I sat on the train northbound. I had a private car with a new assistant helping me sort through guard portfolios. I rubbed my chin, busy looking over a young crystal pegasus. "So, Shard, crystal ponies haven't been around long? All earth ponies?"

Shard turned in his seat. "Hmm? Oh, no, they popped up a year or two ago. But yes, most pure blood crystal ponies are earth, its a subsect of earthpony with a higher crystal content in their bodies." He rubbed his desk with his hoof. "Less iron more zircon."

I scratched my head. "So what, they don't need to eat iron rich stuff?"

He shook his head. "They eat oxide or silicon based foods in place. So, yeah, no spinach, more crysol."

I nodded. "But, they can crossbreed." I tapped my fingers on the desk. "That work like--"

"Same way as any other crossbreed. It all depends on the genes." He looked down at himself. "I'm half thestral, you'd never guess by looking at me though."

I shook my head. "Your coat is softer and your colors are more greyish."

Shard looked up and down himself. "Oh...well, most ponies couldn't tell."

I shrugged. "So are your systems all wonky? Can't they eat meat?"

Shard nodded. "Equestrian Genetics are strange."

I looked down at my balls. "Yeah, tell me about it." I scratched my ear. "Satyrs? What the fuck man?"

Shard shrugged. "Genetics. Anyways, there could be a pegasus or a unicorn with a crystal coat fairly easily. And if not born like that, you've seen the new potions out of Van Hoover."

I smirked and nodded. "Right. So, we need a quota. About ten to start?"

Shard nodded. "Ten pegasus, maybe four or give unicorns."

I nodded. "Alright." I looked over the files Cadance had handed over. "You have the physical requirements?"

"I'm drafting the new ones right now." He turned back to his desk. "These crystal ponies are a lot more fragile, but they're a lot lighter. Like an earth pony but with less durability and more agility."

I stretched my neck. "Still stronger than pegasus?"

Shard nodded. "Earth ponies are like steel, crystal ponies are like iron. Context wise you can tell which is stronger, but compared to anything else, they both hit pretty hard."

I nodded. "Good." I stretched my arms. "It's like making a brand new military, all over again."

Shard nodded. "Ponies and war aren't really strangers. We've just been away a while."

I leaned back in my chair and looked at the picture of Celestia I had. "Well, we'll bring them armies worthy of the land and the title then."

Shard's hooves tapped against his desk. "Have you heard? Ponies and humans, heck, even griffons and dragons have been buying noble titles."

"Hmm?" I turned my chair around.

Shard smiled and nodded. "Yeah, noble house revolution. Seems like knights and royal families are gonna be a thing again. Castles and counts and dukes and all that are coming back."

I rubbed my chin. "Cool. Even more reason to have a good national army." I thought back to home. "HPI had the same idea, and that was the only thing I remember walking away from Nova Scotia."

Shard looked back over his chin. "...You think that stuff could ever happen here?"

I shook my head. "No...there was years and years of buildup before shit hit the fan back home. And you can see contact with Equestria kinda taking those things away." I nodded hard. "You can see the Earth getting colder with the pegasus controlling the climate more. Spark power is really taking off...no...things are looking...pretty beautiful."

Shard nodded and went back to work. "Nowhere but up, right?"

I nodded and turned around. I stared at Celestia's picture. "Nowhere but up."