The Equinid (Undetermined Prologue)

"Good lord, brother; be careful with those boxes of dynamite!" A stallion shouted as wooden crate dropped off of a train car and onto the loading dock in front of him.

The train yards of Fillydelphia were busy, as always. The recent inventions of both the steam and coal powered engines had turned Fillydelphia, which was industrial to begin with, into a landmark of trade, as it rested upon an intersection of railroads that ran outside of Equestria's borders.

Currently, a black, soot-coated locomotive was stopped in a cargo area, where trains would separate from the main track in order to load and unload whatever goods they were carrying.

"Sorry about that one, boss," A cream colored pegasus shouted back down from the top of the train car.

"Don't concern yourself, brother. We're all still alive. But think about what you call me by; I won't have anypony call me 'boss', understood? We didn't stage a revolution to revert things to the way they once were, brother!" The stallion standing on the dock responded.

He was an earth pony, grey in color, clad in a black leather coat with a dark brown scarf around his neck. He wore a similarly black tweed cap on his head, under which his short mane was totally concealed, and he had a black, bushy mustache that made him appear far older than he was.

The pegasus peered back over. "Okay, sorry, Claymore,"

The pony at the base of the car waved his hoof, as if to wipe away the moment. "Like I said, brother: we're all still alive. Now tell the others that we need to get moving with the barrels of gunpowder; we have a schedule to keep."

"Claymore! Is that you?" A voice called.

Claymore turned his head and saw who was addressing him. His slight, ever-present grin grew into a full smile as he responded to the pony that had called him.

"Carton! How have you been, brother?" Claymore said as Carton, along with Twilight and her friends, trotted up a short distance behind him.

"Hey, I like the mustache/sideburns thing you've got going," Carton commented, smiling. "It's been decent, I suppose… just heading to Appleloosa with this group," he said, motioning towards the fillies behind him with his head.

As he finished saying this, a wooden crate crashed to the ground beside him. He jumped a full foot in the air and immediately turned towards it, already in a combat stance. As he stood up and realized that his assailant was a box, Claymore started laughing.

"Still afraid of our own shadow, are we?" Claymore teased, smiling.

Carton frowned. "I told you, I'm not afraid of my shadow. I'm just… prepared for the unexpected."

"Paranoid is what you are, brother."

"I prefer 'wary'"

"Right, well, just keep in mind:" Claymore gave him a friendly jab to the shoulder. "Not every inanimate object is out to kill you."

"Ha," Carton said without a trace of amusement.

"Regardless, it's always good to see a friend in another town, especially a friend of the revolution!" Claymore beamed, putting a foreleg over Carton's shoulder.

"What revolution?" Twilight asked, walking closer to the two.

"Claymore comes from north of Equestria, formerly the Dominion of Richmare. Not many ponies were very happy with the monarchy's meddling in their affairs; you know, taxes and that sort of thing. So those ponies decided to stage a coup-"

"Revolution," Claymore interjected.

"-revolution, which Claymore joined. I was given my second case by him."

"And surely you've heard of the result, brother? Word reached the king overseas! He was willing to work with us, travel here to approve our new democracy, even! He asked for nothing more than military and some economic ties to remain; the rest is left to the ponies of The Union of New Coltbridge! No tariffs on imports unless we say so!" Claymore announced, standing tall with pride.

"That's great Claymore, but I don't think they know what you're talking about," Carton motioned to Twilight's group once more.

"No no, I remember being taught about the causes behind the revolution in Canterlot, so that it wouldn't happen in Equestria," Twilight said. "I hadn't heard anything of it since then; I guess Equestrian news is kind of introverted, we don't talk much about, what do they call them, outlying places."

"No need to apologize, sister!" Claymore exclaimed, although Twilight had not even offered an apology. "As long as you're against the oppression of tyrants, there is always a spot for you among the ponies of the Union!"

"Oh! Uh, thanks; don't worry, I don't support unnecessary taxes on…" Twilight struggled to remember what she had learned, "…sugarcane?" she gambled.

"Ha! She knows of the sugarcane tariffs! I'd say that's more than most ponies can claim!" Claymore nudged Carton, beaming.

"Sugar? I love sugar!" Pinkie Pie added, appearing next to Claymore inexplicably.

"Truly, sister! A wonderful crop, a beneficial part of any strong economy!"

"Right, okay," Carton said, sensing that the point of their visit would soon be forgotten entirely. "You said you brought the cart, wagon, whatever?" Carton asked.

"Ah! Right. I apologize, brother, I was getting carried away," Claymore responded. "Follow me."

Claymore trotted down towards the rear of the train, and after a couple cars, he stopped beside a flatbed car with an object covered by a large piece of cloth.

"Here you are, I'll just get this out of the way, and…" He picked up a rope that the cloth was fastened to in his teeth and yanked on it.

"Whoa!" Carton exclaimed as the parchment fell off. The wagon was much larger than he had anticipated. He had been expecting an average sized cart, only about nine feet long and five feet wide. However, this was around sixteen feet long and seven feet wide, with an elevated area in the front that contained some sort of compartment. It was an open wagon, no indoor room but a large, flat area instead that could be covered with a canopy. It was decoratively carved and painted with patterns and crests of the kingdom.

"Claymore, this is… pretty big," Carton said.

"Yes, well, I thought you might need some extra room, just in case, brother."

Carton rubbed his chin with his hoof. "Are you sure you want to just give it to me? This thing looks expensive."

Claymore raised a hoof and gave it a flourish, as if brushing away a fly. "Brother, cost is of no concern, we possess thousands of military wagons such as this one, there is hardly any consequence to letting one go."

Carton smiled. "I appreciate it, really, I'm being honest; more room never hurt," He leaned in to inspect the wheels.  "How does it do on rough terrain?"

Claymore stood up proudly once more.

"We of the Union are not ones to travel on roads alone, brother! Our engineers have affixed our land vehicles with springs and other mechanisms in order to make them all more land worthy!"

Carton nodded. "You gonna be around here for a while?" he asked.

"We'll be heading to the southwest of Equestria in about two days, brother. Apparently firearms are in high demand in the region."

Carton raised his eyebrows. "You mean those- what was the word- guns? I told you before, they're not gonna catch on, Claymore. Besides you, I've never met anypony who knows what one is."

"That's because you haven't been to the right areas, brother. They will become the future of weaponry, that I guarantee," Claymore pointed with his hoof to emphasize this point.

"Whatever you say. Just don't point any at me; I heard those things are totally unpredictable."

"In some cases, yes. But real marksmen who know what they're doing will be buying our weapons; they should know about the risks, brother."

"And if they don't?" Carton asked.

"Then they'll learn soon enough," Claymore grinned.

"Now let's get your wagon unloaded and ready to go, brother."