"Now listen up!" Shining Armor called out from the balcony overlooking the Celestial Ward, to the two-hundred battle-ready Royal Guardsmen below. "Your time has finally come! All of your training and hard discipline has been for this very moment! For you see, unwelcome visitors have arrived into our great land. They seek violence and destruction, thereby threatening not only the kingdom, but the balance of peace and harmony we've built for so long under Celestia's rule.

I'm sincerely confident that you are all ready for the task at hand... to finally have the honor of proving your loyalty to the Princess and your kingdom by defending it with your combined strength and determination." And with that, Shining Armor took a pause to admire the sincerity of the soldiers' expressions. He knew they would defend their princess and their land with their very lives, because of their genuine love of both. They were honored to serve under Princess Celestia, for she was the primary reason why Equestria has been known by everyone as the pinnacle of peace and harmony. It was perfection. They would do whatever it took to ensure its security.

Shining Armor understood this dedication by heart. He served under Celestia as Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard, as well as Celestia's primary military advisor. He was a very well-respected military leader for his brilliance regarding tactics of modern warfare in the name of protecting the princess and keeping peace among Equestria. He has publicized nearly two-thousand revolutionary tactics and strategies within Canterlot's branch of military power. They were flawless, having been physically tested in realistic battle scenarios with his fellow guardsmen by other high-ranking officials. He and his men were prepared for any threat of the modern age.

Before he could continue his speech, a high-ranking guardsman next to him cleared his throat, indicating to Shining Armor that time is running short. He understood and wrapped it up with a few final words. "Equestrians! Brothers and sisters of the sword, we have and will forever remain guardians of harmony. Fear not of our new enemy! Show them we will fight without mercy in the name of freedom!"

The enthusiastic band of warriors responded with a hearty "Hoorah!"

Shining stepped back to allow his accompanying guardsman official to take over. "All yours, Colonel Blackburn."

"Thanks." said Blackburn, uncomfortable with Shining Armor's choice of ending with a motivational speech instead of saving it after operational briefing. Colonel Blackburn was second in command of the Royal Guard, specially selected field commander of ground forces, which meant he was chosen to lead this army into battle personally, with the aid of five squad leaders to oversee organized field tactics executed by the two-hundred soldiers split into five specialized units respectively.

"Time is in short supply, so I will get right to the point. According to an anonymous source, the enemy has situated themselves within the depths of the Everfree Forest. They are highly mobile, and it is only a matter of time until they have discovered the neighboring town of Ponyville."

Shining's heart skipped a beat. Ponyville. Home of Twilight Sparkle, my dearest sister! Oh, how I wish I was assigned field commander of the operation to ensure your security personally. But I'm afraid that it is from the princess' discretion that I must perform my duties here, for Canterlot is also in great danger.

Blackburn continued. "Ponyville has no form of defence whatsoever, which indicates their chances of surviving an attack are almost nonexistent. Fellow guardsmen, we will change that. We are to act as both defence and stabilization. It is imperative we drive this enemy back, and away from Ponyville, for it is a vital strategic position that exposes the location of Canterlot.

We will arrive via battlewagons, with units of fourty guardsmen per squad leader. We will follow tactics 'secure and overwatch' and, should we engage, 'reserve-engagement and defend', in which squad leaders Dornier and Wulf will lead their men in the first wave of the engagement. Maveric and Breguet's men will stand by as reserve forces, and finally Gulfstream will situate his unit deep within the town as the last line of defence."

Shining ignored the rest of the briefing, as he has heard all he needed to hear. They were going to execute two proven tactics tested by himself in the past, except this time they will be used in actual battle.

Their organisation as an army also concerned him a great deal. The Royal Guard consisted of a total of five-thousand, three-hundred men. This was the lowest troop-number of any government, purely because the Guard was Equestria's only line of defence. No dedicated army or naval corps, however an unofficial "aero-corps" could easily be improvised with pegasus ponies, Guard or otherwise, should a situation arise that is out of traditional ground forces' control.

It also consisted of a sub-corps called the "Lunar Guard." These were guardsmen specifically assigned in protecting Princess Celestia's younger sister, Princess Luna, as well as the rest of the palace during the general night shift. Most of the Lunar Guards consisted of chiropteranoid pegasi hybrids, but there were a small number of unicorns and earth ponies that patrolled the palace grounds.

Indeed the Guard was a highly-trained organisation in comparison to lower-class military corps, but their power in numbers was regrettably insignificant.

I pray they are prepared for this conflict. A faceless enemy is the worst kind of enemy, since we have no knowledge of what they are capable of.

...

...

...

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna watched the two-hundred guardsmen through the great observation window overlooking the Celestial Ward as they moved out, following the lead of their respective field commanders.

The two royal cerapters were absolute goddesses in appearance, larger than average ponies, clad in regal attire both simplistic and elegant, also in expression of their royal duties. Celestia had a brilliant cutie mark representing the golden sun, while Luna's represented a radiant quarter-moon. Their seas of manes and tails flowed like waves against gravity, thanks to powerful yet lustrous magic. Luna's, during the night, was even more impressive. Under the gleaming ocean of stars, her mane contained sparkling representations of every known constellation. During the day, however, it was as plain as a cloudless sky of blue.

"Big sister?" Luna said to Celestia, turning to her with such innocent aquamarine eyes.

"What is it?" replied Celestia, returning her sister's gaze with a smile that highlighted her already beautiful purple eyes.

Luna looked back out the window, observing as Shining Armor made his way back to the main palace grounds. "Why didn't you let Shining Armor take field command of the operation? I mean, after all, is he not the brother of Twilight Sparkle? Don't you think he would want to see her again and oversee the protection of her from this menace?"

Celestia's smile faded as she too adverted her attention to the outside activity. "Luna, my dear sister, let's not forget about the previous threat made against Canterlot. I need him here to perform his protection spell over the palace while the selected guardsmen control the latest situation in Ponyville."

Ah, yes. The return of our dreaded enemy. Let us hope the threat in Ponyville can be contained in time for their arrival. This time, I hope, we are ready for them.

Shining Armor emerged from the entrance to the great hall and bowed before the princesses. "The troops are on their way, your majesty." He announced to Celestia.

"Splendid."

"May I perform the protection spell now?" Shining asked, standing at ease.

"Yes, of course."

...

...

...

Equestria. It was a name coined for the land long before the rule of Celestia. For centuries it had been an undiscovered land among the intelligent ponies, one of many blanks on the map. Ponies had been born into a world of chaos and hatred, starving for the most basic of needs. Food was scarce, weather was harsh, and pony races and cultures were divided by such petty differences. For what seemed like eternity, they were slowly consumed by darkness brought upon them by both the elements and their own attitudes.

Apparently it was their attitude towards each other that dramatically shifted the magical laws of harmony into turmoil, thus affecting the natural elements themselves. The three major pony races - Earth, Unicorn, and Pegasus - were forced to explore the outside territories to start their lives over, in attempt to re-build their societies in a way that functioned harmoniously. Little did they understand that they were missing a vital element to end their bitterness once and for all. Friendship.

When the three leaders of their respective races discovered Equestria, it took the most unlikliest of of individuals to show them was friendship truly meant. Their hearts melted and they united, co-founding in a way that kept balance in harmony and peace between races.

Not long after this revolutionary discovery, the first cerapter was born into the land. She wielded the most powerful of magic that saw potential as means of controlling the magical laws in favor of maintaining peace among them. It was so powerful it seemed to effect the sun itself. For this, she and her family were considered royalty. Soon, she would have a sister of the same magnitude of power. They were assigned co-rulers of Equestria. It would not be long before Equestria's flag bore a coat of arms that represented the two sisters.

As Princess Celestia carried the burden of raising the sun at dawn for her subjects, her younger sister Luna would bring about the moon at night. To much of the ponies' surprise and utter gratefulness, they carried out this tradition for centuries. They were like mighty goddessess, as they were so powerful that they were literally immortal. To date, they still bore their earliest titles as princesses.

However, Luna became bitter. She felt as no one cared for her significance in the magical balance of their land. Celestia's subjects seemed to favor the daylight, but shunned the night. After many years of this rejection, Luna left her older sister's side to become an independent ruler of her own. But instead of maintaining natural balance, she vowed to bring about eternal night. Only then did she feel she would get the love she deserved. Her decision shifted the laws once again, transforming her into a wicked and much feared mare of darkness. She was Nightmare Moon.

Celestia attempted on many occasions to reason with her bitter sister, but she would not listen and proceeded with her terrible ways. For this, Celestia was left with only one choice to protect her land. With all her incredible magical ability, she banished her younger sister to the moon itself, for a duration of one-thousand years.

Celestia in the meantime carried the burden of controlling both the sun and the moon. As the years passed, ponies continued to live their lives in harmony, as if this banishment of royalty never happened. Indeed it became a legend among many, but time dissolved it into a "ponies'-tale" that would be soon forgotten in the modern era's peak.

But one dedicated unicorn researcher knew the severity of the story. The moment Twilight Sparkle discovered the startling legend, she knew it would not be long before harmony would once again be in jeporady. Twilight urged Celestia to act upon this arisen situation, as Nightmare Moon's punishment of isolation was drawing close to its end. Celestia, however, had a very different plan in mind.

Twilight marked the beginning of a generation that began losing touch with the concept of friendship, the very element that founded harmony in Equestria. She had no friends, but a mere assistant in her studies, the baby dragon Spike. Books and research were the foundation of her world, and nothing more. Celestia feared this social isolation would spread, and the balance would crumble in favor of Nightmare Moon's great power. Not even Celestia could prevent it like before. Even more so, Twilight was her most faithful student and apprentice. She loved her like a daughter, and therefore wished for Twilight to live her life in understanding of how this balance worked. But there was another, even deeper reason.

Harmony was not entirely a single element, but made up of six different elements - honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty, and magic. Without any of the five elements, there would be no magic. And without magic, harmony could not be brought to balance. Let alone friendship itself. Everypony lived by these elements as well as they could, however the true elements lived in spirit through six very special and gifted ponies. Celestia knew Twilight was one of them, but like a sleeper she had not awoken to this realization. She needed to experience what true friendship was in order to defeat Nightmare Moon and maintain balance in harmony.

Celestia urged Twilight to find friendship in Ponyville. It was not without immense resistance on her part, but when she did find friendship, the sleeper inside had awoken to the most chilling revelation. She and her friends represented the elements in the flesh, and with their combined power, they were able to defeat Nightmare Moon and revert her to her true self. Luna had felt the revelation herself, for she begged her older sister forgiveness for what she had done and vowed to never let her bitterness overcome her in such a way again. Luna and Celestia ruled together once again, in peace.

Though as time passed in which other rival governments or powerful forces would challenge the integrity of the balance, it remained the pinnacle of harmony for many years to come.

Harmony... in the flesh. Unbreakable, never forgotten, and forever shall it remain.

...

...

...

The mid passenger compartments of the Friendship Express were equipped with electronic vibration-dampening absorbers and were constructed with heavily sound-proofed material. Faint hums and light trembles often snuck through, but could easily be ignored by an occupied mind.

Such as Ray's mind as he let the legend of Equestria and pony-kind sink into his thoughts.

He and Twilight Sparkle were seated face-to-face next to a passenger window. She had just finished telling Ray one of the most awe inspiring stories he had ever heard in his life. And it was not a work of fiction. It was real!

Before him sat the element of magic, something that defied Ray's life-long belief in the universe's known laws. Accompanying them were the rest: Honesty, represented by Applejack, the hard-working earth pony with the thick southern drawl. Kindness, represented by the timid and oh so caring pegasus Fluttershy. Laughter, represented by Pinkie Pie, the playfully energetic pink earth pony. Generosity, represented by the beautiful white unicorn Rarity. And finally, loyalty, represented by the bold and brave pegasus Rainbow Dash.

Heroes. My god, this is so fantastic, I can barely keep my sanity. Have the fairey tales I've heard so much as a child be true? Could the so-called myths be fact? I can't wait to speak to their Princess. Oh, I have so many questions!