“Look, Momma - Royal Guards!” shouted a tiny indigo-tailed filly, pointing a hoof toward two massive snow-white stallions flanking a gate, their gleaming golden armor sparkling in Canterlot’s afternoon sun. “Can we watch? Can we, please?”
Rainbow glanced around then looked down and smiled. “Might as well, Vee. Twilight's still wrapping up her visit with the Princess, so we've got a few minutes to kill,” she said as she led the pair toward a nearby bench. “Cool of her to bring us along for a weekend in Canterlot. You better remember to thank her, kiddo.”
As they sat, mother tapping her hooves absently and daughter staring with rapt attention, a third guard approached the gate and saluted crisply. “Private Heater reporting, Sir. Lieutenant Vambrace, I relieve you.”
One of the guards returned the salute and with a deep and booming voice said, “I stand relieved. Carry on, Private.” He spun on his hooves and marched toward a low building nearby as the new guard slid into his place, indistinguishable from the first.
The diminutive sea-blue filly leapt off the bench and began bouncing in place, wings fluttering. “Momma! I know what I want to be when I grow up!” she said, saluting and making her best attempt at a stoic face. “I want to be a Royal Guard. I’ll wear armor and carry a spear and keep all the bad ponies out and everything!”
Rainbow rolled her eyes and rubbed her temple before forcing a weak smile, “Vee, you're awesome, and with me in your corner you're gonna fly like all unholy Tartarus. But a Royal Guard? Sorry to burst your bubble, but think about it. How many Guards have we seen this weekend?"
Scrunching her brow and cocking her head, the filly thought for a moment then shrugged and said, "Um - I dunno. A lot?"
"Yeah, and how many of 'em were blue? Or shorter than Applejack's dog? Or for that matter, how many were mares?" Dash ran a hoof through Velocity's green-and-blue striped mane and watched her bounce slowly to a halt. "Guards come in two flavors, Vee. White stallion and grey stallion. Catch my drift?"
Face drooping, the filly mumbled “I… I guess so.” She fell back on her haunches and kicked at a pebble when she heard heavy hoofsteps and a stallion’s booming voice behind her.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” called the towering guardpony, nodding to Dash, “I overheard your daughter saying she’s interested in the Royal Guards. If it’s okay with you, I can take her to meet some of my squad.”
“Nah, that's okay. We gotta jet in a few minutes,” she said, waving a hoof. As her filly looked up and whimpered plaintively, she groaned, “Awww, good grief, Vee, not the face! Not the whimper! Oh, alright. Short trip, kiddo. And don't do anything I would do." Dash raised an eyebrow and glanced at the stony-faced Guard, adding, "Sure you're cool with this?”
“No trouble at all, ma’am. That’s our post across the street. I’ll have her back momentarily.” Leading the cantering filly across the road and into the guardpost, the stern-faced stallion looked down and asked, “So you want to be a Guard, Miss…?”
“Velocity!” she said, “But everyone calls me Vee. And I do want to be a Guard, really bad, but Momma says I’ll be too small when I grow up, and I’m the wrong color, and I’m not a stallion, and - “
Holding a hoof up to silence her, the Guard locked eyes with her as a thin smile crept across his muzzle. “Well, Miss Vee, what the Guard wants is ponies who are honest and true, brave and bold. Does that sound like you?”
“Totally! I’m always good, and Momma taught me to stand up for myself if anypony gives me trouble, and I never tell fibs! But what about all that other stuff, mister?”
Looking side to side, the stallion reached up with a powerful hoof and removed his crested helmet. As he did his body shimmered and shrank, and where once a thick white stallion stood there was now a slender burnt-orange mare, still wearing the golden body armor of a Royal Guard.
Velocity's eyes went wide and she whispered, “But… But how…?”
“What matters is what’s on the inside, Miss Vee,” said the orange mare, voice soft and breezy as she smiled and knelt to eye level with the filly. She tapped the helmet with a hoof and added, “The rest is all appearances.” Grinning widely, she rose to her hooves and motioned for Velocity to follow. "Come on, I'll take you to meet the rest of my squad. If you thought I looked different off duty, wait'll you see the rest of us!"
Minutes later the filly burst from the guardpost door and galloped to her mother’s side, throwing her hooves into a wide hug. “Enjoy your tour, Vee?” Dash asked, smiling as she tousled the little filly’s mane.
The filly stepped back and bounced form hoof to hoof. “I did! I did!” she gushed, grinning and panting. “It was so cool, Momma! Now I know for sure I wanna be a Royal Guard when I grow up!”
Stooping down, Rainbow's smile faded slowly as she lay a gentle hoof on the her daughter's withers. “Vee, honey, we talked about this. I’m so sorry. I don’t think you can be a Royal Guard.” She sighed and added, “You can’t change who you are, sweetheart.”
“It’s okay, Momma,” said the beaming filly as she nuzzled her mother’s cheek, “I don’t have to.”