This story will contain none of the Mane Six, and almost none of the known characters. This story will be bloody and enter some dark territories. You have been warned. Also, I tend to have some eccentric tastes that may or may not manifest in this story. Buckle up, this might get weird.


A happier person than I once said that the path to freedom lies in contentment. Someone probably wiser than they replied that the path to contentment lies in ignorance. I won't presume to know what freedom truly is, but I've had more than enough experience on the matter to influence my opinion. Many say it's a feeling, a sense of elation, usually following some great accomplishment or personal milestone, or as menial as the joy of having the weekend to oneself. Others claim that it is the ability to make their own choices. Most people say it simply means not being a slave, forced to undergo strenuous, overbearing labor against one's will. I am none of these people.

In a world controlled by fear, many are content to live under the scornful gaze of a society that uses, manipulates, and directs them like pawns to its whims. Those who aren't are taken under the veil of night. The ones who escape notice rarely stay that way, and are hunted like animals. I think what the wise pony meant is that no matter how far you run, no matter how hard you fight, there will always be someone trying to bend you to their will, forcing you under their thumb. The only way to rid yourself of them is to pretend they don't exist, and I'd rather be dead than live like that.

It was never my decision to live in a place like this. It was never my choice to be abducted by a corrupt government and used as a lab rat for their sick experiments. When an organization of freedom fighting extremists flew me out of my cage, put a blade in my hoof, and told me to kill others for the sake of a better world, I never had a chance to say no.

Eventually, I just gave up on freedom.


A tense silence had fallen over the room during my ruminations, which bothered me almost as much the statement that caused it. After shaking myself of unwanted thoughts, I glared at the stallion before me and pressed the blade deeper into his neck.

"What did you say?" Despite the menace in my tone and the threat of a severed jugular, the mogul held my stare with an unnervingly calm one of his own as he repeated himself.

"I can free you." He pointed a gray hoof at my chest, where a black portal sat emblazoned upon my heart, uncovered by my armored vest. His maroon eyes focused on my face, screaming without a word that he pitied me, like one pities a fly missing its wings. I almost felt insulted. I smirked, though given the situation it probably looked more like a sneer.

"I think you have me mistaken for an idiot," I replied, never once breaking eye contact. I couldn't notice that he was doing exceptionally well for his age. Small wrinkles were visible around his eyes and his red mane and tail were streaked with silver, but he bore it with the grace of a pony in his prime. The infuriatingly placate stallion smiled softly, giving me an almost fatherly look.

"I speak the truth, child. My associates and I have been researching your...condition," my heart tingled slightly as he hesitated. "We believe we have found a solution. If you would just lower your weapon and give me your word and that you will leave that pointless organization, we could work something out." He leaned in slightly, despite the action leaving a shallow wound in his neck. "I could use somepony as strong as you. You're a rarity, even in a world like ours. I'd hate to see such talent go to waste." He was leaning with both forelegs on his desk, wearing what I'm sure he thought was a convincing smile. Several droplets of blood fell from his neck onto the wood between his hooves. I noted with irritation that some of it was trailing down the length of my sword. I sighed deeply and removed it from his neck. With the apparent threat out of his way, the mogul cleared his throat. "Now then-"

I brought it back around in a wide arc faster than he could react. His eyes widened in shock and his throat split open, showering us both with his blood. He stumbled back into his chair, clutching at the ghastly crimson grin I had carved across his neck as it spewed his essence all over himself. After a brief moment of struggling, he slumped in his seat and closed his eyes for the last time.

Now that the easy part was over with, it was time to make my getaway. With a quick twirl in my hoof, I placed Negotiation in the sheath strapped to my back, over my vest. I walked around the desk to get a closer look out of the window behind the dead stallion's chair. It was dark outside, but the streetlights illuminated enough to show me what I needed to see. The window was several floors above street level, no problem for what I was about to do. The street was empty for the most part, save for some stray garbage and a few parked motorcarriages. One vehicle, in particular, was parked right under the window I was leaning out of, its dark exterior nearly invisible in the shadows the streetlights couldn't reach, though my unnatural eyesight picked out its shape easily. No one else would notice anything out of place about this particular vehicle, besides perhaps its sleeker form. The driver's side window was down, and from it came a familiar fragrance. Somepony was eating cinnamon sticks.

Someone was eating my cinnamon sticks.

I huffed in irritation and lifted myself up so that I was balanced on the windowsill. I tensed my back legs and pushed off, launching myself into the air and landing on the roof of the carriage with a loud bang. I leaned over the side to peer through the driver's window, coming face to face with an indigo pegasus. Her ruby eyes were as wide as dinner plates and she paled at the sight of me. Several brownish sticks poked out of the side of her mouth, and she held one in her hoof. I gave her my best death glare. With the haste normally associated with death threats she finished what was in her mouth and gave me a grin stuck halfway between sheepish and terrified.

"S-Sorry, Shadow...I, uh, I got a little hungry...while I was...waiting for you," she managed to stammer out. I snatched the treat from her hoof and stuffed it into my mouth. With just the right amount of righteous indignation I strutted to the passenger's side, lowering myself and sliding in the through window she had lowered for me.

"Sparkdrift," I started as I settled into my seat, "what have I said about eating my candy?" The mare pouted for a moment, then sighed.

"Under the risk of severed limbs, broken bones, third degree burns, nightmares, severe nausea, and disembowelment, no one is allowed to touch your sweets," she answered with a ghost of a smirk. I nodded appreciatively.

"Good." I gave the street another look, making sure we were still in the clear. "Let's get out of here. Don't want to be here when the Hounds show up."

My driver gave me a single nod and procured a key from her two-toned violet and red mane. She inserted it into the ignition and the carriage roared to life.

"You really need to get a pair of saddlebags," I commented, right before she slammed her hoof on the pedal, nearly throwing me out of my seat. I resituated myself as we took off at a blistering speed, muttering curses to myself, and rolled my window up to prevent further mishaps.

In addition to being sleeker than the average motorcarriage and harder to notice at night, Sparkdrift's model is faster, easier to handle and much quieter. This is both ideal for me and a terrifying experience if your driver is an easily excitable pegasus who has a habit of getting arrested for street racing in private government sectors. I'm not saying Sparks is a bad driver, in fact she is better than most. She just doesn't do nice and slow. And I think she skipped the driver etiquette part of the manual. She is about as subtle as the flaming wing marked on her flank, and only slightly less flamboyant. Sparkdrift might not get you there unscathed, but...she'll get you there.

"So…" Sparkdrift glanced at me, scanning my face and torso. I almost scolded her for taking her eyes off the road. "...you're covered in blood. Did Garnet give you much trouble?" I looked down at myself, remembering that I still had the old stallion's blood on me. It speckled my snow white barrel and some of my armor, and I could feel it coagulating in my face fur.

"Not really," I replied, scratching my cheek. "He talked a lot though. Said some crap about 'freeing' me from…" I gestured to the area in front of my chest, "you know." I opened the glove compartment, removing a conveniently placed rag and quickly wiping myself down with it.

Sparkdrift's eyes widened briefly. "Oh. Sounds like a short lived conversation." She suddenly took a sharp left down a different street, throwing me against my window and reminding me why it was a good idea to close it.

I gave a halfhearted nod as I recovered, suddenly too preoccupied to complain as Garnet's offer echoed in my mind. I had had always believed that I couldn't be 'cured'. I had been told as much on the operating table. To think that somepony had the means to undo a theoretically irreversible procedure was enough to make my brain itch-and my heart burn. Come to think of it, how Garnet had even come across such sensitive information was beyond me. I didn't even have all the answers, and I was once in the middle of it all. The program was top-secret, even among most of the peons working in genetic engineering, and so closely guarded that information leakage was nigh impossible. Something else was at play here.

My train of thought was interrupted by the sound of wailing sirens in the distance behind us. I glanced through the back window, satisfied that we had put enough distance between us and the crime scene. "Good thing we left when we did," I remarked to my driver. "I really don't like dealing with Hounds."

Sparkdrift made a clicking noise with her tongue. "You wouldn't be you if you did," she replied. "Or any lower-middle class citizen of the Outlands for that matter."

"Fair enough," I conceded. "So where is Code Blue hiding out now? Probably some seedy bar or somesuch, hm?"

Sparkdrift gave a low chuckle. "You're not too far off. He's stationed at Mousetrapp."

"Mousetrapp," I echoed. "Never heard of it. What is it?"

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, which usually meant she was hiding something from me, or found something amusing and couldn't wait to tell me what it was. Whatever it was, I braced myself. "Well, it is a bar…"

Oh, so I was right. For a second there, I was a little worried.

"...slash strip club."

I froze for a moment, then shook my head and coughed. "...What?"

The pegasus licked her lips nervously, though I could see the grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. "It was Hollow's idea."

I raised an eyebrow. "And by 'Hollow's idea' you mean-"

"She decided to wander off and Blue followed her." I fell back into my seat and sighed. I could already feel the headache forming behind my eyes...

Several minutes later we arrived at a building that dwarfed all the others around it. It was two stories high and at least three times the width of the establishments unfortunate enough to reside on either side of it. Pink and purple neon lights danced about its surface, carving wavy designs among its midsection and promising cheap drinks and private dances. A large sign on the top read 'Mousetrapp' followed by an image of a mouse scurrying in circles. A steady beat resounded in its vicinity, no doubt the work of some washed out disc jockey who wasn't sure how they ended up playing electronic music for a strip joint.

Sparkdrift pulled up behind a red motorcarriage and turned off the ignition, placing the key back in her mane. We stepped out into the chill, and my heart began to pound anxiously. Much to my annoyance, my hooves began to move unconsciously in rhythm with the music, which grew louder the closer we approached. We pushed open the double doors, and immediately my headache increased tenfold. A vile combination of sweat, perfume, and alcohol assaulted my nose. The room was dimly lit, accentuated by colorful strobe lights that drifted across the club and threatened to send me into shock. The beat I had been hearing became a gloomy electronic song that was soft enough keep customers in the mood, yet loud enough to slowly drive me insane. My enhanced senses were not doing me any favors.

We hadn't even taken five steps into the club when a very drunk mare walked blindly into me. The impact barely jarred me, but the intoxicated unicorn fell heavily onto her rump. Her equally drunk friend sneered at me.

"Why dun you watch where you're going, jackash." The stench of alcohol on her breath was so strong it caused my nose to curl.

"Ugh, I think you meshed up my makeup," the unicorn complained as she stood back up. A quick glance at her face told me that her makeup was ruined long before she walked into me. She shot me a bleary-eyed glare. "You big jerk."

Her friend cocked her head at me. "Whaddya doin' shtanding around, you creep?" A crooked grin formed on her muzzle. "You're shupposhed to be in there."

She pointed to a door on the far side of the room. The neon sign above it read 'For the Ladies' in flashing blue letters. I didn't need any more clarification. The unicorn shot a me a snobbish smile that I would have loved to forcefully remove.

"You know, I might forgive you for running into me if you buy me a drink…" My scowl deepened, though she didn't seem to notice. She actually moved in closer and began tracing circles on my chest with the tip of her hoof. "And later, we could go back to your place 'n do other stuff…"

I hissed through my teeth as my irritation began to boil over. I might have burned a hole into the floor if somepony hadn't pushed me out of the way.

"Okay, no more chatting with the drunk fillies," Sparkdrift chuckled as she led me away from the annoying mares and deeper into the club. I grumbled for a moment, but regained my footing and followed anyway. Circular platforms were placed evenly throughout the area, exhibiting scantily clad mares dancing provocatively for eager audiences, meaning we had to weave our way through a multitude of excited stallions and mares. Thankfully, we didn't have to travel far before the crowd cleared, if only slightly, revealing a long counter in the shape of a half circle, with the ends meeting the wall. It had to span at least a quarter of the club. The back was shelved, stocked with all sorts of liquor and other alcoholic wonders. As much as I disliked this place, I had to admit they had an impressive bar.

My gaze focused on one of the patrons seated along the counter. He was a sleek earth stallion, with a royal blue coat and an ice blue mane and tail. A dark jacket covered his back and forelegs, leaving the padlock Mark on his flank uncovered. He was resting his chin on the counter, nursing a topaz-colored beverage, and looking rather miserable. Sparkdrift tapped me on the shoulder.

"You go talk with him," she said. "I'm going to find our little troublemaker." She turned and walked back into the crowd without waiting for an answer. I approached the bar and seated myself next to my informant.

"Tough day?" I asked, slapping him heartily on the shoulder. He jolted upwards, nearly throwing the wraparound shades off of his head.

"King's bloody balls!" he swore, grabbing the counter to balance himself. His drink wobbled warningly as he accidentally struck it, spilling a bit of its contents before steadying inches from the edge. He fixed me with bleary-eyed glare. "You're a damn good sneak when you want to be," he stated, much more calmly.

I gave him a disarming smile, leaning my cheek on a hoof. "I'm supposed to be. It's part of my job."

Code Blue nodded, grabbing his drink and taking a large sip from it. "I suppose it is, then," he answered after swallowing.

Despite his less-than-stellar mood, I couldn't resist needling him. "So, come around here often?" He choked, my words catching him as he went for another swig.

"Hollow's the only reason I'm here," he protested as his coughing fit subsided. "I wanted to wait out in that bar on the edge of Iron District, but the Invisible Wonder ran off before I could call Sparkdrift."

"Bar on the edge of Iron District?" I asked, unfamiliar with the location. He nodded again.

"The Broken Lute. Ring any bells?" I hummed in assent. The Broken Lute was a small establishment, unassuming and out of the way. It wasn't exactly high-end, but at least it wasn't ridden with neon lights and bad music.

"Anyway," Blue continued, "She ended up leading me here, and by then it would have taken too long to go back, so…" He ended his explanation with a shrug.

I sighed through my nose, images of Hollow leashed and tied to a telephone pole flitting through my mind. I flagged down the nearby bartender, ignoring my brain's plea to stop while I was ahead. "I'll have whatever my friend here is having," I told the cheerful mare, whose mane I decided had too many colors. She looked like she stuck her head in a blender full of melted crayons. I fished a tannish note out of a satchel concealed beneath my vest, which she accepted happily and left to fill my order.

"Grievances aside, we have business to take care of," I said, giving Blue a serious look. He gave a firm nod and withdrew a thin, rectangular object from the inside of his jacket. It was made of a black material, and a screen covered most of one side. He placed his hoof on the middle of the screen and the tablet flared to life, revealing a grid-like menu. A couple quick pokes with the tip of his hoof and a long list of names popped up, which Blue began scrolling through.

"Okay, let's see here…" He began muttering to himself, eyes quickly, yet carefully scanning the screen as he skimmed through hundreds of names. "...Gale...Garland...Garnet."

He tapped the screen again and a new window appeared, displaying a photograph of the stallion I had just murdered merely half an hour ago. The text beside the image read 'Current Status', followed by 'Active'.

"Garnet Scroll, founder of Garnet Industries," Blue drolled. Another tap, and 'Active' was replaced by 'Deceased'. "Garnet was one of the Ministry's major suppliers in terms of firepower. Without their figurehead, the company might realize it's not worth it and run for the hills."

He turned the tablet off and stuffed it back into his jacket. "We've slowed down arms production by at least thirty percent," he finished, giving me the first grin I had seen from him all night. Before I could answer, the bartender returned with my drink. I nodded my thanks, and she left again with a bounce in her step. That mare was way too happy.

I brought the drink to my lips with magic and blinked in surprise. It was sour, not terribly so, but just enough to leave an sharp sensation on my tongue that made my mouth water. I tasted lemon, among some other fruit, and vanilla. I took a couple more sips before setting the glass down. "I could do with a couple more of these," I remarked.

Blue nodded. "I already have," he stated, right before draining his own glass. I shook my head in mock disappointment.

"Getting drunk on the job, Code? That's hardly professional." He snorted.

"Professional, my ass. At least I don't knock security guards unconscious for name-calling." I gave my own snort at that.

"He was being obnoxious and you know it. He could've blown my cover."

"You can give me any excuse you can come with," Blue chuckled. "I just don't think you're partial to 'Snowball'."

I rolled my eyes and sighed lightly. "Got me there." Blue just smirked. After a moment he hopped off of his stool and dusted himself off.

"I'm heading out. I've got three more stops to make before turning in for the night." He held out his hoof, and I bumped it with my own. "Don't get caught."

He flashed me one last grin before disappearing into the crowd, leaving me alone at the bar. With Garnet's assassination reported, all I needed to worry about was getting back home. Unfortunately, that was a lot to worry about. If the speed at which the Hounds appeared earlier was any indication, the city was going to be flooded with police activity. Navigating the streets without running into trouble was going to be a chore.

It took me a moment to notice that Sparkdrift had been gone for a while, and another to realize why. With a sigh that may as well have been a growl, I finished my drink and stood to leave, catching the attention of the bartender as I did so. She waved when she saw me, her ever-present smile widening ever so slightly. I gave her a mock salute, somewhat aware that I was smiling back.

I found Sparkdrift in another area of the club, pacing back and forth frantically. It was a little funny to watch, but she was attracting unnecessary attention from passing ponies. I put myself in her path, stopping her with a hoof before she could walk into me. She jumped a little, unfurling her wings, before she realized it was me.

"Sh-Shadow! Uh…" She danced from hoof to hoof for a brief moment. "I can't find her. Like, anywhere."

"Yeah, I figured that would be the case," I replied. "She is kinda hard to notice." I noticed a faint shimmer out of the corner of my eye, slowly moving to rest behind Sparkdrift. It was like a distortion in the air, akin to looking through warped glass.

"I know, but I didn't think she'd be that hard to find!" she answered. "Doesn't she have a limit for how long she can stay like that?" The anomaly moved again, out from behind Sparkdrift and closer to me. I picked out a vaguely equine figure before it moved out of my range of vision.

"About half an hour, if she stays completely still." I huffed in feigned anger. "Obviously she doesn't want to be found. I say we leave her." I flicked my tail, catching something on the end of it that responded with a squeak.

I looked behind me just in time to watch a mare with a bluish-gray coat fade into view. Her mane and tail were a sweep of cobweb white, her ears had tufts of extra fur on the tips, and a pair leathery, bat-like wings protruded from her back. She was rubbing her nose with a hoof, glaring at me with amber, slit-pupiled eyes.

"Oh, Hollow. We were just talking about you."

Hollow put her hoof down, revealing a couple of small fangs that hung over her lip. She tucked one inside, pouting at me childishly.

"Jerk." Her voice was soft, and I almost didn't hear it over the music.

"Whatever, snaggletooth." I jabbed a hoof at her. "You're the one who wanders off whenever you feel like it. This needs to stop."

She furrowed her brow, increasing the intensity of her moue. "But it was so boring there. Why can't we ever camp somewhere fun?"

I groaned internally, having already foreseen this question. "It's not supposed to be fun. Fun is for when we aren't on a job. Do you realize how much trouble we could get in just for being here?" Hollow's pout turned into a sullen frown, and she began tracing circles into the dark carpet with her hoof. I bit the inside of my cheek in contemplation. "Look, I'm not going to report this to the Director." She perked up a bit. "As long as you promise to stay put when I tell you to."

After a brief moment of hesitation, the demure thestral breathed a sigh and nodded. "Okay, Shadow."

I gave her a single grateful nod. "Good. Now let's get the hell out of here before I go insane."

Thankfully, our departure from Mousetrapp was uneventful. Not so thankfully, that changed as soon as we walked out the front door. The mares from before, the unicorn that walked into me and her friend, were loitering on the sidewalk, talking to a pegasus stallion. The unicorn spotted me as we exited the building, and pointed me out with a smug grin.

"That's him, Barbell," she said loudly, obviously so I would hear. The pegasus met my impassive stare and approached me confidently. I waited calmly, struggling to keep my rising irritation out of my expression. He stopped a couple inches away from me, way too close for my comfort, and cocked his head.

"You make a move on my mare?" My eye twitched.

"If I recall correctly, it was the other way around. Your marefriend walked into me, got pissed off, then attempted to seduce me." I clicked my tongue. "Maybe you should put her on a leash, hm?" That got a snicker out of Hollow.

"I think you're a fucking liar," Barbell said, coming a step closer and thrusting his face in mine. I briefly thought it would be funny to kiss, but figured it most likely wasn't worth it. Besides, he smelled like grease and cheap beer.

Sparkdrift raised a hoof. "Nope, I was there."

The pegasus shot her a glare. "Shut up, whore," he snapped, causing the mares behind him to giggle in idiotic fashion. Sparkdrift growled and began to advance, but I stopped her with a hoof.

"What was that about keeping your mare on a leash?" Barbell quipped with a sneer.

I ignored that, deciding that I've had enough. "So, here's what going to happen. I'm going to hit you really hard, go home, and sleep off this headache. But first, I want you to apologize to my friend here for calling her a whore. Sound good?"

"Fuck y-" I didn't let him finish. My hoof shot out like a rocket, clocking him in the snout. His head snapped back so hard that it took the rest of him with it, the force pushing him onto his haunches as miniature twin fountains of blood gushed from his nostrils with all the grace of a broken lawn sprinkler. With the agonizing slowness of a tree being felled, his body continued to fall backwards, allowing gravity to take control since its owner had lost the ability to do so. He landed face up on the concrete, clearly unconscious, muzzle covered in blood and tongue hanging out of his mouth. I could have written a poem about the entire process if I had felt so inclined.

There was dead silence for about five seconds. The two mares gaped in the background. Sparkdrift's jaw hung open, though a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Hollow appeared to be grinning and grimacing sympathetically at the same time. I just stood there, observing his unmoving form.

Sparkdrift was the first to break the silence. "I think you overdid it, Shadow…"

The two mares gave me one last glance and took off running in the other direction. I didn't care, I was too busy suffering a monstrous headache. Today was not going according to plan, and the stress was catching up to me. I rubbed my forehead with a hoof, trying to get my mind in order.

A noisy crunch jolted me from my thoughts. I looked behind me at Sparkdrift, staring off at the retreating ponies and munching shamelessly on a cinnamon stick. I wracked my aching brain, trying to figure out when she had gotten a hold of one of my treats.

"Sparks, that…" I stared at her flatly when she caught my eye, still chewing. "...that was in your mane the whole time, wasn't it?"

She swallowed quickly to answer. "Yep."

I wanted to scream at her, but decided the ensuing argument wasn't worth the migraine, so I settled for having the last word. "You're grounded."


You may have noticed Shadow often says 'hm?' after some questions. I know that this makes the syntax look terrible, but I ask that you bear with me. It's meant to be a small personality quirk of his. It's a short hum with a slight upward lilt, spoken after statements in which he suggests something. It's probably obvious but I just wanted to clear that up.