Missing In Action status, and despite the Enclave’s inability to track me down.

“A lot went wrong, and we didn’t have teams readily available to respond to my team’s situation. Once they were able to come to our rescue, I had already been forced to move for survival. It was a tough struggle, but it had its good moments.

“One of those good moments is the recovery of this original uniform. I stand before you wearing not the Grand Pegasus Enclave’s dress uniform, but the dress uniform of the Equestrian Sky Force. They served in the great war. They were a one hundred percent sky born Pegasi military unit that changed how the war was fought. They were the foundation for the Aerial Combat Battalion, and that includes the Enclave’s Wonderbolts.

“It is an honor to stand here and wear it, because I am an Aerial Combat Battalion soldier. I always will be an ACB soldier. This uniform honors the solider I am, as well all those who came before me, and all those who serve beside me!

Shadow knew he was beaming as they cut the cameras.

“You were not kidding,” Firestorm clapped. “You didn’t need a second take or even an edit.”

“A lot will not take the opportunity,” Shadow stated. “I estimate half will decline it.”

“Why do you say that?” Cardinal Spitfire asked. “That was a rousing speech.”

“Card, think about my community. Think about your community. What my parents did in your community all those years ago strengthened the foundation of the farms themselves. The cloud layer could get ripped away and the farmers wouldn’t have felt a thing. Most of the places that lost their farms were the weaker communities. Weaker communities means weaker minds and hearts.”

“You know your parents didn’t just do that for our community, right?”

“Catch me up,” Shadow said.

“They also were tasked with a major reboot of the South Cloudsdale District after it fell apart. Along with several other Homesteads. That’s who Deke was protecting from the storm that injured him. They were totally exposed and unprepared for a storm of that magnitude. They all got to safety because of him and his quick thinking.

“That’s also where he got his Order Of The Wings from, and other high medals. I only know that from talking to him over the years. After all, he loves your family. And that was another circumstance entirely. The north-”

“Iced them over,” Shadow interrupted. “I had to break through that ice to try and etch that message in the cave wall. I almost died doing that.”

“And we learned about Kifopiga from the story you told them,” Firestorm added. “When we checked out the cave, that is how we learned the bigger details and history of it.”

“Good,” Shadow smiled. “Now, I think I just want food and bed. It’s been a stressful day.”

“Please,” Firestorm said, gesturing them towards the door. “You are doing a lot more than expected of you.”

“I am the Command Sergeant Major of Reconnaissance,” Shadow Flare replied. “When I left, that meant something. I was supposed to be the spearhead rebuilding the recon units. Giving speeches and encouraging others is what I am supposed to be doing. Dumping the medals on me was the biggest stress today.”

They were halfway through their meal when Arrow and Dipper sat down with them.

Arrow was ready to talk before she sat down. “Shadow, did you know I married Dipper?”

“I do not,” Shadow grinned. “Congratulations.”

Dipper’s smile got mischievous. “It’s been a real ride.”

“But you got to ride it,” Shadow fired back. Shadow got quiet and somber. “I have not had time to catch up, and I have been afraid to. What happened to Chocolate and Flags?”

“Flags is a Major, in Scout Command,” Arrow said. “We rarely see him. He could still be on patrol, but I expect he would have at least stopped by to see or Dipper. Chocolate went the teacher route, and he is dealing with the recruit insurrection at the main base.”

“Fun,” Shadow chuckled. “I heard they were having problems.”

Dipper shook his head. “Whole units have been locked into their barracks and they are all under heavy guard. Hot weapons at all times. General Marble Falls is trying to keep them out of the potential war, for their safety. She is their commanding officer after all. But they are a hotheaded group that joined to kill.”

“Great,” Shadow groaned as he rolled his eyes. “That is exactly what we need in the Military.”

“But they just don’t get it,” Dipper stated. “Despite Marble Falls’ best efforts, these groups just don’t get it.”

Another pony sat down at the table. It was Slice. “I forgot how much I like this food. It beats the pre-war stuff. Baltimare was only just learning to cook with the spices you got Crystal Kiss to start growing. I guess I did miss something above.”

Shadow chuckled. “How have you been?”

“Eh,” Slice shrugged. “I’ve been better. Just keeping my head down. For now. I know they will come for me. They already grill me once a day about something. But I see they decked you out.”

Shadow’s head was once again in his hoof.

“He still feels it is overboard,” Cardinal Spitfire explained, pulling Shadow in for a side hug. “They had to catch up on years of service across Equestria and beyond. But he still isn’t happy.”

Dinner finished quietly, but nicely. It was good to be among friends, even quietly. When they got back to the room, Shadow had to unpin everything from his uniform. He was hanging it up, for now. The medals would have pulled on the fabric if he hung them up together. He doubted he would need the uniform for a while.

It felt good to have Cardinal Spitfire snuggle up to him. She didn’t care about the medals. She understood. She just wanted him for who he was.

Chapter 139 - Insurrection

Shadow cruised over to Fort Wind’s Headquarters. He was wearing a new ACB uniform. It was nice to not have to worry about any other uniforms outside of his dress uniform and his flight suits. It was a low profile version meaning the rank was a deep silver on the black fabric. Only Scouts, Recon, and Wonderbolts were issued the flight suits.

As Shadow got over the Barracks he saw a group pressing at the armed guards. It was not physical, yet. Shadow dropped down behind the guards. They saw where he had come from, so they didn’t jump.

“Can I be of assistance?” Shadow asked.

“Yeah!” an angry recruit answered. He had a red patch on his shoulder. All of this group did. “You can tell them to let us go. We have earned our place in the military.”

“Your place is where you are right now, as recruits,” Shadow calmly stated. “As I understand, the final test was not administered.”

“A technicality!”

“But your training is not complete until then,” Shadow said, stepped forward to meet the recruit head on. He was outrageously short next to him, but Shadow’s calm confidence stood out stronger than the hot-headed recruit.

“I learned what I needed to,” the recruit continued. “It was a test of all our skills combined. But we are needed, now! Real units need us. Fort Wind does not.”

“Ah, I see,” Shadow replied, not moving. “You seek glory in the name of duty. But I can personally attest that down below isn’t glory. Its pain, misery, and survival. It’s cruel. And none of you are ready for that.”

“You speak to me as if I am a foal! All of us are as ready as they can make us. My dad served. I learned what below is really like. He was in some of the stuff he can’t talk about. Stuff below. I’ve made sure they rest of my barracks is ready.”

“Okay,” Shadow shrugged. “Who is your father?”

“You wouldn’t know him,” the recruit snorted. “A soldier of your class wouldn’t have heard of him. Like I said, he was doing stuff below, in the groups you don’t talk about. I don’t know most of what he knows. I got what I needed to out of him to be the best soldier I could be. And I will be the best.”

Shadow raised his eyebrow and then looked back at the closest drill sergeant. “Staff Sergeant, permission to teach this recruit a private lesson?”

“Ha!” the recruit laughed in defiance. “I won the hoof to hoof combat trials. I am top for a reason. My father also taught me some of the advanced combat forms.”

“All yours, Sir,” the drill sergeant said. “I can’t because I am on duty, but you can knock him around a bit. You can put him in his place.”

The other guards obviously agreed, albeit silently. They all wanted to do it themselves, but they were not to harm the recruits. Still, they all know who Shadow was. He had rank on the drill sergeants and was an outside force.

Shadow looked back at the recruit. “And what is your name?”

“Ice. Winter Ice.”

Shadow gave a slow nod and the took a half step back. He needed a little room to operate, but he wasn’t going to give up the advantage of being inside the recruit’s range. Shadow started simple and easy. It was fast, but not brutal, as he slapped his across the muzzle.

“It, you, just slap me?” the recruit sputtered.

“An effective attack because it left you critically open as you reeled from it,” Shadow shrugged. “I could have broken or killed you half a dozen times as you left yourself open.”

Shadow slid his head to the side, only moving it as he avoided the cross. The recruit was good as he forced Shadow to dodge and weave. Shadow avoided contact with ease. It was frustrating the recruit immensely. He left himself more and more open as he tried to bash Shadow.

Shadow finally struck. He floated out of the way of the jab, easily swept his front legs, topping the unbalanced recruit. His strike to the side of the head was vicious, but it looked worse than it was. Shadow wasn’t going to really harm the recruit. It was a good lesson.

“Fuck you!” the recruit spat. “But now the advantage is ours.”

Shadow cracked his neck as the rest of Red Barracks came down on him. Shadow had been aware he was near them and outmaneuvered, but he didn’t expect that they would stoop so low. Since they did, Shadow decided to lift several of his own restraints. They would not die or be maimed, but he would make them hurt.

It was easier than expected. Despite being surrounded, they had no idea how to attack in a group. It was exhausting as he struck one and then another. They usually came at him from his rear or what they thought was his blindside. Shadow was left panting, heavily, while they were left moaning in pain and usually in piles. Four in the barracks had stepped away from the fight, not wanting to be involved in any of the actions happening.

Shadow straightened his flight suit. He didn’t need to. But it looked good as he “fixed” what they had done. It was obvious they had done nothing to him. But the gesture was defiant against their actions.

“Thank you,” the Staff Sergeant said quietly as Shadow walked past him.

“I will be heading on my original path, to meet with General Marble Falls.”

“Understood,” he said with a nod.

Shadow walked along the barracks instead of flying. He was used to walking through here, even after all the years. He stopped at their old barracks, Black Barrack A. Now though, it had a sign over the door. “Filly Fooler Barracks.” Shadow snorted a smile and kept moving.

There were more barracks being guarded as they came and went from things like the mess hall. They were all well guarded. There wasn’t a single color patch that wasn’t under heavy watch, and from what Shadow could see, he guessed all four barracks in each color was being used. That was already a big strain on the drill sergeants and staff, without needed to guard them so tightly.

Shadow stepped into the Headquarters and was greeted immediately by the Pegasus at the desk. She stopped what she was doing with another soldier. “General Marble Falls is currently occupied Command Sergeant Major. An incident just occurred. I will page her though.”

The soldier at the desk turned around. Shadow immediately knew he was, but he couldn’t believe he was seeing him.

“Major?” Shadow asked. “I thought you had retired.”

“I did and still am,” Winters Breath said with a smile. He was calm and soft spoken. The years had not treated him well. “I came in my uniform today to ask some questions about my son here. He was supposed to have graduated, but we have not gotten any word about it, so I came prepared. A retired soldier gets in easier than a civilian. The uniform helps.

“But that is me. I thought we had lost you, permanently. I learned what had happened, far to late. I was caught up almost a year after it had happened. After the terminal was retrieved from storage and found it had been tampered with.

“I didn’t see the take over coming. If I had-”

“I know,” Shadow said, interrupting him as he walked over to him. “It is good to see you. We all know you did everything you could. And if you had seen it coming, you would have recalled us. Looking back on it, we should have forced our way back. We should have set up a safe word or passphrase for an emergency retreat to the gate. But we were afraid.”

“It was understandable,” Winters Breath sighed. “I would be just as afraid as you, if not more. But at least two of you survived.”

Shadow sighed sadly. “Thunder was a suicide. It was just us after Slice tried to do the same thing by having the wasteland kill him. Thunder was somepony who could have been saved. He is the only one I can regret right now. The rest died honorably in combat for the good of the Pegasus Race.”

“We can’t change it now,” Winters Breath said. “But we got two of you back.”

“Slice kind of stopped being Enclave for a while. I don’t know where he sits military wise. That’s for ponies like General Firestorm to decide. He never turned against the Enclave, but he stopped being an Inquisitor once he woke up in Baltimare with our friends there. I don’t blame him either. He didn’t expect to live. Equestria wanted him alive. He settled down and finally found meaning there.”

“It’s all complicated,” Winters Breath said.

The door above them banged open. Marble Falls was not having a good day. “Filly Fooler! Get up here! Don’t make me drag your ass up here!”

“Falls,” Shadow called back. “Retired Major Winters Breath is here as well.”

“Shit!” Marble Falls swore. “Both of you come up!”

Marble Falls was lounging in her chair behind her desk, enjoying her rank and position. The stress was evident in her eyes though. Shadow closed the door behind him and they both sat down.

“I had no idea you were here, Sir,” Marble Falls stated.

“They were hesitant to bother you,” Winters Breath replied. “Something I totally understand. I hadn’t realized how things had played out here.”

“Yes, their little insurrection is a problem. A pestilence. None of them have graduated. The final test was not administered. Right before we could do it for the senior barracks, the clouds were just gone. And so was our training ground, and most of the fort. We had Barracks training at the flight decks and recalled them while we tried to figure out what was happening. Not long after, the senior barracks decided they had been through enough and should be graduated and sent to their secondary school. Things got out of hoof quickly, and we had to lock all barracks down to just their actual barrack building and the mess hall.”

“You won’t graduate them because it puts them into some very bad hooves,” Winters Breath finished.

Marble Falls nodded slowly. “But I can’t explain it to them that way. I am trying to keep them out of the entire situation. However this falls, we will need them after. We don’t need them now where they may very well just get shot. Neither side needs cheap fodder that is that hot headed.

“And now, it is too late. For one, I can’t transport them to any secondary training because I don’t have the cloudships to do it. I have told General Lunar Rays that multiple times. He is the head over the Combat School right now. And he keeps ordering me to send them. Except I outrank him. I have told him that I don’t have a way to get them there, because they can’t travel on their own without the clouds to give them a break. And even if I could get them from here, none of them have graduated.

“That is the second thing. I am not sending them to him because there is no Combat School. All of the instructors were pulled to secondary positions. Several key players came here, so I know what has happened. But they don’t need to know that. I’m trying to keep them together as a unit, and out of this fight, except the recruits are not making it easy.”

“I believe you,” Winters Breath said. “The last thing we need is to give General Lunar Rays 250 fresh recruits. He will just stuff all of them into direct combat rolls, despite their contracts, and put them at the front of the line. They will be killed before they knew that the battle had started.”

Marble Falls nodded once and stopped reclining. She leaned onto her desk. “But, what specifically has you here? Especially in uniform.”

“The uniform is still respected,” Winters Breath stated. “It is a lot easier to get in here with it on than as a civilian. I came to check up on my son. We didn’t know when graduation was happening. We knew the rough date had passed, but we hadn’t heard a thing about it, not even from him.”

“Shit,” Marble Falls sighed.

“Just give it to me straight,” Winters Breath said.

“Fine,” Marble Falls shrugged. “Your son is the head honcho when it comes to the revolt. He was the top recruit by a long shot, but he also got the other barracks to join him. Mostly. None are quite as aggressive as Red A is, but they are all a problem because of him. We can’t let up on any barracks because of it. He was organized before we knew it was happening. They went from being able to do calisthenics and the obstacle courses to locked up tight. We even are weapons hot right now.”

“How strained are your forces?” Winters Breath asked, concerned for her staff.

“Very,” Marble Falls snorted. “Very. We were before because we are training almost 1000 recruits. We are at full capacity. Guarding them has made their job worse. Less sleep, more work hours, they are in better shape because they work odd shifts with training, but we don’t have the support structure for it. And I can’t take any of the ACUs. For one, they are too small, and two, they need to be ready to deploy. So it’s just my staff.”

“I was afraid of that,” Winters Breath sighed. “Ice always was too much of an ‘all in’ Pegasus. But with the war, I gave him my support. I never should have trained him in hoof to hoof combat. Or some other tricks of the trade I picked up from the Wonderbolts and Inquisitors.”

Marble Falls snorted. “Oh, he is bad, but he just got knocked down a few pegs by a special pegasus that is better than he is. My reports tell me he actually got slapped in the fight, shocking him. And then the rest of Red A was beat up when they pounced on the pegasus.”

Winters Breath wasn’t stupid. He was looking at Shadow, eyebrow raised.

“I didn’t know it was your son,” Shadow calmly stated. “But their hoof to hoof combat skills were pathetic. Better than most, but I have faced Zebras much more skilled than him. I would rather face any Wonderbolt before I faced most of those Zebras again. And yes, all of those Zebras are dead, by my very hoof. It was a tough few years.”

“I will get out of your mane then,” Winters Breath said standing up. “I am sorry for the trouble he has caused. Thank you for seeing me and catching me up. I know we never had a relationship outside of a few encounters, so thank you.”

“We will walk you out,” Marble Falls smiled as she stood up. “You were a very important Pegasus in this military. One who deserves full honors due. Most just do not realize all that you did. I don’t think even you realize how much you did for the Pegasus Race.”

“You were an amazing officer,” Shadow affirmed. “And it was a shame they cut your time short.”

“It wasn’t easy,” Winters Breath said. “I had to choose what was right for my family. And their choices gave me the ability to walk away and focus on them. So I took the honorable out with the early retirement I had earned. But I do miss it some days, like today. I worked hard to get where I was.”

“The world has changed,” Shadow added. “There may be a place for you still. Eventually we will need guards at our settlements below. An officer like yourself would be a marvelous addition to that.”

“Is that a proposition?” Marble Falls asked, stunned that Shadow would push that envelope.

“I have been public about my stance with below,” Shadow shrugged. “I just want him to know that new options are becoming available in the near future.”

Winters breath chuckled. “Your concern is appreciated. For now, I have no plans on rejoining anything like that. It is nice to know I am wanted, and more importantly, appreciated for what I have to offer, but that is not something I want to get back into. The politics are bull shit and why I could retire when I did. This was my first time putting my uniform on after I retired. And I don’t plan on it again.”

“Understood,” Marble Falls replied.

All three of them walked out.

“I do miss it here,” Winters Breath said, looking out on the main parade field. “It was always a peaceful place to stop. Even though I was tracking Shadow and it took a lot of time and energy, it was always my favorite military installation. I hated Camp Bullis.”

“That place holds conflicting memories,” Marble Falls stated. “I found a home there, and then lost it all. I finally found something here, teaching. The Wonderbolts are great, and I am not sorry I am one. It was the only place for me to go after it all fell apart, but it never was home like it was with Nova, Jade Spring, Rose Lightning, Clean Blade, and Razor Tempest. And I barely got to get to know them.”

They watched as a group filed out of the mess hall. They were restricting how many barracks were inside at once and how close they could be to each. They were fighting for control over horrible logistics.

It was Red A leaving. And their presence on the other side of the parade field was noticed.

“Dad!” Winter Ice called out. “Dad!”

Winters Breath expertly ignored his son. “General Red River was amazing with his troops. But I have heard that you are better.”

“I am an instructor,” Marble Falls chuckled. “He learned to be one, but it is in my blood. My passion. Besides speed and flying. And Razzleberry. I should put my husband in there.”

They all chuckled.

“Dad!” Winter Ice called once again. He had dared to come halfway across from the parade field. No guards were reacting to it, letting them deal with him. “Hey! It’s me! Your son!”

“You know,” Shadow said, keeping the conversation going so they could easily ignore Winter Ice. “Nova is at the Squad Barracks. He retired, but he lives in Wind Hamlet. Officially. I know he has his permanent room in the Squad Barracks. His wing finally had to be removed, so its chariots for him. He stays close.”

“Both for familiarity and out of shame,” Marble Falls clarified. “He put his life into the military, lost his wife and future to this military. He has nowhere else to go, and anywhere else he would have to explain his wing. It hurts him more to not have it than the pain the tumor ever caused. He is proud of his service, but he just doesn’t want to face other, less informed, Pegasi on a regular basis.”

“He probably would love a visit,” Shadow finished.

“I think I will go visit him,” Winters Breath proclaimed. “I came here to catch up on the news and I am glad I did. I get to reconnect with some good friends. I never expected to see you Command Sergeant Major. I had decided it was best to put this all behind me. But I am glad I was wrong.”

Winters Breath threw a quick salute with his wing and took off to the Squad Barracks.

“He is slow, you have time to warn them,” Shadow said. “I flew with him for two weeks or whatever when he first took me to my station. That was the worst flight ever. And I have been through some real shit.”

Both of them chuckled, and then Marble Falls addressed Winter Ice. She was firm and cold. Factual, but in charge. “Recruit! Back with your Barracks. We are still in a security lock down.”

Winter Ice stood there, defiantly for another minute. He broke and walked away, head low, as he rejoined his barrack in their exodus back to their bunks, to sit and do nothing. The drill instructors never said a word or reacted to his behavior.

“You know,” Shadow said scanning the area. “I might have a solution. Or better put, Ukuzwa might.”

Shadow put his com in and called Ukuzwa over. Simi was joining them. Apparently, Izala was deployed to Headquarters with Sumida and Nukia, just in case they were needed. They had been staying cloaked. The five of them would be meeting with Shadow and Marble Falls.

“Sometimes I hate it when they use the cloaks,” Shadow told Marble Falls. “I told them not to do it while we were here.”

“This was a very good reason,” Marble Falls said. “Cut them some slack. My staff knows that Zebras are with you, but if the recruits saw them, it would cause a fit. I am glad they have been here, just in case. I have no contingency plans. They are at least one.”

They all assembled at the parade field. For now, no recruits could see them. Marble Falls also brought in several drill instructors. One Shadow knew well, Master Wind.

“Master Wind,” Shadow smiled at him and saluted.

Master Wind saluted back. “Thank you Filly Fooler. I am so thankful to have you back. You have been a very big inspiration around here. A good model to show the recruits that you can do anything. I guess some of those will have to change now that we know you are alive.”

“Master Wind is no longer a Barracks Master,” Marble Falls added. “He is my senior NCO. He is Command Sergeant Major over Training Wind Whisper, head of the drill instructors.”

“Congratulation,” Shadow said.

“Thank you. We will have to catch up later, when we both have the time.”

“Of course,” Shadow nodded with a smile. “But for now, we need to get you guys the physical rest you need. Ukuzwa, is there a way you can build a large fence to contain the recruits. I know your wards can block ponies. The recruits are under heavy guard, taking up every spare staff member General Marble Falls has. If we can give the guards some respite, we need to try.”

“I can,” Ukuzwa nodded. “It is not a simple plan, but I can contain your kinsman. I will need the others aid, this will be a very large lade.”

“Prepare it,” Marble Falls ordered. “But do it at night. If we can avoid you being seen, that is for the best. The recruits would not understand or listen. I want to give them as little fuel to keep this fire going as possible.”

“As you ask, it will be our task,” Ukuzwa replied. “What shall be their glade? I can make it a large stockade.”

“Can you block the sky?” Marble Falls asked. “And stop them from digging?”

“The plan I have will do so. It will make them all woe.”

“Then the barracks, the mess hall, the parade fields, and the obstacle courses. We also will need access to medical facilities. I won’t compromise on that, yet.”

“I understand,” Ukuzwa nodded. “I will make it impassible for them, but you will have free scrum. We must have some blood from each. A small drop from a tiny breach.”

“Blood?” Marble Falls asked, taken aback.

“This art some may consider dark. But the need is dire and stark. A drop from each recruit will make it so they cannot pass. The wall will look just like red glass. But those without blood in the art are not stopped, which is why for the light I opt. I do this to protect, not inflect.”

“Huh?” Marble Falls asked.

Shadow explained it as simply as possible. “The ward needs to know who to block. It blocks any identified, and that is done through blood. Everypony else can just walk through.”

“We should have badges to allow passage,” Wind Whisper added. “That will keep things tighter. The recruits and the guards need to believe only those with the right authority can pass. They can’t know it is blocking only them. And they can’t know that is why we need their blood. We should do mandatory blood testing. The nurses can pull a bit out from each recruit as they go for dinner.”

“That should work,” Simi said, glancing at Ukuzwa.

“How long will this hold?” Marble Falls asked.

“It will hold as long as the ward rod stays,” Ukuzwa stated. “But if the rod should ever be made raze...”

She didn’t need to finish.

“What is the rod?” Marble Falls asked.

“Whatever we choose,” Ukuzwa shrugged. “A rod of steel is what I would use. Pound it into the ground, and make sure guards are always around.”

“And that will guarantee it won’t fail?” Wind Whisper asked.

“Life means failure. Time is never in our favor.”

“Is there another option through?”

“Yes, but I already go too far,” Ukuzwa declared.

“Too far?” Marble Falls asked. “I don’t understand. I also barely understand what we are doing exactly.”

“It’s blood magic,” Shadow explained. “All of this is. Which is widely considered to be a dark art. Ukuzwa is a magician, not a sorcerer. She only deals in light, clean, and good magic. While this requires a small bit of blood, it is done to protect the guards and the recruits. Therefore, it is not dark, because it is for the safety of all. And she can say she has never done the dark arts. And most magicians would agree with her.

“But typically, playing with blood is an evil art. Once you take the first step past the clear line, there is no going back. Zebra Magicians always walked a careful path. Real power comes from the dark arts, but you sacrifice a part of yourself when you do it.”

“If there is anything I can do to make it stronger, please,” Wind Whisper said, almost begging. It wasn’t out of exhaustion, but love. “These are my recruits I am trying to protect. And my soldiers that are guarding them. It won’t be long before blood is spilled. I fear that it will be the tired guards that spill it first, when they would not have if they were not so strained.”

Ukuzwa looked away.

“Please,” Wind Whisper begged.

“Enough,” Marble Falls said. “This is close enough. We won’t cross that line. This option sounds like it will be sufficient.”

“You don’t need sufficient,” Ukuzwa murmured, not looking at them. “You need a guarantee.” Ukuzwa didn’t speak for a while, as the battle raged in her mind. “I have a stronger answer. But it is dark. And it is riskier. Deeper blood can be tied in with the rod, until the individual is the rod. So long as they live, the ward will not break. If they die, it will shatter when they breath their last.”

“Take mine,” Wind Whisper said immediately. “I will take that risk.”

“It’s not a risk for you that she is worried about,” Shadow said. Ukuzwa still wasn’t looking at them. “It’s what it will do to her. She won’t be clean. She will be a magician who uses the dark arts, a sorcerer. Something you can never be redeemed for. It doesn’t matter if this is the only option, or best option. It could stop this whole war, but it still is clearly a dark art and something she can never be free of. She will have clearly stepped over that line of Zebra Magic. And every Zebra will agree.

“She could lose everything she has by doing this. I doubt Shanyisa would turn its back on her, but it may not go well. She would never be viewed the same. They all would question how far she is actually willing to go.”

“That is not something I am willing to let her suffer,” Marble Falls asserted. “I agree, this first plan is not dark magic. It is done for all the right reasons, to protect everyone involved and give them the best quality of life possible. Right now, nopony has a good quality of life. Either guarding them 18 hours a day, or sitting on a bunk for most of day. Neither is good.”

Ukuzwa looked at Wind Whisper. She locked eyes with him, her intention clear. “Are you seriously willing to go so far as to be linked to your very soul for this project?”

“Yes,” he replied. “I am. I am at my wits end trying to make this work. I will do it to help my staff. And they are my recruits too. If I could take it all so that they do not have to do anything, I will. If I can keep that magic wall up myself, I will gladly.”

“It will taint you too,” Ukuzwa warned. “But the long-term strain would not be great if you do choose.”

“We don’t need to make this decision right now,” Marble Falls said. “Right?”

“No,” Ukuzwa said. “It is the final step that the choice must be made. We will go prepare this barricade.”

The Zebras left, departing to gather rocks and sticks from below; things that they could use to pin the ward to. Ukuzwa was in full control. Shadow kept his com in to passively listen. She had Simi and the others well organized in a matter of seconds.

“I knew she knows the dark arts,” Shadow said. “It is not hard to figure many of them out. And she had access to a great library from the war and even earlier. It had everything she needed, for all the arts. I am almost certain she has a photographic memory. I have never seen her reread a book. But this stuff comes very easy for her. She did things off intuition before I arrived. It wasn’t very strong, but that changed once I got her those books to learn from.”

“I don’t want to push her to do anything uncomfortable,” Marble Falls stated again. “Her help is invaluable as it is. I trust her. This will be enough, I am sure. I won’t even have Wind Whisper here when she is done setting up.”

“No,” Shadow said. “She will only call for him. He should be here, but not the others. For now, get them ready to draw blood, and make sure it is drawn from every recruit. We can’t have a single mistake.”

“And badges,” Wind Whisper said. “I will head up making badges for everyone to wear. It will be a hard and fast rule. And not our rule, but the ward’s rule. We will fake it being a part of the ceremony.”

“That is a good idea,” Shadow said. “I came here to check in on you, Falls, and say hi. Maybe catch up a bit. This developed differently than planned.”

“Once this is done, we can,” Marble Falls yawned. “Even I have been picking up guard shifts. At least moments to allow them to switch out and eat.”

They were left alone as the last of the others went off to get things in order. They had a limited amount of time.

“I wish I had more of my mind to dedicate to you,” Marble Falls stated. “Let’s go to my office. We can talk there. I am sure you have been di...I mean bursting at the seams to tell me a few stories.”

Shadow chuckled. “I can think of a few that will really impress and interest you.”

Shadow shared the fun tales like the Reactive Rifle Course, the Long-distance Shooting Competition, the Hellhound hunt, and other key moments that he displayed her training. She was shocked, but not surprised. Marble Falls had trained Shadow how she had trained him because she saw his potential. And below, he had proved that potential was not only there, but realized. Fully realized.

Shadow crashed in the visitor’s barracks while Kikosi Kisasi did their thing. The rest of the team had been pulled over to set everything up. They worked in the dark, without activating their cloaks, to set up each and every tie in location.

The materials were mostly sticks brought up from below. They just had to be straight to be a pillar. And below Fort Wind a lot of raw wood was available after all of the trees lost their anchor and fell, crushing the wasteland below them. Every few yards a stick was planted in the middle of a complex ward drawn on the surface it was anchored on. They made up the reinforcing and guiding pillars. Stone would have been preferable, but they were not making this a fully permanent ward.

They met on the parade field as the morning light began to crest.

“You don’t have to cross that line,” Marble Falls said. “I don’t need that. I need a strong field to hold them in their place.”

“And you will get that,” Ukuzwa said. “But now is not the time for that chat. I knew one day this time would come. All Zebra magicians hear the dark call with its strum. The question relies on him. For both wards have the same prelim. You are the one who must face the great pain and will feel your soul be nearly torn by a powerful strain.”

“I am ready,” Wind Whisper said. “I will shoulder the responsibility, and then assure my survival.”

“Your survival I am not worried about,” Ukuzwa said. “It is the price that will make you shout.”

Ukuzwa looked around, making sure they could not be overheard. The closest guards were on the other side of the parade field. Ukuzwa then pulled out a zebra ceremonial knife. The blade was shining red, sealed in the blood of the recruits.

“This knife has absorbed the blood of all the recruits,” Ukuzwa explained. “It holds all the magical attributes. Either we take the rod, mix it, and we pound it into the final glyph, or we reap you for it and finish it with your biff.”

“I can be pricked with that,” Wind Whisper shrugged. “No problem.”

Ukuzwa’s grin was wicked. “Not a prick, that won’t do the trick. This blade must be driven into your heart, otherwise the magic cannot do its part. I can heal you with ease, but that can only happen after you yourself has been seized.”

“All the way?” Wind Whisper stammered as he looked at the long blade.

“To the hilt,” Ukuzwa confirmed. “Or else the magic will wilt. Now you see why this is dark indeed. It breaks several of my creeds. It is unforgivable to mess with the soul. There are very few loop holes. One is what we have already done, building this safety wall to keep you from overrun. We do not have to take this dark step, both spells are the same prep. Now, the choice is yours and yours alone, Wind Whisper.”

“Now hold on,” Marble Falls said. “I am his senior officer. And Shadow is yours. We can stop this. You don’t get to dictate this.”

“Mtoaji never knew,” Ukuzwa said. “Several things I was ready to brew. I hid the knife and several artifacts. I was ready to do these acts. He gave his soul for us, I was ready to do the same plus. Xys knows I am ready. She gave me words to keep me steady. I act for our protection. My actions are pure allowing for my moral resurrection. Not all who do the dark arts are evil, but I will separate myself more to keep things peaceful.”

Ukuzwa pulled out the skull necklace Shadow had first brought back for her. Along with it came a black book with red symbols on it, necromancer robes, and a wooden box.

Ukuzwa opened the box to reveal a skill with some ornate pieces on the top. It wasn’t a pony or zebra skull. There was an obvious seam down the center which had been filled in with gold to connect both sides. The only other defining feature was the two hook fangs on the front of the narrow halves. Shadow didn’t recognize the skull and he had no idea where she had gotten it from.

Ukuzwa spoke without a rhyme. “This is the skull from the tatzlworm from the great sand sea that attack us soon after you arrived.”

“Ah yes,” Shadow sighed. “The multi jawed blood sucking worms that had adapted to the sands. She was huge and her army of burrowing minions was a terror. The only reason I won that battle was because I could fly. They couldn’t get me because I was flying higher than they could jump. I didn’t know you went out after.”

“It was a while after,” Ukuzwa explained. “I always knew that one day I would come this chapter. This beast holds meaning in my life. It laid in fear which struck me deeper than could any knife.”

Ukuzwa hesitated and then ditched her robes. She put on the necromancer robes and then added back all her arm bands and jewelry. The tiny skull necklace joined her several talismans, but it didn’t hang as low as they did. The final piece was the skull. She raised it up to her head, took a deep breath in and let it out before she gently lowered it on her head where it settled down perfectly. She had done some preparation on it so it would sit right, but she had never tried it on.

“Now, the line has been crossed,” Ukuzwa stated. “My innocence is lost. I feel the power in them, and I see how easily I could begin mayhem. I won’t always wear these pieces, for my power they cause large increased. Rarely I need this extra gust, but the times I must…I will.”

Ukuzwa looked back at Wind Whisper. “One last chance. I am not trying to make you prance.”

“Let’s do it,” Wind Whisper said. “I am ready. I trust you.”

Ukuzwa nodded and led them over to the last glyph. It was on the ground near the entrance to the headquarters building. It was plainly visible and impossible to get to without being seen. The Zebras were blocking them from wandering eyes. At Ukuzwa’s direction, Wind Whisper stood in the center of it, flanked by Simi and Bukhali for support.

Ukuzwa stepped in front of them, chanting as quietly as possible. Before they knew what was happening the knife was firmly in her mouth and plunged all the way into Wind Whisper’s chest. Simi and Bukhali held him in place as he buckled.

Wind Whisper wasn’t going to scream. He had made up his mind, but he was having a horrible time with the pain. It wasn’t the pain of a normal knife. He had been cut deeply before, by accident. This pain was splitting him in two. The more Ukuzwa chanted, the more he felt himself tearing apart. The actual knife wound itself didn’t hurt. He wasn’t even feeling like he was being cut apart. He felt like he was being slowly torn as if raw arms had grabbed him and were relentlessly pulling.

Ukuzwa pulled the knife out and then waved a hoof over the wound, once again chanting. This chant was of healing. She was stitching up the wound. He needed to be alive for it to work. She was also easing the pain as best as she could. But the feeling of the magic would not be dulled for a while. Several days at least.

Simi and Bukhali guided Wind Whisper to the side and got him to sit down as he regained his whits. Ukuzwa plunged the knife into the very center of the ward.

“Khipha!” Ukuzwa declared.

Behind them a red light like a laser shot from one makeshift pillar to another. Lights shot up to the strategically placed clouds which had pillars hanging from beneath them and back down. Beneath them, out of sight, the same thing was happening to prevent the recruits from digging out.

Slowly the lasers turned into wider bands until they continued to expand. They connected with the ground and then slowly rose in a nice arc up to the clouds. The ward was complete. It was like translucent glass. A very thin glass that could be walked through with ease.

The guards inside were already wearing their badges. They slowly walked back out, abandoning their posts. They had been told a magical wall was being erected, but that was it.

Marble Falls called a meeting in her largest room. It was packed. They had to wake up guards. The lower ranked staff who couldn’t fit in were listening over their coms in another room. Shadow and the Zebras were present. Ukuzwa had changed back into her normal attire.

“Good morning,” Marble Falls greeted them. “An early morning. If you were not aware, our Zebra friends were erecting a barrier. This barrier you can pass through, but only if you have the badges we distributed yesterday. I know plenty of you still need them because you were not on shift. We have them waiting for you. They must be worn to cross the barrier. You cannot otherwise. At this time, you should wear them at all times and we are only issuing one badge per staff. The barrier is designed to block the recruits, even if they do get a hold of a badge.

“This barrier came at a heavy cost to what the Zebras were able to bring with them. Master Ukuzwa is a brilliant magician who deserves our utmost praise and respect. She has given us the ability to rest. We still need to guard the recruits, and be on alert, but we don’t need to watch over every little thing they do. They can come and go inside the wall as they please. I will make that announcement to them right after this. This is saving both sides a lot of pain and strife. And it severely reduces the possibility of an accident happening.

“The key this is that it does reduce how many guards we need directly on hoof at any given time. We will need a squad guarding the dagger ward, and plenty of patrols, but we will be able to get you all the rest you deserve. We will have that schedule shortly, if it is not already done.”

“I have it,” a major said. “It’s already posted. Over the next three days it does dictate sleeping time to help us recover.”

“Medical?” a lieutenant asked. “I assume we have a contingency in place for if they legitimately need medical aid.”

Marble Falls yawned and then answered the question. “The medical staff can pass through, with their badges, and we have a narrow strip set up to allow them passage to the medical facility. That passage’s path is known by the medical team. It is concealed as best as they could, to reduce the chance that they storm that facility.”

They all heard the thud from outside and they all saw Wind Whisper fall to the ground. He was left groaning while the Zebras helped him up. No one asked. They were all obviously concerned, but they knew better than to asked.

The bigger problem was the pounding they were hearing. They all exited to find Red A ramming the wall with a bed post. They had taken apart a bunk bed and were using it as a ramming rod, trying to break through. It wasn’t working. They watched their futile attempt and those on duty did take up stations.

“What is this?” Winter Ice called out. “A prison now? Are we your prisoners, locked up without due process?”

He continued to rant, but he was not dignified with any response.

Many of the other barracks had exited as well with the commotion. Most were not wearing full uniforms. Almost all wore barracks wear. Red A was in full uniform, including armor and rifles.

“Fine!” Winter Ice yelled. “Then we will go to the real extreme to get what is due to us.”

A mare in barracks wear was dragged over to him before she knew what was going on. She never had time to fight back before the knife was at her throat.

“Let us go!” Winter Ice growled through the knife in his mouth. “Let us go and send us to our next training facilities or blood will be shed.”

Marble Falls stepped forward at that moment. Shadow was beside her. Marble Falls was calm and cool. She was a general and was the very model of an upstanding one.

“Recruit, we have told you multiple times that no transports are available and that you are unable to make the long flight on your own, without stops. We have also told you on multiple occasions that your next schools are not taking recruits. They have been suspended because their training staff are deployed. There is nothing I can do about that.

“As to this barrier, we erected it to give us all a break. Guarding you 24/7 like we had to was exhausting and counterproductive. That was more of a prison than this barrier will ever be. I will remind you all that it was Red A barracks that first revolted when they couldn’t graduate.

“This barrier allows guards with the proper badges to pass. You cannot. We will still do regular patrols and always be available, but now there is significantly less chance of an incident occurring. The guards won’t accidentally fire if you push on them again. Assuming you should not have to be forced into submission through our weapons.

“But now you can continue to train, as a real soldier would. The parade fields are open so you can keep in shape. Both obstacle courses are still here and available as well. And the mess hall is open for normal eating hours. We don’t have to restrict when you go in and where you sit.

“This works out for the better for all. It is safer too.”

“This is still a prison,” Winter Ice spat, not lowering the knife from the mare’s neck. There was a bead of blood where the tip was digging into her flesh. “And we still should have graduated.”

“The final test was not administered,” Marble Falls asserted. “It is more than just a simple test. You would not understand unless you have been through it. Until we can gauge your true abilities, we can not graduate you. That is something that has not changed for decades. I went through the same test you guys are supposed to go through. I can assert its importance and I do. Oh, and we have recycled recruits who failed the final test. Even a whole barracks once.”

“I will do it!” Winter Ice warned her. “I will kill her.”

Marble Falls didn’t respond. She didn’t leave either. She just stood there. She would let him kill the mare rather than bend in any way.

Winter Ice slashed her throat and dropped the mare. “I will kill and kill until you bend. Their deaths are on your stubborn wings.”

A new victim was dragged kicking and screaming forward. She too was in barracks wear. None of the recruits noticed that the mare who had her throat slashed disappeared, but Shadow and the guards saw.

Behind them Sumida and Chiha uncloaked with her beside them. Ukuzwa was immediately at her side, hoof out, chanting furiously. If she slipped up or stumbled even a tiny bit, she would have to start over and the mare would definitely be dead.

Marble Falls and Shadow Flare were able to see them on their peripherals. They saw the magic stitch her together from the inside out. They saw her arteries and veins stop bleeding and be sealed up so they kept her life in her. The neck was sealing up fine. As the final tissue formed, a gem on a bracelet Ukuzwa wore on her healing hoof audibly cracked. It ended the spell.

The mare was alive and, barely, and breathing, but she was left with a nasty scar along her neck. Ukuzwa’s gem didn’t have enough power stored in it to restore the flesh with new hairs and hide the scar. It was a horrible punishment she would have to bear for life. Her life for disfigurement like that was a difficult choice, and one she never got to make. She was innocent in it all.

The second mare Winter Ice was poised to kill was smiling as the knife was brought up against her neck. She was no longer kicking and screaming. She wasn’t much bigger than Shadow.

“You won the hoof to hoof combat section, right?” she asked, almost like she was goading him into making a mistake.

“What?” He said through the knife handle. “Yes. Of course I did!”

“I thought so,” She chuckled. “Fool.”

In the little space she had she twisted. Her small size gave her the advantage up close. With her throat protected, she popped out a knife from the waistband of her shorts and rammed it into the throat of Winter Ice. He stumbled back, but she withdrew it and stabbed him again before gashing the other side.

But she wasn’t the only one fighting back. The guards missed Black A make their moves, and so did Red A. Outmaneuvered, Black A jumped the Red A recruits and cut, slashed, and stabbed them in the weak spots between their armor. No Red A members were left alive and their surprise spared Black A from any casualties.

“We were the bottom barracks!” the mare declared to the others. “But we just took out the number one barracks for a reason. We kept out cool. We were ready. We resisted their idiotic choices. They brought the guards upon us! They brought this barrier on us! They brought their own deaths upon their wings because they struck first!”

“Angel Glow was our top soldier, and she was our friend and leader. She was chosen because she led the resistance against Winter Ice’s plan. She understood why we were in suspension. And she gave her life to try and find a better way that what the Red A planned.

“My name is Vibrant Hue! We will have a meeting in the mess hall in an hour. Each Barracks can choose up to three representatives. We will work together to decide how to live while we are in suspension.

“Yes! I said suspension. They don’t have the resources to take us to our next camp. There are 250 of us in just my training group. And guess what, the military just lost a lot of ships and soldiers. We lost the clouds! Sure, they need trained soldiers, but we are not trained. Black A, the Filly Fooler Barrack, believes General Marble Falls. And we know that the rest of the military would not honor our agreements. What we signed up for doesn’t mean shit to them anymore. Yeah, we were all headed to combat school to go to the front lines. Half of my training group, 142 recruits, had not signed on for roles that would have taken them to Combat School.

“As stated, we have more room than we had when we were under guard. You can see that from where you stand. The meeting is to organize ourselves into keeping sharp through physical fitness, like any real soldier would. We have the obstacle courses to use too, so we will be organizing times for each barrack to use them.

“One day this suspension will stop. And they will need us. But they will need soldiers fit to train. Most of us have more training to do. But we still need to be physically fit enough to continue that training as close to where we left off at.

“Angel Glow’s sacrifice will not be in vain! I and all of Filly Fooler Barracks will make sure of it! We will continue her legacy for how we can do our duty while we are in suspension! And your three representatives will help make that a reality we all can agree upon!

“Recruits, dismissed!”

The recruits filed back to their barracks to choose their representatives. The bodies were left where they fell. Marble Falls would let them stay there for the time being. She wasn’t willing to let her staff head in until they had a verdict from the recruit’s meeting. And none of her staff would be attending that meeting. She would respect their privacy as they sorted it out among themselves.

“I am surprised about Black A,” Marble Falls said. “They didn’t show that skill or tenacity in any segment of their training. They were all solid soldiers, but even green was better than them in most standings. All of them would make fine officers, but none of them were stellar combatants.”

The dry croak was soft, causing them to whip around and focus on Angel Glow. They thought she was unconscious still. “We found our fire when Red A revolted. Now we will be the top barracks, even against Red A we will overcome them.”

“Red A is gone,” Marble Falls stated. “Filly Fooler Barracks tore them to shreds.”

“Then it was worth it,” Angel Glow dryly coughed. “Then it was worth it. We knew we needed to always be ready for a fight once they revolted, but we couldn’t carry heavy gear because it would draw too much attention. We chose our knives and we practiced long hours in our barracks. I am sure you got reports on it.”

“I knew you were training as best as you could,” Marble Falls replied. “I knew you had moved all of your bunks towards the front and you were using it to practice drills, forms, and physical fitness. But we need to get you medical support. Ukuzwa gave you what she could, but you are missing a lot of blood.”

“I sent for medical,” a sergeant said. “They are late, but they are on their way.”

“Did you use...” Marble Falls asked, hesitating to use the word necromancy or say dark art.

“I used regular healing spells,” Ukuzwa stated. “I never dipped my tongue into the other well. But a wound as deep as it was required a lot of power. A massive amount it had to devour. I got her healed to the bare necessity before it gave out. The amount inside was no sellout. Clearly, I have several more on this band, and they are all for healing as planned. But I have no spare gems. The clouds are not a place for which they stem. The energy I put into them has to come from somewhere, and every good magician uses energy that is purely theirs.”

“Those must have taken a long time to make,” Marble Falls said.

“They did, but they are worth it,” Ukuzwa smiled. “And you, young one, are worth its every bit.”

“I agree,” Marble Falls stated immediately. “Losing you was going to pain me for my life. I had no way to counter his devotion.”

“You did what was right,” Angel Glow moaned. “You made the hard choice, but the right choice. Besides, my barracks handled it just fine.” She gave a parched sigh. “Just as we planned to take care of ourselves. But, how bad is it? I didn’t quite understand what the Zebra said about the finished job.”

“It’s bad,” Shadow said bluntly. “But that is coming from another pegasus that is left scarred for life too. It may not look good, but you will find somepony who loves you for it.”

“I already am married,” She softly said.

Shadow slipped out of the front of his flight suit. “See this? I had my chest ripped open by a Star-spawn’s claw. I barely survived because I still had to fight it. This one here, a Zebra laid me open with a knife, and it goes a ways down. My head, here, is another gash from when my helmet shattered. I have dozens more from bullet wounds.

“But my point is simple, my wife accepts them as me. As part of my experience. As part of life. She loves them because they are me. We can talk with you and your spouse when he can come here. We will do what we can to help ease their shock.

“If they really love you, they will be able to push it aside. I’m not saying it is easy to do. I’m not saying it will be easy to live with. I hate mine. But there is always more than just looks when it comes to marriage.”

Marble Falls snorted. “Deke and Little are a perfect example of that. I know she was there and they both got bashed up, but his head took a beating and still is taking a beating. He does what he can to keep his wits about him over it, but it hurts him deeply.”

The medics finally got there and were taken aback by her neck. “They said it was bad, but I didn’t expect that,” the sergeant said. “Sorry. I was rude. I doubt we could ever have given you a better outcome. I think the biggest problem isn’t how it looks, it is that it brings me the feeling of the action on my own neck.”

“Very helpful,” Marble Falls groaned.

“It’s okay,” Angel Glow moaned.

“We are going to be giving you blood, plasma, and an IV drip to keep you hydrated,” The other medic said right before his stuck her in with the needle.

Angel Glow nodded, a bit delirious.

“Rest is coming,” Shadow assured her.

“No,” Angel Glow groaned. “I heard about the meeting. I have to go. Alone. I have to rally them. I have to finish strong. After I can rest.”

“She reminds me of you,” Ukuzwa said to Shadow. “And she is small too.”

Shadow chuckled. “I had my good runs below for sure. I had those times I couldn’t quit. I say let her. Move her to the mess hall right now for as much rest as possible, and then she can be moved to the hospital. Keep medical staff with her until the meeting happens. They can stay right outside the door and be called in if needed. And they can get her out right after.”

“Please,” Angel Glow asked, almost begging them to follow Shadow’s solution.

“Fine,” Marble Falls shrugged. “I think it is a good choice. It’s the strongest solution for us all getting along. Again.”

“You are still Filly Fooler Barrack’s general,” Angel Glow said.

They got her up onto the gurney.

“Wait, two things,” Angel Glow said.

Marble Falls nodded for her to continue.

“First off, thank you Zebras. For my life and the barrier. And for being our friends when you should not be. I will try to get my mother’s diamonds for you to use. Some form of payment for my life.”

“It is our pleasure,” Simi said with a short bow of his head. “Mtoaji, him, did a lot for us. To give back to him getting his home back, it is a great honor. As to the diamonds, we have no need. Keep them and one day wear them, remembering what a gemstone was able to do for you.”

“Okay,” Angel Glow said, resisting the pain. “The second is you. I assume you are the real Filly Fooler? Your description was given and a picture of you is inside our barracks, but you are buried under gear and flying in formation.”

Shadow chuckled a grin. “That would be me. Shadow Flare, Filly Fooler, and to many below, Mtoaji. Every member of your barracks may call me Filly Fooler. I know you have earned that right.”

Angel Glow just smiled in thanks as she laid down on the gurney. Final instructions about the logistics of allowing her to be in the meeting was given and she was wheeled off.

“Question?” Marble Falls immediately asked when she was out of earshot. “How did she get out of the barrier? And can she go back through?”

“She was dead,” Ukuzwa shrugged.

“Dead?” Marble Falls asked. “Can you elaborate? Especially since you were able to repair the damage before she bled out.”

“Mtoaji, do you remember Xarvixo?” Ukuzwa asked.

“Yes,” Shadow nodded. “A hellhole of traps, pitfalls, and blocking wards with even more troops. She was paranoid.”

“How did you make it through her wards?” Ukuzwa asked, again without following up with a rhyme.

“You had us prepare for weeks,” Shadow said before stopping and smiling. He turned to the rest of the guards to explain. “The paranoid Zebra Warlord had wards up like this wall, except that only those with the right blood could pass. We got through them by tossing pebbles with our blood on them. The wards fried the rocks and believed the target to be dead. Therefore, we could walk right through because once you die to that ward, it doesn’t know what to do with you and it allows you to pass. It’s their inherent flaw, but blocking dead individuals is extremely difficult and usually not worth it. This ward doesn’t kill those who touch it, but she will have free passage because she has been identified as dead, and always will be to the Ward. If we put a stronger guard on her, they will pick up on something being off, and that we don’t want to happen. We need to leave her be, and I really do not think she will be a problem.”

“Neither do I,” Marble Falls added. “But that would have been nice to know ahead of time.”

“The only one who comes back from the dead while not actually being dead is Mtoaji,” Ukuzwa stated. “It wasn’t a bypass I considered could even be.”

Shadow shrugged. “It’s true. Most of those where because of Ukuzwa. But it’s not something I remembered either. I never viewed it as such when we were trying to break into her fortress. I remember being told the payment through her wards was blood, so we tossed rocks with ours to get absorbed and unlock them for safe passage.”

Ukuzwa just shrugged.

“Alright, move along,” Marble Falls ordered. “Find your orders and either get to guarding, or go to bed!”

Shadow focused on Sumida and Chiha. “Good work you two. Quick thinking. A risk, but well worth the reward.”

Both nodded, but only Sumida spoke. “As soon as he made his threat, we were inside and ready. Ukuzwa had no idea what we planned.”

Ukuzwa just silently shrugged.

“We need to secure more gems,” Marble Falls said. “I will tell Firestorm and we will see what we can do. You said usually the energy comes from the magician, is there other ways?”

Ukuzwa looked away, but spoke. “The dark arts can pull the energy from others. But it is an art black in color. Even when the energy is willingly given, it can barely be forgiven. Your troops are on the verge of deployment. We can not mess with their energy when they are needed at any given moment. It is no simple thing to recover from. It leaves the body and mind numb. I won’t take, and you have no power to force me to make.”

“We can see what happens when we get gems here,” Marble Falls said. “Camp Bullis may have some already stored there that are enchanted. I have no idea what they have there. I am sure they have gems through.”

Marble Falls looked back at the carnage left there. She sighed. Prominently displayed was Winter Ice. Marble Falls could not bear to tell Winters Breath that his son’s death was a “training accident.” He had been very understanding and supportive. He deserved the truth, before it was covered up. He could easily still be on the base.

“I have to find Winters Breath,” Marble Falls said. “And I have to prepare a response to this incident. I must go.”

She walked off to her office. Winters Breath was still at the Squad Barracks. He had spent the night. Marble Falls could tell that he knew it was bad when she told him it concerned his son.

Shadow entered Marble Fall’s office with him. Shadow had waited around instead of heading back. It wasn’t like he was needed at the moment.

“How bad?” Winters Breath asked, sitting down. He was braced for the worst. The worst he could expect.

“Dead,” Marble Falls stated, drawn back into her chair to handle the situation.

Winters Breath was not as ready as he thought. It hit him hard, as it should any parent. “What happened. I know it wasn’t a training accident.”

“I’m not sure if it was better or worse,” Marble Falls stated. “I am sure you saw the barrier that our Zebra friends were able to erect last night. They tried to beat it down. I am not surprised. It was expected. Then they turned it ugly. After I explained the function of the barrier and how it will help both sides, he decided it was not enough. He wanted out.”

“I assume he called it a prison?” Winters Breath asked. “He called his room that every time he was sent there for punishment.”

Marble Falls nodded before continuing. “He decided brute force wasn’t the best option. Blood was. He threatened to kill a mare if we didn’t let them go and graduate them. And all the things we can’t actually give them. And then he killed her. Slit her throat.”

Winters Breath just calmly nodded.

“The next was lined up, but they were Black A. The bottom of their group, but they killed all of Red A to prevent any more deaths. They used the crowd to their advantage and jumped them before he could slit the second mare’s throat. Winter Ice was killed by the mare he was trying to kill. He miscalculated and paid for it.

“The rest of the barracks are discussing the new situation and organizing themselves so they can continue to keep fit. Like real soldiers.”

“Red A were not soldiers and got what they deserved,” Winters Breath stated. “I will mourn my son’s lack of restraint and my failure to teach him better, but if the other recruits turn on you after you decide their lives are worthless, then the situation righted itself. I just wish they had acted earlier. I know they couldn’t, because that would put them too much as the aggressor.”

“She lived,” Marble Falls stated. “The Zebras acted quickly and their magic was strong. It came at a great cost, but they repaired the internal damage. She is at the barracks meeting, because she was the leader of the resistance against Red A. But she will be in recovery for a long while. The gash will never fully heal. She will be left with a visible scar, but she lived.”

“I’m not sure what is worse,” Winters Breath grunted. “That isn’t something you can easily hide. But with the way things are happening, she could easily put it as a combat injury. Especially if we set things up right.”

“There it is,” Marble Falls smiled. “The officer in you is shining through.”

“I know,” Winters Breath groaned with a chuckled. “The old guys were happy to see me, especially Nova. They gave their own pitch. It is tempting what they offered.

“But for now,” Winters Breath said standing up. “I need to take go home and tell my family. It was a training accident. You made the tough call, but you did what was right. My son crossed the line and made his choice. He was an adult. He was not walking out of there alive. If he did, I would have killed him myself for what he did.”

Winters Breath exited. He left a stunned Shadow and a conflicted Marble Falls in the office as he closed the door behind him. He tugged on his uniform to make sure it sat correctly and headed down the stairs.

As he got outside his heart was chained to Fort Wind. He saw the mess hall, with two bored nurses leaning against the wall, right outside the door. Inside was the mare his son had killed. Or mostly killed. He wanted to apologize.

Nopony bothered him as he calmly walked all the way over to the mess hall. The nurses looked him over, but they knew he was a retired officer and they were not going to mess with him. Winters Breath walked plainly inside.

“Forgive me,” He said as the door closed. He calmly approached the group around one of the center tables. “I am retired Major Winters Breath. I understand my son, Winter Ice gave you some trouble. I wanted to apologize. I wanted to say I did all I could in raising him. And if fault lies somewhere with me, I am sorry.”

“I don’t blame you,” Vibrant Hue said. “None of Filly Fooler Barracks does. We were expecting it to come to blood between our two barracks. They were not listening and they were bullying the others. Especially the younger barracks.”

“I don’t either,” Angel Glow said. “But thank you. I am sorry you and others had to lose their sons and daughters.”

“That is war,” Winters Breath replied. “And unfortunately, the current question and struggle inside the military came to you.”

“And that question is?” a recruit with a green patch on her shoulder asked.

“How do we handle the clouds being gone,” Winters Breath explained. “Some want to continue as we have, and conquer the wasteland through fire. But others say we need a new approach. The ponies below hurt us bad during our first assault. And they took away the clouds.”

“And your belief?” she followed up.

“This is not something I should be in,” Winters Breath said. “I am military, and right now, you need to figure out, on your own, how best to act with the current situation.”

“Retired military,” another one said.

“I still have beliefs from being in,” Winters Breath replied.

“I...” stuttered a young stallion. He was barely older than a colt. “My training group has been here less than two weeks. We have no idea what to do. We have done nothing in Basic Training. I’m the only one Blue D sent here, and I was chosen because I am the most known in my barracks. Most of that is because I keep fucking up, so my name is said a lot.

“I want your opinion. I need some guidance, because I haven’t gotten it from our instructors. Not that I blame them. We just haven’t had time.”

Winters Breath sighed. He looked around. Most of them were young. Most of them had barely any training.

“Alright,” He said sitting down. “I’ll tell you what I know. I sent a recon team down almost a decade ago. Then I was blindsided by a reassignment because someone higher up wanted to fast track a hotshot. That hotshot got most of the team killed. We only just recovered two of them.”

“One was Filly Fooler,” Vibrant Hue interjected. “The very pony our barracks is named after and still the only named barracks.”

“Yes, it was,” Winters Breath confirmed. “I know a good deal of what was going on during my time with them. I want places burned. I want it all burned. But I also know that we now can’t do that. We don’t have the resources to arm the Pegasi we would need in order to burn it and conquer it all.

“That means we will be forced to integrate. We can’t avoid below anymore since the clouds are gone. We need their resources badly. I do not believe we will just all move down there. Most won’t. But we do need to work with them. And that means we will need guards to protect us. Not soldiers since we have no need to go to war.

“If I were you, I would prepare yourselves to be the first trained guards for our settlements and envoys below. That is where you will be most likely needed. At least, that is how I see it. I don’t see an option available to do to the wasteland what I really want. Compromises will have to be made.

“So keep yourselves as fit as possible for either future training in a new field, or the rest of your training. Become as strong, as fast, as agile as possible. Set a new standard.”

“Thank you,” the stallion said. “I think that helps at least me a lot.”

Winters Breath stood up and stepped over to the gurney. “Again, I am sorry. I am extremely happy you lived, that my son’s mistakes were truly his own, and he impacted you all as little as possible for his behavior.”

“You are forgiven,” Angel Glow smiled.

Winters Breath walked out, not giving them another thought. He was focused on his long flight home and what awaited him. He focused on the choice presented to him. He would not go back to the Enclave Military. But that military might not exist in a few short weeks.

Chapter 140 - The Skies of War

Shadow was working on something at the desk in his room. Cardinal Spitfire had been asked to a meeting. He had gotten started on some work preparing for Black Widow’s ascension into the clouds.

The doom opened and Cardinal Spitfire slowly walked in, a downtrodden look on her face. She looked at Shadow and flashed him a reassuring smile. “We just got orders. In three hours I will be leading my team out. The shooting hasn’t happened, but the Wonderbolts are on the move. We have to be ready to do our job when the time comes, and it doesn’t sound like it will be much longer.”

“Stay safe,” Shadow replied with a smile. “I’ll be doing some recon shortly. I’m taking care of a few things. You won’t be leaving me alone”

“You better make it back this time,” Cardinal Spitfire snipped.

It was an unexpected tone and bite. Something had her on edge. It wasn’t war or killing. It seemed to be something mission related.

“The same to you,” Shadow kindly said. “I didn’t survive all this time and finally get back just to lose you.”

“The only way I will die in this war is if we lose,” Cardinal Spitfire replied, grinning slyly. “Gunmetal, the Quartermaster, can get you almost anything you need. We are limited in their stocks, specifically ammo. A lot of teams are being deployed. Most are to ready stations, places we would rather start the war at than from here. General Firestorm appears to have gotten some new intel from a source closer to their higher ups. I don’t know what. I just know what my orders are.”

“We knew this moment was coming,” Shadow said. “It is better if they make the move, rather than us.”

“That it is,” Cardinal Spitfire nodded.

Cardinal Spitfire threw on a flight suit and then began to dig into the bag of the drawer. After a short struggle, she pulled out a large envelope. It was sealed with wax and it was stuffed with plenty of papers. She didn’t say a word or acknowledge it as she put her power armor on. Cardinal Spitfire smiled at him one last time and put her helmet on. With that, she was gone. She would have last minute checks and prep to do, but they were not something she could do in the room.

Shadow went back to his task. He had picked his target and he was making prepared letters to leave. He would not always have the option to make an outright statement about their crimes. Most of them ended up being rather generic.

After that, he went to see Gunmetal to secure what he would need if the war broke out. Multiple ACUs were loading out for war as well. Shadow let them go first. He had time to spare.

Gunmetal called Shadow forward when she saw him and let him into the back. The other quartermasters with her could do the job. She helped load him out with what he needed, as well as a few other requests.

She was called back up front, which gave Shadow the opportunity to do something he was expecting to have to ask for. Gunmetal kept a tight lock on the security for the Wonderbolts. That included the electronic keycards. Shadow had the open computer right in front of him. He grabbed a random card, and made an entry. He took a moment to find a number that had been skipped and chose that as the key’s identity.

With the keycard made, he backed away from the computer. He began to unpack everything and count it. He was trying to justify his time spent while she was away. It wasn’t much longer until she was back. She had the last few things he needed and after they double checked it all, Shadow signed for everything and departed.

Shadow caught sight of a large group of ACU’s taking off in their teams, heading east. He watched as team after team climbed into the sky and began to organize into large formations. They had to be mobilizing for a fort or other outpost that would need to be taken at the very start.

“Shadow,” General Firestorm said. Shadow looked over at her. She was obviously coming from somewhere and very busy. “I see you are about to head out.”

“You know I have to,” Shadow replied. “I’m recon.”

“I know. And unlike the other teams, you have had access since you got here to plenty of data from our Wonderbolt archives. I know that a soldier of your caliber has figured out what he needs to do and what we need from him.”

“I have figured out my next move,” Shadow stated. “Tell me, are we hot?”

“Just getting the pawns in place,” General Firestorm clarified. “Although, I have no doubt that, no matter where you are or what you are doing, you will know when that scale is tipped.”

“Between Cardinal Spitfire instructions and Gunmetal’s encryptions, I will be able to send you any information you need. I know how to ghost messages.”

“Good,” Firestorm nodded. “I will be on the lookout for them. Gunmetal has done wonders for our security, and I am thrilled she is on our side. But, I have things to do. Good luck.”

“The same to you,” Shadow replied with a nod. “And thanks.”

Shadow met up with his Zebra team and covered the plans. They would be moving out with the bulk of the ACUs, on either Mareland or Nellie. Simi would be leading them. Shadow might not be in a position to take charge, so he was leaving it up to him.

Ukuzwa wasn’t going to be with them. She was going to be with Deke and his naval fleet. She was working with him on something, and all she would say is that it might require the other Zebras. Shadow left it up to her and Simi.

None of them knew where the ACUs were off to, or the Wonderbolt Squads that had left, or were about to leave, were off to. That was exactly how it should be. The Zebras did know that Shadow was going to be Black Widow at times, which was why he couldn’t take them.

Shadow headed back to his room and grabbed the final things he needed. Then he went to the Flight Deck. He took off in proper form and turned north for a time before he turned southwest towards Las Pegasus.

Chapter 141 - Rise of the EPM

General Firestorm walked down the step to approach the Council. Behind her were the others. The Council was not happy with the interruption. The others with her fanned out into a single line.

"Forgive me Councilors," Firestorm said with cold authority. "A new development has arisen. One of major significance. A new Council has been formed. Several military officials decided that you were taking too long and that it was their duty to continue the war. Only a small fragment remains loyal to you. They took your name and abandoned you."

General Firestorm stepped forward and produced a tape with the exact orders given to the military.

"Is that a ghoul!" The Fourth Councilor declared.

"Quite," The Chief Councilor ordered. "We must listen to this first."

They popped the tape in. "This is General Fighting Spirit, Admiral Tungsten and General Hayworth, and we are contacting you to inform you that the Council is no longer safe. They have been compromised and the three of us will continue with our previous orders as we should have been for the past few weeks. All soldiers will fall under our command as we lead us to victory! For the Pegasus Race! Anypegagus who does not will be labeled as a deserter and is to be killed on sight."

"That is damning evidence," The Fifth Councilor said. "How did you acquire it?"

"Not everypegasus who is loyal to you has been brought to our rally point," Firestorm explained. "Although this was sent out over the general channels, for all to hear. Which brings me to the next part. You need a military to combat them and their decision to circumvent your authority. Just because you have not made a decision does not mean that they can just make it for you. And our Wonderbolts confirmed that the three of them not only have formed a new Council, but they have the gall to take up your seats in New Cloudsdale."

"WHAT!" The second Councilor exclaimed, leaping to his hooves. "They must be punished! NO! Destroyed!"

"We are already on it," Firestorm calmly replied. "Troops are being deployed as we speak. We came to inform you of their decision and our loyalty. They are labeled Renegades and will face the fire of our guns. It won't be easy, but we will defeat them and bring us into a new era."

"A bold declaration," The Chief Councilor stated. "Especially for the ones who were close to becoming renegades yourself."

Firestorm nodded. "Yes, we gathered our like-minded military units together. But we were waiting on you. We respect you and your authority enough to not wait until you made it impossible for us to not act. However, they decided to circumvent you. We never did. We were going to wait and see how things played out. And we were going to wait for your reasoning for your choices."

"You make a valid point," The Third Councilor growled. "So explain why you have assembled this group before us. Without any shit!"

"Of course," Firestorm grinned. She stepped back in line with the others. "Before you is the team we have assembled to lead your loyal military soldiers. Unfortunately, the Renegades stole the name Grand Pegasus Enclave and we were forced to devise a new name for your loyal servants. We are the Equestrian Pegasus Military.

"Admiral Ruby Snow shall be taking command of your entire navy. The number of ships we have is the entire Third Fleet and a few more from the Second Fleet. Mostly it’s Ninth Task Force.

"General Marble Falls is General over Training. That is the role she already plays. Not much has changed there except that we have no place to train at the current moment. She is working to problem solve that minor hiccup.

"General Misty Thunder is in charge of your entire army. They have very few in their ranks. We are trying to gain more traction there.

"General Striker is in charge of the Aerial Combat Battalion. The ACBs are the bulk of your military. As small as they are, they hold multiple advantages over the Renegades' soldiers.

“General Gunmetal is in charge of supply and requisitions. She will be very valuable when it comes to dealing with below. She is planning on how to use everything we have to make the tough transition with our reconnection with below.

“Not present is Shadow Flare. He was Command Sergeant Major of Reconnaissance, and he is currently deployed and performing his duties. I was hoping to get him a commission, but we need a strong NCO leader. Shadow Flare is now the Command Sergeant Major of the Equestrian Pegasus Military. Second to only to those before you.

“Another member who is not here currently is former retired Major Winters Breath. He will become the new General of Defense. His job is to focus on protecting those Pegasi who will first be going below. Defensive, not offensive.

"Several new positions are here though. General Shielded Vengeance is our Battle Strategy Advisor. General Nova is our Wasteland Military Advisor. And General Soarin is our Wasteland Reunification Advisor."

"General Soarin?" The Chief Councilor asked before the Fourth Councilor could go off.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Soarin said stepping forward. "I am retired Major General Soarin, Equestrian Military. I have come out of retirement to assist my fellow Pegasus Ponies with the situation that has now gripped you.

"You can't ignore the wasteland. So I will help you navigate and connect with it in safe ways. Too many will try and make fools of you. Or enslave you. They will do terrible things if they are given the chance. It is my job to make sure that doesn't happen to the Pegasus Race. We will not only survive, but thrive!"

"You're a ghoul!" The Fourth Councilor exclaimed.

"Yes, I am," Soarin shrugged. "I was near the hit in Baltimare. I survived and built a little city. We still don't have much, life is hard, but life is always hard. With the clouds gone, my sworn duty to Equestria once again became a reality. I swore to protect her. I will make sure that you don't get torn apart as you reunite with the ponies below."

"That is a bold statement," The Chief Councilor said. "We could decide to turn our votes back to war."

Soarin was on point and didn’t shy away from the truth. "You don't have the army to do it right now, which is why you are stalled on the vote. And you certainly won't have one after this civil war. We will certainly try and save every Pegasus we can, but it's not going to be easy from what I understand."

"How long have you been planning this?" The Sixth Councilor asked Firestorm. "You obviously didn't just toss this together. You have a name. How close were you to becoming the rebels? Please, shoot straight."

Firestorm wasn't ready for the question. She thought for a moment to compose her argument. At the last moment she ditched it and went a new way.

"If you voted war, we were going to rebel. That is how close or far we were. But until then, we had to protect you from any outside forces. We were going to just keep doing our duty."

"A convenient situation to kidnap us," The Seventh Councilor quipped.

The Fourth Councilor sighed. "Actually, they did exactly what they were supposed to do. What I don't get is, why you are so in favor of peace?"

The answer Firestorm gave surprised the Fourth Councilor. "Because I get to see and juggle the very evil the Enclave is and make sure it doesn't tear itself apart. I know every dirty little secret, keep track of the troublemakers and cover up all their mistakes. I am forced to do a balancing act while stitching up holes you keep making. If you think saving Lieutenant Honey Bee was difficult all those years ago, I have to balance twenty times more on a daily basis so that the upper echelon doesn’t tear us all apart without firing a shot.

"It has nothing to do with any of you or any of the other military personnel. It was not a choice made off of personal opinions. But I see our sustainability from a very different position. And so does every one of the Wonderbolts who help keep this society alive. And that is all I am trying to do, keep us alive.

“We have been barely holding together the last few decades. It wasn’t a question of if we would collapse, but when. I am trying to guide that collapse into a new era where we don’t have to worry about the same issues that have plagued us for decades.A society that is sustainable. With the clouds gone, that was a drastic change and a new chance to flip things from stitching the Enclave together and praying they held, to rebuilding a new Enclave that wasn’t full of the old holes, rips, tears, and patches. It won’t be perfect, but it won’t be as broken.”

General Shielded Vengeance stepped forward. “I can affirm everything she speaks about. I did a lot of patching up and balancing the Enclave so we did fall apart. A simple example is the military families. We had to pay attention to their foals, and keep them from being in the same Basic Training classes as other rival family’s foals. We had to delay entry to various individuals in order to keep them from fighting each other during Basic Training. We also had to make sure some of them were not not in the same color units as others, for the less heated rivalries. Still others were put together to build them up as friends. It was a lot to do, just to keep us supplied with decent officers.”

“I see,” The Chief Councilor said. “I can think of a few individuals that would have sparked a problem if I had gone through Basic Training with them. We had no idea you were keeping that tight of a grip on things.”

“We have whole file cabinet drawers on each of you,” General Shielded Vengeance stated. “And we will routinely send the best Wonderbolt units in to correct orders to keep you from destroying each other. Pony Patrol was the best at it. Marble Falls was deployed a year back to correct one of those mistakes. Her forgery skills are exceptional.”

“Is that why Captain Dill’s paperwork had him moved to the 1 Division, 8th Company?” The Fourth Councilor asked.

Firestorm nodded. “He would have clashed horribly with Major Sky Chariot. We did what we had to. And he excelled well in the 8th Company.”

“I hate you for your meddling,” The Fourth Council stated. “But, oddly, I understand why you do it.”

“It’s part of our duty to protect the Pegasus Race,” General Firestorm coldly stated. “And we take it seriously.”

“Well,” The Second Counselor said, taking a deep breath in before continuing, “I don’t think we could ask for a better military staff than what you have assembled, given the circumstances. I do vote for you.”

The Chief Councilor, Third Councilor, Fifth Councilor, Sixth Councilor, and Seventh Councilor immediately gave their supporting vote. The Fourth Councilor sat thinking. He was already outvoted.

“I will go on record not voting,” The Fourth Councilor finally stated. “I will go on record stating I want you to tear them to shreds. I was voting for exactly what they wanted, but they have slapped me in the face and disrespected me.”

“This is the end of the Council, isn’t it?” The Sixth Councilor asked.

“I honestly have no idea,” General Firestorm stated. “I doubt we will have a sharp break, but I doubt we will need you in the same capacity as you currently are over the next few decades. And I hate saying that. My life has been spent serving under you in the military. I will lay down my life to protect you, even now. And gladly because it is my duty.

“But that could be wrong. I don’t know how we will handle the reconnection with below. We have the early advantage thanks to Command Sergeant Major Shadow Flare and a few others, but I have no idea how long that will last.”

“I think you should go and focus on destroying the Renegades who stole our name,” The Fourth Councilor stated sharply. “We need to discuss some things.”

“Of course,” General Firestorm said. “Military! Atten-tion!”

All of them snapped to attention in front of the Council. Firestorm brought her wing up slowly, a gesture of respect, in perfect form to salute them. It was a show of strength and skill, as well as extreme respect to slowly salute in such a way. The salute finished with a snape and she fell out of the center of the line. One by one they slowly saluted, left to right, and fell out. It was the best respect they could provide them at the moment.

FIRST BRIEFING

General Firestorm entered the current Council Chambers and walked to the front. She was wearing her flight jacket over her special flight suit. She wasn't wearing a dress uniform. At this moment she was considering herself being in forward command and not in need of a dress uniform.

"Is this important?" The Fourth Councilor asked, very frustrated. "We are trying to sort out a lot."

"I have a military briefing for you from the Grand Pegasus Equestrian Military." Firestorm took a moment to compose herself. "Sorry, that is a change that will take some getting used to. I mean I have a briefing for you, from the Equestrian Pegasus Military.

"Speak," The Chief Councilor said. "I am surprised it is so quick. Do we have battle reports already?"

"No," Firestorm said. "We have units out scouting their lines and drawing maps, but it isn't easy. It will take a little bit to deploy. We are not just dealing with numbers here. We are lacking some supplies. Specifically ammunition.

"General Gunmetal has done an excellent job of providing us with the necessary tools and equipment we need to win this war. I seriously had no idea what she had actually managed to transfer here. I also have no idea why she has some of the things she has, but that is besides the point. She is still figuring out ammunition stores.

"We have sent out one strike force to Twin Clouds."

"Twin Clouds?" The Fourth Councilor asked. "Why? We have no bases there. Or they have no bases there."

"Well Twin Clouds is the key. Before we act on Marland or Nellie we need to strike at Twin Clouds. The Renegades have control of the food distribution centers. And-"

"What!" The Second Councilor exclaimed. "When did that happen!"

"I don't get what the problem is," The Third Councilor said.

Firestorm was surprised this briefing had taken a turn. "They had units at them within days of Operation Cauterize failing."

"That!" The Second Councilor stuttered. "I would have made a motion to punish them and remove them from office if I had known! I withheld my vote as I tried to decide how best to vote in the economic interest of the citizens and I didn't know they had already occupied them! I could hav-"

"No!" Firestorm yelled, cutting him off. She continued normally. "No, you could not have stopped this. Everypegasus here and everypony in the Equestrian Pegasus Military was trying to not go to war. We are trying to keep things peaceful. Maybe some information slipped past you, but it would not have changed the outcome."

The Chief Councilor moved them further away from the original topic. "You said every pony. Every, pony, explain."

Firestorm sighed. "I'll schedule a meeting as soon as I finish this report. But Shadow Flare did not come back to Equestria alone. He had a team of kick ass Zebras with him. They love and admire him for all he did for them. They are returning the favor by making sure he has a home to go to. Plus, he actually built and trained that team.

"And the group Shadow got support from down below the Applejack Rangers, they have a representative here. Star Paladin Yellow Quartz."

"How are they on the clouds?" The Third Council immediately asked. He was very confused.

"Oh, right. Sorry. The Zebra magician that came with Shadow made these special talismans. One allows them to walk on clouds, the other is freaky. It gives them Pegasus wings. From what I understand, she had to use real Pegasus feathers from Shadow Flare to make them. Like, pluck them from him. Not discarded feathers."

All of the Councilors shivered at the idea of being plucked.

"Anyway, the Zebras are more than adequate fliers thanks to Shadow Flare. But, I am off topic pretty far off topic.

"Twin Clouds. Their food distribution center was occupied within 72 hours. From our sources, it's smaller in number than the garrisons at New Cloudsdale or Las Pegasus. The real key is that unlike the facilities in those cities, the one in Twin Clouds is not near residential housing. All around the facility in New Cloudsdale is Citizen Housing that is occupied by weather team workers, recycling plant employees, and the pegasi who run the food distribution center.

"And because it isn't in a residential location, we can more easily take it and finalize the best way to secure them in New Cloudsdale and Las Pegasus without endangering the citizens. Or endangering them as little as possible."

"Who is leading that assault? And you eluded to sources."

"We had teams out from the very beginning that didn't go home,” General Firestorm explained. “They took up posts as scouts and reconnaissance units in the big cities to watch for things like this. We knew the split was happening so we made some maneuvers before we couldn't.

"And the assault is being led by two of our best ACU officers. Colonel Golden Dawn and Colonel Safe. Both flew together for a while, but it is Colonel Golden Dawn who has the lead."

"Is she that power armor free hoofing soldier?" The Fourth Councilor asked.

"Yes," Firestorm nodded. "She is. And she helped create the Shock Troopers. Colonel Safe will be a good balance for her. But they both know how crucial learning from their attack is. They also do not have any cloudship support and they are making the journey along the ground.

“But that actually isn’t what this brief is about.”

“Please, continue,” The Chief Councilor said.

“There is a third faction in this war. But it is a good faction. The Law Enforcement Division has claimed neutrality. They are claiming total neutrality, but they have issued clear warnings that they will be doing their very clear duty to protect the citizens. They will not hesitate to punish any soldier of any rank if they step out of line.”

“That is good to hear,” the Chief Councilor said. “At least there is one Division who knows exactly what their duty is and is performing it. It isn’t backing us entirely, but either way, the citizens will be protected.”

The Fourth Councilor had a question. “Back to earlier, you mentioned strained ammo stocks?”

“Yes Sir,” Firestorm nodded. “That is our most pressing issue. General Gunmetal has taken care of us well. The Naval armament will be sufficient. At least, that is what our Naval officers believe. Commodore Derecho assures me he can tackle the fleet at Nellie with the ships we have allocated to him.

“We have taken a big risk and dispatched the Radiant Sun to Fort Griffin’s Gate to access the ammo storages there. She has non engagement orders. Some staff are still at Fort Griffin’s Gate. We believe the rest have locked everything up and departed to Baltimare where there is a friendly city, Dry Dock City. It is where we recovered Sergeant Major Apple Slice and it is the city General Soarin built. They are of little use to us for multiple reasons we can discuss later. But and ally, an anchor below, even just in name, is always a good thing.”

“Forgive the interruption,” The Sixth Councilor said. “What is happening with Sergeant Major Apple Slice? We have heard from Command Sergeant Major Shadow Flare multiple times, but we haven’t even seen the Sergeant Major.”

Firestorm made sure she was straight before she answered. “Sergeant Major Apple Slice attempted suicide by wasteland. He left with nothing but his coat. By details completely unclear, he awoke in Dry Dock City and built a family there. We have gleaned all the information from him we can, but he has foals there. Nothing was here for him. His family hates him, his only friend from above was the deceased Sergeant Major Storm Eye, who died below. He was the best at his mechanical job, but there was not much use for a genius like him in the military. He wasn’t going to go back below after they were betrayed, but he had nothing tying him to above.

“Equestria wanted him alive, so he built a life and made Dry Dock City a stronger, safer city. He never picked up a weapon until he was ordered to come back here by the city. He retrieved materials left below in Rosemary by the Inquisitors, like his armor. And that was the first time he had picked up a weapon since then.

“He found meaning in Dry Dock City. A meaning we can never give him. We have not settled on a solution for him. We know he never gave up our secrets. We know he never declared himself not an Enclave Soldier. We know he was hurt deeply in the betrayal. General Soarin wants him on the front lines, others are not sure we can trust him. Some others think he is a traitor and actions need to be taken.”

“We will judge him,” the Chief Councilor said. “Tomorrow morning, 8am sharp.”

“Understood,” Firestorm replied. “I will make sure to schedule the meet and greet with our allies for this afternoon instead of tomorrow.”

“Before we move back to the original topic,” The Sixth Councilor said. “I have a question concerning Sergeant Major Apple Slice. What do you think?”

Firestorm sighed. “I want to see him deployed. I want him to fight for his family, for his home in Dry Dock City, and then I want him sent back down there as an envoy. As our point of contact in Dry Dock City. I do not believe he was anymore a traitor than Command Sergeant Major Shadow Flare was. I have not submitted any awards or medals for him for a reason, but I do not believe he ever betrayed us and that we can trust him.”

“Thank you,” The Sixth Councilor said. “We will take your assessment into account. And if we clear him, we will issue any awards we find proper.”

“Back to ammunition,” Firestorm said. “Commodore Derecho believes he can take the fleet outside of Nellie. Admiral Lightning is concerned about what she can do. The plan is for Commander Derecho to strike first and move extra ammunition stores to support her. However, we believe the best order of battle between soldiers will happen first at Mareland, and then at Nellie.

“We still are trying to discover the identity of the black ops soldiers who attacked Fort Griffins Gate and General Shielded Vengeance. That puts a big damper on our plans. Someone trained them in clandestine ways, and it wasn’t us. They could screw our operations up if we don’t sort them out soon.

“We are still figuring out how to procure ammunition from either Nellie or Mareland. The best we have right now is focusing on Mareland, and holding off on Nellie. We gain their stockpile, albeit they will burn through quite a bit of it trying to hold the base, and then jump to Nellie.

“We have a few ships docked at each base that are friendly to us. We are trying to figure out how to move supplies to them and how to allow them to safely bolt with ammunition.”

“Are supplies really that strained?” The Fourth Councilor asked.

“The ACUs primarily function off of live ammunition, not magic weapons. We were always starting behind.”

“I can’t believe I am asking this, but can we secure more below?”

“Our advisors believe we can not. And even if we could, they advise against it. It would look like we were preparing to assault them, not our own. We do have a plan for moving below with the Applejack Rangers. But that isn’t a guarantee. And it’s less ammo focused, more like weapon platforms.”

“Could we get unicorns up here to teleport goods? The Second Councilor asked. “I believe you stated talismans that allowed for wings and cloudwalking were involved. What can they do?”

“No idea,” Firestorm replied. “I will have to check in with them. Ukuzwa’s magic is limited by the power she has available to her. And she has done a lot for us already.”

The door opened and Marble Falls marched down the stairs with Wind Whisper in tow.

“General, I have a solution,” Marble Falls declared. “With the situation with the recruits under control, Wind Whisper can handle things.”

“Wait!” The Chief Councilor exclaimed. “Situation with the recruits?”

“Oh,” Marble Falls stuttered. “Well, with the clouds gone, we couldn’t finish the training for our most senior class. But, Red A Barracks said they should be allowed to graduate and they tried to revolt, physically. We put them under lock and guard.

“And then the Zebras set up a ward. A physical barrier so that we didn’t have to guard them so heavily. And they could once again go to the parade field and the obstacle courses. They could once again continue to keep themselves in top physical shape and ready to go once we can finally fix the training regiment.”

“They got physical?” The Seventh Council asked. “How bad were the injuries?”

“50 dead,” Marble Falls said. “But not by our hooves. Not all of the recruits wanted what Red A was forcing them to do. They took care of it themselves. Now things are once again peaceful.”

“That…” The Chief Councilor stalled out.

“Brilliant?” Marble Falls asked. “Wonderful? Stunning?”

“What is wrong with you?” The Sixth Councilor shot.

“Oh,” Marble Falls chuckled. “Sorry. Forgot you don’t know what I know. Black A was the bottom barracks. They were just, not quite there. They revolted against Red A after Red A turned to terrorism and attempted to kill others to try and get what they wanted and what we could not deliver.”

“How screwed up are things over there?” The Third Councilor asked, shocked.

“Less so since Black A took over the recruits and built a leadership forum. Now things are flowing smoothly. We are even helping them stay on their edge with training. Mostly it’s physical fitness, agility, some hoof to hoof combat, and the likes. We have nothing else we can do with them. Even the shooting range is gone.”

“General,” Firestorm said, trying to gain control again. “What is your proposal?”

“I can use my skills to get us ammunition. I deploy to Mareland and divert supplies to where they need to go.”

“You are too high profile,” Firestorm said.

“I only need a few hours,” Marble Falls said. “And I can go to talk with General Lunar Rays.”

“How bad are our supplies?” The Fourth Councilor asked them.

“High enough I don’t want to risk her,” Firestorm said.

“Chance of it working?”

“We would have to figure out where to move the supplies,” Firestorm said. “We still don’t have a solid plan worked out for that.”

“It will work,” Marble Falls pressed.

“We will talk about it,” Firestorm growled. “Later. We have other things to worry about for now. Go.”

“Yes Ma’am,” General Marble Falls said, departing.

“I must go,” Firestorm told the Council. “I gave the report about the neutrality of the Law Enforcement Division. That is what matters. I will look into the ammunition stores with General Gunmetal.”

Firestorm departed. Her first chore was to inform Ukuzwa, Simi, and Yellow Quartz of their meeting right after lunch. And then she had to turn her attention to Gunmetal.

Gunmetal was in the quartermaster cage, as expected.

“I was wondering when you would show up,” Gunmetal said. She picked up a clipboard and slid it under the bars. “This is the ammunition stockpile. Not useful. Flip the page and you will see the useful stuff. Each soldier can be outfitted roughly three times. That’s going to be difficult to win a fight in Mareland. It’s not going to give us much ability to provide cover fire.”

Gunmetal leaned on the counter. “General, I know my position is important. I am now a general. But I need to be leading an assault team into Mareland. With the goal of getting to that storage depot. You don’t have much of a choice in that matter. I am a fully trained ACU officer. My scores are still top notch. I need to deploy. You ne-”

“Done!” Firestorm decreed. “I’ll put you with Striker on the assault. He will have half and you will have half. You will get that. Assuming we can’t get more ammunition somehow else.”

“Don’t let Marble Falls go,” Gunmetal warned. “She is good, but it will fail. And not because of her skill. She is too high profile. What about Lemon Lime?”

“Lemon Lime is indisposed,” Firestorm said.

“Indisposed?” Gunmetal asked.

Firestorm shrugged. “All I know is that Squad 19’s report said ‘indisposed.’ She has something planned. I doubt she is actually working against us...”

“It is still a concern,” Gunmetal finished.

“Sadly it is. We have no beat on her at the current moment.”

“How many Wonderbolts do you not have contact with?”

“Too many,” Firestorm said. “Easily 36 spread out over 13 squads. Some outright defied orders, others broke from their squads. And that isn’t counting the 4 squads that went dark.”

“Wait! So all the Wonderbolts that were here were the ones that you had contact with?”

Firestorm sighed. “Yep. That’s right. I played it off to keep us secure, but it is hard. And right now, there are only 8 Wonderbolts here to guard the Council.”

“We are exposed,” Gunmetal breathed. “We are in trouble.”

“Put your skills to use keeping us secure. If they crack your codes-”

“I know,” Gunmetal said. “I am paying attention to it. Ammo has been on the backburner while I work on our security. I’m still well connected with the other Quartermasters. Nopony knows of the Black Ops team. Actually, they all thought it was us because of the gear I had been assembling with the expansion.”

“You are on good terms with them?”

“All the head honchos,” Gunmetal grinned. “Yeah, it is a bit complicated between a lot of us. We all fall on different sides. But we all agree on one thing: We can’t waste supplies shooting up each other. We are going below, either in peace or in war. And we will need all the supplies we have to bang out of some sort of existence below.”

Chapter 142 - Black Widow Rises

Shadow cruised high, well above the normal flight levels, even for a cloudship. It required him to be in cold weather gear under his power armor. From his height, he could see Las Pegasus and the clear distinction of Nelly Airbase beside it.

He had two targets identified. They were retired generals. One had a foal still in the military, the other had just lost his below. Both were very vocal advocates for destroying the wasteland, even after the clouds were gone and Operation Cauterize had failed.

Black Widow was going to finally strike above, in the clouds.

Shadow began his descent. It was a sharp angle. He meant business and wanted to not be seen. He landed on a small balcony and the cloud key quickly unlocked the door. The inside had not been attended to in a while. It was one of the various safe houses the Wonderbolts had across the Enclave. Shadow swiped a key card to disarm the security.

He didn't swipe his own keycard. He had swiped the keycard that he had made while Gunmetal was out of her office. The keycard was identified as Black Widow. If anyone came in at this time, Shadow would be in trouble. But he had to disable the alarm somehow. He was only going to be there overnight before he moved on.

Shadow reset the house alarm and bedded down for a few hours. The hunt would begin at night. He was hidden under Mwokozi's cloak. His armor was stashed in a closet for safety.

Shadow woke up a few hours later as his alarm went off. He quickly got up and got changed. It felt weird to once again wear the Black Widow costume. But as the mask settled around his face and he looked out through the lenses, he knew he was right where he needed to be.

Black Widow was back. She would make the Renegades who claimed to be the Grand Pegasus Enclave pay for their crimes. Both those below and those above. With their separation and replacement of the Council, they would be the ones to reap the consequences. The others got off easy, for now. Black Widow would judge them when she had the chance. Her scale said Grand Pegasus Enclave, not the Pegasus Race.

With cloak on, Shadow exited out the front door, arming the safe house as he departed. The corner stairs were easy to go down without the threat of meeting anypony. He had his cloak on, but it was safer. And safety was key.

The first target, Blessed Ray, was easy to find but harder to get to than originally planned. The address didn't state that he lived in a retirement community. It took up several floors, and half of it was for recreation, not living space. They were their own little community inside the skyscraper.

Shadow was concerned that the timing would put him in bed, but the community had an active social life. He found him in a room full of old stallions and mares playing bingo. Killing him would take nothing. Shadow had to make sure he sentenced him well. Especially with this crowd.

Shadow stalked forward, trying to figure out how to get to him. He was in the middle of the room, and the tables limited access.

"BINGO!" Blessed Ray exclaimed!

"Alright!" the announcer said. "Come on up and get your payout!"

That was all Shadow needed. He moved to the front of the room. Blessed Ray was old, but he moved well enough. The tables made it difficult for him to get to the front. By the time he did, Shadow was on stage, on the other side of the announcer.

Shadow uncloaked and the room froze.

"So, you finally have come to claim my life," Blessed Ray declared. "I knew this day would come."

Shadow nodded before making his declaration. "Your crimes below have been collected by me. I am Black Widow. Equestria called me to clean it up so it could be mended. I have cleaned up below. I raked off the evil and put it to the blade of justice or into a righteous fire.

“Now I have arrived above. I can finally right the wrongs done up here and bring the Pegasus Race closer to below to be bound once again to its sister races. Equestria needs all three working together. I am going to forge the final links to ensure that they stay united. For the good of all."

"Please don't burn me," Blessed Ray asked. "These others do not deserve to lose their homes or lives on my account. I led that slaughter below. I murdered those ponies. Your scale is weighing me, not them."

The announcer had stepped out of the way and exited the stage. He wasn't going to be any closer than he had to be.

"Now stop right there!" a staff member exclaimed. "This is not the proper way to do things here! I have called the police!"

"That isn't how it works," Blessed Ray said to her with a warm smile. "I did evil things and I knew that one day, I would have to face the punishment Equestria decided I deserved. I could have told my superiors that we had it wrong, but I didn't. I wanted to bury my mistake under more bodies so it could not be traced back to me. But the clouds being gone, well it just isn't to be. I have regretted it for too many years now. In my age I realized how wrong I was."

Shadow didn't want to kill a repentant pony. He knew he was hesitating and with the Law Enforcement officers coming, he couldn't afford for it to happen.

"Dear," Blessed Ray said to the mare who had been sitting beside him. "I knowingly killed several families. Old and young because we stumbled upon them during our mission. They were peaceful and it was getting dark. They offered us housing in their barn, free because they saw we were travelers. We decided that since they were not Pegasus Ponies we should kill them. I decided. And I shot him in the head without a second thought. None survived our massacre. Even the newborn foal was killed.

"I love you. I always have and always will. You were the reason I made it back. You were what I was protecting. I knew this time might come, and it has. I am sorry I am leaving you with this great pain. It is just another thing I am guilty of."

Blessed Ray nodded and Shadow stepped forward several paces. Blessed Ray deserved the swiftest and most painless death possible for his admission of guilt and acceptance of the punishment. In a blink of the eye the sword flashed out to claim the flesh of Blessed Ray's neck and then was sheathed. He was decapitated with one easy swing. Shadow was on a stage. He had to make it look like magic as best as possible.

"Equestria forgives you of your mistakes," Shadow declared. "Your debt is repaid and you received a merciful death for your acceptance. None have moved me as you have in your wisdom. But payment must be made. The links I forge to save us all from the brink of destruction must be forged in blood. Below was cleansed and I made those links. Now I must cleans the sky and build the final ones."

The hall was silent as the body just laid there. Shadow stood silent for a moment. Then he turned sharply in a 180. His cape billowed out as it caught the air and shadow pulled out the Zebra cloak, using the cape to hide the method of his disappearance.

Shadow was able to quickly exit the room. He moved to go up. It was a smart move as he heard the building getting stormed by Law Enforcement officers.

His arrival above could not have gone any better. But that left the second target. His real targets were in New Cloudsdale. But he needed to look like he could show up anywhere, at anytime.

The next target was easy. He was retired, with his wife, to their home. They had been out for the evening. Shadow waiting for them. He gave them no warning as he cut them down. He let their blood bleed out and stain the carpet fibers. It was a warning.

Shadow had prepared several different types of letters to leave. They declared their generic crimes against the citizens and it included the statement that their spouse knew and backed those crimes. It was stamped with his Black Widow emblem, the one that pinned his cloak on. It had started as an M and became a W. Shadow taped the declaration letter to the front door for any passersbies to read. That was all he needed after the way he killed Blessed Ray.

Shadow got back to the safe house, disabled the alarm with Black Widow's keycard and changed. It was going to be a big push to fly all the way to New Cloudsdale and begin to hunt his next set of targets.

Geared up in his power armor Shadow exited back out the patio, arming the security alarm with Black Widow's keycard one more time. He had different plans in New Cloudsdale.

Shadow made his way to the edge of Las Pegasus. He tipped off the edge and dove to the ground, letting gravity do the work for him. He opened his wings and zipped above the ground, exploding past the ground as he kicked himself into high gear. The air began to resist his presence and he pushed harder. To get to New Cloudsdale, he needed to engage a sonic rainbow.

BOOM!

Out of sight of any of his winged brothers and sisters, Shadow Flare rocketed off at the fastest speed a Pegasus could achieve, the legendary sonic rainboom.

With speed on his side, Shadow made good time. But the distance was substantial. He pushed his endurance to the limit. He had a schedule to keep.

As New Cloudsdale came into view, Shadow began to prepare to slow down. He had to be careful of any watchful military eyes. They didn’t need to know somepony like Shadow Flare had arrived, yet. Shadow kept to the south and then climbed straight up beneath the city. He skirted around beneath it until he found the edge.

Shadow stopped after he climbed up onto the edge of the city and looked out. South was where the South Cloudsdale District had been. It was a farming community. Now he could see some farms still standing, and a good deal of solo homes, but the majority of it had been ripped away. All across the Enclave he knew, it was gone. It was a sobering moment. He had flown past much of it, but his focus had been elsewhere. And he had flown free in the Zebra Lands too long to really remember the sea of clouds.

Shadow turned back to focus on his goal. He had to get to the safehouse. It wasn’t easy for him to find it in the city, but he finally got his orientation correct and found the location. His armor was dangerous. If the wrong military ponies saw it, they would know what side he was on.

Shadow entered the building through the main door and worked his way up the stairs, unhindered, and got to the door. The cloud key unlocked the door and then he swiped his personal keycard at the alarm to disarm it.

Shadow locked the door behind him and surveyed the safehouse. It definitely had residents using it.

“Anypegasus home?” Shadow called out.

Nopony answered so he went to one of the bedrooms. One was occupied by two individuals, the other two rooms were empty. This was a Wonderbolt safehouse. A quick glance at their wardrobe and it was clear they were Wonderbolts.

Shadow went to an empty room, chose a bottom bunk, dropped his saddlebags, and then exited his armor. He unpacked his bags. Alongside ammo supplies and Soarin’s lightning, he had brought several outfits to fit whatever he needed while he ran reconnaissance about the New Cloudsdale food distribution center.

He had a regular dark grey uniform issued to normal troops and one of his ACU uniforms. The appropriate hardware for Sergeant Major was attached to the regular uniform and Command Sergeant Major for his ACU uniform. He also carried a dress uniform with various ranks, ribbon bars, and hardware he would need to fit any role. Alongside those, he had brought his tux and one of the outfits he had picked out with Cardinal Spitfire while he was here in New Cloudsdale, all those years ago. Of course, his armor was also one of the things he could wear for his reconnaissance mission.

If the Wonderbolts realized he had set up in the safehouse, they would see his armor and his various uniforms. They would realize his job and what he was doing. It was easy to look like you were doing reconnaissance and be Black Widow.

Shadow took a quick nap to recover and then prepared to leave. Night would soon fall, but the Wonderbolts had not come back yet. Shadow packed up his gear and grabbed his real ACU uniform. He put on his Black Widow costume and slipped out the door under the cover of Mwokozi’s cloak.

His target was Mareland Joint Operations Base. First and foremost, he needed to raid their quartermaster shop. He was going to get even more ammo. He had brought a large supply with him, especially armor piercing rounds, but he was going to need more if the civil war fully broke out.

But his primary goal was to get explosives. He was going to make a literal explosive entrance for Black Widow. He would kill some guards, leave a calling card talking about retribution and cleansing the clouds, and head on. Enough deaths that nopegasus could deny his arrival or power, but he had to destroy several hard targets.

Shadow flew in just the suit, no mask, hat, wraps, or cape, to the edge of Mareland. He put the invisibility cloak back on and hopped past the warning barriers. He ran on hoof over the clouds. Most Pegasi could not track him with the cloak engaged, even as it shimmered because of his speed.

At the main base he slowed down. He walked cautiously around. They were on alert and busy, but they were looking for an army, not a soul infiltrator. Shadow caught sight of two Lieutenants entering a building and followed them in. It held several offices for various Lieutenants and Captains. They were the only two in the building. Shadow chose the mare and killed her, leaving a calling card and the stallion alone.

Killing only one when they believed they were safe and couldn’t identify when somepony came in was more dramatic. And Shadow needed dramatic. They had to not be able to comprehend that a single pony could make the distance between cities in such a short time. He had to look like a ghost. He had to look like a Unicorn with teleport magic.

Shadow continued to move. He located the main quartermaster, but it was busy. He skipped it in favor of killing more soldiers and officers. The night would allow him to target the guards, both stationary and roving. For now, he found another random building to go in. He went from office to office and killed all of the soldiers inside with Kifo Herixleta. Most were senior NCOs, Staff and First Sergeants.

With that office cleared, Shadow moved on. He found the clearly marked office of General Yew. Shadow slipped inside and passed the staff offices. General Yew was still in his corner office. Shadow had to flatten himself against the wall to avoid being hit as an NCO entered the office. Shadow popped inside behind him and moved to a clear corner. General Yew was a low level mechanical logistical officer. He took care of minor electronic repairs all across the base. But it was a high enough profile rank that Black Widow needed to strike.

As soon as the NCO departed, Black Widow moved in. A quick slash with Kifo Herixleta cut off General Yew’s head. Shadow pulled out of a cloth and began to soak up the blood. He used it to write on the wall in big letters: “BLACK WIDOW HAS ASCENDED.” Shadow left a calling card on the body and began to time when he would slip out. He used the window on the door to time it and made a clean exit. The General’s staff would find him soon enough.

The moon also had begun its ascent. Shadow transitioned to eliminating guards whenever he could. Most of them were stationary and easy to kill. He carved a path of destruction as he made his way back to the quartermaster office.

Right before he got there, alarms began to blare all over the base. The piercing alarm continued to ring until a speaker come over it. “WARNING! WARNING! WE HAVE AN UNKNOWN INTRUDER ON THE BASE! EXECUTE OMEGA PROTOCOLS! ANY UNKNOWN INDIVIDUALS MUST BE REPORTED. ANY SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES MUST BE REPORTED.”

The loudspeaker continued to play the message in between segments of blaring alarm.

Shadow got to the quartermaster shop. They had just locked the entire cage up under the announced protocol. Locked doors didn’t matter to Shadow. He pulled out the cloud key and got in through the back. He had to dance and dodge a bit to avoid the panicking quartermasters, as he got to the desired equipment.

Shadow first loaded up with explosives. He only got a single can of 500 rounds into his bags. The rest was stuffed to the brim with bricks of C4, and a good helping of timers. He was going to make sure Blade Widow exploded multiple places at the same time.

Loaded down, the game changed. Shadow focused on moving slowly. He didn’t need to rush. He had a plan for the timing.

The entire base was on alert and looking for anything wrong, or off. But he was covered by the cloak. And they were not as good at finding enemies as the raiders were, which explained why they got slaughtered below. And that was not even trying to compare them to the Zebras.

The first target Shadow had in mind was to cripple their fleet. First, the Air Traffic Control tower would be destroyed. Second, the Victorious needed to be crippled, if not destroyed. The Victorious was the last surviving ThunderHead Class cloudship. The Overcast and Glorious Dawn had been lost in Operation Cauterize. It was the biggest threat to the small fleet the Equestrian Pegasus Military had. The bulk of the explosives would be for the Victorious.

The ATC tower was on the other side of the base where they had room for the cloudship terminals. It was 0245 when Shadow got to it. It was earlier than planned, but he didn’t have a better option available. He was exhausted and needed to make his move before he began to make mistakes.

Shadow slipped into the tower, not caring to rely on the cloak. The ATC tower had to have security cameras. If they ever watched the security footage, he needed to not uncloak. He needed to be there as he entered.

Most of the tower was stairs up. Below the top floor where the controllers kept things flowing smoothly was a break room and bathroom. Shadow checked everywhere. They were empty. He slipped up, peeking his head into the top room. It was occupied by five ponies. And they were spread out. It wasn’t a problem for Black Widow. They were not the fittest soldiers and they didn’t even have any weapons. They ran instead of fighting. And it got them nowhere.
Shadow left their bodies there and began to plant bombs. He set their timers to go off at 0615, before the next shift change. But he wanted them to go off at the same time they would go off on the Victorious. Each one was hidden as best as possible. He stuck them in drawers under computer equipment, popped off panels to put them inside the equipment, and back under openings in the desk to try and hide them. He didn’t want somepony finding the bodies and the bombs, disarming them before they could do their job.

Shadow locked the ATC tower behind him to stall them even more and began to make his way to the Victorious. It was parked in Terminal A. The massive ship required an entire half of a terminal to park. Terminals A, B, and C were set up exclusively for the ThunderHeads. It would be preferable to capture her, but there was no way Shadow could clear the ship and then take command on his own. And he didn’t have a strike team to work with. This was the best option.

Black Widow would destroy one of the most iconic Grand Pegasus Enclave symbols; alone.

Shadow was worried about finding his way, but the ship was so large that it had maps in certain sections. Under his cloak, he began to slip through the mostly quiet ship. It was hard to avoid ponies in the tight passageways.

Eventually that ended. Two sailors were walking side by side, giving Shadow no way to avoid them. He flipped the cloak off with practiced ease and sliced the right one in half with a blazing Kifo Herixleta. The left pegasus barely had time to turn and run before Kifo Herixleta pierced her coat and heart in a perfect follow up stab.

Shadow left them where they were and put the cloak back on. It would alert them to an intruder, but they still didn’t know what they were looking for. And that gave him the advantage.

Shadow didn’t go for the engine rooms. He didn’t have the explosives to actually cripple the Victorious from the engines. He did have enough to blow up the fuel and power plant. Without those, they would at least be unable to leave port.

A crew was inside doing checks. They were using the quiet hours to do maintenance instead of fighting for space. Shadow checked the time. It was 0342. He was making too good of time. He couldn’t change the time of the explosion. He would have to stall, somehow.

Shadow backed out and found the living quarters. They were rooms with six bunks, three high on either side and a locker unit on the back wall. Very cramped quarters. But it made it easy for him to slip in, stab the sleeping occupants and slip out, closing the door behind him. If the ship survived the explosion, which it probably would, they would be short hoofed and also see his power to kill and not just explode.

At 0500, Shadow struck back at the power center. He jumped in, slicing apart the Captain in charge of the operations. He threw Kifo Herixleta, running through a pair that were side by side. The Zebra combat knife went flying into another victim as Shadow skipped to the other side to address two more.

The first had their hoofs swept out from under them. The second was punched in the throat and then took a hoof to their right eye. While they choked for the air he would never get, Shadow beat the first down with his bare hooves. It was bloody, but it worked.

Shadow retrieved both weapons and began to stalk the rest of the team. They had gone off to other rooms and were distracted. They expected noises to be made, making it very easy to kill them. Once the area was cleared, Shadow checked the time. It was 0520.

Shadow armed the last of the C4 and buried them in a similar fashion. He hid them in open panels, under bulges, and behind pipes. He had gotten enough of a look to make the best guess on how the power and fuel transfer happened.

At the last moment, Shadow didn’t place the last brick. He had a better idea. And it would burn through some of the extra time he had too. He went to the bridge, taking the quickest route there without the cloak on. He met nopony on the way.

As he got to the bridge, he stopped to listen.

“Sir!” a soldier reported. “A soldier found two bodies in passage R, deck 4. Both were killed by a bladed weapon. We are sweeping the ship, but it is slow work. I don’t suggest we raise the alarm.”

“And why not?”

“Because, Sir, at this time we have the advantage. They do not know we know. We could lose them in the hustle to get to stations if we raise the alarm. It would be very easy for them to blend in and slip away. We have sent teams to the engines, but they are clear.”

“Good, we need this ship operational. The Victorious will earn her name once again when we lead the fleet into battle against the Rebels. Whatever their name is.”

“Equestrian Pegasus Military.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he snorted. “We are the Grand Pegasus Enclave and we will crush them.”

Shadow took that as the best cue and stepped into the bridge. “Perfect,” Black Widow laughed. “I am looking for the Grand Pegasus Enclave.”

There was only a small crew on the bridge. The reporting soldier was sliced down and the officer in charge was struck in the hind leg by Shadow’s hoof, deadening the nerves to force him to drop. The rest were stuck in their seats or trapped as they tried to get out of them quickly. The failed because of the cramped layout.

Black Widow walked back to the officer in charge. He had captain bars on his collar. “Well, well, Captain,” Black Widow taunted as Kifo Herixleta casual touched the neck of the captain. “Looks like you are in a precarious situation. Your ship is mine.”

“Fuck off!” He growled. “I won’t bow to you. We won’t bow to you. Especially some pony in a costume and mask who won’t dare show her face!”

Black Widow chuckled. “I don’t show my face for your mercy. I am the bane of the wasteland. I cleaned up below, dredging out the filth and burning the wasteland in a righteous fire. Equestria was being patched up because I cleaned the festering wound that she was. Then the Light Bringer came and brought peace to the land I had prepared. I made the chains to bind Equestria together. The Light Bringer got to pull them together and be the unifier for below. And now I get to finally come above and finish what I started. And I can’t let this ship fly again. You can’t stop me.”

Black Widow paused, glancing at the clock. It had ticked down to 0603. “Well, I guess I will be kind. I am taking your ship from you, but I will give you the chance to leave and save yourself. I know your leg is good enough to run.”

Kifo Herixleta was lowered and Black Widow took a few steps back. For a second the captain hesitated and then he ran. It was a bit of a stumble at the start, but he ran. Whether it was for his life or for help, it didn’t matter.

The last brick of C4 was put on the Captain’s Chair and Black Widow walked to the front of the ship. Kifo Herixleta easily broke the front glass and Black Widow disappeared out the front of the bridge to safety.

Wrapped in the invisibility cloak, Shadow got to the front of the ship at the start of the terminal when 0615 hit. The ship was large enough that Shadow didn’t feel the blast. He saw the flash in the ATC tower as they went off and the sound from behind him was a deep boom. It was more than the C4 going off. Shadow looked behind him and he saw smoke begin to rise out of an engine. It was soon followed by flames.

The Victorious was out of commission and Mareland Joint Operations Base no longer had an Air Traffic Control tower to direct the fine movements needed to launch the available fleet. It was a tough blow to recover from. They wouldn’t recover before the civil war finally came to blows.

Chapter 143 - Heist

Star Paladin Yellow Quartz stepped off the ramp onto solid ground. She walked forward to the Citadel’s gates. Inside the courtyard was two dozen Unicorns assembled. She had been rehearsing the speech all day. Her nerves were through the roof. Unfortunately, there was nopony else who could do it.

“We have been asked by our allies in the sky to assist on a mission,” Yellow Quartz declared. “It’s straightforward. I have with me 8 cloud walking talismans. Wearing them will allow you to walk on the clouds like a pegasus. I have been using my own and can personally attest to its safety.

“Our allies are small in number, and unfortunately, they do not have a lot of ammunition at their base of operations. They can not confidently assault our enemies with the amount they have. Most of the ammunition was stored at the larger bases. Their attempt to quietly redirect some has failed.

“This will be a different technique entirely. We are going to be tunneling un from underneath the storage depot to connect with several operatives who will sneak in. From there, we will move the crates of ammo. You will use levitation and teleportation to quietly get them to the cloudship. It is the one that is parked outside of the Citadel. It is a flat top design that will allow us to safely stand on top to load it from above.

“We need the best teleporters. Because if we get found out, we will need to exit quickly. Any who can teleport out and to the ground is really what we need.

“Several operatives are going to meet us there, and they will actually do the tunneling for us. They can’t move these heavy crates on their own. At least not to move them down to the ship. They know what crates we need to grab.

“This is a black ops no contact mission. We will run instead of fighting. That doesn’t lessen its risk, but it does give you a sense of our plan.”

A Unicorn raised his hoof. “So, we are attempting a robbery?”

“Exactly,” Yellow Quartz said. “Although, technically we are stealing back what they stole. It’s a lot of mixed up politics. The Pegasi are in a tough spot. From what I get, our allies think that it’s about an even match up for both sides when it comes to combat. However, the ones who want to kill us hold the ammunition. That is not good.

“We need 8 of you for this venture. And we need you in black, unmarked uniforms immediately.”

Only seven Unicorns volunteered. Of those 7, three could teleport to the ground. It was the best they could do so they headed out.

Deke kept them low, right above the ground. They were flying at top speed to avoid detection. Mareland was still in turmoil after their ATC tower had been blown up that morning and the Victorious was put out of commission.

The Renegades had the numbers, but they were still nervous about assaulting Fort Wind. The ACB had the combat advantage, especially at their home base. Their hesitation was going to force them to lose their edge.

“Are you sure this will work?” Yellow Quartz asked Deke.

“70% sure,” Deke shrugged. “Our intel says they are still scrambled there. We will have that advantage. Besides, we can outrun any of them.”

“That doesn’t actually solve the problem.”

“Hey, they won’t be able to hit us. We will escape. I don’t know where it will put us, but we won’t get hurt. I know what I am doing. That is why I was consulted and why I was sent.”

“I thought it was because you are the only one dumb enough to do it,” Yellow Quartz playfully jabbed.

“Dumb enough with the skill to pull it off,” Deke corrected her.

It was a boring ride. It felt weird for Yellow Quartz to be back with Applejack Rangers. Catching up with the news didn’t take long either.The Applejack Rangers were staying in the extra officer quarters. The ACU quarters had been ripped out so they could have more room for supplies.

Deke was topside once they were below Mareland. The vertical acceleration made it difficult to stand. He was on top to guide the ship to the hole, wherever it was. The Zebras were not trained in their navigation techniques. They were working off a map of Mareland Joint Operations Base.

They slowed as they approached the underbelly of the clouds. They had the top yardarm to watch out for. They didn’t need to knock it off. It wasn’t that tall. And it gave them a good clearance to work with as they moved the crates.

Deke got the time. They were 23 minutes early. The longer they were here, the higher chance of being discovered. Deke began to pace. The unicorns were waiting just below, rather than risk falling off. Pegasi would be on top to grab any of them in they fell and help shuffle the crates into the ship.

Clouds glowed above them, but a 100 yards north. Deke navigated them through the com system until they were below it. Kami dropped through the hole using her wings.

“We are ready,” Kami said. “It’s a lot longer of a drop than expected. 70 meters of clouds.”

“Fun,” Deke said. “Well, up you go.”

“Quiet is needed,” Kami said. “Noise can not be concede.”

Kami went back up. They had placed little glowing orbs in the clouds to give light to the hole. As Kami got to the top, the first unicorn popped up through a blue flash of light. Kami looked at Ukuzwa. Ukuzwa nodded back.

Ukuazwa was standing next to a ward she had drawn up. It was a darkness curtain, blocking them from view unless somepony physically breached it. Or if they got too loud. Or if it got too bright. It was a very delicate ward.

The Zebra team was led by Bukhali. Ukuzwa was just there for magical support. Bukhali was leading Izala, Kami, Sumida, and Nukia. Simi was in charge of the others and they were back at Fort Wind.

The Zebras were marking and moving crates. The Unicorns needed senders and receivers because the distance was longer than expected. On top of the Twilight Sky the pegasi were moving those crates into the ship. They were going to pack it as full as possible as fast as possible.

An hour passed by and Deke received good news. The primary storage bay had been filled. Suddenly, the four unicorns above them teleported on to the top of the ship. One was high and had a good fall, but two pegasi caught him before he had a rough landing. Ukuzwa was right behind them using her wings to slow down at the last minute before she landed. Deke had the Twilight Sky maneuvered to the side so that they couldn’t be seen if somepegasus looked down the hole. Deke tensely waited for word from the Zebras.

“GO!” Bukhali ordered them. “FLY!”

They all heard the orders over the communication line and ran to the closest hatches. Thankfully the crates they had on top of the ship had been moved while they waited. The Twilight Sky was accelerating at near top speed. Deke was purposefully last in and he barely made it in because of the air pressure the Twilight Sky was causing as it accelerated.

Normally, Deke would have let himself go overboard, but they needed him to lead the assault on Nellie. Deke was the only one with a crazy enough plan to combat the large fleet at Nellie. He hoofpicked the few ships he needed, opting to give the rest to Little. He wasn’t explaining his tactic to them, which frustrated the brass. But they knew better than to force him to explain. He was their commodore for a reason. He had taken out the Solar. They didn’t need to know the full details of that battle.

“Are we just leaving the Zebras above?” a Unicorn asked Deke once he was inside.

Deke panted a nod. “They got there on their own. They can get out on their own. Ukuzwa joined us for a reason.”

A soldier came up to Deke. “Sir, we appear to only have secured a quarter of what we needed. Also, I believe the bridge wants you.”

“Yeah,” Deke nodded before he began to stumble towards the bridge.

He had not caught his breath when he got to the bridge. He sat down in his chair. He never had to ask for reports.

“Weapons are locked, Sir.”

“Executing Patten 32152.”

“We are clear of Mareland, no ships have moved to disengage.”

Ukuzwa entered the bridge. “Commodore, they believe we were dropping off, not securing a payoff.”

“Good,” Deke said, still out of breath. “We have the advantage. How secure is their retreat?”

“Very,” Ukuzwa nodded. “If they gave the go, then covingering smoke began to blow. The back door was ready, exiting’s risk would be steady. Our cloaks will cover the retreat. They will never secure their beat. The plan was for them to stay. For soon at there will be an affray. It is advantageous for them to be on standby. I do believe their plan is to begin to spy.”

“Did you set up the ward to turn to smoke if it was breached?” Deke asked, finally in control of his breath.

“No. Those traps we rigged ourselves. To give the advantage to cloak to thyself.”

“Self and then thyself?” Deke poked. “Not much of a good rhyme.”

Ukuzwa raised her eyebrow at him.

“You’re right,” Deke said, leaning back a bit. “I don’t rhyme. I won’t judge anymore.”

“Sir,” the lieutenant at navigation called. “We appear to have no cloudships disembarking. At this point, even if any did, they couldn’t catch us, let alone shoot us.”

“I hesitate to say it,” Deke stated. “I don’t want to jinx anything. But with their ATC tower down, they must not have anypegasus at any ship navigation stations. Or they were dumb fucks who tried to get permission from the non existant ATC tower.”

“Sir?” the lieutenant commander at weapons asked. “Do we have any word on who the saboteur was? It seems awfully convenient, but rather aggressive for one of our teams.”

“Don’t discount what we will do,” Deke warned him. “But no, we don’t. The name pitched is a Black Widow.”

“Black Widow?” Yellow Quartz asked.

“You know of her?” Deke asked.

“Yeah. Several years back she ripped apart the wasteland, killing hundreds of raiders or evil ponies. Anypony who harmed others or caused divisions instead of working to build bridges and solidify the wasteland into a whole land again was killed. Often brutally. She came claiming to cleanse the wasteland through fire for its ascension or something along those lines. Her specialty was a sword.”

“A sword?” Deke asked with a grin. “Like, a golden one?”

“I believe it was black,” Yellow Quartz said. “And she was a unicorn.”

“A unicorn,” Deke snorted. “Well that rules out my original thought.”

“Which was?” Yellow Quartz asked.

“Shadow,” Deke shrugged. “But his sword is ornate and gold. Between the two of them, a lot of ponies had to die.”

“No idea,” Yellow Quartz shrugged. “He cleaned out a few places in my sphere of influence, but we only defended our corner of Equestria. Speaking of that, don’t you have to drop off some Unicorns?”

“Helm!”

“Adjusting course, Sir!”

“Good,” Deke snorted. "It's not too long of a detour at full speed."

"Sir, I recommend no more than 80% so that we do not strain the engines too much. Or the frame. Or guns. We have a big fight coming up."

"Fine," Deke groaned. "Keep her moving at 70%."

They finally cruised into Citadel and settled on the ground. Once they dropped their ramp the Unicorns gladly exited. It had been a strain on them. Particularly being on top of the ship, hundreds of feet in the air.

They were greeted by Paladin Warding Blade. Deke disembarked to meet him. Time was strained, but so was a proper thanks.

"Paladin," Deke greeted him. "Wait, no. Councilor? No. Senior Paladin? No… ah fuck it. I forgot! I'm Commodore Derecho. The best cloudship pilot. Period. Nopegasus is better than me.

"I have to thank you. We got maybe half of what we were trying to get before our cover was blow. Initial reports is that they believe that it was a drop off, not a pick up. But all seven of your Unicorns came back safe and sound. Your assistance once again has proven vital. I wish I knew how to pay you back."

"Win," Elder Warding Blade said. "Win. And it's Elder. Elder Warding Blade."

"I was never going to guess that," Deke admitted. "And Elder. I am going to win. Strained ammo supplies or not, we will win. I'll die to ensure it. But I won't need to."

"Your arrogance is concerning," Warding Blade stated.

"A lot of pegasi, eh, ponies, say that. But I don't say what I can't deliver."

"I have a feel that is true," Warding Blade nodded. "Which is also concerning."

"Sir, I have a wife and a newborn foal. They say the most dangerous Pegasus is one who has nothing to live for. I say, it is the one who has everything to live for. They will go to any length to protect the ones they care for. Sure, they don't want to die and leave their loved ones behind. But once forced to fight, they are the most dangerous enemy and the lengths to which they will go are beyond those of the one who has nothing to live for. They will fight when the one who has nothing runs out of energy because they lack support."

"That is an interesting belief," Warding Blade said. "And also a scary admission."

"Pffft," Deke scoffed as he waved it off with his wing. "I have an honor to uphold. And I have the skills to do things that no other cloudship captain can do. That would also be why I have the eyepatch and ear cuff. I saved the ship, saved most of the lives on board in the crash, but got banged up badly for it. I only recently lost my eyesight beyond what our doctors could do."

"Interesting," Warding Blade snorted. "But you have the Talismans back, we have our Unicorns. Things seemed to go well enough. I believe you are running out of time."

"Yes, we are. Thank you Elder. We will repay this debt by winning."

Deke boarded with Yellow Quartz and they got back under way. They were going to be deploying troops shortly. They had to hurry.

Chapter 144 - Black Ops Part 1 (Silver Wings vs Black Wings)

Gunmetal bolted out of her cot in the quartermaster cage. She spent too many nights in the cage, but right now, she was there to monitor security. And the alarm was going off. The clock said 0223.

She scrambled to the other side of the room to the security terminal. At least 90 pegasi were on the move. Most of the ACUs were packed up and on their way to Mareland under General Striker. If they were coming back, her alarm wouldn’t be going off. And as soon as Deke got back, Gunmetal was going to oversee the transfer of ammunition and take the Buttercup out to catch up. Admiral Little was leading from another cloudship at the moment. They were moving slowly, so she would catch up with ease.

The few ACUs still around were mostly packed up on their ships. Deke was taking only 10 units with him. 90 unidentified pegasi on the move meant only one thing: Danger.

Gunmetal put her headset on. It was going to be a call over their coms, not broadcasted to the entire Squad Barracks. They were going to jump their attackers.

“All units at the Squad Barracks! This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. We have incoming unknown targets. Flying in from the south. All units alert! Ten minutes until they reach us.”

“What is going on?” Firestorm asked a minute later.

“Prepare to mobilize all units,” Gunmetal coldly said. “I think the enemy has sent those black ops units to us.”

“Damn!” Firestorm cursed. “We just sent out most of our soldiers.”

“We can’t put up an initial fight,” Gunmetal said. “We need to take five minutes to organize a counter attack.”

“Let them come!” General Misty Thunder replied. “I’ll have the units on the cloudships ready to deploy. Thankfully we are north of the fort.”

“The Wonderbolts will begin setting up kill zones,” Firestorm added. “We are going to draw their attention away from our barracks.”

“And if they get in?” Gunmetal asked. “Because we don’t know what they are capable of.”

Simi chimed in. “Chiha and Koto will rip them to shreds.”

“Alright,” Firestorm agreed. “Between them and the one guard in the barracks, they will be able to hold it.”

“I will be taking Kogara, Kachi, and Sensha with me,” Simi added. “We will be a moving target. We have power armor and an LMG.”

“Fine,” Firestorm said.

“Dear, don’t worry about us,” Nova said. “Soarin, Shield, and I will be fine.”

“Good,” Firestorm shot back. “Because I don’t have any way to run a screen for you.”

“Are we certain they are enemies?” Misty Thunder asked. “Just checking.”

“We will determine that,” Simi said. “Stay low and quiet. We are already in position with our cloaks engaged.”

“Command Sergeant Major Wind Whisper reporting in. Thank goodness my staff already had weapons drawn from the insurrection.”

“So far, they are targeting us,” Gunmetal replied. “By their flight trajectories.

“Thank goodness,” Wind Whisper said with an audible exhale. “We are up and moving. But I am concerned about our ability to fight.”

“Just hold positions,” Gunmetal said. “Take defensive ones, but we have a plan.

Gunmetal played with her terminal to make sure things were locked up tight. She saw another wave coming in.

“Bridge officers, how confident are you at blowing pegasi out of the sky?”

“Lone pegasi are difficult,” The Firecracker bridge crew responded. “We do not advise our involvement.”

“We have another wave about ten minutes behind them,” Gunmetal explained.

“How tight are they?” the Firecracker bridge crew asked.

“Units are holding in groups of 20. Pretty tight.”

“We can knock them around a bit. We will time it around the ACU counter attack.”

“Good,” Firestorm said. “Gunmetal, are you ready?”

“I am getting my armor on now,” Gunmetal said.

Gunmetal put on her custom power armor. It was an old Mark 2 unit she had worked to restore over the past few years. The previous owner was a Wonderbolt. It had been stripped of parts for servicing other units. Gunmetal had hoof manufactured the parts she needed. She had loaded an old 7.62 medium machine gun on it with a 1,500 round linked belt. And it had a backup 5.56 rifle. Both weapons had also undergone heavy restorations.

“Have you seen what I am packing?” Gunmetal asked over the coms.

Firestorm wasn’t the only one who chuckled. But she was the one who answered. “I assume by that question it is not the ACU standard combat armor.”

“I restored stripped down, old Wonderbolt armor, a medium machine gun that I brought with me from my post before the ACUs, and a bit more.”

“Of course you did,” Misty Thunder said, the sarcasm obvious.

“I will hold this cage,” Gunmetal declared.

“Target’s spotted,” Simi replied. “Two minutes out. I can only identify their heat signatures.”

“Understood,” Firestorm replied.

“Ready to deploy,” Misty Thunder chimed in.

“Prepared,” Nova added.

“In position,” Koto said. “Ensign Agis Blade is with us.”

Simi watched the first group land. They fanned out from their original flight of 20 into groups of 4. They were fully clothed in black. That included wings and head, with combat goggles over their eyes. Their armor was light plates and their guns were lasers. Nopony had been issued black light combat equipment in decades. They had to have dug them out of an old storage depot.

They were definitely not members of the Aerial Combat Battalion. And not just looks, but they walked wrong too. It was too much swagger, not enough confidence. Even the cockiest ACU member didn’t have that much swagger.

Simi reported in. “We have no patches, full black out. No identifiers. And this is old armor. You haven’t used light plates in a long time.”

“Did you say light plates?” Gunmetal asked.

“Do you know where they came from?” Firestorm immediately asked.

“No,” Gunmetal said chuckling darkly. “But we have the advantage when it comes to that. If it is old light armor, we can make them bleed and bruise easily.”

“Good point,” Firestorm said. “The Wonderbolts will make easy work of that.”

“They only have laser rifles,” Simi added. “Standard weapons.”

“Good,” Nova said. “Simi, as you ready to start this?”

Simi’s response was only a dark laugh over the coms. He whipped his cloak’s hood back and Simi leaped forward, ramming his sword into the first Pegasus. It wasn’t Kifo Herixleta, but it was a solid Zebra sword and Shadow had trained him to use it. Even better, Ukuzwa had manufactured a band for him. He was no leaper like Shadow Flare, but he could move. All four in the fireteam were dead in four clean attacks. They never saw it coming.

Most of the first teams had begun to deploy into the sea of buildings. They didn’t know the layout, giving the advantage to the defenders. A team tried to move to where Simi had started the fight, but Kogata uncloaked and fired the first shots. He broke the silence with his twin Applejack Rifles unloading.

Sensha was further away from them and opened up on another team, easily gunning them down in their light armor. Kachi fired from deeper in the sea of buildings. It wasn’t at anypony, but it did work to draw in more teams. It was going to be a hellish firefight in a compact urban environment. But the power armor of the Zebras would shield them well. And when the ACUs came in from above it would be an easy time picking apart the teams.

Simi uncloaked behind another team. They were stacked along a wall, with the pegasus on point poking his head around the corner. He was trying to see where the firefight was happening. Their heads rolled easily. Simi pulled the cloak over his head and disappeared. He had learned from the best.

Firestorm hadn’t been a solo mission in forever. She had maneuvered to Jade Spring Hall before they arrived. She was going to unleash a hurt only Wonderbolts could unleash. The rest of the Wonderbolts had set up a kill zone in the Squad Barracks. Firestorm was going to be drawing them into the Squad Barracks by looking like she was alone and afraid. And that it was where everypegasus was falling back to.

Firestorm grinned under her helmet and busted out of the main doors. She ran a good 50 yards across open ground and then slid to a stop. Several shots were taken at her and she wasn’t going to let them go unanswered.

Four quick shots later the fireteam was dead. They couldn’t block the power of a Wonderbolt’s weapons. Unfortunately, there were not many of them. They were focusing on the urban fighting in the Units.

“FALL BACK!” Firestorm yelled. “FALL BACK TO SECONDARY POSITIONS!”

Firestorm knocked down two enemies as they tried to slip out enough to nail her. It was perfect headshots.

“Ha!” Firestorm laughed to herself. “I still got it! Nopony can say otherwise! Shit! Pegasus! No, Pony!”

Firestorm yelled as loud as she could. “COME AND GET ME YOU FUCKING PONIES!”

Firestorm took a few hits from behind. They were crawling over more of the Squad Barracks than she had realized. She bolted to the rear doors to get inside. She knew this, she was being followed.

The Fourth Councilor opened his door. “What the fuck is going on!”

“Yeah,” The Second Councilor asked as he exited. “What is going on.”

Ensign Aegis Blade was the only one they could see. “It’s okay. We have it under control. The black ops team that attacked Fort Griffins Gate and tried to eliminate General Shielded Vengeance is assaulting the Squad Barracks.

“We just sent out most of our troops!” The Chief Councilor exclaimed.

“We know,” Aegis Blade said.

"And why weren't we notified!" The Fifth Councilor shot. "We have to hear of it through gunfire!"

Ensign Aegis Blade stalled out. "Look. I'm sorry. Yes, you should have...but...we had like 10 minutes warning. The last thing I thought to do was verbally warn each of you. I was wrong. I made a mistake. We are, I am, doing the best I can."

"And what is that best?" The Fourth Councilor asked.

“We are drawing them into several kill zones and we are about to counter attack. Now please, go back inside your rooms for security reasons. The three of us have this.”

“Three?” The Fourth Councilor asked, raising an eyebrow at the complete lack of two more individuals.

“Us,” Koto said uncloaking with Chiha beside him. “We have this. These Type 100 submachine guns will take care of anything that breaches those doors.”

“If not,” Chiha smirked. She fixed a bayonet onto the barrel. “These will. They will grind them worse than a mill. We were assigned here for a reason. Nopony will commit treason.”

“Nopony!” Koto asserted.

Chiha and Koto heard the thud and leaped towards the stairs. Koto slid down the railing. The breaching charge went off right as they got to the bottom. Chinha tossed a grenade as Koto went prone.

The black ops soldiers poured in. Koto opened up, cutting them down from his position on the floor. The grenade went off behind the troops, where it had passed by them coming in. It was perfect to take out several of them who were preparing to come in. Chiha used the smoke and confusion to pop a smoke grenade and flip her cloak on.

Koto used it to run up the stairs. Two grenades went off outside of the room as he got to the top. Chiha was clearing the outside well.

“Ensign,” Koto growled. “You better be ready to prove you deserve those lightning bolts!”

“This is insane!” The Fourth Councilor yelled. “Is there any way for me to have a gun?”

Koto pushed Ensign Aegis Blade to the stairs as he moved towards the Fourth Councilor. Off his belt came a throw over pistol holster and several ammo pouches. “It’s all I got. A Type 14 pistol. I can’t give you all the magazines on me or I would give you my submachine gun!”

Koto jumped over to the stairs again. He stopped Aegis Blade from shooting. “Chiha is right there! Go by the Councilor. I am sure you are going to be needed in like 10 minutes. Round two is about start!”

Koto unleashed a strong burst down the stairs, putting down another black enemy.

Chiha uncloaked. “This is fucking worse than killing Nanrika!”

“LET EM COME!” Koto yelled down the stairs. He wasn’t rhyming because they had learned to speak plainly in combat, but his accent was obvious. “SEE IF THEY ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO KILL A ZEBRA! OR IF THE POWER OF THE STRIPES ARE TOO MUCH FOR THESE PANSIES!”

“Zebras! Let’s fucking kill them!”

“We are not here for them!”

Chiha slipped the Fourth Councilor her pistol magazines and winked at him. It was supposed to help ease his concern, but it backfired.

“Chiha!” Koto whispered when it was apparent they were not coming up.

As soon as Chiha looked, Koto flipped his cloak on. He moved down the stairs. He got to the bottom and slid along the wall. It was all torn up from the grenades and some wild shots. The bodies littered around along with the fragments from the door told the tale he needed to tell. The two still there had not treaded carefully.

Koto made his careful steps, even with his cloak. He moved around to the next doorway. He fixed his bayonet and burst through the door.

Neither of them were trouble. He kicked the first in the muzzle. The buttstock of the submachine gun was swung hard, right into the goggles of the second. It cracked, but didn’t shatter. He pounded down the buttstock onto the second’s head two more times, buckling her.

The first moved to try and kill Koto, but it failed as Koto snapped his back right leg into his muzzle again. Koto ran the bayonet straight into his chest. He pulled out the bayonet and then ran the second through. A perfect neck stab.

Koto moved back to the stairs. He pulled out a can of spray paint. He quickly wrote a glyph on one side of the wall and then the same one on the other side. He moved up a few steps and did it again, but a different glyph. The third was on one of the last steps. He painted four glyphs.

“That hallway!” Koto ordered. “The second room. It’s time for secondary positions. They knew we were here. Right here. That has at least two walls before the outside. The second wave is about a minute out, and you know for sure they are coming here immediately!

“I put wards on the stairs. They will kill anyone coming up the stairs. Yes, even our allies. But they are one shot wards. One and done.”

“You have magic?” The Chief Councilor asked.

“I have a bit,” Koto said, shooing them into the security room. “I just did everything I can do. Okay, the last trick I know won’t work here.”

Koto tapped a magazine to seat the bullets and changed out to a fresh one. It was going to be a fun time to hold round two.

Misty Thunder was flying solo as they got over the Squad Barracks. She was at the head of the ACUs. The ten units under her had broken into a set of seven and three. Three were going to back up the Wonderbolts. The seven, led by Misty Thunder, were going to rip the enemy that had gotten sucked into the hellhole the zebras were making the Units.

The Firecracker raced ahead of them and began to open fire from their 25mm guns. It was a pitifully short time.

"Report from the Firecracker. We knocked out a good platoon worth, but they got wise and split apart. We see wave three coming too. We will scout for more waves."

"Understood," Firestorm grunted over the coms.

"Ma'am! Unit 77 and 94, we are going to go for the second and third waves in their. Show em what Silver Wings actually means!"

"I'm coming too!" Misty Thunder said. "And I'm pulling 51 from backing up the Wonderbolts. They can hold out. We have those units in the air right where we want them."

"Not entirely, Dear," Nova said. "Solid plan. They did hit the Wonderbolt Barracks, but they got shut down, hard. They are fine. The Ensign is about to learn how to really fight from those two Zebras."

"I don't like the sound of that!" Firestorm shot back over the coms.

"The three strategists say to keep going where you are going. This is the best plan."

Misty Thunder formed up briefly with the Units 77, 94, and 51. After a hot minute and a quick final strategy meeting, they broke apart and banked into their intercept courses.

Misty Thunder's heart stopped as she lined up her flight path. It was going to slide right past one target and give herself two more in quick succession. She had her silver wings. They trained aerial combat a lot. But the focus had always been more towards maneuvers with the ground. The last time she had been in mock combat had been years. She was always evaluating and leading, not participating.

It felt so good to be in the field. It felt right. Even though she was about to open up on her fellow pegasi, who had until recently been friends, it felt right to be engaging in full aerial combat.

T-T-T-T-T-T-T-TING!

The first Pegasus fell as Misty Thunder ripped past him. The next one was a pain and they were still unaware that they were being engaged in the sky.

T-T-T-TING! T-T-T-TING!

Two more easily down. The exhilaration of finally being weapons free, with the speed high she was getting, and a dash of blood lust, was unleashing more chemicals into Misty Thunder's head than she had ever experienced. A clarity with a flair of a sweet dessert.

The third enemy went down without a problem. Misty Thunder saw a pair of ACU members cross paths in front of her as she pulled around to get another round in. She saw the fruits of their labor as she caught the sight of multiple bodies falling in the semilit night sky.

Another pass netted Misty Thunder three more kills. One was killed by a faster team. Misty Thunder wasn't trying to keep score, but her mental awareness automatically tallied each kill up. Just like it kept track of her available ammunition. She was almost out.

Misty Thunder pulled up and stopped. It was dangerous to outright stop, but she was well above the battle. The third wave was definitely on their way. Half of the second wave had survived and landed at the Squad Barracks.

The three Units pulled up next to her and they began to plan how to best destroy the third wave. Their speed and agility had saved them from any injuries. And an order might have gone out to avoid the aerial targets. Some of the platoons seemed too focused on getting onto the Squad Barracks.

Simi danced in between another fireteam. They dropped easily. Four quick strikes had become natural to him over his rigorous training. He wasn’t getting a lot in because he had been baiting them deeper into the urban environment.

Misty Thunder had just passed off command to him. He was ready to command their small group, and he had led large groups of Zebras, but he didn’t feel ready to do this. 30 ACU soldiers under him was a new stress he had never felt. Mtoaji had covered the ACU tactics and strategies over the years, and particularly as they had come to Equestria, but he had never had time to see or do before he was now leading. Thankfully, they were mostly self-sufficient.

They had broken down into teams of two and half of them strafed the enemy soldiers from the sky while the other half moved to the ground. Fierce battles were happening. But the majority of the noise was the ACU live ammo guns as they cut down the enemy from multiple directions.

“All cleared, Seamy,” an ACU officer reported.

“Everypony under me, regroup at Unit 41,” Simi said as he checked where he was. “We will split and move out once we regroup.”

The last to arrive where the Zebras. Simi kept the two units who had been in the air, in the air. He solidified the Zebras to be their unyielding right flank, in between the Units and the Squad Barracks. Two units went on the left flank, and he was with the most inexperienced unit in the center.

“Second wave arriving in 24 seconds!” Simi said. “Move! Draw them in whenever possible.”

Simi made sure he had magazines ready to go. He was going to have to use the battle saddle Shadow had given him. He was carrying all armor piercing rounds or magnum loads. Their light armor would not stop anything he was outfitted with. It just wasn’t as fun as cloaking and uncloaking with a sword. That was how the Zebras warlords preferred to fight. There was an honor to fighting in hoof to hoof or close combat and with a blade. But now wasn’t the time for honor. Now was the time for precise action.

Simi moved to the front of the Unit housing to bait them. As he got there, he saw the larger numbers moving to land. He heard an explosion from the quartermaster shop and then the rapid thud and chinks of a linked ammo machine gun unloading its rounds and spitting out unlinked casings and links.

“YO! FUCKERS!” Simi yelled. Most of the masked attackers looked at him. His accent wasn’t as thick as the others, but it was still obvious he wasn’t from anywhere they knew. “THINK YOUR TINY WINGS CAN TELL ME IF I AM BLACK WITH WHITE STRIPES OR WHITE WITH BLACK STRIPES!”

As Simi turned to run he unleashed three shotgun rounds to carpet the area. The magnum rounds’ claws found the coat of one pegasus. The single 00 buck ball viciously tore open her neck.

A large group moved after Simi. They had clearly identified four targets they wanted. The ACUs who Simi was now leading, whatever the Wonderbolts were shielding, the quartermaster cage, and they knew where the Council was after. In order to hit the Council, they had to keep the others from moving.

Simi darted between a few buildings and then slid to a stop around the corner. Their attempts to flank him failed as both of his flanks blindsided theirs and ripped them to shreds. They were right behind him and Simi unleashed a torrent of bullets into his killzone.

The ACUs in the sky finally had something to strike and moved in. Things were going as well as possible for being out numbers at least 3 to one in each engagement.

Firestorm rolled out of the broom closet and stopped in a prone shooting position. With support from behind, they cut down every soldier trying to enter the Squad Barracks. Another stepped out and they easily put the lone attacker down. He didn’t die without purpose. He had lobbed a grenade.

Firestorm saw it bounce off the floor and skip up. She was in Wonderbolt power armor, Mark 2, and she was far enough back that it wouldn’t get her into its kill radius. But the blast radius was wide. The others behind her were able to duck back into cover, but she just had to put her head down and hope for the best.

Firestorm dropped her head and then she felt pain as fragments cut through her armor. At least two made it past her helmet and another into her lower neck or shoulder. It hurt and that was all she could identify.

Firestorm had been a wonderbolt for well over two decades and a soldier over three decades. Over all that time, she had never been shot. She had never even been in combat. And the searing pain made her freeze. She had no idea what to do.

More shots were fired and she felt herself being dragged across the floor. They pulled her into the clinic. She heard more shots being fired as she was rolled over as somepegasus began to inspect her.

Her helmet was pulled off and she saw a familiar face.

“How many wing feathers am I holding up?” Chief Warrant Officer Sunset Fury asked.

"Three?" Firestorm groaned.

"Good," Sunset Fury smiled.

"Am I a whimp?" Firestorm asked. "This hurts. A lot. I have never felt this much pain. I don't feel like I can move."

"Common reaction," Sunset Fury replied. "It's not fun getting shot or blown up. And being a Wonderbolt doesn't prepare you for that type of pain. But, you are a Wonderbolt. If anypegasus can pull through, it's you guys."

Without even a typical anesthetic, Sunset Fury pulled out the grenade fragments on her head and stitched the two spots up. They had to get her out of her armor and then her patched her shoulder up.

"You are lucky you got hit where you did. An inch to the. Left and it would have hit an artery."

Patched up, Sunset Fury pulled her to her feet. "Now is the time to distinguish between a Wonderbolt and a soldier. A Wonderbolt-"

"Fights through it all and wins," Firestorm finished. "We don't have the option to quit!"

"There we go!" Sunset Fury praise.

"I am so glad you were deployed with the ACUs," Firestorm said.

"Deployed?" Sunset Fury laughed. "No. I was ordered to stay here as medical support. You guys left us out of everything. We woke up to gunfire. I had to make it from Unit 0 all the way to here. My Corporal is stuck in the Units. I hope he got to Simi safely. I also hope he is following orders to not patch anypegasus up except our guys. And the Zebras.

"But where is the Council? I was trying to get in position to be there medically for them."

"In the Wonderbolt Unit," Firestorm said as she put her helmet on. "Our diversion did not help. They are fine though. And at least we are drawing troops to keep us pinned or eliminated. They are afraid of us and that means putting more troops on us."

"We need to make a push," Sunset Fury said.

"Our strategists are saying not to," Firestorm replied. "They Council is being protected."

Koto was laying prone, cloaked. He had a perfect view of the stairs. Nopony could come up without being seen. And therefore, shot.

Below, wave two was actively clearing the lower floor. Every time they breached a door, it required explosives to bypass the keycard system. Thankfully, the private rooms were on the second floor. It was mostly meeting rooms on the first floor. Blasting down those doors was of little consequence.

Chiha was with the Council and Ensign Aegis Blade was posted up in a position similar to Koto. He wasn't prone, allowing him to move faster.

It was a blood chilling scream as the first ward trapped its first victim in a bar of electricity that shot back and forth, cooking him where he stood.

It certainly made the others second guess the rest of the stairs. But they came up anyway. The second was an explosive glyph. The one on the step was a gravity ward.

As the two pegasi on point got up onto it, side by side, it entrapped their bodies, pulling them down and crushing them. Their bones audibly snapped as the pressure was put on them. It wasn't just their forelegs. After that it was their chest and then spinal cords. The breaking bones shredded flesh from the inside out as they popped like little grenades inside their limbs.

They made a nice barrier for the next Pegasus behind them. Ensign Aegis Blade put a shot right into the head of the Pegasus as he tried to fly over the bodies and completely exposed himself. That body became a tripping hazard to the others on the stairs.

They surged up and were struck in the crossfire of the killzone between Aegis Blade and Koto. They piled up quickly and then they began to try and come up with a new plan. Chiha scrambled to drag the bodies on the top free so they didn't block their view and give their enemies an extra moment to see over the barrier.

As the last one moved the attackers realized what was happening and they surged up to catch them off guard. Chiha was out of Ensign Aegis Blade's way. He jumped forward and unleashed his weapons down the group stacked on the stairs. It was like shooting fish in a barrel because they had put too many on the stairs.

The ones further down opened fire and multiple rounds found Aegis Blade's chest as they traded fire. Aegis Blade stumbled back.

"I'm okay," He nodded to where he thought Koto was. He was close. "I will fight and hold my ground until my last breath."

"And so will I," Koto replied from under his cloak.

A smoke grenade was tossed up and Koto uncloaked. Chiha moved forward and the next wave was stabbed and sliced to shreds by the Zebras. Their long hours training in hoof to hoof combat made it an easy fight.

"That was easy!" Koto taunted. "The Warlords we have fought were worse than those fools! What useless tools. No order but to throw their lives away. And against a toll they can not pay!"

"Are they really that stupid?" the Fourth Councilor whispered to Koto as he retook his position.

"Apparently," Koto shrugged quietly. "Here they come!"

Six came up at once. Two low, right over the stairs. Two right above them in a big leap. And two high on their wings.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Koto looked over his shoulder at the Fourth Councilor. He had just pegged each in the head faster than Koto or Aegis Blade could respond.

The Fourth Councilor snorted. "I wasn't an ACU or a markspegasus. But I also didn't get to my position without knowing how to fight. I at least kept up with a pistol."

"Very impressive," Koto nodded. "We can do this."

"Fuck yeah we can," The Fourth Councilor agreed.

"You can have all the fun you want. But you have to live. It's on my head. We die before you do. We need you all alive, no matter how you vote. Understand?"

"Understood," The Fourth Councilor said.

The Fourth Councilor slid back to the room with the others. The Chief Councilor and Fifth Councilor were stripping battle saddles from the dead to be the final resistance. It had been decades since they had worn one. The last time they remembered using one was in Basic Training. But they knew the basics and that was what mattered.

"I officially change my vote," The Fourth Councilor declared. "I vote for peace. Getting shot at by the Renegades who claim to want what I want, well I see too much zealotry. This isn't a world for that anymore. Fuck, Zebras are saving my hide. We killed each other over the color of our coats.. I still vote for upholding our independence, but we have to work with below as peacefully as possible."

"Thank you," The Chief Councilor said. "Now go blast them to pieces."

A torrent of live ammunition and magic lasers, along with the heavy hitting Wonderbolt novasurge rifles, washed over the second floor. Another tough push had been stopped. Koto was halfway through his ammunition. It was going to become a very nasty battle, especially if he ran out..

Simi slid around a corner and ran into another enemy fireteam. He was faster on the draw and pumped three Shotgun rounds into his chest at point blank range. He used the body as a shield as he picked off the other three with the Shotgun.

He was running out of Shotgun rounds. He had about 32 rounds left. The Shotgun was extremely effective at the ranges most of the fighting was happening.

Simi almost got shot as he got back to the Unit. They recognized him just in time.

"Wait! We picked up one. There are 7 of you."

"I'm Corporal Skybridge. Unit 0. Deployed here at the Squad Barracks as one of the two medics on duty."

"You never chimed in," Simi said.

"We woke up to gunfire. You never notified us."

"Fair point," Simie said. "Can you fight?"

"I have my silver wings for a reason."

"Good, cause we-"

Corporal Skybridge spat out a short burst, killing one enemy soldier 75 yards down on their flank.

"Cool," Simi nodded.

Regrouped, they moved out and began to pick apart the enemy fireteam that were left in the sea of ACU buildings.

The Firecracker gave an update. "Two minutes till the third wave arrives. It appears to be the last wave."

Every team checked in with the Firecracker who was now their organizer. Gunmetal was furiously defending her cage. And with every trick in it. Claymores, proximity Mines, a few “spare” automated turrets, and her personal battle gear.

The enemy black ops soldiers were good, but they were not the ACUs. Tactically speaking, they had better movement, but target acquisition, mental acuity, and mental mapping gave the ACUs a significant advantage. Even when the enemy saw them first, the ACUs usually got the first shot. And they were significantly more accurate. However, they couldn't recharge their ammunition because the black ops soldiers were using the different guns.

Misty Thunder skimmed past multiple enemy soldiers as she darted in and around them. She only took a few shots. She was low on ammo. Each round counted. But their close movements were incredibly distracting to units that were not used to close air assaults.

She was exhausted from all the hard and sudden turns required to perform this type of disruption. As she cruised a bit to catch her breath she saw what she was looking for. In the sea of black she spotted the one that stood out. The officer. Probably a colonel by the number of soldiers deployed.

Misty Thunder rocked the sky with her namesake as she thundered across the sky, straight for him. He never saw it coming. Misty Thunder didn’t break even for a second. She had to show all of this wave what the real power of the silver wings were.

Her shoulder slammed into his as she grappled him. Her wings were in, his were not. She rammed her hoof into the inside joint of his wing for a painful hit. She hugged him tight as he tried to pull free. Together, they began to fall. Misty Thunder was confident she could get out of it, he began to freak out and thrash.

Misty Thunder bit down on his goggles and tore them off his face. For a greenhorn like him, the wind was blinding. Misty Thunder freed one hoof and smashed it into his eye. They had fallen a long way in the few seconds. The ground was fast approaching. Misty Thunder was not too afraid. She had one last plan.

She broke apart but gripped onto his back collar. He opened his wings, trying to catch himself. Misty Thunder drew her knife with her mouth and slashed open one of his wings. Straight to the bone, from the joint to halfway up the wing.

She let go of him and finally opened up her wings. They caught her and she glided free. A quick glance above proved she was not in danger and she turned her mind back to the falling officer. She watched him continue his fall, flailing and crying out in terror. There was no way for him to slow his fall even a bit.

Koto’s submachine gun clicked as it kicked out the last bullet in the magazine. Four bullets whizzed by his head. Each found the head of a storming enemy soldier.

“Koto!” Chiha yelled, whipping a magazine to him.

Koto caught it and jammed it into his gun, charging it and unleashing more fury with speed rarely seen on the battlefield. Koto took a second to jump up and once again be free to move. They were charging up the stairs, forcing them to run out of ammo. It was backfiring because they couldn’t get around the pile of bodies, making them easy targets to pick off while they stalled. That and Chiha was a master at cutting them down with a blade. She tossed Koto her last magazine and Koto loaded their last live rounds into their guns. The Fourth Council was a crack shot, but he too was down to the last magazine.

A grenade was lobbed up the stairs. It wasn’t hard to throw it to where the Fourth Councilor was. It rolled to a stop right in front of the Councilor. The Fourth Councilor was knocked into the wall by Ensign Aegis Blade as he jumped on the grenade.

A yell sounding the charge thundered from the stairs and Koto was forced to face the reality of the battle’s tide turning. Chiha locked eyes with him and they nodded.

“FOR MTOAJI!” They yelled, charging to the stairs with blades ready.

Chapter 145 - Black Ops Part 2 (The Old Guys)

“I think it is time,” Nova said, peeking out through the curtains. “Ready?”

Shielded Vengeance just chuckled.

“Damn, it has been a long time,” Soarin said, looking over his equipment. “Over the past 80 years, I’ve done this once. With Shadow Flare and the Inquisitors. It lasted like 20 minutes. If that. I am not ready.”

“Too late!” Nova said, popping the window open.

Nova slipped out and used his lone wing to allow him to slide down the outside wall with ease. It looked like he was rappelling, except there was no rope.

Soarin and Shielded Vengeance poked their heads out and watched him. Shielded Vengeance raised an eyebrow and glanced at Soarin.

“I am a Wonderbolt. I have never seen that done. I don’t think I can do that. Not even in my prime.”

“Fine,” Soarin snorted. “I guess I better show you what a real Wonderbolt can do.”

Soaring popped out of the window. He tried to slide down but ended up just falling. Shielded Vengeance jumped out of the window and dropped straight down, breaking with his wings.

Nova grinned mischievously. “Time to show them that the old farts are not that old.”

“Or maimed,” Soarin added.

“How about half dead but all business?” Shielded Vengeance asked.

“I like that one,” Nova chuckled. “It fits with the one who actually looks dead.”

“At least I can fly,” Soarin shot back. “Okay, they are getting swarmed.”

Nova sighed. “They are too focused to even notice us.”

Shielded Vengeance’s response was his weapons clicking off safety.

“You had them on safety!” Nova scoffed.

Soarin moved first, leading them into battle. Nova wasn’t going to be denied the battle he was looking for. Shielded Vengeance followed after them.

A second later the three of them opened fire. The group was not expecting to be blindsided. They thought they knew where everpony was. They thought they had everypegasus pinned down. It was over before they even knew it had even started.

Nova slid on the edges of his hooves, skating across the ground with a little help from his partially opened wing. As he slid he accurately unloaded on the enemy soldiers. Soarin dropped down from being slightly airborne as he fired on more soldiers. They took cover along the wall of a building.

“How long did that trick take you to learn?” Soarin asked. “That...was...awesome!”

“Pfft. Wonderbolt my ass!” Nova scoffed.

Shielded Vengeance saved their distracted asses by blasting apart three fireteams descending on them. “That’s how Wonderbolts do it!” he declared.

“No fair!” Soarin said as he slid up to the shattered corner of the building. “You have the biggest guns.”

“Guns ain’t everything,” Nova snorted. “It’s how you use them that counts. I actually prefer the tiny 5.56.”

"Focus on the next move," Shielded Vengeance said. "There is the target. Damn. They are swarming that building. I hope we are not too late."

"We are the old guys. We are never late!" Nova declared. “We arrive exactly when we are needed!”

Nova ran out, unleashing a torrent of lead as he moved to his next cover. Soarin went to another location as he moved out, also shooting. Shielded Vengeance wasn't far behind, blasting away with what now felt like Artillery cannons compared to theirs.

They met one last time before they made the official move on the Wonderbolt Barracks. Teams were shooting at their location and protecting the building from the incoming treo.

Soarin was on point and peaked out quickly. His head snapped back around and the bullets barely missed. "They have two teams high and on the side, strapping on breaching charges for the second floor."

Shielded Vengeance gave the orders. "You two knock them off with your accuracy, I'll blast us a hole!"

The three old farts jumped out and unleashed a carelessness in battle only seen by the old veterans who felt like it was just another countless training. And if they died, they were not that far from being dead. The only one with something real to lose was Shielded Vengeance, whose wife was nervously residing in Wind Hamlet as this entire Civil War played out.

Nova killed a team about to set off a breaching charge on the wall that was Shadow Flare's and Cardinal Spitfire. Soarin destroyed the team trying to set charges on the far corner. Shielded Vengeance pounded the opening to the Wonderbolts Barracks, clearing the way.

They didn't have to coordinate as they instinctively read each other and sprinted across the open terrain. It was clear with no troops moving in on the Wonderbolt Barracks. Soarin went around the side to clear the back from anypony else trying to breach it. Shielded Vengeance was taking up the rear.

As Nova slid up to the door a grenade was popped out from the other side of the wall. Shielded Vengeance was on it. He didn't even break stride as he approached the building. He punted the grenade, the power armor giving it the extra umf it needed to go far enough to not hit them with shrapnel when it exploded.

It put him on the other side of the door because he couldn't stop in time. It worked to their advantage as they flanked it. Only for a minute. Soarin slid up next to Shielded Vengeance after lapping the building.

Nova nodded and stepped out into the door. He unloaded his entire clip in two seconds, the bass tinkled on the ground longer than he shot. Nova rolled back out of the way as the retaliation shots ripped through the open door.

"What the fuck was that?" Soarin asked. "I saw you shoot before, but that was your entire magazine! A fresh one!"

Shielded Vengeance blasted the inside with a solid sweep from the other angle.

"Oh this baby?" Nova asked. "Found her in a wartime outpost. South of Las Pegasus, groundside. It's where we found some real gems like Golden Dawn's gun. This baby was locked up tight, but not tight enough to stop us. She has magic. She can hit 1200 rounds per minute, and accurate out to 900 meters."

"1200?" Shielded Vengeance asked. "How is she adjustable like that?"

"The speed and distance is chosen by me. It senses me. It also makes hitting targets easy. I used her at top speeds just fine."

"DAMN!" Soarin swore. "That was in LP? I needed that in my job. And I was a fucking general being deployed on a secret, high profile mission!"

Shielded Vengeance ducked in low, entering the Wondercolt Barracks. Nova hopped over him in the other direction. Soarin was in third.

Nova might have had the fastest gun, but he fought closer than the others. Nova didn't shy away from brutally destroying any of the black ops Pegasi. Soarin kept his distance, but picked that apart easily. Nothing stopped Shielded Vengeance's guns. He punched holes in the walls just to get to the targets behind them.

They moved to the stairs and realized above was worse than they thought. They tore up the steps without a second thought. Multiple soldiers were pushing at the hallway to the security room. They were too packed together to use their guns on what was holding them back. And too much for them to be shot without knowing what was on the far side.

“YO! BITCHES!” Nova called out over the noise. Only a few on the outside heard him. Nova started to storm over to them. “A pegasus with one wing is going to beat your asses!”

Soarin surged over to them as well. Shielded Vengeance shrugged and went in on the other side. That turned the attention to them.

Nova was completely unhinged. He fought with both hooves and his combat knife. He was skilled enough to knock out the combat knife from one enemy and lodge it into the next one. If it was black, Nova made it bleed. All while balancing with a single wing and stepping on the dead.

Nova sunk the combat knife into the neck of another enemy and pulled it out with his teeth. A jab came at him and he dodged. He stabbed at the enemy with the knife. It was skillfully knocked out of his teeth. They traded a few blows. And then it brought them closer, face to face.

“KOTO!” Nova shouted, surprised.

“NOVA!” Koto shouted back at the same time.

They looked around and it was just bodies and the four of them. Nova wasn’t the only one whose heart stopped beating as he surveyed the carnage.

“Where the hell are the others!” Nova asked, pulling Koto into his face.

“Back in the office,” Koto squeaked. “You are kind of scaring me. I wasn’t scared until now.”

“Just you?” Nova asked, letting him go.

Koto sighed and staggered back to lean against the wall. Except he fell onto the floor, sitting on a body as his own gave out. “Ensign Aegis Blade is in here somewhere. Chiha is with the Council, locked behind the door. I’m not sure how she is doing. She got hurt, badly. The Fourth Councilor is alive. I think. But the rest stayed out of the fight.”

“I’ll go,” Shielded Vengeance said after a moment of silence.

Shielded Vengeance knocked on the door. “This is Equestrian Pegasus Military Strategist General Shielded Vengeance. Is anypony alive in here?”

After a minute of silence a knock came back. “Who?”

“General Shielded Vengeance. Equestrian Pegasus Military. Strategist. I’m with General Soarin and General Nova. Koto is here too. Alive.”

“You guys are alive?” The Chief Councilor yelled through the door. “You guys left your room!”

“Fuck yeah we did!” Shielded Vengeance chuckled.

“Three combat veterans tearing it up again,” Soarin yelled.

“That was my first time in real combat,” Shielded Vengeance said. “My first time killing too.”

“Damn,” Soarin swore. “You’re good. You are fearless. Wait! Nova, you led us into battle, knowing he was green?”

Nova shrugged as he pulled the hood off a pegasus he had killed. “I knew he would be fine. He is a Wonderbolt. I trusted him. Besides, he had the big guns. Damn, we tore this place up.”

Chiha unlocked the door. Shielded Vengeance backpedaled as Chiha advanced with her broken bayonet. She lowered it when he hit the wall and saw that the area was clear.

“Forgive me,” Chiha said. “It was a bad fight. They were a tough blight. I enjoy a good smite, but they were a terrible plight.”

“How are you?” Shielded Vengeance asked. “You advanced on me well.”

“Then I hid the wounds sufficiently believing there was still a fight. To die an honorable death is my right. I would not back down or quiver. I will always make them shiver.”

Chiha’s body gave out there. She dropped like a sack of potatoes, unable to catch herself. Shielded Vengeance dropped down by her side. She had passed out.

"She is fine," The Seventh Councilor said. "She took some bullets, but with a body like hers, she will walk out of it easily. She is exhausted. She even broke her bayonet."

"That sounded perverted," The Sixth Councilor said, unnerved.

"Sorry," The Seventh Councilor sighed. "I meant as I patched her up, I could tell how physically fit she was. Her body is incredibly healthy and she will come out of the few hits she took a lot easier than most."

"We are fine too," The Third Councilor added.

"Sorry," Shielded Vengeance said, not getting up. "When you meet in a tense situation and almost get impaled by a friend like that, well your attention focuses on your ally at your hooves.

"How are you, Fourth Councilor Sir?"

"I took a bullet, but I'm fine." He snorted. "Actually, I had fun. I haven't gotten in a scrap in, well it's been a long time since my last physical altercation. Never a gunfight, or battle. It was good. I am a better councilor from it. Also, I am pissed off even more at them. I now vote for a peaceful existence with below."

Nova made a chillingly declaration. "I am going to war. Not just here. I mean war. Three of these idiots have 61st tattoos."

"61st?" The Chief Councilor asked. "They are a regular combat unit, right?"

"Yeah, but with an officer who is like my Honey Bee. To equate it to Shadow Flare. An evil, jealous bastard who tried to push me down and sabetouge me. Or to put it bluntly, I got into the only slot Scout had and he didn't. And he resented me for it. He swore to become one."

"Nova," Soarin said, concerned. "You can't fly. How are you going to go to war?"

Nova growled. "With one of their cloaks and…well I just need to get on base. Then I can find and kill him. General Star Facet must pay for his crimes here tonight."

"Yes, General," Koto said, putting his com back in. "Yes, we are fine. Most of us. Council is safe. Medic with full supplies could be used. Soarin, Nova, and Shielded Vengeance are here. They just saved our asses."

Koto pulled the com out and looked around. "Ensign Aegis Blade is in here somewhere. A damn find officer. More than a lowly ensign. A real Wonderbolt. Old or new, a Wonderbolt's job is to protect and serve. Service might be limited in the Enclave, but you were serving as best as you could. That point can never be forgotten."

"You are correct there," Soarin said. "I protected and served Princess Celestia and then Princess Luna. I protected Equestria as best as we could. Fuck. Until the clouds were gone, the sky was the only thing worth protecting."

"Thanks," Shielded Vengeance snorted. "Battle makes you think. I saw nothing but an amazing legacy and fighter. I saw all Wonderbolt."

"Ha!" Soarin laughed. "You looked spot on yourself. I am glad to have pegasi like yourself and Ensign Aegis Blade wearing our symbol. And of course, the others like Firestorm, Marble Falls, Cardinal Spitfire, and the rest I have met."

"MEDIC COMING IN!" Sunset Fury yelled. "Two of us!"

Sunset Fury checked out Chiha first, since she was still passed out. The Seventh Councilor had done impressive work with the small med kit that was in the room. The Fourth Councilor was given pain Meds, but it was a clean through and through hit in his front right leg, near his shoulder. Koto was fading in and out of consciousness. They got an IV started and began to try to organize help to move him to the clinic. The final pockets of resistance were making that difficult.

Their coms finally lit up with a real order. "This is Commander Simi. At this point, I may be in charge of our actions due to injuries. Move the prisoners to Jade Spring Hall's main room. I need six to chime in and assist moving several injured at the Wonderbolt Barracks. The Council is safe. I repeat, the Council is safe."

Shielded Vengeance wanted more information. "Simi, this is General Shielded Vengeance. You are in charge. But what is the immediate damage?"

"Against the odds, multiple injuries. Several dead. Misty Thunder landed hard, but up here. Her hooves didn't catch her after she carved the skies up. Firestorm was hit, and ironically, treated in the clinic. She is there now.

"I'm looking at 20 prisoners of war, that are not on the ground, half dead. We have a total of 4 medics. You have two of them, the clinic has the third, and the fourth is somewhere helping us.

"They have direct orders that we come first. We can heal the enemy second. It's a tough moral line, but with our limited numbers and compromised situation, they have been ordered to place our lives above any other life. No matter how bad the injury. I'll take that choice on my head. War sucks and they hit us first. We-"

"Simi," Soarin interrupted. "Yes, it is a tough moral line. But you made the right call. We need every one of us alive. The medical field recognizes the right to choose your soldiers over the enemy when it comes to healing wounds in battle."

"Your soldiers are also really good at battle aid,” Simi added. “You know how to patch up a bullet wound in the heat of battle. It's saved lives today."

"That credit goes to Colonel Olive Pit," Shielded Vengeance said. "I am no longer angry how he was able to twist my wing into teaching the ACB members advanced first aid, suitable for our silver wings."

The soldiers arrived and began to move Koto and Chiha to the clinic. The Fourth Councilor walked with them, flanked by the last two, just in case.

"Shit," Nova swore.

They had forgotten about him because he had gotten quite and they were listening to reports. He had found Ensign Aegis Blade. He had also found a journal in his bag. It had a few holes in it from the fight. He read them last entry.

I started this log because I was concerned about the direction we were going. I respect Colonel Cardinal Spitfire, and I can see the love, devotion, and passion in her eyes when it comes to Command Sergeant Major Shadow Flare. But I don't share that same belief in him or that peace is the right option. But I can't deny what they present. Which is why I was left behind at Fort Wind to guard the Council. They needed more trustworthy soldiers, and I might hesitate in combat when I should not or do not want to.

My family, and my friends, and their family, all of them are on the other side. The secret phone call I made wasn't just a breach in protocol, but worse, they lost their pride in me. The argument was written down in the pages before.

I am glad that I am guarding the Council. As I write, enemy soldiers are almost upon us. And it comes down to me and two others to protect them. I know my duty, it has never changed. And I can attest to the traitorous actions the others took. I will give it all for the Council as I have sworn to do if need be. And I could die at peace with myself. And with my family despite what they believe.

I wish this battle was alongside other Wonderbolts. The Zebras are amazing warriors, but it isn't the same. The others are needed elsewhere. I may be an ensign, and I may have been on guard duty when the alarm was sounded, and they may only need me and the two Zebras since we are locked down tight, but I am still guarding the Council for a reason.

I am trusted here. And that feels good.

For what may be my last thoughts, Ensign Aegis Blade, Equestrian Pegasus Military - Wonderbolt Squad 19

"Damn," The Chief Councilor swore. "I knew he loved being our direct guard. I knew he was a bit starry-eyed. I wish I had understood his devotion more. I am going to shower him with every honor and praise we can."

"You will read it," Nova said. He was quite and monotone, but his enthusiasm was evident despite the sadness that was eclipsing it. "You will read it while we tape it. And you will tell the Enclave what has just transpired. Tell them that they attacked Fort Wind. Force every new station to cover it. Let them know where you have been and why you had to be brought here, just like the backup plan was."

"I will prepare a short segment," The Chief Councilor said. "Generals, Fifth, please. Let us adjourn to briefly decide what important awards we can give him to show that with the announcement."

"Order of the Wings," Shielded Vengeance stated. "Give him the Order of the Wings. He exhibited all the qualifications, despite his confliction. It is the fact that his confliction never got in the way of his clear duty that he proved he qualified for the Order."

"That may water it down," Nova said. "Usually it is higher service than that. And more. Not that I don't think he deserves it."

"What is one in eight hundred?" Shielded Vengeance asked. "It is a small one, but one where we can see his direct actions. Few soldiers of his rank ever get to perform such actions so close to the upper brass. And without trying to impress them."

Simi yelled that he was coming up. It took him longer than planned because of the bodies. He ignored the questions he wanted to ask.

"Full report," Simi announced. "Two Wonderbolts under Firestorm died. 11 ACU soldiers died under me. 2 ACU soldiers died under Misty Thunder. 4 Wonderbolts are injured, ignoring Firestorm. 22 ACU soldiers injured under me. No injuries under Misty Thunder.

"I am unharmed, but all three of the Zebras under me are injured in some capacity. Gunmetal held off a breach at the Quartermaster cage and is unharmed. And we lost no members of Unit 0.

"We are exhausted and barely on our feet because of the rude awakening. Sailors are disembarking to begin clean up. More support is coming from Headquarters, including medical.

"I have designated most personnel to rest up for a few hours. We don't need them trying to move bodies. At least, not right now. We can do that after they get some rest. And yes, we will catalog the dead for identification."

"And how are you holding up?" the Chief Councilor asked.

"I am surprisingly pissed off that I escaped unharmed. I feel like I failed in my duty because I came out unscathed. But I was at the front of the line the entire time. I never backed down. I never hesitated or hid. But I still feel a little shame. That is new. I am a seasoned veteran."

"We needed somepony alive to lead us," Shielded Vengeance said. "Nova is trying to plot his revenge. Our revenge. And Soarin isn't as up to date as you are. Shadow Flare was able to groom you for this.

"Soarin and I will stay with the Council and guard them. Nova too."

"Understood, Sir," Simi said. He saluted with his wing and departed.

Simi had given up his cloud walking talisman for the unicorns to use during the heist that was happening. It was safe on the Squad Barracks because of the way it was constructed. The suspended grass and dirt didn't require him to be a Pegasus. But the ones who had given theirs up and stayed back at Fort Wind had their wing talismans on.

"Are we certain he should be in charge?" The Third Councilor asked. "No disrespect to him. But you, General, are much more qualified."

"That I am," Shielded Blade admitted. "But I am not a veteran of combat. I first killed only a few hours ago. And as fun as killing the bastards was, I am not prepared to lead clean up as my inner conflict rises. I killed my pegasi brothers. Not raiders. Not scum. But my own winged brethren. I need time to think."

"I want to kill him," Nova declared out loud, forgetting about the others. "He tried to steal what was precious and special about the Scouts, without authority and without the right training. He needs to pay for their deaths.

“No. Star Facet will pay for this.”

Chapter 146 - Black Widow's Revenge

Shadow’s next three targets were a mix. Two were retired military, an admiral and a general, and the third was a high end aristocrat. He had a list of each one’s crimes. Still, they were low enough that the Wonderbolts were not trying to kill them, only track them.

The stars were coming out as Shadow walked the streets, cloaked. New Cloudsdale was more than where the first big battle would happen. Shadow had a special target lined up. Tonight was that night if everything worked out correctly.

Shadow got to the first housing complex. The tenth floor was the target’s home. It was way too easy to get in and to a rear access stairwell.

Shadow unlocked the door and slipped in. Only a single lamp was on. Shadow pulled his cloak off and poked around. The apartment was home to General Scribbles, but he wasn’t home. Shadow heard a key enter the lock on the door. He walked back into the living room.

“Ah! You are here,” General Scribble said. “Although, how did you get in here? Oh well. It doesn’t matter. A bit early is better than a bit late.”

Shadow wasn’t sure what was happening, but he was now Black Widow. He had to respond how she would. The door opened and a young mare entered.

She immediately apologized. “I am sorry I am late.”

General Scribble was confused as he stood in between them. He looked Black Widow over and then looked the mare over. She was in a big cloak and a wide brimmed hat with a decorative scarf.

“I didn’t realize this was a double session,” The mare said, popping her hat and tossed her coat onto the chair. She was only wearing lingerie and a collar around her neck, with a small envelope charm dangling off it. “I haven’t ever done that before. But as long as you are paying the extra...I guess...”

“I only ordered one,” General Scribble slowly said, focusing on Black Widow.

Shadow’s heart began to burn. He was looking at a mare, who was being paid to “service” an elite in the Grand Pegasus Enclave. There was nothing grand about that. And all he could think of was the “what if” of one of his sisters being that mare. He knew that the mare was at the very least somebody's daughter. And that wouldn’t stand. He wouldn’t let it stand. The Lux was burned for that crime. He would stop it as well.

But he was Black Widow, not Shadow. Black Widow was aloof, cold, true to justice but ready to burn to cleanse the area. Black Widow forged the chains that bound Equestria together through blood.

Black Widow snorted. “Ordered?”

“And just who are you?” General Scribble demanded, pointing his hoof at her. “Are you a robber? Do you think you can get away with that now that the clouds are gone.”

Black Widow shook her head. “I have business with you, General Scribble. I had no idea you are stooping so low as to hire mares for pleasure. The way I had heard it, about the great Grand Pegasus Enclave, they are so perfect they don’t need prostitutes. They don’t need them because things are perfect and they don’t allow them, either.”

General Scribble snorted while the mare lost all the color in her orange cheeks. “How we do things isn’t of your concern. What are you, a banished pegasus who can’t show her face? Or worse, a ghoul?”

“Neither,” Black Widow replied stoically. “But I will spare you the pain of seeing my face.”

Black Widow pulled her cloak back and showed her wingless back.

“I am Black Widow!” she declared. “I was chosen by Equestria to burn the wasteland with a righteous fire. To prepare it for the Light Bringer. I slaughtered hundreds of evil ponies whose desire was to cause pain and misery. Who tortured and oppressed ponies. I then had to wait years for the clouds to become available. And now that I have ascended, I am here for the same scum I was freeing the wasteland from. Scum like you.”

“Why you!” General Scribble yelled starting to move to strike Black Widow.

Kifo Herixleta was at his throat before he could get anywhere. “I wiped out plenty of scum who used mares for one thing, sex. I also wiped out the ones selling them. Who is that Pegasus?”

“You won’t be able to catch him,” General Scribble grinned. “Get out while you have the chance. There is no running or hiding from our law. Not for long that is. I’ll be kind and not report your presence for a few hours.”

Black Widow addressed the mare. “Have things gotten so bad up here that you have to sell your body?”

“It has gotten tight,” she said, nervously standing there. “I can barely make what I need and my parents haven’t worked since the clouds disappeared.”

“I’m sorry,” Black Widow said. “I couldn’t come any sooner than I did.”

With a simple roll of her hoof which flicked the blade with great speed, Kifo Herixleta decapitated the general.

“Who is the one he bought you from?” Black Widow asked. “The truth. Money might be tight, but I won’t allow for the sale of a mare’s body. Or a stallion’s. That is the worst type of slavery.”

The mare told him about Delivery and his services. The collar she wore was a sign of who she belonged to. She gave Black Widow as good of directions as she could. She believed he didn’t know how to navigate the city. Shadow had a map on hoof and had committed a good chunk to memory. Years in the field mapping had kept his skills sharp. Even in an urban environment.

Delivery would be Shadow’s fourth target. He was furthest away, and he wasn’t known by the Wonderbolts. It would show Shadow’s skill to find scum on his own. And he wanted to make that death as public as possible.

“I usually have to kill all of who see me,” Black Widow declared. “Usually. But not you so long as you do not report me to Delivery or speak about me until the sun rises. Then, tell everypony that I, Black Widow, have finally arrived to clean the scum out of the Grand Pegasus Enclave. You are my messenger in exchange for your freedom.”

Black Widow began to leave but stopped at the door. On the small table by the front door was a small sack with a dollar sign on it. Most likely it was her payment.

“I believe that he had your payment by the door,” Black Widow said. “Take it for your troubles. I have no idea what will happen to the Pegasus Race after I am done. I am not the only agent in play. Take it to take care of your family. That is what matters.”

Black Widow was out of the apartment and cloak on before she could react. Retired General Scribble’s sentence was taped to the door, right before she opened it. Shadow back away slowly as she tried to spy him, but the cloak did its job. And she didn’t make a fuss. She was embarrassed she had to go so far to bring in money.

The next target was an aristocrat named Wind Shear. He had been at the top of the Weather Factory for years as their head mixologist. He had concocted the very storm which Deke saved the South Cloudsdale District from. That was just one of his crimes. The others included social and political crimes that harmed peaceful pegasi and worked to keep the gap between the upper elites and the regular pegasi as wide as possible. He did all he could to step on the little guys like they were a red carpet rolled out for him. And he had a wife who reaped the benefits without a second thought.

Their penthouse was on the 58th floor of the premier housing cloudscraper. I was the second tallest building in New Cloudsdale. Getting inside past the security was not going to be easy. Shadow slipped into the side alley and slipped out of his suit. It left him in one of his old flight suits. But it was a military uniform with visible rank on his shoulder. Shadow quickly attached several devices to his chest to cover himself and make the uniform look proper. He took off, heading for the roof.

The moon was bright but it was still night. He got to the roof quickly. He pulled of the military devices, since he had made it to the roof without being seen, and put on the Black Widow costume again. He once more was Black Widow. It felt right. Better than it had below.

The stairs were easy enough to break into. Kifo Herixleta sliced through the lock with ease. It was an electric lock. But that also left him less time. Guards would be responding to the breach. Even cloaked, he didn’t want to play that dance.

Shadow got to the 68th floor and found the elevator empty. He stepped in and hit every button to go down. At worst it would look like a prank. He stepped off on the 58th floor. There were only 4 penthouses on the 58th floor.

Shadow walked up to the proper door and twisted the knob. It opened with ease and without a squeak. Inside was not just clean, it was perfect. And not just how it looked. The symmetry was outstanding. Which meant the door didn’t squeak because it too, had to be perfect.

The lights were on, but the noise led him to the bedroom. Shadow saw something he never wanted to see. Wind Shear, his wife, and a third, young, mare were in bed together. The mare’s lingerie had mostly been stripped off, but Shadow could see the same collar around her neck as the previous mare.

Shadow had seen enthusiasm and love. Not just from Cardinal Spitfire, but from ponies and Zebras. But that mare knew what she was, property to be bought and used before it was returned.

Shadow uncloaked and surged forward. The wife was left with a gash from her flank to neck. Kifo Herixleta was flicked around where Shadow plunged it straight down into the heart of Wind Shear. He iced the blade over, freeze and cracking Wind Shear’s heart.

Shadow heard something hit the floor and looked behind him. The mare had backpedaled off the bed where she had fallen and then continued to scrambled backwards until she hit the wall. The fear was evident in her eyes.

Shadow wanted to comfort her, but Black Widow didn’t comfort ponies. Her words were cold “Are all the upper class free to use the commoner’s bodies for themselves?”

“We-we-we” She stuttered and swallowed the lump in her throat. “We need the money. I was left with no option. I’m just trying to care for my family. My husband died below. I had to come up with money somehow.”

“Below? As in just now?”

She just nodded in fear.

Black Widow growled. “All I have heard about the Grand Pegasus Enclave was how perfect and good it was. How things like this never happened. How bodies were not sold like they were below. By the charm on your neck, I believe you are owned by Delivery?”

She just nodded, despite having lost some of her fear. Black Widow got the information about where Delivery was. It matched what the first mare had told him. It felt wrong pulling it out of her because of her trauma, but he had no choice. He wasn’t there to play nice. She got her life. That was the prize.

“I normally have to kill all who see me,” Black Widow said. “But you, I can’t. I have a soft spot for those forced into sexual slavery. Besides, that was below, where things are different enough. But do not cross me. Do not speak of me until the sun has risen. And as you leave, tape this sheet of their crimes to the front door, so that all may know what they are guilty of. If you know where your payment is, take it. I know not what is to come after this evil falls.”

Shadow left her the verdict and exited. As he left the front door, he saw the guards at the next door over, talking to the resident. They all looked directly at him. There was no time to cloak.

Shadow bolted to the stairs. Despite his size, he outpaced them with ease and got to the stairs a good ten seconds before they could. He went up two flights and then opened the 60th floor door. Loudly. He flipped his cloak on and started to ease his way up the stairs. They fell for the misdirection and once the stairwell door closed, Shadow could freely make his way to the roof.

Shadow got behind an air conditioning unit and got into the flight suit. He pinned on the military devices and took off. He cruised smoothly down towards a group of civilian housing in the direction of his third target. He dropped into an alley and, after checking that nopony was watching, he changed into Black Widow again.

Black Widow had just made a direct splash. More than he wanted, but by morning it would be all over the news. Exactly how he needed it.

The night was still young as Shadow got to the third house. Again, it was upper class housing. Unlike the last place, it was only 4 stories and unguarded. Shadow made it to the room without any problems.

The door was also unlocked. Shadow slipped in and took stock of the situation. The lights were down low and the only noise was coming from the bedroom. Retired Admiral Ripple’s wife had died a few years back. Shadow sighed and braced for what he might see.

An extremely scared mare was strapped down tightly across the bed, gagged to keep her from screaming too loudly. She couldn’t be more than a filly from what Shadow could judge. Everything was out in the open. The only thing she wore was a collar with an envelope charm on it.

Her tears did not deter the admiral in his quest for her body. He had ordered her, and now it was time for him to feast. And he had been feasting for a few hours by the look of things.

Shadow didn’t draw Kifo Herixleta. He surged across the room to the bed without making a sound. The blow was more of a shove and it knocked the Admiral off the mare and off the bed.

He turned to see Black Widow standing on the bed above him. He stood up and backed up a bit.

“Who are you!”

“I am Black Widow. I have come to answer the cries of the pegasi who you have destroyed for your own gain. And worse, I find you forcing yourself on a filly. The physical abuse on top of the sexual is plain for all to see.”

“Ha!” he laughed once. “I heard of you. You are nothing but a shadow who won’t stand and fight.”

“I am the sword Justice wields. You do not see me coming and I cut down all in my path.”

Black Widow drew Kifo Herixleta and lit her ablaze as she twirled it for effect. Black Widow sheathed the sword.

“I normally would kill you with the sword and keep things simple, but I have time for you."

"Excuse me?" Admiral Ripple asked.

"I mean this is hoof work, but blade work. Well, actually, it's rope work."

Black Widow ducked low, fainting moving in. Instead she pivoted and bucked him in his chest as he tried to counter the move that wasn't coming. It threw him back against the wall where he slumped down, out of breath. Black Widow choked him out to ease things.

She turned back to the still crying mare on the bed. She undid her closest foreleg first and the mare scrambled to try and get the others undone.

"Easy," Black Widow said softly while she worked to free the same side's leg. "It's going to take more than blind groping to get it off. It's not meant for you to take off. That is the ugly reality of such a vice."

She got her hoof free as Black Widow undid her other leg. She grabbed at the blankets to cover herself and then tried to run. Black Widow grabbed her and hugged her.

"Shhh," She cooed, remembering how Her family would sooth Dream Catcher as a foal. "It's okay. You are free. But if you try and run you will just end up face planting on the floor."

The filly gave out and melted into her arms. After a bit Black Widow set her on the edge of the bed.

"I understand that this option is a new one, and that times are desperate with the clouds gone, but this isn't the answer. Sadly, you just learned the hard way."

"Does sex ever get better?" She asked. "Real sex. Not what he was doing."

"With the right one, it does. I know of a mare or two below who were once enslaved to a group that specialized in the vices. Drink, gambling, drugs, and the use of the mare and stallion body for both displayed pleasure and carnal desires. Bondage was something many enjoyed using when they purchased them for the hour or two. Or evening. Those mares had nowhere to go in a sea of ashes that would consume them.

"But that mare escaped, with my help, and she went on to eventually have a few foals and a spouse who understood and cared for her like it didn't happen. The past can be healed. I won't say it is easy, but it can be."

"And what are you going to do to him?" She asked.

"It is my job to clean up the clouds. I am going to sentence him for the list of crimes I have for him. I will be adding this, incident, to his list."

Black Widow got up and found the Admiral's desk. It was easy to make a sign to hang around his neck when she tossed him off the building and hanged him. It said: "Filly Fucker."

The young mare hadn't moved. Black Widow searched the Admiral's bag of "toys" and found more silk binding rope than he had expected to find.

Time was ticking. It was already 0057. The extra time cleaning up Delivery would make his special target a hard one to hit that night. Another day wouldn't matter as he killed the even greater atrocity.

Shadow couldn’t tie a proper noose with the silk rope. He just tied it off around his neck in an unyielding bowline knot and fixed it on his neck. Shadow rolled the unconscious Admiral on his back and moved him to the roof. It was late enough that nopony spotted him.

He tied it off to some pipe that was on top of the roof and near the entrance. Shadow did the dirty work, not leaving it to chance, and snapped his neck. He put Admiral Ripple on the edge, pinned his sentence on his chest and put the large sign around his neck. He kicked him off so that he was dangling in the center of the building. He wasn’t that far down, but he would be noticed.

It was off to his last target: Delivery. It may or may not be his real name, but it was who he was after. The sentence was what mattered. Cleaning up the sky was what mattered. Fixing his home was the goal.

The address for Delivery was in the lower end of New Cloudsdale’s economic living situation. It wasn’t a slum, but it was lower end housing. He did have a balcony. Shadow could see it from the street. Getting up to the fourth floor was easy.

The door was unlocked. And inside was abuzz with activity. A dozen mares were standing around in coats and clothing, hats, and scarves to cover their lingerie and especially their collars. There was a mare at a table talking to a stallion. He didn’t belong in such a low income house with what he was wearing. She was dropping off the full payment so he could record it and then give her her cut. He had her strip to her lingerie and do a full turn, inspecting her before he paid her.

None of that would stand. Shadow uncloaked without them noticing and walked right up to the table. That they noticed, but none of them knew who he was.

“Are you here for an interview?” Delivery asked. “It is late, but I could squeeze you in. Or you could me.”

Shadow rolled his eyes under his helmet. “I am Black Widow, and I am here for you.”

“I only do that in interviews,” Delivery said, leaning back. “But I like the name. Now off with everything so I can get a look at what I will be working with. I understand the discretion.”

“You misunderstand,” Black Widow said calmly. “I am here for you. That book in front of you is enough proof I need. You are destroying this cloud city with your little ‘job’.”

Delivery snorted. He pulled out a gun from under the table and put it down on the table. “Vigilante? I would turn around and rethink your life choices.”

Black Widow laughed. “You don’t seem to understand. I was called by Equestria to here. I was called to clean up the clouds and reforge the chains that would bring her together. And you are one of those Pegasi who are ripping the sky apart with your slavery and selling of a pegasi’s body.”

Delivery reached for the gun but Black Widow lunged up onto the table, planting her hoof on his forehead and pushing him back. He tipped over backwards in the chair. He found Black Widow over him and she pounded his head multiple times until he was left drooling blood and dazed.

Black Widow looked back at the stunned mares. “Go! You don’t want to see this. Take your money and go. I know things are tough, but this isn’t the answer. I already rescued two mares who were beaten and abused by the ones who bought them. One was a filly. He doesn’t care about you. Only if you can make money off you!”

They didn’t need to be told twice to scramble. Shadow looked at the idiot beneath him. He had one idea of what to do to him. He scrounged around and found a cache of the collars he put on the mares. Shadow attached one to his neck. At the last moment, he pocketed another collar for a keepsake. Just like the gold Lux chip, this was going to be one of those reminders of a key, important moment in his life.

He then wrote on a spare piece of paper: I sell fillies and colts to the highest bidder for the night. With those in his bag, he tossed Delivery on his back and took him to a Law Enforcement office he had passed on his way there. It wasn’t far.

Black Widow openly dropped him on the doorstep, looked at the camera directly for a good 30 seconds, drew his bayonet and sliced open Delivery’s neck. With that, Black Widow walked around the corner and cloaked out of sight. It was a good way to really make a splash.

Shadow looked at the time. 0142. He was tired, but he had the time to pull off the last one. Black Widow was a convenient cover. He was going to publicly kill Honey Bee’s retired father, Retired Vice Admiral Killer Clover. Honey Bee was his third child. The props of being from an aristocratic family. They got to have more foals “for the betterment of the Grand Pegasus Enclave.”

The Clove family's estate was in the west part of New Cloudsdale. They had a big house with plenty of space, including its own gardens and suspended dirt, grass, and even stones. Two fountains were at the front entrance.

Getting inside the house took nothing. They obviously believed they were invincible. The locks were easy to turn with the cloud key. Shadow stalked through the house, cloaked. He found more than just the retired admiral. His wife was peacefully sleeping beside him and their daughter in law was sleeping in another room, with her infant foal.

There was no denying what had to be done. The Clove line had to be cut off as much as possible. It was their fault for the crimes they had committed. There was a long list, more than what his son had done to Shadow and the Inquisitors. They sat in a position of power, in a society that was supposed to be an equal opportunity state. They wasted food resources, had all kinds of perks like no restrictions on foals, and being grossly overpaid for just existing. And they were dead set against several other families and caused problems with them, in the hopes of causing them to implode so the Clove Line could gain more power.

Shadow first stepped into the foals room and over to the crib. He iced over Kifo Herixleta. He was going to make it fast and painless for the sleeping babe. Right as he went to plunge the blade into the child, he froze.

The last time he had killed young and old, it was out of confused anger. He was battling with himself. And a good part of that battle was over the things he had done.

But this wasn't like the times before. Now he was fighting for his home. Now he was fighting for the sky. Sad as it was, this foal was from a lineage that had killed, murdered, backstabbed, betrayed, and more to their fellow pegasi. This baby would bear the consequences of the sins of their father, and their father's father, and all the generations since the Enclave rose to power, and maybe even earlier than that.

Shadow took a deep breath in and channeled Black Widow. He forced himself to look at this situation as she would. She went to the extreme at times. And such was this.

He moved the blade so it was between the bars of the crib. With one easy move he sliced down, decapitating the foal with ease. It was the best he could do. It died in peace.

The rest of the family was easy. The mother died without trouble, a simple thrust silenced her forever. The same for Killer Clover's wife who shared his bed.

Black Widow made things easier for herself. She choked out Killer Clover before he could react. Then she pulled out her materials. She hadn’t come prepared for the others like she had him. She gagged him and then hogtied him. She had everything ready for this public execution.

Shadow got him on his back and he headed out. This time he didn’t use Mwokozi’s cloak. He used a StealthBuck. The cloak wouldn’t cover everything as he flew. The StealthBuck would.

They got to the Cloudsdale Monument and Shadow got him onto the roof of the actual monument. By mid morning, it would be bustling with activity. Exactly what Black Widow needed to make a point.

Shadow tied a noose around Killer Clove’s neck. He kept him hogtied and didn’t bother to choke him out once he woke up. He let the fear seep in. As the sun rose and the pegasi began to visit, Shadow moved back into Black Widow mode and prepared for the address.

Black Widow kicked Killer Clover to the edge and stood there for a minute. It caught some attention, but not enough. Now came the moment for the speech.

“PEGASI OF THE SKY, MY NAME IS BLACK WIDOW! I HAVE BEEN SENT BY EQUESTRIA TO CLEANSE THE WASTELAND. NOW, AFTER CLEANING UP IT, I HAVE COME HERE. I AM HERE TO JUDGE THOSE WHO FIGHT TO OPPRESS YOU. I AM HERE TO STOP THOSE WHO WANT TO RIP OUR WORLD APART AND BRING ONLY MORE STRIFE AND PAIN! I AM HERE TO MEND EQUESTRIA, AND YOU ARE EQUESTRIAN PONIES!”

“Get down here!” a Law Enforcement officer yelled. They were keeping the crowd back as best as they could.

“I WILL COME DOWN AFTER I GIVE THIS PEGASI’S SENTENCE. THIS IS RETIRED ADMIRAL KILLER CLOVE, THE HEAD OF THE EVIL CLOVER LINE. THEY HAVE HURT, BACKSTABBED, PUNISHED, OPPRESSED, AND MORE AGAINST YOU AND YOUR WINGED BRETHREN.

“WHILE I CAME HERE TO JUDGE THE GRAND PEGASUS ENCLAVE. I DID COME LOOKING FOR HIM. WHY? BECAUSE I FOUND THE PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY. I FOUND THE KILL ORDERS HE AND HIS SON GAVE THE INQUISITORS, AND THEN THE KILL ORDERS HE GAVE FOR THE INQUISITORS! I THOUGHT THEY DIED, BUT TWO SURVIVED. IT STILL DOESN’T STOP THE FACT THAT HE PERSONALLY, KNOWINGLY ORDERED THE DEATHS OF OVER 40 PEGASI! BOTH CIVILIANS AND SOLDIERS UNDER HIS COMMAND. THEY WERE DEFENSELESS, AND THE SOLDIERS WERE BLINDSIDED, UNKNOWING THE REAL TRUTH BEHIND THE ORDERS. THEY WERE TOLD A LIE WHICH THEY HAD NO REASON NOT TO BELIEVE. AND THEY DIED FOR IT.

“THIS IS NOT PEGASUS YOU WANT TO LIVE AMONG YOU!”

Black Widow kicked the bound, but resisting, Killer Clove off the edge. He fell into the wide opening and then the rope ran out, snapping his neck. He swung back and forth in the opening.

The crowd was silent for a while. They were not expecting to see an execution. And yet, they were not able to leave. Black Widow was the hottest thing in the news, or would be. And they had just witnessed it.

Two Law Enforcement officers landed on the roof behind Black Widow. “Drop to the ground below! Slowly!”

Black Widow stood there for a moment. Then she flipped forward, doing three full rotations before landing. The crowd loved it, the Law Enforcement officers did not. They all had their guns trained on Black Widow.

“I HAVE MORE NEWS,” Black Widow declared. “BEHIND ME, IN THE MONUMENT, IS A PIECE OF THE CLOUD THAT THEY SAY CAME FROM CLOUDSDALE. IT’S NOT. THAT IS A LIE. THE DEATHS ARE TRUE. THEIR LIVES ARE A HORRIBLE LOSS, BUT THE JAR HOLDS NOTHING BUT LIES. LIES TWO CENTURIES OLD.”

Kifo Herixleta was thrown as Black Widow twisted around. The Blade flew through the air, right between the two unmoving guards, shattering the glass. That got the guards to move and storm to block her from behind. The blade was recalled to the band and Kifo Herixleta was quickly sheathed, looking like magic as best as Shadow could do.

“DON’T MOVE!” An officer order. “You are under arrest. We have order and laws up here. And you just publicly committed a murder. It was a murder because it wasn’t by a trial by our judges.”

“Do you actually think you can arrest me?” Black Widow asked. “I am the one sent by Equestria, foretold generations upon generations ago. I can’t be stopped. Better ponies have tried.”

“Hold it,” A mare said, pushing her way through the crowd. She was in a streamline uniform, lemon hair styled nicely over her lime green head. Behind her was a young stallion. “I think this is best handled by us.”

“Of course, Captain.”

“I have studied the wasteland. I assume then, Black Widow, for you to have made it up here to the Clouds, you have solved the Kifopiga conundrum?”

Shadow realized who he was talking to. He had only seen a photo, but he realized who it was. And that meant he had to play it carefully. Lemon Lime was a solid member of Pony Patrol, the first Wonderbolt Squad Cardinal Spitfire was in. She hadn’t gone back to Fort Wind. Shadow didn’t know why she hadn’t. And that meant that the pony behind her was also a Wondercolt. A very dangerous situation might have arrived.

Shadow played it carefully. “Two toned was acquired. And so was the Rosemary dust.”

“That’s right,” she chuckled. “You can’t forget the rosemary dust. What was it, five pinches?”

“Four, but the original mix was five.”

“Did you have to remix it, or remove just a slice?”

“Remix, but then I did need to add a thin slice from the first mix into the second.”

“I see. But we still have a problem. I have to take you in. Our laws are clear, and you are on our clouds. I don’t think there is even a shadow of a chance you will come in peacefully?”

That was the key that Shadow needed to hear. It was a close dance full of hope, but this time, it is his certainty. “A shadow is all that there is. I can’t though. I have my job, my calling. I am-”

“I heard it all,” she interrupted. “Light, move back. You are not cut out for this.”

“Yes Ma’am,” Light said. “But I must ask, as your second, are you certain?”

“I haven’t trained you in this. You see, Black Widow is obviously trained in the close combat arts of the Zebras. You are not ready for that battle.”

“Very astute,” Black Widow said. As much as it was a praise, it was a cold warning.

“You will know what it is like to face a pegasus trained in hoof to hoof combat by one of the best Wonderbolts. That was a special treat.”

“I am sure it was,” Black Widow coldly replied. “But unlike your training, I have applied the science of martial arts honed over years of combat.”

“That’s why it’s just you and me,” she said. “I can report it to my friend, Cardinal, as to how well this goes. But Lemon Lime doesn’t go down easy.”

Black Widow jumped in throwing two quick strikes. Lemon Lime blocked them easily. She responded in kind. Black Widow easily blocked them and let herself be backed up a bit. It was the final piece of the puzzle. If she was actually trying to take Black Widow in, she wouldn’t have started with such a simple combination. It was a base form the Wonderbolt taught and used. The same base the Inquisitors learned.

Shadow ran a simple Zebra combination. It gave Lemon Lime a hard time, but it looked beautiful as Lemon Lime slipped out of the way of the windmill kick. Lemon Lime went in with a good combination. Black Widow dogged and rolled.

Since Shadow was low, he hit Lemon Lime’s shoulder. She tried to hit him there, but he leaned to the side so she missed. Shadow was mean. He used the band and rammed out Kifo Herixleta’s pommel into her ribs. Right between two of them.

But it wasn’t without merit. It set Shadow up for his exit. He began to do backflips out of the area. Black Widow’s cloak billowed out, making a spectacular show. The crowd parted to let him out. It gave him the exact moment he needed from the eyes of the law and landed, rolling so he could get Mwokozi’s cloak on him and disappear.

Behind him, a bunch of “oohs” and “awes,” and then a big round of cheers for the spectacle. They had put on a good, realistic show fight. And the crowd would remember that along with the mystical powers of Black Widow and the sentencing. The Wonderbolts looked good in their eyes too.

Shadow got back to the safehouse and hunkered down. He stashed the Black Widow costume in his gear and set the alarm. He needed the sleep.

Shadow woke up a few hours later, not by the alarm. He woke up as somepony came in. It wasn’t that they were loud, Shadow was just on edge. He popped his pistol holster on and walked out to meet them in his flight suit.

“I’m awake and in here,” Shadow groaned.

“Ah, the other occupant,” Lemon Lime said with a smile. “And it is Command Sergeant Major Shadow Flare. I thought that was the armor you were sent down in, but you were always out.”

“It’s a pain, mapping this city.”

“Why are you mapping it?” Light asked. “We already have a map.”

“I am mapping the strategic location and application of troops applied to the city.”

“What?” Light asked.

“I don’t know either of your names,” Shadow said. “Officially. I believe you are Lemon Lime from a photo of Pony Patrol I saw.”

“I’m Captain Lemon Lime, the lowest ranking member of the old Pony Patrol. But the head of Squad 56, the Total Eclipse. And this, this the only other surviving member, Lieutenant Commander Light Art.”

“Just you two?” Shadow asked.

“It was three of us in the Unit,” Lemon Lime explained. “So not too bad of a loss. But yeah, we lost one over you.”

“Damn,” Shadow swore. “I hate that. I’m sorry.”

“I hated him,” Lemon Lime stated. “He was the best in our business, but I hated him.”

“And that business is?” Shadow asked.

“Information. We are information gatherers on key players in the Enclave. Particularly New Cloudsdale.”

They stood there for a minute and then Shadow yawned.

“Killing 5 pegasi in a night is tough work,” Lemon Lime said, quietly.

“Huh?” Shadow asked.

“Does Cardinal know? Or Firestorm?”

“Know what?” Shadow asked.

“Damn it!” Light Bomb swore. “It wasn’t him. You said it was! That is why you let her go.”

“Keep the noise down,” Lemon Lime chastised.

“But!”

“Shut it,” Shadow growled. He grinned at Lemon Lime. “Thanks for that.”

“Bastard deserved it. But did you have to smash the glass?”

Shadow shrugged. “I hated the lie since I first saw it that week I was here with Cardinal. The day before we decided to date. And three days before we got married.”

“Damn, your marriage…” Lemon Lime said, shaking her head. “She stayed strong through it all over the years. I owe her a lot.” Lemon Lime snorted. “She taught me a lot.”

“She did a lot,” Shadow replied. “She saved me by marrying me. I never would have made it below without her being up here, waiting for me. And you guys, Pony Patrol. That saved my ass quite a few times.”

“Too bad it didn’t save more asses,” Lemon Lime sighed. “But what is up with this whole Black Widow thing?”

“Nopony up here knows this,” Shadow said. “Okay, one pony, and the Zebras.”

“I heard about them,” Lemon Lime added.

“Wait,” Shadow paused. “What has you Wonderbolts running around in those uniforms?”

“Oh our Law Enforcement uniforms? Just that. Our squad works quite closely with the Law Enforcement Division. We wear their uniforms to blend in. Now back to you.”

“Mtoaji is what they call me,” Shadow added. “Not just the Zebras, but a lot of ponies below know me as that. And that is wrapped up in everything. Let’s see...well I should just tell you the whole prophecy.

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

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

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

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

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

Lemon Lime thought for a moment. “Did it have to rhyme?”

“It was Zebra seers who foresaw it.”

“Did it also have to be Zebras?”

“I’m friends with Zebras,” Shadow shot back. “They have saved my ass...well only two have ever really saved my hide, a magician and a healer. The others I keep saving and training. But we are now a really good unit that fights cohesively. And now they are here making sure I get home. And have a home to stay at. Although they would love to have me stay with them. I saved their village and helped them grow. I also cleaned out the scum in their part of the safari.”

“It was an odd set of years for you, wasn’t it?” Lemon Lime asked.

“I was,” Shadow nodded with a chuckle. “But there were a lot of good times too. I did a lot of good work.”

“So,” Lemon Lime started, dragging it out. “Those medals you got while you were still in our wasteland. Was that you, or Black Widow?”

“About 50/50,” Shadow replied. “Firestorm asked me for a report on everything I did. It was a cursory overview of everything. So we don’t do specifics. At this point, what she doesn’t know wont hurt her.”

“That makes a lot of sense,” Lemon Lime said. “Do you expect those medals to hold up when she finds out?”

“Does she have to find out?” Shadow asked. “But seriously, no. I don’t. But they will. Because when this is done, she won’t care enough to retract it. Neither will the Council. They are going to owe Black Widow this war.”

“They barely survived an attack this morning,” Lemon Lime told Shadow. “A good chunk of the ACUs and Some of the Wonderbolts were injured. And deaths.”

“Three Wonderbolts,” Light Bomb said. “And 13 ACU soldiers lost. All in the defense of the Council. The Fourth Councilor sustained a gunshot wound, but he was also was shooting at the group storming them. It was a very close call.”

“I’ll make those bastards pay,” Shadow said. “As me.”

“They are out of Nellie,” Light Bomb added.

“I’ll get to them,” Shadow said. “First, here. Unless they need me to go. I could wipe them out.”

“You would,” Lemon Lime agreed. “But I am sure they are devising a better plan.”

“They probably are,” Shadow agreed. “I am trying to figure out the food distribution center.”

“Is Black Widow going to hit there?” Lemon Lime asked. “I just want to know to be able to properly screen the general.”

“Not sure,” Shadow shrugged. “I don’t know. We will see what I find. I was doing stuff at Mareland, so I haven’t fully switched gears.”

“Right,” Lemon Lime chuckled. “It was Black Widow who did all that damage. They won’t admit it. But word leaked out about something. And my sources said that it was a small mare in a black outfit and gas mask. Glowing eyes too.”

Shadow sighed. “I had to have those made special. A hard process. And then kill her to keep my identity sacred.”

“Really?” Light Bomb asked.

“Black Widow sucks,” Shadow nodded. “I hate her. But I had to wear something that would cover me so that I could go into towns and live. I didn’t come up with the name. Other ponies did. I wasn’t even aware they were thinking of a name.”

“You really hate her,” Lemon Lime said. “I can see it in your eyes.”

Shadow sat down on the couch. “I do. She does good. A lot of good. But there is a dark side to her. And there is no grey. There is only black and white. Just like my coat and mane.”

“Which was the sign,” Lemon Lime said. “And a big piece of meaning in your life and pride. And for a really good reason. But you are more white than black. And that is what is important. You saved lives. You had to have saved lives.”

Shadow snorted a laugh. “Oh yeah. I did. And I made some good friends despite it. I just have to remember the wisdom Xys taught me over the years about me and Black Widow. And the advice she gave me before coming here.

“I am not what I see myself as. My actions are tried and true. I look to build up wherever I am. I save what I can. When a fire sweeps through the savannah, it destroys much of what was there. But it left in its wake enriched soil that only helps things grow better.”

“Until the next fire,” Lemon Lime inserted.

“That is exactly her next point,” Shadow chuckled. “It goes on to talk about life, cycles, and living. I hate Black Widow, but she is a part of me. A key piece of doing the job Equestria called me to do. And I do love that job.”

“And you are doing it well,” Lemon Lime said. “You struck a key blow to the military. And you are helping strengthen the division between the citizens and the military. They may have stolen our name, but they won’t be able to hold onto the citizens for much longer.”

“It makes things easier,” Shadow said. “None of the ponies I care about are in the Grand Pegasus Enclave, and that is who Black Widow always had to go deal with. They will take the brunt of it for a reason.”

“Brunt?” Light Bomb asked. “Are you going to have to turn on the Equestrian Pegasus Military?”

“No, I won’t,” Shadow said. “But I might be addressing the Council at some point. As the ponies they are. A name change won’t fool her.”

A knock at the door made them jump. Shadow’s hoof immediately moved to his pistol. Light Bomb went to answer the door.

“General Blue Shield,” Light Bomb said. “Come in.”

“I’m sorry,” General Blue Shield said. “I know we said we would talk tomorrow morning, you had a long shift that started about midnight, but a few more things happened. Oh, I didn’t see you there.”

“Shadow Flare,” Shadow said standing up. “Command Sergeant Major of Reconnaissance Shadow Flare.”

“Actually is of the Army,” Lemon Lime said. “Entire army. I assume you haven’t heard of that. The Equestrian Pegasus Military is official.”

“Damn,” Shadow swore. “I missed a few days while I was doing recon.”

“Urban recon?” General Blue Shield asked.

“A lot of potential here,” Shadow said. “But the focus is the food distribution center. We have no need for the rest of the city.”

“Good,” General Blue Shield said. “And since you missed it, the Law Enforcement Division is doing our duty and protecting the citizen. We are only doing that. No sides, and don’t fuck with us or the citizens. We will take immediate and clear action if any military individuals cross that line.”

“Good,” Shadow nodded with a smile. “I like hearing that. That is what we were looking for.”

“Good?” General Blue Shield asked, shocked. “You say good?”

“Because the citizens are being cared for,” Shadow explained. “I am a Homestead Former. Turnip Homestead. Damn proud of it and going back to live the last of my life farming.”

“You caused a ruckus,” General Blue Shield said. “Not that I don’t mind. But I have to stay impartial.”

“I like that,” Shadow said. “I like that somepegasus in the sky knows what their duty is at this time. We desperately need that.”

“Do you know your duty?” Lemon Lime asked Shadow.

“Oh yeah,” Shadow chuckled. “I know it too well. But, the General here didn’t come to talk duty. I believe he needed you.”

“You should probably go sleep,” Lemon Lime said.

“No, no,” General Blue Shield said. “You might actually know something. A figure, Black Widow, has come here.”

“Ah,” Shadow nodded. “I am glad to see she has ascended. She cleaned a lot of the filth out of the Wasteland. She made it easier for me in certain areas.”

“Did you meet her?”

“Never,” Shadow said, shaking his head. “I was mostly in Trottingham. I heard stories on the radio.”

“She got to a pegasus I have been hunting for five years,” General Blue Shield said. “Yes, I wanted Killer Clove gone. And I wish I could have gotten a few of the others in jail. But they were protected by their status.”

“Who were you hunting for five years?” Lemon Lime asked.

“This pimp who went by the name Delivery,” General Blue Shield grinned like a foal on hearth's warming morning. “It was a beautiful delivery to us. She killed him on 18’s doorstep. Looked right in the camera too. I never had to deal with a live one. I would have wanted to kill him myself, so I am thrilled she didn’t put me in that situation.”

“Was he that bad?” Shadow asked.

“He was selling fillies!” General Blue Shield said, nearly exploding. “I couldn’t nail him for it. I didn’t know it was as young as it was until this morning...damn she was young. I was told to not to pursue it. With the downturn in the economy, it was a way for mares to make money for their families. Dirty money, but I was all but outright ordered not to pursue it. With the changing political landscape, I was going to go for it in a few days and shut him down, but she nailed him for me. Better than I could.”

“Good,” Shadow nodded. “I had to deal with too many scum below. I don’t like them above either, but we can sort that out after I settle this issue with the military.”

“Yeah,” General Blue Shield chuckled. “You do that. I don’t care so long as the citizens are protected.”

“And the food distribution centers?” Shadow asked.

“Those should be under our control!” General Blue Shield exclaimed. “Actually, they shouldn’t be under anypegasi’s control, but since they are, we should have them.”

“I agree,” Shadow said. “But remember, Homestead Pony!”

“What else happened?” Lemon Lime asked. “You didn’t just come to talk about that pimp.”

“Right, the pimp, and then the filly fucker, Admiral Ripple. She also nailed two others who bought sex that night. And she let the mares go.”

“Wait,” Shadow asked. “She let the mares go?”

“Yeah,” General Blue Shield said. “Why?”

“Below, she left only bodies to find. She never took a thing, bringing only death. Slaves caught in a raider’s home were killed as well. Wrong place, wrong time as she brought justice to the area.”

“They mentioned that in the reports,” General Blue Shield said. “I didn’t believe it. I thought it was a ploy to encourage them to hold their tongue those few hours.”

“Nope,” Shadow grinned. “She brought death, and only a few times did ponies live to tell the tale. Mostly so they could tell the tale.”

“You got a lot of medals from your time below,” General Blue Shield said. “I bet you saw some deep shit.”

“Oh yeah,” Shadow said, grinning to himself. “Killed a Star Spawn. Giant clear bear beast with sparkling stars for a body. It almost killed me, but I prevailed. I killed a pack of hellhounds, with two others. Great warriors. Oh! I killed the Disciples. That was over 150 killed in a night.”

“So a lot,” General Blue Shield chuckled.

“I didn’t start on the Zebra lands,” Shadow smirked.

“Oh right,” General Blue Shield sighed. “I can’t believe you got awards for those.”

“I know,” Shadow said. “But I just gave the reports they asked for and they decided what I would get. And then made me wear them for that taping. And worse, the Council signed them.”

“You disagree?” Light Bomb asked, jumping in. “Sorry.”

“No, no,” General Blue Shield said. “You are in this conversation too. And I almost said the same thing.”

“Not a medal guy,” Shadow shrugged. “I just did my job and they gave me them based on the military reports.”

Shadow got up. “Look, this has been fun. But I was up all night mapping.”

“Urban mapping is not easy,” General Blue Shield chuckled. “We did a mapping exercise about 8 months ago. We accidentally scared a lot of the citizens in that city district. But it wasn’t easy looking at all the different ways a single building could be used by enemy soldiers and how we would have to deal with it.

“We will try not to be too loud.”

Shadow looked at the clock. “Fuck it. I am not going out tonight. I will start fresh in the morning.”

“Then I have another question for you,” General Blue Shield said. “If you don’t mind. I don’t entirely know how to deal with Black Widow.”

Shadow didn’t even think and he regretted it. “Let her kill off the evil pegasi and be glad you don’t have to deal with their shit.”

“I want that,” General Blue Shield said. “But I have to protect the citizens. And I have to worry about what the Council will say.”

“Protect the citizens,” Shadow immediately said. “And unless she goes after you and your officers, or the general public, I would focus on what you have to do right now. Not her. Catching her won’t be easy, and it will be a waste of your time. When I was below, she never once endangered innocent civilians. Yes, some got caught up in the fires she set, but she always did her best to not harm anyone innocent. It is tough when all you can do is leave bodies as evidence you were there, but if she actually had been going after innocent ponies, like our civilians, she would have been hunted by the Steel Rangers. She wasn’t for a reason.”

“I actually agree with that,” Lemon Lime said. “And I watched her kill Killer Clove this morning.”

“And fought her,” General Blue Shield said.
She knocked you around hard from what I hear.”

“Eh,” Lemon Lime shrugged. “I didn’t get her, but she didn’t knock me around too badly. She was maneuvering to get away without anypegasus shooting. We had a crowd and neither of us were trying to get them involved. Which is why I pulled it down to the two of us.”

“Good move,” General Blue Shield agreed. “Appreciated. With her magic, she could have caused a lot of damage. But I guess she really is targeting certain pegasi.”

“She killed three in Trottingham in public,” Shadow said. “No, four. No, I forget. She killed Gambit, then she killed that copycat. Then another copy car, and a third?” Shadow shrugged. “Ponies put on costumes like her and tried to pass murders off as her. She killed them, publicly, and didn’t kill others. She kicked one off a building to snap her neck.”

“She likes doing that, doesn’t she?” General Blue Shield asked.

“Huh?” Shadow stalled, thinking about it. “Yeah. In public places, single targets, it sends a good message from what I recall.”

“It dies,” Light Bomb agreed.

“Feed me more intel,” General Blue Shield said. “I need to be able to put a good defense down about my choice.”

“You will have to ask direct questions,” Shadow said. “And contend with years of not being in Equestria. And a little sleep depravity.”

“Okay, this might be a bit callous,” General Blue Shield said. “But how real is it that she could get the info about the Pillars of Equestria and then the Inquisitors?”

“Well,” Shadow said, taking in a deep breath. “I mean, we stacked the bodies and burned them as well as we could. But there was a lot left over. And Dahlia found us, meaning the site probably wasn’t touched for a while. She easily could get there and find that info.

“And I didn’t leave Rosemary too many months later. And knowing about Rosemary, as skilled as I understand she was, she could have gotten in to find out.”

“Rosemary?” General Blue Shield asked.

“Oh,” Shadow chuckled. “Right. So, we found a Stable. An occupied one. We broke in and slaughtered everypony. And then we made it our outpost until everypony died and I left. We thought Slice had died.

“And when I left, I left it in the hooves of the group we had fostered in the ruins of a town below the location of the stable in the mountainside. They had grown into a nice little settlement, and anytime we were tracked by an enemy, they lost us in their happy little settlement. It was a great screen for our operations. When I left, I locked a few rooms to keep our equipment safe, and then gave them it. They got some important stuff like weapons, maintenance equipment, and the hydroponics lab. Especially the food lab.”

“Ah,” General Blue Shield nodded. “I think I get it. But if you locked things down?”

“She can get into a lot of places,” Shadow said. “I don’t think you get it. She is a unicorn. Which means magic. Which means a lot of different things can happen. She can go where she wants and do what she needs to do to get info. I believe she can get anything she says she got.

“And if she didn’t get it down there, she got it up here. That wasn’t something we hid from the public. It would be hard to not put two and two together to make 40.”

“Fair point,” General Blue Shield nodded. "Question, is it dumb to want to invite a meeting with Black Widow? Or leave her a list to pick up containing the pegasi she can investigate that I can't do anything about?"

"That is pushing it far," Shadow said. "As far as I know, she never met with any political bodies or with guard chiefs. She went out of her way to not harm any guards doing their job in the cities, but the one time the guards had her target in their custody. She killed the target. Actually, that was made easier by their stupidity. They brought her out and the mayor announced that justice would be played out by their system, and she shot her in the head from quite a distance. I recall something about the bullet case being left in the room she took the shot in. An unrented apartment that was kept locked. In and out without breaking in."

"So, maybe?" General Blue Shield said to himself.

"Don't get your hopes up," Shadow advised him. "And don't cross the political line. And remember, she has targets she is watching and waiting for. I double she will hit again tonight. What was the number? 5?"

"Good point. And it was 5 hits, 9 dead. Including a newborn foal. Killed in his crib. At least the death looked quick and painless for the foal."

"I never heard this," Lemon Lime shivered. She had obviously forgotten Shadow was Black Widow, which could be dangerous, depending how she remembered that information.

"Collateral for getting to Killer Clove," General Blue Shield said. "The other Clove family members appear to have been given mercy by being killed while they slept. But she cleaned house. And the other was the wife of the dead aristocrat and the three of them were in bed with the mare they bought for the evening. So I don't give a shit about how she died. Besides, she knew everything that her husband had been doing and I know she did her own shit.

"The more I hear, the more thrilled I am that she let all the mares go. Killing them would have been easy and kept things simple."

"But you got a lot of information from talking to them, right?" Light Bomb asked.

"Yes, we did," General Blue Shield nodded. "Not much actually, but it felt like a lot. They never saw her come in, and they never saw how she disappeared. Or teleported."

Shadow continued answering questions. It quickly deviated to other wasteland questions. General Blue Shield hated the Zebras. Shadow didn’t blame him. There were a lot of good reasons to hate them. They were in New Cloudsdale after all. And the sky was sealed up to protect them from the Zebras. As long as he was willing to not shoot them and let them back Shadow, that was all that mattered.

Chapter 147 - Resupply and Relocate

“Message from the Firecracker,” the lieutenant at the com station reported.

“Put it through,” Deke replied.

“Deke! Thank goodness you are back.”

“What happened?” Deke warily asked.

“That unknown Black Ops team struck a few hours ago. We are still cataloging the dead. Their dead. We suffered minor casualties, but we didn’t have many to begin with. It was all either rear guard, or the few coming with us.”

“Damn,” Deke swore. “And the Council?”

“Survived. We are fully in their good graces now. The teams almost did kill them. Was your mission a success.”

Deke snorted. “Not what we wanted, but way better than what we had.”

“Your orders are to dock at the rear of the quartermaster shop for unloading.”

“Already on our way there,” Deke replied.

The Twilight Sky docked and dropped her ramp. The crew began to rush the crates down the ramp and into the loading dock. Gunmetal met Deke at the bottom of the ramp. He passed her a list of what they had gotten.

“Better than what I was expecting, worse than we wanted,” Gunmetal stated.

“How did we hold up?” Deke asked.

“We burned through a lot of ammo,” Gunmetal said. “That is about all I know. They came in the middle of the night, our sensors caught them and alerted me. We were as ready as we could be. But it was the 61st against us. They had numbers, and they were using standard battle saddles, so we couldn’t resupply from the dead. Still, less than 20 on our side. The others are healing well. Some ACUs had to be reorganized for the upcoming battle. The injured became the rear guard. We are really exposed.”

“Your shop?”

“Held the cage on my own. I have since deployed the automatic turrets I do have for support.”

It was no secret how much Gunmetal despised the turrets and how little she trusted their automated systems. For her to deploy them meant they were hurting.

Teams were already pulling ammunition out as it was being brought in. They rushed it into the Firecracker which had docked beside the Twilight Sky. The ship would distribute it ahead of the battle at Mareland.

“Oh, and Deke, a warning,” Gunmetal said as she turned to leave. “Nova is on a warpath. General Star Facet, the one over the 61st, has a long standing rivalry with Nova. Nova is going to make him pay for what he turned the 61st into. We have determined he is at Nellie, so that means Nova will be going with you.”

“Okay,” Deke replied with a nod. “Any new intel?”

“Not that I can think of,” Gunmetal shrugged. “I’m tired though. There was no going back to sleep. I will when I am aboard the Firecracker and flying out of here.”

Deke went for a walk, technically to find General Firestorm and report in. She was still in the Squad Barracks infirmary. As he walked there, he saw the destruction. The ground was torn up, holes in it from grenade explosions. The buildings were torn up too by both lead and the burn of magical weapons. The ACUs Unit had been the site of a big battle. Jade Spring Hall seemed untouched. He could see the Wonderbolt Headquarters and the destruction that had happened there, which made sense since the Council was sleeping inside it. The Squad Barracks had been torn up a bit as well.

All along the way, bodies had been laid out. None were covered up yet. They were still working to identify the dead as well as strip searching them for intel. Even after that was done, their bodies would most likely never be seen again. The disposal method would be a funeral pyre in the wasteland below, until there was nothing left but ash.

“Deke,” Firestorm said as he entered the clinic. “Report?”

“Not what we wanted, let alone needed, but we got a good haul. We had to bail out early. It appears that they believed it was a drop off, not a pick up. They may be completely unaware anything is missing.

“But I hear we have the full backing of the Council?”

Firestorm sighed. “Yes. An assasination attempt will do that. If we had been the ones to break away, we never would have tried to kill them. The plan was always to defeat the military. When it comes to a civil war inside the military, the Council is rather useless. Orders will be ignored as both sides slug it out.

“A public denouncing is being prepared, alongside telling the citizens what happened and where the Council has been. We have to figure out where to move them to, and I am getting intel on the citizens and the military, to see when we should release it. We can’t have the citizens rise up in anger and get killed for it, but we are becoming increasingly aware that many in the military are either kept blind, or completely unaware of certain truths about the coup.”

“I know where to move them,” Deke stated. “But I am certain they would not like it.”

“North is too hard to provide them with the security necessary to even cover their retreat.”

“That was not my thought,” Deke replied. “Because yes, while it hides them, there is no way to keep them secure if their location is found. However, the Trottingham Applejack Rangers can provide that security. We send some pegasi to act as direct guards, but they will be safe.”

“That is a bold move,” Firestorm said. “And a risky one. They won’t like it, and it will look like they are running.”

“They are running,” Deke stated. “First to their strategic safehouse, which was immediately compromised, then to the backup safehouse, which is now compromised. Both moves made sense, because they were exposed and we need them safe. Once again, we need them safe, and I can’t think of a single place above that qualifies. And their naval power won’t withstand what I am about to do to it.”

“We need you moving on that as quickly as possible,” Firestorm said. “Whatever exactly that will be.”

“Yeah, but we need them safe too,” Deke restated. “Once this slugfest between the military is over, the pegasi will be looking to them for the answers, and for us to be the good guys in this, we need to default to them as we have claimed we will. Immediately.”

Firestorm didn’t know what to say. She just laid back in the stiff hospital bed. Deke walked out and headed towards the Jade Spring Hall. He saw Yellow Quartz.

“Star Paladin, I need you,” Deke said, waving her over with his wing.

She followed him into the hall. Guards were not outside, but they were inside. They were tense too. They let Deke and the Star Paladin through without a word though.

“Commodore,” The Chief Councilor said. “It’s good to have you back. How did it go?”

“It went,” Dek shrugged. “Although I come back to all this...we spent a lot on the defense of the Squad Barracks. While it’s not confirmed, we believe that when we were discovered, that they thought we were dropping off soldiers, not taking supplies. The Zebras made a clean getaway, and so did we.”

“I know the uniforms are being transitioned, but what hat are you wearing?” The Fifth Councilor asked.

“This?” Deke asked, pulling it off. “Shadow gave it to me. He recovered it from below. It is the cover of a Cloudship Captain of the Equestrian Military. It was worn by Captain Rumble who flew the Flash Magnus in the war. They died in the final battle before the spells flew. Or rather, as they flew. The Battle of Kifopiga. The cover was recovered along with his Captain’s Bars. The Inquisitors believed that one day Equestria would once again have cloudships flying for it, and that the first captain should wear them. They never foresaw the fleet we have, but due to my upcoming role in the battle of the cloudships, it was given to me to wear.

“However, we need to solve your residential situation before I fly off into battle,” Deke stated.

“And where exactly do you think we should go?” The Fourth Councilor asked.

“Regardless of the circumstances, since the clouds were torn apart, you have been on the run. Logically of course to a safe place to continue your leadership. The first safehouse was compromised so you fell back here as you always were supposed to. Now that it is compromised...well we probably should abandon the whole fort, or at least the Squad Barracks. We are about to make a move that means if they try again, they will succeed.”

“Are you stalling?” The Fifth Councilor asked.

“No,” Deke said with a shake of his head. “I am prefacing the solution with the reality of your, our, situation. Right now, you are useless. Things have moved to the military, and we are going to bash at each other until one side has won. When we finish with it, assuming we are the victor, we will need you front and center. Everypegasus will be looking to you for our next move. However, I see no way we can provide you with the security you need to make it through this war. We barely have enough to fight them.”

“Why are you stalling?” The Sixth Councilor growled. “What is your solution?”

The Fourth Councilor grunted, recognizing Deke’s solution, and Deke continued. “There is only one group who can provide you with the protection required; The Applejack Rangers. Their Citadel has sky guns, not that the navy will be a problem for much longer, and it is named the Citadel for a reason. It is a fortress in the city ruins that has survived the centuries with little damage. The Enclave’s entire army couldn’t take it.”

“Your solution is for us to run and hide below!” The Third Councilor objected.

“That or death,” Deke shrugged. “And it’s not running. It’s a strategic location the enemy has no idea about. So we move you there, kill each other, and then you emerge, ready to take charge in the aftermath.”

“It could provide us with plenty of firsthoof knowledge of our upcoming decisions,” The Fifth Councilor added. She looked at Yellow Quartz. “Star Paladin, how will your Elder feel about this solution?”

“The Elder would be honored to protect his allies,” Yellow Quartz replied. “I know he would recognize the importance of keeping you alive. I believe the Commodore is correct. You can’t be lost when both sides fully engage in battle. We are outnumbered, and it appears that you barely survived. This solution is safe and smart. And as pointed out, it may very well help you make better decisions to protect the Pegasi as you reunite with below. It is dangerous down there, but the Citadel is one of the few places that lacks that danger.”

Nopony said anything back. After it became apparent they had no further words, Deke made the call. “Pack your bags. I have a tight schedule to keep, and diverting to drop you off will take up some time. This war will be won or lost by my hoof. If I fail to end the fleet at Nellie, there is no winning. We will all go down swinging, but I can’t fail.”

Deke turned around and walked out. “The Star Paladin can help you prepare for the transition. I have my fleet to prepare.”

“Commodore,” Misty Thunder said as Deke stepped out of the building. “There you are. I was looking for a report on-”

“It went fine, not good, but fine enough,” Deke snipped. “Right now, I have a fleet to launch, and a Council to relocate before. I also need 40 of the battle saddles with a decent stock of ammunition for them. I need a gift and we have that debt to repay.”

“Uh, sure,” General Misty Thunder stuttered.

“Twenty in the Twilight Sky, and put the others in the Radiant Sun,” Deke added.

“Right,” Misty Thunder nodded. “You are about to leave, aren’t you?”

“And with the Council,” Deke said with a nod. “I know a safe location for them. I suggest abandoning the Squad Barracks if possible.”

“It is not,” Misty Thunder confirmed. “We will be leaving a limited rear guard to protect the electronic data and files stored here. The Wonderbolts have some things that can not fall into enemy wings.”

Deke nodded in understanding. “I need to finalize the guard for the Council. I don’t believe you guys are ready to leave with me, are you?”

Misty Thunder looked around. Her troops were spread out, doing various jobs to deal with the dead. Many of the drill instructors had come over to assist.

“I will get my units packed up,” Misty Thunder assured him. “We will be ready to go when you are.”

“I will need you to lead the drop off of the battle saddles from the Radiant Sun,” Deke added.

“Understood,” Misty Thunder replied.

They split up and Deke entered the Squad Barracks. He went back into the clinic. General Shielded Vengeance, Nova, and Soarin were there as well.

“They agreed,” Deke stated. “I am taking 40 battle saddles with me. 20 will go to repay the shop owner in Trottingham, and the other 20 will be a gift to the Applejack Rangers. We don’t have much to give, but it will be a strong play to be able to gift them 20 battle saddles that we can’t use, as well as some ammunition for the saddles that again, we can’t use.”

“You are correct that we don’t have an immediate need for them,” Nova stated. “I think that is a wise choice.”

Deke looked at Soarin. “General Soarin, I plan to leave as soon as all soldiers are packed up and we can. I see no more than three hours before we are ready to leave. Are you ready?”

“I am,” Soarin replied. “Ukuzwa will be joining us. When we drop the council off, we can distribute the shells and issue those direct orders.”

“What exactly do you have planned?” Firestorm asked.

“Nothing that concerns you, Dear,” Nova replied.

Deke decided to give a partial answer. “The reason why I don’t need as many ships is because the Inquisitors uncovered a very small cache of special cannon rounds. They were supposed to be for land based artillery, but the 6 inch guns on our corvettes can fire them. Their power will give me the edge needed to win.”

Firestorm looked at all four of them. No one said anything else. “Okay,” She finally said. “I trust you. Commodore, get the Council to safety and then get to Nellie. We need you to be in position to engage them as soon as possible. This whole thing is hinging on you.”

Firestorm sighed. “I can’t believe how much is hinging on Deke.”

General Shielded Vengeance began to laugh. “I remember when the lad broke into the PA system and played the music from the war for all the higher ups to hear. He was such a loose cannon back then, but he shaped up well. The Equestrian Pegasus Military owes itself to him and all he did, knowingly and on accident.”

“We wouldn’t have as many ACUs without him,” Nova added.

“Thank you,” Deke said, dramatically bowing. “But I have final preparations to make.”

Deke checked back in with the quartermasters. Gunmetal was gone, off to lead the upcoming assault so they could capture ammunition stockpiles at Mareland. Her staff has catalogued the ammunition as it was being distributed back out. Almost all of it was back on the cloudships or in soldier’s packs, ready to be used.

Deke was on the bridge, working through calculations as he let his staff sort out the particulars. He had trained them to do the job to his satisfaction, and they could deliver.

“Commodore, we are ready to depart. Everything and everypegasus is onboard. The others are in the sky and ready to go.”

“Follow the course plotted,” Deke said. “We are heading to Trottingham first, then to war.”

They followed the orders and flew as quickly as the three skytanks with them could fly. Not all of the ACUs could fit on the three tiny corvettes. When they arrived at Tottingham, the Radiant Sun broke off for the main city. They would air drop in the supplies, without landing.

The Twilight Sky was brought straight down to land in front of the Citadel. The gates were cracked open. Deke and Star Paladin Yellow Quartz disembarked. They walked inside and found Warding Blade talking with two civilian ponies; a charcoal coated unicorn mare with white hair and a few streaks of gold and red, and a stallion with a brown coat and orange-yellow mane.

“Elder, can we speak privately?” Deke confidently asked, ignoring the two with the Elder.

“You brought an armada with you,” Warding Blade stated.

“No need to be concerned,” Deke immediately stated. “We are on the move, but not for below. The Radiant Sun did break off, but that is going to pay off the pony who sold us the ammunition. Red Tip I think his name was. We had, an incident, where we were attacked in the dead of the night, and it left a lot of them dead. Our soldiers are already armed with everything we can provide, so we are paying back what we can.”

“That incident is why we are here, Sir,” Yellow Quartz said. “If we could speak privately.”

“Commodore, you may know this stal-”

“I am fully aware of who he is,” Deke interrupted rather harshly. He didn’t shift his gaze at all. “I am fully aware of him and his situation. At this point, it doesn’t matter.”

“But surely he could be of some help-”

“We would have to win first,” Deke said, again interrupting, but with more force. “If we lose, he better run. If we win...I have no idea what that will mean for him, but I speculate it won’t be a bad thing.”

Elder Warding Blade peaked around Deke. “Who is coming in now?”

Deke glanced behind him and sighed. It was Nova and the Chief Councilor. Nova was armed with a pistol, but nothing else. That was a risk Deke was not happy with. Nova recognized the situation and moved to the other side of the Chief Councilor, keeping himself in between her and Calamity.

“Elder Warding Blade?” The Chief Councilor asked, ignoring the dashite.

“Yes, I am he. And you and your one winged companion are?”

The Chief Councilor and Deke grimaced and braced for Nova’s response.

Nova took a deep breath in and calmly replied. “I never expected to be back here. It is different seeing it in the daylight. It’s also different being on the ground, not in the burned out wing. She sheltered us well during a storm, and we woke up to find ourselves in a living military complex. We did what little snooping we could, but back then, it was a tight ship. We left two nights later.”

“You successfully infiltrated the Citadel!” Warding Blade exclaimed.

“It was six of us,” Nova replied with a nod. He was avoiding any physical display of gloating or boasting, which only added to the impression of just how skilled he was. “And we did what we were trained to do, scout. We wouldn’t have been successful if you learned of our presence. I admit, it was raining heavily and it was dark and we sought shelter. We had no idea what we had stumbled into. We learned very little and exited before we got caught. We knew when to cut our losses or when we were in too deep.

“That is why my wing eventually had to be removed. I did so many missions, into so many dangerous places, places you are aware of and avoid for good reason, that it eventually had a massive, cancerous growth on it, grounding me and then forcing the removal because it was so painful. I am told it isn’t the only mass at this point, but there is nothing to be done about the others.”

Nova narrowed his eyes at Warding Blade, giving him a cold and clear warning. “I can still outfly you and probably outshoot you too. I know I can outshoot the kid too.”

“He can be talked to directly,” the mare said, annoyed.

“This has nothing to do with either of you, Dear,” Nova replied, not looking at her. “Just take a walk and let us deal with the reason why we are here.”

Deke sighed but resisted dropping his head. Instead he steeled himself and ensured he was standing strong. He spoke before they could be interrupted. “General, Chief, why did you leave the safety of the ship?”

“She got impatient,” Nova immediately quipped. “The others are too.”

“Elder, can the four of us please speak in private?” Deke asked again. “And quickly before more unnecessary risks are taken by inpatient individuals.”

“Please,” Yellow Quartz insisted.

Warding Blade nodded, glanced at Calamity and the mare, and then turned around. They followed him inside the building. The pegasi breathed an audible sigh of relief once they were behind closed doors, but none of them said a word.

Inside Elder Warding Blade’s office, he sought answers before they could continue. “Why the cold shoulder? As far as I can tell, Calamity and Velvet Remedy could be amazing assets. If you are going to reconnect-”

“That will come after, Elder,” the Chief Councilor said. “I am aware of who he is, and I am aware of what happened. I doubt he is a threat, and from what I know there are inconsistencies that concern me about the legitimacy of his branding, but until we have control again…well to him we are all Enclave and that is a problem. Perhaps after, but there has to be an after, and that is what we are trying to ensure happens.”

“And who am I exactly speaking to?” Warding Blade asked, dropping the topic.

“I am the Chief Councilor of the Grand Pegasus Enclave, Silver Sunrise. We were attacked yesterday morning at our secure location and almost assassinated by Enclave soldiers. Our location, the second to be compromised, is no longer a place we can stay. We have come to ask to transition here while the military fights their war. After, assuming the Equestrian Pegasus Military wins, we will be needed to lead the transition and reconnection. But we need to live long enough for them to kill those fucking traitors and we don’t have a secure location to wait it out.”

“Our allies took some casualties, but they were able to get the drop on the surprise attackers, who suffered 100% loses,” Yellow Quartz reported. “Nopony is left to protect them. At least, not a sufficient force. If they can fly, they are all headed out to battle, down to the last soldier and officer. The few left sustained grave injuries and are not in fighting condition, but they won’t just lay down and die if attacked..”

“The whole council is with you?” Warding Blade asked.

“Yes, Sir,” Deke confirmed. “The seven of them seek your protection. The Enclave could never successfully take the Citadel. They don’t have the troops. And certainly not in a day or two when I crush half their fleet. And their failed attack left them without a key unit. Still, we have a tough fight on our wings, and an uphill one at that. Which is why we need every soldier available, and the Council safe. Because as soon as it is over, they will be leading us again.”

“Elder, I am a weathered old soldier,” Nova stated. “I have my uses, even in my age and current state, and I can certainly teach the Pegasi how to adapt and some of the dangers we will face below. However, we do hope that some time below, with you, will help prepare our Councilors to make better educated edics and orders after this civil war that will put us in good standing with the rest of this world, rather than set us back. We have pegasi who could advise them, but it won’t be the same.”

“We also have some gifts to help cover the security,” Deke added. “I have 20 Enclave magic laser battle saddles, along with sufficient ammunition, to be used. Our units don’t use the same battle saddles that they do, so they currently have no use for us. We would rather see them go to our allies who could use them and are helping us out greatly, than sit in a warehouse for potential use post war.”

“Battle saddles are an important commodity,” Elder Warding Blade stated. “The assistance is appreciated, but it is not why we will protect the council of our allies. Like you said, they are too important to you, and we are here to support our allies as best as we can. We can’t have them losing their governmental heads. Perhaps they can learn something while here, but protection is our goal.

“But tell me, what does Command Sergeant Major Shadow Flare think of this move?”

“He is on recon mission, scouting one of the military bases and preparing to give us a report on how to best attack the Enclave forces,” the Chief Councilor stated. “He left several days ago. As expected, we have heard nothing from him. He still has time to report in.”

“That makes sense,” Warding Blade admitted with a nod. “I wish I could fight in this war. For so long, we have been ready or waiting for the Enclave to come for us. Now we have the opportunity to aid our allies, but can’t fight. I never expected to have pegasus allies, and certainly not as strong of allies as we do.

“Have your ship take off and do a soft landing on the roof. We will unload the battle saddles from there and the Council disembark as well. It is safer that way. We will evacuate the civilians in the Citadel, and establish a forward operating base outside the gates. We will close them, and I will use Star Paladin Queen as my mediator. Trottingham isn’t happy with some of the changes, and they are scared. They want a stronger presence and to work with us more, but with the Council here, I can’t allow them to come inside at this time. We also can’t explain why they can’t come in, but I will figure out a solid answer to that.”

“The Twilight Sky is moving to the roof,” Deke reported.

“Then we shall meet them,” Warding Blade stated.

Rebel Queen was waiting outside the office. “High profile guests?” she immediately asked.

“Precisely,” Warding Blade nodded. “We are going to have to close the gates, and create a forward operating base so we can continue to work with Trottingham. Ready your squad. With Yellow Quartz on assignment, it falls on you, my other Star Paladin, to run that interaction and screen. You will have plenty of troops at your disposal.”

“Understood,” Rebel Queen said. She didn’t enter the elevator. They were going up, and her team was below.

On top of the citadel, the pegasus guards had already secured the area. The crew was unloading the supplies and battle saddles. The Council walked down the ramp to meet them. Shielded Vengeance and Soarin were with them.

“Elder, we can make the rest of the introductions later,” the Chief Councilor said. “But this is General Shielded Vengeance. He has come out of retirement to be the Equestrian Pegasus Military’s Battle Strategy Advisor. You met General Nova, who is our Wasteland Military Advisor. And also coming out of retirement, and from allies in Baltimare, is General Soarin, our Wasteland Reunification Advisor.”

“Yes, I am that Soarin,” Soarin stated. “Now that the clouds are gone, I can once again fight for the Equestria I know and love. A unified one. And I will be doing that. I won’t be staying. However, the few pegasi we could spare for guards are highly qualified.”

“And all seem to be pretty banged up,” Warding Blade stated.

“It was a nasty fight,” Shielded Vengeance growled. “But we gave them everything we had and more. We came out on top for a reason. Now the two of us are heading out with General Nova to deal with the pegasus behind the attack, who is an old rival of Nova’s. He needs to be put down, and will be.”

“I am glad we have such strong allies,” Warding Blade smiled. “I am also glad we can assist in protecting such important pegasi.”

“It is very appreciated,” General Shielded Vengeance said.

“And so are the battle saddles,” Warding Blade replied. “These are high quality. But we should get you inside before you are seen.”

“And I need to get to my bridge,” Deke said. “Farewell. Hopefully, I will see you again in the days to come.”

It wasn’t long before Nova entered the bridge signaling they were ready to leave. The Radiant Sun was done with paying back Red Tip, and they regrouped.

“To Nellie!” Deke declared. “To destroy half their fleet!”

Chapter 148 - Golden Dawn's Mission

Colonel Golden Dawn was cruising over the buildings She knew so well, just not from this angle. It had been two years since she had been back home. But now, she was the leader of the Equestrian Pegasus Military's forces sent to take out GPE's troops that were stationed in Twin Clouds. Now, the city was foreign to her as she looked for troops and ambushes.

She was a few hours ahead of the rest of the ACUs and she had Unit 47 with her. It was an all ACU military division sent to Twin Clouds to deal with the Renegades. They would have no cloudship support, meaning the troops had to be fast and efficient on the flight all the way to Twin Clouds. They were not in the sky either. Most of the trip had been made close to the wasteland ground and the camps were made on the ground. It did cut down on the chance of them being detected, but it wasn't easy being below. They had passed far north of the Canterlot ruins. Below, Twin Clouds was nestled to the Northwest of the Hollow Shades, in the middle of nowhere.

As the lead officer in charge of the assault, it was odd that she was on a short scouting mission ahead with her whole team in tow. Especially when they had already planted ACU units to recon the city as soon as the shit hit the fan and the Enclave struggled to react to their failed Operation Cauterize. As Shock Troopers, nopegasus batted an eye. Colonel Safe was a good choice as her second in command, but he was more reserved. They wanted somepegasus more daring. Their assault would set how the others happened. The food distribution center was not in a residential area. They got to solve some of the logistical and strategy problems of safely taking a fortified building from their fellow Pegasi.

But Golden Dawn had given Unit 47 a mission before anything went down. Twin Clouds was the city she knew and loved, which is why she was the colonel in charge. This private mission was a very important one that would save lives. Some very important lives.

Golden Dawn turned down a very familiar street and brought her team down to the clouds. They quickly entered the building and took the stairs all the way up to the needed floor. It was still mid evening, most of the families that resided in the building would be having dinner, but things didn't always go as planned.

They avoided detection and got to the desired door. Golden Dawn pulled out a key and unlocked the door. They slipped inside and were greeted with the sounds of laughter and normal dinner conversations.

"Mom, Dad, Raid! It's Golden Dawn!" Golden Dawn called as she locked the door behind them. It was loud enough to be heard in the house, but not so loud the neighbors would hear.

All three popped their heads out of the dining room and then were even more confused about her troops behind her.

"I need a place to store our armor," Golden Dawn immediately explained. "I need to do something important here and that's all I can actually say right now."

Dawning Radiance sighed. "Fine. But how long are we talking?"

"An hour tops," Golden Dawn stated. "Two if things go wrong, but they won't go wrong. We are professionals."

"Right," Dawning Radiance said rolling his eyes. He knew his sister. She had a habit of getting in trouble, deeper than she could get herself out of alone.

"Our armor is too high profile," Golden Dawn's second, Hellfire, said. She clarified what she meant before they thought there was a civil war happening. "We don't want to scare the citizens with the power armor. But we couldn't stash it below the clouds. Golden Dawn suggested here. It's a very short mission before we need to meet up with another unit."

"Understandable," Batten Sword nodded. "Put them in our room."

They quickly got out of their armor and headed towards the balcony to leave from it. Two armed Pegasi landed on it. A second later the unlocked door was forced open and four more came out. All 6 had rifles. Golden Dawn's unit only had pistols and knives. They were clearly outgunned and out maneuvered.

"Golden Dawn?" Vengeful Blade asked as he pulled off his helmet. "What are you doing here? Right now?"

All of the military Pegasi relaxed, but Colonel Vengeful Blade was still needing a straight answers, fast. And Golden Dawn hated being held up with shit she didn't have "time for."

"I could ask you the same thing," Golden Dawn fired back, annoyed. "I need to do something in the city? What are you and Unit 99 doing storming my brother's house?"

"We flagged a moving Pegasi team in power armor. And then they oddly entered a residential unit. We have been in the city since shortly after Shadow was found. General Firestorm sent us here to keep watch over it."

"You couldn't tell it was us?" Golden Dawn quietly quipped. She wasn't going to alert the entire floor to soldiers being there. "Only a few of us are in power armor. And our power armor is painted."

"It's dark," Vengeful Blade shot back. "And it's your fault, you are early."

"I can't waste time on you, I have a mission to complete."

"And that would be?" Vengeful Blade pressed.

"None of your business," Golden Dawn growled. She was weary of Vengeful Blade. She hadn't seen him in weeks and too many ACU teams had flipped sides by not going back when recalled.

"Don't get mad at me for doing my job," Vengeful Blade growled back.

"I am wasting precious time on you right now. I can, and should, bury you in treason!"

"You would not dare," Vengeful Blade said stepping into Golden Dawn's personal space.

"Enough," Hellfire said, forcing herself between them. It was not an easy feat. "We all are on the same team. You two are just getting ahead of yourselves."

Hellfire had an idea. "We don't need 6 soldiers on this mission. 4 is better and quieter. Golden Dawn, take Purple Sky. Colonel Vengeful Blade, grab a second. You four can do the mission."

"And what mission is that?" Dawning Radiance asked. "Our home now is storing your power armor after all. I think we have the right to ask."

Vengeful Blade deserved to know as well.

"The Pegasus who is the administrator over the food distribution center is my father in law," Golden Dawn explained to Vengeful Blade. "We need to make sure he takes a little unexpected vacation time. Shining Ire will kill me if we don't get him to. Plus, I do want him to meet his grandfoal."

"Shit," Golden Dawn swore. Her family didn't know that they were expecting. Neither family did. "Look, I don't have time to talk about it. But yes, we are expecting."

Before Golden Dawn could move Bobbin hugged her daughter. "Go. We trust you."

Vengeful Blade snickered.

"I will," Golden Dawn said. It was also a warning to make Vengeful Blade shut up as she walked to the balcony. "And I will live through the upcoming shit storm. You won't have to worry about that."

Vengeful Blade pointed to Thunderstorm and they headed out of the balcony.

Glass Window, one of Unit 99s newest members, looked at Hellfire. "Ever get the feeling Golden Dawn just needs a dick?"

"Hey!" Batten Sword barked. "That is my daughter you are talking about."

"Sometimes," Hellfire chuckled, ignoring him. "But then the next day or two she comes back in fine. Her relationship with Shining Ire is amazing. It's strong. Cardinal Spitfire strong. She wouldn't do anything. And have you seen Shining Ire? She makes even me drool!

"Golden Dawn does spend a lot of time with Vengeful Blade, but it's often with Gunmetal and Striker. The four of them were a strong team for years. I really am sure they have nothing like that between them, despite how close they are. Despite how odd they can be together."

"We know what you guys were doing 5 weeks ago in your Shock Trooper training," Glass Window continued. "I sure hope it's not Golden Dawn who is pregnant."

"Golden Dawn,. pregnant?" Hellfire chuckled, along with the rest of Unit 47. "No. That will never happen unless she can't continue to serve. She loves jumping, explosions, and gunfire too much. I doubt she could slow down for the time required for safely carrying a foal.

"Now," Hellfire grinned mischievously. "I could see Vengeful Blade being the other half for Shining Ire. That is quite likely. But none of them would tell."

"Do you know what she meant by treason?" Glass Window asked.

Hellfire snorted. "Considering it's them, it could be anything. And it probably was soon after they joined the ACUs, but that was before my time. It probably doesn't have to do with anything involving Safe or Striker, they are too straight to get into trouble with them. But Gunmetal could easily be involved in whatever it was."

"The threat was interesting," Glass Window added. "Not so much the threat itself, but the direction it was intended."

Hellfire shook her head. "I have no idea, and I know I don't want to know. That is dangerous. Beyond poking your head below dangerous."

"What had my daughter been getting into?" Batten Sword politely asked.

Hellfire looked him over and smiled. "Well, I guess since we are here, I might as well share some stories with you. It's not like the Colonel can stop me or slap me on the back of my head. Plus, we didn’t get orders to not squeal on her to her family."

The four of them flew through the streets to save time. It was a risk, but with Vengeful Blade's knowledge, they had less of a risk. Besides, no troops had been spotted in the residential areas.

They got to the rich part of Twin Clouds and landed in front of a building. The front had several building staff that they had to avoid. Purple Sky picked the Lock on a service door and got them inside. They made it to the stairs and it was safe. Nopegasus used the stairs in this building.

Checking the hallway on the floor proved they were clear. But they couldn't risk somepegasus going in or out of a door. It was still early enough for the upper class to be prancing around at their will. They quietly moved through the hall to the right room.

Golden Dawn pulled out a key. Vengeful Blade raised an eyebrow.

"This is my in-law house!" Golden Dawn quietly shot at him. "Having a key is not weird! They gave it to me!"

They opened the door and slipped inside. It was a lavish house of gold and ivory. The noises inside were different from what had come out of her brother's house. This was company over for a nice dinner. A high class dinner.

Vengeful Blade followed Golden Dawn down the hall. Golden Dawn peered around the corner to see what was up. She immediately pulled her head back and flattened herself against the wall. Vengeful Blade took his turn and immediately was back next to her.

On the other side of the dining room table was General Cloud Ridge. He was in charge of the group that had been assigned to hold the food distribution center. That was the worst Pegaus to be in that room. It also provided an interesting opportunity.

"This just became more than a sudden vacation," Vengeful Blade quietly shot. "This just became a high profile hit. If we…but if we don't…"

"I know," Golden Dawn growled back, caught between a rock and a hard place. "If we…then they have to run rather than take a vacation."

"Ahem!"

Golden Dawn and Vengeful Blade looked at the doorway they had peaked around. In the middle of it was Shining Ire's father, Yarrow. He was named after a flowering herb and his confidence in his name was always stunning.

"Sir," Shining Ire nodded.

"You never were good at sneaking around," Yarrow said. "Never. And you don't entirely know how to whisper either."

Golden Dawn rubbed her shoulder where Vengeful Blade had just punched her. "Sorry, Sir."

"Just because you are in town for business without Shining Ire doesn't mean you are not welcome here. You are just as welcomed now as you are with her. The same with your friends. We just finished eating and we're about to move to dessert. I am sure some of you are hungry."

Golden Dawn shrugged to all of them and walked around the corner. They followed her.

"General Cloud Ridge, this is my daughter in law, Golden Dawn. She has been serving in the military for almost a decade now. What was it, the ABCs?"

"ACB," General Cloud Ridge corrected him with a sigh.

"I always mix it up," Yarrow admitted. "I am so good in plenty of other areas, but it got confusing. It just was a bunch of A abbreviations. All I remember is that she is in an aerial unit."

"This makes things…complicated," Golden Dawn said calmly to General Cloud Ridge.

"That it does," General Cloud Ridge replied with a calm nod. "But it seems this wasn't the intention."

"I'm confused," Yarrow said. "Do you already know each other?"

"No," Golden Dawn replied. "We are not friends either. We are on the opposite sides of the current split."

"Split?" Yarrow asked. "What split?"

"I was just told to take my units and secure the Twin Clouds food distribution center. That's all and it is all I have done. I have stayed out of the main set of arguments."

"And I am here to make sure he doesn't go to work over the next few days," Golden Dawn shot back.

"Tsst!"

Golden Dawn looked behind her at Purple Sky. The others were taking possessions under the windows.

"Keep talking," Golden Dawn mouthed.

"A daughter in the military is a special thing," General Cloud Ridge said as Golden Dawn slipped under the closest window. "Even a daughter in law, it is a special thing. A good thing to be proud of. We need every Pegasus to be doing their duty to our race as a whole. That doesn't always mean the military, there are plenty of other jobs like yours that are a true duty. But the military is always special.

Golden Dawn heard the device on the window one last time and then it was free from its restraints. It was forced open and a figure jumped in with incredible skill. Golden Dawn tackled the intruder and ended up top. She drove a hard hood into the masked head of the intruder.

"Golden Dawn!" The Pegasus said pulling her mask off before Golden Dawn could hit her again.

"Cloud Vapor?" Golden Dawn said shocked, hoof pulled back to strike again. It almost looked like she was about to anyway.

"You two know each other?" Vengeful Blade grunted. He was locked tight with his intruder. They were outnumbered by two.

"Yeah," Golden Dawn said not dropping her hoof. "It's Squad 37. Commander Cloud Vapor was under Cardinal Spitfire for about 2 years."

Golden Dawn's eyes viciously narrowed at Cloud Vapor. "But what is she doing here now?"

"Umm…" Cloud Vapor stalled. "Well, we had orders. To prepare for the morning. To make sure it went off without a hitch. We didn't know General Cloud Ridge was here though. That actually makes things easier."

Cloud Vapor was good, but Golden Dawn's hoof slipped past her distracted defenses. It was a savage strike to the face. The second one was a tough hook to block from her compromised position under Golden Dawn. The third was an uppercut to Cloud Vapor's chin.

Golden Dawn got off her and then pulled her to her hooves.

"I forgot how good you were with those hooves," Cloud Vapor said as she wiped the blood from her face onto her black jumpsuit. "Firestorm is still mad at you for declining her offer."

"Fuck her," Golden Dawn laughed. "I am a Shock Trooper. Arrow and I built them. I'm not leaving."

"She still is mad about it," Cloud Vapor chuckled. "It was a legendary refusal. A real Golden Dawn moment."

"What can I say," Golden Dawn chuckled. "You have to have something to laugh about, and I gave it to you."

The others had disengaged from their initial struggle.

"Now what?" Cloud Vapor asked. "You are early. What exactly are you doing here? Especially with only Purple Sky and with parts of Unit 99."

"They almost killed us when we arrived ahead of schedule," Golden Dawn explained. "But Vengeful Blade and I go way back. Us joining the ACUs back. And then we joined forces tonight Briefly. Administrator Yarrow is my father in law, and I was going to convince him to take a few days of sudden vacation."

"Ah," Cloud Vapor nodded. "Now I get the third hit. But why is General Cloud Ridge here? I thought he was being watched?"

"99 was on other duties," Vengeful Blade replied, sitting down at the table. He grabbed a carrot off a serving plate. "142 was watching him."

"Can one of you ten please catch me up?" Yarrow asked.

Golden Dawn glared at Cloud Vapor, forcing her to explain.

"Well," Cloud Vapor said, composing the explanation. "The current rift in the military is about to no longer exist. There are now to clear sides, those who support the Council, and those who support continuing the war. Your help with the General over your food distribution center made you a liability. You had clearly sided with them, the ones who are going against the Council."

Cloud Vapor pulled out a combat knife from a hidden shoulder pocket. She placed it on the table in front of Yarrow.

"We can't have that food staying in the hooves of the Renegades. And our squad was sent to fix that."

"You mean kill me?" Yarrow asked, appalled. "Why! I have done nothing against the Council, and even then that doesn't make for due process."

"Dad," Golden Dawn said. Calling Yarrow dad was not a normal thing Golden Dawn did, but she did see him in a similar role as her father was to her. "You have been putting your life and duty into that center. And I doubt you stopped because soldiers were sent to secure it. But that made you a target, because you appeared to be working for the Renegades, and we can't have that happening.

"But I also think, from what I heard, is that the troops here in Twin Clouds were deployed right after the clouds were removed."

General Cloud Ridge nodded. "Two days after we were sent here, under direct orders from General Fighting Spirit. It's been quite here, and news has only come from him."

"Ah," Golden Dawn nodded. "Dad, General Fighting Spirit is one of the three military leaders who broke most of the military off from the Council. The Council was deadlocked in a decision about what to do, and they decided they would act without the Council."

"Wait," General Cloud Ridge asked. "He said he would act without them?"

"Admiral Tungsten and General Hayworth are his acting conspirators," Golden Dawn replied. "The Council still hasn't made a decision, but it's left only a precious few of us under General Firestorm, Admiral Ruby Snow, General Marble Falls, and a few others that are still loyal to the Council and their decision. And right now, that means we have to deal with the renegades who also stole the name 'Grand Pegasus Enclave.'"

"Then who are you?" Yarrow asked.

Vengeful Blade swallowed the food in his mouth and answered. "They have forced us to take on the name Equestrian Pegasus Military. I actually prefer the new name."

"You know," General Cloud Ridge said, stroking his chain in thought. "Now I see why we have not been able to get the reinforcements we asked for. We could still use them."

"Are you soliciting us?" Cloud Vapor asked, shocked and confused.

"I see," Golden Dawn replied, ignoring Cloud Vapor. Golden Dawn sat down at the table. "That would solve a few problems. But how would your soldiers respond?"

"They have been working overtime and on little sleep to secure the facility. It's a big job, and it's been a long one with shitty food. I think they would quickly welcome reinforcements and it would not be hard to send them all to bed while the new troops took over the defenses."

"Now I am confused," Cloud Vapor said. "I'm still off the not killing the Administrator part."

"I'm still on why kill me when I have just been doing my job?" Yarrow shot back.

"Administrator," Cloud Vapor said. "It was nothing personal. We need to thin the numbers in key points because the bulk of the military walked away from the Council. We don't even have a quarter of the total surviving military under our banner. You are the only administrator who kept working despite the troops taking over."

"Why would I stop?" Yarrow asked. "It's my job to keep that facility running, even with the soldiers there. Pegasi need that food!"

"The only Pegasi who will get it is the Renegades," Vengeful Blade interjected. "All in the name of the Grand Pegasus Enclave. They now hold all the food, but they don't care for anything but to squash us and the Council, and to continue a war that we can not. They still want to destroy below. Except we clearly don't have the strength to do it. But they won't give up the old ideals."

"Nopegasus is taking or stealing my food for this city!" Yarrow declared, slamming hoof down on the table.

"But that is what has happened," Golden Dawn added. "It's not been moved, but it's not going to the citizens with the military holding it."

"And what makes you better?" General Cloud Ridge asked.

"We won't be holding it," Golden Dawn explained. "I have strict orders to take the facility and then to give control of it over to the neutral party, the Law Enforcement Division. They are the only ones who are clear on their duty and not in the argument. The Equestrian Pegasus Military had agreed to give the facilities over to them if we take them. They will keep them and make sure the food goes to the citizens as it should."

"Reinforcements would be very appreciated," General Cloud Ridge said again.

"I think it can be arranged," Golden Dawn replied with a smile. "They are my troops. I can do whatever I need to in order to secure the facility."

"And likewise, mine are my charge, to use as I need to. But I care about them. I won't sacrifice them without a real need."

Golden Dawn smiled warmly at General Cloud Ridge. "A real officer. One who actually understands the importance of his position and the value of his soldiers. They are lucky to have you."

"Thank you," General Cloud Ridge replied. "I want them to hear the news. My eyes were opened and I don't like what I am seeing. I now know I was purposely kept in the dark since our communications have been compromised."

"That was fixed within a week," Vengeful Blade stated. "It took a bit longer for the Equestrian Pegasus Military to get our secure ones set up, but those encryptions are now rolling again. The Wonderbolts have to have everything super precise."

"Dad," Golden Dawn said, taking charge. "In the morning, please head to the office of the Law Enforcement General. Purple Sky, please go get the others. I need them back here, along with our power armor. Venge, go find that unit that was supposed to be watching the General. Beat them into submission. I won't let them fuck this up for me. General, with my Unit with me, we will head back to the center and get things started. Cloud Vapor will let us know when the rest of my division is arriving so we can transition things smoothly."

"This is stupid," Cloud Vapor protested. "We shouldn't trust him. The risk is too high."

"What? Are you going to try and pull Wonderbolt status on me? You know it won't work. Colonel Safe will defer to me, and so will the ACUs."

"We should just cut him out of the picture," Cloud Vapor said. "It will make things easier."

Golden Dawn stood her ground. "Easier? For who? My job is to retake this facility and turn it over to the Law Enforcement Department. If I can do it without risking any lives, I will take that risk upon my own head. And if they were to try and flip things on us, then they will find out what exactly Shock Troopers means. The hard way.”

"Now go!" Golden Dawn ordered. "Find Unit 142, go get the rest of the unit here, and prep for the division arrival so it can be smooth. We can't afford to look like ACUs, we need to look like a regular unit broken into normal platoons."

General Cloud Ridge picked up the knife. "I think I will keep this as a forever reminder to listen as well as respond to orders. Blindly following them can certainly get Pegasi killed. I thought I was paying attention, but apparently I am not. This second chance will not be forgotten."

"Thank you General," Golden Dawn said kindly. "I know this can't be easy. But I know you are making the right choice."

"I am supposed to be dead," General Cloud Ridge replied. "This makes it a fairly easy choice to think about. Especially when you have Wonderbolts trying to kill you. I didn't know they did that."

"They do a lot of things we don't know about," Golden Dawn grinned to herself. "I've picked up on some since I am good friends with one, but a lot even I don't know. They stay aloof and private for a reason."

Golden Dawn looked at her in laws. "I didn't mean to, but I already messed up. Besides, this is the eve of battle. I don't think this will go wrong, but I have no guarantee. I also have no guarantee that we will survive this entire war.

"Shining Ire is carrying a foal. It is still early, but she is carrying a foal. A lot could go wrong. That's why I came here tonight. I didn't know about any hit orders being given to Wonderbolts. But I know that I want that foal to grow up with both sets of grandparents."

"It's been a wild ride," Yarrow said, sitting down next to Golden Dawn. "I know you have loved us in your own way. Combining two families is never easy. And I am sure you felt a lot more pressure than we ever intended on giving you because of the big social catechism that separates your family and ours. But we have never looked down upon you, ever. Your parents are good friends of ours. We go to each other's houses all the time. Still, the choice wasn't easy. I wanted to thank you for risking it all for us. Plus, you beat up a Wonderbolt."

"Ha!" Golden Dawn snorted. "Cloud Vapor is a solid Wonderbolt, but she isn't like some of the others I know. They have skill that is above and beyond that. I can't beat Cardinal Spitfire or Marble Falls.

"Shadow Flare would destroy either of them, and he isn't a Wonderbolt. He is an old friend and the recon soldier we recovered during Operation Cauterize. I saw him slice through 20 enemy raiders in seconds on his way to me after I ran out of ammo. Just a black blob in his armor. And his friends, though exotic, are quite impressive on their own. He did train them. Simi is no joke."

"Simi?" Yarrow asked.

Golden Dawn chuckled. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but Shadow Flare lived with and brought some Zebras to this fight. Some very powerful Zebras who want one thing: to restore him to his home like he restored their home. Apparently he got into a lot of stuff in the south and rebuilt a village and the safety of the area. And they trust him and look up to him greatly for it. This was after he got booted from Equestria for carving it up and destroying hundreds of enemies of the Enclave. And then being forced to run as several powerful forces hunted him. He also stopped at least one assault on the wasteland by Zebras."

"That sounds impressive," General Cloud Ridge smiled. "A powerful friend to have."

Golden Dawn made a bold statement. "He is one of the most loyal soldiers and Pegasi above the clouds. He is a Homestead Farmer too. If anypegasus knows what is best for the citizens, it is him. He lived below, experienced below, and problem solved below for us."

"I hear you," General Cloud Ridge replied. "And I look forward to hearing more. I look forward to hearing you make your case to my soldiers."

"I'll do everything I can to explain the full situation and be as bipartisan as possible. It won't be easy, because I am missing information. I've not been privileged to some of the debriefs he has done."

"Information is always a tricky game," General Cloud Ridge replied. "But let's not get bogged down with that right now. You interrupted dessert. After such an amazing meal, I know the cake I have been eyeing must be divine."

"I like this Idea," Yarrow said. "I will get it for us. There is plenty for us all."

They sat and enjoyed the cake Peony had expertly made. She could cook, but her expertise was baking. If she hadn't been so high in the social standings, she would have become a baker to support herself and her family. The rest of Unit 47 arrived in full gear, coming in through the open windows. They also took a break to eat the rest of the cake.

Vengeful Blade was tracking down the elusive Unit 142. They were doing their job, staying out of sight as they watched and scouted the city. But they also were not at their designated post. Vengeful Blade brought Unit 99 to six different post locations, all without any luck.

They didn't need to discuss splitting up. If they found them, they were outnumbered 3 to 1. That would not do as they tracked down the Unit that had apparently betrayed them.

The night was growing old. There was time for them to check one last place. But it was a risk. The Scout position was almost exposed to the food distribution center. Visibly exposed without needing to really look for anypegasus. The safest place for Unit 142 was there.

Vengeful Blade split his team to outflank them. But they were not going to dive straight in. They got into positions to affirm their betrayal.

Vengeful Blade was closest. He could see them, finally. They were not as attentive to their 6 as they should be.

"What is going on?" Lieutenant Commander Blood Moon asked. "Where did he get a heavy unit from?"

"Wait?" Lieutenant Ray said. "LC, that's Colonel Golden Dawn's team, Unit 47. She is friends with that recon soldier. She is deep in this thing. So why is she with General Cloud Ridge? And so calm. They are just walking and talking without a care in the world. She has to know who he is. Why hasn't she jumped him? Why didn't she earlier, out of sight? She isn't normally this calm."

"Something is off alright," Lieutenant Commander said. "We should make an approach. As one of her units. Throw them off by accident. They are close enough to the facility to catch her unit in a trap."

Vengeful Blade stepped out from around the corner he had been watching from. The rest of his team was right behind them. Before Unit 142 could stand, Vengeful Blade slammed the Lieutenant Commander's head into the railing and pulled him back out of sight. The rest of 142 had been jumped, gagged and pulled back. But Unit 99 didn't stop there. It was a savage beating.

Vengeful Blade rolled Lieutenant Commander Blood Moon over to finally face him. He was still clearly in the superior position. "Why?" He spat. "That is one of my best friends out there and a Pegasus who would risk her neck for yours!"

"She is a traitor," Blood Moon declared. "She is against the Council. Do you think their deadlock would have stopped them from breaking off? It was a convenient solution to that problem. The idiots pulled away from the Council too soon. If they had just waited a few more days, you lot would be in their position. You would be the renegades you actually are. You are playing a technicality to your advantage. And it's a pathetic one that most of the military sees through."

"And you are using it to not have to fight your so called friend. I've seen you two. You should be together, not Shining Ire. You two have more in common than those two. You two could make the life together that you always wanted. But instead, it's not you. It's not even another stallion. It's a mare. And the two of them have given up on the rest of us because they are Pegasi who knowingly decided to not he able to reproduce. A shameful choice. One she has obviously tried to cover up by joining the military."

Vengeful Blade snorted. "You have that all wrong. Their greatest pain is that they could not have foals the same way. Yet they carry one now because of medical science."

"I…" Lieutenant Commander Blood Moon stuttered. "I didn't know."

"Now you do. But you made your choice."

The strike with the hoof was unforgiving. They couldn't use their guns, or it would blow the whole operation. Unit 99 was Scout qualified and knew how to be discreet in their operations. Two more blows and Vengeful Blade drew his combat knife.

It wasn't a standard knife. Gunmetal had made it for him. It was a single edged blade whose backside danced with sharp barbs. It matched how most Pegasi found his name to be: revolting and wicked, meant to kill with nothing good. And Vengeful Blade always kept it ready to grab with his mouth and use. It was his first time using it in combat. The blade drank Blood Moon's blood gladly. Behind him, the others in Unit 142 met similar, quiet fates.

Vengeful Blade left the body for the others to dispose of. He needed to see what was happening with Golden Dawn. She was at the main entrance with General Cloud Ridge, and their entrance was barred.

"I understand sir,” one of General Cloud Ridge’s soldiers replied. “But we know Pegasi Soldiers are scouting our lines. At least one team is. I can let you in, but we won't let her and her squad in until we get confirmation from your superiors. I won't compromise our soldiers. As tired and stretched as they are, they deserve that at the very least. They can last a little while longer until you and I can verify they are reinforcements for us."

Vengeful Blade had one option available. He was almost visible. If he stepped out and shot Golden Dawn, it would look like she was truly with them. She had power armor on, so did her team.

"Prepare to run," Vengeful Blade ordered. "I have to do something risky."

He didn't wait for a response as he blatantly stepped out into the open, loudly clicked his rifle off safety and loaded a round. His shot was perfect. It slammed into Golden Dawn right above her heart. He didn't have time to wait around. Two of Unit 47 turned and opened fire. Three of the defenders shot at him as well. At least three bullets found the weak spots in his armor.

Vengeful Blade ran. It had worked. He was sure about that. Nothing else mattered. If his blood was shed taking the facility, so be it.

Golden Dawn heard the bullet hit, but she didn't feel it. They got her and her Unit inside to safety. The rest of the ACUs would be arriving in an hour, as two troops. Now, they trusted her. Her allies would not shoot her, or so they thought. But Golden Dawn knew who it was. And Vengeful Blade's gamble had paid off.

Only time would tell if he survived that gamble. Only time would tell if he got to reap the rewards of his choice. Only time would tell if he got to see the foal he helped create be born and watch that foal grow up. And only time would tell if that foal grew up in a disgraced and destroyed Enclave, or a Pegasus Race that was once more connected to its brethren below, as it should be.

It became a waiting game. And a game that was a minefield. If she said or acted the wrong way, it was over. They were taken on a tour of the facility. Its focus was on their defenses and properly swapping out his troops with hers.

A sergeant ran up to them, throwing a salute. “Troops approaching on wings. They are spread out wide.”

“Looks like your soldiers have arrived,” General Cloud Ridge stated. “We should go greet them.”

“Sir,” the sergeant protested. “They are wide spread out in their formation.”

“This is a city,” Golden Dawn stated. “Do you expect them to fly in a pattern like we march in? A blind enemy could down an entire unit in a single go.”

They got outside in time to watch them cruise in. The units further back were spread out, but in groups of 10. They were tactical in their spread. And they were moving slowly. There was no sign that tipped them off for them being ACUs. At least not that any Golden Dawn saw.

Colonel safe was clearly at the head of his troops. He flapped a few times to come out of his easy cruise and gently touch down. He saluted with his wing.

“Reporting in as ordered,” He said saluting. “Everypegagus is here as ordered.”

“Colonel Safe, this is General Cloud Ridge. “General, this is my second in command, Colonel Safe. I was placed in the senior position for both of our Battalions as we came here to assist you.”

“Wonderful to meet you,” General Cloud Ridge said, shaking his hoof.

“It is wonderful to be here. And even better to finally be off our wings. We are not trained for such a long flight without clouds.”

“I am not surprised there,” General Cloud Ridge replied. “We at least were able to be transported here. But I guess the cloudships are distracted at the moment.”

“Sadly they are,” Safe replied with a nod. “The devastation was worse than initially estimated.”

The last of the ACUs landed and formed up in groups of 42. 7 ACUs to a platoon. It looked very good.

“But,” Safe continued. “We slept on the ground last night. We are fresh and ready to take command as soon as possible.”

“Good!” General Cloud Ridge exclaimed. “Colonel Dawn and I were going over the positions. My soldiers are tired. They need the break. Immediately.”

“We are at your disposal,” Safe said with a salute.

“I will have assignments shortly,” Golden Dawn stated. “Give me five minutes.”

Colonel Golden Dawn, Colonel Safe, and General Cloud Ridge walked down the platoons, inspecting them. It was not a real inspection. Golden Dawn was figuring out what Units had formed what Platoons. She had to have them switch out with the soldiers in their Platoons, or fire teams inside those platoons.

There were seven sections to protect: The four corners, the front door, the loading zone, and the roof. She had 58 ACUs under her, or 6 and a half platoons. It was just shy to fully cover the areas they had control over. They would need them to all blindly just go to bed to pull it off.

Golden Dawn gave instructions. The half platoon was given charge of the front door and the rest moved out. All they were told was to inform the officer in charge of each position that they were replacing them and that General Cloud Ridge’s orders were to head to bed.

It worked except for the roof. The current platoon designated to cover the platoon didn’t want replacement, they wanted support. They wanted both to be there. General Cloud Ridge went up onto the roof, alone, to order them to bed.

On the roof, Colonel Safe posted up. He was looking out for the law enforcement team that would be taking over. Each position lost half its soldiers as the ACUs fragmented to prepare to arrest the units. They all slept in the loading zone, spread out on sleeping pads. The ACUs were stuck stacking up in the hallways and outside to make sure they got a clean jump on them. But they had to give them time to rest so that they could better judge for themselves the new information.

General Cloud Ridge and Golden Dawn met General Blue Stripe outside the front of the food distribution center. With him was Yarrow and Cloud Vapor. Most of his law enforcement officers were present and looking stellar. All were wearing their special combat gear they had been forced to be issued after the near riots the Pillars of the Community had caused.

“General,” Golden Dawn saluted. “I am Colonel Golden Dawn. Equestrian Pegasus Military. The ACUs are almost ready to surrender the facility to you. Currently, General Cloud Ridge’s soldiers are sleeping and resting in the loading zone. We can not remove the guards at the loading zone yet either. Before we make their arrest and case, we need the exhausted troops to rest up so they can better hear my pitch.”

“Understood,” General Blue Stripe nodded. “May we take over the rest of the defenses?”

“With a warning.”

“Speak.”

“Things may turn bloody if the soldiers decide to fight. And we can’t guarantee the safety of any of your staff. We will do all we can-”

“Understood and risk accepted!”

Golden Dawn gave him the locations of the defenses being held and he gave orders for his law enforcement officers to take charge of them. The ACUs peacefully surrendered them and moved to back up positions to support their fellow ACU soldiers. They were outnumbered a little over 2 to 1 and although they held the upper hoof, they would need to be careful since the General’s troops were backed in a corner. Anytime anything, be it animal or pony, was backed into a corner, they tended to fight. Viciously.

Shortly after noon General Cloud Ridge woke his soldiers up and had them form up. He took a position on a group of boxes stacked up high to talk to them. The ACUs were not not showing themselves, outside of the normal guards in the loading area.

“Soldiers!” General Cloud Ridge greeted them. “You have done a good job securing this facility with such low numbers. I learned from our reinforcements that our communications had been restored for quite a while now. And I confirmed this. We were intentionally kept in the dark.”

General Cloud Snow took in a deep breath. “The Council was betrayed.” The statement brought a lot of murmurs. “Several military generals decided that the Council’s inability to come to a decision meant they would take things over by force. That they would continue the war below. But, while I have gotten caught up on the current situation, Colonel Golden Dawn has more information and will explain the situation in full. She is the officer who was our back up.”

“SIR!” a captain called out.

“Yes?”

“They are not our reinforcements are they?”

“Excuse me?”

“They currently hold every defensive position in this place. They are outside in the halls, aren’t they?”

Golden Dawn landed beside General Cloud Ridge. “Forgive me. I did not bring a dress uniform. And yes, my soldiers are outside, ready to react to you.” Golden Dawn’s wing flew out to stop any responses. “Please, let me explain the situation in as best of detail as possible. I was born here in Twin Clouds. My father-in-law is the head administrator over this food distribution center. A lot rides on the next hour. I stand to lose a lot. Please, let’s stay calm and just talk. I want to talk straight with you.”

They didn’t riot like Golden Dawn expected. “I will start by stating that this facility has been turned over to the proper authorities. The Law Enforcement Division is neutral in all of this, because their duty to the Pegasus Race is clear. No side of the military should hold the food hostage.”

“Hostage!” A staff sergeant objected. “We were not holding it hostage!”

“Not intentionally,” General Cloud Ridge shot back. “Now quiet while she explains the situation!”

He nodded to Golden Dawn and she began to brief them on the current situation with the Council. She didn’t give them their location, only that they were safe in a secure location with the Wonderbolts. Golden Dawn explained Shadow Flare and the importance of his recovery. She explained the actions of the Renegade’s choice and decision to cut out the Council. The last bit she covered was their movement to “secure” the food distribution center and what it actually meant, including why they were kept in the dark.

The soldiers were split. Half believed the war should continue, the other half was for a new direction considering. A few wanted nothing to do with the situation.

General Cloud Ridge cleared his throat loud enough to quiet them. “Thank you Colonel and thank you, my soldiers, for listening. I realize this was a lot to take in. I was almost assassinated last night to make retaking this facility easier.

“New Cloudsdale has already gotten heated for having soldiers at their food distribution facility. Their actions have been dangerous to the ponies around the distribution center. It is true, we do not have to worry too much about them here because unlike theirs, this is isolated from the public and theirs is surrounded by housing units.

“I chose to keep this as peaceful as possible. They were going to kill me and be in the position to slaughter you. We would have drawn their blood, that is true, but I was not going to let you be needlessly slaughtered trying to hold this facility that was not threatened like we were led to believe. Especially once I learned that it was us who were the aggressors. I love and care for you too much to let you die needlessly.”

A lieutenant stepped forward. “Thank you, Sir! I may not agree with the Equestrian Pegasus Military’s beliefs, but I do recognize your care for us. You wouldn’t send us into battle that was unnecessary. But where does that leave us exactly?”

“We haven’t figured that out yet,” Golden Dawn admitted. “We were sent to do battle. This was a much better option. My superiors were thrilled to hear we only fired one shot.”

“One shot?” a soldier asked.

“An ACU unit sent to scout your forces shot at me to help justify our early arrival. It was a big risk. I do hope he is fine because our return fire hit him. We have not been able to track down any information on him. They are probably too scared to show themselves this early.”

“You shot one of your own to sell this switch!” A corporal exclaimed.

“Yes,” Golden Dawn proudly stated. “What is the life of one in comparison to all yours? We knew we were going to battle, you did not. It was unfair to you.”

“And that leaves us where?” the lieutenant asked again.

“Where do you want it to leave you?” General Cloud Ridge asked.

“I don’t know, Sir,” He admitted. “You are my general. I want to make you proud of us. I want you to shine out for being one of the best in this conflict.”

“Then do you trust me?” General Cloud Ridge asked. “Because I have spoken to the Equestrian Pegasus Military officers. I know where I can send you into battle, for them. They don’t want this. They want peace.”

“Have you spoken to General Fighting Spirit, Admiral Tungsten, General Hayworth?”

“Not yet,” General Cloud Ridge confidently admitted. “I know General Fighting Spirit purposefully kept me in the dark and lied to me. I have not wanted to confront him on that yet.”

“Can you?” he asked. “Give us the speaker but only talk through your mic?”

It didn’t take long for it to be set up. The call was made for all to hear.

“General Cloud Ridge, you are not supposed to be calling me. The communications are not secure.”

“Yes, about that. Why not? This shouldn’t take this long.”

“Sabotage! A rogue group was wormed their way into our com lines and sabotaged our efforts to restore them.”

“We desperately need reinforcements. I don’t have enough soldiers to cover this place all the time. I might have to pull in the Law Enforcement Battalion.”

“No! They are not happy with us for securing our resources. We are looking into their involvement. They have been aggressive against us in NC and that includes unfounded arrests.”

“I see. But reinforcements. We can’t maintain things.”

“I can’t spare any.”

“And why not?”

“The citizens are very uneasy. They are close to rising up. And we have to protect the Council.”

“Fine, then I will contact the Council about getting support.”

“They are unreachable.”

“I see. Tell me, how expendable are we?”

“Expendable? What do you mean?”

“I would rather be sent to combat the Equestrian Pegasus Military than try and steal food from the citizens for your military actions.”

“They are hindering our job and must be killed on sight! General Firestorm has outright gone against the Council to secure power. She is a coward and so are the Wonderbolts who follow her!”

“General, what do you plan to do? Do you really think you can go against the Council?”

“Follow your orders and do your job!”

“I need to know what my orders truly are and why.”

“Why? Why! Because we need to secure the food we have left in order to fight this war!”

“What about the citizens? This food belongs to them. Or so I thought.”

“It belongs to the Grand Pegasus Enclave Military! And make sure of it.”

“I am going to have to surrender it to the fine officers and soldiers in the Law Enforcement Battalion in Twin Clouds.”

“If you do that I will have you branded as a traitor! You have your orders. Stick to them and I will contact you as soon as we have secure networks again.”

The line was hung up and Golden Dawn immediately had one going to General Firestorm.

“General Cloud Ridge, it is good to hear from you.” Her voice was calm and sweet. She was genuinely happy to hear from him. “What can I do for you?”

“I just got off a call to General Fighting Spirit. How long have the communication lines been secure?”

“Oh, it took about 3 days since the clouds were gone. Really, just a day and then it was making sure we had several sources from below fully blocked out. A few more days we danced around trying to figure out who was with who and trying to maneuver without sparking a civil war as like minded pegasi gathered. The Wonderbolt lines took a week to be fully operational. We do have to keep track of our lines, because we have had several attacks from below, but it has been handled. It’s mostly the civilian communication lines, not the military’s. But we discussed this earlier.”

“Yes, but I was not with my soldiers, who are listening in.”

“Ah, I see. Shots have not been fired I assume?”

“Thankfully it has been avoided. And the Law Enforcement Division has control over most of the facility. The ACUs haven’t even needed to draw weapons or show up, however they are ready to respond immediately.”

“I am glad it has been peaceful. This is not an easy situation. I am sorry you all had to get caught up in this troublesome position. We never intended for this to happen. But the Renegades have you stamped as one of their own. I assume there are questions some of your soldiers want to ask. I will answer anything I can.”

General Cloud Ridge nodded to his soldiers and began to ask their questions.

“They want to know where you and the Council are.”

“I can’t divulge the Council’s location. Fort Griffin's Gate, the home of the Wonderbolts, was attacked by black ops soldiers. Somepegasus in the Renages has made multiple attempts to kill us, and even attempted to eliminate several retired staff like the previous commander of the Aerial Combat Battalion, General Shielded Vengeance. He was not happy.”

“They want to know what has the Council deadlocked.”

“Initially, Three said change, three said war, and one wouldn’t vote, because that Councilor isn’t sure how to best represent their charge. That changed early this morning, when the same black ops soldiers I just spoke about attacked the Squad Barracks at Fort Wind. The Wondercolts have a barracks there, and it had intel on the Council’s location. The soldiers were after it, to kill the council. They were stopped, but we got what we needed from the survivors. It was a blood battle that they started. They tried to sneak in and kill us in our sleep. They failed to remember why we are the Wondercolts and what the silver wings of the Aerial Combat Units actually means.

“Before the bloodshed a decision was reached by the Council. Well Councilor. We have a ship headed to Twin Cities to pick up several refugees and move them below. The Second Councilor took his economics charge to relocate them to a friendly group below, to help reduce strain on our food shortage and help them farm below. A mutually beneficial choice, and one that has stopped several groups from trying to strike out on their own.

“So, not a lot of good news, but some.

“They want to know if they join you, what you will do for them.”

General Firestorm sighed. “I hate what I will have to do. They would get deployed to face off against the Renegades who also stole the name Grand Pegasus Enclave and formed their own Council because they couldn’t wait for our Council to make a decision. They want to continue the war until we have nothing left to throw at the wasteland. After this morning’s attack, I am starting to believe they knew the council was not going to side with the war and that is why they made their bold move and declared the Council to be compromised.

“Our sources say they are trying to figure out how to conscript the citizens and arm them. That will include any they can get ahold of who can wear a battle saddle. Young, old, mare, or stallion, it doesn’t matter. They don’t even have the facilities to train them. Which is the most concerning. The weeks you and your soldiers went through in Basic Training won’t happen, let alone any form of secondary training school. And they will all be given combat army roles.”

“That is concerning," General Cloud Ridge stated. "None of this is ideal."

"It's all pretty fucked up," General Firestorm replied.

"But you got some stellar soldiers under you," General Cloud Ridge said. "They did everything they could to not kill us."

Firestorm laughed. "Before you called me I only got a report about the facility. It just said: taken without a shot. I almost shit myself in surprise. Only Golden Dawn could pull that off. Which is why I sent her as the head."

"We still haven't discussed the attempted assassinations."

Firestorm's jab was playful. "Well who got their ass put in a position for the Wonderbolts to have to consider that?"

"Golden Dawn saved me there too. And her father-in-law who was also a target."

"Shit!"

"Yeah, we will be discussing that when I get back," Golden Dawn interjected.

"Well," Firestorm stammered. "Join us and you could have been in the loop! Ish. Those assignments are mostly private. But we sent you to Twin Clouds because you know the city."

"I've applied to leave to visit them!" Golden Dawn fired back. "And personally applied to you!"

"I can't keep track of everypegasi's family members! And this is off the subject! You made sure nopony got killed or shot."

"Well, 99 is currently MIA after they killed 142 for backstabbing us. They were watching General Cloud Ridge's movements, but when we found him, we realized that they had back stabbed us. And we shot Vengeful Blade a few hours ago when I first arrived at the facility. Our legitimacy was questioned and he took a shot to make it legitimate. They already were aware they were being scouted."

Firestorm's concern was apparent. "MIA? You can't find them!"

"We have been a bit busy, but we can't. And the Law Enforcement Division has put what little effort they have left to try to track them down. We will be able to put a real effort in as soon as we sort out the final details here. But I think it is safe to say that they don't want to be found, and they will make it difficult. But we have medical care, and we are certain that one of the shots got past his armor."

"A tough price to pay," Firestorm said solemnly.

"It is. But one he would find worthwhile. After all, he shot me first, but he knew where to put it so I only heard it stop on my armor."

"Alright," Firestorm sighed. "But now, we need to focus on the immediate moment and the bomb that is sitting in front of you. General, how are you troops doing?"

"Calm," General Cloud Ridge replied. "Surprisingly calm. The question is, who will acquit themselves, who will follow me into the Equestrian Pegasus Military, and who will be detained until the conflict is over?"

A sergeant spoke up. "Did the Grand Pegasus Enclave really go against the council?"

"Yes," Firestorm snorted. "They did and they did it over open channels when they declared the Council compromised and then blatantly took control. We are preparing a response, but the attack on Ford Wind a few hours ago has shifted that and it's taking a little longer than anticipated. Simply put, the Councilors are not happy to be sidestepped in their authority and replaced."

"Then it is time,” General Cloud Ridge said to his soldiers. “If you wish to acquit yourself from this conflict, please sit down. There is no dishonor in acquitting yourself from this shitstorm. If you don't agree with following me into the Equestrian Pegasus Military, please move to the inside wall. Let's not turn this to blood. The ACUs are armed and outside. They out class you with ease, and I know how good you are."

Five stallions and two mares proudly walked over to the wall. Seven others sat down and acquitted themselves. The rest decided to follow their general to battle.

Seven ACU members stepped inside and escorted each of the “enemy” out. It was calm and clean, with every ounce of respect given to each pegasus as possible. They didn’t use any unnecessary force or excessive numbers. They went out of their way to not cause an issue.

“You are awake and at least partially rested,” General Cloud Ridge said to his troops. “Let’s pack up and get out of here so that the Law Enforcement Division can take complete control. They are neutral after all.”

“Sir?” One of the soldiers who had acquitted themselves called out from their seated position. “I may have acquitted myself from this war, but if the Law Enforcement Division is neutral, and doing its duty to protect the citizens, can I join them?”

“That is not for me to answer,” General Cloud Ridge replied with a warm smile. “We can talk with General Blue Stripe about it though. This is his city and citizen to protect.”

Golden Dawn reconnected with Safe on the rooftop. Unit 47 was there too.

“Go find them,” Safe said. “Quickly. We will need them in the upcoming battles. And we will need you too. I will get things finalized here, and then mount a full mission to canvas the city with every single soldier under us.”

“Thanks,” Golden Dawn said with a nod before taking off.

Chapter 149 - Oleoresin Capsicum

Shadow Flare was watching the front of the New Cloudsdale food distribution center from under Mwokozi's cloak. He was street level in an alley. He watched as a whole platoon exited the facility and headed directly across the street to Civilian Housing. Shadow moved out to catch up with them. Soldiers should not be moving into civilian housing. Maybe there were a few residences available, but that was doubtful due to its prime location for the working pegasi.

The soldiers were unaware of him as they talked and walked. The lobby had two elevators, but it also had a stairwell. The soldiers stayed together as they chatted and took the stairs, simplifying things for Shadow. It was easy to stay right behind them.

They exited on the eighth floor of the ten story building. It was still in the low fly zone of the nearby Weather Factory. Which was another reason why they should not be there.

They fragmented from there and Shadow followed the closest one into a residence. He just barged his way in. His carelessness and noise made it exceptionally easy for Shadow to slip in. He was not the brightest soldier the Pegasi had.

He walked to the main room and tossed his gear off and into a pile of more stuff before plopping onto the couch with a belch. The two foals quickly scrambled to the kitchen where a mare was working. On the other side of the room was a very annoyed stallion, who was trying to read the paper. It was obvious at a quick glance that he was doing it to keep an eye on their "guest."

"Do you have a departure date?" The stallion calmly asked. "We can't support you being here much longer."

"Look," the soldier snapped. "I do not. I don't care. I'm on deployment, keeping you safe from the Pegasi who are intent on destroying us. Me staying here is an honor. You are doing your duty to the Grand Pegasus Race by sheltering me during this difficult time."

The stallion snorted angrily.

"Now, how long until dinner?"

"We can't support you on the budget we currently have," The stallion said, holding his tongue. "You have to tell your superiors we need support to do it. I'm almost out of bits. I haven't been to work since you seized the facility and stopped us from working. I am also running low on ration tickets. And the stores are running low on food."

"Not my problem," the soldier waved off. "I do my duty protecting you. You do your job, helping me to do that."

Shadow poked his head into the kitchen. The food smelled like food. But the dish was plain oats. The open cupboard had nothing on its shelves.

This was beyond cruel what this single soldier was doing to them. Ordered or not, it was cruel. And the rest of the ponies that lived here had to be in similar situations.

Shadow stepped into the kitchen and grabbed the mare as his cloak came off. He covered the two foals with it. He held her in tight, keeping her from screaming.

"Quite!" Shadow ordered her and the scared foals. "We can't let him know I am here. I'm going to help you. But you have to stay quiet. Can you do that?"

The mare did her best to shake her head in his iron grip. Shadow released her and pulled his helmet off.

"Forgive me. All of you. I hope I didn't hurt you with the armor on. He can't know I am here, yet. But I'll get rid of him."

"Please," The mare said, almost begging in her despair.

Shadow nodded quietly and picked up his cloak. He folded it up and put it away before he flashed them one last smile and put his helmet back on.

"Remember, stay quiet and stay in here. This is not something you need to be involved in or even watch, but you can trust me."

Shadow stepped out and confidently strode into the main room. The stallion saw him but didn't respond. He was waiting to see what would happen. The soldier was laying on the couch with his back to Shadow and the door. A rookie mistake.

"Ahem!" Shadow coughed to get his attention.

The soldier rolled over to look at him. "The poker game isn't till 7, after dinner. If you want in, it's 200 bits."

"Poker?" Shadow calmly asked. "I'm not here for poker."

"Then why are you here?" the soldier asked, clueless. "This place is occupied by me. Check another room for housings. And I don't have a fucking list of available rooms."

"Why are you here?" Shadow calmly asked. "What I mean is, why are you being housed in here. This is civilian housing, not military. And it should only be used as such. Your place is at Mareland Joint Operations Base, not here."

"How dumb are you. We are deployed to the food facility across the way. Walk out onto the back patio and you can see the shit hole. We can't commute that far from Mareland."

"It is far," Shadow admitted. "But why are you being forced on civilians? Why not stay at the facility you claim to be protecting?"

"Duh," the soldier snorted. "It's full of food, and it's got no room to put any cots."

"So all of the soldiers holding the facility are housed outside of it?"

"Are you that fucking dumb-"

"Out!" Shadow order. "Every single soldier must leave immediately! Let your superiors know that civilian housing is not for active duty military personnel. We are not barbarians who must force ourselves on others. We claim we are more civilized than that. So get!"

The stallion snorted. His right eye had flinched every time the soldier had used foul language. "Finally a Pegasus Pony with a brain."

"You are not the fucking boss of me!"

"I outrank you," Shadow spat. "Since you appear to be blind, it is Command Sergeant Major and you will do as I command or face the consequences."

"I don't have a Command Sergeant Major over our division. Fuck off!"

"Fine," Shadow shrugged. "Then reap the consequences."

Kifo Herixleta was drawn and plunged into the lounging soldiers. Shadow wasn't going to ruin their couch, or their property. The blade was thrust in through the shoulder and into the body's length. The blade was iced over to stop the bleeding. He held the blade there for a moment to make sure the blood flow around the whole body was stopped before he withdrew it without spilling a single drop. Shadow picked him up and opened the glass door to the patio. He discarded the body off the patio to drop all the way down. There was no way it wasn't not seen.

Shadow contacted Captain Lemon Lime. "I need Law Enforcement here ASAP. The GPE has forced themselves into civilian housing and that includes forced feeding. We need to get them out."

"Perfect timing," Lemon Lime said after another minute. "I am with General Blue Shield discussing several things. We will get on this immediately. We were not aware of this development. I assume you are already stirring up trouble?"

"Absolutely," Shadow chuckled. "I just killed one of the bastards and will undoubtedly have to kill more as they try and flush me out. CSM Shadow Flare out."

Shadow pulled his helmet off to address the stallion. "Forgive me."

"Ha!" The stallion laughed before Shadow could continue. "That was perfect. And I expected to have to clean up. That soldier had it coming and he and his friends need to go. From all of our home."

"I am with the Council, and the Equestrian Pegasus Military. The Renegades claimed the Grand Pegasus Enclave name and symbol when they chose to bypass the Council and seize control. We have been trying to get an upper hoof, but we are in the minority.

“And I would never force you to clean up my mess. I am better than that. Why should I free you from their grip and force you to clean up after me?”

“Well you are certainly not the same type of soldiers as the other one.”

Shadow sighed and flipped on his helmet. The noise from outside the patio had gotten a lot louder. They were going to be attacking the residence momentarily.

“Kids, into your room!” Shadow ordered. “Everypony into there before they storm this pace and hurt you.”

While they rushed to get out of sight, Shadow flipped the cloak on. A pegasus flew up onto the patio and checked the door. Shadow had remembered to lock it so the Pegasus went up to the next patio above. They were shooting in the dark, trying to figure out what room the soldier had come from.

A minute later the door took a loud kick. A second kick came, trying to break the door down. Shadow could have knocked the door down in a single kick. Their attempts were pathetic.

As soon as they kicked in the door, the four of them did a better job fanning out to cover and sweep the room. Without visual contact with anyone, they moved into the residence.

“Grand Pegasus Enclave soldiers!” their leader announced. “Come out and talk! We need to confirm who was staying here.”

One of them moved to the room where everyone was hiding. Shadow uncloaked right beside her and snapped her neck. The others jumped into action. Their weapons came off safety, but Shadow japped one in the throat, rammed the other one’s lower jaw into his face. And sweep the leg of the last. The first one succumbed to the collapsed throat, the second one was spitting out broken teeth. Shadow snapped the neck of the third and then walked up beside the second and did it a third time.

It was a horrible sound and an even worse feeling. Shadow had done it time and time again for it’s efficiency. But it never got any better. He whipped his helmet off and stumbled to the patio. He didn’t make it as he vomited the little he had in his stomach.

Once the dry heaves finished, he moved as fast as he could to the front door and closed it. He put a chair in front of it. The chair wasn’t set to brace or reinforce it. It was just there to make noise if somepony tried the busted door.

The bedroom door squeaked open and the stallion came out, closing it behind himself. He looked around at the carnage.

“You shouldn’t see this,” Shadow quietly told him as he got to his side.

The stallion looked him in the eyes without a shred of fear or doubt. “Young, Sir, this is my home. What happens in it is of my concern.”

“Forgive the mess,” Shadow said as he put one of them on his back.

“I don’t think you understand what a mess is,” the stallion replied. “A bit of blood, some uh, teeth? To clean up, and some vomit, easy. We are rid of the real mess, that soldier.”

Shadow slid open the patio a crack and put the body on in. He got all of them onto the patio before he went to drop them off the patio. The stallion joined him.

Before Shadow could protest he spoke. “This is my house. If I want to throw the trash off the back with you, I will.”

Shadow sighed and they tossed the bodies down to the other one. They were seen because soldiers were watching the front and more were below by the body. Shadow locked the door and drew the curtains. It was better if they couldn’t see inside. It kept him a bit more blind, but it was still to his advantage.

A pounding knock came at the door. “Open up and surrender!”

“Get out of my house!” The stallion called back. “Your intrusion won’t be tolerated any longer! I may not have killed them, but I will not be pushed around anymore!”

“Surrender the killer. Peacefully surrender him and we will talk about the housing arrangement.”

“The housing arrangement is more than just me! It’s this entire building! I will stand and resist you until every single soldier vacates this building and we get heavily compensated for the hell we were forced into.”

Shadow laughed. He made sure to add a bit of mania to it. It was easy since he would have fun protecting them if anypony tried to breach.

“Come in and meet your death!” Shadow taunted. “That is all that awaits you in here. You can not win this. I am far superior in skill. I am Recon Team 4. You can not handle me. The wasteland couldn’t, and it had better ponies trying than I have seen in the Enclave..”

They were obviously hesitating outside the door. That was exactly what Shadow needed. He tied back into a line with Lemon Lime.

“Lemon Lime, I need an ETA. I’ve got 5 dead and more stacked outside. With 4 civilians inside, two foals.”

“ETA is two minutes. We have a full reaction team moving in. Just hold out a little bit longer.”

“Understood,” Shadow said.

Shadow tilted the chair so it reinforced the door. He flipped his helmet back on and moved to the patio. He got on the ground and lifted the bottom of the curtain. His helmet picked up no individuals outside.

Shadow slowly opened the door to wiggle out. He snapped together Soarin's Lightning and set up an impromptu sniper nest. The patio had cloud bars, opening it up nicely. Perfect for a sniper to see out, while blocking view in. He was about to pull the cloak over his head when the stallion slid up besides him.

"What?" he asked quietly. "I am going to go as far as I can with this. I'm fighting for my family, for my friends, for my life. I can't get at a rifle, but I can hold my ground here."

Shadow looked through his scope. Everything below was tense. The Law Enforcement Division had just arrived. At its head was General Blue Shield. He was in his regular duty uniform, no extra armor or weapons visible.

"General Derringer!" General Blue Shield called out to the other Pegasus with stars on his collar. "We have a problem. I spoke with you when you 'deployed' here to protect the food. We didn't come to an agreement then. However, now you have crossed a line."

"And what line is that?" General Derringer asked, not closing the 75 yards between them in the middle of the road. "Nothing we have done has changed since we last talked."

The Law Enforcement Division had about 50 officers in regular uniforms, except they were carrying rifles along with their pistols. None of them had extra armor like General Blue Shield. They were spread out in a good pattern, however it didn't match the amount of soldiers visibly ready to fight. Most were in defensive positions at the food distribution center, but others were in the road or at the building to respond to the situation.

"Well that just pisses me off even more!" General Blue Shield declared. "I have tried to be reasonable, because the Law Enforcement Division is not a part of this dick measuring war you are having. We are here to protect the citizens of the Pegasi. You have occupied my citizen's homes with soldiers. That ends now!"

General Derringer snorted loudly. "We have not stepped over any boundaries. We have the right to house our soldiers where we need them. We have to hold this facility. This is how we are doing our duty. If this facility falls into the wrong hooves-"

"IF YOU SURRENDERED IT TO MY HOOVES AS YOU SHOULD HAVE TO BE PROTECTED BY ME AND MY DIVISION WHO'S UNDENIABLE DUTY, WRITTEN INTO OUR LAWS! IS TO PROTECT THEM AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE FED! THAT IS OUR CLEAR DUTY! YOU DO NOT HAVE SUCH A CLEAR DUTY AND YOU HAVE STEPPED INTO THE FIELD OF MY DUTY! UNDER MY CONTROL! YOU WILL DO AS I SAY OR I WILL BRING DOWN THE LAW ON YOUR HEAD! WITH THE FULL LEGALITY OF THE COUNCIL AND OUR FOUNDERS!"

"Ha!" General Derringer laughed. "That is funny. I am in my complete and legal right."

General Blue Shield confidently walked, alone, over to face General Derringer. He fearlessly stood right in front of him.

“Don’t fight this,” General Blue Shield stated, just to him. “We can work this out. Evacuate your soldiers from any civilian housing, and I won’t arrest any of you who are outside of the facility.”

“HA! Arrest me. You wouldn’t dare. You couldn’t! You-”

“Are outmanoeuvred,” General Blue Shield finished. “You are outmaneuvered. I can place more soldiers than you can. In more places. I have snipers available. Snipers you do not.”

General Derringer snorted again. “The Law Enforcement Division has no snipers.”

“We got cleared for advanced and specialized training seven years ago after the near riots.”

Shadow pulled back from the scope he fumbled in his bag for a laser pointer. “Want to do something? Point this on General Derringer’s chest. I don’t have a laser mod on my rifle. This will give that effect.

The stallion took the laser pointer and did his best. It was difficult to see in the light and the distance distorted things. Shadow guided him with the scope to the chest of General Derringer. It flirted around on the chest of General Blue Shield first, but it caught the eye of General Derringer who then saw it move to his chest.

“You were saying?” General Blue Shield said. “Ten minutes to vacate any and all civilian housing, occupied or not. That is my final word.”

General Blue Shield began to walk back to his other officers. The dot stayed on General Derringer’s chest. General Blue Shield even turned his back on General Derringer. The dot on his chest was warning enough.

General Blue Shield got back to the other four officers who had been beside him. Captain Lemon Lime and Lieutenant Light Bomb were with the LE Major there. Both Wonderbolts were in black uniforms, unmarked. They looked more like they were in the Law Enforcement division than being in the Aerial Combat Battalion.

“I didn’t realize you had snipers,” Lemon Lime quietly said.

“We do, but that team was stupidly deployed into the building. They also are one of our best clearing teams. I don’t know who that is.”

Lemon Lime snorted. “That means it’s Shadow Flare. And from what I understand, his sniper rifle is one hell of a gun. A real legendary rifle from the war.”

“Are we sure he is on our side?” General Blue Shield asked. “If he pulls that trigger…”

“He won’t unless we are in trouble,” Lemon Lime said. “I am sure of that. What matters is how we play things out. We need to make sure we don’t force him to shoot.”

“Well, it’s a waiting game now,” General Blue Shield said. “Can you reach the Command Sergeant Major?”

Lemon Lime nodded. “Shadow? Can you hear me?”

“Yep!” Shadow replied. “You drew a good line.”

“I didn’t realize that rifle of yours had a sighting laser modification.”

Shadow chuckled. “It doesn’t. The stallion who owns this residence is holding a laser pointer for me while I keep him in my sights.”

“That is devious. But, um, what about protecting them?”

“He wants to help protect his home, his family, and his friends. The rest of his family is tucked away, safe. Also, I didn’t mess up the place, much. Just a bit of blood, a few pieces of teeth, and some vomit.”

“Vomit?”

Shadow chuckled nervously. “When I break necks, I vomit.”

“Ugh,” Lemon Lime exclaimed, disgusted. “I haven’t done it, but I know how. I don’t envy you.”

“Zebras suck,” Shadow shot back. “Although, there are a few things that are actually worse than snapping a neck. I, uh, won’t speak of those. I’ve made my peace.”

“Well, we need the clock to run out,” Lemon Lime said. “We want this win to set precedence with both sides for the rest of the war.”

“And you sit on what side?” Shadow asked.

“Irrelevant at this point,” Lemon Lime replied. “We need the Law Enforcement Division to truly stay bipartisan. We need them to keep the civilians safe. It also helps us not cross that line.”

“Time?”

“Two minutes. See anything?”

“Nah, he isn’t even flinching. When you move in-”

“You won’t see,” Lemon Lime said. “It will be swift and fierce.”

“I will switch to watching the door.”

“Sure, but you won’t see anything.”

“Shit!” Shadow swore. He turned to the stallion. “Get your family into the kitchen. Wet towels and put them over your head and sit there. It’s the best protection available. It's safe, but go!”

The stallion dropped the laser pointer as he got up. It clanked on the clouds and then bounced through the bars all the way down. A soldier saw it and picked it up.

“General! This laser pointer just came from a balcony above us.”

“A laser pointer!” General Derringer laughed. “I knew you were-”

BOOM!

A giant hole was blasted into the clouds right in front of General Derringer. The General just stared at the hole. The angle made the hole a cone from the impact point outwards.

“NEXT SHOT WON’T BE A WARNING!” Shadow announced.

General Derringer definitely looked up at the patio. He couldn’t see Shadow, but he did appear to be challenging him to shoot. There wasn’t time as a message came in.

“Sir, this is the entry team at the door.”

“What!” General Derringer barked over their coms.

“We are held at gunpoint by Law Enforcement team. They are ordering us to stand down. What do we do? They are fully geared out.”

“What! What do you mean?” General Derringer shot a look at General Blue Shield and the other law enforcement officers. He was about to argue with them but they all had masks on. Gas masks. Which didn’t make sense.

Shadow looked up as he heard the chariots. They sported the Enclave Law Enforcement badge on their black sides. They had their red and blue lights flashing. Most of their chariots were closed to take in prisoners. But these were open for quick deployment. They were not deploying soldiers or officers.

As they came overhead an orange cloud opened up and blanketed the air. It dropped to the streets below in a great cloud. The orange assaulted the very air and choked everything out.

The Law Enforcement had just bombed the entire area with oleoresin capsicum, instead of delivering it in a spray. It was a risky move using the riot control spray to cover everything. They covered multiple blocks with the spray to get to every single deployed soldier.

Meanwhile, through all the screams of terror as the outside of their windows turned orange, each residence was busted open by the designated team. They had used the 10 minute time limit to move their crews into position. In a matter of seconds most of the building had been cracked open and the soldiers clapped in irons.

General Blue Shield leaped the distance between him and General Derringer in a few strides. He defied the age he appeared to be. He was faster than most recruits were at the end of Basic Training. Forehoof cuffs were on General Derringer in a flash. The OC helped control him as he clapped his wings down.

“You are under arrest for endangering the Citizens you are charged to protect!”

General Derringer wasn’t carrying a mask. He was coughing as his body reacted to the heavy irritant. And there was no relief for blocks. “How dare you,” He managed.

“You had your time!” General Blue Shield said through the mask. “You are outside of the facility and you are aiding the subjection and endangerment of the citizens in that building. If your soldiers fight back they will be killed. We still have a sniper who will kill them.

“I am also getting multiple reports of unsecured firearms in the presence of foals. Young fillies and colts having easy access to firearms is a major violation of multiple laws. And you just got caught and will pay the price.”

A chariot landed and General Derringer was put inside it and secured to the seat. General Blue Shield’s second in command was inside to personally escort him to prison. General Blue Shield had more to deal with in the area.

He took to his wings to the residence where Shadow Flare was waiting. Lemon Lime was inside as well, and they were trying to get the residence cleared. It was a nearly pointless attempt with the cloud that would hang heavy over the area for a good hour.

“We need to move them out of the area,” General Blue Shield said to Shadow and Lemon Lime.

“Can you explain what is happening?” the stallion asked from inside the kitchen. He coughed heavily. “I believe we deserve an answer.”

They moved the talks to the kitchen as General Blue Shield explained the situation. “We just bombed the entire area with an irritant used to control riots or subdue a problematic individual. We hit the entire area to show the soldiers we mean business. They will be hurting, but it is not deadly. The wet towels you are wearing are a solid counter to the smoke. I know it must be hard. If we could have protected you, we would have.”

“You just dragged every single invading soldier from our homes,” the stallion shot back.
“That is protecting us.”

“We will move you as soon as the arrested trespassers are removed. We can’t get you out without risking you and your family. It is safer in here right now.”

General Blue Shield spoke into his com. “I need free hooves to get these citizens some relief. Towels over their heads as we try to get them out. We need to move the old and young first. Let’s get to prioritizing their removal.”

He received the confirmation.

General Blue Shield stepped out of the kitchen to observe what he could through the orange haze in the living room. It was just a pile of gear. A quick check confirmed that the battle saddle was not just unsecured, but had a loaded round in the chamber. The safeties could easily be switched off. It was not proper storage. There were strict laws about weapons and foals, laid down for their protection because of family members in the military carrying weapons back home when they lived on base, or off base in certain circumstances. None of these residences had proper storage for weapons in place. Every soldier arrested for trespassing was in violation of at least 2 specific laws that came with a huge penalty.

“How did you exactly find out?” General Blue Shield asked Shadow. “We never discussed it. The important thing was protecting the citizens.”

“I was watching their lines,” Shadow explained. “I saw a group enter after getting off shift. I followed them in and then to this soldier. It was easy to enter after how he barged in. After a chat, I killed the lazy bastard on the couch. He wasn’t going to leave. He believed they had a right to invade these pony’s lives.

“They also discussed, without knowing I was there, the current economic problem. These ponies are out of work. At least, those who worked in the food distribution facility. They haven’t gotten paid in a long time either. And feeding an unplanned mouth has soaked up their food tickets. They can barely feed their families, and certainly they won’t be able to do that soon.”

“I’ll get them taken care of,” General Blue Shield said. “I won’t fail them on that. They won’t go hungry and I will try and subsidize no income. It won’t be easy with the Council bound up.”

“The Second Councilor should be able to secure resources for you,” Shadow said. “I was there not to long ago, in front of them.”

“Sure, but if they control the food, I doubt they didn’t grab the banks and resource storage centers as well. I don’t have an unlimited budget to work off of.”

“They won’t be around for long,” Shadow assured him.

A coughing fit from the kitchen turned their attention back to the residents. The stallion had tried to handle the repulsive air on his own.

"I just wanted to look you in the eye and say thanks," He finally was able to say. "I know you did your best to save us and not make a mess. I wish I could do more. You said you were spying on their forces."

"Yeah," Shadow said. "I was. But we just severely thinned their numbers. And even the homes without a soldier had gear in them. Gear that they won't be getting back, giving us a very good edge. No military should impose itself on a civilian’s home."

"And where will you do the rest of your spying?" The stallion asked.

"All around," Shadow shrugged. "It won't be one solid place."

"And you will stay where? A hotel?"

"I have a residence on the other side of town," Shadow stated. "I'm recon. We have locations to use when moving throughout the… well what used to be the Grand Pegasus Enclave. What is left of it now."

Chapter 150 - Final Prep

Shadow stood atop the Weather Factory, concealed under Mwokozi’s cloak. He was dressed as Black Widow and watching the movements of the Enclave Soldiers as they guarded the Food Distribution Center. The goal was to cut the head off the snake as Black Widow, and leave the scared soldiers to the military.

It was a very well guarded center. The roof had a dozen guard stations that included medium machine guns. The front door had a markshaft bunker with multiple machine guns and there was little doubt that the back bay was any different.

Black Widow had a challenge ahead, but it was not the worst situation she had faced.

Shadow switched on a StealthBuck under his cloak. Once it was active, he removed the cloak. The StealthBuck was the only device that could cover him as he flew between buildings. Shadow landed beside a ventilation shaft that was as far away from any soldiers as possible. He flipped the cloak on and then drew Kifo Herixleta. The sword glowed red and slowly sliced the grating off. It was caught before it made any noise falling off.

Shadow slipped into the ventilation system, taking the grate with him so it wasn’t spotted. Noticing the missing cover would be harder to catch than noticing the cover laying to the side, discarded. The ventilation system quickly became a crawl and Shadow looked for an out. He found a vent and was able to see enough to time a smooth exit.

Inside the Food Distribution Center, Shadow had to make a plan. His only goal as Black Widow was to kill the senior officer. He had watched the replacement several hours earlier after the Law Enforcement division had arrested General Derringer for endangering the citizens. It was a tough break that the Enclave was still trying to sort out, making it the perfect time to strike.

Shadow found a directory hanging on the wall. He located the head office and made a beeline there. The stairs were empty. The soldiers either used their wings, or were lazy and took the elevator. The door to the office of the head administrator had a window on it. Shadow peaked in and found him sleeping on a cot. He slipped inside and drew the zebra bayonet.

The kill was quick and silent. With the blood of the he wrote his message on the wall,

Black Widow has ascended to judge the Pegasus Race. Equestria needs the Pegasus Race, and the Enclave is blocking the union that is required for all to survive. Their evil is brilliantly on display by their forceful takeover of this center, cutting off their fellow pegasi from the food they need. Black Widow will not let that unjustice go unanswered. The Pegasi deserve better leaders than the power hungry monsters who control the Enclave.

This center will be returned to the hooves of those who it is supposed to serve, the ponies of the clouds. Either by force, or by choice, that is up to you.

Shadow turned his attention to the desk in the room. He cloaked himself in case someone came in, but he was betting on having several hours before the general would be needed. They didn’t like to be disturbed when they were sleeping.

The desk had plans detailing the entire defensive operation. Everything was right there: strength of the numbers, units assigned to the center, the heavy equipment brought in, the entire defensive grid and organization, as well as troop rotations and movements. It had been updated after the others had been taken into custody. Only one extra unit had been sent to reinforce the three that had been lost. The Enclave was stretched thinner than they would ever admit.

Shadow made copies of everything, making sure it all was put back exactly as he found it. He couldn’t tip off anyone that it had been seen, let alone copied. Black Widow didn’t have to plan to take over the center. She just cut down any resistance. But as recon, Shadow had to provide something to his officers about the Food Distribution Center.

Armed with the new information, leaving the center was easier than getting in. Shadow had planned on taking several hours scoping out the defenses of the center, but the information he got was accurate from his initial investigation. There was a good chance it would change after Black Widow’s kill was discovered, but moving the heavy defensive posts and machine gun nests would not be a simple matter. Now, he had to wait it out for several more hours before calling it quits to get a few hours rest back at the safehouse.

Lemon Lime and Light Bomb were asleep when Shadow got back. Shadow settled into bed and slipped into a light sleep. He was awoken by Lemon Lime several hours later. She was smart enough to quietly call to him from the doorway, out of striking range if she spooked him.

“What?” Shadow groaned as he sat up. The sun wasn’t even up yet, although dawn was just beginning to show.

“Did you scope out the Food Distribution Center last night?”

“Yes,” Shadow nodded. “I have their defensive plans as well as other information taken during my recon mission.”

“Well it doesn’t matter now,” Lemon Lime replied with a sly grin. “The soldiers departed an hour ago, back to Mareland. They were spooked. The Law Enforcement officers found General Ironwing with a slit throat and a message written in his blood on the wall. They fear Black Widow.”

“That is a welcomed surprise,” Shadow replied with a smile. “I can’t believe they ran.”

“I can,” Lemon Lime replied. “The rumors are that a team infiltrated Mareland a few mornings back. They don’t know where they are, or who they can trust. Losing two generals in less than a day and a sizable amount of forces locked up, well continuing to hold the center was a big risk. They left the defenses, but took the equipment. I am certain a full investigation will conclude that they took as much food as possible, but that is of little concern.”

“One down, two to go,” Shadow said.

“Two down,” Lemon Lime corrected. “The ACUs secured Twin Clouds’ facility yesterday as well. They are on their way here.”

“Are there any other military establishments in New Cloudsdale that need to be dealt with?” Shadow asked.

“None,” Lemon Lime replied. “New Cloudsdale may be surrounded by the various bases that make up Mareland Joint Operation Base, but it is free from soldiers. No battles should happen in its streets or in the skies above it. The biggest danger is an errant naval shell.”

“How would a navel shell miss by that much?” Shadow asked.

“Two ways,” Lemon Lime explained. “First, the shell is fired right after the ship is hit and moved from an explosion, meaning the cannon and targeting system are no longer in sync. The second is if a ship breaks apart before a follow up shell hits it, and that shell flies through without being set off. I trust the Navy, on both sides, to mitigate those chances to the point that it can’t happen.

“Still, the battle at Nellie will be in more open skies. The airbase is distinctly separate from Las Pegasus. Here, they are side by side, so whatever fleet arrives here, it will be fought close to the city.”

“Well, that means my attention will be turned to scouting the bases. What about you two?”

“We will be assisting with the take over and security of the FDC. When the time comes for the battle, that is not something I have an answer for. We need to keep the FDC free and in the wings of the citizens.”

“Any idea where I should start then?” Shadow asked.

“Rumor has it that something was caught, and it’s being held at Neighvarro. You never left Fort Wind. Neighvarro is the main army base. It is where the combat school is, and where you should have been sent after basic training, except not only are you a really good flier, they happened to have an aerial combat school that lined up with your basic training. Of course, they timed that course in case there were any good fliers, which paid off immensely.”

“What do I need to know?” Shadow asked.

“Its heavy army mentality. Burn the wasteland. And they hate you. You didn’t do well with the special training, for the crowd control, and that is the heartland for it.”

“So what, another Fort Wind, but larger? Including the combat training areas.”

“Like four times that, but force it all together, tighter. A lot tighter. Like a city, all designed around the control and killing of ponies. It would have eaten you alive, in ways the Wasteland didn’t and couldn’t. Down there, you didn’t have to conform, there you would have had to conform to what they made you. And that is the reason you not only survived, but excel in recon. You are not a soldier like they are.

“So if you go, be careful. I recommend dropping rank, like all the way. Fresh boots who can be excused, after a lot of yelling, for making mistakes.”

“Be afraid,” Shadow nodded.

“That would help,” Lemon Lime nodded. “Although, you will need more than rank. I’m not sure which units are there. Without a unit patch, you will stand out. Actually, on second thought, your dress uniform, they won’t be wearing them. It will all be combat gear.”

“So don’t go in uniform,” Shadow nodded.

“Not and expect to live.”

“How important is looking into this captive?” Shadow asked. He was concerned about his Zebra team and if they got caught.

“I hear you brought back an exotic team,” Lemon Lime stated. “And that the nature of your friends, they are something that we would have heard if they got caught. And as I said, there is that rumor that a team infiltrated Mareland. Now, whether or not those are the same, well I don’t think they are. The rumors are more hush, of a personal state.”

“A Wonderbolt?” Shadow asked.

“How they got caught, no idea, however, I do feel like Wonderbolt wouldn’t be enough to keep it as hush as it is at this time, when we are going to war. A Wonderbolt getting caught...it should be big news. Like, they would be flaunting it, but not. It’s personal.”

“I should find out what is so personal,” Shadow said. “Because there is a good chance, they are on our side.”

“Never discount them locking up one of their own they hate,” Lemon Lime reminded him. “Especially since they can get away with it at the moment. But yes, you probably should. You, or…”

“If it is an ally, me,” Shadow replied.

“Good point and good luck. This is the type of stuff that I never did well with as a Wonerbolt. Hence why I moved to the Law Enforcement field. Or rather, created my association there. It was complicated. I found something and was allowed to do what was necessary to ensure the Wonderbolts were in the loop.”

“I think I understand,” Shadow replied. “I got a pretty decent look at the Wonderbolts. After all, I live in the barracks at Fort Wind, with my wife.”

“Right,” Lemon Lime chuckled. “I forgot you would be living there. Makes sense. It’s a nice place.”

“For a military base, yeah, for where I lived in the Zebra Lands, well they took care of me. It ended up pretty nice. And while my family’s farm wasn’t the nicest, well my sister’s place is new and nice and I know we could get that room set up real nice to live the last of our years out.”

Chapter 151 - The Flash of Guns

"Lieutenant, put us in a position a hundred meters ahead of my fleet," Deke ordered as they finally caught up with the rest of Deke’s cloudships north of Las Pegasus.

With the Twilight Sky in the lead, Deke sent out orders for his battle formation and they slowly advanced towards Nellie Air Force Base.

The com channel was opened so that he was broadcasting to all cloudships in the area. "This is Commodore Deke, Equestrian Pegasus Military and captain of the Twilight Sky and the pegasus in charge of this fleet. The Council has given me control of these fine cloudships."

"Commodore Deke," a Pegasus spat back over the comms. "I'm not surprised to hear you at the head of the traitorous fleet that has been lingering out there."

"Captain Hurricane, I am not surprised to hear your voice either," Deke replied.

"It's admiral now, with our losses I was promoted."

"Congratulations, Admiral Hurricane," Deke replied. "Unfortunately, what is left of your fleet is now in my way. The Enclave is over, especially after they attempted to assassinate the Council...and failed miserably."

"I know nothing about any assassination attempts," Admiral Hurricane replied. "But I do know that your bloated ego has finally put itself in a position where I have the legal authority to finally hit you. Surrender and I will treat you kindly and grant amnesty to the soldiers you have coerced into following your foolish power grab."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing," Deke shit back. "Return to your docks and shut down your cloudships. Don't disembark, or you will risk dying in the impending battle between the army. But the navy doesn't have to do this.".

"You always were a fool," the Admiral said with a laugh. "I am surprised that, with the hoofful of ships you have that you are attempting to engage me. I knew you were foolish, but this is just plain stupid. I never expected you to engage us here first. Everything is happening at Mareland, which I know you have had a part in. It was probably you who dropped troops off."

"The Twilight Sky was there," Deke confirmed as he watched the screen. He saw their formation as they turned to address him. He had to bait them further out and closer together. "But the fight starts with me. This is your final chance to stand down. Abstaining is something the Equestrian Pegasus Military is willing to accept for soldiers."

"That isn't an option for traitors," Admiral Hurricane replied. "Only traitors would offer that."

"I can see there is no convincing you or anypony in your fleet," Deke stated. "Let's not endanger Las Pegasus with an errant shell."

"Fine by me," Admiral Hurricane agreed. "Your tiny guns can still do a lot of damage if they were to hit the city."

Deke watched the Admirals's cloudships move on the screen. He was attempting a contrail maneuver, which brought his ships close together before splintering off at sharp angles and quick speeds in order to flank the enemy. Tactically, it was a solid strategy, but it was exactly what Deke needed.

Deke cut external communications and opened up the internal system. "Ukuzwa, Soarin, load turret One."

Deke relieved the officer at the weapon station. This was something he didn't want anypony to shoulder but himself. Deke manually targeted the enemy ships. He picked out the Admirals's flagship in the center.

"Turret One loaded," Soarin reported.

"Roger," Deke said. "I need three hundred meters more; for them to get in range."

"Good luck, Commodore," General Soarin replied. "I hope your conscious stays clear."

"It is and will be," Deke said through his set teeth. "We have no option but to use it to even the playing odds."

The ships finally came into range and Deke fired. He quickly moved to the front of the bridge. With a brilliant flash of starlight blue the round exploded.

"Solid hit," navigation reported. "All ships are going down, massive damage reported across every vessel. The Admiral..his ship is…vaporized. Nothing is left."

"Communications, opened a channel to my fleet," Deke ordered.

"Channel open," the Lieutenant reported.

"This is Commodore Deke. The enemy fleet is going down in flames. Once we are certain that they are down for good we will make our way to Mareland to join in there."

"Sir, what was that?" One of the sky tank officers asked.

"It was a unique mega spell, in the form of a cannon shell," Deke explained. "It has limited uses. I needed them far enough from the city to be able to be able to take them without damaging civilians. I fired it. The responsibility is mine to bear. We won't get to use it in Mareland."

"All cloudships have crashed in the wasteland," a Lieutenant reported. "They are scrap metal."

"All EPM cloudships, we are moving to blockade them from the east in Delta formation," Deke ordered. "We are not going to mount any rescue attempts. We will mourn their deaths after this civil war is won. Those are the orders from Admiral Little."

Bukhali had been leading half of Kikosi Kisasi in and out of hiding for several days now. Mareland was busy and things had been extra tense since they abandoned the New Cloudsdale FDC. It meant more soldiers to hide from. Ukuzwa had been with them when Bukhali led Izala, Kami, Suida, and Nukia to Mareland to perform the ammunition heist. Their detection meant that not only did they fail to get what they needed, but the base was on even higher alert. Even the storage depots were being ripped apart while they took account of all they had.

Simi would be leading Kogata, Kachoi, Sensha, Chiha, and Koto in the attack on Mareland, but until he found Bukhali, command was in the Tech Sergeant’s hooves. Bukhali had no direct orders, only a loose command to link up with Simi as soon as they could. He didn’t intend to wait for Simi. The fledgling Equestrian Pegasus Military would be on a single attack vector. They needed a distraction to help them establish a hoofhold at the start of the battle and the best place for that would be to come from the rear, forcing the Enclave to split its attention. It would be five zebras against five companies of pegasi, but Bukhali was confident in what his team could do. They had done similar operations back home against tougher Zebra Warlords. Of course, Mtoaji and Simi had been leading them at those times.

Still, Bukhali was confident in his team’s ability, especially since one of their hiding spots had revealed a stockpile of mines. They had a good location picked, an ammo storage building that had been checked and cleared the day prior. It was separate from other buildings enough to give them a clear view of any assaulting forces. The team had spent the last few hours burying the mines all around the building. They had two killzones set up inside with stolen mounted magic gatling guns who would be under the command of Izala and Sumida, while Bukali, Kami, and Nukia floated. There was only one entry, through a warehouse door, and the windows were sealed tight. The Enclave had no choice if they wanted to take them out, they had to get through the killzone.

Kami and Nukia were posted outside, using their zebra cloaks to keep out of sight. When the battle started, it would be up to the two of them to draw the attention of the Enclave.

“Bukhali, it’s Simi,” Simi called over their radios in Zebra. That meant they were close. Even if the communication was intercepted, the Pegasi didn’t know Zebra. It was better than a code that they could break. “Do you copy?”

“Loud and clear,” Bukhali replied.

“We are going to join you and hit from another angle,” Simi said. “Report your location and we will join you there.”

Bukhali relayed the location and his plan. Simi told them to stick to their plan.

An explosion ripped through the base.

“Forced to engage!” Kami reported. “It falls to us to cause their enrage. We at the catalyst for the antagonist.”

Several other explosions were set off in other locations as Kami and Nukia were ensuring the Enclave focused enough of their attention on them.

“Launching our assault,” Simi reported. “See you soon.”

Gunfire began to crack through the sky, both conventional powder weapons and magic weapons. It steadily got closer. Kami and Nukia came through the doors, into the kill zone. They scrambled out of the way and Bukhali armed the mines. They were set to go off if their 5 foot proximity was breached and that wasn’t limited to ground only. A second later multiple mines were tripped, exploding outside the building. Screams of pain and for medics told the Zebras that they had the attention of the Enclave, just like they needed.

Bukhali took cover and readied his Type 100 submachine gun. More mines exploded from various angles around the building. At least their enemy was entirely dumb. They had tried different approach vectors. A smart enemy reduced their chances of getting out of this engagement alive exponentially. They were ready though and Simi would be on his way soon.

Sounds of battle caught Bukhali’s attention. It was far off, indicating that the Aerial Combat Units and the few friendly ground units on their side had started their assault on the Enclave base. A divided enemy increased their chances of survival.

More mines went off, bringing screams with them. Then two grenades were tossed inside the building. Behind their cover they were safe. The killzone had been designed with the expectation that grenades would be used. The first soldiers stormed in and the mounted magic guns ripped into them, gooifying them as they obliterated the soldiers, regardless of the armor worn.

The quick deaths made the Enclave officers rethink entry. Bukhali knew the end result. More would be ordered through the door. Even against the big guns, it had to be obvious that their numbers were not that many. A larger force would not be hiding.

The clock had been started for the fight for their lives. The Zebras were willing to lay down their lives for Mtoaji and peace in Equestria. If this was to be their last stand, they would make the Enclave pay for it.

Chapter 152 - The Steel of Gunmetal

General Gunmetal had a small force directly under her command. Slice had been placed as her battle buddie, a fancy way to say guard, and she had five regular ACUs with a Shock Trooper ACU in power armor. Just thirty one highly trained soldiers, plus Gunmetal. Her goal was simple: get to and secure the main ammunition depot. They had the unfortunate task of charging ahead of their allies, deep into enemy territory, and then fortifying the depot while the Enclave inevitably cut them off from any support. But they had to stop the Enclave from blowing the main ammo stockpile out of spite. Without the ammo, the Equestrian Pegasus Military would not be able to take Nellie.

They were barely in the air after launching from the corvettes when the explosions started. Somepony was making trouble for the Enclave. That was good. The ACUs were vulnerable as they tried to land, so splitting the Enclave troop's attention would increase their chances at surviving the landing.

Despite being hard pressed to get to the ammo depot, Gunmetal was not going straight there. She was leading her soldiers up; to an altitude that would make them impossible to spot before they rolled over and dove straight down onto the depot. It was the only way to bypass the enemy units in between the front and their goal.

Gunmetal knew exactly where she was heading. All of her years in supply meant that she knew that part of the base like the back of her hoof. It also meant that she knew how limited their defensive capabilities would be when it came to fortifying the depot.

The air was cold as they reached their cruising altitude. They only had to survive for a few minutes before Gunmetal turned over and dove headfirst towards the clouds. The Enclave would never see them coming, but that also meant they would not know the situation at the depot until the last second. There could be a full platoon defending it or a whole battalion.

The depot officially consisted of a main building, the armory that held the quartermaster office, and two warehouses. Due to the explosive nature of the ordinance, the buildings had ample space in between them and a wide area was marked off as the blast radius for safe operation. The depot would be busy with the assault happening.

Gunmetal ordered one of her ACU’s to play overwatch as the depot became clear. They broke off to begin a turn that would allow them to provide close air support. Pegasi were running around between the buildings. There was no time to tell how organized they were as Gunmetal opened her wings, breaking as she continued to fall. Her power armor saved her wings. She had one ACU who were shock troopers, armed with power armor, and they were dropping in hot like she was. Slice was right on her tail as she impacted on the clouds. Her novasurge rifle opened up, gunning down anypony in an Enclave uniform. Slice fired rockets from his power armor at soldiers behind Gunmetal. She was focused on the door to the main depot.

The others landed a few seconds later and began to move to cover while the shock trooper unit had the Enclave’s focus. They unleashed lead as they fought to take the positions they wanted. The fifth team on overwatch screamed by, unleashing their own weapons as they strafed any entrenched enemy soldiers.

Gunmetal ordered a unit to circle around to the back and sent the shock troopers to get into fortified positions on the roofs. Their heavier machine guns would be useful if they were attacked. Gunmetal got to the front door of the main building as gunshots rang out from the other side. The ACU’s captain gave the “all clear”.

Gunmetal nodded to the ACU on the other side of the door and they breached the depot. Gunfire from a dozen sources opened up as they went in. The crack of the ACU’s lead spitting battlesaddles won out as a few explosions went off.

“Depot entry secured,” an ACU soldier reported over the coms. “Two of ours are down, including the Lieutenant.”

Gunmetal entered with Slice at her six. She left Slice to watch the entrance as she led two of the ACU members into the back to sweep for any holdouts and automatic turrets. It has been the automatic turrets that had cut her soldiers down. They were not even halfway through securing the back when they reported to Gunmetal that their comrades had bled out.

Gunmetal withheld a stream of curses. She needed every pegasus she had. This mission was shorthoofed as it was. Losing even one pegasus could spell disaster and she had lost two.

The other two ACUs reported that they had secured the second building. That just left the third building to clear. Gunmetal was forced to send Slice and two shock troopers to make entry and sweep it. Even as she finished securing the main building, she could hear their not so subtle entrance. It wasn’t just their guns. They were facing off against well armed enemies.

“Enemy units down,” Slice reported. “No friendlies down, but we're a bit banged up. Checking the rest of the building now.”

Gunmetal secured the main building and met her officers in front of the quartermaster cage.

“Unit 78 will fall under my command since their officer is down,” Gunmetal immediately stated. “All of the automatic turrets have been checked out, which means they are going to be deployed against our main force. Command has been notified. I’ll hold depot one, two units can take depot two and the other two can take depot three with the shock units fortified on the roofs. Move out portable defenses and set up a perimeter. We are to hold until relieved. I know it’s a small force for three buildings and that reinforcements may be hours away. Or never if they fail.

“I have confidence in everypegasus. You were trained to be the best. You are the best. You were given to me for a reason, the other generals think that out of everypony else, your units have the best chance at pulling off this job under me. I know the focus has always been on the assault for the ACUs, but I also know your defensive skills are top notch. Don’t waste ammo, but don’t let them get close. We have the ammo stores directly with us and will make use of it to defend this place. Any questions?”

A few small details were worked out and then everypegasus split to their assigned buildings. The enemy would launch a counterattack shortly. Their coms, taken from the dead, indicated that they were dealing with insurrectionists holed up in a southern building and deploying against the attacking force from the north. The coms to the lost units were cut before details about the counterattack to retake the depot were spilled. It was a solid enough heads up despite not knowing exactly what was being thrown at them. They at least had a rough idea of when the attack would come.

The sounds of battle could be heard both in the north and the south. The fact that the insurrectionists had not been routed out yet was good. General Misty Thunder and General Striker were in for a tough battle. It would be worse if the turrets made it to the front.

Pallets of ammunition had been moved to block the rear entrances to the buildings so the defenders could focus on as few directions as possible. Portable bulwarks were moved out front and seven heavy machine guns were taken out of storage. Gunmetal signed them out on paper to keep track of them. She hated using the supplies, but if they failed they would be worse off.

“Enemy sighted,” Slice reported over the coms. “Heavily armored to the point that they are on hoof. One power armor unit is leading the charge.”

Gunmetal looked out the front window of the depot at the approaching troops. It was a wave of black Enclave uniforms surging toward them. “All units, hold fire until my command,” Gunmetal ordered. She watched the wave come as the soldiers double checked that the machine guns were ready to fire or that their personal weapons were loaded with fresh magazines. With the size of the counter attack, she couldn’t let them get too close or they would run out of time to cut them all down. She also couldn’t afford to waste ammo with wild shots that would go over the heads of the enemy soldiers. Gunmetal chose her invisible line for them to cross and waited. “Slice, can you take out the power armored units?”

“My rockets should be able to tear them up, but I have a limited number,” Slice replied.

“We can worry about future waves after we get past this one,” Gunmetal replied. Gunmetal took a deep breath in preparation. “All units, fire at will!”

The sounds of all of their guns firing was deafening. Slice let his rockets loose in the opening salvo before he switched to his gatling laser. The heavy machine guns sent chunks of lead and bolts of magic at the black wave in an unrelenting torrent.

As the first soldiers fell, the Enclave opened up. Their shots as they continued their charge were wild, but it only took a lucky shot to knock out one of her soldiers. Gunmetal dove out of the building as it was hit and crawled to the safety of a bulwark.

The machine gun at building two froze and was abandoned for now. The enemy kept coming and shooting, but they were crawling after losing the front of their assault. Slice had knocked out the unit of power armor. The bodies provided the enemy good cover as they cemented their hold on the surrounding area. It also gave them steadier shooting platforms as they went prone. Picking out the living from the dead was impossible and Gunmetal bit her tongue as she watched her soldiers burn through their limited ammo supplies. They slowed down, trying to make their shots count, because they were professionals, but there was no way they were hitting anything alive most of the time. Their smaller caliber bullets had trouble penetrating the heavy armor and certainly couldn't go through an armored body and then into another one.

Gunmetal ordered a full stop and then ordered them all to hunker down. They had to make the enemy expose themselves. Even if they were in a perpetual standoff, any soldiers focused on assaulting the depot were ones not focused on the main assault force, which gave the assault force the distraction and relief it needed to succeed and then support them at the depot.

After a few minutes of silence at the depot, an over eager young officer rose up and loudly ordered his soldiers forward. Gunmetal held her forces on her signal. She let them come before she stood up and opened fire. Her soldiers followed her lead and they cut the platoon down with ease. In the torrent of return fire from the charging pegasi, they had scored two lucky hits. One was a kill, the bullet hitting the pegasus in the head, and the other was down, receiving emergency aid, but they would probably live and hopefully be able to continue to fight once they were stabilized.

“Misty Thunder to Gunmetal, report please,” the general privately asked over their coms.

“Depot secured and we have three dead and one injured. A large number of soldiers are attacking, but now they have the cover of the dead. All of them are in heavy armor, making killing at this point almost impossible. But we are holding and any we have focused on us are not focused on you. How are you?”

“We have established a hoofhold, but that has slowed to a crawl as we face the same problem, they have cover and heavy armor, we do not. Our casualties are heavier than hoped but not nearly as bad as feared. The medics are working hard to get soldiers back on their hooves. We are determined and have high morale.

“Admiral Little is currently battling their cloudships and crushing them. The power of the monitors is impressive. It isn’t as strong as a Raptor, but the monitor class is designed for a defensive role and the guns are built to take out cloudships and enemies at a range. She is pounding their forces before they can get anywhere close to the range they need to shoot back. I only hope Commodore Deke has similar success.”

“Oh, he will,” Gunmetal said with a chuckle. “He has an ace up his sleeve that I can't speak about. Unfortunately, it won’t work here because NC is too close to the base and his strategy is erratic.”

“Damn! The Zebras are back,” Misty Thunder swore. “They were supposed to regroup with their members already here from the heist, who I assume is the one causing the noise in the south.”

“Their coms, before they cut the lost units out, mentioned insurrectionists in the south,” Gunmetal commented. “I hope they survive the pounding they are receiving.”

Simi joined their private conversation. “They can hold for a while longer. They are pinned and will try to keep them occupied, but we have to push our main assault before they realize both locations have only a hoofful of soldiers at the locations and resort to a small pinning force while they retreat the rest of the units to face this force. The hoofhold we have isn't enough.”

“Looks like I know what I need to do,” Misty Thunder said. “Good luck, General.”

“The same to you, General,” Gunmetal replied before the coms were disconnected. It was odd for Gunmetal to be in command of a combat group and even odder to be called general. She had been a Colonel before the rise of the EPM, but the the rank wasn't undeserved since she ran the entire EPM supply chain.

Gunmetal stood up and unleashed a full magazine at the pressing soldiers. They were still trying to crawl forward, with the ACUs taking shots when they could. They had to keep them engaged and pinned. If that meant burning through ammo and running the risk of emptying their supply, so be it. Gunmetal was not going to lose the depot or let any of the attacking forces back out.

Chapter 153 - Shadow of War

Shadow stood on the roof of the tallest building on the edge of New Cloudsdale and the base. Mareland was easily visible, but it didn't have a lot of detail from the distance. Shadow didn't know the layout well, but he knew he was at the south of the base. He was in his recon armor, ready to fight, but he needed somewhere solid to go first.

Before he had arrived at his perch, he had gone as Black Widow to the Council Chambers. The arrogant new Council were still there, trying to maintain command of the pegasus race. General Fighting Spirit, Admiral Tungsten, and General Hayworth were sentenced and killed. It was easy and a lackluster sentence to give out.

The assault on Mareland had started with an explosion in the base and gunfire had been heard in various areas. Shadow held his position. As a single pony, he had his uses, but he couldn't charge into it just anywhere and expect to live. His power armor made him an invaluable asset, if applied correctly, but he was still vulnerable.

There was smoke on the horizon. The black clouds continued to go higher in the atmosphere as the cloudships producing them went down in flames. With the Victorious out of commission, thanks to Black Widow, Little was making quick work of what was left of the fleet at Mareland.

Because Shadow was a member of reconnaissance, his power armor had great range when it came to communication. He also could easily pick out the channels. He listened in on Gunmetal and Misty Thunder and knew his mission.

Shadow took off, deciding on a course of action, and headed for the front line. He was going to provide air support for Misty Thunder. They needed to be able to freely move into the base.

Shadow quickly got to a high altitude where he could safely glide. He kept his eyes peeled for flying units, both friendly and enemy, but also watched below. He was reminded of the bombing run they did on Fillydelphia and wished he had bombs he could drop on the heads of the enemy soldiers.

He spotted a large mass of black armed soldiers and then gunfire erupted below him. He saw the magic blasts from heavy guns coming from a trio of buildings and realized it was the supply depot. Shadow instinctively rolled into a descending turn as he set up for a strafing run. He started high but the path would leave him only a few yards above the clouds. He needed the angle for the strafing to be successful. He certainly could make good use of bombs, but his Gatling gun would have to do.

He locked his wings as he set his approach angle. The Gatling gun spun up and he unleashed it's fury on the unsuspecting troops. It was difficult to tell how successful it was because Gunmetal's team had already cut down a lot of Pegasi.

Shadow banked up, coming back around for another pass. This time he was further back and knew he scored more hits on live targets. He repeated the strafing two more times and then circled around the depot, looking for any signals. He saw Slice, but other than relieved looks on some of the EPM soldier's faces, he didn't get any sign that he was needed further.

He put himself back into a high altitude and continued towards the front. He kept a vigil for any enemy units in the sky as he spotted the front. The EPM was unloading a torrent of lead and receiving a heavy barge of magic fire back, but they were stalled. The Enclave was physically dug in. They hadn't moved bulwarks or any defensive structures. They had cut trenches in the cloud base. It gave them an exceptional defensive position that they could hold while the EPM ran out of ammunition, but it also made them sitting ducks. Shadow lined up with the forwardmost trench and unleashed his Gatling gun, pounding magic round after magic round blasting into the packed trenches. He took fire from other trenches, but nothing that his armor couldn't easily shrug off.

Shadow made sure he got far enough away as he pulled back around so that they couldn't see him coming. He lined up for the rearmost trench, hoping to catch them by surprise, and opened up on them as the EPM began a charge to get to the trenches. Shadow's attack blasted apart their line, cutting a lot of pegasi down while also distracting others. They were not sure who to shoot.

Shadow cut back and hit the middle trench. They were focused on shooting the EPM soldiers who were in hoof to hoof combat in the first trench. Shadow blasted them apart and spun around to the first trench.

He landed beside General Misty Thunder as they solidified their hold on the first trench and the Enclave soldiers broke from their defenses and ran.

"Nice save," Misty Thunder said. "Thanks. I didn't know you were in the area."

"I've been all over," Shadow replied. "I'm glad I could be of assistance. I don't know this base, but I know that a lone pony strafing their lines and losing the first trench isn't enough to cause soldiers to break and run. Even most raiders wouldn't be dumb enough to leave the safety of their defenses. They would invite the attack so they could assault the troublesome attacker."

"They must have stronger defenses set up in the center of the base," Misty Thunder replied. "We know they have automatic turrets somewhere. If they were not in the trenches, then I am concerned about how they fortified the center of the base. We are going to have to hit it, the question will be how to minimize our losses. We took too many already. We can't keep this up if we are to win the assault on Nellie."

"Has Simi moved on?" Shadow asked.

"Yes," Simi said over their coms. "We are on our way to Bukhali who is fortified in the south. Hopefully we are not too late. Anything we can scope out, we will."

"Command Sergeant Major, get us intel on their movements," Misty Thunder ordered. "I am concerned about the depot team. The soldiers didn't seem to be retreating towards there, but the Depot is closer to the center. It will make for an easy counterattack and eliminate the need to split their forces."

"On it," Shadow said with a nod. He launched vertically before he opened his wings and swopped off after the fleeing soldiers.

He gained altitude to avoid getting shot while investigating their plans. When he reached the center of the base, he found a heavily fortified center. In between the buildings were bulwarks and fortifications. Every roof had a mix of entrenched soldiers with heavy guns and automatic turrets. There was only one entrance on the southwest side. The fleeing soldiers were being let in through the gate. Nopony was moving off towards the depot at the moment.

Shadow reported his findings as he circled high above the fortress. Gunmetal and Misty Thunder began to discuss strategy. Shadow listened in while he turned to the depot and joined them. They were still outgunned and pinned in the depot.

Gunmetal paused the strategy session. "Yes, Shadow?"

"Do you have C4 in the buildings?" Shadow asked.

"Yeah, we do, but not much," Gunmetal replied. "What are you thinking?"

"Once before, we dropped bombs on our enemy from on high," Shadow replied. "I could drop explosives onto their heaviest defenses and even make a hole to enter through."

"I helped make those bombs," Slice said. "I can whip something up again pretty quick."

"Do it and make us a hole in the northeastern fortifications," Gunmetal said. "I want them thinking that we will be going for that area as our entrance."

Shadow and Slice scrambled into the depot. They kept their heads low, a good choice since they had several Enclave soldiers shoot at them. At the distance, they missed and exposed their location. They were blasted from multiple angles by the heavy machine guns.

With the standoff outside holding steady, Slice quickly got to work. He started piling things on a work table.

"What are these?" Shadow asked, picking up a disk with a glass top and some wires sticking out of them.

"Pulse mines," Slice explained. "They set off an EMP blast to disable electronics. I'm going to rewire them so that you will arm the mine and drop it. It will be the bomb head and set for pressure detonation. Instead of setting off an EMP blast, the electricity will be rerouted to the detonator for the explosives I'm going to stick onto the base of the mine. It will be crude, but should do the job. Even if it just scares them, then that is fine. We need to keep them second guessing their options."

"Build me a test one and I'll drop it on the party outside," Shadow said.

Slice had a bomb put together in five minutes and passed it to Shadow. He taught Shadow how to arm it and then Shadow left. He got out of sight to take off and made sure he got up high that it would be hard to spot him. When he was above the pinned Enclave soldiers he dove while arming the bomb. He let go and pulled up.

He banked into a turn that would allow him to watch it. The mine stayed facing down and when it smacked into the ground it exploded in a blast unique to C4. Shadow pulled back around, getting out of sight before he came in low and landed. He got back into the depot under a hail of bullets.

Gunmetal was inside with Slice. "That worked well," she immediately said. "How many can you carry?"

"I'm light in my saddle bags and low on space, reserving it for spare ammo," Shadow replied.

"I found other saddlebags," Slice said. "You should be able to carry six total in the saddle bags if we keep them the same size as what you just dropped."

"I'm not sure if it will be enough to make a hole," Shadow advised him.

"So you will carry a bigger one," Slice said.

"Okay," Shadow said. "I'll manually carry one and drop it first."

Gunmetal began to make bombs. "While you drop the first seven, we will make more."

"Okay," Shadow said with a nod.

Gunfire outside was exchanged. Shadow checked on it. Squads were starting to leapfrog from cover towards the depot.

Slice and Gunmetal didn't take long. They helped him add the extra saddle bag and Shadow took the very big bomb. It was shaped like an aerial bomb and even had four fins to help ensure the mine would stay facing down as it fell. Gunmetal even added weights to the mine to help facilitate the fall angle. They needed it to land with the mine facing down, or else it would not go off.

Shadow exited and started to fly, once again covering his ascent. When he was halfway to his destination, he saw a large group moving towards the depot. It included multiple power armored units. Shadow informed Gunmetal and pressed on as quickly as he could. He needed to get back to Gunmetal and Slice.

Shadow got to the fort undetected. He dove to a lower location and pulled into a hover as he armed the mine. He let it go and watched it fall. It ripped open a giant hole in the corner of a building and splintered the hastily constructed wall between buildings.

Shadow knew he was spotted as they started to fire at him. Hitting him at his height was nearly impossible, but easier since he was stationary. He began to move and pulled out another bomb. He armed it and dropped it on a fortified position. He was aiming for the turrets and machine gun nests.

The C4 did its job as Shadow dropped another one. He had ample targets and focused his attack on the Northeast corner. Two missed, but they still did damage and the psychology of aerial bombs was a powerful weapon in their own right.

Shadow headed back to the depot, hoping he would arrive in time to be of good use. A massive battle erupted in the south and Shadow realized he probably should be looking out for his zebra team.m, going to their rescue first. He had no choice now though. He was committed to the depot. Simi would have said something to him if he needed his help.

Bukhali reloaded from cover as a grenade went off. The Enclave had lost a lot of soldiers coming in, however their sacrifice was not in vane. The dead made for good shields, which were only further bolstered by their heavy armor. Soldiers were crawling through the bodies, protected from the heavy guns and small arms fire. Whenever they popped up enough to try and shoot they had a bullet put in their head, but they could lob grenades from cover.

Another grenade went off, the explosion knocking Bukhali down as his cover was obliterated from the blast. It had survived longer than he had expected. Dazed, he knew it was over. Another grenade was going to be thrown before he could get up and that one had to have destroyed the heavy gun. That meant both were no longer operational. Izala had been hit with shrapnel and was patched up, but unable to get back to the exposed gun. Sumida was either dead or injured from the last explosion. Kami was injured as well.

They had held out as long as they could, but their sacrifice was not in vane. They had kept a significant force distracted and controlling the chaos was the way to win a battle. They had been the chaos. They would ultimately win, albeit a pyrrhic victory.

Bukhali heard more gunfire but couldn't get up. Despite his best efforts, he had taken shrapnel in the back. It didn't hurt, his adrenaline was blocking the pain, but he couldn't move as the gunfight became more violent.

Death didn't come. He was found by Nukia, who dragged him to new cover before working on his wounds.

"Anyone alive?" Someone yelled into the building. Bukhali could not place the voice.

"Alive but hurt," Kami yelled back.

That was when Bukhali recognized what his brain was slow to recognize. The familiar voice had called out in zebra. It was Simi. Bukhali tried to get up but Nukia prevented him from doing so.

Sensha joined them, beginning to cast basic healing spells. She was not as good as Ukuzwa, no one was close to her power, but for field medicine, she was more than competent.

"Well done, Bukhali" Simi said in zebra. "You chewed them up badly. They were so focused on you that our opening attack was more confusing than it should have been. We would have been here sooner, but a fort in the middle of the base forced us to go the long way around it. Plus we had to stay undetected."

Bukhali felt the magic give him strength. "That is not good," Bukhali replied in zebra. Speaking in the ancient language kept them from being eavesdropped on with any positive results for their enemy. "I wondered what they had been doing. If the defense goes poorly, they no doubt will make their last stand there."

"It's true, they will," Simi said. "We will need to get your team medically stable and move out."

"I estimate we all can move out in ten minutes," Sensha said.

"Not good enough," Simi said. "I guess we will be sitting it out, at least the opening attack on the fort. Still, you did good. You did wonderful even. You kept them distracted and the others pulled off their initial assaults. Good job."

"For Mtoaji!" Bukhali exclaimed.

Shadow worked to get back to the depot in time, but he was too late. The platoon of power armored soldiers had provided enough cover to pound Gunmetal's small force into a full retreat inside the buildings, abandoning the heavy guns. The enemy was on their doorstep, trying to enter without being killed. Shadow searched for a place to drop into that would be effective and safe. Getting killed would help no one.

Shadow scanned the skies on a routine check of his surroundings to ensure he wasn't caught off guard. He saw a force diving on the depot from a higher altitude. They hadn't spotted him. The reinforcements meant Shadow would never be enough to help them.

The flying units opened up. Their weapons were conventional lead guns, not novasurge rifles. They were ACUs and they began to tear up the unaware Enclave soldiers.

"This is Colonel Golden Dawn," she announced over their radios. "We are dropping in to support the depot."

"Watch out for Shadow," Gunmetal warned.

"I'm almost back," Shadow added. "That was a great attack, Colonel."

Half of the ACUs landed while the other half strafed the enemy. The landing units took up positions at the heavy weapons and defenses. Close up, the regular Enclave soldiers were outmatched. The ACUs had lighter armor, but were faster on the draw and aggressive enough to compensate for their exposure. The heavy shock troopers targeted the armored units in a pincer formation and the mounted machine guns also opened up on the Enclave power armored platoon. Their combined effort ripped the early model power armor to shreds.

Shadow was passed by units providing air support as he made his own strafing run. The enemy force began to retreat. Golden Dawn didn't let them. Her units cut them down as they tried to run back to the safety of the fort. They pursued any who got away from the initial battle, cutting them down in the open without mercy. No one in the Enclave would show the Equestrian Pegasus Military any mercy so they received none in return.

Golden Dawn met with Shadow and Gunmetal in the main depot.

"You were assigned to Twin Clouds," Gunmetal said, asking the question without actually asking it.

"We wrapped it up early, the FDC is in law enforcement hoofs, and then booked it here for the battle," Golden Dawn explained. "We are tired but ready for a fight."

"They have a fortress in the central buildings, their last holdout," Gunmetal said. "Shadow just bombed them, but we don't have many more made. We could use your soldiers if they are not too tired."

"Hold the depot," Golden Dawn said. "Shadow and I will take in that fortress. Some Wonderbolt units are heading to join up with Misty Thunder. They will get some reinforcements. Our best strategy is to use the fact that we are unknown and hit them where they don't expect it."

"I need to contact my team," Shadow said. He switched channels. "Simi, do you copy?"

"Roger," Simi immediately replied. "All units accounted for. A little worse for wear, the team has six injuries, but they will live. Got a plan for the fort?"

"Yes, but stay put," Shadow decided. "We need you ready for Nellie."

"Roger," Simi replied.

Shadow turned back to Golden Dawn and Gunmetal. "Golden Dawn, let's hit them from the sky. We need to target their automatic turrets and anypony on heavy machine guns. There are ample targets and that will cripple their strategy."

"We can do that," Gunmetal replied with a nod. "Let's go so we can all rest. Something tells me you are in need of it as well, Shadow."

"I've been through worse," Shadow replied. "But yes, I could use a good rest. We already blew a hole in the northeastern corner, but that was designed as a distraction to get them to focus somewhere else."

"We strafe them and drop right on their heads," Gunmetal said. "While others breach through the hole, to keep their focus on that weakness. The shock troopers can handle the frontal assault and distract them while we pick out the targets we need to hit from the sky."

"The plan sounds solid enough," Shadow said.

"Well, there is one catch," Golden Dawn added. "I'm a shock trooper. I'll lead the ground units while you coordinate the aerial squads and save us."

"Alright," Shadow nodded.

They headed out, taking the bombs that had been made with them. Golden Dawn left an ACU that was now short three pegasi under Gunmetal's command. Their unit's casualties were too high to bring them to the next fight. She split her force and made sure the two sides knew their job and who was in charge of each force. Nopony had a problem falling under Shadow's command.

They were able to fly straight there as they gained altitude and the shock troopers ran to the target. Shadow let the shock troopers engage first. Then he rolled into a dive and the ACUs followed him. They called out the targets as they got closer. It was a downpour of lead as they opened up. Turret exploded and machine gun nests were left lifeless.

They pulled up, planning to make another run, but Golden Dawn had pushed her shock troopers into the fortress. Shadow pulled them around to assault the gate in the southwest. With the enemy split, they were able to break down the gate with a few grenades from Shadow's launcher and then enter relatively easily. They had two casualties as they pressed into the heart of the Enclave's last line of defense.

The close combat gave the ACUs the advantage. Their skill in combat was sharper and faster than the simple soldiers with little training. The heavy armor couldn't protect them against the faster, more agile, and more accurate EPM soldiers.

It was a bitter fight, not without its fair share of casualties to the EMP. Clearing the inside of the buildings was difficult, but they managed to systematically find and destroy all but twenty Enclave soldiers.

Those twenty surrender, rather than die. Without their officers driving them forward, they didn't find their personal deaths to be worthwhile. They decided their families were more important than dying for the Enclave.

Shadow reported their success to Misty Thunder. They had been engaging the enemy in a secondary position, but it was not a fortress like Shadow and Golden Dawn had just taken. Misty Thunder's troops were finishing up the security sweep and she decided to move her soldiers to secure another part of the fort that would have guards. Misty Thunder ordered Shadow and Golden Dawn to hold the fortress.

They fortified the torn up defenses as best as they could and Golden Dawn set up scouting patrols in the sky. The fortification orders allowed Golden Dawn's team to rotate in much needed breaks after their nonstop flight.

It was well into the night when Misty Thunder declared Mareland secured. They would not drop their guard as they rested up for a few days and resupplied their ammo stockpiles. The plan was acceptable to everyone and they hunkered down.

Wonderbolt units joined them about midnight. The units had been clearing out the satellite bases that made up Mareland Joint Operations Base. Cardinal Spitfire was not among them, meaning that she had been sent to Las Pegasus or Nellie. That normally wasn't a problem, but there were confirmed reports of at least one insurrectionist in Enclave custody and they had no contact with those units. Being in "custody" would not be a simple lockup. They would be tortured in an attempt to get the information they wanted about the EPM and the Council's secred location.

Chapter 154 - Recon of Nellie

With Mareland secured, the Equestrian Pegasus Military was taking a few days to heal up and rearm. Many of their soldiers switched to novasurge battle saddles for better ammo carrying capacity. Everypony else switched to armor piercing rounds in preparation for the final battle.

A few more units arrived to join the assault, mostly Wonderbolts who had been instructed to take other bases. That made up for the units that would be staying with General Gunmetal in order to hold the ammunition stockpile and prepare for their more peaceful descent. Slice would be with Gunmetal. The Equestrian Pegasus Military might not be going to war, but they would have to put up a strong defense to prevent the forces below from taking advantage of them or pushing them around.

Shadow was once again in charge of his Zebra team, minus Ukuzwa who was with Deke. They had spoken about the assault. When he could, Shadow would switch to Black Widow and slip away to ensure that no one drew a correlation between him and Black Widow based on their timing.

General Misty Thunder found Shadow. "Command Sergeant Major, I have a job for you."

"Of course," Shadow said with a nod. "And that is?"

"We have contact with some Wonderbolts in Las Pegasus. We want you to take your Zebras and scout ahead. You have those nifty cloaks to hide yourself and you are all experienced scouts. Our scout force is limited at the moment. The ACUs must act like regular platoons. The job will be risky for you though and honestly, if you get caught and we need to, we can deny involvement because they are zebras and they don't wear our uniforms."

"That is understandable," Shadow said. "We won't get caught. How early are we going in?"

"Almost a full 72 hours. We plan to strike three dawns from now."

"Consider it done," Shadow said.

"Mareland is more important than Nellie, but Nellie had more of their soldiers, while Mareland had the larger fleet. That is how they set themselves up initially as battle lines were drawn, But they didn't change it for some reason. Something has them spooked and keeping the soldiers in Nellie. Deke eradicated their fleet and is in between us and them, so they couldn't move the soldiers after he did his job, but before that time they could. They were holding their troops there for some reason."

"Could it have anything to do with the rumors about captured wonderbolts?" Shadow asked.

"Possibly," Misty Thunder nodded. "The Wonderbolt deployments do correlate with the Enclave's earlier movements. If they captured even a single wonderbolt, they could be concerned about a lot of things. Your primary mission is not to search for any captured units though. We need to know the layout of their defenses, the units left, and the officers in charge of the units."

"Basic intel gathering," Shadow said with a nod. "With Deke being in that position, we will relay it to him and then he can better relay it back to you."

"That was going to be my suggestion," Misty Thunder said. "If you can get in a position to disrupt their response when we do attack, it would be appreciated, but without knowing the full situation, I won't give you that order. Having you set up in a place where you will get slaughtered would never outweigh the disruption you could cause."

"I understand," Shadow replied. "If we find something good, we will set up. If not, we will fall back to Deke's fleet to remove the need to watch our backs as we sleep. That is assuming we have time in between the mission."

"I don't know if you will have any or not, but I do hope so. We want you to be as fresh as we can get you for the battle. We almost have it. One way or the other, this civil war comes to an end within the next five days."

"We will come out on top," Shadow said. "I'll make sure of that by providing us with the info we need."

Misty Thunder saluted Shadow in response. Shadow saluted back and gathered the Zebra's together. They were rearmed and ready to go. It only took a few minutes to plan the flight path and entrance area. They had to get onto the base without being caught, but the cloaks could not hide them while flying. They would arrive late, under the cover of night, which was to their advantage.

Shadow stalked through the base as Black Widow. Shortly after they had landed. They had split the team into four groups and Shadow had departed on his own. Two teams were mapping the defenses and two were on unit identification and officer ID. Shadow would be looking out for it all as he moved. Leaving the Enclave quaking in fear over Black Widow would weaken their resolve. If they lacked morale, the Enclave would lose the upcoming battle.

Shadow had identified an officer barracks and eliminated two captains and a major. He left a generic calling card, stating their crime being killing their fellow pegasi and waging war against the peaceful ponies of the wasteland. It didn't need to be more detailed than that to get the job done.

Now he was working his way through a heavy bunker that was out of the way. It was well guarded, but he had infiltrated worse places with the Zebra cloak as his cover. The entire place was constructed of steel and dug into the clouds that made up the base. The supporting clouds had to be strong in order to suspend the bunker.

Shadow came to a side hallway and heard a shout from further down it. Six rooms with heavy steel doors were off of it, three on each side. Shadow carefully slid down to the one that had the commotion. It was easy to find since he could hear a muffled exchange behind it. He didn't know what it was about, but with the building they were in, it was important.

Shadow pressed his ear to the door to listen in. "You are a traitor and you will answer my questions. We caught you...and for that the sentence is death. It will come quickly if you just give me the info I want."

"Go to hell!" Someone else spat. "I've held out this long, despite your best efforts, and I can hold out longer. It won't be long before they come here and bust down the door."

The other pony laughed maniacally. "No, they won't. Their assault on Mareland was a failure. The ones you hope are coming ain't. I need to know where they moved the traitorous cowards who were once our Council so we can snuff them out and bring this infighting to an end. Your side lost. It failed. You put too much faith in them. And if you don't talk, this might help loosen your tongue."

"That doesn't scare me!" The prisoner declared, but Shadow could easily tell that those words were a lie. The voice hesitated and had a slight quiver. "Do your worst."

Shadow had heard enough and pulled out the cloud key. It took nothing for it to conform to the shape he needed it to be and then he unlocked the door. It swung in on well oiled hinges. Not making a sound. The Pegasus in the Enclave uniform didn't even notice it had been opened. Shadow drew his sword and iced the blade over. He stepped in and skewered the pegasus, coming in from behind the ribs and out the heart. They looked down at the ice blue blade sticking out their chest in disbelief.

Shadow pulled it out and they had time to turn and look at Black Widow before they collapsed.

"The rumors...they are...true," the Pegasus said as she struggled to breathe. "I thought they were wonderbolt operations, not a mythical unicorn."

"Black Widow is here to judge the Pegasus race," Shadow replied in his masked voice. "Torture is not a good thing, no matter what they might have done. Lying to get info out of your enemy isn't morally justifiable either. Mareland is in the Equestrian Pegasus Military's hooves." Shadow sheathed his sword and dropped a calling card on the body as the Pegasus died.

He looked at the tied up Pegasus. Torture was putting it lightly. He knew the face under the wounds and abuse. It was Marble Falls. She was supposed to be at Fort Wind, in command there. He couldn't say anything to her though. She would be able to tell it was him, especially if he started asking questions."

"I probably deserve what she got," Marble Falls stated. "But if you want your judgment to mean the Enclave is defeated and your home below is protected, killing me is against your interests. At least killing me right now is. Leave me, chained up, and when they come they will find the body and me still here. It will freak them out. If they lose morale, it will make a difference in any battles fought. I know they have to be coming to Nellie soon."

Shadow nodded. "Black Widow will not pass judgment on you at this time. That is a rare outcome, but I also can't help you escape this bunker, so I will take your advice and leave, stalling on my judgment."

Shadow immediately left, locking the door behind him. He explored the bunker and found a central control station. He killed the three Enclave soldiers on duty and opened the computer terminal. It gave him the information on the units who were at Nellie as well as the officers. He printed it out and left. On his way out, he killed the front door guards and set the alarm off so they would find them. It would cause them to lock everything down and check on their prisoners, where they would find the body.

Shadow got away clearly and found a safe location to contact his team. With the information on hoof, they could focus on mapping the defenses. The Enclave had fortified themselves fiercely. Simi's team had even been plotting points that would make prime locations for the cloudships to bombard.

They finished up with the map just before dawn. The news of Black Widow had already spread. Shadow had the Zebras rondevu at a safe location except for Simi and Kami. The two of them would join Shadow in eliminating the enemy officers. If they could cut off the head of the snake, the soldiers would have a lot harder of a time staying organized.

Shadow found the senior officers in a briefing room. They were holding it over Black Widow. He shut the door and uncloaked. The slaughter was quick and merciless as Black Widow eliminated them all. On the chalkboard, he painted "Black Widow passed her judgment" in their blood.

He continued his crusade for the rest of the day, and between him and the others, they knocked out almost all of the officers. They regrouped and waited out the day. Shadow got back into his power armor. They used the cover of night to make their escape.

They landed on the Twilight Sky. Deke was waiting for them. They saluted and he welcomed them aboard. On the bridge, Shadow relayed the information to Misty Thunder.

"I can't believe you did what you did," Misty Thunder said. "Especially as quickly as you did."

"I have something else to report," Shadow said. "While scouting, the base was on high alert because Black Widow was around. Apparently she had already killed several VIPs. Or passed judgment."

"How you managed to scout everything while they were in heightened alert I will never know," Misty Thunder said.

"Actually, she served as a great distraction," Shadow explained. "We used it to our advantage. It seems like she had a similar idea that we did. After we discovered she eliminated their senior staff, we eliminated almost all of the other officers. The soldiers will lack a key piece of their structure when the battle happens."

"That was fortuitous," Misty Thunder stated. "I've heard the rumors about this Black Widow. Good call piggy backing on that insane unicorn's actions."

"I've heard the rumors too," Shadow replied. "Which is why we chose to do what we did. They should be soft enough for us to crush."

"That certainly has softened them up," Misty Thunder said. "Rest up, you deserve it, and rest up so we have you at your best. We will be in time for a dawn attack."

"Roger that," Shadow replied before the communication line went dead.

Chapter 155 - Final Sacrifices

The final dawn of the civil war arrived as peaceful as the sky was blue. Without a cloud in the upper atmosphere, the sky was the richest it could possibly be. It didn't hold a hint of the coming slaughter.

Shadow launched from the top of the Twilight Sky. He was deploying with his zebra squad from the top, while other units exited out the ramp. Within a few minutes, every cloudship in the Equestrian Pegasus Military had their soldiers in the sky, gliding in a huge formation towards Nellie Air Force Base.

Their numbers were impressive as they took up a huge portion of the sky, but looks could be deceiving. The estimates had them outnumbered three to one. The best thing going for the EPM was the Enclave's lack of officers, especially senior officers, but the soldiers would still fight and the NCOs could keep themselves organized enough to put up a struggle. They were dug in and fortified, meaning it was still the Enclave's battle to lose.

The corvettes rushed ahead of the pegasi and began to open up with their small automatic cannons and guns, targeting the front defenses and hopefully softening them up for the soldiers to land unaccosted. For now their bigger turrets stayed quiet, but they had the coordinates from the scouting mission and knew where they could put down heavier support if needed. The big guns were not going to be very effective against the cloud base. The target had to be solid enough to set the shells off. Even strong building clouds were often too squishy.

Shadow dove, leaving the formation as he made the move to grab a hoofhold. Other Shock trooper units in power armor made the same move. As soon as they touched down the Enclave soldiers showed themselves from behind their defenses, opening up on the armored units. It was a fury of bullets and magic gun blasts as the Enclave tried to force the Equestrian Pegasus Military off the base.

The shock troopers unleashed all the had in their guns. Shadow launched every rocket he had and then began to fire grenades. His team would help him reload as soon as they landed. The corvettes swung back around, screaming barely above their heads as they pumped the fortifications full of explosive and magic rounds. They were gone before they could be targeted.

It was enough though. Shadow charged forward at the head of the shock troopers. They had lost soldiers and some more fell as their plates were destroyed, letting bullets through to claw open flesh, but they made it to the front of the defenses and entrenched themselves in their safety. Anypony left at the front was killed as the power armored units jumped over them and cleared them out before getting back to cover.

Shadow had warning signs for his armor taking damage. He had been distinguishable from the others and it had made him a target. Despite the damage, he was still good to go though. As soon as they had their hoofhold, they could use the talisman in the armor to repair it with steel.

ACUs dove from high up, strafing the next line of defenses as the bulk of the EPM touched down and rushed to cover.

Simi and the team joined Shadow. Ukuzwa was with them at the moment. Her magic was going to be crucial in the fight, both defensively and offensively. Shadow had little doubt her healing would keep them alive, but his main plan was to get to the bunker where Marble Falls was being held. With their hoofhold established, that was the target he had requested. Misty Thunder had granted it to him, believing that if any of them could get into the bunker, it would be Shadow and his team. She didn't know that Shadow had already been inside, only that it's location had been reported along with an estimation on its value. From the General, Shadow learned that the bunker was a well known prison for military dissidents. She expected that they would find the rumored captured soldiers there and wanted them freed. At the very least, losing the prisoners would piss off the Enclave.

They moved down the line to a better starting point for the attempt to take the bunker, however, the EPM attack was stalled. They had the hoofhold but despite the heavy amount of gunfire, the dug in Enclave was able to make it too risky to leap over the walls and barriers erected to defend the base and charge the next line.

Shadow didn't hear the order over the coms, but the corvettes opened up with their six inch guns, targeting the hardest locations on the second defensive line. The bombardment was fierce and not a single barge. With Mareland secured, they were not concerned about ammunition. They all had plenty and they had even more stashed on the cloudships. If it could hold ammo. They stuffed it there. Resupply locations would be set up soon, but they needed to push further into the base.

Colonel Arrow Heart jumped over the destroyed cloud wall, at the head of Unit 41. It had been blasted apart in the last cloudships slavo. Her team followed her over and they began to move towards the second line. They got to a destroyed section of the second defenses and move through the hole, going for the trench cut into the clouds.

It was a fierce and close fight as the six of them cleared it through hoof to hoof combat before they could unleash their rifles. They looked towards the third barricades from the safety of the trench.

Over it came several Enclave soldiers. They were trying to get to the trenches, but they froze as the guns were trained on them from the trench. Unit 41 had the drop on them. But they didn't open fire.

"Flags!" Arrow exclaimed over the nose of combat as she popped her head up further. "You did join them! I was hoping you were dead! How could you betray us!"

"I chose what I thought was best for my family, and my team's families!" Flags shouted back. "The last orders from the Council still stands. The last orders were for war. Just because Shadow was back, that didn't change the fact that we needed to secure a foothold below to survive."

"Shadow has a better way for us to survive!" Arrow argued back, ignoring the battle.

"Why does one Pegasus get to dictate that? Huh?" Flags asked back. "One Pegasus gets to decide how we handle below? I did missions too! I saw what it was like. And where was he at that time? I made the best choice I could for my family and my race."

"But...but Shadow-"

"I know the broadcast!" Flags shouted. "I know what he said he did. But it was decided we needed to fight for our survival. We live in a society that is run by a Council and then they went underground. That left their last orders as the ones to follow."

"Your side gets us killed!" Arrow pleaded. "It's not too late to switch."

"And your side kills the Grand Pegasus Enclave!" Flags exclaimed. "I joined the Grand Pegasus Enclave. I will stay a soldier of the Grand Pegasus Enclave till I die. And I'll fight for it, even if I don't always understand why. I'm not paid to know why, I'm paid to be a scout and fight to keep us free, in the clouds!"

"Surrender!" Arrow ordered. "Surrender. I'll give you that option because of all the good times we had. You can't beat us. We have our guns trained on you already, from solid cover, and you know Unit 41 is the faster and better shots than your scout unit."

"I…we…"

A single pegasus in a flight jacket came over the wall, pistol in their mouth as they gunned down the six scouts without hesitation. The missing wing was unmistakable. It was General Nova. He was here on a personal vendetta to take out a rival officer. He looked half his age as he joined them in the relative safety if the trenches

Arrow's heart shattered. There was no comfort in the fact that she didn't have to pull the trigger. Flags was dead. They were good friends but now, they were no more. He and everything they had was a memory. She had been betrayed. The betrayal wasn't what side they were on, or why Flags chose the Enclave. The betrayal was the simple fact that they never got to talk before the decision was made. Flags disappeared, discarding his friendship with Arrow, Shadow, Chocolate, Cardinal, Dipper, and Chocolate, and the next time she saw him was fighting against him. It was as if their time training and serving as Unit 41 meant nothing to Flags.

"Here they come!" One of her soldiers said.

Arrow snapped out of it and she trained her rifle in the new targets that were coming over the wall. She steeled herself for the battle ahead, cutting off all of her emotions in her anger. They would grieve for the dead after the war. Many of them would grieve for the loss of the Grand Pegasus Enclave in their own right. Like Flags, most had joined to protect the Enclave and considered themselves Enclave soldiers even if they were forced to wear another name. What mattered was protecting the pegasi and their families, but Arrow would mourn the loss of the Enclave because as much as she trusted Shadow, the Council, and believed in the need for a new direction, like Flags, she would always identify as a soldier of the Grand Pegasus Enclave. Arrow knew she was the be the only one silently suffering, but the battle lines had been drawn now long enough that everypony had made their choices and you were either her ally or her enemy. There was no grey area in this fight. The options were as black and white as Shadow's coat and mane.

It was several platoons who were trying to retake the trenches. Nova switched to his battle saddle, a single gun on the right side. The left had a saddlebag full of spare ammunition.

Arrow didn't need to order her team to open fire. They cut down the exposed Enclave soldiers. All of her soldiers were using the ACU battle rifles. They were a small caliber, but they were loaded with the armor piercing rounds and the combat armor worn by the Enclave was unable to protect its wearer.

Shadow's team took their time, tactically moving from cover and engaging every enemy unit they ran into. There was no room for mercy in this final fight. Everypony knew the sides and had made their choice. They were soon separated from the main battle as they fought to reach the bunker. The sun was high in the sky as they got to it.

Kami cloaked herself and quietly stalked over to the guards in their bunker towers. They died quickly as she cut them down with her bayonet knife and her bare hooves.

Shadow led them to the door. Simi, Kami, Chiha, and Koto held the door while everypony else went into the bunker. They were silent, using their bare hooves and blades to cut down anypony they found. They were clean and efficient as they swept through the bunker. They couldn't let them know they were under direct attack without risking somepony panicking and killing the prisoners. It also kept the ammo supplies high, which was important since they were separated from the others.

The main holding cells were empty, but the solitary confinement cells had occupants. Ukuzwa had the doors opened with ease as she slapped glyphs on the doors that unlocked them. Shadow stepped into the room with Marble Falls. She was still there, chained up in the same spot and barely conscious. She had clearly taken more of a beating after Black Widow had visited.

Shadow had the restraints unlocked quickly. Marble Falls collapsed, unable to support herself. "Shadow?" She groaned. "If that is you...not my imagination...thanks. Except, I don't think I can move."

"They have a triage center set up," Shadow said. "We will carry you back there."

Shadow went to help unlock the other prisoners. The next cell over he found another gruesome sight. It wasn't as bad of a torture routine, but it was worse for Shadow. It was Cardinal Spitfire. She was passed out. Shadow unlocked her and then went to the others. One of the Wonderbolts was dead, unable to withstand the torture they endured. The only reason they received the treatment to such a degree as they did was because of their refusal to talk. Outside of Marble Falls, the other five were Cardinal Spitfire's team, Squad 19.

Shadow lacked the leverage to easily carry anypony and he was the best shot. He took point as the others carried the Wonderbolt. It didn't matter if they were conscious or unconscious, they needed to be carried to the medics and treated for their severe injuries. They put on their invisibility cloaks and began to move out. Ukuzwa stayed with Simi and his team. She was with them to force the bunker out of the clouds. It was cleared out, but in case they missed the enemy, Ukuzwa was going to make it impossible for them to survive. Plus it would stop them from using it again. They would rendezvous after the bunker was no longer suspended in the clouds.

They got back to the front with relative ease. The three platoons they ran into were unaware of their approach. They died quickly as Shadow cut them down with his sword. The quiet attack meant they didn't hear him slaughter their comrades in time to shoot him.

General Misty Thunder was in triage, getting patched up. Shadow stepped over to her and reported in. "The bunker was cleared of enemy soldiers and Simi has reported that is has been dislodged from the clouds. Ukuzwa dropped it onto the wasteland so they couldn't reclaim it. We located General Marble Falls and Wonderbolt Squad 19, Pony Patrol. One from Pony Patrol is dead and everypony is in bad shape from the torture. I don't think they talked."

"They are Wondercolts," Misty Thunder stated. "They are trained to resist torture and not spill the secrets they know. I'm not sure why any of them were here. General Marble Falls is supposed to be at Fort Wind, with her recruits. She wasn't assigned any targets. I'm guessing 19 decided to try and rescue the rumored captured Wonderbolts and was caught. The only way that would have succeeded is if they had set a trap. Good job, Command Sergeant Major. You did good. Your whole team did. Resupply and get some food. I'll have orders for you shortly, so take this moment to make sure you have the energy for the upcoming fight."

"Understood," Shadow said, saluting.

Outside of the triage center were plenty of wounded, from both sides, but the bodies of the dead were also neatly lined up. They had express orders to leave their dead comrades where they fell so they could focus on the fight. Anypony lined up had died at the triage center. It was more than Shadow had feared and he hadn't surveyed the battlegrounds.

The cloudships opened up with another barrage. The shells flew deeper into the fort where they exploded. The EPM could not keep up with their current losses if they were to win this war.

Chapter 156 - Fighting Stars

Shadow's team had reloaded, Ukuzwa was back with them, and they were finishing eating when a loud protest from the main triage tent caught Shadow's attention. Out of it stumbled Marble Falls. Olive Pit was right there, to help her stay up but she refused to go back as she set her gaze on Shadow.

"Shadow," she said through labored breathing. It was clear it was important from her tone. "You need to know. You did bad things below, in the name of the Enclave, but you did bad things to the ponies below. She is here, Black Widow. She judged the pegasi torturing me and withheld my judgement because not killing me proved to be the wiser strategy. I'll face her again and have to answer for my own actions. She is powerful. She will come to judge you. Be careful."

Shadow gave a slow nod. "I know about Black Widow. If she comes, I'll make my case, but for now, I can't worry about it."

"We need you!" Marble Falls exclaimed. "You give us hope and provide a better path. Be careful and don't get caught by her."

"You need not worry," Ukuzwa stated. "Mtoaji has already faced her jury. You cannot hide from the magic mare, but your worry you shouldn't bear. She is after those who think they can escape justice, those who are without conscience. You and Mtoaji and the EPM have the same goal as she, the unification of Equestria that has been foretold generations ago will come to be. Mtoaji was foretold and so was the joining shadow. The greater Equestria needs both to plow the land that has been left fallow. Besides, Mtoaji was already judged and chose to be redeemed. He was exiled from Equestria and delivered to us injured but soon to be esteemed. He served his exile for his crimes. Now the Enclave must answer for the division they have kept all this time. How many former Enclave must also answer I do not know, however at this time peace and unity is what you sow. I see your heart, Falls, and it is filled with peace and love with a drive to once again make Equestria ruled from a single hall. I do not think you will require judgment because you know you deserve punishment of some form, unlike the ones we face who see the conquest below as something to which they were born. They see no reason why they should be judged, the EMP is paying the price of their punishment through the challenge to overcome this dividing grudge."

"Rest up, Falls," Shadow said. "I'll be fine. I know how to take care of myself. You may need me, but we also need you. You are the only one who can teach our next generation how to be defenders, rather than wage a war."

"We cannot worry about this at the moment," General Misty Thunder stated definitively. "Focus on your jobs, not Black Widow, or none if this will work. Marble Falls, go heal up after your ordeal. Shadow Flare, Golden Dawn is caught in a tight spot and needs your team to help them bust through the enemy defense."

A soldier reported in. "General, Colonel Arrow says they are cut off and surrounded. She has 41 and 72 with her and they are under the direct charge of General Nova."

"Simi, take the others and help Golden Dawn," Shadow ordered. "I can bust out Arrow and Nova."

"You are going to need help," Yellow Quartz said, joining the conversation. "I've been playing it safe as the rearguard, in case there is a weak spot in the clouds, so I don't fall through. You, Command Sergeant Major, need heavy firepower to support your rescue plan. General Nova isn't going to retreat. The Steel Rangers or Applejack Rangers never used NCO command positions like the Enclave military. If you were one of us, with your skill and experience, you would be a Star Paladin. You probably would have my position, but the point is, Star Paladin Yellow Quartz reporting for duty Command Sergeant Major." Yellow Quartz saluted.

Shadow saluted back with his wing. "I welcome the assistance of a Star Paladin, especially one esteemed above most star paladins. You were impressive as a knight and I look forward to fighting directly besides you again, however, if you were impressed by me back then, remember I was using secondary equipment. I'll show you how to really use power armor."

Yellow Quartz let out a laugh. "We will see about that. Before we go, the Colonels and the others will probably be running low on ammunition. We should bring more with us."

"Simi, go!" Shadow ordered. "And what was 41, 72, and Nova using?"

"All of them are using ACU battle saddles," Misty Thunder said. "Nova brought his old scout saddle out of retirement. It's highly modified to facilitate his old job, but it uses the standard magazines and ammo the others use."

A few soldiers rushed to pack them saddlebags and then ensured they were secured over their armor.

Shadow used the short time to find out where they were. They were following Nova and watching his back as he went after his nemesis, who was also the pegasus who sent the black ops team to eliminate them at the squad barracks. He had not been on the reports as being at Nellie and they had not eliminated him, but he was a pegasus who would not be logged as being present on the general documents. He kept a low profile. He was most likely the one leading the battle.

Shadow rushed off with Yellow Quartz hot on his tail. They ignored enemy units, even when they were shot at, pushing to get to the stranded soldiers. Nova was too valuable to lose and Unit 41 would be a tough blow as well. Arrow was good and would make an excellent senior officer in the future defense forces. Shadow wasn't sure who was in Unit 72, but he didn't want to lose anypony that they didn't need to.

They found the building they were sheltering in. It was being accosted from all sides and off in the distance a squad of power armored Enclave soldiers were rushing to provide support.

"Arrow, it's Shadow, we are almost there and have supplies for you all."

"Good," Arrow said over the coms. "We are running low. Nova won't leave. We are too close to his target."

"Yellow Quartz is going to meet up and provide direct fire support, I'm going to put down the units in the power armor before they arrive."

"I know you won the long distance shooting competition, but this is a battle with moving targets and they are at least 1200 meters away," Yellow Quartz stated.

"I won with a regular rifle," Shadow stated. "I didn't bring my good one. It would have drawn too much attention to me and the Steel Rangers would have confiscated it. Just do as ordered."

"Understood," Yellow Quartz replied, surging ahead of Shadow with an impressive burst of speed.

Shadow vaulted off some crates and onto a roof. He pulled out Soarin's Lightning and snapped it together. The magically enhanced large caliber sniper rifle was lightweight and would put down any of the powered armored soldiers with ease. Shadow went prone, using it's bipod as he found the targets through the scope. The magically enhanced bullets wouldn't drop like conventional rounds did and the wind wouldn't affect them the same either.

It was twelve enclave soldiers, a third of a full platoon, but enough to wreck the ACUs. They were unaware of a sniper and running in a straight, predictable line. Shadow pulled the trigger, firing the first round. He didn't wait for it to hit as he put his sights on the second and fired. As he pulled the trigger on the third, the first one was hit with the giant bullet and was knocked back as it shredded the power armor. Soarin's Lightning flashed again as Shadow put down the fourth and moved onto the fifth. The fifth went down as they spread out, going for cover as their comrades fell from a single bullet. The cover didn't save them because Shadow knew where they were and the cover couldn't stop the massive bullet. The lead still found the pony inside the armor with more than enough mass and energy to permanently drop each of them.

Shadow picked off the last soldier and began to break down the rifle as Yellow Quartz engaged the regular Enclave soldiers. Her minigun shredded them. She took some enemy fire but didn't flinch as she retaliated with heavier firepower than what they could generate. She quickly cleared out the enemy troops. Any runners were picked off by Arrow.

When Shadow arrived he found their situation worse than reported. Both units were in regular ACU armor, despite 41 being shock troopers, and their medic from Unit 0 was also lightly armored and sporting only one rifle so he could carry more gear. One from 41 was dead, four others were injured across the twelve remaining ACU soldiers. The medic had the injuries under control for the moment.

Nova didn't have a scratch on him and he was angry. He wasn't angry at the units with him. It was directed at the enemy and his nemesis, General Star Facet. The command bunker was in sight but they hadn't been able to breach it before they had been forced to get to the shelter of the building they were in.

"I know Star Facet is in there and also leading this," Nova spat. "You did a great job, but finding him wasn't going to be easy on your recon mission. He is the one who made the 61st into that black ops unit and you saw what he did with them. Now Star Facet has control of the Enclave military. I want him alive. I doubt we can get any info out of him, but it is worth the try. He is the linchpin; the stitch holding the quilt together. If we remove him from the equation, we can win this."

"We are short hoofed for this op," Shadow said. "But I agree. We have a good amount of firepower, but is this worth the lives of more of our limited soldiers?"

Nova narrowed his eyes at Shadow. His words were cold. "Any sacrifice here, assuming we eliminate him, will save ten soldiers per lost one. Yes. It is worth the lives of everypony here; including mine."

"We can't let that happen," Arrow said. "But we agree that we need to push our advantage. With you two providing support, we can make it to the bunker and get him. Especially now that our ammo supplies are back to nearly full. Speaking of ammo, what were you using, Shadow, against the heavies?"

"A large caliber, magic enhanced sniper rifle," Shadow replied nonchalantly. "If we are going to make an assault, we need to move before they can get units to counter us and really make us bleed to get the job done."

"I'll stay with the injured," a mare said. Shadow knew the voice. It was Dipper under all of her gear. Shadow looked at the others. One of the injured was Chocolate. That explained why she was willing to stay back.

"The medic will stay back as well," Shadow decided. "Nova, I respect your rank, but we need somepony with a clearer head to run this op if we are to get out of here safely. I'll lead the assault team. Arrow can lead the defense team with the Star Paladin as their heavy support. Star Paladin, we are going to have a tough fight to make it back to the others once we get our target."

"I agree with the plan," Yellow Quartz stated.

“I’ll follow you, Shadow,” Nova added with a nod. “Let’s get this evil and end this war.”

Shadow moved out of the cover of the building with Nova right behind him. There were two from unit 72 with them. Everypony else was under Arrow; following Yellow Quartz on point with Arrow pulled up the rear.

Shadow stopped in the middle of the street and popped up his rocket launcher. He sent two at the fortified door. They were good hits, giving them an entrance. Shadow rushed through the opening and found several soldiers trying to recover from the blast. He put shotgun rounds into two of them and killed the other two with his bare hooves.

The building had 61st iconography on the walls. It was their headquarters and well fortified in the construction. There was a bunker below them, with the entrance in the back corder that was protected by a cage. There were several guards, waiting for them, but they couldn’t stop Shadow and Nova. Shadow whipped out Kifo Herixleta and turned the blade white with heat. He sunk the blade in between the door and the frame, slicing the hinges that were hidden on the inside. Shadow ripped the door off before the metal cooled enough to fuse together.

Nova went on point, backed up by the others as they entered the bunker. Shadow pulled up the rear as Arrow began to issue orders to deal with incoming enemy troops.

Below was another checkpoint and there was no cover. Nova unleashed an entire magazine as he covered the retreat up the stairs to the landing. It was too high to see the defenses. They couldn’t get shot, but they couldn’t shoot the enemy from the landing. Nova fished out two grenades from his backpack, set a delayed timer on them, and pitched them down the stairs. With the delay, there was the chance the enemy would think they were not live and try to throw them up the stairs. The grenades went off and Nova went down the stairs. He immediately came back up, backpedaling after quickly exchanging fire.

“I’m hit,” Nova groaned, sucking in deep breaths to curb the pain. “Shoulder wound. We need more armor to beat their defensive cover.”

Shadow opened the coms to everyone. “Arrow, Yellow Quartz, can you spare the Star Paladin? We need armor to beat their defenses.”

“They are not hitting us with anything heavy,” Arrow said. “Take her. Paladin, go get this mission done.”

“Nova and the others are going to join you, Arrow,” Shadow added. “Nova is hit. Not too badly from the look of things.”

“We are ready to receive the General,” Arrow replied. “Looking forward to it.”

Shadow looked at Nova. He was being treated for the wound. It didn’t look bad. After all he had been through, there was no way the wound was going to be Nova’s undoing.

Yellow Quartzs arrived as they started to evac Nova.

“Other than being exposed, any info I need to know?” Yellow Quartz asked.

“I never saw the layout,” Shadow said. “I’m blind. Nova’s grenades didn’t seem to do much.”

“Let’s blast them with everything we have,” Yellow Quartz said, popping out her grenade launcher. “I say we open with a carpet bomb.”

“I’ll go right, you go left,” Shadow said as he popped out his own launcher.

They went down the stairs side by side. As they stepped off the bottom step into the open room, they swept in an arc, covering their side of the room until they met in the middle. The grenades were lobbed over the defensive covers, exploding right beside the entrenched Enclave soldiers.

Shadow swung right, clearing the room and checking that everypony was dead. Yellow Quartz did the same on the left. They met up in the center, in front of another security gate. Shadow drew his sword and sliced the door hinges like before. Yellow Quartz ripped off the door for him.

The noise of the door being ripped off wasn’t subtle and neither was the enemy fortifying the room on the right. Shadow was on point as they moved down to the doors. Yellow Quartz watched the right one as Shadow cleared the left room. It was an empty break room. Shadow checked the closet and found it clear. Everypony left was in the other room.

Shadow went back to Yellow Quartz’s side. “What do you say about mixing up our entry by giving them something they would never see coming?”

“Keeping the enemy off balance and scared gives you the advantage,” Yellow Quartz replied. “Using your sword?”

“Yeah,” Shadow said as he smiled under his helmet. He loved drawing the blade. When it was glowing, he plunged it into the center of the door, all the way to the hilt. Shadow let it sit there for a few seconds and then removed it. He started in the top right corner, slicing an X in the door.

Yellow Quartz bucked the door, the power armor assisting as one of the sides folded in. Whatever was reinforcing the door cracked and splintered. Yellow Quarts kicked in the other three sections. She was hit by a stream of magic bolts from a side arm, but the power armor deflected them with ease.

Shadow dove through the gaping hole, rolling to avoid some of the fire. He vaulted off the wall over to where the novasurge rifle was being shot from. Shadow swept the leg and then bashed in the head with a stomp of his power armed hoof.

Shadow heard a commotion behind him and turned to see Yellow Quartz shrug off two pistol shots and then engage the pegasus in black fatigues in hoof-to-hoof combat. Even without the power armor, she was clearly the better fighter and slammed him into the wall as she broke a hind leg. The pinned pegasus has a star on his collar. He was General Star Facet. One star general Star Facet met a real military star, Star Paladin Yellow Quartz, and was immediately outmatched.

“Who are you?” Star Facet grunted. “You’re not dressed as a former Enclave. I don’t recognize any of your markings or your yellow shoulder cloak.”

“Star Paladin Yellow Quartz, Trottingham Applejack Rangers. I’m an Earth Pony attached to the Equestrian Pegasus Military, for diplomatic reasons, but I was needed for my military expertise. A star Paladin is a high ranking, highly skilled member of the Applejack Rangers, with a vast and long combat history filled with unique missions that required out-of-the-box thinking in order to complete. In short, my actual military experience far outranks your puny service records.”

General Star Facet let out a dark laugh. “You won’t get far. Reinforcements were in route before you broke down the door. It’s a large force that will stop you.”

“We are still going to try,” Yellow Quartz spat.

Shadow drew his sword and poured heat into the blade. With Star Facet pinned, he pulled out a wing and sliced it off, letting the heat cauterize the wound. He ignored the screams of the Enclave general.

“Now he can’t fly away,” Shadow declared. “We can carry him out now with less worry.”

“A bit extreme, but good thinking, Command Sergeant Major,” Yellow Quartz replied. “I’ll carry, you take point. Nova and Misty Thunder will want to have a chat with the General.”

General Star Facet was thrown on Yellow Quartz’s back and Shadow used one of the saddlebags they had used to carry the ammo resupply to hold him down. Even down a wing and with a broken leg, he could still put up a fight and would. The power armor would protect Yellow Quartz from an attack, but jumping off would force them to stop and they could not afford any distractions.

Shadow led them through the bunker and back out. Golden Dawn was directing the defense. Two others were injured as novasurge battle rifles pounded their defenses.

“Good, you are here,” Arrow said. “We need to go, but we are going to be slow because of the injured.”

“Who else can lead?” Shadow asked. “I can run the defensive screen, but I will need your support, Arrow.”

“Dipper can handle it,” Arrow immediately replied. “They don’t know we have the injured elsewhere. They can open up and pound them, giving the others the distraction needed to go. You and I can cover their exit as well before we start to fall back.”

“Copy that,” Dipper said over their coms. “Forty-two second countdown until we open fire.”

Shadow took up a post as close as he could to the door, but the primary slots needed to be used by the others so they could exit faster. They continued to return fire in order to not tip the soldiers off about Dipper’s group.

All hell broke loose when the forty-two seconds were up. Dipper’s group let it all go. Everypony who could fight, was. Yellow Quartz led the defenders out and Shadow jumped out into the open as he opened up with his gatling laser. He poured consistent fire downrange, forcing the enemy soldier’s heads down. They began to pop back up and targeted Shadow. Arrow picked them off from the doorway if they gave her a clear enough shot. It split their attention, forcing the Enclave to address them, rather than pursue the fleeing EPM soldiers. Several went airborne, but Arrow and Shadow quickly picked them off, ending any hope of following them from the sky.

After two minutes, Arrow broke from her cover, rushing across the open ground to get to the safety of another building. Shadow covered here, taking multiple hits before Arrow began to cover him. His HUD was flashing multiple damage warnings for his armor, but it had done the job. Now Arrow and Shadow had to make it back to the EPM line while also stalling the reinforcements so they didn’t overtake the injured soldiers.

Chapter 157 - Striped Clouds

Simi reached Golden Dawn’s position with ease. The squad followed him without any reservations. He ordered them to defensive positions as he sought out Golden Dawn. The zebras began to provide fire support like any of the other EPM forces.

Simi finally located Golden Darn. She was in a blasted apart building that was once a mess hall. She had a command post set up, directly on the front, and was using the remaining tables to plan out the strategy. Several other officers were planning with her, arguing over the strategy for breaking the defenses.

“Simi, right?” Golden Dawn asked. “Where’s Shadow?”

“Off on another mission,” Simi replied. “He went with Star Paladin Yellow Quartz to assis General Nova, Unit 41, and Unit 72. The rest of our group is under my command.”

“Okay,” Golden Dawn nodded. “I was hoping to have some of his heavy weapons to punch a hole in their line, but we can do this with old fashioned wing power. I did get to where I am without learning how to be smart.”

“You finished up Twin Clouds with ease,” Simi said.

“Yes, but I also killed Vengeful Blade, my friend and leader of Unit 99, because he had to shoot me in order for us to pass their security check. We were on the same side and the gambit worked, but it cost him his life. It is a pyrrhic victory to me because of his death.”

“I understand,” Simi replied. “So let’s make sure they don’t take any more of our friends than they have to.”

“Incoming!” Hellfire yelled from her post at the front of the building.

Everypony scrambled to the defenses as a rocket came screaming through the giant hole in the front of the building and exploded on the back wall. Bullets and magic rifle fire followed it, washing over the defenders. Hellfire was pierced and Colonel Safe took a bullet. In the span of thirty seconds, every officer was hit and the only regular soldiers standing were Simi and Purple Sky. They couldn’t stop the Enclave as they rushed through the openings in the building. Simi put six down with his shotgun before he engaged another in hoof-to-hoof combat. He won but another Enclave soldier was poised to kill him with a combat knife.

Simi couldn’t stop him or dodge, but the blow never came as the world froze. Flying bullets were suspended in mid air. Simi’s body was frozen too, but he could move his eyes. He was able to see Ukuzwa walk in through the back, chanting as she walked. She was channeling ancient Zebra magic. With her poisoned knife, she cut the throats of every enclave soldier before she released the frozen building. The bullets clinked to the ground as they were released, while the magic weapons fire simply dissipated.

"Much healing is needed, and with great speed they must be treated," Ukuzwa said as combat medics ran in to assist. "You, Simi, are the lone officer standing of any type. Now is the time to prove your stripes. Not long ago your ancestors fought, although war is something you were not taught. Your lineage is as clear as your stripes, for it was their way of life. And so too it shall be yours if you take a stand now, for Mtoaji did not come to us to help cut our land with a plough. He came to help me and you, a master magician and a warlord whose blood is true."

"Me!" Simi exclaimed. "A warlord? But...I'm not a warlord. I know I'm to lead the defense once Mtoaji leaves us, but a warlord?"

"Warlords were once very different than those you know. They led their tribe often from the comfort of their home. The title was translated to warlord, but it could also be spoken as landlord. To lead and fight if necessary is what your ancestors did. Their power was frightening, their influence strong, their enemies decided to take actions to rid. They hid a child in hopes that one day they would rise up and take their rightful place of power, for they were zebras of honor and courage that towered. They did it to ensure that future generations would one day have zebras of their caliber watching over their lives. For if one did rise up they knew the tribe would thrive. Now it is time for you to take that stand. Of these ponies you must take command. Mtoaji sent you as leader for a reason. The time for you to command is the season. I must help save these souls, for that is my primary role."

"Command is yours," Colonel Golden Dawn coughed. "I have faith in you." Golden Dawn switched her coms to everypony under her command. "I'm hit and out of the fight, and so are the others. Simi had command and the plan. Listen to his orders and let's win this war! For peace! For the Pegasi! For the Council! For Equestria! And for Shadow Flare!" She entered a coughing fit and ended up spitting out blood. Ukuzwa started to treat Golden Dawn with magic.

Simi looked out of a hole in the wall. They needed to make a hole in the Enclave's defenses. From that hole their entire force could push through and spread out, hitting the entrenched troops in their backs where they were exposed. It was the last solid line of defense the Enclave had.

"Listen up," Simi said over the coms. "My Zebra team, join me in the mess hall, the barely together building. Everypony else, we are going to make a hole. Once we do, I'll give the orders for units to start going through. It's clear and free after that. Continue to launch suppressing fire and kill anypony you can."

The junior officers and senior NCOs all confirmed the orders. Simi's team didn't take long to arrive. They assembled in the middle of the mess hall. The map that Golden Dawn had made on the table had been destroyed in the attack, but Simi didn’t need it.

“Pair off and cloak up,” Simi ordered. “You are going to stealth kill every enemy on that side so we can walk our troops through. I’ll stay back, waiting for your clearance and then lead us through.”

They each confirmed the orders and wrapped themselves in their magic cloaks, disappearing. Simi took the time to find out which officers were left and who they were in charge of. He prepared them for the entry, organizing the lineup and then calling the lead units to his position. The six units would split and start sweeping down the line in either direction. Simi reloaded his own weapons and ensured that each unit was ready.

“Hole made,” Kami reported. “Give us two minutes to get clear and create a distraction. Entry is straight across from you.”

“Timer set,” Simi replied. He turned to the units behind him. “In about two minutes, the soldiers who made our entry point will begin a distraction. You all know what is at stake; your friends, family, their safety, and your culture. Once we are through, we have to sweep down their line, hitting them in the back. This is the moment that will make the sacrifices of your fellow military pegasi worth their blood, and worth yours if it comes to it.”

“And what about your sacrifice?” a lieutenant asked. “You have no real stake here.”

“No, we don’t, but we will spill our blood and have spilled it, for your cause because Shadow Flare did the same for our home over the past decade. He risked his life for us, so we will do the same for him, even if that means the ultimate sacrifice is the cost we have to pay to thank him. Under Shadow's leadership, we unified a region, built a strong, self supporting city, and eliminated multiple warlords, each with their own armies. Some of those warlords could have decimated the Enclave on their own, but we took them down with smaller numbers than you have. Shadow bled for us on many occasions and without expecting anything in return.”

Simi turned towards the exit. The two minutes were almost up. “So, we, I, fight! Now, to battle!”

Simi rushed out at the head of the units. They followed him without hesitation. On the other side of the defenses it was quiet. There were bodies all around, each killed with a blade by clearly skilled hooves. Most had their throats slit so they couldn’t scream out warnings.

The units split and began to sweep the defensive line. Several explosions went off in other parts of the base and then gunfire erupted as the zebras launched their diversion. Simi stayed at the head of the north sweeping units. They passed by whole units that had been silently slaughtered.

They finally found the first pocket of resistance. Simi opened up first, putting a round in their heads. The noise didn’t cause the other enemy soldiers to react. They assumed they were shooting at the enemy soldiers that were on the other side and that the bullets killing their fellow soldiers were from across the way. To the south a fierce firefight erupted. Simi ordered the second group to come across and silenced the units on their front. Once they had cleared another 500 meters, the rest of the EMP could rush across without needing to use the hole.

Simi continued to lead the units into battle. It wasn’t long before the Enclave soldiers finally understood that they were under attack, on their side. Simi stood steady, opening up with his gun while the others took cover. He was quick, putting a single round into the head of anypony that trained their gun on him. The fight was over before he was forced to go to cover and Simi moved them on.

After several more successful engagements, Simi gave the order. With a thunderous roar, the Equestrian Pegasus Military rose up and charged. They successfully got over the final defenses and began to move into the base, unchecked.

Simi continued to lead the sweep, but the battle had fragmented. The Enclave’s line was broken. They were in disarray without a senior leader to keep them organized. Despite their best efforts, the Enclave hadn’t broken the leadership of the EPM. They had gotten close, but there was a Zebra Warlord in their clouds. They couldn’t stop him or the better trained EPM.

Chapter 158 - Aftermath

The battle had taken its toll on the fledgling Equestrian Pegasus Military. Their casualties from the assault on Nellie was forty-six percent, with a death rate of nineteen percent. Injuries would heal but the dead could not come back. Twenty-eight percent of their starting forces had paid the ultimate price for control of the pegasi’s future.

The remaining Enclave troops were about fifteen percent of their numbers, almost all having surrendered rather than die. The Las Pegasus food distribution center had not been cleared of troops, but with the EMP holding Nellie, they surrendered. Their future was currently undetermined, but none of the military officers believed they should be executed. Educated about the real wasteland and hopefully be able to be trusted to join the defense forces, but execution of surrendered soldiers would look bad. General Star Facet was executed since he refused to talk, but he also was a leader, unlike the bulk of the surrendered troops. Enclave splinter groups remained on the run and would be hunted down. For now, they had limited ability to track them, let alone eliminate them. Those groups were surviving below the clouds, in the wasteland, and posed a threat to the EMP and pegasi, as well as the wastelanders.

General Nova was expected to make a full recovery, so was Marble Falls and Cardinal Spitfire. Squad 19 lost another one to their injuries, bringing them down to three members. Golden Dawn had taken a heavy hit, but Ukuzwa had saved her life. Golden Dawn would be plagued for the rest of her life from the extent of her injures. Chocolate had pulled through as well.

Shadow and Arrow had baited the units following them into a kill-zone. They had no way of avoiding the trap once it was sprung. They caught up with the others before they made it back to the line. Simi had broken the Enclave line by the time they got back.

After they returned, Shadow, Arrow, and Dipper were immediately sent to scout various satellite locations on the base to see if they were fortified or not. They were all clear and free. The Enclave had consolidated their forces to stop the EPM. They never had time to organize for a redeployment after Star Facet was captured and their line was broken.

The following three days had been spent cleaning up. They cataloged the dead on both sides, figured out what was left standing after the battle, and learned what supplies were on the base, available for use. Units were sent to secure the other bases and important locations in the cloud cities. Fort Wind’s squad barracks was re-secured and Fort Wind became the main command center. Fort Griffin’s Gate was retaken by three Wonderbolt Squads.

The law enforcement division had the cities under control. Curfews were in place and martial law was the current rule of order. They were keeping the peace as they waited for the Council’s official word and reemergence. They did not claim the name “Enclave”, relying on the name of their division. All Enclave flags had been removed and any icons had been painted over or removed. Their division also removed any patches and insignia that identified them as Enclave, however the uniforms and rank patches stayed for the time being. It was the best they could do. They needed time to redesign those uniforms, which would probably be an adjusted version of what Shadow was wearing that the EPM was good to adopt.

The surviving fleet was mostly shuttling the troops. Deke was given command of the corvettes and began to map potential settlements. It took him close to the ground as he surveyed the wasteland. He was ordered to avoid the settlements and not antagonize anypony.

Shadow met with Misty Thunder at Nellie’s temporary command building, at her request.

“Command Sergeant Major,” Misty Thunder said with a smile. “I know you probably want to stay near your wife as she heals, but we need your team to report to Mareland to prepare for the Council’s return. There are no cloud ships to take you there at the moment, but I have a feeling that you won’t mind winging it. Plus, you won’t mind camping below.”

"It will take some time to wing it," Shadow stated. "When do we need to report in?"

"A week," Misty Thunder said. "You don't have to leave right away, but we need you there in a week. We will get Star Paladin Yellow Quartz a ride soon, but we need your team to help ensure that everything is secure and safe for the council's return."

"I'll report in by then, but I may go silent and do some reconnaissance, in hopes of ferreting out a splinter group and stop them from attacking the Council."

"These are the official orders and your report time," Misty Thunder said, passing Shadow an envelope with paper orders inside. "Feel free to do recon if you wish. Oh, and your uniform, that old one you brought back, is going to be brought to Mareland. That transfer is being sorted out, but we want you in the new uniform. We have ordered a ton for the Equestrian Pegasus Military, in what we are calling Pegasus Blue, which is really just a sky blue, but it will take time to make them. We will rely on Enclave combat equipment, just with new patches, but we are starting to roll out the new dress uniforms to be worn when not on defense duty. We may paint the guns to the pegasus blue to help differentiate us. Combat uniforms in pegasus blue would make easy targets, but we might go that direction. I'm still trying to sort that out. Yellow Quartz is helping and so is Arrow. When she is allowed, Golden Dawn is giving it a look over as well. I am sure you are well informed of her recovery."

"Yes, I have been keeping track of my friends as they recover," Shadow confirmed. "Marble Falls will be ready to do light duty soon and Cardinal Spitfire is being held against her will so she doesn't hurt herself by jumping back into things too quickly."

"I never ask because they are Wonderbolts, but what happened?" Misty Thunder asked. "Of all of the Wonderbolt Squads, 19 was the one I was least concerned about."

"Well, Marble Falls broke rank and file to do her own mission," Shadow explained. "All she would admit is that if it had worked, she would have ended the Enclave's ability to function. It was high risk because she was most likely going to get caught, which she did. After their orders were carried out, Squad 19 found out that there was a VIP locked up and decided that, since they were not going to fight at Mareland, they should break them out. They too failed, springing a trap set with Marble Falls as the bait, and got captured. They didn't break orders because they had no new ones and it wasn't expressly forbidden. They didn't know it was Marble Falls. It left three of the five surviving members alive. They didn't know about Aegis Shield's sacrifice protecting the council. They are heartbroken over it, but proud of him. Marble Falls is...not handling well the death of two pegasi trying to spring her loose because she ignored her orders."

"It is a serious issue, her breaking her orders," Misty Thunder said with a nod. "She may be court-martialed for it. The Council will deal with her when the time comes, if they decide to pursue it."

"What do you do now, for a court-martial?" Shadow asked. "You can't brand them a dashite and banish them below. That isn't possible now."

"I honestly don't know," Misty Thunder admitted. "We are barely together and have less than a tenth of the Enclave's strength before operation cauterize was launched. Now, on top of everything else, I have to seriously consider Black Widow and what she will try to do. We know basically nothing about her. I'm probably a target, you certainly are, most everypony important who is left is a target, and we can't afford to lose them."

"I was below," Shadow said. "I think we will be safe so long as we actively continue progressing towards unifying the Pegasi with our sister races. Black Widow claimed a lot of lives and took out key Enclave renegades for us. If she wanted or needed us dead for her unity link forging thing she is doing, she would have come for our blood."

"I'm afraid she will go for the Council and we can't afford to lose any of them, even to her," Misty Thunder stated. "I'm sure Gunmetal will fully brief you, but that is a concern of ours and something we need solved. They will help us keep the Pegasi unified as we face these new challenges. Things have to change, but the less we can do as fast as we can do them, the better."

"I agree," Shadow replied with a nod. "I will get going. I don't know the council chambers well, so I need to recon them."

"I trust you," Misty Thunder said. "I know you're not only loyal, but smart and can think strategically. I don't need to micromanage you and your team."

"Understood," Shadow nodded.

Shadow stepped out of the building and went to where his team was bunking. The timeframe for reporting in was exactly what he needed. Misty Thunder didn't know he was Black Widow, but the best place to judge the Councilors would be in the Citadel, where Shadow wasn't going to have to worry about being suspiciously absent. They might even want him in the council chambers to stand guard and offer advice. He could not judge them. Misty Thunder was right, they needed the Council, but Black Widow had to judge them.

Shadow had Simi begin to organize the others for an immediate departure while he went to the clinic. Cardinal Spitfire was sleeping. He did not wake her. She needed the rest. She would understand.

They launched when Shadow got back. After an appropriate distance, when they could not be seen, they dropped to the ground.

"We have business we must attend," Ukuzwa immediately said. "Simi has completed his last ascend."

"What do you mean?" Shadow asked.

"By leading the final battle, he proved he could not be rattled. There is ancient warlord blood in his stripes, but not the type that has caused us strife. A leader and guide who fights as a last resort, which is an ancient and important role of the highest rapport. He must take the sacred oath and be blessed, or else his blood will be suppressed."

Ukuzwa turned to Simi and had him bow all the way down. The oath was in the Zebra tongue. From what Shadow had picked up over the years, it spoke of honor and courage as the servant leader of the tribe. Ukuzwa finished the ritual with a charm that bound his oath to his health.

"I must go judge the Council," Shadow said when Simi stood back up. "After than, I will pass on Kifo Herixleta to you, Simi. A warlord needs a sword."

"The sword is to stay with you," Ukuzwa stated. "The time for it to move not so soon. A new blade will be forged, made for the resurrected warlord. Our tribes have been without a true leader for far too long, we need a blade that can sing a new song."

"Go, finish your mission," Simi said. "We will meet up in five days below New Cloudsdale."

"Agree," Shadow said with a nod. He turned his gaze north towards Trottingham.

Chapter 159 - Final Judgment

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Intermission 5

When the sword is set in stone,
It will be sound a new tone.
Home will be given,
It is a sign, committed.
Together we must gather,
Or forever be scattered.
Listen to the master,
And you shall avert all disaster.
Many will block the way,
And for that they will pay.
The stone shall relax,
When it hears the call of the Light Bringer.
The last link will be ready to shed,
Beginning the true mend.
Father against son,
until either side has won.
The final link must be forged in person,
Or things will forever worsen.

The Light Bringer has come. Shadow must forge the last Link to bring Equestria together. Be he doesn't come alone. And he can't do it alone. Worse, his wife, Cardinal Spitfire, and friends are probably apart of the atrocities the Grand Pegasus Enclave are unleashing on the wasteland with Operation Cauterize.

Author's Note

One point I wish to make. Shaping Shadow's canonical works only include the original Fallout Equestria.