Priorlight

"You cannot doubt yourself in this line of work."

Again.

Riding Rain stood in the center of his home. Around him trees seemed to move very fast, and a dark pool of water reflected the sun and the moon above, both of which would not shine their light upon this place. Silver grass gently rustled without noise around him. Riding could see this with his eyes closed, however, he chose to see as he stepped forward, moving right out of where he was and watching as the landscape arced with him and he moved between the dreams. He could see several other orbs near him, important events or nightmares or wonderful rewards. Here and there he side trotted some intrusive onlookers, trying to locate one specific dream and finding that he could not seem to locate one that fit what he was looking for, much to his irritation. Dreams were no small part of being a bat pony, and Riding Rain had managed to become a little more aware each and every time he dreamed. Dream magic, and magic of the soul, were kept away from normal ponies, and with good reason. Riding had recalled somewhat how Cobalt Flare had done dreamwalking when he had needed to enter a pony's dream before, however, he was not quite looking to do this.

I admit, I am not even sure if I can safely enter a dream. Unless I stay in very far flung corners or make sure that I stay very undercover, it seems as though I end up being attacked or find myself in terrible nightmares. I am not about to go ask for help stopping that, either. Riding continued to push through the dreamscapes, but he found that he could not find any dream that had the pony he was looking for in them. Teardrops, somehow, either did not dream- which Riding had already ruled out, because every pony dreams even if they do not always remember their dream- or was naturally capable of guarding their dreams from intrusion. Riding was sure that he could think of several other eventualities, but his mind was caught, snagged into the second idea. Somehow, this pony was concealing themselves from him, something that very few ponies could do. Even skilled dreamwalkers who could shield their dreams, Riding knew exactly how to get through their defenses. He looked down at his blue coat and his kukri. It was a simple matter for him to enter a dream, and if needed, he could do so by force, although he was careful to refrain as this attracted a lot of attention.

Riding found it more useful to view other's dreams, to see what they saw, or what they were going to see later, and then use this to his advantage. In the Night Guard, use of such things was by order of Princess Luna, totally forbidden. To violate the sanctity of a pony's mind could have such consequences that the dark and stormy Princess Luna made Riding not even want to question what would be done to a trained dreamwalker that broke such commands. Good thing I am not a trained dreamwalker. But why can I not find this pony? Maybe I need to... look for somepony that knows them? No, they said they were made fun of and did not have a family. There's no way anypony in the day world is dreaming about them. Ponies that put other ponies down do not dream of their victims, unless it's a Nightmare. Even then, I do not know where to look because I do not know where they are from-

Riding Rain closed his eyes and felt the dream landscape arc with him towards Silverfield's area of dreams. He opened them again and looked across the Silverfield dreamscape. Lots of dreams here, But a lot less dreams than even a large city in Equestria, and none of them were good dreams. Riding kept a little distance from Silverfield, not wanting to get too close, and still failing to see any pony that looked like Teardrops. Riding sighed and shook his head, feeling himself tugged back to his area and then opening his eyes in his cabin.

"Futile." Riding said, and as a mental reminder to myself, I need to be very careful about saying anything in my sleep from now on. Those ponies will be listening for sure and they might hear me from the tiny crack under the door. I do not want to explain the screaming at night. Riding glanced over at his nightstand and grabbed a letter that was sealed there, tucking it into his coat for later. His efforts in the dream world had been as futile as trying to find somepony to send some fruit juice to Teardrops the night before. Luckily, they had been more willing to eat after some pre-training.

Riding Rain sat up in the waking world now, reaching for the wine bottle and looking around very quick before he took a large swig out of the bottle and then stowed it back under his bed. Belting on his cloth, then his belts, and then his armor, Riding slung his weapons on and then pulled his coat over himself, finally adjusting a pair of sunglasses before stepping out into the false dusk and looking at the horizon. The final rays of light vanished, the signal for another night. Riding slipped out into the yard and stepped forward, not even missing a step when he saw what he knew was going to be happening. It does not take a genius nor an oracle to figure out that this was what would happen the next night.

The night before he had taught every single stretch he knew and showed all the basics of bat pony gliding to Teardrops, but there had only been a little time to glide, no full on flight, and no air currents. Teardrops was already in the resting position outside, full Night Guard armor on and their helmet covering their entire face, keeping their eyes and face unreadable. Their parade armor offered practically no cover from the light, although it at least looked pretty. Riding trotted a little faster and took a jump, flapping his wings and catching a very low air current to glide himself across the yard to stand right in front of Teardrops, closing his wings and letting an acrobatic flourish aid his sudden landing, his coat draping around him.

"Of course, we are learning flying tonight." Riding Rain said.

"That's so cool. I've only seen a few pegasi move like that." Teardrops helmet was facing forward.

"I would rather not be compared to any single pegasi you have met." Riding commented. "For tonight, let's focus on being bat ponies. For the rest of your life, really."

"Do bat ponies live any longer or shorter than other ponies?" Teardrops asked. Riding Rain turned away, trotting towards the mess hall and declining to answer. He stopped when Teardrops did not follow, and waved a hoof for them to follow.

"Won't eating before we fly make it more difficult?" Teardrops asked.

Riding gave a shrug without putting his hooves up. "Then learn to drink your fruit and not eat it. Trust me, it's very easy once you get used to it."

Teardrops gave a nod, and then took a bit of a gallop to arrive at Riding's side fully as they went into the mess hall. Today there was food out proper, Equestria's famous hay fries, done breakfast style, and lots of fruits with light creamed porridge. Riding stopped at the counter with Teardrops, noting that there were four other ponies already present who had all fallen silent when he had entered with Teardrops.

"You can take your helmet off." Riding said to Teardrops.

"Oh, Right! Military stuff, sorry-" Teardrops nearly dropped the helmet and stumbled to grab it as Riding balanced it against the serving counter with them.

"No, you do not need it at night, is what I mean. However, yes, also military stuff." Riding Rain added. I always followed my own rules in the day guard, and the night guard. I'll be cursed if I start telling somepony to obscenely follow every single rule. Serving others rules has never, ever, served me well. Teardrops nodded as Riding silently thought to himself, taking the helmet and putting it at the far end of the table, away from the other four ponies. Riding's eyes moved with Teardrops, a refrain inside him preventing him from saying anything, and yet, He found himself foiled by this new bat pony. The way in which they moved and the actions they took had jogged very old memories with Riding, and while they were bittersweet memories, now they were starting to border on horror.

Who the hell are you? Teardrops stood next to Riding and waited at the counter, practically bobbing in place with eagerness to get back to flying training. Riding wondered if he would be able to keep track of this pony unless he followed their every move once they could fly. A bitter feeling stirred right above Riding's stomach at that. Just like Web did with me.

"Where the hell is the cook." Riding finally said. There was no reply from the kitchen. Riding grumbled and took a few fruits, heading to go sit down nearer the other four ponies. This, he thought, would put some distance between him and Teardrops, but once they had their food- a few fruits, There teardrops was, silent and watching everypony as Riding looked at the five ponies in front of him. There is that chilly feeling again.

"Greetings." Riding Rain said to the group of ponies. Several of them exchanged glances for a moment. "So, what are your names?" Riding looked at the ponies as they exchanged glances, a couple side eyeing Teardrops.

"Please do not make me start hoofing out names again." Riding said. "I admit I am terrible at names."

"Uh." One of the blue ponies started, but then stopped.

Oh it's going to be like this all night, why is this being done to me? Who did I hurt specifically that made me have to go through this? Riding slumped a bit into his fruit, dragging his fangs into a mango and beginning to suck the juice out. The obvious unnerved looks from the other four got a light attempt at a chuckle from Teardrops. Riding hoped it was a chuckle of approval, because the other bat ponies would look at them very odd like if they did not get used to drinking their fruit. When Riding finished the mango he put the shriveled fruit down, looking back to the ponies.

"Let's not all speak at once now." Riding tried to make his comment as dry as the look in his eyes at the situation. He sucked down the other fruits, and then stood up, tossing away the shriveled fruits into a bag and heading outside.

"Ugh." Riding said, slumping into a sitting position by the bleachers. "I wonder if this is right above the spot where I vomited the first night." Riding stopped, looking at the bleachers, then back at the mess hall. Teardrops was heading outside now, a fast consumer of the fruit, and headed towards the practice yard as Riding stood up and looked himself over. "You are the legendary assassin Reddling Rain. That is what they call you, Reddling. The bat pony from Silverfield."

...Oh they all know who I am already. They do not see Riding Rain. They do not see me. They see... Riding stopped his internal, vocal, thoughts, looking down for a brief moment at the ground. He pushed his hoof at the bleachers a bit as he descended them, trotting behind them and then behind the mess hall. Riding hoofed at the ground idly for a moment, closing his eyes. Riding flapped his wings and then took off into the sky, gliding a bit higher and looking down at the training yard. Everybat was now in a line, two more having left their quarters and making a total of seven including Teardrops, waiting, and Riding took a moment to ponder how he should appear. Shadowstep? Land like earlier? Maybe he should trot up behind them? Or should he just let them stand there for a few moments? This is actually a very difficult decision to make. I made a first impression already, so my second impression should be...

Riding took a deep breath, and then flew over towards the practice yard. He could feel at least a few sets of eyes on him, and he then shielded himself with his wings, covering his face and allowing himself to freefall towards the ground. One of the ponies gasped but Riding did not see who as he let his body twirl and then did a very fast and very sudden upheaval and reversal, flapping his wings to their full span once and breaking his fall before bringing them back around his face. he used this moment to put on his sunglasses very quickly from inside his coat, pulling his wings back and folding them without fanfare. The wind blew around them, and a night predator let out a caw in the night. Teardrops' eyes were huge, almost glowing, although the blue pony next to them looked like he was going to faint.

"Unlock your hooves, you'll pass out otherwise." Riding said to the faint looking blue pony, who rested a bit. Riding scanned the rest of the ponies.

"You know who I am." Riding watched all the ponies nod to his comment, some with hesitation, some without. Teardrops seemed to be very happy to nod, however, at the very end of the line from the other six.

"Well then. It is my job to acclimate all of you to being bat ponies." Riding Rain stopped, looking at the other ponies. "Tonight, I would like to begin flying training. How many old pegasus ponies are here?"

Riding saw four of them raise their hooves, including Teardrops. Riding gave a nod. "I want each of you to pair up with an earth pony or former unicorn. Take your time, we are not here to race, and I do not want to have to call the medic to patch anypony up just trying to fly a little ways. Right now, what is most important is that you take time to get adjusted here. Stretch your new wings, and remember that bat pony wings work different from Pegasus wings. And Teardrops, of course, you will be learning with me."

Riding thought he saw Teardrops vibrate a little in their armor as the other six paired up into groups, speaking amonst themselves as Riding Rain approached teardrops, motioning towards a far end of the yard. Riding hit his wings out and took a running jump, beating his wings to catch a low air current before hovering, looking down at Teardrops.

"Ready to fly?" Riding Rain knew he did not need to even ask this, he just was trying to be honest with politeness. Teardrops shook their head yes many times, and Riding nodded back down.

"Do I need to run really fast first?" Teardrops asked, "Like as fast as I can run?"

"Not too fast. You need a little bit of space for takeoff. After that tilt your wings with the bones facing upwards and then slowly tilt them forward as you give wing flaps. Your goal is to get to the air currents, not to fight the air itself."

Riding watched as Teardrops took a running start and hit the lower air current, but then sort of did a half horseshoe circle, not getting very high into the air. Riding went down to the ground and paused, staying on the lowest air current.

"Don't fight the air current once you get up. You have to let the air current allow you to glide. You only want to beat your wings when you hover, like I am now. Just use wing beats to speed up or slow down. Angle the bat pony claws on your wings forward to slow down, and backwards to speed up. Backwards will get you altitude and speed, forwards will take you down." Riding instructed, watching Teardrops make a second, and then a third try. It was the third try where there was a loud bat pony screech, and Riding watched as Teardrops got above the first air current, gliding around the field ever so slightly before landing, able to control and foot their landing without needing to trot a small ways when they hit the ground. Riding glided closer, landing next to Teardrops and nodding to them as they beamed happily.

"It's very basic stuff to get into the low currents, there's a bit more you need to know to fly any higher than just low level flight though. I'll teach all of you that together. Don't go above the tree line until then. Do you remember the bat pony wing stretches I taught you?"

Teardrops gave a nod, little sounds of bat pony eee escaping them as they took off and flew again.

"Make sure to stretch or you will regret it!" Riding called after them, turning to face the other six bat ponies. Riding trotted among them, observing the pegasi taking in differences of their wings, the criss cross of veins, the fur, the differences in structure, alongside their flying partner to be.

Riding breathed a sigh out. He knew this was the fun part of being a bat pony. Later would come the more troubling parts. Including a part that he knew how to interact with now. Riding left the ponies behind in the yard and stood at the top of the bleachers, looking out over the trees and at the foot of a larger mountain. Riding knew what was out there in this forest, and in the caves. Riding heard the sound of wingflight behind him, and turned, seeing Teardrops stumble a bit as they landed on the bleachers at an awkward angle, tortting up to Riding and beaming with happiness. Happiness that Riding was not aware you could join the Night Guard with.

"You seem happy." Riding remarked.

"Yes!" Teardrops' voice was loud, a little too loud for Riding, but he allowed it. It was clear to him this was a very special moment for Teardrops. Riding looked out at the forest again. It was his deep desire that he prevent these bat ponies from ever going into the forest, yet, he was not sure how he was going to do that yet. The Nightmare was a place of horrors.

However, I have options. I could say none of these ponies have the aptitude for magic. I could train them to overcome the Nightmare, like I did.

"What are you looking at? Is there something out there?" Teardrops asked. Riding shook his head, looking away. "We speak on that later."

Teardrops flattened their ears a bit, and Riding sat down in the bleachers, observing for the most part while Teardrops beat their wings, working on hovering in place and then flying around the bleachers a bit before landing, giving a huge huff of air.

"Tired?" Riding asked.

"It's more difficult than it looks." Teardrops told Riding, who nodded. Both of them sat together in the bleachers for a moment of silence, Riding's preferred way to spend his time, typically.

"May I ask, why did you join the Night Guard? You are unlike anypony I have ever encountered here." Riding Rain said, looking down at Teardrops. It was a very slight downward look, as they stood at near the same height.

"By request, actually. Of me." Teardrops said.

"Of course, all of us have to request to join and prove ourselves." Riding said, stopping as Teardrops continued,

"No, I mean it was requested that I join. By Éther and Princess- uh, I mean, Princess Luna, and also Éther." Teardrops corrected themself. Riding Rain raised a hoof, silencing Teardrops with it. He did not think he was using any magic, but he may as well have been.

"Do not doubt yourself. Éther does everything with express intent. You are here because of Éther, and how she acts with Princess Luna." Riding Rain said, putting his hoof down.

Teardrops was silent for a moment, brushing their hoof along the ground, looking at the moon, then back at where Éther had disappeared the night before. it took a little while, but then Teardrops spoke, "You are saying Éther wanted me here? Princess Luna agreed?"

You cannot doubt yourself in this line of work.

"You can fly now. Cast away your self doubt. You are not like the other ponies anymore. And within the Night Guard, we are not all the same. Manipulating a Princess is petty work to some of us. If Éther expressed will that you join, Princess Luna would agree." Riding said.

Teardrops was silent, then looked up, "Who is she? Éther, I mean."

Riding said nothing, drawing his hoof in a little shape along the ground and not meeting Teardrops eyes.

"I cannot tell you. But I can show you, if you have the aptitude for it." Riding said after a pause.

"Show me?" Teardrops asked.

"It is very invasive, and it is very deep and personal. It will be uncomfortable in the extreme, and there is absolutely no assurance you have the capacity for what I can teach. Normally, this is conducted with all of the recruits together so, you will need to wait-"

"No!" Teardrops said, causing Riding to back away. When the pony said no, it almost stung him, as if something was just barely holding back a very sharp object, like a warning. Teardrops looked up at him, pausing, "I mean, I want to learn everything about being a bat pony!"

"Do not rush this-"

"Please?" Teardrops cut Riding Rain off. Riding took a deep breath, looking over his shoulder and then back at the cadets.

Riding Rain paused, looking down between the bleachers with sadness. "I worry that you won't be so happy once you get to that part of being a bat pony. I would like for you to hold off on that and not rush this, just for the moment, so I may prepare. Please."

There was an obvious huff of sadness from Teardrops, but Riding felt them nod as they took off and headed for the sky. Riding still wanted to teach much more about being a bat pony to these trainees before he had to get to the darker parts of why bat ponies exist, and what some of their purpose is.

As midnight approached the moon began changing from it's fullness to waning, marking the halfway point of another month. Riding decided that it might be better if he refrained from causing discomfort, and instead waiting until Teardrops had their back turned while flying to vanish into the shadows. If he could not get the cadets to speak to him openly, then he would have them speak among themselves and listen from the shadows. Stepping in the back way, Riding Rain still could not find the cook, although somehow, all the food had been prepared and cooking dishes cleaned. The speed and silence with which the cook was able to appear, cook food, and then disappear was disturbing to Riding, and although he inspected the cooking area for any signs of poison, he had yet to find anything odd about this other than the apparent lack of a cook. Probably for the better, last time we had a cook he was a surly jerk, and that didn't ever end well for any of us, including him, the bastard.

Riding ducked near the countertops and stayed right behind them after he heard every set of hooves pass and go settle down, using his bat pony hearing to hear over the countertop as he used his wing to snag a mango idly and suck on it behind the counter. He had not truly taken time to imagine how talking to the new cadets would go, but he had not expected them to be so distant. Perhaps they needed time to warm up to the Night Guard? Yes, that must be it. Then again, Night Guard were not always known for their comradery, and perhaps these ponies were just as damaged? Just as in need of learning that friends count, even in the Night Guard. Riding pushed the intrusive thoughts away as he listened in on the conversation from afar.

"Did you bring the books, no name?" A bat pony, with a gruff voice, asked.

"It's Teardrops." There was a faint tinge of snark in Teardrops voice, one that Riding hadn't seen today. It was not disdainful, however her words clarified, "Of course I brought the books. Here, they're under the table." Riding heard a shuffling of hooves, trays, and then paper as several thuds slapped down on the table.

"This is so weird, isn't it? The wings, the hearing, the sight. All of it. It's just like those books we found said." A different bat pony remarked, further away from the others.

"Not as weird as our teacher casually sitting next to us on the first breakfast." The first bat pony with the gruff voice remarked.

"Starshadows, I do not think he is a teacher." Teardrops voice moved, as if leaning over something, "Nightwing and Moonbeam were totally correct when they saw him, I told you. The first night I asked him who he was and he confirmed it. He's just here to help us get used to being bat ponies."

"No name- I mean, Teardrops, If these books are correct we should be just as concerned about him as most of these other Night Guard. It says they killed a lot of ponies, a lot of royal guard! You feel safe knowing that ponies like that are training us? I thought they were just stories, you know, made up to scare little ponies at night." A voice that Riding now associated with Starshadows said.

"I wonder how many of these other stories are real..." A louder toned, however distinct in it's femininity, bat pony said.

"I am not too sure. Dreamwalking by bat ponies? The ability to step into the shadows and appear wherever you want? Manipulate light and darkness? Command ponies? ...Riding Rain, he seems harmless enough, despite all the knives, we could just ask!" Teardrops rattled off a list, although the final comment made Riding Rain suppress a cough from his hidden location.

"No!" Several other bat ponies squeaked back at Teardrops, and Riding heard Teardrops audibly reel back into their chair. There was some silence, and Riding could hear several pages being flipped here and there. then the sound of something being pulled out of a folder.

"What about this?" Starshadows said, his hoof moving off the table and holding something.

"Honestly, I do not even want to talk about that unless we know we aren't being spied upon." the feminine voice stated. Riding heard the ponies look around, and then heard whatever was in the pony's hoof disappear.

I will not be the one blamed for the Night Guard going soft. This is not foalschool, mysterious note passing will not be allowed. Riding was about to try and guess who had hidden the note away, when his question was answered.

"Let's meet at the bar then. Right at sunrise in our helmets. I heard bat ponies do not go out during the day and so even if it's uncomfortable, we will not be spied on. We could crack the door open so they cannot "shadowstep" in there, or whatever." Starshadows said, adding "I'll bring the note with me."

Riding heard some nods of agreement and "mhm's" and "yes" from other bat ponies as they continued eating. Riding had long since finished his mango, and ducked out back to the kitchen, leaving the shrivled fruit on the counter and stepping into the back area, behind the mess hall. There was a fence in the distance, although whatever purpose it served, Riding was not sure now, it seemed a little overgrown with weeds and small trees.

I have a terrible feeling about this. Mysterious notes and Éther being potentially not being involved in that aspect of it has way too many red flags. Maybe Teardrops would tell me what is in the note? I'll have to find out after practice.

Riding Rain trotted around the mess hall towards the far side of the bleachers, and then took a bit of a running leap and jumped towards the sky, flapping his wings and gaining altitude towards the higher wind currents. In the mountains, the pegasi did not manage the air currents as well, just enough to allow for safe travel. Riding was glad that night flying was not an activity most pegasi enjoyed, because in a few moments none of them would be flying unless prepared. Smacking the air, Riding pulled himself just short of the cloud layer, looking at the black clouds that seemed to move way too fast next to puffy white ones. This just so happened to be a perfect night for this, and why would it not be? Equestria always had the perfect weather arranged for it, except for the notable times when an individual would specifically choose to not have it so.

Riding flapped his wings and gave them several beats, closing his eyes and feeling the currents around him grow wilder, fall out of proper circulation, and become confused. He was not a weather pony, and never had any intention to become one, however he had enough time training with day guards and other night guard to learn how to disrupt air currents. When airborne, it was equally important to have combat superiority as it was to have control of flight. Any circumstance to rob your training partner or worse, a foe, could prove to end any conflict without further violence and potentially, without weapons. These thoughts swirled with Riding as he descended back down, satisfied with how wild the air was now. It was like home, like Silverfield. As if no pegasi had ever managed those air currents.

Riding had his eyes closed when he heard incredibly soft hoofsteps approaching, and opened his eyes. He was sitting in the bleachers, waiting for the lunch break to be over, and looked next to him to see Éther standing there with another bat pony that was familiar to him. Her body was covered with cloth, hiding all of her features like a mourner, with darkened armor that reflected light back at any sources that would try to reveal her, and thus blinding others.

"Hello Éther... and, it's been a long time, Nightshade." Riding Rain said to both of them, addressing the gloomy bat pony with the second name. Nightshade might have let out a snort, but Riding was not sure if it was simply not her just breathing heavily. She shrugged and produced a box, some sort of large case, and set it down on some lower bleachers.

"What the hell is this?" Riding asked, looking the box over before looking back at Éther. Only Éther was no longer there, only Nightshade.

"New training weapons. Traditional wooden ones are already in a box at your cabin for them. Luna wants the new cadets trained in these, as well." Nightshade opened the case with some loose unicorn magic, which she retained a little control over even in her bat pony form, flicking the case open. Riding pulled back a blanket that was over the top and looked at a set of objects designed to be attached to a hoof. Some were shorter, barely larger than a hoofshoe, others were longer and seemed to be disassembled, almost as long as a pony.

"Nightshade..." Riding's voice gave warning and edge, but Nightshade cut him off.

"Luna's orders. Do not make a fool of yourself." Nightshade said.

"Wait, can we-" Riding felt his voice die. He had stood up and raised a hoof out, but Nightshade had already turned away. She did stop for a brief moment, but did not look back. Then she was gone, stepping into shadows that enveloped her and then left no trace. Dammit. Riding looked down at the box, kicking at the bleachers. As much as he felt he aught to think about his feelings over this right now, he realized there was not much time- the new cadets were trickling back out, and Riding felt around in the box, looking for a note. Sure enough, there was one of Éther's trademark notes.

Riding,

Ensure that when you teach the new cadets how to blind fight, you issue each of them one of these. Keep the packs in the bottom hidden, help them get target practice.

Signed

Ether

Riding was already disdainfully looking at the box and considering burying the entire thing, but he knew since both Nightshade and Éther had seen him get the box, he could not get away with that. He did not trust these new weapons, and he couldn't foresee any reason why Equestria would have need for them. This said, he had seen a disturbing trend of them being issued to far, far too many guards, even to local constabulary had been issued more of these than they had ponies. Riding closed the box for the moment, jumping and gliding down to meet the new cadets. Given the choices of where to take their training next, he was not going to issue them these new weapons until he absolutely had no choice.

Riding Rain fell downwards, breaking his fall and landing, looking at the cadets as they lined up. Riding looks down the line, thinking about what to say, then back at the bleachers, then back to the cadets. The wind blew a little colder now due to the disrupted air currents, but otherwise, everything seemed at peace on the surface. Riding Rain looked upwards, then back down at the cadets.

"I would like all of you to continue practicing flying for tonight. I am going to be giving you special training that I was not specifically asked to do, however, I hope you will be thankful for it one day in the future if you need it." Riding paused, and then gestured a hoof upwards, towards the clouds. "Please do not fly above the treeline, I have disrupted the air currents there to make them like my homeland. As you all know who I am and the stories, I am indeed from Silverfield. In Silverfield, the air currents are wild and untamed. If you are ever sent beyond Equestria, you can expect to potentially encounter weather that is not as tame or worse, wild. Those of you familiar with the Everfree Forest can infer enough about what I mean."

One of the ponies in the line raised a hoof, and Riding pointed to the grey bat pony, near Teardrops. They took a step forward, and then coughed, saying, "Is it safe? To fly in those conditions?"

"No." Riding Rain was short with his reply, watching the grey bat step back into line. "However, short of the end of all Equestria, if you can learn to fly in those wind currents and avoid any inclement weather, you will be able to fly anywhere... Which, reminds me." Riding Rain closed his eyes behind his sunglasses, thinking back to his own lessons here.

"You do not have to stand in a line with me here. I am not the Captain. You may all relax if you wish. Sit down, rest yourselves." Riding watched and saw Teardrops take a seat, and after a few moments, the other cadets seemed to relax as well, although they did not quite make themselves comfortable.

"The Night Guard here, is a place of opportunity. I noticed some of your new names already, so you have that figured out. They do not normally tell you about this unless you ask- however, I think it best to be straightforward." Riding turned to face the cadets. "There is nothing that can prevent you from being the pony you wish to be other than your orders, yourself, and the other Night Guard. We are more than just a guard, we all find our places. We do what no pony else can do, because no pony else can."

"More than just fly like bats and see in the dark, then?" The feminine voice, who Riding identified as the lavender pony, said.

"Your name?" Riding asked.

"Moonbeam, sir." Moonbeam replied.

Riding gave a nod, then turned towards them directly. "Yes. Until such time as the Captain of the Night Guard arrives to teach you combat training, or unless any of the other senior bat ponies make themselves known, I will be responsible for teaching all of you about such topics. I do not know most of the answers about the Night Guard, but I can find you the pony that does if I do not."

"And what topics can you teach us about?" Moonbeam pushed further.

Riding glared behind his sunglasses. "I can teach you to stay alive and keep other ponies alive."

Moonbeam glanced hesitantly at the other bat ponies, and seemed to choose it was unwise to push the topic further. Riding beckoned to the group, pointing towards the yard. "Remember, not above the treeline, I do not wish to spend my evening untangling you from trees, although it would not be the first time I dug a bat pony out of tree limbs." Riding Rain stopped speaking under his breath, unsure if the cadets had attuned their hearing quite enough to hear him yet, "Actually, I bet I could still find that same tree Midnight crashed into..." Riding coughed, looking back up at the cadets. "In any case! Practice your flying. If you have specific interests, then I want your name before I teach you or request a bat pony to help teach you. Once you all have basic gliding down, we will work on trying the higher air currents tomorrow night."

Riding turned, looking at the bleachers and closing his eyes as he felt the space around him compress, squeezing the air out of his lungs as he took a sharp breathe in on the other side, finding himself standing in the bleachers. he heard a couple gasps from the other bat ponies, with exception of Teardrops. Riding closed the box in the bleachers and hoisted it onto his back before taking another breath, and feeling air compress around him once more as he found himself outside the rear of the bar. Riding set down the box taking a few heavy breathes, rattling the door and pushing it open before dragging the handle of the box in with his mouth. Darn, this thing is heavy.

Riding kept moving until he found himself behind the bar, pulling the box into the storeroom with many bottles of distilled liquids and other bottles. Closing the door with a wingclaw, Riding looked out at the bar. He was not used to seeing this room from behind the counter, and noted that the cook who usually served as the bartender still was not present. Stepping back into the night air, Riding went to go check his cabin, confirming the second box's location, and then flying back towards the bleachers.

Riding Rain landed on the bleachers and looked out at the field, counting the cadets, but finding himself short one pony. Short, exactly, the shortest of the new cadets. Riding turned his head to look at the other end of the bleachers, seeing the purple hued iris in both of Teardrops eyes looking his way.

"Can you teach me to do that?" Teardrops asked quietly, the excitement in their voice obvious. "Do you just fly really really really fast? Or is that like, bat pony magic?"

Riding Rain looked down, declining to answer. Telling the truth is not right here. To be honest, I do not know what it is I do when I do this. It's not shadowstepping, but it is something else.

"Oh, alright." Teardrops said, looking down, before looking back up, towards right above the treeline. "Can you take me up there? Teach me?"

Riding looked above the treeline, then over at Teardrops. At first it had been endearing, and he understood what it was like to have a pony with the mindset of Teardrops, but now he felt irked in the slightest. Maybe he could make some sort of bargain here? Yes, that's it.

"I will make you a promise Teardrops." Riding stopped, looking up at the sky. "Tell me what you really want, why are you really here. What is it that you thought you would find in the Night Guard? Do not tell me flying, I know you are here to fly. But there is something more in your eyes, they betray you."

Teardrops moved closer, sitting across a break in the bleachers and looking over still. "What do you mean?"

"I'm just curious what you intend to do after you are done learning to fly. What are you really looking for in the Night Guard? You can be anypony that you want to be here, you have freedom. If you tell me that, I'll help you get there." Riding paused, looking over, but not direct into Teardrops eyes. "When I joined the Night Guard my eyes were painful like yours. I do not want to see another pony have that kind of pain, I can see your suffering, and you do not have to explain it."

"That seems like a lot of extra care." Teardrops said, "You don't treat the others that way."

Riding looked down at the ground below the bleachers. "Consider it part of me saying sorry to the Night Guard and Princess Luna, for my past. You, Starshadows, Moonbeam, and Nightwing all seem to have plenty of plenty of your own ideas."

Teardrops tapped their hoof, looking around a bit, then finally speaking after the moon had moved a bit in the sky. "You saved the Night Guard though. No matter what you did, isn't that enough of a sorry? You did what you had to do."

"I'm not that pony anymore." Riding replied. "That was my story, I want to make sure a pony that has pain in their eyes can make their own story the way I never had a chance to."

"You did make your own story, though." Teardrops countered. "I want that. I want my own story. I want to be... somepony."

"No more specifics?" Riding asked.

"Well. I want to be a fast flier. Like the legendary Rainbow Dash, and- I want to be cool. and you know, do things that matter?" Teardrops answered.

"Fame may not come in the way you want in the Night Guard." Riding looked over at Teardrops, who shook their head.

"Not fame. I mean if it happens alright." Teardrops said. "I am not very good at this kind of thing- uh," Teardrops stopped suddenly, a fleeting sign of pain flashing in those eyes. Riding caught it, but he was not quite sure what it was.

"Not one for romance and emotion? Do not talk to Éther much then, she puts emotion into every single word she has ever spoken." Riding commented.

Teardrops rolled her eyes, "Yeah, she called it love language. Bleh. more like the sap language."

Riding Rain suppressed a laugh, passing it off as a chuckle and a cough together. "She probably knows how you feel before you do. She has the best spies."

"What's her job, anyway? Do you know?" Teardrops asked.

Riding shrugged. "Officially, she is a lawyer. The Canterlot Intelligence Agency handles most of the spying that isn't done by the Night Guard. Yet, Éther always seems to know everything they know, sometimes before they know it. Assume anything you say or think, Éther knows before you know it sometimes. That's just how she is."

"Spooky." Teardrops commented, kicking their hooves. "Alright, well I can tell you I do not want that. Can you teach me how to not be spied on by her and the... what did you call it?"

"The Canterlot Intelligence Agency." Riding reminded.

"Yes, them. can you teach me how to avoid them so I can live my own life and be somepony?" Teardrops asked.

"Yes." Riding said, glancing away.

Teardrops blinked, stopping the kicking of their hooves and looking over. "Wait, really?"

Riding smirked to himself. This is one thing I can teach you, little Teardrops. It also will give me access to your dreams!

"What do you dream about at night?" Riding Rain asked.

Teardrops blinked again, "That's a pretty personal question for a teacher to ask their student, isn't it?"

"Not for us." Riding Rain replied. "Bat ponies have the ability to communicate with one another through dreams, we never, truly, sleep. We may rest, we may choose to be unconscious, but I have learned that it is impossible for us to actually stop. We continue to exist in the waking moments whether we move our body or not. They do not tell you about that when you sign up."

"And, it is possible for me to learn these skills? Can any bat learn them?" Teardrops leaned forward with eagerness in their eyes.

Riding chuckled again. "Not from the others here. Come on, let's go for a fly before we talk more."

"That is such a suspicious thing to say." Teardrops replied, flapping their wings as Riding did the same and they took off, gliding. However, Riding glided them upwards towards the treeline, taking a sharp turn upwards as Teardrops hovered, hesitating for a second.

"You want to learn how to fly in the upper air currents? To have the ability to fly anywhere?" Riding asked Teardrops, pausing and looking down at the orange bat. Teardrops looked down at the ground, then up at the sky and pushed forward, beating their bat wings so hard Riding was given a little pause as they broke into the upper air currents. Riding was right behind Teardrops, feeling the wild wind buffet him as he watched Teardrops struggle to regain balance. Teardrops nearly fell straight down as their wings failed them. Riding hit a little wind their way and flew up behind them, gesturing his head to the side.

"React to the wind, do not let it control you, but do not fight it." Riding Rain said. "Further up, they cannot hear us over the wind!"