The gentle hustle and bustle of a small-town train station was the backdrop for Twilight Sparkle’s current headache. The cutting edge of transportation in Equestria; the locomotive. Its top speed left quite a bit to be desired (as most ponies could outrun it, if pressed), however, it was tireless, and it made traveling across the country far easier. What’s more was that it let ponies carry much more cargo without needing a wagon at all.

None of that mattered to Twilight at the moment, however, as the witty banter between Rarity and Rainbow Dash— over accent colors, apparently— had gotten far too involved for her tastes.

She could understand passion for a favorite subject, but at this point, even Twilight felt uncomfortable around this much ‘sperg’ (though she wouldn’t be caught dead saying it— lest she validate Spike’s teasing).

Her attention was quickly directed away from the argument over the merits of periwinkle, however, by the blast of the approaching train’s whistle. She quietly thanked Celestia (though she knew Celestia had little to do with it) and prepared to board the train. With the assistance of the station’s Redcap, Spike quietly gathered their bags and loaded them onto the train.

The car they were riding in was thankfully devoid of passengers (likely due to Princess Celestia’s interference), though she still had to deal with the other Element Bearers. She just hoped that they would let her develop a few theories about their current predicament, though she silently doubted it.

Spike sat down next to her, silently at first, though Twilight knew he wanted to talk (she appreciated that he asked her if she wanted to talk first— even if silently).

“So what do you think of all of this, Twilight?”

“Yeah!” interjected Pinkie, “this is kinda spooky, so we should probably get ready for anything, right?”

Though jarring (as Twilight hadn’t noticed Pinkie had been sitting right next to her), her comment had earned the attention of the other Element bearers. They all gathered close and looked on in askance.

“You are an egghead, so you should know better than us what to expect,” Rainbow Dash chimed.

Though the others didn’t seem to appreciate the wording, they nonetheless agreed.

“To be honest,” Twilight said, rubbing her hoof on the back of her head, “I have no idea what we should be expecting. From what little I was able to gather from my preliminary scans of the area, there was a massive surge of magic that quickly faded.

“I don’t know if the vortex was a result of the surge, or a cause. The only way I can find out is with a detailed scan, but I can only do that from nearby;” she paused with an irritated huff, “otherwise, we wouldn’t have to actually go there.”

The others seemed placated by this, if only grudgingly, and decided to return to talking amongst themselves. Spike, however, kept his focus on Twilight.

“Don’t worry, Twilight, I’m sure we’ll figure this out.” he reassured.

She smiled and thanked him before accepting that she wouldn’t get to think or study on this trip. Instead, she simply allowed herself to fall into the group’s dynamic, eventually getting to the point where she would chip in her two cents and laugh alongside her friends.

She hadn’t really had friends in Canterlot, but she accepted that a social life was healthy. Maybe she could soon accept the fact that she liked to talk every once in a while, too?

Captain Shining Armor of the Royal Guard, leader of the most prestigious branch of the world’s most powerful military, was nothing more than a figure head. What frustrated him more than anything was that he knew it, too.

His status as the eldest son of a noble house, as well as the nepotism of the princess on behalf of his sister was what landed him the position. Normally, the Royal Guard was selected from the most elite of the Royal Army’s soldiers. To be appointed the position of Captain of the Guard was unheard of. He and everypony else knew it, too.

What was worse was that he was essentially the commander of the Royal Army, at the right hoof of the Princesses. A vaunted position with many envious onlookers. Nevermind that he didn’t want the position (he had applied for a commission as a lieutenant), but he knew that refusing it would have been committing professional suicide.

The return of Princess Luna (then Nightmare Moon) had caught him and the rest of the Royal Guard flat-hooved, but that didn’t matter. The Royal Guard was lazy, and the greater Royal Army even more so. It didn’t matter how much he tried to flog them into shape, as an army in times of peace was lazy at best, and totally superfluous at worst.

And he and everypony else knew whose fault it was.

Today, however, his usually foul mood was absent. Major Stout Shield was one of the few top brass that had sympathized with his plight. And so when Princess Celestia had scrambled the Royal Army, he had insisted that she send him.

His little maneuver had been quite transparent, but Princess Celestia actually enjoyed the Captain somewhat. Had he been incompetent or lackluster, she would have ignored his suggestion, but they both knew how driven he was. Thankfully she hadn’t yet realized his ambitions, otherwise his scheme would have been dead before he even started.

For the first time in over one hundred years, the Royal Army had been mobilized, and Shining Armor had his stallion on the field.

Needless to say, that little stunt had earned his opponents' admiration— which was the last thing a nopony appointed power like him wanted.

Shining Armor was no fool, however; he was a very well-educated and cunning noble. He had already started to win over the other officers of the Royal Army, and while this little move had alienated a few, it brought more closer. It was difficult for him, though, as most of them were so inept it made his skin crawl.

Shining Armor, you see, knew exactly how an army in peacetime functioned. It was a political nightmare, with enough bureaucracy to choke even an Immortal God Empress. This, however, was fine with him, as he didn’t plan on being at peace for much longer.

He chuckled to himself in his little office. He knew he played a dangerous game, but he had already picked up the sword, and he was more than ready to face the consequences.

With little more than a flick of his eyes, he levitated his quill and began to write out a new set of orders.

He knew just what to expect in that desert, though most had forgotten. Far to the south lay the wastes of Tatzul, wherein no sentient species dwell for fear of the great Wurms. However, to the south and east was a long forgotten foe.

He knew that there were still at least a few of them left, as every once in a while, the body of a strange… creature, would be found on the outskirts of an Equestrian city, or along a road. The common pony could easily convince themselves it was a magical accident gone horribly wrong, but he knew.

As the highest ranking member of Her Majesty’s Royal Guard, he had access to old books, very old books, written by some interesting characters. Books that held the last accountings of Changelings. The perfect foe to use to start a war, perhaps?

He chuckled to himself again, signing the deployment orders with a swooping flourish. This was exactly what his country needed.

Most of the other nobility had a strong distaste for Princess Luna, which he understood. She wanted the same thing he did— a straightforward world with strong ponies. Essentially, she wanted to start a war to weed out the scheming nobility and put competent, good-hearted ponies in their place.

War was a crucible, cruel and fiery. The weak were skimmed off, and the pure were all that remained.

Some would say that he was cruel, or mad, but they were wrong. One thousand years of mostly undisturbed peace, and what was the result?

Most of the world was destitute, and his own home was filled with fat vipers. Even now, Gryphus was being actively impoverished by the unchecked avarice of Equestria’s elite.

Princess Luna was simply more cavalier about it than he was. He learned quickly that if he associated too closely with her that he would lose all of his progress. So he was more than fine with sitting and waiting. He watched as the vipers circled her, whilst leaving him alone. He sat, patiently waiting for the perfect moment to light the wicked snakes ablaze.

Shining Armor was fairly certain that it only took a few interactions for Princess Luna to learn his intentions. He observed the old ways around her, and sat with dignity and poise. That seemed to be enough to prove to her his intentions. And so, they worked together to root out their enemies.

Tradesponies tend to stick to their trade, after all.

He looked up from the slip of paper as he heard approaching hoofsteps in the distance. He looked with distaste at the various medals and plaques that decorated his broom closet. Virtually all of them were for excellence in some bureaucratic nonsense, however his most despised one was his bronze sun for perfect attendance.

Something which was normally awarded for valor in combat could be gotten for showing up at an appointed place, at the appointed time, for only a year. He had four of them, and had never even heard a whisper of combat. It sickened him just how many of his fellow officers wore them proudly.

Endless ribbons and medals, braided ropes, and pins adorned more than one noble officer. Lately, however, more and more only wore the bare minimum, as he did. It was a small victory, however it seemed to win over his enlisted men very quickly.

Before he could be lost in his musings further, however, the hoofsteps turned into a crisp three knocks at his door.

“Captain Flourishing Blade reporting as ordered, Sir!” shouted the voice from the other side of the door.

“Enter.”

A positively massive earth pony stallion shifted his bulk through the door-frame before offering a crisp salute in front of his desk. His uniform was simple— the white jacket with gold trim bore only two colorful ribbons, and the two silver bars on his epaulets to signify his rank. His mane was cut short, and his tail was practically nonexistent. Both turned blonde by the jacket’s enchantment, as well as his white coat. Shining Armor’s kind of stallion.

“At ease, captain,” Shining said, waving a hoof to a cushion propped against the wall, “and have a seat.”

The massive stallion nodded and pushed the cushion into place with his hoof before sitting at attention. His face was hard, though it gave no hint of emotion.

“Captain, I believe you know who to give these to,” Shining said, rolling the newly written orders before sealing them with his red sealing wax.

“Yes, sir,” he replied, his voice low to discourage eavesdroppers.

“And remember,” Shining Armor warned, “no one is to see these orders but their recipient.”

The stallion nodded, tucking the scroll into his inner breast pocket.

“You’re dismissed.”

The stallion stood and turned around, walking out without a word. Sitting alone in his office once again, Shining Armor let out a small satisfied sigh. Now, his real work could soon begin.

Author's Note

Hey! Just wanted you to know that I'm still alive. Also, feel free to tell me what you think in the comments!

(GUARDS! GET THE TOWNSPEOPLE TO SAFETY!)