“Alright then!” I sighed, laying where I’d been sitting before on the craggy ground atop the plateau where we had lived and trained for the past few months, “Question time. Who has a question?”

I lifted my head to look at the small crowd of Pegasi and Batponies that sat before me. One raised his hoof.

“So… Kain was a Skyllian Draconis?” he asked, “I thought that Skyllians were a myth!”

“I’m guessing you’ve never read Lyra Heartstrings’ book called ‘The Skyllian Manifesto?’” I asked, “Despite the somewhat… cult-like following it’s gathered, there’s loads of factual information in there that Kain himself has confirmed. Of course, anypony you tell that to who isn’t prone to believing such things will probably just call you crazy. In fact, originally Lyra had thought that the creatures she was studying were the truly mythical Human race.”

A little bit of buzzed between the members of the crowd. I let it slide before barking out that someone else should ask a question.

“What about Kain’s… powers?” Lemon Stand asked, moving around the crowd with the glass of water I’d asked for earlier, “How could anypony, even a Human, be able to lift a pony and kill it without even touching it?”

I didn’t have an answer for that question, but thanked Lemon Stand for the water before taking a sip as she rejoined the crowd.

“Well…” I began, “Kain is in possession of powers beyond even Discord’s capabilities. He is capable of performing magics from a world that has long since passed, as I explained earlier. I do not know how it is he is capable of doing the things he does,” I sighed, probably having wondered the same things in the past that the ponies in the crowd were wondering at that moment, “...but it’s hardly of our concern, since he is on our side.”

“Is he?” Lemon Stand asked.

“Yes.” I answered starkly, a signal that everypony new meant that the line of a specific question was over with and would not be discussed further, “Next question, please.”

Night Sky raised her hoof next, and I pointed at her.

“So…” the dark blue pegasus began, “You said that Fray was fluffy at one point, but that he returned to a ‘normal state.’ What exactly does that mean? Also… how big is Fray?”

I sighed, thinking on my lost friend, “Fray is normally about two-thirds the size of my brain-box…” I began, knocking on my skull lightly with my hoof, “... and also normally about as soft and gray as a cloud. But… when Fray was in the forest, it awoke something darker in it than was normal, and so it changed appearance, giving him a more ragged appearance. It’s an ability that I’m pretty sure all Spirits have.”

Two ponies raised their hooves in the cold night air, their forms highlighted a little against the dark ground by the Moonlight that was beginning to set the sky alight. The next meal was soon, and I felt it would be a good idea to let them eat before continuing the story more. Still, I could take a few more questions first. The next question rocked me a little, though.

“You.” I pointed to a pony at the back, letting the other wait his turn.

“So… if Fray is gone… then do you still hear voices?” he asked.

I swallowed, preparing an answer that wouldn’t portray me as completely insane, “Well… yes. I do… See, it seems that even though Fray is gone… I’ve retained some of the abilities that were afforded to me by its presence.” I began to explain, getting up and pacing a bit, looking at the crowd every so often, “Also… there’s kind of a hole where Fray once was, so that other Spirits can kind of… bleed through. They can’t take over like Fray could, but they can make suggestions that sometimes alter my mood.”

“That sounds… scary.” Lemon Stand commented, “How do you deal with it?”

“You should have raised your hoof.” I rumbled, letting it slide anyways, “But… I just… I just do. Having Fray around for those months before prepared me for it, I guess.” I shrugged a little before repeating, “Next question, please.”

“What about Aurora…?” Another pony asked after I pointed at his raised hoof, “Or… did you ever get with Lunar Pulse? With a name like that, I bet she’s really good in bed, right…?”

“Lightning Strike! Just because Fireflight is not here to ask brash, personally invading and unwanted questions does not mean you get to!” I bellowed, intentionally screwing up my face into a raging snarl, “Don’t think I don’t know you put her up to it either! You keep your perverted little snout out of my sex life and in the dirt where it belongs!” I pointed at the stallion, “In fact, get out of the group, stand over here next to me, and DO WING UPS UNTIL I’M TIRED!”

I sighed, settling down quickly as Lightning Strike took up a position next to me, doing wing-ups.

“And don’t stop. Don’t even rest in the full-up position…. dammit. Friggen Shoe…”

On a side note, ‘shoes’ were what trainers called trainees. It was demeaning, and part of the process necessary to make soldiers out of the floppy-winged Pegasi and Batponies who we took in fresh out of grade-school. ‘Shoe’ was short for “horseshoe” which was something that everypony was issued as part of their standard gear, the extra weight helped build wingmuscle during flights and also protected the hoof from harsher landings. Even I had a pair, but I didn’t wear them because… to be honest, I felt like the protection they gave was negligible compared to a good set of roughed-up hooves, which a pony couldn’t get if he or she was wearing ‘shoes’ all the time. The weight they also added was nothing after a pony got to a certain point in their training.

But to get back on track….I smiled pleasantly, and looked out at the crowd, who were staring back with fear in their eyes.

“I would never punish anypony for asking a decent question. But you know what? This is the second time I’ve had a question like that asked of me this week. So… CONGRATULATIONS, SHOES!” I started yelling again, “ATTEN… SHUN!”

Everypony jumped up, standing stock still where they had been sitting. I began pacing, “I DISLIKE mass punishment! But sometimes it’s an effective trainer! HOWEVER! I am also not completely unfair! So, here’s what we’re going to do! EVERYPONY DROP!”

Everypony dropped into a wing-up position, struggling for space against one another.

“WE’RE GOING TO DO WINGUPS. TOGETHER!” I called out, “ON MY COUNT.”

I dropped down, crossing my forehooves in front of my chest, planting my wings on the ground at my sides.

“BEGIN!” I called, beginning the 4-count cadence that would set our pace, “1,2,3, ONE! 1,2,3 TWO! 1,2,3 THREE!”

“I CAN’T HEAR YOU COUNT!” I barked at them all, “Louder!”

It wasn’t enough, “LOUDER!”

Still not enough.

“LOUUUUUUDERRRR! ARE YOU GOING TO YELL AT THE ENEMY LIKE THAT?”

“NO, SIR!”

“Then let me see your WAR FACES!”

A few ponies grimmaced and growled.

“THAT’S NOT A WAR FACE. THIS IS A WAR FACE!” I yelled as I contorted my facial muscles to produce what I would imagine to be a particularly angry looking expression, even for me.

“Not bad!” a familiar voice called out, “Keep working on it.”

I looked up to see a fiery pegasus standing off to the side. Spitfire was her name, and she was one of the most highly ranked ponies in the entire Equestrian Royal Army. Even the ground forces paid respects when she arrived on the scene.

“GROUP!” I barked, “ATTEN-SHUN!”

Everypony, including myself, stood stock straight up.

“GROUP! GREET MS. SPITFIRE!”

“HELLO MS. SPITFIRE!” the group called out.

“That’s enough.” Spitfire, the once-Wonderbolt-Captain-now-Elite-Recon-Operations-Lead giggled, “I’m not here to torture your poor recruits. Everpony, at ease, RELAX!”

My soldiers settled back into sitting positions, mumbling to each other about how awesome Spitfire was, and speculating on what sort of inevitably legendary mission she had just come back from.

“So… Ms. Spitfire, what brings you here?” I asked, smiling at the prior Wonderbolt, “You’re not here just to see me, are you?”

The fiery SpecOps Leader grinned back and patted me on the shoulder, “Actually, I am. I’m here to ask you something and wanted to make sure you were doing fine here without Aurora.”

I sighed, “May I dismiss my recruits before we start talking, then?” I asked.

Spitfire nodded, shrugging.

“Alright, everypony. Go to the mess tent. Get yourselves some food while I speak with Spitfire here. Dismissed!”

I watched for a few moments as the recruits got set up in line for chow, then turned back to Spitfire, “So… what really brings you here?”

“Oh you know me…” Spitfire grinned, “Just here to say how cute you look. I’d never have guessed that you’d look even better as something other than a Pegasus.”

I shook my head, sighing and looking back at my wings, “I suppose it’s natural, considering that I spent most of my waking hours under the dark before all this. But really, what are you here for, if you don’t mind me asking again?”

Spitfire rolled her eyes, “Always more business than pleasure. Alright.” she made her way over to a sand table, a box where leaders could plan things like defenses, attack-maneuvers, and give visual aid to ponies who were more prone to watching than reading, “We’ve located the first signs of Order. they were as Kain warned: A small village just outside the Badlands has been put to sleep… permanently… by one of their Lullabye Golems.”

“Then the Machine of Order has started it’s spinup…”

Spitfire ignored my musing, “I’m here to ask you to join a task force comprised of myself, Rainbow Dash of Ponyville, and an old friend of yours, in addition to a few others.” she stated.

My ears perked, “Who?” I asked, “Who other than you and Rainbow would be insane enough to take on a Lullabye Gollum? It’s a suicide mission!”

Spitfire scrunched her nose and squinted at me, “Who’re you calling insane? You went INSIDE one of those things!” the fiery-maned Pegasus shifted a bit, “At least, that’s what I’ve heard.”

I shifted uncomfortably, “I won’t deny it… but… I had Fray back then. All I’ve got now is this annoying… bleedthrough effect left by Fray’s absence. The spirits that fill that hole never come outside, and they only seem to be around when I’m angry or being attacked. I have no idea what they’re capable of.”

Spitfire sighed, “I keep telling you that you need to see a doctor. Aurora has said the same thing, I’m sure.” she stared right into my eyes for a moment, “She still worries about you. You know that right?”

“I’m aware.” I stated bluntly, then stared at the ground, breaking our eye contact, “... and I know what will fix this. If I can just find Fray…”

I felt a hoof on my shoulder, “I know you’ve told me that Kain said you two had an unbreakable bond… but what if he’s wrong?” Spitfire asked, “What if Fray’s actually gone? Will you spend the rest of your life searching?”

I nodded, and took a deep breath, “I will. I made a promise. I won’t break it now.” I admitted, “But… I can’t abandon my duties to Equestria either. If you need me for the task force...” I lifted a hoof to offer it to Spitfire, “... Then I will go with you.”

Spitfire smiled and grabbed hold of my hoof with her own, pulling me into a brother-sister-like hug and scruffing up my hair.

“Knew I could count on you!” she laughed heartily, “You almost had me for a minute. Thought you might have gone soft sitting up here on this rock with a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears ‘Shoes!”

“Um… Sir?” a voice asked softly.

I glanced up to see Lemon Stand blushing just a little a short distance away from me. My gaze shifted up at Spitfire, who was staring back at Lemon Stand. She quickly let go of my neck and brushed herself off, letting me fall to the dirt with an unceremonious ‘thud.’

“What is it, ‘shoe?” she asked, as if nothing happened.

Lemon Stand flinched a little. It was one thing to stare me down, but to be directly addressed by one of the highest ranking ponies in the Equestrian Royal AirForce… that was something else entirely. Nevertheless, Lemon Stand spoke anyways.

“Um… I don’t mean any disrespect, Ma’am…” Lemon Stand said with sudden, increased passion and voice, then letting it settle to be more calm, “But… everypony’s dying to know what happened next between Flight Lead Air and Kain…”

I picked myself up, and brushed some of the dust and dirt from my coat before speaking.

“Well… I suppose I could keep telling the story… as long as Miss Spitfire doesn’t mind sitting in and has nothing else she wants to speak with me about. Also if we have time.” I offered, looking to my superior with somewhat bated breath.

My fiery-eyed friend, as I felt I could call her a ‘friend’ by then, seemed to consider it as a serious look crossed her snout, all the while tapping her hoof against her chin and making ‘thinking noises.’ It was hard to tell if she was really considering it, or if she was just fooling around. It was some time before she nodded in agreement.

“Yes, I would love to. The village isn’t going anywhere, and as of the last time we checked, the Lullabye Golem is sitting there, going no where as well. We’re keeping an eye on it until the last class is trained up.” she looked directly at me then, “...and after losing Fray you wouldn’t talk to anyone except Scootaloo and a few others. With the exception of thedebriefer who took your information and spread it to our armed forces so we’d be better prepared, of course.” she considered, “It will be nice to sit and listen for a while. The graduation is two days from now, isn’t it?”

I nodded, “It is. Will you be staying for this one?” I asked, hopeful, “I think these young stallions and mares would find it to be an immense honor.”

Spitfire smiled, “Sure. A personal favor, but you’ll owe me.” she warned playfully, “One favor for another.”

We began walking towards the tent where the mess hall was located. The menu was stew that day with the basic potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other vegetables thrown into a pot and turned into a broth-like soup. All the necessary foods to compliment a healthy, active lifestyle. I’ll admit though, that the lifestyle my trainees had lived up until that point and the lifestyle that they would live for the next few years was to be one that was more active than most. The food I had approved for the recruits was specifically chosen to make sure they didn’t gain a pound, and even lost a few if necessary. It was always just enough, so they were always hungry, but never TOO hungry. I entered the line where I chose. Even though I was fair to my recruits, I still took the liberties that I was afforded by my rank. In battle, I would not be one to skip in front of my soldiers, but even this was part of the training process. If there was a commander out there who wasn’t as good to his or her soldiers as I was, they needed to be used to it.

Spitfire also took the same liberties, following my lead. While she was a superior, despite having no official rank, I got the feeling she was wise enough to follow suit, just in case it was part of the training, as I’ve said it was. Our mess hall server, a Pegasus we appropriately called “Cook” unceremoniously filled our bowls with the broth-like stew. Cook was never happy. Almost stereotypically unhappy as far as cooks went, and didn’t much care about rank. Everypony go the same treatment, and we all just put up with it. He was never disrespectful, just never really cared and part of the reason, we suspected, was because Cook was old as Equestria itself. Maybe older than the dirt it was made of by some ponies’ speculations. Regardless, I made my trainees thank Cook no matter how much he spilled or splashed the soup, and I did the same.

Spitfire and I sat down at a table where the trainers would sit apart from the soldiers, but I did invite the squad leaders to sit with Spitfire and I and was soon joined by Night Sky, Lemon Stand, and two others whom I’d assigned to the positions of lead over one of four squadrons each. Together, we ate, discussed things of various natures, and laughed as they asked Spitfire questions about previous operations that had been revealed to the public and the rumors that had spread through the ranks, most of which were often over exaggerated in nature. Spitfire had changed a lot in the past few years, from what I understood. Both she and Rainbow Dash had told me of the time that Spitfire had tried to replace Soarin’ in the Equestrian Games a few years hence. Everypony had since made up and apologized, from what I understood, but I couldn’t imagine Spitfire, the legendary Wonderbolt, being anything but dutiful and honest as a leader. It simply didn’t cross my understanding.

Still, time was getting short, and if I was going to finish the story before graduation, I’d have to pick up telling it sooner than later because, in all likelihood, there wouldn’t be a second chance after this. I’d be joining Spitfire and a few others in an attempt to take down a Lullabye Golem, and might not come back from said mission. My hopes had been that I would have some time off after training my last class to sit back and relax for a while, maybe search for Fray but it looked like there wouldn’t be time for that any time soon.

I stood up from my seat at the table and called everypony to attention.

“Now that we’ve all had something to eat, I think it’s a good time to continue telling the story of how I ended up here, training you all and maybe how I got a chance to meet Rainbow Dash, the most powerful Pegasus in all of Equestria.” I grinned a little, “And let me say this… it wasn’t on the best of terms.”