That evening, Captain Fizzlepop had a one-on-one with her Commander, Rainbow Dash, about the three-week window they now had to get the new squad presentable. They knew with their joint experience; Fizzlepop's in the Storm Guard, and Rainbow's in the Wonderbolts, that given their time frame, they could achieve 'presentable', but how 'presentable' was what they had spent half an hour debating before drilling began.
There was 'Parade Perfect'. Meaning totally presentable visually, but that would be just about it. They would have to sacrifice virtually everything pertaining to combat readiness. Royal visit or not, Rainbow and Fizzlepop were both of the mindset that looks didn't count for much if they couldn't actually do their job. So that was off the table.
Next one down would be 'At Ready'. It wouldn't be quite as pretty, but the squad would be able to handle any emergencies that would crop up. That was a good middle ground, depending on the pace of drilling.
Lastly, there was 'Rough and Ready'. They would be ready and capable of handing pretty much anything - except looking good for inspections. Essentially, get ready to fight, and to Tartarus with whatever Celestia thought of how they looked.
"Personally, I'd say aim for Rough and Ready and if we get any higher than that, awesome. After all, if we can't guard and fight, what are we doing here?" Rainbow asked.
"I get where you're coming from. Personally, I'd agree, but remember, this isn't about what we personally want. We're representing Ponyville and Princess Twilight. I think if we really work at it, we can achieve At Ready status. Besides, Celestia is primarily here for dinner with Twilight. This means we have to really memorize Rarity's class. Being combat ready is all well and good, but the very least we can do is make our armor look pristine. That's the most important part of looking the part. I'll never expect the rigidity they have in Canterlot, but it will show that we absolutely take pride in what we're creating here."
With that, the ten other squad members began arriving in full armor ready for their first drilling session together. Once all of them arrived, they stood at Parade Rest while Fizzlepop addressed them.
"Squad, we have our first assignment, and I'm determined to get us ready to face it head on. We have a royal visitor coming in three weeks..."
No amount of drilling could have set her mind at ease. Not today.
Captain Fizzlepop had given Princess Twilight her assurances that they were ready, and of that, she was certain. When it came to the squad being absolutely ready, they were eleven for twelve.
Normally, they would be scattered throughout the castle. Amethyst would be at the base of the entrance stairs, Bulk Biceps would be up on the balcony, Berryshine would be at the base of the foyer stairs inside, Rivet would be patrolling the east wing, Cloud Chaser the west wing, and Thunderlane guarding the throne room, more formally known as the Hall of Friendship, and the others would be out and about, either patrolling around Ponyville or making sure the castle was in acceptable condition, a duty that was usually left to Rivet's construction expertise. Fizzlepop remembered Starlight telling her how it had taken her and Maud two weeks of intensive work to repair the Hall of Friendship after Princess Ember's 'meal'.
But now, the other eleven, the ones that were ready and waiting, were lined up in the foyer, their armor absolutely shimmering, ready for the Princess to pass by as the Captain escorted her to the dining hall.
But the Captain herself? She was not ready, and waiting. Even the newest article of clothing wasn't helping put her mind at ease. Rarity had come through once again, and had successfully transferred the aetherium conduit ring from the helmet to a small silk headdress that matched her coat perfectly. It rested comfortably at the base of her broken horn, went back around her mane, and draped down both sides of her neck. It was barely noticeable with her armor off, and was concealed completely with the helmet and chestplate on. But even with how much more convenient that modification had made things, she was still nearly quivering.
It wasn't the drilling. It wasn't the armor. Her nerves were frazzled for one obvious reason.
The visitor.
Barely two months ago, she had invaded Equestria with the Storm Guard and openly attacked Canterlot. Celestia undoubtedly saw fit to put her in chains and behind bars for the rest of her life, and it was only due to Twilight's mercy that she was spared that fate, and it wouldn't surprise her in the slightest if Celestia still harbored doubts. And here she stood at the top of the entrance stairs, waiting for her arrival, ready to escort her to dinner.
As if on cue, she saw the approaching carriage from the distant mountain that Canterlot rested on. The speck against the afternoon sun became more pronounced and clear as it slowly descended towards the ground. After another minute, Celestia's royal carriage had landed a few paces from the front stairs of the castle, and she disembarked. Fizzlepop held her aetherial staff perfectly straight and stood at attention as the Princess of the Sun ascended the stairs towards her. When she was halfway up, her expression changed ever so slightly. She knew a thing or seven about remaining collected, but Fizzle caught the hint of surprise in her eyes.
"Princess Celestia. Welcome." She greeted, keeping her staff planted on the top step and lowered her head in a formal bow. When she brought her head back up, she noticed that the surprise had not left the Princess' eyes.
"Tempest." Celestia greeted in kind, though she could not hide the surprise in her voice, and thus, the first curve ball had been thrown.
"Fizzlepop Berrytwist, Your Majesty. My given name. Captain Fizzlepop Berrytwist, if you please."
"Of course. My apologies. Lead the way, Captain."
As Fizzlepop performed an about face, tilting her staff towards the front doors, right now she'd bet ten bits that nowhere in the paperwork Twilight submitted did it say her name, or the fact that she had anything to do with the guard.
She lit up her horn, the staff glowed, and the front doors opened, revealing the eleven other guards, who snapped from parade rest to attention. As the Captain and Princess passed, Fizzlepop looked at each of them, and was positively beaming inside. None of them wore stern, serious faces, but were smiling with pride, enthused by the fact that they had come this far in just three short weeks. Fizzlepop smiled at them in return, as Princess Celestia also acknowledged them. After they passed, it took considerable effort for her not to look back at them as she and Celestia made a left before the stairs and made their way towards the dining hall.
"I was wondering if Twilight was ever going to request a contingent of guards from Canterlot. But selecting and training them locally... I take it this was Twilight's plan for you?" Celestia asked.
"No, Your Majesty. It was Starlight Glimmer's suggestion."
"Starlight, really?"
"Apparently she herself was surprised at the complete lack of guards when she entered the castle unbidden. She suggested that I could put my experience to good use."
"As in your experience in invading and subjugating sovereign nations."
It took all of Fizzlepop's discipline to keep her pace, and not wince, because yes, the comment stung.
"Yes," She replied succinctly. "I am immensely grateful to Princess Twilight for giving me this opportunity to atone for my past crimes."
"'Crimes'. I'm glad that you realize and acknowledge the severity of what you did to my citizens, and that you no doubt realize what I was going to do with you, had Princess Twilight not stepped in on your behalf."
Fizzlepop waited a moment before replying with a candid "yes."
"So that's not part of your motivation at all? To prove me wrong about you?" Celestia asked simply.
With a set of double doors to their right, Captain Fizzlepop finally halted her pace, performing an about face to look at the Princess directly, and firmly planted her staff on the floor.
"Proving her right is all the motivation I need. I strive to see that her faith and trust in me is vindicated every single day. Because I don't deserve this, but I will earn it. For the time being, that is all that matters, and what you or anypony else thinks of me, does not, Your Majesty."
With that, she tilted the staff towards the set of double doors, the crystal at the top glowed along with her horn, and they opened to reveal Princess Twilight and Starlight Glimmer seated at the main dining table.
"The dining hall. Enjoy your evening, Your Majesty."
Celestia said nothing further, and instead merely nodded at the Captain with a modicum of respect, before turning and heading into the dining hall. Once she had entered entirely, Fizzlepop silently closed the doors, and took one of the deepest, quietest breaths she could, before slowly heading back towards the foyer to congratulate her squad.
Twilight had tried her best to warn her about how Celestia would try to trip her up with short, snide remarks and observations. For as long as the Princess of Friendship had known her as a teacher, it was how she civilly approached ponies she had serious doubts about. As far as she knew, it was one of her ways of testing character.
Taking another deep breath, Captain Fizzlepop Berrytwist began to realize that she had probably just passed her test.