Shining Armor gave a sigh as he sat upon the massive balcony of the Crystal Castle. He had spent the last few weeks here to guide the Crystal Ponies after the defeat of King Sombra that time ago.

He gave another sigh, the longing behind it was scarcely noted on this black and starry night. That was scarcely noticed by all but his loving wife. Her hooves rested on his shoulders for a moment before she pulled around to his side.

"What's the matter dear?" She asked as she turned his face to hers.

He could not help but break out in a smile right then and there. The pink, purple, and white of his wife's mane always eased spirits, as did her soft expression of worry for him. Just having her around made things seem as if they were going to be all right. They were not...

"I'm sorry Cadance... I have a lot on my mind since Celestia ordered me off my guard and back to here. The Changeling threat and all..." He spoke, lowering his gaze away from hers as he gave out that sheepish excuse.

The moon stared down at him, Midnight's glare lighting everything up good enough for the pair to see far out into their kingdom. Cadance frowned and lifted her husbands head, wanting nothing more than to see him broken from this stupor of worry.

"Shining Armor," She started off softly, placing a gentle kiss on his lips, "You do not need to worry. The last place we would have to worry about attacking from the changelings is up here. They do not care for the cold of this area..."

Shining smiled at his wife and kissed her back after mere moments. "Maybe you're right...I might be worrying a bit too much about nothing." His thoughts drifted from the war and to his wife and her soft coat brushing against his.

Cadance smiled softly and turned her head out to the stars, "See...you need to take things a bit easier." Her thoughts were broken by the sight of a star speeding across the sky, "Look Shining! A shooting star. Close your eyes and make a wish."

Shining Armor watched once more as his wife closed her eyes. He didn't like believing in lots of superstitious things that could not be proven, so he moved his mouth close to her ear. "I have nothing to wish for because it has been granted to me already."

He could see the blush form on Cadance's face, even as he turned his head and looked at the shooting star...

Gavios sped through the skies, his massive wings carrying him like a green comet as he sailed above the ground. He had been evolved from his predecessors and had been turned into something much greater by the king of the Changelings.

Nymphalos was no rightful king, but he had seduced his leader so he was left with no choice but to be obedient. He had been turned into something much more powerful because of that as well. His wings were now whole and covered by massive plates of carapace as was the rest of his massive body.

He had grown claws unlike other changelings, and his teeth had been honed to razors. He was but a single agent, a vanguard for the rest of the changeling force he was leading. He looked at the mighty spire of the Crystal castle in the distance and turned his course. He boosted his speed even more, his horn causing him to shift from a dull green to a bright neon green as he charged at the pair of ponies sitting on the balcony.

Shining Armor had been gazing at that star...and how it seemed to be getting bigger...and how it just turned from a star into a very bright green ball of flame heading for him and Cadance. Instincts kicked in and he tackled his wife out of the way of the flame as it crashed into the castle and destroyed the balcony and then went tumbling inside.

He stood and helped Cadance to her feet, the Captain of the Royal Guard side of him came out as he started nearly yelling orders to Cadance. "Alert the guards! tell them to prepare for a changeling attack!"

with a nod Cadance took off, her wings spread wide as she sped to the guard station.

Shining armor turned and drew the sword he had at his side at all times since the threat of changelings was announced once more. He stared at this new creature and had to cock his head.

It had the head of the pony, but the armored plates of some kind of massive bug. Standing even talerl than the Princess and with wings wider than hers, he had to question if this thing was really a changeling.

Gavios growled and rolled after colliding with the stone that made up the balcony causing it to explode. He was now thankful for the body that Nymphalos had bestowed upon him. If he was a normal changeling he would have splattered against it like a bug against his hooves.

He looked at the pony he faced. Stalwart in face and expression with a long blue mane that hung down to his neck. he wore clothes that gave away his position as the target that he had been searching for.

Gavios stood and tucked his wings away inside of the safety of his carapace and stood at his full height, easily towering over this smaller pony. What was more is he could see the dots of moving shapes in the distance, the army of changelings he had brought with him.

Gavios let out a roar of might, a mix between a lizard's and a much older more primal threat escaped his throat as he stomped upon the ground, fracturing the stone underneath his claws.

Shining Armor looked at the massive thing in front of him and at the show of force it was making. Only giving away more weaknesses and strengths about itself as time went on. He looked at the thing once more.

He stared into the things eyes... they were not the solid green he had come to expect of their race. They were more like the Queen's in the case that they had slits for pupils and glittered with a malignant intelligence.

"I am Captain Shining Armor. You are just a beast. Tell me your name if you should prove otherwise, and I shall grant you a fair trial for your capture." He spoke, never lowering his stance and attaching the sword to a band on his left front leg so that he could use it more effectively other than in his mouth.

Gavios paused and took up a fully upright stance. "A beast am I? No... not a beast stands before you but a Changeling Commander! Gavios! And I think you lose the meaning of this..." He spoke once more, taking a few ground shaking steps towards Shining Armor.

He spoke once more, baring his teeth this time. His green saliva clung onto the outside and gave away more of his strengths unknowingly to him. "We come not to capture, we come to kill. A thing you had best be ready to do little pony if you wish to survive!" He said this as he reared into the air and charged at Shining.

Shining Armor now had a name for this Creature. Gavios, a Changeling Commander. There was easily going to be an army following this thing.

He jumped out of the way as it charged at him, the things own momentum carrying it into a wall and off of it. It turned once more, unphased by the fact that it had just hit solid marble.

Shining Armor gulped down his fear, a thing he had to learn how to do long ago. This thing had to have a weakness somewhere, and he had to be able to exploit it... everything has a weakness.

A horns call hit his ears as did the brightening of every street lamp in the Crystal Kingdom. Cadance had done her part, now he had to do his and take on Gavios.

He narrowly dodged a charge once more and then saw the opening he need. He slashed out and hit the carapace of Gavios, only to see his blow glanced off like it was nothing but a piece of wheat hitting the side of a harvester.

He felt a firm kick to his jaw and was sent sprawling across the floor all the way to the other side of the throne room. He rubbed his sore mouth and spat out some blood as he saw Gavios standing and snorting across from him, his mouth open and his spear like tongue flailing about , dripping with the inevitable kill that was going to happen.

Shining Armor looked at the thing once more and tried to remember what Twilight had tried to tell him once.

Flashback

"So You see big brother, even though most insects have very hard outsides, they have sections where they separate and link so that movement is possible. If they didn't have these places they would be just hunks of carapace all stuck together." Twilight spoke as she finished dissecting a dead bug, armored piece by armored piece in front of her brother.

Shining Armor had nearly fallen asleep several times, but the skilled way in which his sister had dissected that insect so painlessly made him wonder.

End Flashback

THATS IT! The places where his armor connects! Shining Armor thought to himself as he stood up once more and looked at it. Indeed there were gaps in this creatures indestructible armor to allow movement and he had gotten a smug grin on his face.

Gavios looked at Shining Armor, somewhat confused by the smug grin he now bore on his face. With another rear of his legs he charged at the pony, looking to crush the man underneath his armor.

That all changed when the pony slid underneath him...and stuck his blade in the soft joints that held his back legs muscles in check.

Gavios let out a pained roar as he fell over, one of his back legs almost completely useless now. He flailed the thing meagerly and tried to gain his feet, but without the stability of his back leg he found it rather tough to do.

Shining Armor had struck home, and disabled this beasts movement after that well placed blow. He smiled and held out his blade once more, waiting for Gavios to get up.

He was not stupid enough to near a down creature of that size, nor was he expecting the next thing.

Gavios spread his carapaced back and started to float in the air with the buzz of his wings. He looked down at the smaller pony and swooped down skidding past him and feeling the pain in his leg fade.

He stood up and shook off the wound once more, his muscles having rebonded already. He was not commander for a reason, and such a small weakness would leave him crippled against much more agile opponents.

"Such a wound will not kill a commander such as I."

Shining Armor cursed under his breath and readied his blade once more, looking at the quickly sealing wound of Gavios as he made his boast.

Taking a glance around the room he threw his sword, making it land perfectly in one of the braziers that sat kindling. He had paid attention to heroes of old, and when Hercules had slain the hydra, he had burnt the stumps to keep wounds from healing all the way.

He prayed to Celestia that his method would work out just as well as it had for the hero of old.

The sounds of fighting and war hit his ears as the first wave of changelings landed. the shouts of orders from the guards he had handpicked to lead.

Gavios charged forward, missing once again, despite his muscles propelling him even faster than before.

Shining Armor took his chance now. He grabbed onto the red hot sword and stuck it into the joint of his right front legs upper portion. The searing of flesh, the roaring of a creature, and the blood that evaporated on contact gave him satisfaction as he saw Gavios roar in pain and buck away from him.

Intense.

Burning.

PAIN!

It felt as if someone had slipped a red hot nail underneath his skin and then started to spin it around. He felt the flesh burn and smelt it as well.

his pained roars could be felt throughout the palace. He knew he was not going to be able to use that leg again unless Nymphalos saw it fit to give him another one.

Gavios tried spreading his wings only to feel the same pain his leg felt in the joint of it. He gave a much louder roar as his wing was severed from its holding.

Gavios had tried to escape under the now ever watchful gaze of Shining Armor. He denied that escape by severing one of his wings, covering and all.

The heavy carapace thudded next to him and he stood, his still glowing hot sword now steaming with blood.

He lunged forward to strike Gavios once again, only to hear a pair of words utter from the changelings lips that he thought not possible.

"I SURRENDER!"

Shining Armor looked at Gavios, the once impressive looking commander now with a useless leg and with a wing torn off. He looked as if he had truly been through a war. A thing that he had brought upon himself.

"Surrender accepted. You take advantage of it, and I will see your other wing ripped from its place as well."

He did not like the idea, but he had to feign defeat for a while... He gave the command to all of his remaining changelings and felt them surrender as well.

They were marched into the room by the number of guards that Cadance had called, and the woman herself.

Shining Armor smiled and looked at her, Embracing her in a hug for a moment. "Take them to the dungeons. Make sure the large one is kept under watch at all times."

The knights saluted and started to take him and all of his fellow changelings down. He wanted to lash out, but it would not be wise at this moment.

He merely had to wait... .as his Queen would command him to do. He would be patient as the predator is... and find the perfect moment to strike...

Hundreds of miles away in the Changeling's Hive, Nymphalos let out his rage once more. This time destroying a large section of wall with just a kick.

Chrysalis walked calmly over to her king and held onto him. "Aww... don't worry."

He turned his head to her, his mouth fairly evident, and his teeth bared in annoyance and in hate. "Don't worry?! How am I not to worry with your changelings destroying my plans from the first brick!"

Chrysalis smiled, "Because, they are not destroyed. They are merely delayed. It is better to have an army on the inside ready to break free when the time truly comes for an assault then to have a small chip taken out of a larger building is it not?"

Nymphalos' mouth closed, his jaws resealing back together. He nodded his head and assumed his calm tone once more and he nuzzled her. "I suppose it is."

He took a few steps away and looked at the workers that were now fixing the wall with gusto.

"Perhaps I should listen to my queen a bit more often... should she prove more willing to give me an heir." He looked at her with mild disdain.

She smiled her coy smile at Nymphalos and layed down on the soft membranous bed she had made at the start of her hive. "I should prove to be a bit more compliant when you decided to start focusing more on me, and less on the war."

Nymphalos sighed in resignation and took his side next to her. "I suppose... I have had a bit too much on my mind for this... I may need a few more commanders to take things up in my stead. After that, I shall devote time to you until the others arrive and the war begins in earnest. Does that sound alright my Queen?" He asked her with another nuzzle to the side of her face.

She kissed him where his mouth usually would be, "That sounds like a wonderful plan. I need rest for now, however. I am tired..."

Nymphalos nodded and gave a yawn in kind. His mouth splitting open normally, his teeth not bared and his tongue stretched out in relaxation. He leaned over to her and crossed his head on top of hers as the two fell into the blissful embrace of sleep.

Shining Armor looked at one of the knights near him. A pegasus. Just the kind of pony he needed right at this moment. Quickly scrawling out a letter he handed it to the pegasus and gave him his orders to take it to Celestia.

"We need to be ready. Fly like lightning!" The Pegasus took off after the encouraging words from his Captain and King.

Cadance walked over to her distressed husband and wrapped her leg around his shoulders once more. "War is here... whether or not we are ready." Shining Armor spoke as he looked up to the moon.

He prayed that the war end swiftly, for everypony's sake.