Darkness is a strange thing in the mind of a pony. Many have seen it as its own entity rather than recognizing it as nothing more than the absence of light. There is a certain connotation to the very word. Darkness is grim. Darkness is evil. Darkness is dark. To a thestral, darkness was something else though. Nightfall had never been afraid of it, his own kind having embraced it long ago. Darkness, while obscuring the vision of others, allowed him to see clearly. It brought comfort in a world of blinding white and had been a sort of guide to generations of thestrals before him.

Darkness. That is what surrounded him now, save for the small flickering flame in the center of the room, that provided just enough light for his day dwelling acquaintances to see. Had the candle not been there, the small sphere of light would not have currently been revealing the body that now hung from a crossbeam in the ceiling, suspended by its forehooves, the pony's coat drenched in blood and sweat. In this way, light was much grimmer than dark, for it revealed the horrors that hid within.

From his spot in the corner, Nightfall just watched, completely hidden from view as he lingered out of the candle's illuminative range. Within that light, Foxtrot slowly walked in circles like a shark, eyeing the bound pony with a wicked glare. He hadn't spoken, each question being met with complete silence, only serving to agitate the pegasus further than he already was.

"No one is coming to save you," Foxtrot said, as he made his way to the front of their prisoner again. "Tell us what we want to know."

Still, the prisoner remained silent, his head held low and his dark mane hanging heavily over his face.

It had only been a few hours, since they had captured him. Since then, Nightfall had talked a bit with the other team leaders and the project leads, or at least the few that were left. Unsurprisingly, they were all rattled and with no information to work off of, no one stepped forward to make any decisions. For now, all they could do was tend to their wounded and prepare for the worst. What they really needed was for the prisoner to spill his guts.

They had absolutely no clue who it was that they had been attacked by or what they wanted. All they knew for certain was that they were hurting and that the MSAD mages had been taken.

"I'll admit," Foxtrot continued, finally taking a seat on a barrel across from the prisoner. "You and your friends did pretty good. You caused quite a bit of chaos and you certainly knew how to divide us up." For a second, Foxtrot swore he could see the pony smiling.

He spoke. "It wasnt hard. You're outer defenses sucked."

Foxtrot's expression remained stagnant, the same ridged grimace spread across his face. "I dont think they expected to be attacked by an army when they built those watch towers. I just want to know why you attacked us." That was a lie. Foxtrot knew the answer. They had come for the MSAD mages, that much was abundantly clear, but if he could get him talking, maybe more info would come.

"Because we were paid to," the pony answered. "That's all you're getting out of me." He looked back away from Foxtrot and went back to being silent.

Foxtrot sighed. "We'll see about that." He made a motion to turn around, but quickly snapped back towards the prisoner, driving his hoof into his side where the freshly, and quite poorly, bandaged gunshot wound was.

"Gaaaaaaahhh!" the prisoner cried, the punch sending shockwaves of pain through his body. Every muscle tensed up and every nerves screamed out in agony, before his entire body went limp again, his lungs desperately drawing in air in short exasperated gasps.

Behind Foxtrot, Nightfall just crossed his hooves and readjusted himself in his seat to get more comfortable. He didn't like this. There was no doubt that Bastion and Paper would protest such a brutal method, but this is what had to be done, at least that's what he kept telling himself.

Foxtrot threw his hooves up against the prisoner's throat, causing his body to spasm as his lungs struggled to find air. The pain flared up again all over his body. Air! Air! Air! The lack of oxygen only amplified the pain as his muscles tensed up, squeezing out every drop of agony. Foxtrot finally let go. The prisoner gasped loudly as air filled his lungs once more and his shaking body went limp again. He coughed, before spitting out blood onto the wooden floor below.

"You just going to keep torturing me?" the prisoner asked. "It wont work."

"I know," Foxtrot replied. He smiled in a devious way. "I just find this fun."

Meadow Spring was not a doctor. She wasn't a nurse or even a nursing assistant and consequently she didnt know the first thing about medicine other than the fact that blood should stay inside the body. Of course, having spent four years in the TRST, she was not in any way squeamish about seeing blood. Broken bones that stuck out at awkward angles though, that was another issue all together.

She had spent the last several hours contributing in anyway she could. This usually entailed running to get more supplies or helping a doctor lift a patient onto a table. The actual amount of supplies they had to work with was not sufficient at all and many of the procedures that had to be performed were very impromptu, meaning she often had to get her hooves dirty by holding down on a wound or two.

Much had been lost in the attack and many of the wounded had been placed in the still standing lodges which now acted as small temporary hospitals. Meadow now found herself sitting behind one of these, shaking ever so slightly as she tried to calm her nerves. She had just had to help amputate what was left of a leg that had been blown off by a frag grenade. The sound that the knife made as it cleaved through the flesh was one that would stick with her for the rest of her life, though she wished to sooner forget it.

As she sat with her back against the wall, trying all she could to just relax for a moment, her mind wandered. She hadn't really talked to anyone since the hospital burned down. She was fairly certain that no one knew her secret yet, but given all that had happened, she wasnt quite sure she wanted to keep it that way.

Nightfall. If anyone was to be the first pony to know, it needed to be him. She hated keeping secrets from him like this, not that she was any good at it. Lying was not something she was good at, especially not to the ponies she cared so deeply about. Apparently she had a very obvious tell. Breaking eye contact and ears splaying back. Those were the ones that Nightfall had pointed out to her. Had it not been for the helmet concealing her face, she would have been discovered long ago. The voice changer in the jaw plate certainly helped a great deal as well.

Of course, just because she was getting away with it, so far at least, didn't mean that she didn't feel dirtier and dirtier every second. She sighed as her mind went back to all the times her and Nightfall were open with one another. She and Nightfall practically told each other everything, trust and honesty being two of the few precious pillars which any healthy relationship was founded upon.

She loved him, that was for damn sure, though the more she thought about it, the more she began to realize that that was not entirely why she had come here. She wasn't exactly sure why she had come along if she was being honest with herself. She kept telling herself it was out of love, but perhaps equally so it was out of fear. Fear of losing him. Fear of not knowing if he would come home or not. This was the big one, as they had labeled it when she first found out. The mission was certainly living up to that name.

Meadow was startled suddenly as a voice sounded from her left. "W-what?!" she said with a jump.

"I asked if you were doing alright," Bastion replied, taking a seat beside her. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you like that. You kind of had this strange look on your face. Thought you might want some company."

Meadow allowed a small humorless laugh, one that was dry and shallow. She suddenly felt very thirsty. "I'm just... thinking about some things is all."

"Anything interesting?"

"No," Meadow answered a bit too quickly, before settling back down. "Not really. I'm just troubled, I think."

"Ah, so you're thinking about the mission and how it's all going to end then," Bastion took a guess. He looked down to see that Meadow was just staring at the ground, absentmindedly dragging the tip of her hoof through the thin layer of snow. "It's okay to be scared," he offered.

Meadow shrugged. "Everything's a mess," she finally answered. "I dont know what to expect out of any of this really. I thought I could sign up for this mission just to be closer while you guys worked, y'know, surprise Nightfall maybe." This was a blatant lie. Her tells would have given it away had she not already been in a glum mood. Her expression grew sour then. "Then everything went to shit."

"Yeah, well, we'll stick together," Bastion replied. "Nightfall always says that you got to keep your head straight and focus. There's often a way out as long as you keep your cool and dont panic. I figure if we're all working together on this, then we'll be alright."

Meadow couldn't help but to allow a small smile to tug at the corner of her muzzle. That part about staying focused certainly sounded like her Nightfall, but it also reminded her that she had business to take care of. "Bastion?" she began, to which he replied with a simple 'hmm?' "How long have you been married?"

"Oh, geez," Bastion said, running his hoof through his mane as he recalled all the happy memories. "Nearly ten years now. Why?"

"I need a second opinion on something is all," she answered cautiously, something he seemed to pick up on. "A while ago, before the mission started..." Another lie. "Nightfall said something to me that got me thinking. The more I've thought about it the more and more I've thought about other things, about how I... how..." She swallowed hard. "I haven't been entirely truthful to him," she finished, looking a bit ashamed.

Bastion gave Meadow a sympathetic look, but was hesitant to say anything. Somehow, a cat had grabbed hold of his tongue and he had to think for a moment before being able to continue. "Okay, hold on," he said, now venturing into uncharted territory. "You didn't... cheat on him, did you?"

"What!?!?!" Meadow cried suddenly, looking in no small amount flustered. "Of course I didn't cheat on him! What kind of mare do you think I am?!"

"Okay, sorry," he replied quickly, every part of his mind rushing to damage control. "I didn't think you did, I just wanted to make sure is all."

Meadow sighed. "No, it's fine. I shouldn't have freaked out. I'm sorry." She went back to staring at the ground. "It's not really so much of me not being truthful as it is me just not telling him something entirely. I've been keeping a secret from him for a while now and I don't know what to do anymore. Things have... changed."

"Changed?" Bastion said with a hint of confusion, his expression growing thoughtful. He suddenly had a instance of understanding. "So he asked you to marry him?"

"No, not properly at least," Meadow answered. It was a proposal that she couldn't wait for and thinking about it only served to make her heart flutter like a little filly. "It's coming, soon. I know that much. It's just that things have gotten complicated and I don't know what to do."

"You're pregnant?" Bastion took a shot in the dark.

"No," she answered, becoming somewhat frustrated. How was she supposed to go about this without revealing to much? "Nothing like that. If that was the case I never would have come here."

"So what is it then?"

Meadow sighed, leaning back against the wall and thinking for a moment. "I can't... I just... It's complicated. I need to tell him before anyone else. I'm sorry."

"Hmm. Well, whatever it is, I think you should go through with telling him," Bastion said. "You two are good together and I know he loves you way too much to be angry if that's what you're worried about."

Meadow only remained silent, looking entirely uncertain.

"Hey, you know we're all rooting for you two, right?" Bastion said, putting a reassuring hoof on her shoulder.

"Really?"

"Of course. I've known Nightfall a long time and I guess you could say he's somewhat of a brother to me by now. I'm sure you dont need me to tell you that under that hardcore façade is a really caring pony. And believe me, you make him really happy. Listen. I know what it's like to go through a rough patch and as long as you're honest and open with each other, you can get through it."

Meadow managed to smile a bit. Bastion was the one pony outside the family that had known Nightfall for as long as she had, which had been half the reason he had been the one she had asked. "Thank you," she said. "I... I needed to hear that."

Bastion nodded and then he started he started to laugh a bit. "You know, it's been forever since we've last talked. It's really good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too, Bastion," Meadow replied, her own smile growing and a sense that everything was going to be okay now firmly sitting in her heart. "How have you been? I heard you and Scarlett are having a foal."

"We are, and believe me, I'm more than eager to get back," Bastion replied happily.

"Congratulations," Meadow began. "Do you know if it's going to be a filly or a colt?"

"No, not yet. It's way too early to know, but we'd be happy either way. The name is what we're still trying to figure out."

"Any ideas?"

"A few," Bastion answered. "We agreed on something traditional. She's a unicorn and I'm an earth pony, so we'll just have to wait in see what that is though. Paper keeps trying to suggest names of mythological figures. You should have heard him on the train."

"Oh, brother," Meadow groaned, her hoof falling against her face. "I take it he's doing just fine then?"

Bastion chuckled. "Never better," he replied happily, as they both allowed themselves to laugh out loud for a bit.

Foxtrot watched with great amusement as their prisoner struggled against his restraints, the rope only tightening and digging deeper and deeper into his hooves. It was funny to him. He had been tied up for hours now, a gunshot wound in his side, and he still had the energy to struggle. It would have been a whole lot more entertaining if he had actually spilled his guts already.

From the darkened corner, Nightfall still watched, having left a few times to see what state the base outside was in. It seemed that the ponies outside were having much better luck than they were in here. Their prisoner was stubborn. That much was abundantly clear and he didnt quite like that look in Foxtrot's eye. While out, he had taken the liberty of grabbing a few special items that would hopefully expedite the interrogation process.

The prisoner suddenly stopped pulling on the ropes, taking a break to gasp for air in repeated short breaths, sweat dripping from his mane into a small puddle on the floor.

"You ready to talk yet?" Foxtrot asked.

"Go to hell," the prisoner muttered.

Foxtrot laughed. "I like you," he said. "I can admire your resolve, but right now it's really starting to piss me off. So why dont you tell me what I want to know and I can make the pain stop."

"There's nothing you can do to hurt me."

Foxtrot stopped pacing and just looked at the prisoner, a malicious grin overtaking his visage. "Are you hearing this shit?" he asked, looking back to the darkened corner where he knew Nightfall was currently sitting. Though he could only see the thestral's silhouette, he noticed a nod.

"I think it's time we tried something else," Nightfall said, grabbing a small jar from beside him. For the first time, he walked into the light, allowing the prisoner to see him fully.

In response the prisoner's expression suddenly grew firm but thoughtful, as if a realization had hit him. Nightfall was a thestral. The thestral.

"You look surprised to see me," Nightfall said, taking note of the pony's strange reaction. "As much as I wish we could be meeting under better circumstances, I get the feeling that you aren't the kind of company I like to keep, so I'm just going to get straight to the point."

Nightfall slowly took out the small jar and placed it carefully on the floor between them. "Do you know what MISA is?"

"Pfft. Magic Induced Suspended Animation. Who doesn't know what it means?"

"Very good," Nightfall replied. "As I'm sure you also know, windigo MISA can be deadly if allowed to persist for too long. Victims are left with severe magic burns. Hypothermia and frostbite often follow in a matter of hours."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Nightfall simply pointed to the small jar on the floor. "Because I have enough windigo essence to freeze you whole and kill you in half the time. Of course, I wouldn't actually let you die. Parts might start falling off, but I'd make sure you were able to talk."

"You're bluffing," the prisoner challenged. As hard as he tried not to, his voice faltered a little and more sweat poured from his brow.

Nightfall made little indication that he had heard the words and instead began to untwist the lid on the jar, allowing a dense white fog to billow from the top and onto the floor.

"You son of a bitch! That's just dry ice in a jar of water!" the prisoner cried out indignantly. That fiery rage in his voice suddenly died and his breaths began to come in short desperate bursts as he noticed the room drop in temperature by several degrees, large white clouds quickly forming from each breath taken. The burning pain suddenly flared up again as the cold began to wash over him.

Nightfall carefully raised the jar from the floor, a protective glove now wrapped securely around his hoof. He raised it up to the prisoner, who struggled backwards against his restraints, doing all that he could to distance himself from the jar.

"This or the information!" Nightfall demanded. "What's it going to be?"

The prisoner remained silent, still struggling to get away.

Nightfall brought the jar closer, a thin layer of ice crystals beginning to form across every surface in the room and the prisoner's coat growing stiff as the sweat on his body began to freeze.

The prisoner's mind raced, searching for anyway out, only finding there to be none. His heart pumped faster and faster as the ice crystals slowly began to crawl up his body and send chills through his whole system. "Okay! Okay! Stop!" he cried out, the ropes around his hooves tightening as he strained against them. "We only came here to kidnap the mages! That's why we attacked you."

"No! You came after us even before you kidnapped them!" Nightfall shot back. "Why are you trying to kill us?! Do not test my patience!"

"I dont know!" the prisoner answered, his eyes now firmly clamped shut as Nightfall brought the jar even closer to his muzzle. "Our orders were to kill the ranger teams and recover the mages! That's all I was told."

Nightfall suddenly lashed out, beating him in the side of the head with his empty hoof. "I'm not stupid, mercenary! Your group seemed very interested in the crystal shards. What are you planning to do with them?"

"I dont know what you're talking about. I only- GAAAAHH!!!" He screamed in fearful agony as pain shot through his leg, the thestral having poured a small amount of the contents of the jar onto it. The entire limb quickly went numb as it was encased in ice. "Stop! Stop! I swear I don't know about any crystals!"

"I dont believe you!"

"Well, of course you don't!" the prisoner shouted back angrily. "You wont believe anything I say, no matter what!" He took a pained gasp as his wound shot more agony through him. "That's how this works isn't it?" he managed to grunt. "I talk and regardless of what I say you're going to torture me anyways."

Nightfall sighed, placing the cap back onto the jar but keeping it in hoof. "Fine. I am willing to give you one chance to tell me what I want to know. Who sent you?"

"I don't know," the prisoner answered, now hanging his head low and preparing for what was coming.

Nightfall began untwisting the cap again. "You really like to make this hard, dont you?"

"What do you want me to say?" the prisoner asked, rage sparking in his eyes once more.

"I want a name!"

"Fine!" the prisoner shouted. "Nightfall! How's that for a name?!"

Nightfall recoiled suddenly in surprise at hearing his own name leave the prisoner's mouth. He quickly cast a glance to Foxtrot who now wore the same confused and somewhat shocked expression as him. "How do you know that name?" he asked angrily.

"It's not the only one I know," he replied with heavy breaths as he now had room to breath again. He stopped only for a moment though, before continuing on. "Foxtrot. Paper Cut. Bastion. Star Mist. Those were the five names we were given, but all we knew was that you were on one of the ranger teams. Didn't know which one though."

"So you targeted all of us," Nightfall finished. "Hoping that if you killed us all, you'd eliminate your targets in the process."

"Something like that," the prisoner continued. "It pays to be thorough, though I guess we didnt account for you catching on so quickly and returning to base before we could finish the job. We used the old coliseum as a staging area, but I imagine they've moved by now."

Nightfall looked down to the floor as his mind was plunged into deep thought. They knew who they were and they were coming after them. That certainly explained a few things, but there were still some gaps that needed filling, like why. Why? That was the big question to be asked, but he got the feeling that they wouldn't get that from their current prisoner. There was every indication that he was nothing more than a grunt, down at the bottom level of the hierarchy of command. The whys, it was now abundantly clear, were of no concern to him.

"You ever heard of a guy who goes by the name of Warden?"

"No," the prisoner answered simply, his angry stare still leveled at the thestral.

Nightfall just nodded slightly in response, pondering every question that he had just been left with. He turned to Foxtrot and tossed him the jar, which the pegasus easily caught. "Here, do what you want," he said, now making his way to the door to leave. "I don't care anymore." Without waiting for a reply, he pulled the door open and was thrust into the white light of the outside world.

Foxtrot stared blankly at the jar in his hooves and then quickly cast his glance toward the prisoner, who seemed to grow alarmed.

"Hey, dont you be getting any ideas!" the prisoner protested.

Foxtrot just rolled his eyes and stowed the jar in one of his pouches for later, then moved to leave.

"Hey, you cant just leave me here like-"

Foxtrot allowed the door to close behind him cutting off their prisoner from voicing any further dismay. "Nightfall, wait!" he called, trotting after and eventually catching up to the thestral. "What the hell just happened in there?!"

"I don't know," Nightfall answered, sounding more than a little shaken by the previous exchange. He just stood there for a moment, clearly deep in thought as he tried to make heads and tails of what was happening.

"Well, what are we going to do?!"

"I don't know, okay?!" Nightfall exclaimed in frustration. "I have no freakin' clue what to do right now! I just..." He took a breath and let it out slowly, calming his nerves as best he could. "I just need some time to think about this. Go find Bastion and Paper, and if Star Mist isn't dead or whatever, get her too. I'll meet you guys back at our lodge in an hour."

"Where are you going?" Foxtrot asked as he watched the thestral begin to leave.

Nightfall shrugged. "I don't know. I need to think on my own for a while."

The position of Archmage was not one an individual obtained simply through the study and practice of magic. While it was true that an Archmage should be skilled in the arcane arts, it was not the only requirement. An Archmage was far more than a simple wizard. An Archmage was a teacher and a leader, one whom those below them could look up to for guidance. As a result, most were older and wise, usually chosen not because of their skill, but because of their experience overall.

It was an honorable position, one that demanded a certain amount of respect, though from where Mythic Rune was sitting it seemed like all semblance of that respect was lost on the brutes that currently had him tied to a post, a gag in his mouth and a dampener around his horn.

Who these mercenaries were or what they hoped to accomplish by taking him and the mages under him, he had not the slightest idea. He never liked mercenaries much any how. They played fast and loose with the rules and in their society there should have been no room for them. All should be brought into order. It was only natural.

And yet here he was, far from home and in the hooves of the enemy. Despite this, he was confident that his kidnappers would be put to the sword soon enough. It was a shame really. He had observed the unicorns of the group and concluded that they would have made excellent mages had they not chosen a path that would bring them only ruin.

Speaking of ruin, he himself felt absolutely terrible, not simply because he was tied up, but because he had been tied up for hours. He had not gotten a single ounce of sleep the previous night, having been dragged off like an animal and forced to march deep into the city with a bag over his head.

There had been a few of them that had tried to put up a fight when these mercenaries had come knocking on their doors, but it had been a fruitless effort. Most were taken in their sleep, having a dampener placed on their horns before even realizing what was happening. Those that did manage to put up some form of resistance found themselves helplessly outgunned and outnumbered.

Where exactly they had now been taken, Mythic hadn't the slightest idea. It was dark and cold, but there was no doubt that they were somewhere in the city. He may have been bagged and dragged, but this did not keep him from listening. He hadn't reached his position by talking his way up the chain. One had to be an attentive listener as well.

"Why do we need these mages anyways?" one of the mercenaries had asked another, both of them believing him to be asleep at the time. "Wouldn't it just be easier to hold them for ransom?"

"You're kidding right?" another had answered sourly. "This is why no one tells you things. You've always got your head up your ass. The boss has bigger plans. As long as we do our jobs we get paid."

"Well excuse me for finding all of this just a little unnecessary."

"It's perfectly necessary you small minded simpleton. Once we tie up the loose ends in phase one, we can move on to phase two. Then we get paid and we can all disappear across the pond and retire somewhere."

"I'm just saying. All of this seems a little overly complex."

"We aren't being paid to say anything. You want to get rich? Do what you're told and stop complaining."

Interesting. All of this was very interesting to the Archmage. It appeared something rather large was unfolding here. For what purpose he and his colleagues had been taken, he had yet to discover. For now, all he could do was wait and hope that being kept alive was in these mercenaries' best interest.

Nightfall sat quietly with his back against one of the large furnaces that burned the fire crystals keeping the windigos away, the warm stones being only a slight comfort to him as he thought about their current situation. Foxtrot hadn't realized it, but the fact that they were the ones being targeted specifically had told them everything they needed to know, even if the prisoner himself wasnt aware.

Nightfall had spent his entire life planning. When he and Spectre were mere children, they had always had some kind of plan being devised and little had changed as they grew into their adult years. Heist after heist after heist. Making plans was a part of his very identity. And so of course he was beginning to notice how pieces fit together. Someone had made a plan involving all of them. The ultimate goal of that plan he had yet to determine, but if there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that it scared him.

He was scared, more than he ever had been in his life, though he knew for the sake of those around him he could never admit to it and he never would. Instead, he would put on that brave face and march on, remaining the stoic and confident leader that he always tried to portray himself as. Even if the cracks were showing, he would continue on. He barely even noticed Meadow Spring approach, but acknowledged her with a quick motion after seeing her in his peripheral.

Meadow took her place down by Nightfall, her head instinctively tilting to the side until it gently touched against his, his own head doing the same as the silent moment passed. She was shaking, though it was not from the cold. She noticed immediately that he too was shaking just a bit, though not as much as she clearly was. "Are you okay?" she asked, placing her hoof on his shoulder and allowing herself to share more warmth with him.

"I dont know," Nightfall replied in a hushed tone. He placed his own hoof back on hers. "I dont know if anything's going to be okay. I just..." He didnt continue, but Meadow understood. She felt the same way about everything. Well, almost everything.

"We haven't talked since the hospital fire," she finally said, having hesitated several times as she racked her brain for something to open with.

"No, we haven't. Have we?" Nightfall closed his eyes, drawing in deep breath and letting it go once again. The crisp air burned at his lungs just slightly and her sent filled him entirely. It was all so strange and confusing. On one hoof, he liked having her here, close by and with him. On another hoof, she had been put in mortal danger and it would probably be best if she had never come. "Meadow, what are you doing here?" he finally asked, his voice filled with a woeful worry that almost portrayed some level of fear.

"That... that's actually why I came to find you," Meadow answered. She was nervously running her free hoof across the ground, creating a little groove in the thin layer of snow below it. "I really want to say that I came here to be close. I want to tell you that I took a position in the base so that we could see each other while you were on break."

"Why dont you?"

"Because it would be a lie," Meadow said, now looking at Nightfall directly. "I've been lying for so long and I cant help but hate myself for it."

"Meadow, what's going on?" Nightfall asked, not entirely sure what she was trying to say.

Meadow gave a heavy sigh, trying to figure out how to put it to him. "Oh god, where do I start?" She started at the beginning. "When those guards showed up at the house that morning and escorted you away. It scared me so bad. And then when you showed back up and told us all that you were being blackmailed into one last mission, I died a little. I thought I was going to lose you. I couldn't just sit and watch."

Nightfall listened intently, knowing that he was probably not going to like what he was going to hear.

"Those four years that we spent together in the Initiative," Meadow continued. "I spent that first two weeks regretting my decision to sign up. I never imagined that they'd actually put me in the field, but then I met you and slowly things just started to make sense." Tears suddenly began to well up in her eyes. "And then you said that you loved me..." She sniffed, trying her best to hold back the tears that were already pouring down from her eyes. "Nightfall, I'm sorry."

Nightfall took his hoof from her shoulder and wrapped it around her pulling her close into his embrace. His heart raced and his ears splayed back on his head. He could just feel that something terrible was happening.

"I dont know what came over me," Meadow began to confess. "I called in a few favors and spent a little money in the right places. I thought I could... I dont even know."

Night looked Meadow directly in the eye, but it was not a stern or serious look. It was one of compassion and understanding, one that pleaded with her to tell him what was eating her up inside and to let him help.

She finally sighed one more sigh and with a deep breath told him the truth. "There is no Star Mist. It's been me all along." She held her head in shame, waiting for whatever it was that would come next, but nothing came. Instead, Nightfall remained entirely silent, his look growing thoughtful as he contemplated what he had just been told.

The words seemed to roll around in Nightfall's mouth without him being able to let them slide from his tongue. Then his jaw just kind of hung open as he tried to wrap his mind up. Then he just looked at her.

Meadow couldn't help but to give somewhat of a dry chuckle. "Hard to believe?"

"Hell, Meadow, you've always been a terrible liar," he responded, "and yet somehow always play me like a fiddle."

"I'm sorry. It was a really bad idea."

"Yeah, the worst, but I understand... I think."

"So, you're not angry... right?"

Nightfall looked at her with a look in his eyes that could have been interpreted as pure grief. "No," he said quickly, the thought of her thinking that he was angry at her wounding his very soul. "Of course not. I'd never be angry, not at you. I'm just... annoyed?" He sighed. "To be honest, I cant say I blame you or that I wouldn't have done something similar. I just wish I knew from the beginning."

"You never would have gone along with it," Meadow pointed out. "We're both a little stubborn, I guess."

"Yeah, I guess we are," Nightfall replied, knowing full and well that she was right. He wouldn't have gone along with it. He would have told her to stay home and to wait for him, but thinking about it now it almost sounded cruel and cold to do so. They had both waited so long to be together, to be free. He couldn't imagine how much it would suck to have to wait after all that had happened, so of course it made sense that she would do something.

"So you know..."

"Everything," Meadow answered. "The crystals. The alicorns. It's all there," she said pointing to her head.

"Good," Nightfall said simply, much to Meadow's confusion.

"Good?" she responded. "How so?"

"I dont have to bring you up to speed," Nightfall answered. "Look, things are about to get very complicated and there's some stuff you and the guys are going to need to know here in a bit. Now, I'm worried beyond belief at this point. I hate having you in harm's way, but," he took her hooves in his own, "I trust you. We're going to figure this out."

Meadow smiled, her doubts and fears having been put away. There was still a colossal apocalyptic problem for them to face, but at least there was no issue between them. Now she could help focus on the issue at hoof. As Nightfall began to return the smile, she gave him a quick peck on the lips, but it turned into a full kiss as their lips met once again.

"We need to head to the cabin," Nightfall finally said after the kiss turned into a hug. "The others are probably already waiting there."

Meadow nodded. "Alright," she said, knowing that things were okay now. "Let's go."

Bastion began with the receiver of his weapon, being extra mindful to get the residue buildup inside. His rag was quickly darkening as he glided it across each metal component. When one piece was cleaned, he would move on to the next, each one being placed back on the matt that he had laid on the floor. Across from him, Paper Cut did the same. Foxtrot simply lied on one of the bunks at the other end of the room. With how many buildings their attackers had set fire to, it was a miracle that there was still anywhere left for them to stay. Even more so given how many wounded there were.

The room was mostly silent, the little conversation that did spark up focusing mainly on the situation at hand. Both Bastion and Paper had spent the morning clearing debris piles or shoring up defenses in case of another attack. It was good to get a chance to take a break.

"Nightfall should be here soon," Foxtrot said, glancing down at the time on his wrist display. "He said something about needing to be alone so he could think. Not sure what he hopes to accomplish."

"That's just his way," Bastion assured, sounding somewhat annoyed with the pegasus up on the top bunk. "Give him a little time and space. He's got a lot on his mind."

"We all do," Foxtrot shot back.

"Yeah, but he's team leader," Paper replied. "He's got to like, y'know, coordinate things."

"Oh, dont give me that crap," Foxtrot said dismissively.

Much to his annoyance, both Paper and Bastion waved Foxtrot off, not caring to hear any further complaints from the pegasus. They were neck deep in trouble at the moment. They didn't need to be arguing amongst themselves. Instead, they focused on the smaller tasks at hand. There was something about cleaning a weapon that felt therapeutic at the time. It gave them something to take their minds off the disaster they were currently caught up in.

As time wore on, Nightfall eventually showed up, each of their attentions being caught as the door creaked open and the thestral slipped in with a certain mare in tow. "Hey, guys," Nightfall began. "Look who I found."

"Star Mist!" Bastion exclaimed at seeing the helmeted mare trot in, his eyes lighting up with glee and a wave of relief washing over him.

"It's good to see you too, guys," Star Mist managed as she was assaulted with an enthusiastic hug.

"Aha! The family's back together!" Paper cried happily as he too got in on the hug.

Star Mist looked like she had clearly been through the ringer. Her suit was still mostly stained with soot and the softer fabric sections were frayed in multiple spots. Her helmet had clear signs of wear, with several chips in the snow camo patterned paint and more than a few dents.

While the others enjoyed their little reunion, Nightfall gave Foxtrot a quick tap and motioned for him to come down and join everyone. There was still business for them to attend to. Foxtrot begrudgingly hopped down from his spot and took a seat on the lower bunk. Nightfall found his own place on a chair in the center.

"Alright, everyone," Nightfall called. "We have some important things to go over so settle in." As everyone found their spots, Nightfall gave one last sigh.

"Foxtrot and I have finished interrogating the prisoner," Nightfall began. He could see Bastion visibly tense up. "He gave us some information. It's not much, but... well, none of you are going to like what I'm about to say. According to our "friend" the mercenaries that attacked us did in fact come here with the main goal of kidnapping the MSAD mages. He also gave me some information and I've been able to figure a few things out."

Foxtrot looked over at Nightfall for a second, something that the thestral noticed. This was about to be a bombshell of an announcement.

"The ranger teams were not the intended target of the earlier attacks, not initially," Nightfall continued. "Their goal was to eliminate us specifically. The prisoner knew each of our names. Foxtrot, Bastion, Paper, Star, and my own," Nightfall said, motioning to each respective pony. He could see a look of worry begin to grow on each of them. "They were unaware of which team we were on and attacked all of them in hopes of getting us. Everything I tell you from here on is theory on my part, but I've thought it through and I see no other possibilities."

Nightfall looked to each of his teammates. They had all grown silent, a thousand thoughts no doubt going through each of their heads. "These mercenaries are looking for Princess Luna, though I don't believe they are aware that it's an alicorn that they're after. We know that they came for the MSAD and we know that they are looking for the crystals. Both are connected to Luna, but it's the final piece that confirms it. We are the only ones in this base that know the truth about her. If we're gone, there's no one left to stop them from claiming their prize."

"They know our names," Paper stated, sounding shocked.

"Yes," Nightfall confirmed. "There's something else too. If they know our names and they know that we were the only ones who knew the true nature of this mission, it means that someone told them, someone who would have already known themselves."

Bastion froze as the news reached his ears. All of this could only mean one thing. "You mean..."

Nightfall nodded. "It was an inside job."

Everyone was quiet, the haunting silence of the room making each of them even more uncomfortable than they already were. Paper opened his mouth to say something.

"Goddammit!" Foxtrot yelled angrily, knocking over an unoccupied chair and beginning to pace around the room. "What the hell are we supposed to do now!?"

"They know our names," Paper said again, his visage still frozen in shock.

Bastion had also stood up and was now frantically pacing around the room as he tried to figure something out. "We're so screwed," he finally concluded.

"They know our names," Paper repeated, the panic now properly setting in. It never got a chance to take hold though, as he took a deep breath and tried to concentrate. "Okay, so do we tell ponies about this or not?"

"No, absolutely not," Bastion replied, having already made up his mind. "If we tell anyone about this, it only puts a target on their backs."

"So, what, we just do nothing?"

"Of course not," Bastion quickly answered before Paper could take that thought any further. "We're still here to save Princess Luna. That hasn't changed."

"Oh, but were supposed to somehow do it all on our own now?" Foxtrot countered. "Is that it? We dont stand a chance against a force of that size."

"No!" Bastion defended. "I'm not saying that. It's just... I dont want anyone else getting hurt."

"As long as we stay here in this base, everyone is still in danger," Paper began to realize. "We cant stay here, can we? I mean, where are we supposed to even go?"

Nightfall looked to Star Mist, who appeared to be sitting calmly in her place. He couldn't see her worried expression under her helmet, but he knew her. She was probably trying to rationalize all this out. "You okay?" he asked, sounding far more casual than he wanted to be.

Star Mist sighed heavily. "Well, that's a shocking revelation to say the least." She turned to the others who were all still debating on what course of action should be taken. They all still looked a bit panicked. Perhaps now was not the best time to reveal her secret to them as she and Nightfall had originally intended. Soon though. First, they needed a plan.

"I have a plan," Nightfall suddenly announced, catching everyone's attention.

"Oh, this should be good," Foxtrot said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

"Shut up," Bastion replied in an annoyed tone.

"For now, I'm inclined to agree with Bastion on the matter," Nightfall continued, drawing further agitation from Foxtrot. "We were sworn to secrecy for a reason. Clearly the information we have is dangerous. We cant just do nothing though."

"What exactly are you proposing?" Paper asked hesitantly.

"Before we decide whether or not ponies need to know about Luna and the other alicorns, we need to investigate further on why these mercenaries are after them."

"I take it we have a lead then?"

"We do," Nightfall answered. "Just after he confessed to knowing our names the prisoner made reference to the old coliseum here in Manehattan. Supposedly, they used it as a staging area for the attack, but have since moved."

"That's it?" Foxtrot questioned. "That's what we're going with?"

"You have a better idea?" Bastion responded.

"Look, it's not much, but it's all we've got at the moment," Nightfall said. "We'll see what we can find out and then play it by ear from there, but this is our only lead. We'd be crazy not to follow up on it."

"So is this impromptu mission of ours going to be a secret too?" Foxtrot asked. "Blundering into an enemy encampment and kicking down the door without back up doesn't exactly appeal to my tactical sense."

"We'll inform the project leads and the other ranger teams," Nightfall answered. "And we're not just going to kick in the door."

"What the hell. I'm up for it," Bastion stated. "No sense in waiting around for them to make the first move."

"I'm in too," Paper seconded. "I'm not too thrilled with what we have to work with, but we've been in tight spots before."

"I'll get my things ready," Foxtrot added lastly. He wasted little time digging into a large duffle bag, producing several pieces of equipment, including several incendiary grenades and enough ammo for an entire siege. As the pegasus went to work assembling his gear and loading his guns, Bastion and Paper both began to tend to their own.

"Good," Nightfall said simply. "Star Mist and I will run this by the project leads. We'll meet you back here in an hour and move out before it gets dark."

"Wait, what if they dont approve?" Paper suddenly questioned.

"Then we do it anyways," Foxtrot called back as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"Bingo," Nightfall replied. He waved Star Mist on to follow him.

She followed him straight out the door, allowing it to close behind them, before she fell back and pressed her back up against it. "Well then, we're really going to do this aren't we?"

Nightfall sighed, a large cloud forming from his breath. "Yes, I think we are. You up for it?"

"Absolutely," Meadow replied, her heart filling with resolve. She chuckled a bit. "I'm finally getting to put all that tundra survival training to good use. I'll admit though, I had to read through my old handbook to refresh my memory."

"Well, if you ask me, you've been doing pretty good. Don't think I didnt notice the way you took down that windigo yesterday."

"Oh please, that was textbook," Meadow replied, a smile now tugging at her visage. "Besides, you didn't know it was me at the time."

"You're right," Nightfall said. "I didnt, but looking back it tells me everything I need to know."

"Well, I'm just glad I've been able to keep up with you guys. I havent been on a proper expedition in years."

"You're doing fine," Nightfall assured her, placing a hoof on her shoulder. His expression suddenly turned very solemn. "Just promise me you'll keep your head down and wont take any unnecessary risks."

"I could ask the same of you," Meadow replied, dodging his request all together.

"Meadow... please."

Meadow sighed lightly, before taking off her helmet. Her mane was dirty and matted against her head and her fur was still an unbrushed mess. Some traces of soot still clung to her face. "I promise," she said, allowing her helmet to fall to the floor as she took Nightfall in a hug.

He returned it, holding her just as tight as he always had. Every single one somehow felt as if it would be the last, but he was not going to lose her. He wouldn't allow it. She was strong and she was smart, but she was still only one pony. Lucky for her, he was going to remain by her side the whole way. And they had a damn good team to back them up.

Author's Notes:

This chapter! This fucking chapter, man! I can not even begin to tell you how many times I rewrote this thing from scratch, but it's done. There's probably a few gramatical errors, but I'll get to those later. Hope you enjoyed it, because it was a bitch to write. Some real good shit is going to be going down soon.