Time flew before my eyes in a rush of preparations and goodbyes. Explaining the mission to Iron Oak had been easy enough. He understood and wished me and my team the best of luck. Explaining it to Breeze, on the other hoof, was very difficult. She was very reluctant to let me leave, hanging onto my leg so tightly, Iron Oak had to pry her off me so I could take off. It broke my heart, but as much as I hated to leave her, I trusted Iron Oak and Celestia to look after her until I came back. Iron Oak saw her as family, and Celestia loved it when she had an opportunity to mother somepony else, foal or not.

I couldn’t help but crack a smile as I flew. In my head, I replayed watching the two of them argue over who would get to take care of Breeze until I came back. The look on Iron Oak’s face was priceless when Celestia threatened to order him to let her watch Breeze. Even more was her’s when he called her bluff and told her to try it. It was right about then that I stepped in and got them to agree to switching off weeks.

My smile dissipated as I thought about them all. Truly they were the most important ponies in my life. I looked over my shoulder back at Canterlot, now just a speck in the distance. For the first time in nearly six years, I was leaving home.

Home.

It’s funny how I never realized when I started calling Canterlot that. I vaguely recall using that word to describe it that way many times, but couldn’t pinpoint exactly when. Maybe it was when Iron Oak showed me my house, having helped build it himself. Or when he embraced me and called me his brother in front of everypony at a formal memorial dinner honoring those we lost. Maybe it was after I watched Breeze take her first steps. Or when she called me ‘da-da’ and ‘daddy’ for the first time. Or maybe it was the many evenings Celestia and I spent in her chambers before the fire, sometimes baring our souls to other; sometimes just enjoying the silence and presence of the other’s company. I don’t know where, but at some point, Canterlot became home. And now it was time to defend it.

My team and I had taken off shortly before sunset and had covered a good distance under the stars. The cooler night air felt good as we soared, but despite it, all of us were sweating from exertion, each of us carrying heavy packs with necessary supplies and gear.

“We’ve gone far enough,” I called out over the wind. “Find a spot for camp!” The others nodded and began scanning the ground. I knew we could go further still, but with this shaping up to be a long journey, it seemed wise not to wear ourselves out too much on the first leg.

The others followed my lead as a took a shallow banking turn, checking the terrain and looking for a decent spot to hole up for the daylight hours. The soft glow of the sun barely ebbed over the horizon; a harbinger of the oncoming dawn. By my estimate, we had maybe another hour before the sun truly came up. Fang let out a sharp whistle, pointing at a turn in the river where the tree growth was thick enough to give us some shade during the noon hours. Finding it acceptable, I nodded and we began our descent.

“My wings hurt bad.” Sledge said, dropping his pack and shrugging off his warhammer where it fell with a noticeable thud. He stretched his tired limbs, rolling their stiff joints.

Fang slipped out of his bags and trotted up next to Sledge, appearing no less worse for wear, despite the arduous flight. “Well, it’s your fault for choosing that giant hunk of metal as your weapon of choice.” Fang slapped him on the back and hung off his shoulder, showing his other hoof off for inspection. “That’s why I use these babies instead.”

Sledge blinked. “...but your hooves are tiny. How you crush mean ponies with tiny hooves?”

Fang scoffed. “Fighting isn’t solely about crushing things.”

“I don’t understand.”

Fang rolled his eyes. “Here, let me show you.” He gave Sledge a light punch. The enchantments on his horseshoe ignited suddenly in a bright flash of blue and with a burst of magic Sledge went flying into the river.

I let out a groan. “Fang, enough screwing around. Save the energy in those things for when we need it.”

He laughed and gave mock salute. “Sure thing boss!” He turned around and took a running jump into the river himself, landing with a splash next to Sledge. The two soaked in the cool water, letting it wash away the aches and sweat. At least briefly before a concussive blast exploded from beneath the water and the two broke down laughing. I rolled my eyes. No doubt Fang was showing Sledge how to ‘fish’.

“Should we get a fire going sir?” Antumbra asked, both he and his sister shrugging off their saddlebags next to mine and, coincedently, right on top of Orchid who yelped and swatted at them to no result. Grumbling, she stood up and stalked off.

“Yeah, go ahead.” I said, doing my best to keep a straight face. “Nopony should be expecting us, and I think we could all enjoy a hot meal.”

He nodded, and the twins melting into their own shadows beneath them, disappearing. Through the tree line, I watched them pop up every now and again at random collecting the necessary tinder and wood, before dissolving away into shadow once more.

I knew shadow travel was the twins’ special talent, hell, it was why I had chosen them in the first place. That knowledge made it no less strange to watch in action though. Shadow travel and, by extension, magic wasn’t exactly unheard of among thestrals, but it was exceedingly rare. Legend said that only those who were blessed by the stars and night itself could do it. Luna had told me the truth once. Said it was something passed down through the descendants of her ancient offspring. There was no guarantee of it expressing itself, only appearing every few generations or so. She’d forbidden me from sharing that little secret of hers. She feared that some might begin to think too highly of themselves and didn’t want ponies claiming things as their birthright just because they were a very distant relation to her.

She then asked if I wanted her to tell me if I was the product of her progeny. I won’t deny that I was curious, but in the end, I told her I felt better not knowing. Being her Captain was an achievement that meant much to me, and I would allow doubts of any sort of nepotism to take root. If that meant not knowing, so be it. Besides, the way I saw it, any lineage would be so diluted, what difference would it make?

I sat down and leaned up against my gear, treating it like a backrest, and took off my wingblades. I breathed a sigh of relief, enjoying the feeling of taking them off. Having not worn them in so long, it was going to take some getting used to again. Canterlot and Command had meant I didn’t use them much, if at all. My brow furrowed at the worry that I may not be at my peak like I once was. That the passing years left me rusty...that maybe a spar or two with the others was necessary to gauge my skills.

For now though, we’d rest. I laid the sharp blades down gently and begin to rifle through my bulky pack. A good portion of each of our packs was filled with winter gear and camouflage. Even though we didn’t need it now, it would surely see use later on. While our dark coats helped us blend into the night and shadows, against the white backdrop of the northern snows we were at a disadvantage.

I pulled out my map from a pouch and worked out our rough location on it. If weather conditions stayed in our favor, we’d be on the Empire’s doorstep very shortly. While I had a general plan on how to proceed once we got there, I didn’t really know what to expect beyond the cold. Effectively I was leading this team in blind.

I folded the map away and watched as the twins built up the fire to a decent size. Nothing so big that would draw undue attention, but large enough to cook. Seeing the fire going from their place in the river, Sledge and Fang took the hint and slogged their way back

Together they dropped a pile of fish in front of the fire.

Penumbra stared at the pile with wide eyes. “H-how did you catch so many?”

Fang grinned ear to ear. “Just got to know the proper way to fish is all.” He kissed the bottom of his hoof, before grimacing and spitting, having smeared mud from his hoof on his lips.

Sledge laughed and I rubbed the bridge of my nose. I had to wonder how much of what he did was intentional or sheer silliness.

Hungry, we wasted no time rinsing our hooves with the water skins and set about cleaning the fish and preparing them. Before long they all were roasting over the fire, skewered on shaven sticks. The smell of smoke and meat wafted from the fire; soft sizzling and pops of the embers gracing the sounds of the forest. I sat back, enjoying the moment. Warm fires and fresh fish wouldn’t be a possibility in the near future.

Fang, of course, was the first to break the peace as we watched our food cook. “I need to honest with you all.” He started and made eye contact with each of us as he spoke. “There’s been something that’s been troubling me about this mission ever since we left Canterlot. And I mean really troubling me, because I feel we are missing one crucial detail in the grand scheme of things here.” We all looked at him impatiently, waiting for him to get to the point. Well, except for Sledge. He was too focused on the fish.

Fang took a dramatic breath. “We…..don’t have a team name,” he revealed.

Antumbra groaned and slammed his face into his hooves. “I don’t know why I expected it to be something actually important,” he muttered.

“A good name is important!” Fang pointed an accusatory hoof Antumbra. “I used to have ‘Fang’s Raiders’ in the rebellion!”

Penumbra shot him an amused look. “How humble.”

“ I mean, I didn’t come up with it. I’ll also admit it wasn’t terribly original, but seeing as how I was the boss and all we did was raid things, it stuck. The point is we had a name! It made us scary and struck fear into the hearts of our enemies!”

“Weren’t those ‘enemies’ other guardsponies you were friends just a week before?” Penumbra asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Fang swept away the question. “That didn’t really matter much in the moment. Anyway, how about the Captain here then?” He reached over and put a hoof on my shoulder. “Waaaay back when you two were foals tottering around, he had the...uh...he had...” He blinked and leaned into my ear. “Um, help me out here. What was the crew that went with you to clear out monsters in the Everfree?”

“The Nightstalkers.” I said as I brushed his hoof off.

“The Nightstalkers! That’s right!” He leaned back, giving me my personal space again. “The point being kids-” The twins frowned at that. Something in their gaze threatened payback. “-a good name is important. It gives history something to remember beyond ‘that group of idiots that did a thing’ and gives us something to rally around. A group identity and all that,” he said, rolling his hoof about in the air in a manner-of-fact fashion.

The twins didn’t look convinced.

“That’s all well and good I’m sure, but this is a one time thing-” Antumbra pointed out.

“-and is supposed to be covert. If done right, history shouldn’t remember our involvement at all.” Penumbra finished.

Fang raised a hoof to protest, but lowered it when he couldn’t make a counter-claim.

I took my skewered fish off the fire, satisfied with its level of which they were done. “Look, while you argue amongst yourselves whether or not we should come up with a name, I’m going to go eat in peace.”

I trotted away from the four, fish gripped in one wing, partially empty waterskin slung in the other. In all reality, I was curious to see what they decided, but I needed to talk to Orchid. Not that I had anything important to say, but she’d been patient all night and I could tell she was bored on the flight over. She had made it a game to try and make me laugh by riding on the others in strange positions. Well, at least she did until I took the lead where I couldn’t see them or her anymore. After that she just pouted on my back.

Satisfied I was out of earshot, I settled down next to a log and leaned my back against it, where I could overlook the river and watch the sun rise. I raised my dinner to my mouth only to find Orchid had enveloped the whole thing in her mouth and was pretending to chew it. Seeing that I saw her, she ‘spat’ it out and smiled innocently, a little halo appearing over her head.

I chuckled softly. “I’d offer you a piece, but we both know that’s an empty gesture.” I took a bite of the fish, which was unscathed from her assault.

“But doesn’t change the fact that it was inside my mouth though!” she beamed.

I raised an eyebrow. I’d seen a number of ponies walk straight through her, especially in the market, and toyed with the idea of making an innuendo about how many things and ponies had already been ‘inside’ her. Ultimately though, I kept my mouth shut, and took another bite.

“How old are you and when should I expect you to start acting your age?” I asked, after swallowing.

She gasped and punched my shoulder. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to jostle my dinner as I tried to go for another bite. “You should know better than to ask a mare that!”

I shrugged. “Question still stands.”

She huffed as she sat back. Her ears twitched as she thought about it. “I guess it depends on what you mean. Are you asking how old I am physically, or how many years I’ve been around total?”

I stopped chewing. That was a point I hadn’t considered. “Let’s start with physically. It’ll make you sound younger.”

She snorted. “Just for that I’m going to punish you.” She climbed on top of my back, reclining on hers. She wriggled around a bit, geing comfortable. “Has anypony ever told you that you make an excellent pillow?”

I rolled my eyes and gestured for her to continue on.

“Well, I’m-I was almost thirty when I died.”

I opened my mouth to say something but she continued on.

“I grew up on small farm with my family where you could always smell the ocean. For my entire life on the farm, I had never left it except to go into the village to help sell our produce and to maybe try and catch the eye of some stallion in the hopes of finding a husband and to start a family of my own. Not that that ever happened mind you. Far too many more attractive mares or those with greater dowries than I.”

There was no mistaking the bitterness in her voice over that. I had to wonder how pretty or rich those other mares must have been for her to be passed over. Objectively, Orchid was attractive and had all the right qualities one would look for in an earth pony mare. She wasn’t the most beautiful mare I’d ever seen -- in my completely biased opinion, those honors belonged to Breeze and Celestia -- but she definitely had her own appeal.

Oblivious to my musings, she continued on. “But for some reason, I made up my mind one day that I was going to go see that ocean. So I snuck out at night and set off. It was actually a really peaceful trip and by mid-afternoon, there I was on the shore, staring out at this great vast body of water so blue, you couldn’t tell where the ocean and the sky met. I felt so small in comparison as I watched wave after wave roll in on the shore.

“You know, I barely recall jumping in. But there I was laughing and playing in the water like a filly jumping in mud puddles. I can still practically taste the brine and salt on my lips, so different from the water inland. I waded further and further out until I was swimming, utterly amazed at how it only got deeper and deeper as if there was no end to its depth. I was so lost in my amazement with how big the ocean was, I failed to recognize how far out I’d gone. Before I knew it, a current swept me under the surface, tossing and turning me as it carried me away. I fought to climb back to the surface as hard as I could, but it was too much as my lungs burned and strength failed me, I truly realized how small I was floating there. I remember my last thoughts being of my family and how I never told them where I’d gone. And then, that was that,” she finished in a small voice.

I tossed my empty skewer away and reached up, and pulled her into a tight hug. I couldn’t imagine dying like that.

“Heh. It’s okay. Thank you though.” She looked up and gave me soft smile. “I’ve since found my family on the other side and we’ve had our reunion. There were many tears and confessions made. I laugh now at how scared I was to see them again. Afraid of how angry they would be with me but in the end, they were only happy to see me once more.” She looked off to the horizon, where the sun was coming up. “I guess parents are like that, you know?”

I shook my head. “I can’t say I do.”

She tilted her head in confusion.

“It’s a long story, but my mother died giving birth to me so I never knew her. My dad killed himself when I was four and then the village raised me as a whole until Luna came to claim me. By then I was already past my first decade and in that awkward age range of not being a foal, but not quite a stallion. From then on, Luna was like a mother to me, but not really. Sure, she looked after me, and did a lot of the things mothers do, but between being my teacher, training me in how to fight, and grooming me in politics, which tended to be more combat, she kind of ended up being more like an older sister than ‘mom’. And even then she was still the princess which meant, despite our closeness, there was always this ever-present barrier between us.

“So, no. I can’t really say parents are like that, as far as I know.”

Orchid stared at me, somewhere between horrified and sad. “But-you’re so good with your daughter! I’d have thought you’d had great parents!”

“Nope.” I shook my head. “And honestly, how I am with Breeze is due to a lot, and I mean a lot, of guidance from Iron Oak, Sunflower, and Celestia.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but shut it. Instead she gave me another smile and a hug of her own.

My ears twitched as I heard a twig snap behind us.

“THAT SO SAD!” Sledge cried out as he reached over the log, and swept me up in a rib-crushing hug and swung me side to side. Orchid just slipped through his arms.

“Dammit Sledge!” Penumbra cursed. “We didn’t want him to know we were here.” She stepped out of the void of shadows, her brother right behind her. Fang descended from the boughs of the tree canopy, landing between the twins.

My eyes shrunk to pinpricks, both from shock of embarrassment and lack of air. I tapped Sledge furiously.

“Oh. Sorry.” he released me and I gulped down massive amounts of precious air.

“What are you doing out here talking to yourself?” Fang questioned before busting into a wide grin. “Feeling a bit batty?”

Penumbra and Antumbra whopped him upside the head with their wings, while Sledge chortled at the pun. Fang rubbed his head and slipped a dirty look back at them.

My mind spun for an excuse as Orchid took a seat next to me, watching me sweat.

Antumbra piped up. “Seriously though Captain-”

“-are you feeling alright?” Penumbra finished.

Fang eyed them back and forth. “Never mind him for a second. How do you two do that?”

They whopped him upside the head again, harder this time.

An idea hit me, but it wasn’t exactly flattering to myself. Better than appeared crazy though. “I have been told recently that I may have some problems with unleashing my anger on others.” That’s true enough anyway. “So I decided to try talking out some of my issues. You know, getting them off my chest.”

Antumbra deadpanned. “And you do this...to the air?”

“Well it certainly can’t judge me for what I say.” I fired back.

Fang shrugged. “He’s right. Besides, you two are really judgy and critical. I mean ‘batty’! That’s funny!” He ducked as their wings flew over his head. “Ha! I was ready th-”

They smacked him in the face with a backslap of their wings and Fang grumbled as he retreated to be next to Sledge, out of reach of the twins.

“So how much did you hear?” I asked, wondering just how long they’d been there.

“Only the part about you growing up without any parental figures,” Antumbra said.

“We heard talking over here and were curious what you were doing, so that’s about all we heard.” Penumbra added.

“So sad.” Sledge said and pat me on the head repeatedly, much to my annoyance.

While I could forgive Sledge, I growled when Fang and Orchid started doing it to. Breaking away from the two pet-happy ponies, I tried to ignore the third as she continued, laughing at my discomfort. “Look, if I walk off to be on my own for a bit, let me be okay?” I made sure to send a pointed look at each of them. “No spying on me. No following me.”

“But what if you get into trouble and need backup?” Fang asked.

I paused for a second. He did raise a good point. “Fine. Fang, you’re my second-in-command should anything happen to me.” He did a hoof-pump in the air, which earned him a whop from Sledge that sent him face first into the dirt.

“Sorry.” Sledge said as he picked up the smaller, and now dazed, thestral and set him on his unsteady hooves.

I internally facehoofed. Maybe Celestia was right about those two...

“Anyway, I shouldn’t be so far away that any of you couldn’t come in time. All I need is some time in the day to-” keep Orchid company “-myself.”

“But,” Penumbra stepped forward cautiously. “couldn’t you just talk to one of us? Like a normal pony?”

“Very little about me and my life is normal, and much of it I don’t feel comfortable sharing with anypony just yet. Now don’t make me make it an order to give me privacy.” I looked to the rising sun, now well over the horizon. “Now let’s head back and get some rest. We’ve got a long way to go yet and this is only the first leg of the journey.”

Whether they bought what I told them, or their own tiredness persuaded them, they didn’t fight me on it any further as we headed back to camp. Hopefully, I had bought myself and Orchid some time at the cost of some of my pride. That was okay though. I felt some responsibility to the mare after finding out how her life was now inextricably tied to mine. Besides, it was a small price to pay.

Back at camp, Fang volunteered to take first watch and I claimed the last, leaving the other three to work out the middle. If anything did happen, I trusted that Orchid would wake me, seeing as she didn’t really sleep. Exhausted, I laid down next to the fire. Using my pack as a pillow, I covered my head with a wing to block out the oncoming light and closed my eyes.

A pair of cool hooves started to knead my wing joints and back, Orchid’s touch dulling the pain and soothing away my aches.

Need to ask her about how she does that...

I felt sleep tug at my consciousness, gradually pulling me under.

...tomorrow.

Author's Notes:

Some parts of this chapter I still don't like, and the flow of it isn't as great as I'd like either. Regardless, I need to move on and stop looking at it for now. If y'all can suggest any improvements, I'm all ears.