//------------------------------// // Chapter Eleven: Maids in Training! // Story: Maids of Honor // by Foal Star //------------------------------// Mop Head slowly woke up the following day groaning as she turned to see that the sun wasn’t up and Soapy was still snuggling up to her in bed. She blushed, knowing what they did the previous night…sex…they actually did it, and it was probably the most fantastic thing. She never had intercourse as a stallion, but she was still somewhat surprised at how good it was. The unsure mare slowly got up to take a shower and hummed, taking her time, but despite her lovely day with her new marefriend, she had to get back to focusing on taking care of the sirens. Right now, she and her fellow maids might be the only ones to keep Equestria from falling into their hooves or fins. Besides, she didn’t just relax all day; she sent out word of what happened to Shining Armor and was waiting for a reply. She turned the water off and then went to blowdrying it and fixing it. She then went out and approached Soapy, who trotted over, kissed her, and whispered, “Good morning.” “Hey, didn’t mean to wake you.” “No, it’s okay. I was getting up anyways.” She kissed her on the cheek and then trotted into the bathroom. Just then, she had a letter appear out from her horn. Moppy unfurled the scroll and then continued to read it to herself. By the time Soapy came out of the bathroom, she had turned to her and squealed. “Hey, Soapy! Shining responded!” “That’s good. What did she say?” “That he and Princess Cadance are both coming over to help us!?” “Both of them!? Who’ll be in charge of the Crystal Empire?” “They mentioned a pony named Sunburst, but they’re both coming this afternoon!” “That’s crazy!? Why are they both coming?” “Not sure, but we can get all the help we can get. Let’s go get some breakfast; the rest of the mares were probably out partying, so let them sleep in.” The two then trotted downstairs to the grand dining hall and enjoyed freshly baked waffles with berries and cream. Many of the other mares after going about their own morning rituals. They all headed downstairs for breakfast as Moppy cleared her throat and said, “Okay, so to prepare for the siren invasion, we need training to take them down. So yesterday, I asked the former captain of the guard Shining Armor for assistance, and he and his wife will aid us in the coming days.” Amber looked up with glare and shouted, “Wait, why do we need training!? We’re still former guards, you know.” “I understand, but we need to ensure we’re ready for anything; I thought keeping Shining Armor in the loop would be the best bet.” “Yeah, good thing, too,” Shining Armor chimed. They all turned and saw him with his wife. He then turned to Moppy and bowed, “You're Moppy, correct?” The mare's former training as a royal guard kicked in as she threw up a salute and cried, “Yes, captain!” “You don’t have to call me that anymore now. How about I get the rest of your names.” He nodded as they replied individually, then said, “Well, thank you. As Moppy may have explained, she told me about everything going on with the situation, and I have an idea of your personality and talents. I also talked to my sister Twilight as well.” “Yes, he did!” Twilight chirped as she flew over. “Morning, girls!” “Princess Twilight!?” everypony squeaked and bowed again. She flew over with a smile and said, “Yes, thanks to Moppy, we have started making a plan! And we’re going to need all of you to help.” Amber eyed her, “Didn’t we create a plan back at your place?” “Well, sort of, but after talking with my brother this morning, we need a real strategy, and he’s come up with some ideas to ensure we save Equestria.” They all then followed Twilight and Shining Armor to a room in the back of the castle and sat in front of a chalkboard with their former captain at the front. Shining then drew a grid and said, “For this plan to work, you will all split into four teams, each with a different mission; team A will consist of Twilight Sparkle and myself. Our main goal will be to sneak into the Spa and destroy the statue the Sirens use to control Princess Celestia.” “Team B,” he pointed to the second square, “will consist of Mop Head and Soap Suds. These two will be doing classes with Twilight to learn how to keep in contact with all of you using magic and how to relay orders. You will also have to keep your cool as the sirens will keep an eye on you throughout the banquet.” The mares saluted and charmed, “Understood!” “Team C,” he pointed to Amber and Silky. We need to keep the leader distracted, and we heard that you two have made a connection with her. You two will be learning seduction from Princess Cadance and to keep her distracted. That way, she will be less focused on conducting her takeover.” Amber grumbled, but Silky was niggling in excitement, “That sounds like so much fun!” “Team D.” He then pointed at Sea Star and Lemon Heart, “You two, along with my wife Princess Cadance, will be in charge of keeping Princess Celestia distracted with her under the sirens’ control. You will be taking classes with Princess Cadance on Princess Celestia’s mannerisms.” “Understood.” “Team E.” She then turned to Orange Julius and Stormy; you two, I heard, have the highest physical prowess; you two will be training with me in combat and make sure that if any sirens figure out what Twilight and I are up to, you two will have to fend them off and keep any from coming near the spa.” “Yes, captain!” both mares chimed. “Now that we have all that taken care of, we should go split off to our sessions, but we need to be still discreet and arouse suspicion so we have a timetable of when we will be conducting these training sessions so Cadence will do her classes with Amber and Silky first thing in the morning, I’ll do the same with combat training with Orange and Stormy, then in the afternoon Moppy and Soapy will be with Twilight and Sea Star and Lemon Heart will be with Cadance later in the Evening.” Moppy wrote all of this down to ensure she knew where her fellow maids were during the week, and then Shining turned towards them. “Any questions?” Looking rather peeved, Amber whined, “Can’t we all just get the same training!? I mean, I was pretty good at combat?” Shining gave her an apologetic look and explained, “We are short on time, and I can give all of you a few pointers here and there, but we aren’t looking to engage unless we have to.” “Fine,” Amber grumbled. Princess Cadance then said, “Now, Amber, Silky, it's time for our first session to come along.” The two maids then reluctantly followed the princess of love as the rest of the maids dispersed to complete their other tasks around the castle. Silky was excited as she and Amber were now in a big bedroom with a massive bed. Cadance whispered to them, “So you two are going to be taught how to control a pony using your body and charisma.” Cadance then strode to a small table set up, sat down, and threw her mane back as she said, “Now let's start with a simple conversation.” The princess of love then sat at a table. “Now approach me, and let's see how well you can keep me engaged.” Amber smirked as she sat down and said, “Hello, do you remember me?” Cadance eyed her, “Um, Amber, that was abit too aggressive.” Silky skipped over and held a hoof, “Oh, Princess Cadance, you look so good today. Did you get your mane done recently?” “Oh yes, I did! Thank you!” Cadance chipped. She turned to Amber and said, “See, Silky did well opening up and commenting on my appearance. It helps break the ice and makes me feel comfortable talking to you.” “Right…” she grumbled; the red-coated mare cleared her throat and said, “Cadance…your um looking rather lovely? Did you get your hooves done?” Cadence led out her hoof. “Oh yes, they look great, don’t they.” “Yes, they look amazing! They’re so well polished I can see my reflection in them!” Silky chimed in, and then they went on chatting, with Silky having more charisma and leading the conversation, but Amber seemed to catch on pretty quickly as she also started to become more engaged. After the proxy dinner, Princess Cadance asked, “Now we are starting to get into the weeds of keeping engaged after eating. Let’s get into dancing.” She then started to dance with Silky first, and they did a great job being in step with the princess. Then, Silky turned to Amber and saw her standing aside. Then, she came over and pushed her to Princess Cadance. Then, the two started to dance together in unison, and they stopped after a while. Princess Cadance giggled as she said, “That was fun, huh?” “Yeah, I guess so.” The mare said, “Well, we can do this again tomorrow. Thank you for your time.” They bowed, then trotted off with Silky nuzzling Amber, whispering, “Hey, you doing ok.” “Yeah, it's okay; I just don’t get why I have to seduce and keep her occupied.” “Because you have something I don’t. It’s like the classic good cop and bad cop to keep her from thinking I'm laying it on too thick.” “I guess that works…we make a good team.” “Of course we do!” Silky chimed in as she nuzzled into Amber as the two trotted off together. Orange Julius and Stormy were together with Shining Armor outside in the courtyard; they looked abit uncomfortable being chosen as the most combat-oriented. The stallion approached them and said, “All alright; you two had the best combat skills before you were turned into mares, and I doubt anything’s changed. But I’m going teach you how to use a spear specifically.” “Spear? Why the spear?” He smirked, took a broom, and removed the handle, showing a spiked tip. “As you see, you will have one secret to keep the sirens from discovering you’re real soldiers.” “Right, this actually makes sense.” Stormy shrugged, then said, “All alright, I guess that does.” “Now, I'm going just to have you spar against me and see how well you do.” He then levitated his, and then Stormy came forward, and they started combat, with her going on the offensive. Even though Shining Armor did a roughly good job of defending himself, he seemed unable to deflect most of the blows he was smacked in the face, and then he turned to Orange Julius—your turn. The orange-coated earth pony took her staff and then did the same as Stormy, being somewhat aggressive. She was, however, more antsy and seemed less coordinated, which Shining took to his advantage and then was able to knock her down. “Hmm, you seem to be abit fidgety.” “Yeah, sorry, the changes and all…” “It's fine; we’re here to practice, so let’s get back to it.” She then picked up her stick and used it to go on the offensive, and then once again, they went at it again. He taught her some techniques, but she still seemed unable to take him down even once. Orange Julius sparred with Stormy as she was furious she was messing up so much, then said, “Hey, are you ok?” “No, I should be better than this.” “Well, you can be, but you're too distracted; maybe you just need to calm down before we continue?” “Fine.” “why don't we go to a spa for abit." "Yeah that sounds like a good idea," Stormy replied she then led her friend off to find a relaxing spa. Orange feeling relieved that they can go and relax for abit and hopefully find a spot not run by evil sirens. “Relax and calm yourself.” Mop Head sat on a pillow, eyes closed in a darkened bedroom, with the curtains drawn and almost no light around her besides a single wax candle between her and Twilight. The maid took long, deep breaths as she did her best to focus on up, breathing slowly, calming herself as Twilight sat across from her. “For this spell to work, you need to relax your mind.” Mop Head gave another deep breath and then lit her horn, and then Twilight asked, “Now, where is Soapy currently?” The unicorn concentrated as hard as she could despite being blindfolded. She could sense her marefriend not being too far away. It was unlike anything she could feel. Mop Head then pointed her hoof, threw off the blindfold, and saw she was pointing at a pillow. A few feet away, Soapy bounced over with a smirk, “Sorry over here!” The mare groaned, rubbing a hoof over her throbbing forehead, then sighed, “Sorry, I know I've been practicing all morning. I can’t seem to get this spell right.” Twilight came over with a calm smile and said, “Like I’ve been telling you, you just need to relax; this spell requires you to be at peace, and you seem to have doubts.” Mop Head instead became infuriated at Twilight as she shouted, “Doubts!? Of course, I have doubts! We’re trying to prevent an invasion of sirens!” “I understand, but we have a plan, and we will be able to stop them.” “Yeah, but we are still just a bunch of useless royal guards who were turned into maids.” “So what? Has that stopped you before?” “No. “Well, you can fail, but that means you must see that you can go beyond what you think you're capable of. You have the spell down, and you can do this. All that is required of you is your own inner strength.” “Thanks, I guess.” Mop Head sighed; taking another deep breath, she pulled the blindfold over her eyes and then concentrated on the spell again. She reached out with her horn, sensing where her marefriend was, and then pointed, lifting her blindfold. Then she spotted and saw she got it right once again. “Good job!” And then she threw up her hooves and then said. “I think that’s enough practice for the day.” “Thank you, Twilight,” Mop Head groaned, rubbing her head as she was escorted out, and then yawned, “Ugh, learning strategy, then all that magic practice, I’m beat. I need a nap.” “Come on, I'm still hot from yesterday,” Soapy whispered. She then escorted the mare away as they nuzzled each other. Later that afternoon, Princess Cadance was with Lemon Heart and Sea Star as she laid out a banquet filled with food and then. She turned towards the two and smiled, “Hello, welcome!” The two curtseyed and chimed in unison, “Princess Cadance.” “yes, come! It is time for you two to learn how to keep Princess Celestia occupied.” She then teaches Leamon Heart to make some scrumptious-looking cakes and helps Sea Star make a proper cup of Celestia’s favorite orange-flavored tea with lemon, two cubes of sugar, and a dash of cream. Sitting at Cadance was the perfect cup of tea and half a dozen scrumptious little pastries. Cadance dug in and nodded, “There, you see, that is perfect! Now come talk.” The two sat down as Cadance chimed, “Now, the best way to talk to Celestia is to be as informal as possible.” “What!?” “That’s correct; Princess Celestia despises etiquette, and the more proper you act, the more bored she’ll get. Try to be abit cheeky but not too brash to draw attention.” Sea Star eyed her; “so you picked us because we are the most uncouth of the group?” “Well, actually, because you two are almost like her: fun, silly, clumsy, and have a love for sweets. You two are perfect!” She then taught them how to get into casual conversation, crack jokes, and have a good time; they drank tea and stuffed their mouths with pastries until the sun faded into dusk. Cadence wiped her mouth and said, “Well, that was fun. We shall practice every evening, but every morning, please practice with the princess on your own.” “Of course, yes, princess!” The two mares bounced off, being relatively happy with their role in the plan. Later that evening, Twilight met with her Brother and her sister-in-law in one of the towers. Princess Cadance worriedly looked out into the night sky and turned to see Twilight coming over. “Twilight, it’s so good to see you. Are you doing well?” “Doing great! Mop Head made significant progress with the location spell I’m teaching her.” “That's wonderful! I'm making progress with my own pupils. I think they’ll all be ready for the banquet.” Shining Armor turned to both mares, wishing he could hold their same enthusiasm, but was getting flashbacks of his wedding and how the Changelings nearly took over. “Regardless of the progress we’re all making, we cannot let up. We need to make sure everyone is ready.” “Right, I agree, but Shining, you’ve seen for yourself how resolved these maids are. They are more than ready.” Shining turned to his sister and then said, “I trust we will be; I just don’t want a repeat of my wedding.” “We won’t we have a foal-proof plan.” Cadance came over and hugged her husband. “I agree with Twilight. Don’t worry, we got this.” He hugged her back, nuzzled his face into her mane, and whispered, “I hope so. These guards…they aren’t the best…” Twilight shrugged, “they may not be great royal guards, but they seem to be excellent ponies. They’ve been through a lot and are willing to put everything on the line, and they’re giving it their all to save Princess Celestia. Shining chuckled. “Right, is Mop Head ready?” “She’s struggling, but like I said earlier, she’s made much progress. I have no doubt she’ll be ready. Shining turned towards the night sky, still looking nervous, and whispered, “I hope so because if we fail, all of Equestria could fall. I never would have thought a couple of maids would have the fate of Equestria in their hooves.”