//------------------------------// // Imminent Domain // Story: On Duty // by The Sumareian //------------------------------// "Hello is anypony home?" Bastion looked around the empty foyer of the library. Granted it was around lunchtime and many ponies were, out eating with their friends. "That's weird a public building left completely empty and...." Bastion paused as a small purple and green dragon sleepily walked past him with a bowl of cereal gripped in his claws. "Hey, whats up?" he said lazily as he began munching on his cereal. "Hello, we were sent here to be the princess's new guards by Captain Armour." Bastion looked back to his partner who was painfully struggling with the two large trunks they brought balanced on his back. "It's there a law about quartering soldiers or something." The dragon lazily waved his spoon at the two new arrivals.His eyes clearly filled with suspicion. "Yes there is, in a private residence." Bastion reached into his saddle bag and placed a small pair of glasses on his snout. "But seeing as this is a public building that is funded by the government of Equestria, under the newly formatted constitution of Inkwell Penspout, clearly states that. Should a government worker or workers say me and my associate here, be in need of housing of any sort they can occupy another public structure or facility, like this library for no longer then a month. Until said officials are either quartered elsewhere or attain a private residence of their own. Equus Stratia article six subsection twelve." "Bastion I don't think he cares you study law in your spare time, and besides The captain already told her about us coming ." Whiterun shrugged off the trunks. before trotting up to his partner. Whiterun leaned on his partner before extending a hoof to the small dragon. "The name's Whiterun, and this is Bastion. We are the royal guards Captain Armour sent to watch Princess Sparkle." "Okay... well the name is Spike." Spike nervously shook the stallions outstretched hoof. "Spike I'm back did you sweep the....." The pair of guards craned their necks to see an equally surprised alicorn standing at the door. "Oh hey Twilight, these are the two guards your brother sent." Spike said as he waddled to the kitchen. "Ah.... Corporal Bastion Stonewall." Both jumped and saluted their charge. "And Corporal Whiterun Snowtrot. Reporting for duty you highness. " Twilight looked at the two stallions who had essentially barged into her home and were now claiming to be guards. She remembered just after her coronation speech Shining told her to be careful around other ponies since some didn't really agree with how Equestria was being run, and that he would send some guards to make sure she was safe in Ponyville "Who sent you then?." Twilight looked at the two trunks piled haphazardly in the middle of her foyer. "Captain Armour ma'm." Whiterun looked stoically at her not flinching an inch. "What were his orders then?" "Ma'm, his orders was to keep his Twily safe at all cost." Bastion, looked to Twilight. "Would you like to see our orders?" Twilight nodded at the grey stallion, there was something vaguely familiar about him, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. She watched as he presented a scroll with the Royal Guards seal of two crossed spears behind a shield with the Equestria coat of arms, she cautiously lifted the scroll from the stallion hoof, and unfurled it. "You are to protect, the newest Princess of Equestria codename: 'Twily' while she lives in the town of Ponyville...." Twilight rolled her eyes, Shining did have a bit of a tendency to be over protective. She was alittle surprised he hadn't sent guards sooner. "Also these orders will act as a writ of Imminent Domain for the Golden Oaks library...... Wait what?!" Bastion took it upon himself to stand at ease following her surprised exclamation, before glancing to his partner. "Princess permission to speak freely?" Whiterun asked. Twilight, how was now cursing under her breath to her brother paused momentarily and took a single deep breath. "Yes, and please you don't need to ask to speak whats on your mind." "Oh, no." Bastion glanced to his partner who had a growing smile across his face. "Well then for starters, I feel that you should know that I like long walks on the beach and unicorns." The white earth pony winked, to her seductively. "But more importantly. I love long walks wit-" The loud clanging of Bastions helm filled the library. Followed by the pained groan on an nearly incapacitated stallion. "Sorry about that Twilight its just that.... well my partner is a bit of a pervert." Bastion glanced down at his still groaning companion. "Your wife still throws harder then you Bastion, at least she would have knocked me out cold." Whiterun moaned. "And we've been over this its not perversion its an intense fascination with the opposite sex." "In other words a pervert." Bastion looked up from his partner, "You would happen to have a guest room would you?" "Right this way." Twilight pointed up the staircase. ****************************************************** "This sucks, first we don't get to stay at the sorority house because your to afraid of your wife, then I don't even get to flirt with the one alicorn who is actually my age." Whiterun huffed as he threw his face in his pillow. "I'm surprised you still haven't got a concussion from all the stuff thats hit you in the head." Bastion levitated an new ice bag over to his partner. "They didn't call me block head at school for no reason now did they." Whiterun laughed to himself as he pressed the ice bag to the side of his head. "Well dinner should be ready soon and tomorrows Friday." Bastion said happily. "Dang not even a solid day in this town and I've already been shot down by you. Thats gotta be a new record or something." Whiterun lifted his head to his partner, of all the spacious rooms in the library the lone guest bedroom had to house two stallions, Granted Bastion took the floor and the majority of the extra pillows and blankets Twilight could spare. "Relax, buddy we just have to make it through one month of this and then were golden, Topaz will have moved in to a house and we wont have to worry about accidentally stepping on each other when we have down time." Bastion cracked open one of his Daring Do books and started to read. "You'll see once this whole imminent domain thing is over, it will be smooth sailing from here on." he shifted in his make shift pillow/blanket fort. "Right and I'm the King of Prance." Whiterun deadpanned. "The pleasure is mine then your majesty." Bastion chuckled.