Shining Armor stepped out of the carriage and surveyed the Canterlot cityscape. The unmistakable smell of smoke pervaded the air, and he could hear the distant chants of the crowds below. With a deep breath, he turned to the two members of the Royal Guard at the helm of the carriage. They saluted their commander and Shining Armor returned the gesture with a nod. He took a few steps towards the tower doors and was about to open them when one of the guards spoke up.
“Are the rumors true, sir?” he asked, prompting his comrade to give him a rough nudge. Shining Armor froze in place for a moment before turning his head just enough for his line of vision to pick up the two soldiers.
“I’m afraid so,” Shining responded, avoiding eye contact with the two soldiers. He heard the rustling of their harnesses as they recoiled. A few seconds of silence followed, punctuated by the muffled sounds of explosions in the distance.
“W-well... then what happens now, sir?” the other soldier asked.
Shining walked back over to both of them and placed a hoof on the second soldier’s shoulder. He smiled at the guards reassuringly before saying in a hushed voice, “Just return to your post and wait for orders, soldier. Both of you, now.”
Regaining their composure, the two soldiers puffed out their chests and gave Shining Armor one final salute, which he dutifully returned. The guards then took flight, carriage in tow, and Shining watched as they disappeared below the sightline of the tower balcony. With a heavy sigh, the commander opened the doors and began his descent.
With each step down the tower staircase, the sounds of the crowds outside became louder and louder, even through the heavily fortified masonry of the castle walls. By the time Shining Armor had finished descending the staircase, the content of the chants became clear: “Out! Out! Out!”
The commander opened the tower base door which led into the main hall of the castle and did a double-take at what he saw: The hall had been almost completely stripped of its adornments. Nearly all the portraits, vases, tapestries, and even carpeting that had previously been a staple of the hall were missing. A few torn streamers and shattered bits of a few ceramic vases were essentially all that remained. As he surveyed the appalling scene, Shining Armor walked towards the base of the main staircase. He fixed his gaze towards the spot on the wall above the staircase where a portrait of Princesses Celestia, Luna and Twilight had once stood proud. In that moment, as the chants of the crowd outside grew louder and louder, Shining Armor could not help but whisper to himself, “You’re alone, Shining... This is it...”
“Commander!” echoed a familiar voice through the bare hall, snapping Shining Armor out of his state of reflection. He turned to see that it was his second-in-command, a charcoal pegasus named Cloud Rider, who was sprinting toward him rather quickly, a frightened look on his face.
“Commander, the crowds are on the move towards Canterlot Castle!” Cloud Rider reported breathlessly upon reaching Shining Armor.
“I’m well aware of that, Lieutenant,” Shining responded as he started ascending the main staircase, “and proper precautions have been taken to hinder their entrance, I assume?”
“Of course,” the lieutenant responded, following Shining up the stairs.
“So... what happened here?” Shining Armor asked.
“What do you mean, sir?”
Shining Armor gestured over the bannister at the main hall.
“Oh. Right,” Cloud Rider said. “Castle staff, sir. Once you left, they started looting the entire interior, taking anything they could find. Most of them managed to escape undetected, but we did manage to capture a few that we’re currently holding in the dunge—”
“Priorities, Lieutenant,” Shining interrupted.
“Sir?”
“There are tens of thousands of angry citizens closing in on this location right this second, fully intent on seizing control, and valuable horsepower that could be used preventing them from doing so is being spent guarding a few maids and butlers who tried to make off with some paintings and vases?”
Cloud Rider froze, apparently unable to comprehend what Shining Armor had just said. “B-but, sir, they w—”
“Release the offending staff members and have the dungeon sentries reassigned to a position outside the castle immediately,” Shining interrupted again.
The lieutenant was silent. His commander glared at him. “That’s an order, soldier!” Shining Armor barked.
Cloud Rider gulped loudly before bucking up and saluting his commander of the Royal Guard. “Yes, sir!” he replied before walking back down the staircase. However, he paused for a moment and turned back towards Shining Armor, who was now at the top of the flight of stairs.
“Where exactly are you headed, sir?” he asked Shining Armor.
“The main tower. A protective shield may be able to prevent the demonstrators’ advance for a few hours,” Shining replied.
Cloud Rider’s eyes widened. “Wait... ‘a few hours’?! But... the Princess is returning shortly, is she not?”
Shining Armor merely sighed and hung his head, his back still turned to his second in command. The few seconds of silence which followed were the only answer the lieutenant needed.
“So... it’s true, then,” Cloud Rider finally said. “The rumors... they were all true... This is it... We’re going to die here, aren’t we? Aren’t we?!”
Shining Armor took a few steps back down the steps toward his lieutenant, who was becoming increasingly hysterical, and had begun furiously pacing the main hall. “Soldier, get a grip!” Shining admonished him.
“We’re all going to die at the hooves of these damn lunatics, aren’t we?! Aren’t we?!”
“Lieutenant, calm yourself,” Shining Armor said.
“How in Equestria do you expect me to be calm in a situation like this?! I don’t want to die! I can’t die! I have a wife and foal at home to feed!”
“So do I, soldier! Do you see me acting like a damn coward?!” Shining bellowed.
“What did you expect?!” Cloud Rider shouted as he threw his standard-issue scepter to the floor. “You come back here and tell me that nopony is in charge and you expect me to be calm?!”
“I expect you to conduct yourself in the manner all members of the Royal Guard are expected to conduct themselves, soldier,” Shining answered as he turned around, addressing the opposite wall, “With integrity, composure, and collectedness. That’s what the Royal Guard Code of Conduct demands of all its members and it is what I, as the Guard’s chief commanding officer, demand as well.”
The sound of an immense metallic crash reverberated through the hall. Shining turned his head around sharply to find that Cloud Rider had removed his golden Royal Guard helmet and had slammed it to the marble floor.
“To Tartarus with you and your codes!” he shouted at Shining Armor before turning around and beginning to trot towards the massive double doors at the other end of the hall.
“Where do you think you’re going, soldier?!” Shining yelled after him.
Cloud Rider reached the castle entrance and turned around to face Shining Armor. “Home, Shining Armor,” he said in a voice just loud enough to be audible from across the landing. “Equestria is dead... and I’m not about to be buried along with it. My family needs me... We’ll make do in whatever society comes next... but this one is finished.”
“You’re being a fool, Cloud Rider,” Shining Armor implored. “You know that the second they assume full control of this city, they’ll hunt you down like a mule.”
“Then I’ll change my name. My whole family will change their names. All I know is that whatever happens, I’ll stand a better chance out there than staying here and fighting to protect an empty throne... Goodbye, Commander.” Cloud Rider turned back around to face the double doors and tried to push them open, but was halted in his efforts by a purple aura which slammed the doors shut..
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, soldier,” Shining Armor told him, releasing the magical hold he had placed on the doors. “If the brigade stationed outside those doors witnesses you abandoning your post as you intend to do, they’ll be inclined to do the same, and that is something I refuse to allow to happen.”
Cloud Rider began a mad dash towards the grand staircase, shouting back at Shining Armor, “Then I’ll escape from the main tower!” About halfway up the staircase, however, the deserter was stopped in his tracks and lifted off his hooves by the same purple aura from before.
“Put me down, Shining!” Cloud Rider shouted down at the unicorn now impeding his movement.
“Like I said, soldier,” Shining Armor said, pulling the helpless Cloud Rider down to the floor next to him, “I can’t allow the selfish intentions of a single high-ranking deserter to jeopardize the cohesiveness of the Royal Guard!”
Cloud Rider tried to break Shining’s hold over him, but no matter how hard he strained himself, he was unable to move any of his limbs more than a few inches. After about half a minute of struggling, Cloud Rider gave up and turned his attention to Shining Armor, whose back was now turned to him.
“And what exactly do you plan to do with me? You said so yourself that you don’t want resources spent guarding anypony in the dungeons! You just going to carry me around like this with you?” asked Cloud Rider.
Shining Armor turned back around. “I’ll do what I have to do to keep order here, soldier! And if that includes keeping you in this state and supervising you myself until the situation is resolved, then so be it!”
Cloud Rider began to chuckle, slowly descending into a kind of maniacal laughter. After calming down, he looked again at Shining Armor and said, still laughing, “You-you-you actually believe that you can prevent this castle from being taken over by those traitors out there?!”
“I don’t believe, Cloud Rider, I know!” Shining Armor stated, answering Cloud Rider’s rhetorical question.
“Oh?” Cloud Rider said, the pitch of his voice beginning to rise, “And how exactly do you plan on regaining control of the other cities?!”
“Never you mind that, soldier!” Shining snapped. “Those plans are reserved for loyal members of the Equestrian Royal Guard, not deserters.”
“DAMN IT, SHINING! LET... ME... GO!” Cloud Rider yelled, beginning to strain against Shining’s hold again.
“I will do no such thing, soldier! You’ll remain under my supervision until such a time as you can be formally and properly court-martialed for insubordination and desertion!” Shining replied, this time getting face-to-face with the immobilized Cloud Rider.
“Umm... Commander Armor?” sounded a voice from the other end of the hall. The two quarreling officers immediately turned their attention to the voice to find a young private in the Royal Guard standing there. “Private Hammerbolt reporting, sir... Is now a bad time?” he asked, giving Shining Armor a somewhat timid salute.
“Private Hammerbolt!” Cloud Rider shrieked. “Oh, thank the gods! Quickly! Tell the others the Princess is--”
Shining Armor promptly zipped Cloud Rider’s mouth closed and interrupted, “Is... returning to the castle shortly, Private. We’ve merely been given orders by Her Majesty to establish a secure perimeter to ensure her safe return. Please inform the other officers once you return to your post.”
“Yes, sir,” Private Hammerbolt responded, while being distracted by Cloud Rider’s muffled screams. “Is... everything all right with Lieutenant Cloud Rider, sir?”
Shining nodded as he moved Cloud Rider behind him almost out of sight, though his stifled yelling still echoed through the hall. “Perfectly fine, soldier. Pay it no mind. Now, your report?”
“Oh, yes, sir! I was dispatched by Corporal Firestorm to inform you that the crowds are continuing to move in this direction and are approximately half a mile from the main gate of the castle, sir.”
“Thank you, soldier! Please inform the Corporal and the other officers to order their units to establish a perimeter,” Shining Armor replied, saluting the private.
“Yes, sir!” Hammerbolt replied, returning the salute. He turned around and started sprinting back down the hall. Once the private was out of earshot, Shining unzipped Cloud Rider’s mouth and entered a brisk trot up the main staircase with him in tow.
Cloud Rider gasped for air, but after a few seconds, refocused his wrath on the unicorn controlling him. “I hope you realize you’re going to get us all killed!” he yelled as Shining weaved them both through the halls of the castle in a bid to reach the main tower. After Shining Armor ignored him, Cloud Rider then said after a moment or two, “How exactly do you plan on telling the others that what you just told Hammerbolt is a flat-out lie?
“One step at a time, soldier,” Shining Armor responded, stepping through the doorway leading to the main tower balcony. He lowered Cloud Rider to the floor of the balcony and momentarily released his hold on him. Cloud Rider attempted a flying escape, but was immediately pulled back down to the balcony floor by a pair of shackles Shining Armor had procured and attached to his wings. Shining Armor stepped toward the balcony railing and looked down at the scene below.
The crowd was moving briskly toward the main gate of the castle. By this point, they couldn’t have been more than a thousand or so feet away. Their chanting was growing louder and louder by the second, and by this time had transformed from “Out! Out! Out!” into, “For students, for workers, for prisoners and for soldiers!”
“Tell me again how you expect a forcefield to guard against that,” Cloud Rider said, gesturing with his head at the crowd below.
“Just you watch, soldier,” Shining Armor replied, taking another step closer to the balcony railing. He closed his eyes and, with a great deal of focused meditation, managed to flush out the noise of the crowd as he prepared to execute the spell. After a few seconds of intense concentration, Shining Armor’s horn shot a beam into the air, which, upon reaching the top of the castle, began to expand and descend. Once the beam had completely protruded from his horn, Shining Armor stood in a daze for a moment, grunted, and began rubbing his pounding head with one of his hooves.
As the migraine subsided, Shining Armor watch as the forcefield descended closer toward the ground around the castle. It appeared as if the front of the crowd and the forcefield were going to converge at the same point a few hundred feet from the main gate. It was at that moment that it occurred to Shining that this moment was the first time he had stood on the main castle balcony since that fateful day more than year ago, the day that all of this started...
The chalkboard’s wheels emitted a deafening creak as it was rolled to the front of the room. When it finally came to a halt, most of the attendees heaved sighs of relief. The griffin at the head of the table flipped the chalkboard over to reveal an intricate and detailed map of the eastern Equestrian seaboard. The same griffin then gripped with his massive talon a long wooden pointer from the tray, the tip of which he sharply slammed against the northeast quadrant of the map.
“Manehattan,” the griffin began, circling the island with the pointer, “The hub through which more than one third of all Equestrian commerce passes. If we are able to capture and hold it, the operation will be quick and painless. If we capture it, the rest of the mainland should fall in short order. Now, you all know your assignments. I’d like a status report on preparations from each of you, beginning with General Flavius. General, what is your status?”
“Commander Canisius, the First Airborne Division is ready for deployment,” Flavius started, standing up and making his way over toward the map. He picked up the pointer and pointed at Manehattan. “Our first targets are the main bridges, tunnels and supply lines to the Island. After our initial pass, we will proceed west toward the inland hamlet known as Hollow Shades where our forces will land and assume control of the town.”
“Hollow Shades is lightly defended,” Canisius said. “The Second Armored Division is more than capable of assuming control without the First Airborne’s assistance. I want the First Airborne to rendezvous with the Second Airborne at an agreed-upon location in the Foal Mountain Range and coordinate a secondary bombing mission in Canterlot.”
“That mountain range is awfully treacherous, sir. Are you sure the divisions will be able to hold out should something go wrong?” asked Flavius.
“It’s the middle of summer, general, they’re sure to be fine. Is there anything else you wish to report?” asked the commander.
“No, sir,” answered Flavius.
“Very well, then,” Canisius said, gesturing towards Flavius’ empty chair. The general walked away from the map and resumed his seat. “General Dante! Your status report, please!”
“Yes, sir!” Dante stood up from his chair and walked over towards the map. “The First Armored Division will, as you mentioned before, land at the Port of Manehattan following the First Airborne’s initial bombing run. After easily defeating any local authorities, our Infantry and Archer Brigades will each proceed to, as you mentioned, the small town of Hollow Shades, where we will--”
“Split them up,” Canisius interrupted.
“Um... I’m sorry, sir?” Dante asked.
“Split the Infantry and Archer Brigades in half. Send one half to take Hollow Shades and the other half to meet up with the Fourth Armored in Fillydelphia. Are you able to do that?”
General Dante was silent for a few seconds. “Um...Uh... yes, sir. Absolutely,” he finally replied.
“Very well. Anything else to report?”
“No, sir,” Flavius said, walking back to his seat.
“Then, let us move on. General Anglicus!”
“Yes, sir!” Anglicus replied, standing up.
“Your status report, please.”
Anglicus stood up, but did not walk over toward the chalkboard map. “Sir, the Second Armored Division will dock at the Port of Manehattan at the same time as the First Armored Division. After the capture of the city from local authorities, the Second Armored will remain stationed on the island in order to fortify the city and suppress any local revolt against our presence. I shall oversee the administration of post-liberation Manehattan in my capacity as the division’s lead general.”
“Very well. Anything else to report?” Canisius asked.
“No, sir,” Anglicus said, sitting back down.
“Moving on! General Gaius!”
“Sir!”
“Status report!” the commander shouted.
Gaius followed Anglicus’ lead in merely standing in place upon being called. “Sir, the Second Airborne is to strike its primary targets in Fillydelphia: any and all roads, bridges, railways, and tunnels into and out of the city. After initial strikes, we will rendezvous with the First Airborne within the Foal Mountain Range, after which--”
“Add a secondary strike in Ponyville, general.” Canisius interrupted, “After that, fall back to the rendezvous point and make Canterlot your tertiary strike point.”
“Yes, sir!”
Canisius’ attention was diverted by one of his other generals near the other end of the table, who had heaved a very loud sigh and was now shaking his head rather adamantly.
“Do you have something to say, General Scythia?” Canisius asked the gesticulating general.
Scythia looked up to find the rest of the room glaring at him. “Oh... um... no, sir,” was all he said.
“Come, now! Obviously there’s something you wish to say about the operation.”
“Well... actually, there is, commander,” Scythia began, “I believe you’re spreading the divisions too thin. I mean... what purpose does the additional bombing campaign in Ponyville serve, exactly? Moreover, what’s to guarantee that the First and Second Airborne Divisions won’t be stranded in the Foal Mountain Range for days, if not weeks should the Royal Guard mobilize in time to prevent any further advancement?”
“Scythia, you and I have been over this countless times: The Royal Guard will not mobilize in time to prevent out advance!” Canisius reassured Scythia.
“We have to be prepared for every contingency, though!” Scythia warned. “If by some miraculous turn of events, Shining Armor manages to mobilize the Royal Guard to a state of battle readiness in a matter of hours, the entire operation will be--”
“The Royal Guard, Scythia, will be wholly focused on maintaining security for the Princess’s coronation ceremony in Canterlot! It presents a once-in-a-millenium opportunity for such an operation to work! The only resistance we should encounter until we reach well into the mainland are local security forces, which we will be able to defeat handily.”
“Commander, why not play it safe?” Scythia contended, “Why risk so many good, young griffins for such an expansive, widespread operation when we are not even positive it will succeed?”
“Again, it will take a considerable amount of time for the Royal Guard to properly mobilize. By the time their forces are ready for battle and deployment, we will have overcome any natural obstacles and will have reached so far inland that the Princess will have no choice but to surrender, in order to avoid a slaughter. It will be a brief operation with minimal casualties on either side, and will allow the Griffon Nation to finally reclaim the land which is rightfully ours.”
Scythia sat back down, avoiding the gaze of his commander.
“I don’t believe I have to remind you all of the symbolic importance of this mission holds for all griffinkind. What this coronation is is the opportunity this nation has been waiting for for more than a thousand years!” Canisius leaned forward and slammed the table in rhythm with the final three syllables. “The opportunity to, at last, catch the enemy off-guard. Most if not all of us in this room can trace our ancestry back to the Night of the Three Butchers, and now we finally have, in our talons, the opportunity to avenge them along with all of the victims of that act of Equestrian savagery!”
Many of the generals in the room nodded their heads affirmatively. A few gave muffled war cries. Canisius took a deep breath before speaking up again.
“Now, before we return to status reports, are there anymore concerns that need to be voiced?” Canisius asked, surveying his seated generals. General Flavius raised his talon.
“Yes, general?”
“There has been one certain aspect of this operation to which I have wanted to receive an answer,” Flavius began. “Ambassador Tyana. She’s attending the coronation ceremony in Canterlot with a delegation, correct?”
Canisius nodded. “That is correct, general.”
“Has she... been informed of the operation?” Flavius asked.
Canisius sighed. “It... was decided that, for the sake of confidentiality, the operation could not be revealed to any member of the Griffon diplomatic mission to Equestria.”
A concerned buzz swept through the room. Over the murmuring, General Flavius spoke up again.
“Then, commander... why not have her and the delegation simply pull out of attending the ceremony?” he asked. The others fell silent, awaiting a response from their commander.
Canisius turned around to face the chalkboard and exhaled deeply again. “You and I both know that that’s simply not an option, general. Recalling the delegation at this stage would... raise suspicions. Ambassador Tyana and her delegation will simply be... casualties of necessity.”
For a moment, no one dared say anything. Finally, another general spoke up.
“But...sir, Ambassador Tyana is--”
“I am fully aware...” Canisius began, turning back around to face his generals, “of what the ambassador is, general! And I am fully aware of what faces her and the rest of the delegation once this operation is underway. You do not... have to remind me!”
Again, silence fell over the room. Most of the generals averted their gaze from their commander. This time, Canisius broke the silence.
“Allow this revelation to serve as a reminder to all of you... that some of us have sacrificed a great deal... in order to ensure the integrity and success of this operation.” Canisius turned to look at Scythia, who was looking straight down at the floor. “And let it serve as a reminder to some of you... that I will go to any and all lengths possible... to ensure complete... and total... victory.”
Again, complete and total silence. Canisius did not wait long before breaking it once again, but not before taking advantage of his generals’ averted stares to surreptitiously wipe a tear from one of his eyes.
“In three day’s time... Equestria shall be retaken by its rightful inheritors. Now, next status report!”
