Frozen Through the Ages

The Night Guardhouse could have been a much more impressive building. In fact, you could almost mistake it for any number of town-owned storehouses or district-sanctioned housing. It was a simple, plain stone building. A couple windows, a front and back entry, and a sign nailed into the wall beside said entries. The sign read in bold white font. "The Night House". If I had to guess, black doesn't really show up well at two in the morning. It was just past sunset. The light was fading quickly, and the streets were already thin with those trying to beat the solar timer.

The day before my arrival had been relatively peaceful. I slept in and made my way into town myself. If I was old enough to get work, I was old enough to get there on my own. If I was jumping muzzle first into the night shift, I'd have to be. Father seemed rather nonplussed on the subject. He simply shrugged it off and trusted me to do what I needed to. It was so terribly like him. I often wondered if he realized not every job was like the docks. There, you floundered or succeeded on merit. Father was in charge and gave everypony an equal chance to sink on their own. There were even a few griffons that worked the ships and cargo. Imports were manageable in our neck of the woods. With Baltimare being nearby, we were used more for surplus than the big hauls. Father worked his docks like they were the grandest in the whole Alicorndom.

I remember the first time I'd been brought by the docks. The brine and sweat could be smelled a mile away. The noise and excitement made me smile back then. Dam had brought me by on Father's birthday. Back then, the paranoia hadn't made it out to the small towns yet.

I shook my head and returned my gaze to the Night House, named by whoever decided to put a sign out front. I took a single deep breath and knocked on the door. Silence. I knocked again. Not a sound. "Fine," I pushed the heavy iron-barred wooden door. The wood scratched against stone, and the room beyond was awash in the flickering of torchlight.

"How frightening," Freya said. She flew through the wall and waved her hooves in a dramatic flourish. If it had been frightening, it wasn't now.

I slowly made my way into the room proper. It was rather drab, with a single desk facing the door, a couple of lit torches, and a single rough mat in the center.

"Hello?" I called into the foyer. The rustle of paper was followed by a whispered curse. I shook my head. I wasn't alone, at least.

"Give me a second. Blasted courier went and scattered the delivery notes from here to Trottingham," the same voice from before assured. I stifled a laugh and took the chance to close the front door behind me. A typical pony would have felt both out of place and blinded once the creaking door closed with a thud. The dim light played shadows across every wall. The muted sounds of crackling and snaps from the fires left any number of imagined phantoms in every corner. It was fortunate that my eyes weren't so typical. In these conditions, finding a thestral was easiest. Theirs, and my own eyes, for that matter, seemed to glow in the dark. Was it these same eyes that gave away my heritage yesterday?

"Okay," I acquiesced.

"Fussin' mess, I tell ya," my greeter said, rising from behind the front desk with a hard sniff. To no surprise, she was a thestral. A maroon coat with a richer red mane. It screamed monstrous bloodsucker so hard it was almost comical. She looked up from the stack of papers she'd been collecting, planting them on the desk with a slap. Her eyes were silver, so bright they were almost unmistakable from her whites.

"Oh, she's pretty," Freya said with a giggle.

"What can I do for yah?" the mare asked. Her voice was nearly as muted as the decor of the room. Deep enough, it was left ambiguous on its own. "Little colt."

I coughed into a hoof. "I'm here to see Sergeant Foresight."

"The sergeant, aye?" The mare tapped her chin before her eyes sparkled in delight. "You're the foal; he's taken underwing, right? Belfry's little one. Good to have ya, good to have ya little colt."

"Thanks?" I cocked my head, looking over my shoulder at the door and back to the mare. The question was if I was prepared for whatever Foresight had planned. The giddy sparkle in the mare's eye struck an instinctual chord in my soul.

"Aye, the name is Corporal Levvy, by the by," the mare said, offering a relaxed salute and wink.

"Is that…" Foresight strolled into the room, a mug in one hoof and a sack on his back. "...There he is, glad you made it." Foresight smiled and eyed his companion. "Levvy is not giving you any trouble. Are you Corporal?"

"Aye, I mean, nay, not a bit. Just introduced myself, is all."

"I'm Glacial Zero, sorry. You caught me a bit off guard, ma'am," I said, striking a salute of my own. Both guards smiled, but the look they gave one another left some unspoken comment. One I am sure I would not appreciate.

"None of that ma'am stuff here, Colt. I work for a living. If ya need a title, Corporal is fine. But I prefer Levvy if it is all the same."

"Don't mind her. The corporal is just a bit excitable. As I'm sure you could guess, we don't get many recruits." Foresight took a draft of his mug and motioned me along. His mane gained in bounce with every sip of his favored beverage. "Follow me. We'll give you the grand tour. Then, we can get down to the fat of it."

"Right behind you, sir," I said. I fell in line behind the sergeant, Levvy, offering a wave as we entered the next room.

The second equally dark and drab room in the Night House was whatever would pass as the main office. This room had several more desks and a chandelier swinging gently in an invisible breeze. Each candle flickered and sputtered but never entirely burned out. A single window was seen on the wall facing the street I'd arrived from. Among these desks, two more thestrals sat doing whatever it was guards at desks did.

"Oi, Sergeant, that the new blood?" one of the guards asked. Another mare, this one's colors seemed to stand opposite Levvy's own coat as if all the color was pulled from their fur. This mare was a stark white with a raven black mane and tail. A mane and tail that stood on end in every direction. I feared that this poor pony may not have been informed there was a modern marvel known as a comb. Her cobalt eyes trained on my every move.

"Yes, it is, Glacial, meet Private Distant Point. Private, this is Glacial Zero."

Distant Point waved. "Nice to meet you, new blood."

"Nice to meet you too, Private."

"She's an interesting one, isn't she?" Freya said. She attempted a ribbing only to slide too close and leave her nudging leg ghosting through my opposite wing.

"About time we got some help around here. These are trying times."

The other guardmare had her eyes glued to a folder of some kind. Her desk was a mess; papers were strewn everywhere, ink blots stained the wood, and some even bled into the mare's hooves. The mare in question seemed on the brink of toppling over. Her gentle purple coat flickered in odd hues under the chandelier's light. Her long, curly mane was a gray that rendered any guesses on her age nigh impossible. Her eyes, though, were only made more cutting in the dull light. Her slitted amber eyes, much like the Sergeant’s, if he could bother acting with any intensity at all.

"You can say that again, Dossy," Distant Point said with a chuckle.

"Right, Glacial, meet our local intelligence officer on sight, Private First Class Clean Dossier.

We call her Dossy for short," Foresight said. He took another long draft of his drink and waited out the baleful look his subordinate issued.

"I hate that name. You know I hate that name."

"And?" Distant Point asked.

Dossier growled and waved an ink-stained hoof with such fervor she spattered a fresh coat over the papers she'd been looking over. Foresight puckered his lip and nudged me with a wing. "You get used to it, eventually."

I didn't know what there was to get used to. It was clear the group was close, too few to not get some level of intimacy. Still, I had to wonder, what kept them here? They stayed in a town that bordered on hating them. It was vexing. It made no sense.

"Where's Glider?" Foresight asked.

"Last I checked, she got a letter. So, reading it, I guess." Distant Point looked to the door opposite the way we'd entered. "Who knows how far behind the times it is? The snow in those parts doesn't make a courier fleet of hoof, that's for sure."

"Right, too few letters these nights," Foresight said. He walked toward the aforementioned door and waved me over. "This way goes to the cells and my office past that. We'll introduce ya to my number two and then sit down for the orientation. Faust be damned before I lead anypony on misinformation. That includes…" Foresight leaned down. His obfuscated nonchalance was replaced with a dire severity. It was enough to startle me rigid. "...the nonsense the daywalkers have going around in those empty heads of theirs."

"Oh dear, do I smell a hint of tragedy and heartache?" Freya asked. She took an exaggerated sniff and nodded. "Yep, that's sorrow, alright."

You didn't need empathic abilities or tulpa smells to see the dark peeking out from behind the sergeant's shining eyes. I offered a silent nod, and Foresight stepped back. Freya tittered in rapt attention, floating around Foresight like a buzzard over a starving deer.

"Mostly the horned ones, if you ask me."

From behind, Foresight walked, whom I can only guess was Glider. The mare looked ready to run a marathon. She bounced from hoof to hoof, eyes darting between Foresight and my own. She flexed her wings and smirked.

"Corporal First Class, Night Glider, at your service, Mr. Belfry Spawn." She offered a crisp salute while still bouncing in place. Foresight stepped aside, and Glider was off at a trot. She zipped through the office and was out the main door in a flash.

"Always on the move," Foresight said. He led me back to the single separated office in the back corner of the Night House. His office. It had a plaque to the side and everything. He strolled in without a second thought and took his seat behind his desk. A desk that was too large for the relatively small, closet-like room it occupied. A stool sat in front of the desk. The plain wooden three-legged seat was there for my benefit. Much like me, it felt small and out of place. Having me stand would have been fine. I like the feel of the cold floor under my hooves. It would have been a preference even if I wasn't a third Foresight's height and eye level with the desk's lip. I climbed onto the stool. The seat wobbled under my weight. "She's on first sweep tonight. I'll have to introduce you properly later. If you don't mind."

I shook my head. "Not at all, sir."

"Good, so that was the team. Dossy was right earlier. We desperately need the help. Only a few thestrals were left in the area and fewer who'd want to be in the Night Guard. The Nightmare may have ended for the daywalkers, but not ours, not yet."

There it was, simple as could be. It made sense. The Night Guard was the prime and easiest target for any anti-thestral sentiment. It was not a lie to say thestrals sided with Luna's new persona. It was, at best, a half-truth. The Night Guard did not side with Nightmare Moon, but that fact seemed to escape most other ponies. I offered a gentle smile. The sergeant sighed and offered a sad smile of his own.

"Not trying to scare you, Colt. But the facts are the facts. Most thestrals have been making their way east to escape that nonsense."

The part was common knowledge. Even if it wasn't, it hit a little too close to home for my liking. The Thestral Colony in the mountains to the east was where Dam had gone. That's what Father said. He'd said as little as he could back then. The mountains were prone to a nearly eternal blizzard. It made it hard for a mob of peasants with pitchforks and torches to go thestral culling. That and the cave systems were, from what little I've heard, a labyrinth. So, for the most part, those who left for the mountains were allowed to leave. The crown was unaware of how many survived the exodus. The worst of the mob relished in the fantasy of total eradication. Those of us with any sense left thought better.

"I know, sir, and I appreciate it."

"Right, well, on a similar note, I wanted to go over what I saw yesterday and answer any questions you may have about the guard or thestrals at large. I realize my offer was a bit unorthodox and rather sudden."

"At least Foresight is being forthright. Isn't that a breath of fresh air these days?" Freya said. She encircled the office as a casual breaststroke, eyes glued to the ceiling.

She was right. It was a relief to some degree. Foresight seemed the honest sort. He didn't have to get involved yesterday. He could have simply rolled over and gone back to sleep. Yet he’d made his presence known. He’d met the situation with amber eyes on target and navy wings spread wide. Dirk certainly wasn't being all that pleasant at the time. Breach was nice, though. I hope she wasn't out of line when she went to find my father.

"I have a few, but this is an apprenticeship interview, so maybe we start with that?" I had questions, too many if I were honest. I'd take the chance to weed out the ones that could wait while I heard out what Foresight had offered. I'm sure he had a few of his own on top of everything else.

"That seems fair. So, as you've seen and have been mentioned. The Night Guard is understaffed, underequipped, and mostly left to fend for ourselves. That isn't to say the crown has forsaken us completely, but the further you go, the fewer eyes there are to keep track of what is and is not happening."

"Are the cities better?" I asked.

Foresight breathed in through his teeth and gave a flimsy shrug. "Depends on what you classify as better. Her Highness intervenes more in cities like Baltimare, but the denser the population, the more chances for things to go wrong. I have to wonder if I should be telling a colt so young about such things to begin with?"

I shrugged. "Not sure. I appreciate the honesty, though. Princess Celestia can't be everywhere at once; it can't fall on her to make everypony get along."

Foresight coughed out a laugh, hoof rapping against his chest as he dissected my thoughts. That is what he gets, underestimating me, Hal, and maybe Freya. You get enough crazies together, and we are bound to say something clever occasionally.

"That's true enough. So, tell ya what I'm gonna do. I'll be as honest and forward as I think Belfry would have been. That does mean there will be things I won't or can't tell you, junior Night Guard or not. That sounds good?"

I shrugged again. "I wouldn't expect to be told everything. That would be incredibly irresponsible. I might even have the gall to send a letter straight to the top. Let's see the sun glare down on Bogwood that day. Oh, woe is Sergeant Foresight. I'd leave flowers on your grave." I added a flourish, covering my face with my forehoof. The sergeant tutted but let my dramatics go.

"That is all one could ask, young Glacial Zero. That is all we could ask."

Foresight scowled over my shoulder. I turned to find a grinning Private Dossier. "Something you need?" Foresight asked.

"You told me to tell you when I found those forms you wanted," Dossier said, waving the form in question. "Found it, sir."

Foresight waved her over. Dossier complied and hoofed over the form. She then gave a crisp salute and left without another word. Foresight scanned the forms, mumbled under his breath, and set the papers aside for the moment.

"Everything okay, sir?" I asked.

"Forms for local apprenticeship approval, appraisal, and submissions. We can't rightly have you working under the governance of Equestria without a paper trail," Foresight said dismissively. He made a face between despair and boredom. I'd be hard-pressed to replicate it even if I tried.

"That makes sense."

"It does not make it any less gross," Freya bemoaned.

"With that settled, let's get to the parts we're both here for. The position in question is rather simple. A junior position apprentice shadows, assists, and learns from any and all guards willing to teach. This includes laws, paperwork, aerial positions, procedures, and especially, with your talents in mind, detaining possible felons. Normally, that one is for somepony other than new blood, as Private Point had put it. But after yesterday, it'd be an utter waste to make you sit there and watch when and if you can assist. Though, and I say this, knowing what your parents can and would do to me, that is in no way suggesting you play hero and never act without the permission of a senior Night Guard. Has all of that made sense so far?"

I nodded along. It all fell into what I'd have assumed. The last bit was interesting; I left some impression that he was already waiving tradition for me. However, that could also be due to the lack of pony power. It did leave me with a clawing concern. "You know my magic isn't exactly normal, right, for pegasi or thestrals?"

That earned a smirk as Foresight leaned over his desk. "That's what I'm counting on, actually. I've never seen a non-unicorn pull off what you did yesterday. So, ice broken, pun intended. What exactly is your talent besides freezing ponies to the road? I mean, its limits and overall core tenets."

My ear flicked." Tenets, sir?"

"The rules that dictate your special talent, your mark, and where it begins and ends. Every pony's special talent falls within four major tenets…" Something in Foresight's amber eyes sparked, and he slapped a hoof to the desktop. "...Gah and I just realized the only reason I know them is because of E.U.G. classes."

My other ear flicked. “E.U.G.?”

"Equestrian United Guard. The collective name for the Day Guard, the Night Guard, and the Royal Guard. I took classes a couple of years older than you when I was a colt. I always knew the military was my place, but getting a command without certain studies and experiences is almost impossible. You'd be surprised at what you learn."

"Including tenets?"

"Yes, including tenets." Foresight took an exaggerated breath. "The four tenets are Purpose, Form, Element, and Method. As far as anypony that's looked into it can explain, every mark and talent falls into each."

"Huh, that makes sense," I said. In all honesty, cutie marks having rules of some sort should be expected. I'd have thought it would be a bit further in the timeline. Almost one thousand years before Nightmare Moon returns, and the scholars already knew this much? It made me wonder just how slowly certain areas of study move forward, but those magically based jumped in leaps and bounds at seemingly random if I believe what Hal remembers.

"Right, so, firstly, we have a Purpose. If you ask me, this one is the easiest, even for foals. It is often the one that triggers your mark for the first time. It's the why of your talent. Why did blank happen? For you, that'd be?"

"The lamp fire I put out." It may have been rhetorical, or it may have been fishing for insight, but I didn't have a reason to hide it either way.

Foresight nodded. "The fire, in this instance, was the catalyst and your desire to put it out was the Purpose for your talent at the time."

"That's quite the way to pigeonhole a poor pony into the future. Oh, I chopped down a tree. I must be a logger. It turns out they're just good with an ax in general. Poor silly ponies, when will they ever learn." Freya swooned, twisting in a ragdoll's dance over the desk.

It took a lot not to wave her away, even if she made a good point. Purpose is often defined by those around you. That is what stimulated a culture to do this or that. Hal wasn't the best at history, but he knew enough that I now knew enough to know that knowing was dangerous, which was ever the mental tongue twister.

"Second, we have form. If Purpose is the desire, the form is what you perform, act on, manifest, or fulfill the Purpose. Are you still following me?"

I nodded along. "Yeah, I wanted to stop the fire, So I created ice to solve the problem."

Foresight seemed to be leaving out things, whether on purpose or not. The tenets would have to have more to them than simply willing things to happen or change. Magic could not be that simple. If it was, then my talent wouldn't be seen as strange. The question was, what separated the magics of each tribe, and why could a horn distinguish the array of magic one could perform? Neither Hal nor Glacial could answer such questions. The books I'd been lent were almost as vague, and those were meant for unicorns.

"Thirdly, we have the Element. If you ask me, the name is misleading.

I cock a brow. "Oh, so my ice isn't an element anymore. That's a bit disappointing. I was beginning to like the whole mancer thing." I said with a grin. Foresight snorted. And I cracked into a fit of giggles.

"It seems fate conspires against you, Colt."

I swung my pale blue hoof in mock annoyance. "Well darn."

"But to get back on track. Element is the classification of one's talent. There are lists of various rules the ponies up in Canterlot use to define each talent for everypony. It all goes over my head. I work for a living, after all. Though if any of that nonsense seemed important, it'd be that most are either active or passive, and action or inaction. So, just remember that some pompous scholar thinks they know you better than you." Foresight leaned back in his chair and threw up his hooves in pedantic surrender. He emulates the action with gusto.

I looked around the room. Each shadow, every rustle of the air, where any of these so-called scholars might be hiding in wait. "I didn't realize that was new?"

"Smart colt, your dam teach you that?"

"I wasn't aware somepony needed to teach you that."

Foresight seemed to consider something before ultimately dismissing it and offering a constrained pucker of his lips. "I'd hope no foal would need to learn that at your age. But these are strange times we're living in."

"I miss Dam." I'd thought I'd only said that in my head. I could still remember the day she'd left. Everypony tried to bury it, not forget, just… move on. Both before and after Hal appeared, I'd never bought it.

Dam left, and it wasn't her fault. Ever since Luna snapped, Equestria has been veering into anger and grief with frightening speed. I might resist the cold in the air now. But that thought chilled me to the bone. I only noticed I'd said something when Sergeant Foresight, head of the Bogwood and local area Night Guard, jolted in place. It'd been nearly too quick to catch, just the briefest look of hurt and anger.

"So do I, Colt, so do I."

We sat in silence for an unknown length of time. In the background, you might see one of the other guards wander by, but they left us be. Even Freya took the time to wrap me in an ethereal hug and simply be there. I didn't cry. I didn't feel any need to. I'd wailed back when she left when Sire told me she wasn't coming back. I didn't want to believe him. I didn't want to understand why she left. I'd crumble under the weight of the situation. I still hated everything before and after that morning. That day had been bright and sunny, and there was not a cloud in the sky. In hindsight, the trope of rain to pair with my anguish feels almost as bad as the opposite.

I'd had my fill of silence. I coughed into a hoof and pointed to the Sergeant." There's one more tenet, right, sir?" It took a moment for Foresight to gather his thoughts. He didn't let it show. Not a single muscle on his face so much as twitched. It was apparent all the same. It was the same thing Father did whenever he started thinking about Dam.

"Method, that's the last of them. It's the how of it all. How does your talent affect you, others, and the world around you? It's also the one your talent seems to spit in the face of. Both because the how doesn't fit into what we know pegasi can do and how it manifested even ignoring the tribal attributes."

"Every rule needs an exception, don't they?" I asked. My throat was raw, and the words were clumsy and slow. It fired a bolt of irritation down my spine. My tail whipped about in accordance. "Whatever that means, Method or not."

"If I may give my own theory?"

Foresight did not need to ask permission. The fact he did felt comical. He was one of the highest authorities in town, even if the nag like Bright Whimsey begged to differ. I appreciated it all the same.

"Of course, sir. Any ideas are welcomed because I'm just about out."

"In the case of your cutie mark, I believe the Method is backward. It wasn't how your talent affected the world but how the world affected your talent. Pegasi can already manipulate the weather. This simply removes the secondary requirement of clouds and such. Your talent is no more impossible than spellcraft is for a unicorn." Foresight leaned back in his chair. "Or, maybe not."

I wasn't sure I followed the sergeant's logic. I also had only just now learned about the tenets as a concept. It was more than enough to take in all at once. The idea that the rules were molding me to their design was not a thought I relished. However, it might explain why a foal gets an unorthodox talent every so often. I need more information, time, and a meeting with Celestia. If anypony could make sense of this nonsense, it'd be the nigh immortal ruler of Equestria. Even if she is a bit younger than the memories in my head knew. I hope that if I did meet her at some point, her youth wouldn't get me bisected. If I told her the truth, or if she could just pull it from me via alicorn powers.

"That sounds confusing."

Foresight nodded. "Yes, it does. Now, let's wrap this interview of ours up, proper like. I don't think it needs saying, but I'll say it anyway: I'd like you to join us here at the Night Guard. Both because we need the pony power and because I believe that your talent could do some real good. It won't be easy, but it is honest work."

We'd hardly done an interview at all. I had to wonder if he'd have taken any other foal so readily. I'd hate to think I got the offer through nepotism, but it wasn't beyond belief. Foresight clearly missed my dam a lot. I doubt she was the only thestral who'd left he misses. Bogwood wasn't exactly flush with thestrals before they left, at least to the best of my memory. But, it was clear the town was just that much more empty. A small town like ours could feel even a single empty home.

"I hope Father doesn't mind the whole night shift thing. I know he said I should take the job if it felt right, but still."

Foresight tapped a shaggy navy hoof to his cheek. "I'd wager he knows better than you might think. He was married to Belfry, after all."

"But she wasn't a silly little colt," Freya said. She attempted to pinch my cheeks, to no avail. Both because her snow-white appendages could not touch anything and secondly because pinching with hooves is a lot harder than with fingers.

"That won't stop him from worrying."

Foresight frowned. "I'd be far more worried if he wasn't."

I'd find out tonight one way or another. Father meant what he said and said what he'd meant. He'd not have encouraged me the day prior if he had adamantly opposed the work.

"I assume there is some sort of training I'll have to go through?" I asked.

"There is, though at least part of it will need to be on patrol. I'm sure you could guess why."

That made sense. The Night House was depressingly bare. Though at least those still here are lively. Some guard training would be helpful even if, in the future, I moved on to something completely different. An apprenticeship wasn't a decree of fealty. Ponies may be bound to destiny, but destiny is not so cut and dry that the first try is always a perfect fit. I offered a smile and reached a hoof toward the desk. Foresight smirked and tapped my smaller hoof.

"Welcome aboard, Glacial Zero. Oh, and thank you."

"Happy to be of service."

"Good, so, as you might recall, Dossier dropped those forms off a few minutes ago. Some of those will need signatures from you, your father, and me. We'll have you take those with you tonight to get signed. After that, you'll bring those back, and we'll begin your training and duties. The first week or two will be spent learning the rules and verbiage. Once we have that settled, we'll have you shadow patrols. Maybe even get a feel for how we can use that ice of yours. As a last resort, of course, we can't go around freezing every pony that seems up to something."

I pointed a hoof back towards the door. "I'd have to freeze this place solid if that were the case, sir."

Foresight laughed and waved absentmindedly in his comrade's direction. "That is most likely true, yes. Try not to freeze the others if you can help it."

I saluted. "Of course, sir."

Foresight stood and stretched. "Good, that's settled. Let's get you everything you'll need and get you home. I'm sure Weathered is waiting with bated breath.

He most likely was. That thought made me happy as much as I hated the way the thestrals in town were treated. How I was treated when the busybodies thought I couldn't hear them drove my Sire crazy. For every one Mrs. Whomsey, there was a Weathered Horizon, Home Brew, and Bramble Breach. Ponies like them were worth protecting. If all goes well, they won't need my protection. Those three were far from helpless. I'd have the Night Guard to count on if things went wrong.

I wondered if this is what Dam felt when she left—this desire to protect others, even if it wasn't easy. Maybe Foresight had a point when he said my talent's method was backward. Destiny molded me for the trials, not life's trials for me.

If nothing else, at least I wouldn't be leaving Father to carry all the burdens by himself. That had me smile. Foresight led us back to the primary office. Dossier and Point were still at their desks, doing whatever it was they did when not in town. I'm sure I'd become all too aware in the coming nights.

"So, did he take the post, Sarge?" Point asked.

"I did," I answered. The toothy grin Point offered was not reassuring.

"But first, he's got forms to sign and a sire waiting for him at home. Tomorrow, we'll do proper introductions and the like. For tonight, though. I'll be seeing young Glacial home."

"Aye aye, Sarge," Point saluted.

"Good night, Glacial Zero. Maybe tomorrow you can show us that talent the Sergeant was so interested in."

"Oh, that's a great idea, Dossy," Point said, clapping her hooves together. Her already manic grin grew wide enough for me to worry she might hurt herself.

"Privates, I do not recall offering up our young cadet here like some sort of jester. I expect a professional work environment, am I clear?"

"Yes, sir," both mares affirmed. Though Distant Point's grin remained firmly in place. A wild expectation mirroring her mess of a coat and mane. While far more stoic, the look in Dossier's eye did not promise anything less than her devious companion.

"I'm doomed, aren't I, Sarge?"

Foresight grumbled, eyeing his underlings dangerously.

"They're mares, Colt. You were doomed long before today."

"He's right, Glace, we are a wiley bunch," Freya whispered.

"That's what I thought." That said, Foresight ushered me out of the Night House and back towards home.