Chapter 4: A Shadow Returns
'Why did I come here?'
Storm walked slowly, looking about him as he exited the station. His own mind confused him on a regular basis, but this was surprising and more odd than usual.
'I mean, I only know a few ponies here… I guess it's as good a place as any to stay. It's quite nice…'
The shadowy pegasus realized something as he began to walk. For the first time in a very long time, he was at peace; he wasn't constantly observing his surroundings, he wasn't making plans and over thinking everything. He was calm, cool, and at home.
'At home? This certainly isn't Cloudsdale,' Shadow pondered, 'but its feels more… homely, and safe.'
He had only left Ponyville a week ago. A town he had never known even existed (or had heard about but never cared to pay attention to), and he had spent more time in it than his last trip back home to Cloudsdale. It was his home for now, at least for the next three months. Ahead he saw Pinkie Pie, chatting with Rarity at a nearby restaurant. Passing right on by them, Shadow noted how easy it was to go unnoticed. All it required was a change of outfit.
During his stay at Canterlot, his uniform and some of his items had been transferred, to allow his leave of absence to start smoothly. He now wore his full dress uniform; clad in navy blue, with his air force wedge and aviator sunglasses.
Noting Rarity and Pinkie Pie's presence, Shadow continued on.
'It'll be more fun to surprise them,' Shadow surmised with a grin.
As he exited town, Shadow decided to attempt to fly. His leg no longer hurt, and worked quite well, it was time to see if his wing was in better condition as well.
As he came to a stop, Shadow unfurled his wings, and beat them up and down. There was no pain, so slowly but surely, he increased the rate of wing beats. Very soon he was lifting off the ground. A feeling of happiness spread through Shadow.
Excited, Shadow disregarded all sense and safety, jamming his wedge into his pocket, and immediately went into a speedy flight upwards, quickly gaining altitude. After leveling out, Shadow banked left and began a series of corkscrews and barrel rolls. After completing those he returned to the ground, laughing. It had seemed so long since he had flown. He continued walking and returned his hat to its correct position, as Sweet Apple Acres came into view. He quickly spied a familiar face pulling a wagon filled with apples.
Trotting up to the mare, Shadow hollered, "Howdy there AJ!"
Confused, Applejack stopped in her tracks, and turned to see the pegasus approaching.
"Uh…" Applejack stuttered, not yet recognizing the smoky pegasus, "Can I help you Mister?"
Storm laughed as he walked up to Applejack, in disbelief at the effectiveness of his disguise. After setting down a small brown bag beside the mare, he laughed once more, and pulled off his glasses.
"I'm here to repay the 'Courtesy of Sweet Apple Acres'," Shadow exclaimed, still chuckling.
"Well I'll be… wasn't expectin' to see you again Shadow Storm, you scared me mighty well," Applejack replied, beginning to laugh herself.
The two talked a bit, and Shadow indicated to the sack he left as a gift. After Storm's departure, Applejack opened it up to find twenty bits in the sack, as repayment for the ticket purchased for his journey to Canterlot. Meanwhile, Shadow carried on, still euphoric from his regained ability to fly, and his sudden change of circumstances.
Shadow returned to town, with a new objective in mind; find accommodations. After some consideration, Shadow decided to canvas the area, in an attempt to find any accommodations whatsoever. After asking around, Shadow was directed to inquire for information at the local 'watering hole'.
'Sugarcube Corner?' thought Shadow as he arrived at his destination, an eyebrow raising out of curiosity.
As Shadow pushed the door open, his nostrils were flooded with the sweet smell of various baked goods. A quick glance inside showed a large room filled with chairs and tables, and a single counter. At the counter stood Twilight Sparkle, apparently engaged in a deep conversation with Pinkie Pie.
Shadow walked in slowly, the two mares apparently taking no notice of him. Removing his sunglasses and wedge, he headed directly for the counter.
A gasp from Pinkie made Shadow cringe a little, as he stood beside the two ponies. A grin appeared on both their faces.
"You're back! So how was Canterlot and your daring mission?" Twilight asked cheerily.
"It was… interesting," Shadow stated, his grin slowly disintegrating.
Pinkie Pie hopped up and down in excitement, crying, "Interesting? Well, tell us about it already!"
Shadow explained the many goings on at Canterlot, and his encounter with the Princess and her guard contingent. After finishing this brief interlude, Shadow got straight to the point.
"Twilight," Shadow said, as he turned to address the unicorn, "who do I speak to about buying some property in Ponyville?"
"Why? Are you planning on moving here?" Twilight questioned back to Shadow.
Shadow replied, "Sort of. At least somewhere I can stay for a while, and lay low for a bit. These wings aren't gonna heal themselves."
Twilight look at the floor, and pondered for a few seconds. A slight gasp erupted from Twilight, and she whipped her head back horizontal.
"Talk to Filthy Rich, last I heard, he was selling a plot of land he bought from somepony," Twilight told Shadow, her face serious as she racked her brain.
"Thanks Twi," Shadow said as he headed for the exit.
As Shadow was opening the door, he heard Pinkie Pie say his name in an attempt to get his attention. He quickly turned around, half-way out the door, to listen to her.
"Have you seen Rainbow Dash yet?" Pinkie asked from afar.
Shadow shook his head and indicated that he hadn't.
"Well you should probably do that," Pinkie stated, "She might think you're avoiding her, and her feelings might get hurt."
Shadow nodded and exited the store. As he took several steps into the street, he replaced his sunglasses over his eyes. Rainbow Dash didn't seem like the kind of pony that would have their feelings hurt by avoidance. She didn't really seem like she had very many emotions aside from pride and happiness. On the other hand, they knew her a lot longer. After a few seconds of thought, Storm decided to get visiting her out of the way.
After some questioning of the locals, he was pointed to a low lying cloud on the outside of Ponyville. Approaching the cloud, he saw it was no ordinary cloud. It had been shaped and molded with great care, with several columns, windows and doors dotting its surface. Between the cloud's Cloudsdalean appearance, and the various rainbows that trickled across his surface, Shadow knew it was the place.
Once again, Shadow beat his wings, and flew up to the main door of the cloud. It was still exhilarating to fly again, especially after being bed ridden for so long. Shadow landed softly on the cloudy surface, noting it was much softer than the clouds near Appaloosa. Shadow knocked on the harder cloud that comprised the door, making a tapping noise. A crash from inside confirmed the presence of somepony (or something) inside. He could hear hooves clopping along tile floor above him.
As the footsteps became closer, he heard a voice yell in an annoyed manner, "What is it this time Fluttershy?"
