After the rise and defeat of Discord, Celestia takes into account that Equestria is in need of a military. Bad idea. She appoints Shining Armor as head of her new army. Carried away by his power, Shining Armor attempts to overthrow canterlot, almost murdering Luna in the process. More than half of the army had joined forces with Shining Armor. The attempt was a failure, but shining armor escaped in the process. Shining Armor is never seen again for the next 10 years. This is where the story begins.