Walking back out into the deluge the evening had become, Shadow put up a small barrier to act as an umbrella of sorts. His time in Fluttershy's cottage had nearly dried him off and where he now headed he would have to be dry to make it in the front door.

 

Rarity's Boutique lay almost all the way across town and Shadow walked slowly. Dark as the sky was it was only the late afternoon and Rarity would not stop working until the evening had come or someone brought her dinner.

 

Walking through the market, Shadow caught Carrot Top closing up her shop and asked for a couple carrots. She handed them to him with a smile and told him his purchase was on the house. Shadow thanked her and continued his slow trek.

 

Avoiding the mud puddles that had begun to form, Shadow made it to Rarity's Boutique at what would've been just before sun down. Knocking gently, he heard a sing song answer but couldn't make out the words and waited patiently for her to appear.

 

Rarity cracked her front door only slightly. She had always dreaded being wet if she wasn't in a bath. When she spotted Shadow, she flung the door open and invited him in. It was the first time in a long time he had come to visit her, even before Rainbow's death.

 

Rarity and Shadow had a rather strange past. Rarity had been Shadow's first crush and Shadow had been Rarity's first bully. Their troubled past and differences had long been laid to rest and were now comfortable friends. Shadow still held his feelings for Rarity but they were not as strong as when they had been children, though he would still do anything she asked of him. Rarity knew of his feelings and did not lead him on or abuse his helpfulness. She was more than happy to simply be good friends with a lovely stallion who treated her like a lady.

 

"Shadow! I was expecting Twilight but you are a pleasant surprise." Rarity closed the door behind him.

 

Shadow held up his bag of carrots. "I brought food. Are you still working?"

 

Rarity smiling knowingly, "If you're offering to cook then I will certainly put everything on hold for a nice hot meal."

 

Shadow chuckled softly, "Should I cook for three? You said you were expecting Twilight."

 

"That would be nice but I'm not sure she'll make it in this dreadful weather."

 

"If I can make it, she certainly can. I'll cook for three."

 

They shared a quick hug before parting ways to the kitchen and the office, respectively.

 

Shadow moved with a grace in the kitchen. He always had. He and Rarity often joked that if he were not a detective that he would mostly certainly have a chef's hat in place of his detective's hat.

 

Rarity had even let slip once that had Shadow become a chef, her father would've been a bit more accepting of their old relationship. Shadow had laughed at the idea. Rarity's father was a jolly fat stallion, to be sure, but he wasn't sure her father would approve of anyone dating his daughter. Dads were like that.

 

As Shadow lowered the temperatures on everything to await the arrival of Twilight, Rarity entered the kitchen and sat at the table, pouring herself some of the tea Shadow had also prepared.

 

"It's been a long time, Shadow. We used to do dinner at least once a month. It's been nearly seven since our last get together. What brings you back to me today, of all days?"

 

"Come on, Rare. You know why they stopped. We both know Rainbow never liked the idea of us having meals alone. She would never stop us and she would never say anything about it, but we both knew she didn't like it. And after she died... Well, I hardly felt like eating by myself, let alone with anyone else."

 

Rarity nodded along. None of this was new to her. "That doesn't answer my question. What brings you out today?"

 

"I.. I don't know. I was talking to Applejack and then I went to check on Fluttershy and I just thought some degree of going back to normal would help me." Shadow's voice softened as he spoke. He hated saying he needed help.

 

Rarity rose from her chair and crossed her small kitchen to hug him once more. "I understand, dear. Anything I can do for you, I'm more than willing to." She had avoided using the word "help" on purpose. She did know him well.

 

Shadow half-heartedly squeezed her, suddenly feeling awkward, "Thanks, Rare."

 

A knock at the front door gave Shadow a moments reprieve as Rarity went to answer it.

 

Shadow heard Twilight's voice in the hallway and he produced a bowl for each of them, giving each of them a generous helping of his special carrot soup, and placing it around the table.

 

Shadow turned to the sink before Twilight entered. She had always somewhat intimidated him with her presence and he felt awkward waiting for her to appear. Washing off a few of the dirty dishes he had used he heard Twilight speak softly behind him.

 

"Hi, Shadow," she said.

 

He dried his hooves on a towel and turned to her, his half smile winning her over as it always did. "Hey Twilight. How goes the whole Princess thing?"

 

Twilight blushed softly and tucked her wings in closer to her body. "Not bad. Still getting used to these things. Rarity said you made dinner for us? I didn't know you could cook."

 

Shadow chuckled softly. "Twilight, I imagine there's a great many things you don't know about me. We'll discuss them over dinner. Now sit down and tell me if I've lost my touch or not."

 

Their laughter still sounded strange to Shadow. It had been months since he made anything that resembled a joke, and he had avoided Pinkie for that reason, but he was steadfast in what he had said to Fluttershy. He would have to get back to normal eventually and laughter was a part of that.

 

As they ate their small talk covered a wide range of topics: Rarity's current fashion obsessions and the large order still waiting to be completed; Shadow recounted one of his old cases for Twilight, just to fill her in a little more on who he was; Twilight spoke of some of the things she'd seen at Canterlot and some of the new things she'd learned about being a princess. She professed that her true passion still lied in the study of magic and that she had made a discovery recently about a kind of magic that could commune with the elements. She called it a shamanistic magic. The mention that it could be used as a harmony between life and death peaked Shadow's interests.

 

"Are you saying that these shamans could use their magic to affect people who had died?"

 

Twilight and Rarity shared a glance. "Maybe. I haven't learned much about it all yet, but I could look it up when I get home."

 

Shadow nodded slowly, thinking about different scenarios, "Think I could go with you when you do? I like learning about magic that isn't done by the typical unicorn method."

 

Twilight seemed to relax. "Sure, I loved having a study partner. We can catalog the information much faster with the two of us."

 

Rarity looked back and forth between them, she wasn't convinced Shadow's interest was purely scientific in nature and she couldn't believe Twilight seemed to think it was. "Rainbow Dash was right. Book smart means gullible," Rarity thought, smiling to herself.

 

"By the way, Shadow, this dinner was amazing. How'd you become such a good cook?" Twilight asked.

 

"I haven't a clue, Miss Sparkle. Mom never showed any special interest in cooking and Dad couldn't boil water without burning it."

 

They all shared a genuine laugh. Shadow's culinary skills had not suffered from disuse, nor had his humor.

 

"Well, I'm going to head home. I'm stuffed." Twilight rose from her chair and stretched lightly.

 

"I'll head with you," Shadow said, eager to research this new magic.

 

"Think we could take a rain check until tomorrow? This meal will be enough to knock me out as soon I make it back to the library."

 

Shadow's heart sank a little, he had been genuinely excited, but he nodded. "No problem at all. Food comas are not uncommon after a Chef Chaser meal."

 

After a few more goodbyes, Twilight was on her way back to her home under her perfectly shaped magical umbrella.

 

Shadow chuckled as he watched her go. "Now she's just showing off," he said to himself.

 

Shadow returned to the kitchen with Rarity, where they sat in silence for a long time, just looking at one another.

 

They had learned long ago that the silence between them often spoke volumes and both were happy to let it linger for a time. That was until Rarity could not contain her curiosity any longer.

 

"Why do you want to know about those shamans?"

 

Shadow averted his eyes from hers, looking at the cabinets around the kitchen, "I think it would be interesting to study that kind of magic." His eyes returned to hers when he finished speaking.

 

"Did I ever tell you how I always knew when you were lying?"

 

Shadow shook his head.

 

"You don't look at me. Shadow Chaser, you will stare at me for days on end. You've never had a problem maintaining eye contact and I love that about you. But when you look away from me and speak, I know you're lying. You do that because deep down you can't lie to me, so you justify it by thinking you're talking to whatever you're looking at. Thinking that you're lying to it and not to me."

 

The sat in silence for a moment before Shadow sighed and locked eyes with her. "If there's a way to bring Rainbow back..."

 

"Shadow..."

 

"I have to try, Rare!" Shadow caught himself and lowered his voice. Applejack might be polite enough to let him yell but Rarity would happily kick his keister for yelling at her. "I have to try. I miss her."

 

"As do I, Shadow, but you can't expect that there's anything that will just bring her back. If that were an option, don't you think so many others would've found it by now?"

 

Shadow swallowed hard, biting back a new wave of tears. "I need to, Rarity. I'm.. I'm starting to forget. The color of her eyes, all of her scars and how she got them, I'm starting to forget those things. I need to see her again. I need to save her."

 

"Shadow, darling, this is one of those time when you need to let me save you, while there's still something left to save. The kind of thing you're looking for with those shamans... I've heard about things like that before." Rarity bit her lip in apprehension before continuing. "There's always a price for things like that."

 

"Like what?"

 

"Like you. To bring back one soul, you have to offer up another one as payment and I don't want you doing that."

 

"Rarity, I wouldn't..."

 

"Yes, you would, Shadow Chaser! Don't you dare tell me you wouldn't! You would do it for her and she would do it for you, because you're both the same foolhardy pony. The Elements of Harmony require loyalty and if you had been with us the day we defeated Nightmare Moon, instead of Rainbow Dash, you would've been loyalty. And that's commendable, dear, but you're both loyal to a fault.

 

"Your loyalty to that lost loved one will carry you to make very foolish decisions on their behalf. The both of you would sacrifice yourself for the other. But with the both of you dying for each other, how do you think your friends feel? You think about how much you hurt but you don't think about the rest of us on the sidelines. We hurt the same as the both of you, Shadow. This is one of those things that you and Rainbow Dash have to accept. Death should be final. Not to be cheated, by any means, magical or otherwise."

 

Shadow sat quiet, staring at Rarity as a tear rolled down his cheek. He couldn't argue with her. She was right. Death should be final. "I.. I think I need to go.."

 

Rarity's heart sank for her friend. She had not intended to send him into yet another depression, but sometimes the words that need to be spoken are not the kindest. "Darling, I didn't mean..."

 

Shadow stood from his chair but his legs buckled as he blacked out, falling sideways onto Rarity's kitchen floor.

 

Rarity moved with a quickness, to his side. She could see him still breathing, and he didn't appear to be bleeding from his fall.

 

This too was not new to Rarity. Throughout their years, Rarity had learned that Shadow had a tendency to be unable to deal with extreme emotional stress. She thought it odd that his line of work took him to such dangerous places that had no effect on him, but lay out a relationship in front of him and Shadow would literally pass out from the stress of it.

 

The day Shadow had met Rarity's father had been one such day when the stress had gotten to him. He'd been unable to cope with meeting him and passed out while shaking his hoof. Truth be told, Rarity's father had liked Shadow, but he couldn't hide that he thought the colt odd and Rarity and Shadow had misinterpreted this as a sign of disdain.

 

She sighed heavily and wrapped him in her magic, focusing intently she hefted him to her bedroom and laid him down. Though it was not proper, the soft bed would do him well for the night. She covered him with a light sheet of a blanket and crawled in beside him, listening to him breathe.

 

Rarity draped one of her forelegs over Shadow in a gentle hug before drifting off to sleep.