Hex

"Could you say that again, please?" Twilight frantically sifted through a pile of letters from Celestia. Applejack sat by the door to the castle. It was around noon; several ponies were out in the streets, and a few were browsing stalls owned by both local and travelling merchants.

"Phoenix Flame's real name is Silent Breeze, sugarcube. He's known as a thief back home," she explained. Twilight turned to face her friend.

"Actually, he's a rogue. There's a slight difference," she corrected.

"Well, he seemed to use them both to des-" Applejack stopped herself. "Wait, wait, hold on, how did you know that, Twi? That bit o' information comes from a story he ain't told nopony else, only me." At that moment, Twilight found the letter she was searching for.

"Aha! Here it is!" she exclaimed.

"Uh, here what is?"

"Early this morning was our first time meeting Phoenix... I mean Silent Breeze, but Princess Celestia had heard about him. She sent me this letter a few days back," she told her.

"Well, what's it say?" Applejack asked. Twilight cleared her throat.

"Dear Princess Twilight, it has come to my attention that in a land not too far from here, there lives a rogue pegasus by the name of Silent Breeze. He seems to be a remarkably stealthy individual, and has made quite a name for himself. I am bringing this news to you because recently, a piece of jewelry has gone missing from the castle, and the guards believe that Silent Breeze could be behind this disappearance. Should you happen to run into him, I ask that you bring him to Canterlot so that I may question him. I trust that you are up for the task. Thank you in advance. Sincerely yours, Princess Celestia." Twilight then set the letter back down.

"Well, we should go find him. Princess Celestia's waitin'!" The two mares sat side by side, each thinking of where he could be. "I say we just go into town and start lookin'."

"We should come up with a plan, first. He could be anywhere, honestly." Applejack stood.

"Oh, I think I got a feeling I know where he's at, Twi." At the marketplace, Breeze was sitting motionless in the shadows, watching one merchant in particular. The mare was selling blueberries, and hadn't been all that lucky that day.

"Ain't nopony seen me coming into town. That's good, real good. Now, how can I stay unseen... Hmm..." he whispered to himself. ... I'm wasting time. How about I just fly real quick over to those shadows around her when nopony's looking? Waiting until all of the ponies in the area had either left or turned their backs, he did just as he planned. He landed a couple of feet from the stall, taking care to not make any unnecessary noise. Another pony passed by, catching both the merchant's and Breeze's attention. "Hmm... Let's try this..."

"Would you like to buy some blueberries, sir?" she asked. The pony shook his head.

"No, thank you, miss. I already have some at home." Breeze picked up a small stone with his mouth.

"Come on, now, turn your head... Just for a second..." he said softly, placing the stone in his hoof. When the pony did, he gently tossed it at him, hitting him in his side. The pony turned around, anger slowly spreading across his face.

"Hey! What's your deal, miss?!" he shouted. The mare looked confused.

"I didn't do anything, sir, and I don't think I like your tone!" she yelled back.

"Yeah, of course you didn't. Who do you think you are, throwing things at me just because I wouldn't buy any of your blueberries? You've got a lot of nerve!" The mare stepped away from her stall just as Breeze moved to take her place, keeping low to avoid being seen.

"Oh, you think I care about not getting one lousy sale, huh?" As the two went back and forth, Breeze quickly and quietly began taking blueberries and putting them into his saddlebags, eating a couple and dropping a couple on the ground.

"Yeah, you walk away!" The mare turned back to her stall, only to find that a large portion of her produce was now missing. Breeze had left the area and was lurking in another set of shadows by the time she had found somepony to tell. He had already began to search for a new target, but before he could find one, Applejack and Twilight appeared in his peripherals. They appeared to be searching for somepony.

"Ah, I wonder who they're looking for... I wonder if I can help..." he whispered. "Gotta stay hidden, though." Twilight ran over to an alleyway and was prepared to cast a light spell, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked to the side and saw Breeze, half bowing, half crouching in the darkness. "Hey there, Princess Twilight. Are you looking for somepony?"

"Well, I was actually looking for you, Phoenix." As he stood, he heard her let out a slight giggle. "Or should I call you Silent Breeze?" His eyes shot open, then narrowed. He looked off to the side.

"I guess I should have known Applejack would have told you... Well, what do you need, princess?" he asked.

"Princess Celestia has been looking for you for a few days now. You should really head to Canterlot as soon as you can." Breeze looked left and right. "I would have told you this morning but, uh, I didn't exactly know who you really were." She laughed nervously.

"Alright..." he said slowly. "I'll go see her later tonight; I'm a little... busy at the moment...." He continued looking for a new target as Twilight strolled back to Applejack.

"I found Silent Breeze, Applejack. He'll head to Canterlot tonight," she told her. Applejack smiled.

"You see? I told you he'd be here! That didn't take no time at all!"

"I'm just glad we actually found him... Let's head back," Twilight said.

"Sure thing, sugarcube."

That night, Applejack walked down to Breeze's room and found him lying in bed, reading a book. "Breeze!" she roared. He dropped his book and sat up.

"Huh?"

"You were supposed to be headed to Canterlot, remember?" His eyes, once again, shifted side to side.

"Oh... That was tonight? I thought it was tomorrow night. My bad..." Breeze rose to the air and flew out the doorway. "I'll be back soon!" Applejack sighed.

"That pony's gonna drive me mad..." Though the night sky over Canterlot provided enough cover for him to fly directly to the castle, Breeze still took the time to jump from cloud to cloud, ensuring that anypony below would be unable to see him. Once he reached his destination, he hovered above the two guards, an earth pony and a unicorn, in front of the castle doors.

I could tell them who I am, and they'd probably let me in, but... That's hardly any fun... He flew down to an area close enough for them to hear him, but far away enough to remain unseen in the darkness. "Yo, guards! Over here!" he shouted. The earth pony looked over to him and began to approach, but the unicorn stopped him.

"Ignore him, he's probably just some punk." Both guards returned to their post, upsetting Breeze.

"Okay, then... Looks like I'll have to try a little harder..." he said under his breath before letting loose the most pained, horrific scream he could come up with. "Somepony help!" he added. The guards' expressions changed instantly, exchanging looks of worry and confusion. As they ran over to Breeze's location, he took to the air, flying over the guards as they reached his spot.

"Nopony's here..."

"Well, where do you think he went?" The earth pony shook his head.

"I don't know, but we have to check the area. He might still be around here." When the guards turned back around, they barely caught the castle doors close. "Did we... leave the doors open?" They sat in silence for a couple seconds before the unicorn spoke.

"We might have. If we didn't, well, it must've been one of the others, or maybe one of the princesses." He then turned away.

"Yeah, you're probably right... Alright, let's find this guy, and quick. We can't waste any more time." The guards ran away from the castle in search of Breeze. What they did not know was that he was already inside. He silently wandered through the halls, evading any guards he came across, until he reached Princess Celestia's chambers.

"Yo, princess." He bowed. She walked over to him.

"My, my, the guards hadn't informed me of any visitors," she said.

"I kinda... technically... broke in." Laughing nervously, he stood.

"Well now, you seem to mean no harm, but you know better than that... What brings you here this late, sir?" Breeze's laughter went from nervousness to confidence.

"My name is Silent Breeze. I believe you're looking for me."