A lone pony strolled into Sugarcube Corner, a bead of sweat dripping from his brow. Everypony immediately turned to look at the newcomer. In a world of pastel colored ponies, this one stood out for his plain colors. His black mane and tail did little to offset his tan coat. Rather, the lack of color was offset by his cutie mark, a sword glowing with magic energy. And yet these details weren't what caught everypony's attention. Rather, their eyes were drawn to the stallion's saddle...and the sheath hanging off the side, with a rather sharp sword resting within. The pony ignored all the attention, and walked up to the counter.
"Heya there, Shining Blade!" Pinkie Pie greeted the visitor as she blurred into existence behind the counter. "How's the training going? You want anything?"
"Just a muffin, thanks," Blade replied with a smile. "The training's going fine. The Guard's gonna notice me sooner or later."
"Well, good luck with that!" Pinkie exclaimed, having somehow retrieved the muffin in the few seconds it took Blade to say his piece. His cool green eyes locked with hers as he smiled, payed for the muffin, and left with his lunch.
Once he was outside, Blade leaned against one of the walls, and took a bite out of his muffin and thought about his dreams. For years now, he'd wanted to be a member of the Royal Guard, and had spent day after day honing his battle skills. Many of Ponyville's inhabitants had given him odd looks throughout the years for choosing the path of war in a peaceful world, but those he interacted with daily understood his dream and had helped him where they could. With their help, he knew he'd have a place in the Guard eventually. He smiled at that thought, and took one final bite from his muffin.
Blade noticed a dash of violet in the corner of his eye and looked up. "Well, if it isn't Princess Twilight," he greeted. "Off to the schoolyard?"
"Oh, hello," Twilight called back, just now noticing Blade. "Yes, I've gotta go pick up Nyx."
"Well, I've got nothing better to do," Blade replied. "Mind if I tag along?"
"You don't have any...training to do?"
"Nah, I finished up for the day. Come on, let's go."
The final school bell rang just as the two approached the schoolhouse. A large crowd of foals and fillies came rushing out of the building, eager for their afternoon of freedom. Among them were the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their friend Nyx, who all made a beeline for Twilight as soon as they saw her. While Nyx greeted her mother, the other three fillies were drawn to the town eccentric who had followed her.
"Hey there, Mr. Blade," Scootaloo greeted. "How's your training going?"
"I'd say it's going pretty well, squirt," Blade replied. "Pretty sure I could handle any monster problems Ponyville might have."
"You really think you can protect Ponyville?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Yeah, I'll keep you all safe," Blade answered.
"Well, I don't think we'll have to worry about that anytime soon," Twilight pitched in, giving a little chuckle. "Let's go home, Nyx." The princess of friendship extended a calming wing to her adopted daughter. Blade smiled as he watched the two.
"Is something funny?" Twilight asked as she noticed Blade.
"No, it's just...you really care for her, don't you?" Twilight nodded in response.
And then the world fell apart.
Suddenly, the earth began shaking violently, forcing everypony to their knees. Blade struggled to look up, hoping to see what was going on. What he saw seemed to defy explanation: shining orbs of light, very similar to stars in the night sky, erupted forth from nearly every point of the trembling earth. The lights felt mystical, but dangerous and foreboding. This light...was this the natural form of magic? Finally, the earthquake stopped, though the twinkling lights still pervaded the air.
"Mom, what's happening?" Nyx asked, too scared to get back up.
Before Twilight could answer, a growl pierced the air. Everypony turned in the direction of the Everfree Forest, from which a small group of monsters, obviously enraged by the magical quake, rushed to attack the poor foals and fillies.
"Well, guess it's time to back up my words," Blade noted, turning his neck to the side and pulling out his sword. He set his eyes on the monster in front, and prepared to strike.
"Azure Edge!"
He swung his sword along the ground, sending a blue shockwave toward the monster. The creature went down the instant the wave made contact. This was an odd part of Shining Blade's special talent: despite being an earth pony, he had limited access to magic. He couldn't levitate objects or light up dark places, or any of the other fancy spells unicorns could use, but he could channel magic into his blade to pull off useful tricks like this. The next two monsters approached Blade at rapid speed; he rewarded their haste with two clean cuts, felling them both instantly. With one last attack, he brought down the final monster, a timberwolf, slicing the wood it was made from in two so it couldn't reform. Seeing that his job was done for now, Blade put away his sword and returned to the crowd of children, who all thanked him for the rescue.
"So, any idea what might have caused this?" Blade asked Twilight.
"Huh? Why are you asking me?"
"Magic's pretty much your life. I just figured you'd be the first to have any kind of an idea."
"Hmm. Magic stems from the Tree of Harmony. You don't think something could've happened to it...?" Twilight's eyes widened. "Nyx, we're going home right now! I've gotta go get my friends and check on this!" And with that, she hurried off into the distance.
Blade, on the other hand, turned toward the Everfree. "So, something might've happened to that tree, huh?" He asked himself rhetorically. "Well, the forest is a dangerous place, now more than ever. I don't think Twilight would mind if I did some scouting for her." Just then, he noticed some of the kids were still frozen in fear behind him. "Run along now, my little ponies. I've got some work to do."