There were some sights that, once seen, always made people know that something bad was going on. Such was the case today for the ponies of Ponyville, as many nervous eyes now peeked out of their windows to what lay just before the Lunar Embassy. The Lunar soldiers, all lined up in a row, with Captain Aurora Dash at their head. And opposing them? The members of the Equestrian Guard, led by Shining Armour. All the soldiers were lined up perfectly with one another, looking as stoic and professional as ever, but never said a word. As for the two Captains, they appeared to be speaking to each other, albeit with some sternness in their expressions. This whole exchange was something Twilight had been watching for some time now, never straying from Ponyville's border as she did so. But there eventually came a time when a familiar voice spoke up to her from behind.

"Mom? What's going on out there?"

Twilight turned, seeing the concerned face of her son, Spike, staring back at her. Normally, she'd probably smile, perhaps give him a few words of comfort to alleviate his fears. But not today. Instead, she simply sighed, shook her head, and spoke to him honestly.

"I don't know, Spike."

Naturally, such words didn't please the young dragon in the slightest. But Twilight, turning from him, looked to the collection of soldiers with determination.

"But I'm going to find out."

And with that, she started walking forward with purpose, as Spike stayed behind, watching her go. It took very little time for the young unicorn to reach the gathering in front of the Embassy, and as soon as she was close enough, Aurora, who had been facing her direction this whole time, raised an eyebrow.

"Well...looks like we have company."

Shining seemed confused by his counterpart's words, until realisation took hold of him, and he turned just in time to see Twilight arrive to stand beside him.

"Twilight?"

The mare's expression softened when she looked to her older brother.

"Shining, people are scared. What's going on?"

Her brother's eyes flickered, showing hesitancy, as if fearful of what he needed to say to her. But Aurora, being in a somewhat less diplomatic mood right now, merely rolled her eyes to this, taking a step forward and just coming out to say it.

"The Problem, Twilight...is that there is a dragon in the Everfree, close to Ponyville's position."

Silence fell, and Shining looked to the Lunar Captain with scorn at having been so blunt about the matter, while Aurora herself didn't seem at all concerned about it. As for Twilight, she was, naturally, worried about this news, briefly taking a moment to look over her shoulder, over to where Spike was standing back in Ponyville. Then, after letting this information sink in for a few moments, she sighed, looking back to Aurora.

"What's going to happen?"

The blue pegasus narrowed her eyes as she answered.

"The Everfree Forest is Lunar Kingdom territory. So, under normal circumstances, our forces would move in, demand that the dragon vacate, and, failing that, remove it forcibly."

Twilight seemed surprised by this.

"You...you're people have actually fought dragons?! And won?!"

Aurora nodded.

"It's difficult, and we haven't had to do so for many years, but yes. Most of them have gotten the message by now, but, every now and then, one of them gets it in their head to try their luck and cross our borders."

After a brief pause, Aurora turned to Shining, frowning as she did so.

"However...it would appear that, this time...we will be having some company on this expedition."

Confusion took hold in Twilight, and she looked to her brother for clarification, which the latter soon gave to her.

"It was decided between Ambassador Cadence and Ambassador Rarity that, for the sake of international relations, it might be beneficial for us to...work together on this particular task."

Twilight's eyes widened.

"You're...you're going to face the dragon together?!"

Shining nodded.

"The Everfree may be their turf, but if they fail to stop the dragon..."

"Which we wouldn't," Aurora interrupted.

Shining cast her a frown.

"...if they fail to stop the dragon, it would still be dangerously close to Ponyville. It may even decide to head on out here and cause havoc."

Aurora nodded.

"So, we're heading in together. Although..."

She looked to Shining with her prior sternness.

"...given that this is Lunar territory, I trust you understand that I will be assuming leadership here."

Shining looked back to her, matching her expression.

"That is...understandable."

From the tone of his voice, it was obvious that the stallion was not going to enjoy this in the slightest, and Twilight could feel that just from looking at him. However, before she had a chance to say anything to him, she was kept from doing so by Aurora, who looked to her intently.

"One last thing...I think it would be best if you came with us, Twilight."

Both Sparkle siblings looked to her with shock, and Shining soon descended into outright anger, stepping forward and pointing a hoof at Aurora in an accusing manner.

"You go too far, Captain! I'm willing to follow you in this mission, but my sister is a civilian! She has no combat experience! I won't allow you to just throw her into this mess!"

Aurora looked to him with incredulity.

"This civilian managed to hold her own and do damage against the Tantabus, even when I couldn't. I assure you, she can handle herself in a dangerous situation. Besides..."

She looked back to Twilight.

"...her magic is strong. And when facing a dragon, we need every possible advantage we can get if things go south."

Shining continued to seem angry and indignant over this, but Twilight, placing a hoof upon his shoulder, spoke to him calmly.

"Brother...it's okay...I'll go."

Her older sibling looked to her as though she had just gone mad.

"But..."

But she raised a hoof, stopping him.

"Aurora's right. The dragon could hurt a lot of people if things go wrong. And I'm Celestia's apprentice. I have a responsibility to do what I can to help, just like I did when the Tantabus appeared."

Shining stared at her, and for the longest time, it seemed as though he wanted to say something, anything, to dissuade her from this choice. But, when he looked into her eyes, seeing the determination she bore, he knew in his heart that nothing he could say right now was going to stop her. She was coming, whether he liked it or not. He turned, looking from his sister to Aurora, who simply stared right back at him. After a few moments, he exhaled deeply, nodding slowly before speaking in a softer tone than before.

"Alright...but I want to make one thing perfectly clear, Captain."

He returned to the stern expression he had before.

"Twilight stays close to me. And you don't order her to do anything that puts her in any needless risk."

Aurora frowned.

"I'm a soldier, Captain, not a psychopath. But if it makes you feel any better, I have no intention of putting Twilight on the front lines if my troops and I can handle this without her."

Shining considered that, before giving a short nod, accepting that much. But, before they said anything else, Aurora looked over his shoulder, to the Equestrian Guard who were lined up behind him.

"I assume you want to say something inspiring to your troops before we go?"

Shining too looked to them, and, after thinking hard on the matter, faced them fully, stepping forward and speaking up in a professional manner.

"Guards. You all know me. And you all trust me. Facing a dragon...is not what any of you signed up for when you came here to Ponyville. I realise that."

He sighed.

"There's a very real chance that this could be the most dangerous thing you will ever do, and I have no intention of throwing you to the fire. None of you were ever trained for combating a beast like this, and I can't expect you to suddenly be able to do so. So..."

The stallion looked into the eyes of every single guard assembled there before continuing.

"...if there are any among you who wish to sit this one out...make your way back to the Town Hall. Given the circumstances, such an act will not be regarded as desertion, nor will I think any less of you if that is what you choose."

There was a silence, as many in the Guard started looking to one another. For a time, nopony seemed to know what to say right now, but there came a moment where some did decide to move. Some of the older-looking Guard, as well as those who looked like more recent recruits, started to seem very nervous and wary, and eventually broke ranks, heading as instructed back in the direction of the Hall. Of the twelve that had originally been there, only eight remained, and they gave a salute to their commander, which Shining nodded to in appreciation. He turned, smiling to his sister, which she returned, before looking over to Aurora.

"And you?"

But Aurora had already turned from him, looking to her own soldiers, taking only a brief moment to look at them all before she started speaking.

"Solders of the Lunar Kingdom! A dangerous beast has taken residence within our borders! It is our duty and responsibility to remove it as swiftly as possible!"

She started marching up and down the line of ponies, looking to each unicorn and pegasus within it.

"You all know your vows. You all know your responsibilities to our domain. And more importantly, you all know the consequences of what this monster will do if we don't stop it."

She stopped in the middle of the line again, narrowing her eyes.

"I go to face it. To bring the command of our Queen and drive it from our lands! Who among you will join me?"

As if of one mind, all twelve of the assembled Lunar guards, with determination in their eyes, stepped forward, and the echo of their collective step echoed across the immediate area. Aurora took this in, giving a single nod, before looking back to Twilight and Shining, bearing a slight smirk as she addressed the two of them.

"Well then...looks like I'm bringing more soldiers than you are."