A large meeting was being held in the throne room of the Canterlot Castle. Many royal guards were gathered there by their Princess of the Day. There were a few nobles among the crowd as well. Celestia herself was sitting on her throne, her radiant lavender eyes looking at the gathering, and a deep frown on her face.

She stomped twice with her forelegs, gaining silence. Everypony looked at her as she rose from her throne to speak to her subjects. She inhaled deeply, preparing to speak.

"Ladies and Gentlecolts," she addressed the crowd in a royal manner. "I believe it is time for our meeting to commence. It is time to talk about the future... and possible horror it might wreck upon us."

She was listened in the complete silence without anyone daring to interrupt her.

"The darkness looms over our kingdom." she continued. "I have called you all to tell about it. I know you well: you are the most loyal protectors Equestria has. You are the best of the best, from soldiers to generals.

"In my speech, I must address the horrible events that shook me to my very bones." she made a small sigh. "I believe some of you have already heard about what happened at the borders with the recently-reformed Griffin Empire." she surveyed everyone before continuing. "Murders have happened."

Gasps were heard in the crowd as ponies took in what their princess said.

"Something that hasn't happen for hundreds of years, years of peace." Celestia put her hoof up to silence the murmurs that were about to start. "It is terrible and weighs down on my heart heavily..." she paused. "There is indirect evidence that suggests the Empire is involved in this. While I don't know for sure, it might mean that a new war with the griffins will come soon. I do whatever I can to prevent this, but it seems like all my efforts are futile." she paused for a few seconds, collecting her thoughts. "If an agreement won't be concluded, if everything goes to waste... We must have backup. It is time to reform our army and reinforce the borders with fortresses. A necessary precaution we must take to ensure the safety of our beloved citizens. I have already failed almost a hundred of them... I will make everything possible to evade further losses.

"Thus, we must stand together, stronger than ever, in the face of the impending danger that will try to erase us from existance." Celestia stomped. "But we shan't let that happen! We shall defend our great country, and we shall come out victors!"

Loud applause sounded in her support. Once again, Celestia raised a hoof to bring silence upon the room.

"I trust you, my dear ponies." she said slowly. "And now... This is a hard decision to make, but... execute order eight." she said, and sighed heavily. The crowd was deadly silent, staring at her with disbelief. "In the name of Equestria, we must do this." she paused, and then muttered to herself: "The peace seems to end..."

Luna tiredly limped through the castle of Hornguard in search for her room with a comfortable bed to host her tired body. After arranging the return of her Shadow Guard at night and helping with repairing the damage from the battle with Sombra during the day, she was completely drained of energy. Not to mention that she used her magic to control the undead warriors.

She entered an ancient bedchamber she could call hers and found what she was looking for. Slumping onto the queen-sized bed, she made a long, tired sigh. She looked at the nearby chest of drawers where she found a few books lying on top of it. Those were the books Arantir expected her to read and study.

"Power comes not only from practice, but from theory as well." his words echoed in her head. "Even for someone like you, you know little about the art of raising the dead. These books will help you with learning and perfecting the necromancy. You have one of the greatest potentials I've ever seen, princess Luna. You can become perhaps even more powerful than me."

With those words still in her head, Luna drifted off to so much needed sleep. Her heavy head hit the pillows, her eyes closed, and she finally relaxed.

***

Arantir was sitting on the throne, a book in his magical grasp. It was one of the ancient unicorn books that remained in the castle, and the necromancer was deciphering the unknown language.

He smiled to himself — his apprentice was learning quickly and yet efficiently. He expected Luna to become one of the greatest necromancers to ever liver. Her power grew, and it didn't go unnoticed by the High Lord. He saw what she's done to make the undead army in her possession stronger, and much more deadly. Arantir knew that the war was coming, and all possible preparations must be made in order to defend and, if needed, attack.

One of his loyal advisors, an archlich stood by his side.

"What shall we do once this is over, my lord?" he asked in a deep voice. "Shall we move to search for a way back to Ashan?"

"I believe that Asha will tell us what to do, Kudur." Arantir replied. "I doubt our mission here will be over once the threat is eliminated. No..." he frowned. "I believe that the aftermath of a big war will be ours to handle as well. And even then... The future is unclear and unpredictable, as it always is.

"We must wait. Observe. For now, I know that this world will soon fall into chaos. There are certain signs... Tension grows all across the world, I sense it. Something will be unleashed soon, and I believe it doesn't come only from the inside but from the outside as well. A force we should reckon with. Something so powerful it might be able to challenge Asha herself." his frown deepened. "And thus, we must wait to see what will that bring. It will be the clash none of us will forget..."

"We must prepare, then." the advisor nodded slightly. "Expand our influence, enlarge our armies. With what little we have now, success will be hard to achieve."

"I agree with you on this point." Arantir nodded. "We shall raise the armies of the undead soon. This land is filled with hate... and many souls to take. War has plunged these lands, rendering them uninhabitable. The snow and ice cover the plains, fields, forests, hills... Deep underneath the white, cities like this one may lie in waiting for someone to claim them, and to claim those who laid their heads for them. We shall act soon, rest assured.

"However, I still need to study deeper into this world. There is still a lot for me to learn. Traditions, customs... We mustn't destabilize this world by our presence. We mustn't make this world think that Equestria helps us, too. I wouldn't like to see such a wonderful, peaceful country lying in ruins simply because of a misunderstanding.

"We must remain where we are — in the Frozen North. We shall make others believe we are a threat. Not an immediate threat, of course, but something to deal with much later. Until our acts influence other countries too much, we shall be safe from but the bravest... or the most stupid."

"I believe this is a good plan." the archlich nodded. "You are as wise as always, my lord."

"Asha guides me, and Asha uses all." Arantir stated.

Suddenly, a scroll appeared in front of the necromancer, nearly startling him by the sheer surprise factor.

"Hm, very curious..." he grasped the scroll and levitated it to himself. "It seems that someone sent me a letter." he opened it. "It's from princess Celestia. I wonder what is that she wants me for..."

***

Celestia was sitting in an armchair in her private office when someone knocked at the door.

"Enter." she responded. The door opened slowly, and the High Lord stepped in. "Come in. We have much to discuss, Lord Arantir." Celestia said, gesturing for him to take a seat in front of her."

"Indeed we do." he nodded, sitting in an armchair provided by the alicorn. "I believe you called for me because we need to discuss the future, am I right?"

"Yes, that is completely correct." Celestia nodded. "Your words are confirmed... There is indeed a war coming. While it hasn't yet begun, it is close to eruption. We need to make certain preparations for it to be less destructive."

"I agree. I have an army, and soon it will become bigger." Arantir replied. "I believe you've done something similar, princess?"

"I did." she frowned. "Equestrian Army is being rebuilt right now. While not the best or most trained in the world, it will offer some protection. We'll need everything we can gather. There will be many deaths... And yet we must make sure the death count will be as little as possible. It pains me to see the peace going after so many years without wars..." she shed a single tear.

"I wish it would've stayed like that, too. However, I doubt I would've been sent here if everything was alright. And I will do whatever I can to help. Within my limits, of course." Arantir stated. "However, I figured we mustn't be seen as allies. This world will... poorly receive me, for the lack of a better word. We need to be allies in secret. When all is done, I shall be gone, and there will be no evidence left about our union."

"I was thinking about that, too." Celestia admitted. "Sooner or later, just as when they notice you, I will make a public speech about the danger from the North. A few "attacks" will be orchestrated to make it seem like you are a danger to Equestria. Thus, everything will be kept in control. You will be in my jurisdiction, and no one else will get involved."

"Good." Arantir nodded. "This plan needs refining, of course, but the idea seems pretty solid. For someone less experienced in that field, I expected less. Not to insult you, but hundreds of years of peaceful life have certainly made you soft and vulnerable to sudden violent outbursts."

"As much as I hate to admit, you're absolutely right." Celestia solemnly nodded. "Nevertheless, I will do everything in my power to return the peace to this world. This... this is the end of harmony. And I don't know when it will return to our lands..."

Unbeknownst to the two rulers, cracks started appearing on one peculiar statue in the Royal Gardens. A sinister laugh echoed across the green maze, scaring a few ponies away.

"Did I hear 'the end of harmony'?" a voice from the cracked statue spoke as the stone came to live. "My, it's time for me in this little story!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyXTJEATGt4

Author's Notes:

This rather small chapter is the beginning of something much bigger. I think you've already guessed who that coming-alive-statue is.

Nevertheless, I'd like to say a few words. Not about that particular character but about my (and one half-mine) characters. I've recently looked at the drawings of them that I made, and came to a conclusion that some thing must be improved. And so I did. I won't change previous pictures to the newer ones simply for you to see the progress. Yes, the changes are minor, but I think they make the characters look a bit better. I'm sorta perfectionist with that kind of stuff, I suppose.

With that out of the way, I must say that I'm playing the infamous "Discord Card". Some of you might want to write how stupid that is, but! Don't worry, it will be pretty interesting and entertaining. Wait for it, ladies and gentlemen! You won't be disappointed.