It was a cool, clear night in Ponyville. It had been a fortnight since a monster had attacked the town, and almost a month had gone by since the Cutie Map had sent Twilight or her friends to deal with a friendship problem.
So why, she thought to herself, do I feel like something's wrong?
She rose from her bed and walked to the window, considering the possible answers. The ward spell she'd placed upon the castle had not sounded, so it couldn't be an intruder. It couldn't be Spike up and about, as his claws made an unmistakable clicking on the castle floors, and she couldn't hear anything. Owlowiscious was off in the Everfree Forest hunting mice at this hour, and it was doubtful that he'd return so early.
Twilight grunted in frustration. Maybe a peanut butter sandwich and a cup or two of warm milk would set her to right. She exited her bedroom and headed for the stairs, stopping at the door to Spike's room. Sure enough, she could hear him lightly snoring. She smiled and continued on her way.
She was almost to the kitchen when she stopped dead in her tracks. The breakfast nook, which should have been dark at this hour, was awash in the warm glow of candlelight. She heard the sound of liquid being poured into a glass, followed by the gravelly grunts of . . . something eating the leftover egg salad from the potluck Pinkie had held the other day.
Twilight considered how to proceed. On the one hoof, she'd made it her policy as the Princess of Friendship to never turn away anypony in need of food or shelter. On the other, whoever it was had bypassed her wards without setting them off, entering through the metaphorical side-window rather than use the front door. Why go to the extra trouble if all one wanted was a meal?
"Are you going to just stand in that hallway all night?"
Twilight jumped; it was definitely a stallion's voice (assuming that the intruder was a pony), and a deep, imposing one at that. Gathering her courage, she forced her expression into a mask of sorely tested patience. She couldn't afford to let him, or possibly it, think he had her at a disadvantage. Entering the kitchen, she finally got a look at her strange guest; he was, indeed, an earth pony stallion. His tan fur contrasted with his grey mane and beard, both cut short in the military style. He wore blue-white armor that seemed designed to allow greater freedom of movement than the armor worn by modern Equestrian soldiers. From his side hung a 3-foot sword, and around his neck a red scarf of the sort used in Saddle Arabia to protect one's face in sand storms. Twilight guessed his age to be mid to late 60's, though he appeared to be in excellent physical condition.
"Your defenses are a joke," said the stallion between bites of egg salad, "Not funny ones, either."
"Oh?" she replied.
"Wards are useful if you're expecting a brute force attack, but there's no substitute for a good praetorian guard. That's the problem with you unicorns, you're so used to throwing magic at your problems that you blind yourselves to other, better possibilities."
Twilight resisted the urge to state that she was an alicorn now. "It's very rude to offer condescending advice to someone before you've been properly introduced."
He chuckled. "I've never been overly concerned with formalities, Princess Twilight. As it is, I am Morning Star, at your service."
Twilight's couldn't keep her eyes from widening. Morning Star was the commander of the Riders of the Sword, the most infamous mercenary company in all of Equus. Though only around five hundred in number, their participation had been the deciding factor in some of the bloodiest conflicts of the last few decades, from the Centaur Plains to the Minotaur Kingdoms and all across Hoofrica.
"I see from your expression that you've heard of me," he said with a grin.
"Being a deserter from the Equestrian Army who kills for money is hardly something to be proud of."
"On that we can agree," said Morning Star amiably, "I'm neither especially proud nor ashamed of my work. Killing is purely a matter of business to me. What I truly love in this life is the sword. The heft of a blade in my hooves is more comforting than the softest silk sheets, the act of facing a similarly-armed foe a greater rush than any drug, the chorus of steel against steel sweeter than any music I've yet heard. Battle is what I live for; killing is just something that comes with that."
"So why come back to Equestria?" asked Twilight, "Contracting private military forces has been illegal here for centuries. There is no business for you here."
"Perhaps I've gotten tired of soldiering," he said, "Perhaps I've gotten too old for it and have decided to retire. Or perhaps, for the first time in over forty years, I have hope for Equestria's future."
Morning Star rose from the chair he sat in, standing on his hind legs. With effortless grace he crossed the room and knelt before Twilight, laying his sword at her feet.
"There was a time," he said, "that I believed the Years of Sameness would never end, that our land would continue to exist as it always has, rooted in the past while the rest of the world moved toward the future. Ever since the day I walked out of Starfell castle never to return, I have believed this. But ever since you and the Elements of Harmony cured Princess Luna of the Nightmare, defeated Discord, and laid low threats that Celestia herself could not hope to match, I have known hope again. "
Twilight gasped at the mention of her family's ancestral keep on the outskirts of Canterlot. No-pony had lived there since her father was a child. "Who are you, Morning Star? Who are you really?"
Morning Star rose and wrapped Twilight in a hug. "I'm your grandfather's brother, Twilight Sparkle. I'm your great uncle."