//------------------------------// // Ch.2 Tensions Rising // Story: Equestria: Darkness Rising // by Shocks //------------------------------// The Frozen North. A barren wasteland of snow and ice. Normally, the only sounds to hear in this desolate place would be the howling of the winds and that of the north's resident arctic wolves. However, a piercing whistle echoed through the frozen tundra. Large amounts of snow were knocked away from seemingly buried tracks as the military train barreled on. Inside the powerful train, the firemen were double timing shoveling coal into the furnace, keeping the roaring fire alight and strong. The engineer and his firemen continued their feverish work to keep the train at its current pace, making sure to get their passengers to their destination as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, in the first train car, the passengers in question, the royal guard of Canterlot, were deep in discussion. The sound of many voices and conversations at once created a rather excited atmosphere, save for one particular royal guard, Swift Strike, as he sat silently in the seat opposite of his superior officer, the newly appointed captain of the royal guard, Iron Wall. The silence between the two had began to grow unbearable as time went on. Finally, Swift Strike's nerves got the best of him. "Permission to speak freely sir?" , inquired the royal guard, shifting his gaze from his seat to look at his captain, the very large earth pony. His coat was a deep silver, his mane marble white, while his eyes were a light blue. Iron Will, had up till the point, been gazing out the trains window, eyeing the frozen wasteland outside with a blank stare. His attention hardly shifted from the window, save for a raised eyebrow. "Something on your mind Swift Strike?" the captain asked, his voice caring a mild hint of irritation. Swift Strike, who had been silently relaxing in his seat, snapped to attention, now obviously on the spot. He tried to think how to phrase his question as delicately as possible to avoid his captains already sour mood. ''W-Well sir, I uh-'', Swift began, but found the words he was looking for seemingly absent in his train of thought. He mentally face-hoofed. He had decided to take a seat next to the captain to impress him and to show how much he had changed from the screw-up reputation he had earned back in basic training. He definitely wouldn't consider it brown nosing. It wasn't. Right? Unfourtunelty, his nervousness seemed to be derailing any hope of a professional conversation. "Way to sound professional moron" "Sir, Im just wondering, why are we here?" he blurted out. The captain's brow furrowed and he finally removed his gaze from the window to lock it onto the nervous Pegasus . That captain didn't speak, he simply looked the private up and down, as if making sure he had heard correctly. "So. Your the one I've been hearing about who keeps asking that question" . Unbeknownst to the two, a stallion near the rear of the car had begun to whistle nonchalantly as another guard next to him glared angrily. "Uh, no s-sir!", Strike quickly replied, waving his front forelegs dismissively. Now fully under the gaze of his superior officer, the guard now regretted saying anything. His captain didn't seem to appreciate his response, and continued to eye Swift Strike. His gaze was starting to become unbearable, Swift starting to feel himself sweating in his armor. He tried to rub the back of his neck, only to have the golden plating of his helmet meet his hoof. "Kinda hard to do with your helmet on idiot!" As if reading his mind, his captain broke the awkward silence between the two. " You don't need to wear your helmet at the moment, you can remove it if you wish". Swift, taking it more as an order rather than a suggestion immediately removed is golden helm and placed directly against his side. The sudden removal of his helmet caused his armor's enchantment to fail, revealing the natural colors of Swift Strike. Where his coat had once been white, was now replaced with a bright yellow. His mane was short, bright red at the front and turning into a dark orange near the end. His once blue eyes, became a bright emerald. The transformation was done in moments, but neither guard deiced to acknowledge it. The captain simply nodded and returned his gaze to the window. Swift, attempting to salvage the conversation, tried again to ask his question. "Uh, well sir, well... what I meant was.... why are we being mobilized to the Crystal Empire? I haven't heard of this large a movement since the threat against Canterlot" The captain snorted, the glass around the window slightly fogging with his hot breath clashing with the cold exterior, as he muttered under his breath. Strike heard something along the lines of " we all know how that turned out..." , but wisely decided to not mention it.Iron Wall again focused his gaze on his subordinate, Swift shrinking back from what was an undeniable glare. "The Princess has requested that a large detachment of the guard be stationed in the Empire for the moment after receiving a letter from Princess Mi Amore Cadenza asking for more security." the captain replied. Swift noticed that the captain had only said Princess, rather then Princess Celestia. In truth, most of the royal guard did still refer to Celestia as the princess, even after Princess Luna's return a few years ago. Up till that time, there had only been one 'true' princess for 1000 years. Luna's return had not been received well by the guard, especially after attacking three pegasi with lightning while being Nightmare Moon. It only became worse as Luna's former guard, the Lunar guard, appeared out of nowhere, seemingly deciding to reclaim their positions that they hadn't held for over a thousand years. It wouldn't have been so bad if many of the night guard hadn't been removed by Princess Luna herself, being dropped into lower positions with lower pay. This had infuriated many in the command of the guard, only increasing their dislike for the 'new' princess. Most of the guard eventually came to accept Luna as princess, but there was still a few who held resentment against the princess of the night. A small cough roused Swift from his thoughts. The silver stallion was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Swift realized hed been lost in thought for some time. "Eh-hehe sorry sir, I kinda was just thinking about your answer", he lied. "Oh? What exactly were you thinking about?" the captain asked. "Horseapples! Quick think of something!" "Well, uh, I mean, doesn't the empire have its own guard force? Shouldn't they be able to defend the Empire?" The seemed to bring a small smile to the larger stallions face, as he started to chuckle. Not the reaction Swift was expecting. "Swift Strike, I've seen members of the reserve guard who could wipe the floor with those crystal pony guards.", he chuckled. His face was stoic once again, as he became more serious. "The fact of the matter is, those guards are untrained and ill suited for combat. They have barely any pegasi, little to no unicorns, its honestly not surprising that Sombra character managed to take the place over, they had little to fight back with.What experience those guards had was lost when the empire returned. Right now? They're about as combat effective as a militia. Its been only through Prince Armor and the re-assigned royal guards that have kept them in decent shape." Iron Wall finished. "Wow, that was..something". Before Swift could add any further to the conversation, a shrill whistle sounded through the air, the train's conductor indicating they were approaching their destination. Iron Will immediately assumed his role as commander, dawning his helmet instantly and hopping off his seat, moving to stand in the aisle of the car. "Guards! Helmets on!" he roared. All side conversations between the various guards ended abruptly as they too dawned their helmets. Swift fumbled with his momentarily as the train suddenly lurched, indicating they were arriving at the station. The captain of the royal guard started to move down the aisle toward the front of the car, guards moving to follow as he passed them. When Iron Wall reached the door, he momentarily paused as he looked over his soldiers. Each guard was perfectly lined behind each other in two rows, many wearing the trademarked un-emotional mask of the royal guard, though he could see a few with small smiles on a few ponies, Swift Strike included. "Rookies.." He chuckled inwardly. "I would suggest to put on your visors now! This blizzard has caused unexpected problems, and the last thing I need is some of you fillies going blind! Am I understood?!" "Sir Yes sir!" they saluted in return. Each reached into their saddlebags and removed plain black visors, specially designed to shield their eyes from the harsh weather. Seeing as each guard was properly covered, he put on his own pair, noting with some distaste that more of his vision was blocked than expected. Double checking once more with his troop, Iron Will nodded slightly before throwing the door open. Immediately, he was slapped with the roaring wind. The howling of the wind alone was deafening to say the least. This blizzard was not making things easy. Stepping onto the battered wooden platform, he looked to his left, spotting his lieutenants stepping out of their own respective cars, their own groups no doubt waiting behind them. " Sergeant Iron Will sir!" a voice yelled over the blizzard ahead of him. Iron will turned to face another royal guard, a bright orange pegasus. He was flanked by two other crystal guard ponies, their silver armor matching their sparkling magenta coats. "Sparkling....very threatening...". " Second Lieutenant of the Royal Guard of The Crystal Empire Flash Sentry reporting in sir! I've been tasked by Prince Shining Armor himself to escort you to the Empire!" , the pegasus yelled, which barley sounded like he was raising his voice over the roar of the blizzard. "Well what are we waiting for? Lets get moving!" the captain ordered. Flash quickly saluted and motioned to one of the crystal ponies behind him. The guard nodded and proceeded toward the end of the platform, where the last of the guards were stepping out of the train. "We need to stick close together sir! This blizzard is deadly if a pony stays out here to long!" ,Flash said as he descended the steps of the station. Iron will walked directly next to the lieutenant, with the crystal pony behind him, followed by 2 rows of royal guards, with the last crystal pony in the rear. The captain quickly realized where they heading, as he spotted a series of small poles sticking out near a snow bank. Each pole was adorned with a small crystal at its tip, giving off a very faint red luminescence. "Stay near the poles sir! It will lead us right to the Empire!" Flash voiced, as he trudged through the thick snow. "Thank you for that insightful information Lieutenant !" the captain rebuttled, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Something about this guard had managed to irritate Iron Wall immediately, making their trek towards the empire more frustrating then necessarily. Sentry, clearly not taking the hint, continued talking. " Its no problem sir!" The captain snorted. 'This pony's basket is missing a few apples' Flash looked around for a moment before turning to the captain, "You know, I bet a Snowcone stand would do great out here!" The large earth pony groaned, praying to Celestia they didn't have much longer to go. He could already feel a headache coming on. "I'm afraid this is as far as you can go", the guard stated simply, raising a hoof to halt the crystal pony before him. Standing in the small perimeter around the crystal heart, the stoic crystal guards had been like this for days as per the princess's orders. Maintaining an immediate defense around the heart. Unfortunately , this action had not gone over well with the other crystal ponies. Since the city square was directly below the palace, the 4 entrances also flanked by guards, many of the ponies had averted the palace, choosing to walk around the perimeter. Yet there were many who enjoyed walking by the crystal heart. Knowing it sustained the shield around the empire, many found warmth being within its proximity, but now, they had been denied by the placement of the guard. Many the crystal ponies could have overlooked the new placements, if not for being unable to be told why. "I still don't understand, why cant we see the crystal heart? Is there something wrong?" the sapphire pony asked, attempting to get a better look at the heart, only to have the guard re-position in her vision. Her name, coincidentally Sapphire, was the self appointed leader of the small crowd of ponies present. Behind her, a wave of murmuring went through the crowd. Many voiced the same questions and concerns. Several nodded in agreement that something was defiantly going on. "I'm sorry, but at the moment you cant see the heart. Please go about your business." the guard replied plainly. "The crystal heart is our business!" , an azure stallion stood up from the crowd, pointing an accusatory hoof at the guard. "Ya!" "Exactly!" several other voices spoke out. The guard remained stoic, though any skilled enough could tell his eyes betrayed concern. The crowd was starting to get restless, and a few of the guards next to him had tightened the grip on their spears. Up above, a few guard pegasi were hovering nearby, watching the group warily, ready to act if necessary. Unknown to the group, a message was already on its way about the crowd. "At this time you cannot see the heart. Please go abou-" the crowd soon cutoff his response. "We heard you the first time! We want to know why!" "What's the big deal!" "That's our cities heart! We have a right to see it!" "Whats with all the royal guards anyway?!" "Whats going on?" "Whats going on?!" the crowd yelled in unison. The crowd, which up till now had garnered little attention from the other ponies around the square, was now center stage. Many where eyeing the exchange attentively, their attention peaked. The crystal guard gulped quietly. He looked towards his fellow guards, they in turn looked to him. He eyed the crowd, most wore irritated expressions, some that screamed WERE WAITING. The guard cleared his throat, and he was about to speak, when another beat him to the punch. "What seems to be the problem here?" the voice said. Everyone within earshot turned to see a pure white unicorn stallion in a bright red vest walking out the doors to one of the palace's entrances. "Prince Shining Armor!" the guards saluted, and the crowd bowed in turn. The only sound emanating from the entire square was the click clack of hooves on crystal as the prince approached the opposing groups. "At ease" he informed the guards, and motioned for the crowd to rise. He looked in-between the two, a small smile on his face. "So, what seems to be the trouble?" The mare and guard looked between each other and the crystal prince, both plagued by indecisiveness. After a short eternity, the guard spoke. "Your highness, we were maintaining our position around the crystal heart, when they approached us", he pointed to the small crowd, " When we stated they couldn't see the heart, they became restless." "I see", nodding once to the guard, he turned toward the crowd, " I would like to hear your side of the story as well". Most of the crowd were unsure how to answer, some finding their hooves in need of their attention. Sapphire decided to speak to the price. "Well, my prince, what he said was the truth. We wanted to see the heart and when we couldn't, we got....restless...." Sapphire said, lowering her head, acting like a filly who's hoof was caught in the cookie jar. The prince simply nodded in understanding. "I can understand your concerns completely. I know many of view find great comfort in being near the heart. After recent...'events'...." , the prince was looking for the right word, " you all have a right to voice your concerns. As citizens of the empire, you all deserve to know whats been going on for the past few days. I take it everyone has noticed the large amount of royal guards that have been entering the Empire?", the prince paused, motioning to a squad of unicorn guards walking down a nearby street, as well as the large amount of pegasi guards in the sky. The crowd nodded, eagerly awaiting for the prince to continue. "Well, I can assure you, you all have nothing to worry about. This is simply a joint military exercise between the royal guard of Canterlot and the guard of the Empire. Although many from the guard in Canterlot have been reassigned to the Empire, our overall training and ability is in need of some improvement. With that in mind, Princess Cadence and I have asked Princess Celestia to assist us. This exercise is supposed to be taken as 100% real by all the guard, and for that, we felt it best too not inform you all, as to keep the exercise authentic. I can see now that might have been a bad idea in hindsight." , the price laughed lightly gaining a few laughs from the crowd in turn. " Now as for the heart, I'm afraid that I cant remove the guard from the heart, as they are part of the exercise. I can inform you all though that the heart is fine. The guards will be removed as soon as the exercise is over. Now, do any of you have any questions for me?" Shining asked. The crowed looked to one another, before shaking their heads. Each had a grateful and satisfied smile on their face. Sapphire, the self appointed spokes-pony of the group, shook her head. "No, we are fine, thank you my prince", the crystal pony smiled and bowed lightly. The other ponies in the square were also nodding among themselves, satisfied the matter had been resolved. "Good to hear. Now if you'll excuse me, my advisers are probably going crazy wondering where I'm at." Shining laughed again, this time getting the whole crowd to laugh with him along with a few guards. As the crowd dispersed, and the crystal prince made his way back into the palace, no one noticed his small smile turn into a deep frown as the doors slammed shut.