Hex

"You're taking too long! Just pick one; nopony's even gonna care!" Breeze sat outside the Canterlot castle, waiting for Steel Shield to retrieve his armor. "Why do you even have more than one set, anyway? Don't regular guards only get one?" he asked. Steel Shield was tossing helmets out of the doorway.

"Maybe in Araiyah. Things here in Equestria are a little different, though. Guards here receive multiple sets, in case one gets damaged. I'm looking for the least broken helmet." Breeze picked up one of the discarded helmets and inspected it.

"Yo, you ain't gonna have any spare helmets left if you keep throwing them around like that. Daytime ain't gonna last forever; let's go!" Steel Shield groaned as he hastily put on a helmet with a small crack at the top and grabbed a small saddlebag containing a couple of bits. The two then walked to Ponyville, Steel Shield still grumbling to himself about the helmet. Suddenly, he stopped.

"Hold on a second, Silent Breeze. Don't you think we should stop for some food and supplies first?" he questioned, turning in the direction of a general store. "We should be prepared for whatever may come. We're travelling through the Everfree forest, after all." Breeze hovered in place, trying to come to a decision.

"Well... I guess we could. I mean, it might take some time, but it wouldn't hurt." As he approached the shop, he landed and stepped back. "Oh, wait, I dropped my saddlebags... Your's ain't big enough; how are we gonna carry this stuff?"

"Not a problem, sir!" a voice from behind the door said as it swung open. The unicorn stallion inside had a smile on his face, and his eyes were closed. "I have a spare sack you could use. It's a little worn out, but I'm certain it..." His eyes opened and his smile faded. Breeze took a step forward and looked past him. "Oh, um..." Coughing nervously, the stallion stepped to the side. "Uh... H-Help yourself to anything y-you'd like..." Both of them stepped inside, the door closing behind them. As Breeze scanned the room, he spotted a longbow against the back wall, and he instantly grinned and spread his wings in excitement, causing the stallion to flinch and let out a small cry.

"Ooh! I want that!" Breeze shouted happily, pointing to it and jumping in place. Steel Shield stepped in front of him.

"Are you sure? Do you even know how to use a bow?" he asked.

"I want it!" Breeze repeated, now flapping his wings. Steel Shield face-hoofed.

"Alright. Um, sir, we'll take the longbow in the back and a couple of arrows, please." He reached back to retrieve his bits. "How much do we owe you?" The stallion shook his head, still frightened.

"I don't... I have no use for... It's free." he stammered. Breeze stopped flapping.

"Wait, you serious?" he asked, making eye contact. The stallion quickly nodded his head, slowly backing into another room. As Breeze rushed over to the bow and frantically searched for arrows, Steel Shield dropped the bits back into his saddlebag. Breeze flew back over to him with the bow and four arrows in his mouth.

"I see you found some arrows lying around..."

"They're tipped with gold!"

"Seems a little dull." He looked into the room the stallion had retreated to. "You know, I didn't really plan on getting just a longbow and a few arrows. Since it was free, I've still got some bits left. We should see if he has anything else to offer." Breeze dropped the bow and arrows in front of him.

"I'm on it!" he shouted, diving into the back room. "Yo!" he called out. The stallion jumped back. "So, we're going on a trip, and we need, like... more stuff." He hadn't heard a word Breeze said; he was too busy hyperventilating and watching his life flash before his eyes. Breeze lifted his hoof. "You cool?" There was no response. "I... I'm just gonna..." He pushed a crate off one of the shelves. "... This is mine now."

"O-Okay..." The stallion watched as Breeze struggled to drag the crate out of the room. Steel Shield walked over and placed a hoof on it.

"Looks like it's got some good stuff in it... Did you pay for this?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Breeze answered. "... Well, no! It was free, too! Right?" He turned to the stallion; he was gone. "Wait, where'd he go?" The two looked around and found the stallion crawling through a window along the back wall out of panic. Steel Shield and Breeze sat there for a few moments, dumbfounded.

"... I guess I'll just leave a few bits on the counter for him when he comes back." Steel Shield pointed towards the door. "I got the crate; you get the bow. We need to get moving," he ordered.

"Cool. We don't gotta stop for much else; Applejack had a lot of stuff on her..." Suddenly, he gasped and jumped up. "She better have picked up my saddlebags when I dropped them..." Steel Shield laughed.

"I don't think she'd just leave your saddlebags on the ground," he stated.

"You never know! She might have!"

"Well, we'll know when we get there." Breeze, still worried, landed, picked up the bow and arrows, and opened the door. Steel Shield carefully balanced the crate on his back as Breeze stepped out of the way, allowing him to pass. "I wonder what's in this crate... Did he tell you?" he asked as the two walked through Ponyville.

"He didn't say anything. It's gotta be useful, though. What I wonder is how we're gonna get it open."

"You leave that to me, Silent Breeze."

Minutes later, they reached the forest's edge. Twilight and Applejack were sitting in the shade, eating a few apples. Applejack spotted them first.

"About time y'all showed up!" she called to them. Twilight looked up, setting her apple down.

"There you are, Silent Breeze! What took you so long?" she asked. Breeze dropped the bow.

"I had to stop for stuff. I bro-" Applejack interrupted him.

"Hold up, what'd you buy a bow for?"

"It don't matter! Anyway I brought a friend." He stepped to the side and Steel Shield stepped forward. "Steel Shield here's gonna be joining us on this adventure."

"Hello, Princess Twilight." Steel Shield bowed down as low as he could without dropping the crate. "Silent Breeze informed me that you were headed through the forest; I came to assist you."

"I should of guessed that you'd bring him along, Breeze. Why, he's exactly what we need!"

"Now, I'm sure anypony else would be just as good," Steel Shield said. Twilight teleported in front of him.

"Sir, you were trained for this exact kind of task! Princess Luna's told me on countless occasions how well you guard the gates, as well. Applejack's right; you're just what we need!" He looked off in the distance, his cheeks turning from white to pink.

"C-Come on, now..." Breeze stepped forward, chuckling.

"Yeah, he's great. You two can admire him on the way to Araiyah. We should get going before night comes." Applejack picked up her saddlebags as Breeze saw his. "Hey! You brought my saddlebags with you!" He dashed over and picked them up. "Yo, I was worried that you'd have just left them on the ground. Thanks!" She looked surprised.

"Uh... No problem!" He smiled, opening the left side. His smile disappeared.

"Wait a second... You didn't open them or anything, right?" he questioned, looking up at her. Applejack and Twilight looked at each other.

"Oh, well..." Applejack started.

"N-No, we didn't! Applejack brought them over when you left, then we headed here together!" Twilight nearly shouted. Both mares grinned.

"Dial it back a bit, Twi..." Applejack whispered. Breeze closed his saddlebags and put them on. "Why ya askin'?"

"I had a pair of scissors in here, and I ain't seen them when I checked my stuff. I know I put them in here... Yo, Steel Shield, you got any scissors on you?"

"What? Why would we need to bring a pair of scissors?" While he and Breeze discussed what was important to bring on a journey like this, Applejack carefully stepped back over to Twilight.

"You didn't put them back! Silent Breeze is going to find out, and we haven't even started the trip yet!" Twilight said.

"I didn't think he'd ask, alright? Look, just relax; I got this." Applejack trotted over to him.

"I ain't seen nothing in the grass when I got them, but they might've fallen out on the way. I dunno where they'd be. My bad, Breeze." He looked into the forest.

"It's cool; I don't need 'em that much." Steel Shield tapped his shoulder, then pointed to the sky.

"If we want to make it back by tomorrow, we need to get going right about now."

"A'ight, let's move."

"Eeyup." Applejack walked into the Everfree, her three companions following behind her.