Hex

The sun set as Breeze and the others sat in a clearing, the crate resting in the center, under Steel Shield's hooves. Breeze was standing close by while Twilight and Applejack were looking for a safer trail.

"We're supposed to be heading north, right?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah!" Breeze shouted back. "Anyway, you think we should open this sometime soon?" he asked Steel Shield.

"Yeah. Not now, though. Later on. I don't wanna wait too long; might not be as useful as we think." Breeze nodded once.

"Right. Later. Let's say... next clearing we hit?"

"Sound's good... You know, Silent Breeze, I'm really glad we decided when to open this box. It's nice to have a plan." Steel Shield looked down at the crate, then to the sky. The sky was fading from orange to black. "Sun's heading down. I think we should stay here for the night. We'll start again in the morning. Princess Twilight, have you two found a route we can take?" Applejack and Twilight strolled over to him.

"We have, sir. Judging from the hoofprints we found in the dirt, it seems like another pony has taken this path before. Silent Breeze, might you have come this way on your travel to Equestria?" Breeze was attempting to craft a makeshift bed out of leaves. He glanced their way.

"Probably. I can't remember many details. All I know is that Araiyah is north of here. If we happen to run into a guard when we get there or something, I, being Araiyan-born, can get us in... Unless it's a new recruit. Then we might have a problem." He stood. "I'd explain more, but we need as much sleep as we can get. Yo, Steel Shield, you think this area's safe enough?"

"It should be. We aren't that deep in. Let's get to sleep soon, though. If on the off-chance that anything goes wrong, it'd be better if we weren't all exhausted." Twilight looked around.

"To be on the safe side, we should have somepony keep watch. Sir, do you mind taking the first shift?" Steel Shield gave a salute.

"You can count on me, princess. Stay near the others, alright?" He stepped in front of her as she backed into Applejack. The two mares and Breeze, who threw the pile of leaves next to the crate, sat down. "I'll wake one of you up when I start to get tired. Who wants to take the next shift?" Twilight raised her hoof, but Breeze lightly pulled it back down.

"Forgive me, princess, but I think you should try to get as much sleep as you can. I'm a little familiar with this area, I think; I can take the next shift. You just rest, okay?" Twilight frowned.

"I... Alright." Twilight lied down on her side, pulling some of the leaves over her. Applejack fell back into the pile, resting her hooves behind her head and sighing in relief.

"You know, this leaf pile ain't half bad. I got the third shift if you need somepony to do it... Uh... What's your name again?" Steel Shield became visibly excited and stood up straight, a spark in his eyes.

"Sergeant Steel Shield, ma'am! 12th Division Royal Guard! If only Corporal Raging Bull was here, we could explain the-" Breeze waved to get his attention. "Yes, Silent Breeze?" He pointed to the moon, which now sat behind the trees. "Ah, yes. Right. You all should get to sleep." Breeze rested against the crate, in between Twilight and Applejack.

"Night, bro..." Breeze said, drifting off. An hour and a half passed by. Steel Shield stood still, occasionally looking back at his sleeping friends. He scanned the perimeter; there was nothing to be found.

"Alright, all clear..." he whispered to himself, glancing at the others one more. "All clear..." he repeated, taking a step towards them. I shouldn't worry about them. They can handle themselves. He brought his attention to Breeze. Silent Breeze... Thief of Araiyah. He's made this trip before. All by himself, at that... He chuckled, shifting his eyes to Applejack. And her... I don't know her all that well, but she seems like she knows her stuff. She definitely knew what to bring, at least. She'll be fine; I'm sure of it. Heck, she could probably save all our flanks if things go wrong. He smiled at her, then looked at Twilight. He thought for a moment. "Princess Twilight..." he said softly. She's a princess; she can handle this... Right? He sat down. "It'd be terrible if anything happened to her. I need to protect her as best as I can, in case we run into trouble. It is my duty as a royal guard. But... Wait..." The leaves in front of him shifted.

"Yo, chill." Breeze stood, the leaves falling off him and onto Twilight and Applejack. "What's got you so worried?" he questioned. Steel Shield jumped up.

"It's Princess Twilight." Breeze stepped forward.

"Yeah?" Steel Shield looked away.

"Well... I know she's capable of defending herself; she's a princess, after all, but still... She's a princess. She shouldn't have to. Somepony should be keeping her safe," he explained. "Don't you agree?"

"I hear you; she needs a guard, even if she can hold her own. I talked with her about this when she asked me to help test a counter-spell, but we never finished our conversation. I was just about to go out and find a guard for her, too." Steel Shield raised an eyebrow.

"A guard for Princess Twilight, you say? Well, who did you have in mind?" Breeze laughed, patting him on the back.

"Who do you think?" he answered.

Both stallions laughed, then looked at the crate. "You know... I kinda wanna open it right now, just to see what's inside." Steel Shield shook his head.

"Nah, mate. Next clearing, like you said." Breeze placed a hoof on the top. "Besides, I still haven't figured out how I'm gonna get it open yet. I've got an idea, but..." He began to trail off.

"Why don't we try that idea out? If it works, we get to see what's inside. If it doesn't, well, we'll know that's not the way to open a crate. Come on, bro!" He grinned.

"Like we agreed on, next clearing. It'll only be a few hours from now." Breeze groaned. He sat back down, stroking his chin with his hoof. After a few seconds, he pointed at Steel Shield.

"Yo, why don't we just take the crate to the next clearing right now?" he asked. Steel Shield's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, yeah... We never said we had to wait until morning..." Suddenly, he gasped. "Wait! We can't just leave these two here!"

"You're right... We don't have to go far, then. If we hear anything, we can get back quickly."

"We wouldn't be at the next clearing, though... You know what? It doesn't matter. Help me with the crate." Together, he and Breeze lifted the crate, setting it down again along the path a few feet from the clearing. Steel Shield grabbed a rock and slammed it into the crate's top, breaking it.

"Yo, that worked perfectly. One more time." As he said this, a cloud passed over the moon.

"It's too dark; I can't see the crate anymore!" A few fireflies floated around, revealing the area. "Oh. Well, that's convenient," he observed. "Alright..." Steel Shield picked up another rock. "Here we go!" He struck the top of the crate once more, creating a hole large enough for Breeze to reach in. The second time he hit the crate, Twilight was awoken by the sound.

"Silent Breeze? Steel Shield? Applejack, wake up. I heard something." Applejack grunted, turning away from her friend. "Applejack!"

"Get Breeze to deal with it, Twi..." she mumbled. Twilight shook her.

"That's just it! He and Steel Shield aren't here!" Applejack sat up, now paying full attention.

"Y'all serious? Well, we can't just be sittin' here by ourselves; let's go find 'em!" She and Twilight ran down the path. Inside the crate, Breeze retrieved a few saddlebags and a blanket.

"A'ight. You and Princess Twilight can have the saddlebags; we all can share the blanket. Turns out this crate was kinda useful after all." Steel Shield set his hoof down near the hole.

"Anything else left in there?" he asked. Breeze searched around the crate once more.

"Uh... Not much. Just a couple of notebooks." At this moment, Applejack and Twilight were approaching. They could see Steel Shield and Breeze, but not what was in front of them. Twilight stepped forward, but Applejack blocked her with her hoof.

"Hold up, Twi. They're talkin' about something. Let's listen." Twilight nodded, stepping back.

"Well, what should we do? Should we just get rid of them?" Steel Shield asked.

"... Yeah, I guess. Do we really need them?"

"Well, no... Yeah, you're right. We could do without them." Applejack and Twilight sat in the shadows, speechless.

"He... They actually..." Twilight began. Applejack shook her head.

"We gotta get back! Let's go!" Without thinking, the mares ran back to the clearing as fast as they could. Steel Shield looked up.

"Did you hear something?" he asked. Breeze looked around.

"I don't see anything. You might just be hearing things... Let's get back, just in case. I got the saddlebags and the blanket." The stallions gathered the contents of the crate together and strolled back. At the clearing, Applejack and Twilight sat in the leaf pile, out of breath and frightened.

"He's actually going through with it! And Steel Shield's in on it!" Applejack told Twilight.

"What do we do?" she asked. Applejack looked around.

"I... I don't know! I can't think of anything right now! We'll sleep on it, alright? I'll think of something in the morning!" She started to lie down, but Twilight grabbed her.

"No! We can't sleep right now! One of us has to stay awake so they don't try anything!" Twilight looked over her shoulder to see Breeze and Steel Shield approaching from the trees.

"Alright, you sleep, I'll take the next shift. Don't you worry." Applejack stood and greeted the two. "I got this shift if y'all wanna rest for a bit." Breeze dropped the spare saddlebags.

"I can take this shift." She stepped in front of him.

"Nah, I'm already up. You two look plum tuckered out; y'all need your rest. I got this one." She chuckled nervously, unsure if they would comply.

"... Alright, you can take this shift. If you get tired, Silent Breeze can take the next one. Good night." Steel Shield dropped into the pile of leaves. Breeze dragged the saddlebags over to the group and sat back down.

"Keep a good eye out for any signs of trouble, a'ight?" He lied down. "What am I saying; you know what to do..." The stallions slowly drifted off into sleep, leaving Applejack and Twilight awake with their fear and suspicion.