Canterlot - Grey Warden Headquarters

Raphael Griffinhoof paced back and forth, his battle-worn hooves clip-clopping against the ancient stone floors of Canterlot's Grey Warden headquarters. The building as a whole was in a shabby state from years of disuse. Granted, that was rather justified: Canterlot - indeed, the whole of Equestria - had not seen a single Blight for over a thousand years. The last - only? - time the dreaded darkstallion had arisen, it was through the corrupting influence of Nightmare Moon.

But Nightmare Moon had returned.

Granted, she had also been defeated the same night as her return, by an elite cadre of ponies - hand-picked by Princess Celestia's most faithful scion - but she had still returned, nonetheless. And by the decrees of ancient laws and accords, the Grey Wardens were to reconvene in preparation for any threats from out of the darkness.

Griffinhoof stopped his pacing for a moment, mulling this over.

"Bah," he snorted, the only sound in the silence. It seemed like he was the only Warden left in all of Equestria. Perhaps everypony had forgotten about the terrors the darkstallion had wrought upon the face of Equestria a thousand years ago. In fact, Griffinhoof was sure of it, namely because the only pony still around from those days was Princess Celestia herself. Griffinhoof himself was far, far too young to have known or experienced the horrors. What he knew, he knew only from old mares' tales. Still, there had to be other Grey Wardens around - he couldn't've been the only one left, right? (Granted, he was only nominally one, having never partaken in the Joining.)

Or maybe he was just really, really early. It was hard to tell; it had only been a few days since the celebration of Princess Luna's return.

Princess Luna.

Princess Luna.

Who would've thought that Nightmare Moon - the one who had stood her ground and fought Princess Celestia to near-standstill, if it were not for the Elements of Harmony - and Princess Luna, Princess Celestia's younger sister - practically still a filly, from the accounts he had heard, even though she was likely infinitely older than he - were one and the same?

In fact, what if they still were one and the same?

Griffinhoof resumed his pacing, hoping (not that he would have admitted it) that there were more Wardens than he. Truth be told, he only knew the theory, not the practice, of fighting darkstallion and being a Proper And Righteous Warden Of The Grey (you could hear the capitals in the words when you said it properly, Griffinhoof noted).

Ny Dragonstomper clopped across the grasses at the front of the Grey Warden Headquarters, idly taking her time even though others would have rushed forward for such an event as bringing the wardens back together. Ny was of the mind to take her time and nibble at some sweetgrass before coming to the steps of the Headquarters.

Ny was of the Dwartmoor which dwelled underground fighting off evil that the ponies above forgot existed. The Darkstallion were terrible beasts which were under the thrall of Nightmare Moon's influence. Because of Ny's kind they were kept in check but their society was built upon castes because of this.

The small Dwartmoor lifted her head then snorted very unladylike even for a pony. She was a fighter, sneaky and fast and many took her small appearance to be a disadvantage, yet she was the one to save Equestria.

"I do not like fanfare." She announced as she took the steps one by one, slowly calculating the hard ground's slipperiness, "Please tell me why we are here. I know I am a Warden, that I took the oaths and such but what does all this have to do with me? I wish to be out where my duties call me most. Not within the halls of some fancy, prancy hall."

She said this as she clip clopped inside said hall then noticed that there was someone there. With how any neigh you made seemed to echo in these damnable places it was unlikely that this pony had not heard her. Yet the small female stood her ground while looking at the other pony as if he could tell her why the world was not flat.