Back in the saddle! Feels good to be confusing people with inadequately clear storytelling once again. Below the break is a summary of the Act before we continue. Also, Chasing Shadows will be taking a short break! I hope to pick up Act 2 some time in mid-May. This is to accommodate a surprise. The postponement of CS Act 2, while surprising, is not the surprise. However, per International treaties regarding the definition of the word "surprise", of which the author is a signatory, the time, date and content of the actual surprise will only become available as you experience the surprise.
We open to Twilight Sparkle explaining the mission of the Headquarters for Extraordinary Affairs and Risk Taskforces, or HEART; to regulate Equestria’s darkest, most ancient magic secrets, and investigate and combat those who would use it for ill. She is, however, articulating an overly flowery pitch speech to in the HEART office to a bemused Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash leaves because she’s in a hurry to get to practice, as a new Wonderbolt cadet. While picking up coffee, she bumps into Comet Tail, an old acquaintance from middle school. They don’t have much time to catch up, but Comet Tail is acting quite strangely, wearing a coat in summer and dodging questions about where she’s going and what she’s doing. Rainbow Dash excuses herself because she’s out of time.
She arrives at the training ground, where she jumps right into the routine. She’s part of Alpha Wing, one of the formations for their show, with Thunderlane and Lightning Dust. During their routine, Thunderlane and Lightning Dust get into an argument about continuing their conversation while flying, which causes them to break formation and crash into some of the other cadets.
Near the end of a long and gruelling session, Rainbow Dash spots a smoke plume rising from Canterlot. She leaves the session immediately to investigate, finding that the smoke is coming from the HEART building. Within moments of kicking down the door, she discovers that a smoke bomb has been set off inside, Thunderlane and Lightning Dust followed her here, and Comet Tail is inside with a gas mask. Neither Thunderlane, Lightning Dust nor Comet Tail are members of HEART, or should even know about it. Comet Tail is interrupted to be informed that someone she brought with her has obtained some files.
Rainbow Dash presses Comet Tail about the uniform she’s wearing - it’s an oddly military-looking thing with skulls all over it. Comet Tail says she took Rainbow Dash’s story of her encounter with the Shadowbolts, a phantom created by Nightmare Moon, and made them real. Rainbow Dash finds this utterly ridiculous, and assumes Comet Tail can’t be serious, and tries to talk her down. In response, another Shadowbolt jumps out and kicks Rainbow Dash in the stomach. In retaliation, Lightning Dust leaps in and lands a punch on Comet Tail, leaving her with a black eye.
One of the Shadowbolts has some kind of energy beam weapon which he fires across the room. Comet Tail scolds him, and starts trying to round up her gang. The Shadowbolts on the ground floor get into a melee with Alpha Wing while Comet Tail goes upstairs to see another Shadowbolt being blasted out of Twilight’s office. She barks at the two who were upstairs to get going, and they descend with Twilight in pursuit. With a numbers advantage, the Shadowbolts overpower Alpha Wing easily and make their escape. Comet Tail taunts Rainbow Dash before flying away.
Shortly after, Spitfire arrives at the scene, demanding an explanation. Rainbow Dash runs away to check on Twilight. Twilight is fine, and had some idea of what the file the Shadowbolts took was, but she also wants to know what Thunderlane and Lightning Dust - two civilians as far as HEART is concerned - are doing on the floor of reception. Spitfire interrupts them, and Twilight responds with an alibi. Rainbow Dash is not impressed, but has little option but to go along with it. Spitfire demands that Alpha Wing see her in her office.
