Daybreak.
The sun rose high over the open water. It's light played across everything in it's path, revealing all. A sea bird, drifting several miles offshore, floated on the surface of the water. It looked down, seeking it's prey. Below it, a shoal of fish swam, completely oblivious to the imminent threat just above it.
The bird's eye shifted. One fish had drifted away from the school, coming to investigate the upper waters. The bird waited patiently. The fish was almost in striking distance.
Just then, a wave pushed out, knocking the bird from it's course. It took to the sky, looking around for it's meal, but the fish was long gone. The bird raised it's head to investigate the disturbance.
Swiftly approaching were several large ships. The bird's head cocked to one side curiously, and it investigated the boats. On board was a score of creatures the bird had never before seen. They moved about on two legs, pulling on ropes with growths on their arms. They wore strange clothing, and metal objects hung at their sides which gleamed in the light. Uninterested, the bird turned and flew off in the same direction as the ships, toward land. It would be going hungry tonight.
Several days later...
Shining Armor yawned, then rose and scratched his head. He had enjoyed a pleasant sleep last night, something he hadn't been able to do since being made a ruler of the Crystal Empire.
He got out of bed, without any rush. For once, there was no need. Casually making his way downstairs, he was once again reminded of the beauty of the Crystal Empire. Despite everything this land had suffered, the crystals still shone like tiny stars and the ponies seemed as happy as ever.
Reaching the dining hall, he took a seat. A servant quickly hurried over to him.
"What would you like for breakfast this fine morning, sir?" He asked.
"I'll just have the usual," Shining Armor replied nonchalantly. The servant bowed, then hurried back to the kitchen. Shining Armor inhaled deeply as the sweet scent of pancakes filled his nostrils. A few minutes later, the servant returned with a steaming plate of pancakes. Shining Armor thanked him, then settled down to eat. As he was about to begin, a guard entered.
"Sorry to interrupt, sir," the guard said after snapping a sharp salute. "There have been several strange reports coming in from border towns. Ponies hearing things in the dark, seeing shadows in the forest. You may want to take a look."
Shining Armor sighed. One consistent problem was the local's paranoia. Ever since Sombra had been defeated, they had all been convinced every little mishap was his ultimate rise to power. "Is there anything that makes THESE rumors any more credible?" He asked in exasperation.
"I think you should just read the report, sir. Then you might understand why we're a little concerned."
Shining put down his fork and picked up the paper. His brow furrowed with concern as he read more of it. He snapped his gaze back to the guard at the end.
"Five whole squads have vanished!" He cried out in disbelief. The guard simply nodded. Shining quickly grabbed a few bites of food, then rose. "Assemble a team, captain," he ordered. "I'm going to investigate this matter personally."
...
Shining Armor shivered. This far north, the bitter winds cut right through his coat. The metal armor he wore didn't add to his comfort either.
He and his men had arrived in town earlier that day. The locals were in a state of panic, and many were packing up to move to the capital. It had taken nearly an hour just to find anypony willing to talk to them. The pony who finally told them anything, an old sailor, said that he'd seen smoke rising from the Old Port.
The Old Port had been a large hub of merchant activity. But when Sombra came, he destroyed the town to seal off the empire. Now, no locals went near the ruins for superstition.
Huddled around a pitiful campfire, he and about a dozen other guards were waiting for their scouts to return. It had been a little over half an hour since they had been sent, and Shining Armor was beginning to worry about where they were.
Just as he was about to send a group to look for them, he heard a shout. He looked over to the hill where it had come from. Coming down were the two guards, both unhurt. Shining rushed over to them.
"What did you two find?" He asked hastily.
The scout's exchanged nervous looks. Then one of them, the larger of the two, spoke up.
"There was a camp, sir." He spoke nervously, constantly looking over his shoulder as if he didn't feel safe even then.
"What kind of camp? Raiders? Cultists?"
The other scout shook his head. "Soldiers, sir. They had a camp set up on the western peninsula of the harbor. There were a couple dozen ships, all docked."
Shining Armor's face twisted in shock. "How many ponies were there?"
The guard's face twisted in horror. "They weren't ponies, sir," he stammered. "I don't know what they are, but I've never seen them before in my life. They walked around on two legs, and they had two more legs that had THINGS growing on them. They were wearing," and he shivered a bit, "It looked like they wore animal hide with metal worked in."
The guards all gasped in horror and revulsion. Shining worked quickly to disguise his disgust, then continued his questioning. "But how many were there?"
"Hundreds, sir! Maybe even thousands! And I saw more ships coming in as we watched!"
Shining sucked in his breath. Thousands! Even Equestria barely had that kind of military! At most, the crystal empire could muster maybe two thousand! He faced the guard once more. "Show me," he solemnly commanded. The guard nodded, then swung about to face the other way.
...
Shining Armor had heard tales about the Old Port. Built by a harbor sheltered by two eastern and western peninsulas, it was the ideal spot for a trading post. Large cliffs faced the sea, with barnacles crawling up their sides. Small caves dotted them, and on top of it all was the ruins of an ancient city.
But the city wasn't deserted anymore.
Smoke rose from quickly assembled forges. Strange creatures hammered out swords on anvils. By the docks, several crates were being unloaded from ships. The soldiers lifted them with extreme caution, carrying them over to a large supply tent. Shining thought he saw a stack of clay spheres, but he decided his eyes were playing tricks on him. The most astonishing fact however, wasn't what he saw. It was what he felt. Or, specifically, what his horn felt.
"Magic..." He breathed. Laying over the whole camp, he could feel magic connecting to several soldiers.
This was massive. He needed to warn Cadance, and send a message to Celestia. They needed to rally their forces, and prepare for an inevitable siege. He turned around to give orders to his men, then gave a cry of warning. Behind them, just a few hundred feet away, was a small collection of enemy soldiers! At the same time he noticed them, one of them looked up. Upon seeing the ponies, he gave a shout, and the rest of the strangers drew their weapons and charged.
Several of them drew crossbows and dropped to a crouch. Before he could so much as blink, two of his men fell to the ground, quarrels in their necks. He raised his shield just in time to block a sword swing. The soldier who delivered it, however, abruptly changed his stance and pressed the attack. As his magic fended off blows, Shining Armor looked at his men. The enemy was vastly more trained, and his men were being cut down where they stood.
Suddenly, the enemy he was fighting found an opening. Shining Armor's breath was knocked out of him as he fell to the ground. He gazed weakly about. All his soldiers were dead. The newcomers had left no survivors. He turned to face them, hatred on his features. The soldier raised his blade.
"Hold up there, Spade." Called out one of them. The one named Spade looked over. "That one's different. Used magic, didn't you see? The mages will be curious about that. Take him alive, not dead."
Spade nodded, then turned around. Shining's eyes went wide as his head was struck by a hard boot. The last thing he saw was some shadowy figures pick him up, and carry him off.
