Once a Shadow

I woke up and smiled a little to myself. Yesterday was a good day. I did my job as a friend, and got my buddy laid. I got out of the bed without making a noise to avoid waking Rainbow up, and trotted downstairs to grab some breakfast. I made myself some toast and hay bacon. (This is your weekly hay bacon moment.) When that was finished I opened up the fridge and pulled out some orange juice. I poured myself a glass and sat down to eat.

Sometime during my eating, I got lost in thought. I wonder what I'm doing today. Maybe I'll talk with Ni and ask him how his night went. That would only last a short time though. What else could I do? I mean I guess I could train, but that would also only be a short time. Maybe I could just fly around again and hope something happens. I really hope I don't see Mayor Mare and Dad...OKAY thinking about something else now! Preferably something not having anything to do with my previous thoughts. I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally was able to take my mind off of it when I heard Rainbow trotting down.

I turned away from my meal to greet her. "Morning Rainbow. Sleep well?"

"I didn't sleep enough." She said as she rubbed her eyes.

"I know how ya feel. Hungry?"

"Nah, I'll just stick with some orange juice."

"Suit yourself." I said as I took a bite out of my toast.

"So what are you doing today?" She said before giving a long yawn.

"I'm really not sure what I'm going to do today. Maybe I'll just go train and come back early. What about you?"

"I've got plans with the girls today. We're going to chill at the spa, on the condition that all I have to do is just lie down and not get a hooficure."

I chuckled. "Alright, I guess I'll head out now. I'll see you when I get back then?"

She gave me a quick kiss. "Yeah, see you then Shadow."

I got up and put my dishes (made of cloud...) up. I gave Rainbow a hug then trotted outside. I spread my wings and took flight in the direction of Cloudsdale. When I arrived at the HQ building, I trotted inside and went into the locker room. I opened up the locker revealing the secret passage of stairs to the sanctuary. When I got down there, I saw Spitfire, Soarin, and Ni at the table. I laughed when I saw Soarin with an icepack on his head.

"Drink too much Soarin?"

"Not so loud Shadow..."

"Haha, sorry. What about you, Ni? How was your night, and how was doing it with Derpy?"

"We didn't have sex."

"Damn right you didn't have sex-wait what? You didn't have sex?"

"That's right."

"What the hell did you do then?"

"When she finished her last deliveries, we went back to her place and just talked."

"Talked?"

He nodded. "That's right. We just talked about each other the whole time. There was no sex involved."

"Please tell me you at least made out."

"We kissed, yes."

"At least I helped you get that far, not to take credit away from you. I'm proud of you Ni, you got yourself a marefriend."

He smiled. "Thanks Shadow."

I waved a hoof. "Don't mention it. So I'm just curious, but did you two sleep together?"

"Yes, we did actually."

"Nice. So when do you plan to see her again?"

"We actually made some plans for later today. We are supposed to go eat out together."

"And you're not uncomfortable with that? Being around all of those ponies I mean."

"Normally I would be, but I don't think I am going to be this time. This time is going to be different."

"Well good for you then. It sounds like you really care about her."

"Of course. We really connect with each other. The only thing I'm really worried about is if I out-"

"Don't say it." This is me about to snap.

"Wha?"

"You were gonna say 'if you outlive her'. Don't say that. Don't ever say that." Almost snapped.

"But it's true Shadow. There is always a very strong possibility that we out-live them, and-"

"Shut up! Shut up Ni! You don't know that! You don't know when we'll die! It could be tomorrow for all we know!" I shouted. Yep, I snapped.

"Yes, that's always a possiblity, but it's also a possibility we live another thousand years. I know it's painful Shadow, the thought of watching everypony you care about pass before your eyes, while you are helpless to do anything about it. Just remember, you will always have us, your second family."

"He's right Shadow, we'll always be here for you. We won't be going anywhere anytime soon." Spitfire said.

"If you manage to keep it down, I'll be here for you too." Soarin added while holding his head.

"You see Shadow? You will never be alone. You will always have us. That's actually a big reason I joined the Mones as I believe I told you before. I don't like being alone. The Mones were here for me, and they gave me a place to live, but most importantly, they became my family." Ni said.

"I...thanks. To all of you. I needed that slap to the face. It's just the thought of losing-"

"It's okay Shadow. We've all gone through it before. Yes, it's very tough, but you become stronger for it. Just remember why you drank that potion in the first place. You did it to protect Rainbow Dash and everypony else. You couldn't protect her before, but now you can, and you'll only get stronger." Spitfire said.

I sighed. "You're right...can we train or something right now to take my mind off of things?"

"Yeah, sure. Come on, I'll teach you some advanced grapple techniques today."

"I'm going to get ready for my date with Derpy. See you guys later." Ni said.

I nodded and me and Spitfire started trotting to the arena.

"Good, now I'm going to find a nice quiet spot to take a nap..." Soarin said as he rose from his chair.

I chuckled a little. They were right. No matter how much age separates us, or how different we are, we're family. We may not be related by blood, but I don't think anything could separate us. This is my home for the rest of my life...

"Shadow, you alright there? You went blank for a second." Spitfire said.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. I was just thinking about something."

"Alright. Step on inside the arena and we'll get started."

"Okay." I said as I lazily trotted in the arena.

"Are you sure you're okay Shadow?"

"Honestly? No, I'm not. But I can't let this distract me, so lets go."

"Shadow..."

"I said lets go."

She shrugged. "If that's what you want, then okay, lets get started."

A training session later

"You were surprisingly focused on your training considering what happened." Spitfire said.

"Like I said, I can't let it distract me."

"I guess. What's next for you?"

"Dunno, I guess I'll just fly home and hope something else comes up to give me something to do."

"Okay, well take care Shadow, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye." Was all I said before leaving.

I went outside and took flight towards Ponyville. I'm guessing it's somewhere around 3:00 PM now. So what else is there for me to do? I guess I could go talk to Barry. I recall Rainbow saying her and all of the girls would be at the spa today, so he shouldn't be doing anything. It's decided then, I'll go bug Barry.

When I arrived at the library I gave a knock. Barry answered this time instead of Spike.

"Hey Landon, did you need something?" He asked.

"Not really, just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out or something. I'm pretty bored right now."

"I guess we could. Come on in."

He moved away from the door and I trotted in.

"You know, I just thought of something." Barry said.

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Your wedding is in ten days, correct?"

I nodded. "That's right, why?"

"Dude, you need to have a bachelor party!"

I facehoofed. "Why the hell didn't I think of that?! That's an awesome idea!"

"Of course it is, because someone other than you thought of it."

"That hurts bro."

"I bet. Now where is the best place to go for a bachelor party?" Barry asked.

"Uhh, Las Vegas, but there isn't a Vegas here dude. And I'm also sure that there's no Hollywood or Los Angeles."

"No, but there is a Los Pegasus." He said with a grin.

"Holy shit, yes."

He laughed. "Alright, now that leaves the problem of paying for a room."

"Dude, I'm a Wonderbolt, even if I don't get comped a room, I have more than enough money now."

"Good point. That leaves two questions."

"Which are?"

"When should we go, and who should we bring?"

"We could go in five days I guess, and we could bring Soarin and Ni. It could be the four of us."

"Alright then, sounds like that will work. I've always wanted to see Hollywood, I guess this will have to do."

"It's settled then. Tomorrow I'll tell Soarin and Ni that we're going to Los Pegasus!"

"This is going to rule."

"You're damn right it is. I guess I could fly over there right now and set up a reservation at a nice hotel."

"Good idea. I'll see you when you get back?"

"Nah, I'll probably just head straight home afterwards."

"Alright then, see ya."

"Later."

I trotted outside and took flight. It was sometime around five minutes that I realized I had no idea where I was going. I groaned and flew back to the library. Barry was waiting outside with something in his hoof.

I flew down to him and he handed me a map of Equestria. I gave a shy smile and flew away. Okay, according to this map, if I skirt along the edges of the San Palomino Desert, I should arrive in Los Pegasus eventually. Good enough for me.

After about an hour of flying, I could see something forming in the distance. It looks like a city! Sweet! I'm finally here! I picked up my pace and flew full speed towards the city. When I flew into the city, I looked to my right and saw the word APPLEWOOD in gigantic white letters on a mountain. Alright, since this is a pretty similar place compared to Los Angeles, then I should know the location of a good hotel. I took flight in a specific direction, and soon arrived at the Four Seasons Los Pegasus. I landed and trotted inside. I walk up to the front desk to be greeted by a young white mare pegasus with silver hair.

"Hello, and welcome to the Four Seasons Los Pegasus, how may I help you?"

"I came here in hopes to make a reservation."

"Thats fine. Now when would you like to stay here, and in what kind of room?"

"I was hoping you could have a suite in five days."

She opened up a book and flipped through it. "Wow, looks like it's your lucky day. There just so happens to be a suite available for just that day."

"Heh, I guess I am lucky then."

"Indeed you are. Now I just need to get your information. Name please?"

"Shadow Flash."

"Alright, and profession?"

"Wonderbolt."

She dropped her pen and looked up at me. "Oh my gosh, it is you! I knew the name sounded familiar, but when you said you were a Wonderbolt, I knew it who it was! It's such an honor mister Shadow!"

"Relax, it's nice to meet you too. I take it you're a fan?"

"Of course! I have always loved the Wonderbolts, but when you made your appearance a few days ago, you became my instant favorite!"

I smiled. "Thank you, that means a lot. I'm glad you think so."

"So uh, do you mind if I ask what the occasion is? I'm not aware of a performance here anytime soon."

"Nah, I'm just here for a bachelor party."

"Oh, and who is the party for?"

"Me."

"You're getting married?"

I nodded. "That's right."

She gave a slightly disappointed look. "Oh, okay. Well, I'm glad to have met you mister Shadow Flash, and I hope you enjoy your stay in a few days."

Ah hell, I hate it when girls get like this. I reached into my saddlebag and pulled out one of nine of my remaining season tickets. "Here, take this."

She gasped. "Thats a season ticket to the Wonderbolts! Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't."

She slowly took the ticket from my hoof. "I...thank you."

"You're welcome. I guess I'll be going now. Maybe I'll see you at a performance soon. Later."

I trotted off and I heard a thud from the direction behind me. I chuckled a little to myself, it looks like I made her faint.

I exited the extremely nice hotel and took flight towards home. After another hour of flying, I finally arrived home. I trotted inside and gave a stretch and yawn.

"Rainbow, you home?" I called out after finishing my stretch.

"Yeah, I'm upstairs." She called back.

I trotted upstairs and got in the bed with her.

"So what did you do today?" I asked.

"I just spent all day with the girls, what about you?"

"After hanging out in Cloudsdale a little, I made a reservation in Los Pegasus for me, Barry, Soarin, and Ni for my bachelor party."

"Sounds interesting. When are you leaving?"

"About five days from now. Now that I think about it, I also have a good spot to make reservations for our honeymoon."

"Oh? And where would that be?"

"You'll see."

"Ugh, you love keeping me in the dark don't you?"

I chuckled. "Well maybe a little."

I was thanked with a pop on the head. "Son of a bitch Rainbow! I told you that shit hurts!"

She laughed, and that made me laugh too. We just closed our eyes and fell asleep in each others' hooves.

IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTES, PLEASE READ!

Okay, I'd first like to start out by once again apologizing for the lack of chapters, but school has started up for me again :/ so I won't be putting out chapters like I used to. Next thing I wanted to tell you was that I recently got the idea to write another story. Now that doesn't mean I will stop this one. What I will probably do is work one week on this, and one week on my other one. The other story I'm planning on writing is a MLP/Bleach crossover, and I hope you'll check it out for me. I have a good feeling about it. I should be putting it out in a couple of days or something. All of the characters I will have made up, and have probably never been seen (or read) before. I would really appreciate it if you guys would go give it a shot after I post it here. Now there's one more thing I wanted to say. If anypony out there that thinks they can draw, please send me a pm. I'm hoping to make a few requests for some art about this story, and maybe a little bit on my next one. Seriously, if you think you can draw pretty nicely, please message me. Don't be shy, because I wouldn't be asking if I didn't draw like shit :P

Chuck Norris Fact of the Day: Chuck Norris's preferred golf kart is a monster truck called The Violator.