Equestria: New Dawn

“In the light of recent events, the Canterlot Royal Guard cannot be trusted to protect Equestria in its entirety. Such tasks will now be delegated by Cmdr. Boulder to respective branches and units.”

-Memo from Princess Celestia to Princess Luna

●●●

“Evening ma’am. Looking very sharp if I might say so myself.”

“Enough with the pleasantries Commander, let’s just get right down to business. We’ve already seen the capabilities of these Changelings and I have no intention of letting this happen again. The very idea that they were even able to infiltrate this deep into our territory! It troubles me greatly.”

“Yes ma’am, I take it that things have escalated rather quickly.”

“Indeed. Commander, I am authorizing you to take full control of the situation, so there will be no need to do any of your sales pitch. Whatever resources you need, I’ll get them for you. We need to stop this threat at all costs.”

“I understand. I’ll be changing a few things around here in that case. Oh, and ma’am?”

“Yes, Boulder? What is it?”

“There’s something I’ll need that you’re going to have to authorize. Something that some ponies may not find at all pleasant. I need you to authorize New Dawn Protocol.”

“You realize that what you’re asking me is something that is in violation of multiple ethical codes currently in place here in Equestria.”

“Do you want to win this or not, Celestia? You know as much as I do that we need a quick and certain victory against the Changelings. A standing military will take a bit to mobilize. We can’t afford to wait too long before striking back at the enemy. We need something to show the ponies here that we in fact CAN defend ourselves.”

“I’m not sure I like the idea. I could have you arrested for this.”

“Lock me away and you lose this war, Celestia. We both know that! So what will it be?”

“Damnit, Boulder!”

“I’ll assemble my Staff shop and get to work on recruiting for the services. And Celestia?”

“I’m not in the mood to talk with a despicable pony such as yourself!”

“It’s good to be working here again.”

●●●

The door slammed shut behind Shining Armor as he walked back into his house. Damnit! He thought to himself. Those hinges needed some adjusting and his schedule ever since the wedding and the attack by the Changelings hadn’t really allowed for any down time. It didn’t seem like Cadance was home. Usually she greeted him after his shift was over. “Cadance?” Shining Armor called out, “You home?” No answer, strange. “Hello? Cadance?”

“I’m in the kitchen, Shining.” Oh thank Celestia, these late night shifts must be getting to me, Shining Armor thought. “There’s a strange stallion here to see you, says his name is Rough Boulder?” Oh fuck. Not this guy again. Shining Armor quickly trotted over to the kitchen where he saw Cadance looking rather confused and him. A towering stallion to say the least, matching Twily’s friend’s brother. What was his name? Big something, Big Apple? No, something like that though.

“Good to see you, Shining” the stallion said with a disturbing smirk plastered on his face. “It’s been a while.”

Shining gritted his teeth and snorted.

“Boulder! I thought the Princess exiled you. And what the fuck are you doing in my house!” Boulder laughed. That laugh, thought Shining, something was off with this stallion.

“Now, now Captain. No need to start throwing expletives around, somepony’s feelings might get hurt.” The stallion chuckled to himself. Taking a large step towards Shining, Boulder’s gaze abruptly changed from disturbing to very serious. “Look here…Captain,” he said, spitting the word out as if it had a poor taste in his mouth, “As of tonight, I am now in charge of all Equestrian military forces, including the Royal Guard.”

“What!” cried out Shining, his outburst startling Cadance. “The Princess would never allow somepony like you to be put in charge of anything, let alone a military force! Besides, Equestria hasn’t had a standing military since you led the Separatist movement!” Boulder looked cross at the mention of that.

“Listen here, you foal!” hissed Boulder. Shining fell silent. “You and your fellow idiots in the Canterlot Royal Guard are nothing more than figureheads who are mere slaves to the beck and call of whatever ‘Master’ Celestia asks of you!”

“How dare you address the Princess like that!” sputtered Shining. “We protect and…” Boulder waved his hoof in annoyance.

“Spare me the propaganda they tell you at Guard training, Shining. If you want to keep the Canterlot Royal Guard and not see it disbanded, you’ll listen to me and do whatever I ask of you. Do I make myself clear?” growled Boulder. He looked at Shining’s shocked face. Boulder smiled to himself.

“Dis…disbanded?” stammered Shining. How could this be possible he thought. This traitorous stallion was supposedly in charge of all military forces and operations in Equestria thanks to Celestia and was now telling him, Shining; Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard, that the famed and elite unit would now be disbanded? What the hell was going on?

“No thanks to the tactical brilliance and sound security that the Royal Guard provided, it’s no wonder that the Changelings were able to break through such weak defenses.” Boulder continued,  “Hell, I’m amazed that you all managed to save yourselves along with the capitol! So it’s no surprise that currently, both Celestia and Luna are shall we say, concerned with the recent performance of the Royal Guard. In fact, I’d go as far to say that the Home Guard would’ve had a better plan of action for such a catastrophic event!” Each statement slammed into Shining like a blow to the chest. He knew it was true. Shining didn’t doubt that the Princesses were disappointed with how the Royal Guard responded to the threat. He had also made the mistake of significantly reducing the number of Guards on station during the night, when the Changelings had amassed themselves outside protection spell. Shining cringed, damn twenty-twenty hindsight!

“You’re right, Boulder.” Shining glumly stated, “Mistakes were made.” He picked his head up and looked at the menacing stallion in the eyes before saying “But the Royal Guard has full intention of learning from said mistakes and improving what was once weak!” Boulder’s face remained void of any emotion before breaking out into laughter again.

“This is why I like you, Shining!” said the still chuckling stallion. “Resilient in the face of danger. Don’t see many ponies with that quality these days.” Did Boulder just compliment him, thought Shining. “Here’s the deal, Captain. I’ll leave the Canterlot Royal Guard alone.”

“What’s the catch?” instinctively asked Shining Armor. Something was off here.

Boulder wagged a hoof at him, “So impatient! Well since you insist, the catch is that in order for the Royal Guard to remain a unit, I’ll need eight of your best mares and stallions. After all, your unit does claim itself to be elite. You will also now no longer be in charge of protecting the cities and towns. The Home Guard will be responsible for such areas. Your new area of jurisdiction will now be the Palace of Canterlot.” Boulder shot a glancing look at Shining Armor. “Do we have a deal?” Shining sighed heavily. He was trapped. He couldn’t afford to have the unit disbanded. All of them had earned the right to be called a Royal Guard. Shining knew that he couldn’t let them down. They were the protectors of the Princesses, a noble and respectable position.

“Agreed” said Shining, his voice shaking with pent up anger.

“Fantastic, then!” Boulder said, his face beaming with delight. “Well then, Captain…I’ll be leaving you to attend to your mare. I expect that roster no later than zero nine thirty tomorrow morning. I want you to deliver it yourself, we have a bit more to discuss in private. Understood?”

“Yes, Boulder.” Shining was fighting the urge to kick the stallion’s smug face in.

“Captain? It’s Commander Boulder now.” He smirked one last time before trotting out of the front door.

“Shining? What’s going on? Is everything alright?” Cadance asked with concern. Shining stepped over and nuzzled her mane.

“I don’t know, Cadance. But what I do know is that something big is about to happen.”

●●●

“Thank you for coming to see me Twily,” sighed Shining Armor, “Things have gotten kind of crazy since the wedding.” Shining Armor was pacing around the palace room. Twilight stood silently and watched her brother, analyzing the situation. He was clearly distressed over something, and figured that it was going to be in the best interest to let him continue talking without her usual lecturing.

“Hey, I’ll always be here for you B.B.B.F.F.” said Twilight, “What’s going on?” Shining Armor stopped his pacing and looked at his younger sister.

“They’re repurposing the Royal Guard! We are no longer the defenders of Equestria!” he spat. “And worst of all, Rough Boulder is back at the request of the Princess!”

“Rough boulder?” Twilight asked, “as in Lieutenant Colonel Boulder of the Separatist movement? I thought the Princess had him exiled?”

“That’s what I thought too!” exclaimed Shining. “But she brought that traitor back here! I don’t understand why, that stallion can’t be trusted.” Shining Armor resumed his anxious pacing once again. Twilight furrowed her brow in thought. The Princess must have a reason for bringing back this stallion. Something must have happened for him to return to Equestria. After all, he was a brilliant military tactician. Brutal, but effective with minimum loss to his troops. That proved to be an effective bargaining chip when Boulder led that attempted coup that was eventually stopped, thanks to the sheer number of the Royal Guard called in to that fiasco. That’s why the Princess let him and his loyalists go into exile instead of imprisoning them, because of how hard they fought. She couldn’t let just a mind like that waste away in a dungeon. If he was back, then that incident with the Changelings must be more serious than anypony could have imagined.

“Shining! I think I know why the Princesses’ allowed him to return!” Shining Armor turned and looked at his younger sister with a grim stare. Twilight continued, “that Changeling attack on Canterlot, the day of the wedding. It must not have been just an isolated event, there might have been more that we haven’t heard about yet. This could be bigger than what we thought it was initially!”

Shining lowered his gaze “I know Twily, that’s what I’m starting to believe.”

“Then, why did you call me out here when you already believe that’s the case?” Twilight inquired her brother, curiosity in her tone.

“I needed someone who could confirm my suspicions for me, is all.” Shining Armor said. “Listen Twily, if Boulder is back here in Equestria, we are looking at the brink of an all out war with the Changelings. I need to deliver a message to Boulder himself in a little bit. And I need you to see Princess Celestia to see if perhaps you and your friends can provide any sort of services to aid in the preparations for the war effort if it turns out to be that way.” Twilight frowned, war effort? That wasn’t the sort of thing her friends and herself were keen on. Shining noticed her obvious discomfort. “Twily. You have to do this for me. You saw first hoof how much of a threat the Changelings pose. Boulder can only do so much on the battlefield. We need someponies like you and your friends back here leading the effort on the home front.”

“Fine, I’ll talk to the Princess” said Twilight with a heavy heart, “but I can’t guarantee that all of my friends will help during this time.”

“We’ll take what we can get for now, Twily” Shining hugged his younger sister. “Thanks, kid.”

●●●

Boulder was sitting in a chair in the dark staff room. A few ponies in uniform were busy analyzing the latest intelligence reports on the Changeling threat. Others were talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. All eyes turned and looked at Shining Armor as he entered the room. All eyes except Boulder’s. “Look who decided to show up?” the stallion said flatly. “It’s zero nine thirty-five. You’re late, Captain.”

“My apologies Commander,” Shining said, anger in his words. “I had to…”

“Talk to your sister? Twilight Sparkle? Or should I say, Twily?” Boulder turned to face Shining Armor. What? How did he know? Boulder looked at Shining’s surprised expression. “Don’t be so shocked, Captain. I got eyes and ears everywhere. Not that I mind you talking to your sister, but the next time you decide to discuss Tier-One classified material with a civilian I’d suggest clearing it with me first.” Boulder hopped off the chair and walked over to one of the analysts’ maps, brushing him aside. The stallion motioned for Shining to come over. Hesitantly, Shining obliged with Boulder’s request. “Listen, Shining. I know you don’t like me and you know that I don’t like you either. So let’s put our differences aside for now and focus on the objective. Can you do that, Captain?” There was no mocking tone in his voice this time, Shining noticed.

“Yes, sir. I believe I can.” Boulder grinned.

“Great, Shining! Welcome to the team.” What? What team, thought Shining.

“Sir? I don’t…” started Shining Armor.

“Oh, I believe I may have left that part out when you agreed to our little deal. You see Shining, you’ll not only be moonlighting as a Captain of the Royal Guard.” Boulder leaned closer to Shining, whispering, “But you’ll also be working for me as an advisor and fellow tactician.” Shining Armor stared at the stallion. Was he serious? One of the most brilliant tactical minds in the history of Equestria was looking for his help? “And I believe now is a good time to discuss with you as to why I am back here in Equestria.” Shining held his breath. “I want everypony outside of the staff room now. You will resume your duties in five minutes. I need to speak with the Captain in private. All the ponies in the room hurriedly got out of there in what appeared to be a matter of mere seconds.

Impressed, Shining Armor turned to Boulder “Well disciplined troops you got here, sir.” Boulder simply shrugged.

“They do as they’re told.” he casually said. “Now listen closely, Shining. I couldn’t help but over-hear your little discussion with your sister Twilight.” Shining mentally braced himself for the verbal attack that never came. “It’s true, the situation is far bigger than anypony could have imagined. The Changelings are a very real and present threat to the security of Equestria. I’ve witnessed first hoof what these things are capable of.”

“Witnessed, sir?”

Boulder’s gaze looked distant. “My troopers made first contact with these things. We lost all communications with our forward recon teams that were investigating some rather unusual IR signatures two klicks north of our location. We picked up some garbled transmissions, but nothing more. I scrambled a recovery team to find out what happened. That was when they hit us. I lost over four hundred mares and stallions that day, Shining. Fucking things got into our area of operations. Literally sitting in front of us! Those of us that survived, barely escaped.” The stallion stopped to clear his throat and looked away from Shining Armor. “Those ponies that you saw here in the staff room? That’s all that’s left of my troopers.”

Disbelief struck Shining yet again. This wasn’t possible. Wiped out? Shining had fought for the Royal Guard during the Separatist incident and knew that the troopers loyal to Boulder were among the most highly skilled ponies he had ever fought. The fact that his unit managed to even end the uprising was a miracle in and of itself. Boulder slammed his hoof down on the table with a crash.

“And I’ll be damned if I let the same fate happen to my homeland!” Boulder roared with ferocity, his breathing becoming heavy. The stallion sharply took a deep breath and calmed himself. “The Princesses heard of my defeat in the mountains of Equestria. That is why they asked you Shining to use that fancy protection spell of yours. The fact that you and your mare Cadance managed to repel the attack with that strange magic is a miracle. From what my intelligence has gathered, the failure to capture the capitol of Equestria has thrown the Changeling operations into disarray.”

“So they thought that once they eliminated the threat your forces presented, Canterlot would fall quickly? Guess they were wrong, huh?”

“It appears so, Captain. What we need now is a clear victory, whether it’s small or large. It doesn’t matter, keep the moral up in Equestria and we can keep up the fight. I intend to use the chaos the recent loss has inflicted on the Changeling forces to eliminate one of the hydra’s heads so to speak.” Boulder turned to Shining. “Now did you bring me that roster?” Shining Armor pulled it out of his standard issue saddlebag and tossed it to Boulder.

“When you speak of eliminating, I assume you mean an assassination?” inquired Shining.

“I’d like to think of this as more along the lines of pest control,” said Boulder as he looked over the eight names on the roster. “Tell these mares and stallions that they will no longer answer to either of the Princesses, but instead to myself and you, Captain. You are all now part of 1st SPRD-Delta, the first and only Tier-One level special operations unit in all of Equestria.” Boulder extended his hoof to shake Shining’s. “Welcome to Task Force 19.”

●●●

The mares and stallions of the Royal Guard 3rd Company, 2nd Platoon stood at attention for what seemed to be an eternity. Some, including Storm Chaser were becoming increasingly bored with the wait. “Sweet Celestia, what the fuck is taking the Captain so damn long today? It ain’t like him” muttered Storm Chaser to her battle buddy, Gunner Strong.

“He’ll get here when he gets here, Chaser.” Strong was a very compliant pony, “And besides, I like watching the new Lieutenant squirm.” Okay, compliant and capable of a somewhat twisted sense of humor, thought Chaser. After all her personality type was almost the opposite end of the spectrum, an aggressive Pegasus with not much of a sense of humor. The fact they got along was beyond her comprehension.

“PLATOON!” sounded off the Lieutenant. “ATTEN-SHUN!” All ponies present snapped to attention. Chaser’s eyes noticed movement near the far-side door. Captain Armor had just walked in. She watched with amusement as the new Lieutenant fumbled with his salute as the Captain shooed him away, much to the new stallion’s disappointment.

“AT EASE!” Thank Celestia that the Captain was not one for pointless formalities, thought Chaser. “Mares and stallions of the Fighting 3rd! I bear unfortunate news.” Somepony coughed nervously.  “As of today, the Royal Guard will no longer be the acting military force of Equestria.” The room was deathly silent for a few seconds before everypony began clamoring, asking questions as loudly as he or she could.

“This is outrageous!”

“I’ve served over ten years in the Royal Guard!”

“Who the fuck authorized this?”

Chaser stood still in shock. How could this be happening? She looked at Strong. Silent, unmoving, no emotion, accepting. Just like usual. “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” roared the Captain. The room fell silent again. Captain Armor cleared his throat. “The Royal Guard’s primary objective will now be to protect solely the Palace and its surrounding gardens.”A few voices mumbled in disapproval. “Our nation is on the verge of war with a strong and powerful enemy. Some will stay as members of the Royal Guard. Many of you will be removed from your positions as Guards to train new recruits for the creation of standing military branches.” No pony said a word. War? In Equestria? That wasn’t possible!

“Celestia help us,” muttered Strong, waking Chaser from her disbelief.

“Will the following mares and stallions step forward when their name is called.” Continued the Captain. “Corporal Song, Sergeant Nova, Lance Corporal Strong, Private First Class Flare, Corporal Shadow, First Sergeant Prism, Private First Class Tumble” Chaser watched as her battle buddy hurriedly moved to the front of the platoon’s formation with the rest of the ponies whose names had been called. “Lance Corporal Chaser.” She froze as she heard her name called out. “Lance Corporal Chaser! I don’t give invitations twice.” The pegasus pony hurried to the front with the other seven.

“The rest of you! Return to the barracks! Further information will be disseminated from the Top to the Platoon level elements. The Lieutenant here will get any news he receives out to you as quickly as possible.” The new Lieutenant smiled nervously. “PLATOON! ATTEN-SHUN!” The room echoed with the sounds of hooves clacking together. “ON THE COMMAND OF ‘FALL OUT,’ ALL PERSONELL WILL REPORT BACK TO THE BARRACKS AND AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTION FROM TOP! FALL OUT!”

As the rest of the platoon was leaving the room, the Captain motioned to the eight ponies he had called up. “As for you eight, you will be leaving for Fort Astral tomorrow no later than zero six. You will no longer be reporting to either of the Princesses. Only pack what is necessary. The convoy will pick you up in front of the barracks. When you arrive at Fort Astral, your new commander will speak with you. Do I make myself clear?”

“HOOAH!” they replied.

The Captain smiled. “Good, now get out of here. You’ve got a long journey ahead of you.”

●●●