Thief of the Frontline

Chapter 9

He was a fool.  Nightfall new this.  Taking Twilight with him was a move that many would consider questionable.  He was putting her and the fate of all of Equestria at risk, but it didn't matter to him.  He needed someone that he could trust.  Someone who could help him.  Who else would he be able to count on?  It had to be Twilight.  She was smart and she held a position of importance.  She was an asset.  Nightfall just wished that he could stop seeing her as that.  She tried so hard to be his friend, to help him.  She was there when he needed her.  That should have been all that mattered, but Nightfall couldn't give up on this opportunity.  Not yet.

Paper would be next.  Nightfall wasn't lying when he said that Paper was like a son to him.  They had known each other for over a year now and their friendship was real.  The only thing wrong with Paper was that he wasn't ready.  It would be some time before he was.  Nightfall just had to prepare him the best that he could.  Then it would be time.

Nightfall looked around.  They were now standing in the middle of Ponyville.  Twilight stood behind him, wearing her dark brown cloak that hid her wings.  She also wore the hood up just as a precautionary measure.  Better safe than sorry.  They were completely alone.  That's how it appeared, but Nightfall wouldn't accept that as a reality.  "Never assume that you are alone," he thought to himself as he and Twilight walked through the quiet little town.  His eyes wandered aimlessly, scanning, watching, waiting for something, anything at all that could spell trouble.  His ears twitched slightly as a faint, cool breeze blew by.  He listened carefully.  Trying to use his biological abilities to his advantage.  There was nothing at first.  All was quiet still, but as the wind passed his ears, he picked up one faint sound.  Armored hooves.

He stopped and put his hoof out to stop Twilight as well.  Twilight stopped right next to him.  "What is it?" she asked in a whisper.  "Why are we stopping?"

Nightfall was still, he didn't reply.  He didn't make a sound.  Then he saw them.  Two guards rounding the corner in front of them.  His mind threw up warning signs.  Highlighting the two in red in his mind.  Nightfall turned around and looked at Twilight.  Any serious that was once expressed on his face had vanished as if it was never there.  He smiled slightly in a happy, casual manner.  "That was a great movie," he said, just loud enough for any passing ponies to here.  "We should really do this again."

Twilight wasn't sure what was happening for a second.  She didn't know what he was doing or talking about at first, but then she saw the two guards and immediately realized what he was doing.  She followed his lead.  "Yeah, that was fun.  I liked the part where they found the lost treasure map in that cave."

"Yeah, and those skeletons in those tombs were super creepy.  I almost spilled my popcorn when that one popped out at that one pegasus guy.  Good jump scare."  He looked over slightly to his right.  The two guards had passed right by without paying them any attention.  To them, they were just another pair of random ponies.

Twilight sighed as she noticed the two guards rounding another corner, disappearing into the night.  "Thank Celestia they're gone.  I didn't really know where to go with that."

"Don't worry about it," Nightfall replied.  "The important thing is that they didn't suspect a thing.  We can practice improv later if you want.  I've been meaning to do it with Paper for a while.  Anyways, we're almost to where we need to be.  Just a few more block now."

The two walked on some more.  Ponyville had grown.  The streets, which had snaked and zig zagged the last time Twilight saw them, were now organized into more uniform blocks.  There were much more building, each sharing the familiar Ponyville architectural style that Twilight had come to love.  Houses still mixed in with areas more suited for shops.  Shops still mixed in with areas more suited for houses.  The roads may have been straighter, but Ponyville was still its disorganized self.  Surprisingly, it was much nicer that way.  The whole town had a layback, calm, and relaxing mood to it.  Unlike the hustle and bustle of the financial, business, factory, and residential districts of cities like Manehattan.  Here, the town felt like one big, friendly community.  That was the nice thing about smaller towns.

"We're here," Nightfall said as they walked up to a two story house.  It wasn't much different than the rest of the houses.  Same design, same front door, different flowers in the garden, but same overall layout.  The small mailbox on the door had three gold letters on it.  309.

Nightfall knocked on the door two times, paused, knocked once more, paused again, and then finally knocked two more times.  They waited for a few second before hearing a couple of locks being slid out of place.  The door opened slowly to reveal the pony on the other side.  He was a batpony like Nightfall.  Same webbed wings, same slitted eyes, with the exception of being light blue instead of green, and more than likely, probably the same fangs that showed when talking.

The batpony looked at Nightfall, and then at Twilight.  "Who's this?" he asked looking back at Nightfall.

"A friend," he replied.  "May we come in?"

"Yeah, come on in," the host said in a welcoming tone.  "Snowy will want to see you right away."

Nightfall and Twilight stepped into the warmth of the house and out of the chill of the night.  It was quite comfortable looking.  Two soft couches, carpet floors, and even a TV.  Something told Twilight that TVs, which were usually only owned by the rich and highly positioned, were now much more obtainable.  This one looked especially interesting as the screen took up most of the surface area and it was much thinner.  She made a mental note to ask about what kind of technological advancements had been made while she was absent.  Her thinking was interrupted by a young sounding exclamation of joy.

"Daddy!" the voice sounded as a small, white coated filly, with a pale diamond blue mane ran forward in excitement.  She looked kind of like a batpony.  She had the wings of one, but they weren't exactly the same.  They had feathers that matched her coat.  They weren't as thick as a normal pegasus and they left a few parts bare to reveal the leathery webbing that batponies had.  Her mother must have been a pegasus.  Twilight remembered seeing this in the photo.  Besides this abnormality, she looked just like a normal pegasus everywhere else.

Twilight smiled as she watched the little filly jump up and give Nightfall a hug.  They remained that way for awhile.  Twilight didn't even notice as the other batpony, obviously a friend of Nightfall's, tried to hand her a hot cup of something good smelling.

"Tea?" he asked her, holding out the cup.

"Oh, yes, thank you," Twilight said as she flipped back her hood with her head and took the cup in her magic.

"I'm Specter," the batpony said.  "That's Snowy, but something tells me you already know that.  Your one of Nightfall's comrades I take it?"

"Yes, I live over in the old castle of the two sisters with the rest of the rebel crew.  My name is..."  She stopped.  What was her name?  Was it Twilight Sparkle?  Or was her name something else?  Did she have to make something up in order to protect herself?  She looked over at Nightfall who now lied on his back.  His legs were held straight up, and on top of his hooves Snowy stood, balancing as she laughed and smiled.  Nightfall also laughed and smiled.  Twilight had seen him laugh, and she had seen him smile before, but this time it was different.  This time, Nightfall seemed truly happy, unlike before where his happiness seemed hollow and meaningless.  This time, Nightfall seemed truly alive.  The whole seen reminded Twilight of when she was a filly and she would play with Shining Armor.  "Um... Nightfall," she called out to him.

Nightfall turned his head and looked back at Twilight, still wearing an expression of complete joy on his face.  "What's up?"

Twilight turned her head toward Specter and then looked back at Nightfall, indicating that she didn't know what to do.

"Go ahead," Nightfall said as he placed Snowy down and shifted into a sitting position. "Introduce yourself, but name only."

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," she said, turning back to face Specter.  "It's nice to meet you."

Specter motioned for the three to follow.  "Likewise," he said as they walked toward the couches in the living room.  "Feel free to sit, we can talk about whatever."

"Daddy?" Snowy asked as she sat down on the couch next to Nightfall.  "Are we freaks?"

Nightfall looked down at his daughter worriedly.  "No, we're not freaks," he said.  "What would make you think that?"

Snowy was silent for a moment, looking down toward the ground.  "I don't know," she mumbled sadly.

"Did somepony at school say something to you?"

"Maybe," she mumbled again.

Nightfall looked over at Specter, who replied with a shrug.  "I tried to tell her," he said.  "But she wouldn't listen."

He sighed and jumped off the couch and sat on the floor in front of Snowy.  Nightfall was now eye level with the sad little filly.  "Snowy, look at me," he said as he put a hoof under her chin.  "Do you really think that just because some bully at school says something that it makes it true?"

"No," she said quietly.

"See, Snowy?  We're just different.  That doesn't make us bad."

"They said other things too, though," she said.  She rubbed her eyes as tears began to flow out.  She began to cry.

Nightfall pulled her close to him and held her in a hug.  "Ssssh, ssssh, don't cry," he said sadly.  "It's alright.  What did they say?"

Snowy choked back a few tears before answering.  "They said that I just made you up... t-that... that I didn't really have a daddy."  She coughed, try her hardest to hold in her tears.  "Then they said that Mommy was never coming back, and... and that soon Uncle Specter would leave soon."  Her crying became more intense as she wept on Nightfall's shoulder.  A few minutes of sadness passed, Snowy remained in the sorrowful hug, and just as the last of her tears began to dry up, she spoke again.  "Then they called us all freaks."

"Snowy, listen," Nightfall said sadly.  He now had a visible tear rolling down his own cheek.  "I don't know who these kids are, but they sound like a bunch of jerks to me.  Don't listen to them.  I love you more than anything in the world, and so does Mom.  One day, I promise, you'll be with her, we both will.  And then we can all be a family again.  For now, though, I need you to be strong.  Don't let those jerks get to you, because they are more wrong than they could ever know."

"You promise?" she said, looking back at Nightfall through teary eyes.

Nightfall leaned in and kissed Snowy's forehead.  "I promise."

Twilight sat as patiently as she could on the couch as she watched this all unfold.  She could even feel a tear of her own.  For her, it was like she was looking at a completely different pony.  Nightfall, the pony that she had once thought as just a thief, and then as a poor lost soul, appeared to have real purity to his heart.  Twilight never knew what it was that she saw in him that made her want to help him, she never knew why she gave him a chance before, but now she did know.  Nightfall wasn't as bad as he had originally seemed.  He was actually...

Twilight froze as a word returned to her mind.  She had shaken free of it and its terrible meaning earlier that day, but it returned to haunt her mind.  As if it had been flung around the world only to land right back in the same place.  Dead.  "Oh no," she whispered in horror as she put a hoof over her muzzle.  Another tear made its way from the corner of her eye.  She looked upon Nightfall and Snowy, who now sat in a warm embrace.  "How could he..."

Specter held out his hoof in front of Twilight.  "Just give them a second," he said as he sipped his tea.  Twilight hadn't even touched hers.  How could she?  This wasn't a time for tea.  This was terrible.  How could Nightfall lie to her like that?

Paper and Bastion sat on their logs at the camp site in absolute boredom.  The only thing keeping them awake at that moment was the extra coffee that they had packed.  Not that it was actually helping them in anyway.  Staying awake just meant that time would crawl by even slower.

"Paper," a voice called out from behind.

Paper turned around to see Solar walking towards them.  He didn't look happy.  "Oh, hey Solar," Paper said in a voice that reflected just how tired he was.

"Where are Nightfall and Twilight?" he asked angrily.

"What makes you think I know?" Paper replied.  "I'm just a humble lookout for the New Age Monarchy.  No sir, no useful intel here, sir."  He gave a mocking salute.

"Ha ha, very funny.  Where are they?"

"He said he didn't know," Bastion spoke up.  "What else do you want from him?"

"You're lying!  Where are they?"  Solar now seemed even angrier than before.

"Okay, okay, sheesh.  Don't twist your horn off.  Last time I talked to Nightfall, he said that he and Twilight were going to be doing some important things in the library.  Let me guess, you neglected to look for them there."

Solar left.  He was mumbling something to himself when he did and from what Paper could tell, the word profanity would have pretty much summed everything up.

When Bastion was certain that Solar was gone, he looked at Paper and gave a tired laugh.  "I find it quite funny how Twilight is willingly going out with Nightfall to help him set up for later heists.  When Solar finds out, he is going to blow a fuse."

Solar stood in front of the double doors to the library in anger.  "You got to be shitting me."  There had to be enough dust to kill somepony, and Twilight and Nightfall had gone right into it all.  "Twilight?" he called out.  "Nightfall?  Don't make me come in there and look for you."  There was no reply.  "Come on guys, this isn't funny!"  Still, no reply.  "Balls."

Solar left and returned only moments later.  He was now wearing  goggles and a towel from the kitchen around his muzzle.  "I'm coming in," he called out.  He stepped forward and vanished into the dust cloud.  He would not find what he was looking for.

Twilight sat on the soft couch listening to Snowy talk all about her day.  She had calmed down now and was now carrying on as if nothing bad had ever happened.  According to her, it had been a week since she had been bullied, so there were plenty of good memories to talk about that would block out the bad ones.  It was the first time that Twilight had felt fully relaxed since waking up in a time that wasn't her own, and judging by the happy expression on Nightfall's face, he was much more relaxed as well.

"We got to learn about the seasons today," Snowy said as she recalled the events at her school.  "Mrs. Ink Pen says that creating the seasons takes everypony working together, or else there wouldn't be any snow in the winter and the flowers wouldn't grow in the spring."

Snowy talked on and on about everything that happened.  From what she had for lunch at school to everything that the teacher talked about.  There were even times she would talk to Twilight, asking questions about her, who she was, what her favorite color was, if she liked daisies or tulips more.  Twilight tried to answer the first question the best she could without giving away the fact that she was an alicorn princess who could possibly throw all of Equestria into a tail spin.  She wanted to tell Snowy, she really did, but Nightfall had told her not to before they arrived.  Snowy would no doubt be over come with excitement and tell every kid at school and then that would lead to problems.  Twilight had to keep her cloak on for now.

Time progressed at a relatively normal rate for everypony that night.  Time seemingly crawled slowly at the castle just because of boredom, but here, in the presence of Nightfall's only family, time seemed like it flowed smoothly and for once, Twilight was happy letting moments last.

"Snowy," Specter said.  "Wasn't there something you wanted to show Nightfall?"

Snowy's eyes lit up.  "Oh yeah," she exclaimed in excitement as she jumped up and glided off the couch.  When she landed, she took off running toward the kitchen area.

"She's going to make a great flyer one day," said Nightfall after watching his daughter perform her small areal maneuver.

"I just hope she doesn't run from the guards for practice," Specter said, looking back at Nightfall.  "That was always fun and all, but... you know, we actually had the skills needed to pick a prison lock and sneak out in the back of an out going carriage.  Of course, those were just juvenile centers.  I'm sure it's nothing compared to the real thing."

"The lock was a bit harder, and I had to get some assistance from a few friends I had made, but for the most part, it was a cake walk."

Twilight looked at Nightfall.  "You broke out of a prison?"

Snowy returned with a small piece of paper tucked under one of her wings.  She hopped up next to Nightfall and pulled her drawing out.  She handed it to Nightfall, who replied to Twilight with a simple smile, indicating that he would tell her about his prison break later.

"Oh, wow," Nightfall said.  "This is really good.  You get better and better at drawing every time I see you.  And this time you drew the whole family.  Keep this up and you just might get a cutie mark before you turn six."

"Wow, really?" Snowy asked in excitement that could only be expressed by a little filly thinking about a cutie mark.

"Of course, you just have to believe in yourself," Nightfall replied in equal enthusiasm.

Snowy giggled happily as she fantasized over what her cutie mark might look like.  She looked back at her drawing and then at Twilight and back at Nightfall again.  "Can I show Twilight my drawing?"

"Why don't you ask her."

Snowy hopped off the couch and onto the other one that ran adjacent to the one Nightfall sat on.  "Want to see my drawing?" she asked to Twilight.  She was all to excited, she loved meeting new ponies and Twilight was so friendly and kind to her thus far.

"Sure," Twilight replied.

Snowy sat down next to her new friend and gave her the drawing to look at.  "This is Nightfall and Uncle Specter," she said pointing at two of the four figures that stood on what looked like a grassy patch.  The drawing was nothing like what Twilight had expected.  Instead of stick ponies, each individual was drawn out in detail with crayon.  The colors matched the real ponies almost perfectly.  Not only did she color within the lines like a pro, but the lines themselves where arranged almost perfectly as well.  Snowy drew like she had done it for longer than she was alive.  To the left of Nightfall stood Specter and in front of them was Snowy.  To Nightfall's right, there was another pony.

"Who's this?" Twilight asked, pointing at the mystery mare.  She was a pegasus, very light blue with a white mane and yellow eyes.  Above her head, a small gold ring hovered.  "Why is there a halo over her head?"

"That's my mommy," Snowy replied with a smile.  "Daddy says that she had to become an angel so that she could watch over us.  She's off doing angel things right now."  The little filly looked a little sad at first before cheering up. "But she'll come back one day when her angel work is done.  I know she will.  Then we can do all sorts of fun things!"

Twilight stopped upon hearing this.  She looked up and stared at Nightfall.  He gave her a sad frown in reply.  The silence was interrupted before it could hang in the air for long.

"Can I draw you next?" Snowy asked as she looked up to Twilight.

"Oh," Twilight said as she brought herself back to reality from the depths of her mind.  "Of course, that would be wonderful."

"Awesome!  I'll go get my crayons."

"Actually, Snowy, I think it's time you went to bed," Nightfall said before she could run off.

"Oh come on," Snowy whined disappointedly.  "I don't even have school tomorrow.  Can't I stay up late tonight?"

"It's almost midnight, Snowy.  I think you've stayed up long enough."

Snowy looked up toward a clock on the wall and stared at it for a moment.  She read it out loud as she tried to make sense of the positions of the hooves of the cartoon pony who sat in the middle of the face.  "Eleven... one, two, three.  Eleven fifty seven?" she said to herself.  "Oh, okay."

"Why don't you head upstairs to your room?  I'll come put you to bed," Nightfall said as he stood up from his seat.

"Race you, ready set go!" Snowy yelled as she ran to and up the stairs on the other side of the room.

"Hey, no fair," Nightfall exclaimed, smiling as he ran after her.

"Come on slow poke," Snowy called back.

The two disappeared to the upper floor, leaving Twilight alone with Specter.

"So," Specter said, putting an empty cup on the coffee table.  "Why exactly did you come here?  What's so special about you that Nightfall would bring you along?"

Twilight still didn't know where exactly she stood with this batpony that sat before her.  Nightfall had given her the okay to tell him her name, and just that.  Snowy had called him uncle, which meant that Specter was Nightfall's brother or a really close friend that the filly looked up to as an uncle figure.  There was a reason that she wasn't supposed to tell him who exactly who she was, though.  She would have to wear this façade for just a while longer, until she could make sure.  "Oh, I'm just a friend," she answered after some quick thinking.  "Nightfall actually invited me here."

Specter gave her a puzzled look.  "Wait a minute.  He invited you?  I think that makes you more than a friend."

"What do you mean?"

"Nightfall has almost lost Snowy in the past... multiple times.  If he's willing to let somepony go near her, it means that pony has something either he absolutely needs, or is part of the family.  And last time I checked, I was it.  I think there's something you're not telling me."

Twilight expressed her own puzzled look, before realizing what Specter may be suggesting.  She tried her best to deny it without sounding like a liar.  "No, no.  It's just like I said.  I'm just a friend."  She couldn't help but blush a little.

"That may be how you see it," he said before asking something that truly shocked Twilight with revelation.  "But how do you think Nightfall sees it?"

Twilight stopped.  She hadn't thought to look at it from that point of view.  How did Nightfall view their relationship?  That was a real doozy, as Pinkie would have more than likely put it.

Snowy settled in under her blanket as Nightfall sat down next to the bed.  "Can you tell me a story?" she asked.

"Alright," Nightfall began.  "Once there was a beautiful princess, who somehow got..." he thought for a moment before continuing.  "Lost.  Not the normal kind of lost though.  She found herself in a completely different world from her own.  One that she didn't understand.  This world was filled with evil soldiers that were led by an evil king.  Everypony who lived in this kingdom was poor and was forced to live under the tyranny of the kings rule.  The princess saw this and decided it had to come to an end."

"What's tyranny?" Snowy asked.

"It's when a pony is mean to those around them so that they can control everypony," Nightfall answered, trying to put it in terms she would understand.  "Anyways," he continued.  "One day, while hiding from the evil guards, the princess met a group of ponies who hated the evils of their world, and offered the princess the opportunity to make things right.  So, being the righteous princess that she was, she accepted their offer, and they soon began to push back against the evil king and the bullies that worked for him."

"Did they win?" Snowy asked excitedly, sitting up in her bed.  "They overthrew him and restored harmony, didn't they?"

"Well, I don't really know yet, but they did their best.  They threw everything they had at the king and his minions."

"So they have a," Snowy yawned, before continuing, "good chance, right?

"I sure hope so," Nightfall whispered as he rubbed her head.  "I sure hope so."

Snowy laid her head down on her pillow and closed her eyes.  She let out another yawn.  "Good night, daddy."

"Good night, Snowy." He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead one last time.  He remained there for a few minutes, sitting by her bed side before finally leaving the darkened room. He didn't go back down stairs.  He looked back at his daughter as he sat in the hallway outside Snowy's bedroom for awhile.  Thinking.  Trying times were ahead, times that would test him.  "I promise I'll always be there for you," he whispered.  He carefully closed the door and turned to head downstairs.

Nightfall made his way back into the living room and sat down on the couch where he was previously.  "Down to business," he said after a sigh.  "Twilight, it's time for you to tell Specter who you really are.  I didn't want you to say anything around Snowy because I didn't want to risk her telling somepony at school, but you can trust my brother here."

Twilight nodded to Nightfall before turning to face Specter, who now sat upright, waiting for whatever Twilight had to say.  "I don't really know how to say this, so I'll just show you."  She raised her hooves up to the collar of her cloak, and pulled it off.  She then lit up her horn and placed it folded on the table.  She then spread her wings so they were completely outstretched and visible.

Specter, like many ponies before him, sat in complete awe with his mouth hanging open.  Then he smiled a little.  "You're messing with me, aren't you?" he asked.  "This is some kind of joke."

"Nope, she's an alicorn," Nightfall answered plainly, "and an princess too, if you can believe that."

Specter stared at Twilight in total astonishment, unsure what to say.  For a moment, his brain almost completely stopped working.  After a few minutes of silent befuddlement, he looked back at Nightfall.  "Why did you bring her here?" he asked.

"I'm helping Nightfall relieve some stress," Twilight answered.  "He thought it would be a good idea for me to see his family so I could better understand..."

"Actually, Twilight," Nightfall interrupted.  "I haven't been entirely truthful with you."

"Oh really," she replied.  "How so?"

"I brought you here, not because I need help with my..." he waved a hoof around in a circular motion, "emotions, but because I need help with something else.  I need somepony that I can trust.  I, well, Paper and I, need your help to convince Solar to let us stay.  If we have you on our side, then..."

"Hang on!" Twilight said somewhat angrily.  "Are you saying that this whole time you've just been using me to gain some kind of... of..."  Her anger grew slightly as she tried to find the right words, "advantage?"

Specter looked away to try and distract himself from what could easily turn into one big mess if not handled properly.  He noticed the empty cup in front of him, then he looked to the kitchen.  "I'm going to go get some more tea, while you two... talk."  He got up and left.

   "Twilight, please listen to me before you shoot me down."  He looked her in the eyes with a seriousness that was almost... disturbing.  "You've seen first hoof how Solar and I get along.  Sure, we seemed fine when you first saw us together that night when I brought you back to the castle, but that was because I didn't want to put stress on you the moment you woke up.  The truth is that Solar really doesn't like me.  If it hadn't been for the ponies who I've made friends with and the ponies that I've used, I would probably have been kicked out a long time ago, because all Solar sees is some dirty, rotten thief who could jeopardize his grand plan of overthrowing the king.  I need you on my side, Twilight.  Hey, I am actually telling you what I am trying to do.  Take that as a compliment.  The only one else who knows anything is Paper."

Twilight sat back, and thought about what Nightfall had just said.  "And what does Paper think about this?  It seems to me that you're trying to create some sort of rift."

"Paper... knows... about this." Nightfall replied.  "He doesn't know everything, but he knows far more than any other pony at the castle.  And no, I'm not trying to create a rift.  Solar comes from a background of what we call Twisted Loyalists .  Wealthy ponies that seem unimportant, like just another royal flank kisser.  Then, they turn around and plot against the king.  Solar lost his wealth when guards seized everything he had or something along those lines.  The point is that Solar has credibility.  Now, Twilight, tell me what I have."  He went silent and waited.

Twilight didn't expect this.  She had just learned that Solar's name carried actual weight and that what he wanted could possibly sway the opinions of those around him.  She never paid much attention to these sorts of things, but she was now realizing what was really going on.  At first, she thought that this was leading up to a power struggle, but it wasn't that.  Nightfall was struggling not to gain power, but just to be able to stay.  "You really just want to be close to your daughter, that's what this is about?"

Nightfall nodded in response, never breaking eye contact.

"You have me then," Twilight said after a moment of thought.  "I'm with you."

Nightfall sighed in relief.  "Thank you so much, Twilight.  You have no idea how much this means to me."

"What is it exactly that you plan on doing with my support?"

"Heists, mostly," Nightfall replied.  "I have a few plans already in place to hit some noble royalist houses.  We can use the loot from those jobs to help fund future operations.  Then I'll move on to military installations, starting small and then working my way up.  Also, I'm going to be taking Paper with me.  He can learn a few things and maybe even start going in solo one day."

"You mean, you want to take him on as an apprentice?"

"I guess you could say that.  The houses will mostly be for practice.  He's going to need it if we want to get into the bigger places, in Manehattan and other larger cities.  Maybe with a little luck, we'll even get a shot at Canterlot."

"I thought you said you wanted to be close by to Snowy?  That way you can keep an eye on her."

Nightfall sighed.  "I do want to be close by.  At the same time though, I have to contribute in some way, and this is all I know how to do.  Besides, I'll only be gone every now and then.  I have to lay low in between jobs, so I'll still be around."

"Are you sure that's the best course of action though?  What if something goes wrong?  Are you sure Paper is ready for something like this?" Twilight asked worriedly.  It was obvious that her concerns were more than just about them getting caught.

"Don't worry, Twilight," Nightfall said, assuring her that everything would be alright.  "He did fine last time, and I'll be there with him from the very beginning until he's ready to go out on his own.  If you just let me and him sit around all day without contributing, it just makes you look bad, and we can't have Equestria's last hope for freedom looking weak."

"Okay, I understand.  Just be careful."

Just as the words left Twilight's mouth Specter reentered the room with a fresh cup of tea.  He sat down in the place where he sat earlier.  "I take it that things are going pretty good now?" he asked, hoping that any tension that was once present had disappeared.

"Yeah, we're good," Nightfall answered.  "We actually need to get going, but before we do, I need to borrow some old gear.  Do you mind if I take that back with me?"

"Go ahead," Specter said.  "I'm more than happy to let you take it off my hooves.  Let it be your problem."  He got up again and headed for the other side of the room, toward the TV and the cabinet that it rested on.  He waved the two over.  "Come on.  Give me a hoof with this," he said as he started pushing it aside.

Nightfall was already off the couch and pulling the stand from the opposite side by the time Twilight realized what they were doing.  As the TV and its stand slid to the side, a barely visible series of cracks in the carpet that formed a small square came into view.  It was mostly covered in the same carpet that covered the rest of the floor, so it was somewhat hidden.  Specter lifted the hatch open with his hoof and took a step down into the hole.  "Been awhile since we've been down here," he said as he walked further down into the dark room below, followed by Nightfall.

Twilight followed close behind Nightfall, unsure of exactly what the two were doing.  As she entered, she noticed that the room was slightly cooler than the room above, but not as much as the night outside.  It was also pitch black, that is until Specter pulled a string that dangled from the ceiling to turn on a light bulb.

The room lit up, revealing its entirety.  It was small, smelled a little weird, and was obviously not an original part of the house.  The walls were bricked, with the exception of one that was mostly made of wood.  Along the walls, on two sides, the one to the right of stairs that led in and the wall that ran adjacent to it, there were a few rectangular tables that were mostly clear of any contents.  Below each, there were a few duffle bags.  On the walls, some tools hung on hooks, the most notable of which were a large bolt cutter, a couple of gas masks, Twilight didn't even want to know what those would have been used for, and multiple grappling hook launchers that looked like they would be a hassle to carry around.

As Twilight walked closer to inspect the, no doubt expensive gadgets, Nightfall grabbed one and laid it down on the floor.  "You don't plan on carrying that heavy thing all the way back to the castle, do you?" she asked.

"Of course not," Nightfall answered.  He hit a small release switch on the side of the launcher.  It opened up from the side to reveal about fifty meters of black, coiled rope.  He pulled the hook and rope out and held them up.  "I just need this."  He placed the rope and hook into a duffle bag and placed the launcher back in its place after reattaching the cover.

After five minutes of rummaging around through old boxes and carefully placing many different items in his bag, Nightfall looked around to scan the room one final time.  He nodded, deciding that he had everything he would need, which wasn't much.  For the most part, he had only grabbed a bunch of rope, two gas masks, and what appeared to be basic alchemy components to Twilight, as well as several small tubes of premixed solutions.

"Got everything?" Specter asked from his spot, leaning against the wall.

"Yeah," Nightfall replied.  "I have enough supplies to last me for awhile, thanks."

The three headed back up into the living room, out of the cool, damp, underground room.  Nightfall and Specter then pushed the TV stand back in place and plugged the fancy electronic back into the wall.

"That should do it," Nightfall announced as he backed away from the electrical outlet.  He walked over to Specter and Twilight, who stood in the middle of the room.  "It's time for us to leave."

"Are you sure you don't want to spend the night?" Specter asked.  "It's late and I'm sure neither one of you want to walk back in the dark.

"No, thanks," Nightfall replied.  "Just do me a favor and do your best to help Snowy with these bully issues.  She's to young to go through that kind of thing."

"I'll take care of her, don't worry."

The two locked hooves and pulled each other into a brotherly hug.

"Take care brother," Specter said.

"You too," Nightfall replied.  "Brother."

As the batpony and alicorn left, Twilight turned to face Specter.  "Thank you for your hospitality."

"Your welcome back anytime."

Twilight and Nightfall made their way through Ponyville as quick as possible.  They didn't want to be out for too long, because it was long passed most ponies' curfews and being out at this time could definitely be considered suspicious in a small town where almost nopony was up past midnight.

The two entered the Everfree forest immediately after taking a left off the main road that lead out of town.  Nightfall looked over his shoulder several times before exiting the road, though.  He wanted to make sure they weren't being followed.  After walking for awhile through the dense trees, the castle eventually came into view, but not before a small campfire did.

"Oh, hey guys," Paper called out to the two as they walked into the light of the fire.  "How did the preparations go?"

Twilight wasn't sure what Paper meant by preparations, but before she could ask, she was cut off.  "Pretty good," Nightfall said.  He put the duffle bag that he had been lugging around down on the ground.  "I got something for you and Bastion," he said as he dug around in his bag.  "Where is Bastion anyways?"

Paper pointed to his left at a small tent that was set up.  "We're taking shifts."  He frowned.  "Mine just started."

Nightfall tossed Paper a small jar that contained some sort of bright green liquid.  "Heads up," he said as the jar flew through the air.

Paper caught the small container in his hooves, but fumbled it before quickly switching on his magic to keep it from crashing to the ground.  He let out a sigh of relief before eyeing it curiously.  "What's this?" he asked.

"Special blend of fruit juices.  Should give you enough energy to survive the night."

"Thanks," Paper said as he took the top off the jar.  He sniffed it and took a short swig.  "Oh yeah, that is good."  He took another drink, and then another.

"Careful there Paper," Nightfall warned.  "Drink it to fast, and all that citrus will cause your heart to stop."

Paper looked at Nightfall unamused.  "Ha ha," he said in a monotone voice.  "Nice try.  Everypony knows citrus can't actually stop your heart."  He leaned over to Twilight, who was now sitting to his right.  "Citrus can't actually cause your heart to stop, right?" he asked nervously as he freaked out a little on the inside.

Twilight let out a discreet chuckle before answering.  "No, of course not.  Not in fruit juice at least."

Paper sighed in relief again.  Then a thought came to his head.  "Oh, Nightfall," he blurted out all of a sudden.  "Solar came by and he didn't look happy.  He was wanting to know where you and Twilight were, so I directed him to the library like you said.  He hasn't come back since."

"Good," Nightfall smiled.  "That should keep him busy for awhile, and with some luck, maybe he got lost."

"Wow, is the library really that big?" Paper asked, slightly confused on what Nightfall was talking about.

"No, it's just full of dust.  Would probably cause some real damage if you tried to take a deep breath.  Also impairs your vision pretty badly.  Speaking of the castle, Twilight, why don't you head back.  I'm going to hang out here for awhile."

"Actually, I thing I'm going to stay here as well," Twilight replied.  "It's actually quite nice out."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Nightfall asked.  "It isn't exactly safe."

"I'll be fine." She stretched the collar of her cloak.  "As long as I have this on, there shouldn't be much risk."

Nightfall shrugged after seeing no problem with letting Twilight have her way.  It wasn't like there was a Manticore on the loose, they were practically extinct thanks to the aggressive tactics used by the king after one was spotted several years ago.

"So where exactly did you guys go?" Paper asked after a few silent, campfire lit moments.  "Where did get all this stuff?"  He pointed to the duffle bag that sat next to Nightfall, who sat on a log that ran adjacent to the one he and Twilight sat on to their left.

"We stopped by Specter's place," Nightfall answered.  "He's been holding on to some of our old heist gear ever since we left the whole thief game.  I figured it would be best for us to have it for the future."

"Good thinking," Paper replied after taking another drink of the fruit juice.  "How is he and your niece, Snowy, doing?"  He didn't know yet.  Nightfall had lied to him just like he lied to everypony he met.  It was time though.  If he was going to be successful in keeping her safe, he would need Paper to fully understand.

"Their both doing great," he replied.  "There is something you need to know about them, though."

"Like what?"

Nightfall began to explain.  He told Paper everything.  He told him that Snowy was actually his daughter and not Specter's.  He told him how he was only staying in the castle so that he could be close by while he hid.  He told him about his confliction with Solar and why they would be going on these heists.  He even told him about Shade Frost.

After listening for awhile, Paper sat back and let out a deep breath.  "Wow," he said.  "That's really something to think about."

"Don't," Nightfall replied.  "Don't think about it.  Just know that I need you on this, and I'm putting a lot of faith in you."  He looked over at Twilight.  "You too."

"Alright," Paper said after a moment of thinking.  "I won't let you down, I promise.  Oh, and I'm really sorry about Shade.  She sounded like a wonderful mare."

"She was," Nightfall whispered to himself, under his breath.

A couple of hours passed.  There wasn't much to talk about during that time, but nopony cared.  It was nice to just sit and enjoy the company of those around them.  Tensions had been a little high lately and the silence in the dark was comforting.  First it had been the disagreements with Solar, then it was the heist and the nervousness that came with and after it.  Finally, it had been the emotions of that day and night, especially for Nightfall.  But now, now was a time for relaxing.  All the worries just melted away at that moment, and all was peaceful once again.

Twilight had fallen asleep, leaning up against Paper's shoulder.  After the first hour had passed, with minimal short conversations, Twilight had begun to sleepily rest against the stallion next to her.  Paper was more than happy to let her do this.  By the time the second hour passed, she was soundly sleeping, using him as a pillow.

Paper knew how he felt towards Twilight, and right now was more perfect than he could have imagined.  She was beautiful when she was illuminated by the flickers of the campfire.  He just wished he knew how she felt towards him.  Did she like him?  Was this Twilights way of telling him without actually saying it?  Or was she just too tired to sit up, and this was just an accident.  Paper didn't care.  He just wanted to enjoy what was happening.  Everything was perfect.

He looked over at Nightfall who was, unsurprising for a batpony, still awake.  There was something off about his nocturnal friend though.  He didn't exactly seem all there.  He was awake physically, but it was like his mind was asleep, dreaming about something, remembering something.  Nightfall stared into the flames of the campfire with an absent minded concentration that would worry anypony.  Even Paper could tell.  Something wasn't right.