And Now For Something Exactly the Same

by Damaged

Chapter 17

Deep breaths. Scootaloo looked at the earth pony facing-off against her and judged his potential—about ten times more than any filly should hope to possess. Corporal Pace Setter was a member of the elite Royal Guard and her own foster mother had trained him.

"The first sparring session for Scootaloo will begin," Lyra said from the sideline, watching the two combatants closely.

Scootaloo flicked out one of her blunted practice claws and stumbled on it, tilting sideways. When her opponent rushed in to take advantage of her position, she flicked her wing and rolled sideways out of the feint. Tucking her weight in, she sped up her spin and brought a hoof into the side of the stallion.

It was the first strike, but Scootaloo was intent on it not being the last. He wouldn't fall for a feint like that again and she knew it. What Scootaloo had on her side was speed. For every motion the stallion made, every time he put a hoof down, she would swing past his guard and strike him twice.

Eventually he backed up and shook his head. "Hold. I can't lay a hoof on you and now I'm covered in bruises. Good work, cadet!"

The acknowledgment came as a bit of a shock. Scootaloo had been in her zone, focused on the spar. She twitched a few times when the stallion held out his hoof, but calmed herself and strode forward to give it a firm clop. "Thanks, corporal."

"You're welcome. I hope to see you in the Wonderbolts or the Guard some day."

"Don't worry, I have plans." Scootaloo wouldn't have to announce her years-long plan until she'd won, and definitely didn't want to give the game away.

Having watched Scootaloo pound their Royal Guard trainer, Lyra did nothing to hide her big grin. She had no say in the matter, of course, but she hoped this would be the filly's year to win a spot in one of the Guard's companies—and she knew what Scootaloo would choose. "Scootaloo's second sparring session will begin in one minute."

Trotting in place, Scootaloo rolled her shoulders and dodged imaginary strikes to keep her muscles moving and her heart rate up. She already knew who she'd be facing—Fleetfoot stepped up to the ring where they were sparring.

"Is this dance taken?" Fleetfoot asked. She watched Scootaloo's movements and already regretted having to face her.

"Depends. How much do you like bruises?" Scootaloo stopped her running and loosed her wings at her sides.

"Ha! You have to hit me first. Okay, let's start this." Unlike Scootaloo's previous sparring partner, Fleetfoot wasn't going to hold back. She pumped her wings to get some height and then spun in the air and threw all her magic into launching herself back down at Scootaloo.

There was no time for anything fancy, all Scootaloo could do was move with instinct and get out of the way of the strike. She used her wings to shove her, planted a hoof when she was clear of Fleetfoot's hard dive, and used it to swing her momentum around and back toward the Wonderbolt.

"Halt." Fleetfoot called it after seeing Scootaloo so easily evading her strike already launching a counter. "That's all I need to see."

"One minute for the final sparring match." Lyra could feel the buzz of excitement. The sparring ponies weren't going all-out, of course, but they weren't holding back. They were bouts meant to test the foals and give them some curve-balls. A Wonderbolt doing an explosively dangerous attack right out of the gate was amazing to see, and Lyra wasn't sure she could have handled it better herself—particularly if Fleetfoot had gone all out.

Scootaloo, when she saw her opponent, felt more than a little worried. Jam Scones stood before her, a sergeant of the Royal Dragoons and one of the more experienced combat specialists when it came to offensive magic. She hadn't even heard of the Royal Dragoons until several months earlier. Realizing she had to spar with one made her more than a little nervous.

Watching the filly keep working her wings and legs, Jam approved of the effort she was putting into things. "You ready?"

"To fight you? Probably not, but I'm going to anyway." Her mind racing, Scootaloo knew the first thing she absolutely had to do was get into the air—fighting a unicorn (or earth pony) on the ground as a pegasus was never going to end well.

"Come at me whenever you want. I look forward to seeing what you do." Bracing her legs, Jam started recalling her combat spells, selecting the ones she'd need and letting the rest fade to her latent memory.

Jumping into the air, Scootaloo barely made it as Jam tried to grab her by the leg with telekinesis. She slipped the grip with her native pegasi ability and gained some altitude to give herself a moment to think. Dodging a spell or two from Jam, Scootaloo decided on the stupidest course of action—but it was all she could think of.

Jam expected Scootaloo's nosedive, but she expected the filly to aim for spine or hindquarters. Instead, Jam found herself having to fend off a pair of rear hooves that snapped around at the last moment and delivered a double-barrel buck to the side of her head.

Pumping her wings to get away again, Scootaloo looked down to see Jam shaking her head. "If I try that again, she'll be ready for it. Gotta mix it up somehow."

"What are you waiting for? Come on and try that again!" While Jam didn't want to heckle the filly, it was the best way to inspire her to keep the energy of the bout up. Another dive came, but when Scootaloo started to get close, Jam lined up with her web spell.

What Jam didn't expect was Scootaloo to change her momentum to a sideways curve then grabbed her neck with a wing—doing three quick loops around Jam while speeding up before her spell even finished casting. As she circled, Scootaloo pulled herself tighter in and scored a second strike in the same place as the first.

This time Jam wasn't as ready for the strike and felt her head turn quickly before darkness closed in around her vision. "Cra—"

Everypony went silent as Jam Scones teetered and fell to the ground. Lyra literally teleported directly beside the two ponies, putting herself between Scootaloo and Jam, while feeling for the big vein in Jam's neck. "She's out cold. Get the doc over here to make sure she's fine."

By the time the medic rushed over, Jam was coming around. She looked around, feeling every bit demolished by the surprising attack. Slurring a little, she asked, "Where you learn that?"

Her nerves still heightened, Scootaloo practically bounced in a spin to face Jam. Blinking big eyes at the tall and willowy soldier as she slowly got up, Scootaloo tried not to smile too much. "I, uh, came up with it just after I got in the air from my first dive. See, my friend likes to dance, and she does this thing where she pulls her legs in tighter and spins—only she keeps falling over. I figured I'd just hold on and do it."

Steadying herself, Jam Scones nodded at that. "Interesting," she said, and walked off to confer with the other two testers.

Looking from the retreating Broad to Lyra, Scootaloo asked, "Will she be okay?"

"I'll take a wild guess and say you're going to get a visit from Bluebelle to demonstrate that move." It was hard for Lyra to keep her big mouth shut. With all the secrets she kept, holding this one back from Scootaloo would be tough. "You should go and wait with the others. I think Firelance is done with his sparring too."

Looking around, Scootaloo spotted Firelance and trotted off after him with a wave back to Lyra. When she reached him, she noticed he had a black eye. "What happened?"

"Sergeant Soarin wanted to teach me I should try to avoid pegasi hooves. I dodged the first two, but he connected just as my spell covered his wings with mud." Trying to put on his best smile—and doing a good job of it—Firelance used his magic to toss his mane back. "I mean, I won, but he clocked me pretty good. How'd you go?"

"Uh…" Wondering how she should explain it without sounding like she was bragging, Scootaloo began from the start and hoped he wouldn't be listening by the end. "Well, I had Good first fight. Earth ponies are tough, but I just kept hitting him over and over until he couldn't take it anymore. Then I had a bizarre fight with Fleetfoot. She tried some kind of weird wing-roll flip attack, and when I dodged it, she said she'd seen enough."

"What about your third fight?" Firelance could tell Scootaloo was holding back. He was a bit worried she'd had a bad match-up or something. "They didn't make you fight your mom, did they?"

"Lyra? Nah. I think they made sure we wouldn't be sparring with anypony we've studied under. I had to fight that mare from the Royal Dragoons, Jam Scones." Scootaloo tried to leave it at that, but the look of shock, excitement, and curiosity on Firelance's face told her she needed to continue. "I, uh, knocked her out."

"You what?!" The words didn't make sense to Firelance. "What do you mean, you 'knocked her out'?"

"Well, I mean, she was really good with magic, so I had to get in close. I wanted to make it something big, so I conked her one on the jaw the first time, which just seemed to ring her bell a little, then I used a spin to get speed up and hit her again. She just kinda—I mean, she fell down and I was really worried I'd done something bad, but she got up a bit later and seemed okay." Scootaloo couldn't stop blurting out words. In the back of her head she screamed for her mouth to close, but the signal was backed-up behind two novels worth of rambling dialogue about how she kinda-sorta-didn't-mean-to-but-totally-did knock out an elite trained unicorn.

Used to Scootaloo's panic-rambling, and knowing when she wanted to stop but couldn't, Firelance put his hoof over her snout and halted her mid-word. "Okay, describe it again. Debriefing style."

That was something Scootaloo could do. Calming herself down, she explained the bout in full detail, leaving nothing from the order of events—even Lyra teleporting in at the end to check the Royal Dragoon out.

"Okay, that sounds amazing. There's no way anything I did will top that. I don't think anypony did anything to top that." Sitting down, Firelance didn't know what else to say except, "You're amazing."

Scootaloo was so excited and so emotionally charged, she lunged forward and kissed Firelance's cheek before she could think to stop herself. "S-Sorry!"

"Huh?" Looking at Scootaloo with wide eyes, seeing the bravest filly he knew blushing, Firelance was a little shell-shocked by the kiss. "I—I mean it's fine. We're fine. I really like you!"

"Yeah? Well I really like you, too."

Both of them went dead silent for ten minutes. Not a single word was spoken as they locked eyes and just blinked their way through the seconds.

"Hey, what's up, you two?" Lyra asked as she walked up to Scootaloo and Firelance. "The judging is about to start." When neither foal reacted for several seconds, Lyra contemplated a concussive spell to check if they were awake.

"Yes! Let's go listen to the judging!" Scootaloo managed to break eye-contact with Firelance. "We were just talking about our bouts and I totally didn't kiss him."

Firelance watched one of Lyra's eyebrows rise slowly. "Let's go!"

Much as Lyra would have liked to hear what had just happened, she had a feeling neither of them would want to miss what was coming. She led the way—a silent procession—until they reached the gathering of foals, trainers, and examiners.

"It was decided for me that it's the Wonderbolts' turn to announce the results." Spitfire narrowed her eyes and singled out Lyra to glare at; not because she was angry, it was just her style. "Our first will be Daffodil Dreams. Could Cadet Daffodil's sparring partners please step forward?"

Long Shift, Surprise, and Lancer stepped forward. The three gave a brief breakdown on what they'd been testing for, how Daffodil reacted to unusual situations, and how he could improve.

Spitfire worked through the list of names and became worse and worse at hiding her smile. She had the same problem any time she oversaw the best young flier contest, too. There was something about determined foals that caused her to grin uncontrollably. "Next is Firelance. Could Cadet Firelance's sparring partners please step forward?"

Soarin walked forward with Razzle Dazzle and Seltzer Spray just a few steps behind. "Razzle, you take first. I need to go last."

Razzle gave the slightest nod. "As a fellow unicorn, Firelance put up a solid show of dueling spells with me. He was effective at both countering my spells and returning some of his own. His only downfall was when I put my all into a stunning spell. Sorry, cadet, but when somepony fires off something related to their cutie mark, you're best just being somewhere else."

Firelance nodded. "Thank you, Corporal Razzle Dazzle."

Looking sideways at Soarin, Seltzer Spray shrugged and stepped forward. "Cadet, you put in a good showing. There aren't many unicorns I've ever had to face that used heat and water spells combined with cloud walking to get away from me"—Seltzer looked directly at Lyra and winked—"but you're up there with the best of them. Sorry about the headache, but you really should never try using magic directly on a target who can cause backlash."

"Thank you, Corporal Seltzer Spray!" Firelance's backlash headache was still fading, but the fact was he'd cast expecting backlash, and had used a technique to reduce its effects.

"Sorry about the eye, cadet, but you were giving as good as you got and I wanted to see how well you could do once an enemy got physical with you. Work on that barrier of yours, it was hell to smash, and try to be careful of targets that have the mobility to get around your defenses." Soarin almost winced at the dark ring around Firelance's eye.

"Thank you, Sergeant Soarin!" Firelance grinned, noticing the way Soarin moved favored his left rear leg a little.

"You're showing a lot of promise, Firelance, and in another few years you'll be eligible to join the Guard if you wish." Spitfire walked over and tapped him on the shoulder with a wing. "But, now you're going to need to make room for our final challenger; Scootaloo. Could Cadet Scootaloo's sparring partners please step forward?"

Scootaloo got a push from Lyra to get her moving, but kept walking forward until she was standing beside Spitfire and facing her three sparring judges. She looked between them, waiting for one to start critiquing her behavior.

"Well, since the others pushed me forward, I guess I'm giving you my unbiased opinion. Fast as a dust devil, and you were ready to strike me the moment I'd landed. The only thing I'd suggest is a greater willingness to take the fight to the sky—you could out-turn me, and in the sky that's how you work out who can win a fight." Fleetfoot gave Scootaloo a half-grin and saluted her. "It was a good fight, cadet."

A million questions ran through Scootaloo's head, though they were all held back by ceremony and her confusion over how Fleetfoot had learned so much about her with just one attack. "Th-Thank you, Sergeant Fleetfoot."

"Scootaloo showed great speed and willingness to use it. She didn't hesitate to use my limits against me and stretch her advantages to cover her own. I can't help but to recommend her to any regiment of the Guard." Pace took a slow breath to adjust his dialogue. "But you need to always be careful. Your speed is a great asset, but you can't rely solely on it. One day you will find someone or something faster than you—you need a backup plan for that day."

"Thank you, Corporal Pace Setter." His words, far and above the performance in their fight, were sobering. Scootaloo had to embrace all the criticism as advice, though, and strained to keep it as such.

"Cadet Scootaloo's final tester is somepony few of you have met, from a branch of the Guard that is not widely known about. Sergeant Jam Scones of the Royal Dragoons is probably a match for anypony here one on one, and yet even though she went a little easy on the cadet, was dispatched with a stunning attack." Spitfire smirked at Jam Scones. "Literally. Please, sergeant, your own words on the bout."

"Thanks, Flames." Jam smirked at Spitfire before turning her attention on the crowd and then finally Scootaloo. "I tempered my attacks, I left openings, and stuck to non-lethal spells. None of this is in doubt—it's what all your instructors did here today. Having had a chance to observe other bouts, I then adjusted my expectations up just a little for our round together. Your speed, both in action and of thought, is your biggest asset. Using your own momentum to amplify the strike was genius, and I hope to see more Guard pegasi using it in coming years.

"That said, you need to temper that impulsiveness. There were several times I almost connected with a spell because you had switched your focus from protection to action. You'll learn how to focus on both."

Scootaloo felt a conflicted. She had expected the instructors to go easy on them, but at the same time finding out they definitely did stung a little. "Thank you, Sergeant Jam Scones. Sorry about the jaw."

For a moment Jam just stared at Scootaloo, then she burst into laughter. "Kid, if half my opponents in real fights could hit as hard as you can, I'd be in real trouble. It was a good strike and you should be proud of it." She held out her forehoof to Scootaloo and clopped it against hers when she did the same.

"Alright, enough showing off," Spitfire said, clearing her throat. "Can we get all the cadets who competed up here so I can make a call on this?"

Scootaloo was already in place, but was glad when Firelance, Daffodil, and the other foals all joined her on the platform. In all, there was ten of them standing there. "Who do you think won?" she asked Firelance.

"Duh, it's obvious, you feather-brain." Firelance struggled not to laugh at the confused expression on Scootaloo's face. He was still coming to terms with crushing on her as hard as he was. Sometimes it seemed just being around her made him unable to put words together and other times it seemed to make him say things he didn't mean to.

Lyra watched as Scootaloo and Firelance chatted on the stage. Every time she saw them together, they both had smiles on their faces. Doing the math in her head, she realized it wouldn't be all that long until she had a teenage filly, with a coltfriend, on her hooves. "Life's about to get more interesting."

"There is—" Spitfire grunted because she could still hear chatter. "I said, There is just one matter we need to clear up!" Her parade-ground voice still worked, for which was immensely thankful. "The little matter of this year's victor. The cadet who performed the best and improved the most will win for themselves a custom-made suit of armor—care of Sergeant Sharp Horn, the Guard's smith—and a trial period with their choice of the regiments supporting the school.

"I have it on good authority that the victor already has such a set of armor, so I'll leave it to them to choose another foal for that prize." With her hint dropped, Spitfire watched as the foals all looked at each other, trying to work out who already owned armor. "The cadet who won showed today how quick they can think in a stressful situation, how surely they can dedicate themselves to the plan they've chosen, and that they are more than capable of carrying out that plan.

"The victor is—Cadet Scootaloo!"

Firelance didn't feel the slightest pang of disappointment. He turned to the shocked filly at his side and—seeing her guard down—kissed her on the cheek. "You deserve it, Scoots. I'll see you after Commander Spitfire is done preening."

"You impressed one of my training sergeants with your reflexes, which is no easy feat. You pummeled a Royal Guard corporal so fast he had to give up. But, without a doubt, knocking Jam out was the icing on the cake." Spitfire had to admit that when Stiff Peaks talked her into having the Wonderbolts' medic visit a young filly to see if she could ever fly, she hadn't expected that filly to come this far. "Now, come on, tell us which regiment you want to train with?"

---

Scootaloo, once more wearing her armor, grinned up at Captain Bright Feather of the Royal Guard. "Shining Armor agreed that the victorious student could choose to train with the Royal Guard. I won. I want to train with the Royal Guard."

Bright Feather felt like he was arguing with a brick wall, and the worst part was it felt like a very small brick wall and it was definitely winning. "The Royal Guard is an all-stallion regiment. You know—"

"There's a way to settle it," Spitfire said. She glanced over Bright's shoulder at Lyra and, for a brief instant, wondered if the mare knew. "One that saves everypony's face. We take this to Princess Celestia. It's her guard, she gets to make the ultimate choice."

Pressing his primary feathers to his forehead, Bright could feel a headache coming. "Very well. We'll have this resolved quickly and you can see about making your new choice after that."

Scootaloo knew she had to keep her expression determined and not excited. She'd won, and she knew it, but if Bright suspected Celestia was in on this too, it would be a disaster. So she trotted along at Lyra, Spitfire, and Bright's side, keeping her serious face on while she secretly wanted to pronk around for joy.

They circled around the castle from the duty offices of the Royal Guard to the front, petitioners entrance. It was a busy day, or so it seemed, because there was three petitioners ahead of them—one of which Lyra knew well. "Jet Set, how is life treating you?"

Jet had learned to fear when he heard Lyra's voice. It meant upheaval. It meant change. It meant that he was going to have a very big spotlight shone on him very shortly. "Lyra! It's great to see you again. They still have you teaching Equestria's finest?"

"And how. Princess Luna has me working my hooves to the quick in her school, too. What about you? How are you taking to the job of teacher?" Lyra, like Scootaloo, was wearing her armor. The only pony in their little group who was without was Spitfire—and nopony would ever tell her to her face that she needed to wear armor.

"If Princess Luna were any sharper, she'd cut me to ribbons. I struggle, on a daily basis, to find things to teach her she hasn't already derived from what I've already taught. I've had to dedicate far more of my life to this than I expected." Despite how he made it sound, Jet couldn't help but smile. "But I manage."

"That's the important bit." Lyra dutifully moved forward as the ponies at the front of the queue advanced into the throne room. "More paperwork today?"

Jet shook his head. "Well, not exactly. Upper finally accepted my request to engage in a longer-term relationship, and I am here to invite Princess Celestia to our engagement party." Smooth as silk, Jet used his magic to produce a little gold-trimmed card. "You're invited too, of course. Plus two?"

Waiting until Jet was called into the throne room, Spitfire could hold herself back no longer. "Heartstrings?" she asked, still a little shocked by what she considered hobnobbing with nobles. "I wouldn't have pictured you as making nice with nobles."

"If you want to get anything done in and around Canterlot, you have to talk to one of them. Jet is far from the worst of them, though I have been steering him toward being closer aligned with the crown. He's been instructing Princess Luna on the finer points of commerce, trade, and the economy at large—particularly the ways ponies are evading restrictions." As she spoke, Lyra noticed Spitfire look more and more incredulous. "What?"

"I have way too much trouble reading you, you know that? Half the time you're just another sergeant of the Guard, competent as all get-out. Next thing I know you're talking about political reform and destiny as if you spent your every waking hour studying them."

"It's all just context," Lyra said.

"'Just another sergeant'?" Bright Feather asked, and gave a laugh. "You have seen that basically everypony she has any contact with ends up becoming a hero or in a high-ranking position, right? Twilight Sparkle, a friend who mentored her in high school; her wife, Captain Sweetie Drops; a friend of hers growing up, Prince Shining Armor; another school friend, Baroness Moon Dancer—You should probably be careful, commander, that you don't get tangled up with this mare or the princess might size you up for a horn."

"Don't forget the crippled orphan she took-in getting to fly and becoming the first female Royal Guard," Scootaloo said.

Spitfire couldn't help it, she laughed. "Yeah-yeah, I get it. It's just a little weird to see the process of it, though. She's just so casual about I just happen to know… and you should try to… that when you realize she's somehow steering you exactly where you need to go, it's too late to stop her."

"I'm not that bad. If you want to see somepony who can steer anypony to anything, try Princess Celestia. You know how I can tell?" Lyra waited for Spitfire to raise an eyebrow in question. "Because she invited me to be in her school. Then she had me spend the next few years in a dormitory that was run by Sweetie and her mother. Do I need to go on?"

"All that says is that the princess is a very good teacher, not that you aren't her pupil." Following her statement up with a chuckle, Spitfire noticed one of the guards ahead of them was nodding toward their little group. "Well, looks like we're going to get this resolved."

Marching into the throne room, Lyra smiled at the retreating Jet and then turned her grin up to her mentor. She had already decided that this was a perfect time for her to keep her nose out of things. Scootaloo had already arranged this with Celestia, and Lyra trusted both to handle things.

"Two commanders, a sergeant, and a cadet—To what do I owe the pleasure, ladies?" Celestia could guess. She didn't know Scootaloo had gotten top spot in the end-of-year contest, but she had learned to trust fate.

Scootaloo cleared her throat. "The rules of the contest stated that the foal who won gets to choose what branch of the Guard they spend their holidays apprenticed in."

Brightening, Celestia looked among the three adults present. "It's odd that such a thing be brought to me. Why is this a problem worth my time?" She knew full well that Bright Feather was a bit of a stickler for the rules and regulations—it was why he made such a good member of the Royal Guard.

"Because I won," Scootaloo said.

"Congratulations!" Celestia approached the filly and hugged her. "I knew you could do it. What position in the guard did you wish?"

Bright Feather cleared his throat. "Royal Guard, Your Highness."

"Oh," Princess Celestia said, and looked down at Scootaloo while trying to keep the glee from her expression.

"Indeed. She was most—"

"It's been some time since we've had any mares in the Royal Guard. It will be good to have a fresh face around. Now, Scootaloo, I won't require the full oath from you, but we will need to spend some time discussing your time protecting me." Celestia only managed not to laugh at the consternation and shock on Bright's face by channeling the emotion to joy for Scootaloo.

Bright blinked in shock. "'About time'? But the Royal Guard has always been just for stallions." He looked around the room at the other guard, and while one or two looked surprised, none looked anxious or worried. "When was the last time a mare was in the Royal Guard?"

"We'd need to check the records, but I believe it was nearly a hundred and fifteen years ago." Looking Scootaloo over, Celestia shook her head. "This won't do, though. She'll need to have Royal Guard armor made for her, and be outfitted with a spear."

It finally sank in that this wasn't exactly normal for inducting a new Guardpony to the Royal Guard. Bright took a slow breath and reexamined his situation. "I'll arrange that as soon as possible, Your Highness. I assume Sergeant Sharp Horn has your armor requirements?" The last bit he asked of Scootaloo.

"Yes, sir!"

The sharp salute and firm shout surprised and heartened Bright. He returned her salute and made his way from the throne room, trying to work out if he'd lost any dignity at all.

"Commander?" Lyra asked, and when Bright stopped and turned back to face her, she continued. "Thank you for being so accommodating. Perhaps this could be something of a revival of old ways?"

"I'll definitely take that under advisement. I can definitely admit to feeling a little saddened each intake of new Royal Guard that I wasn't able to always choose the most suited—in all ways but one—to the task." The slight nod of Celestia's head confirmed in Bright's mind that this was something put by her in advance and something she approves of. "I've not been commander for a year, so this could be seen as a new step in the Royal Guard's advance—rather than a step backwards."

When Bright Feather was out of the throne room, Lyra Heartstrings turned back to the little group. "Your new commander is more flexible than I gave him credit for."

"He is that. Sharp mind and sharper skills are not his only traits. Now, Scootaloo, you'll be spending the evening here. We need to discuss your duties while in my Royal Guard." Celestia looked over to Spitfire. "She's cleared for flight, what about air-combat?"

"Her reflexes made Fleetfoot envious and her speed is up there too. She is trained in hoof-claws and has a great sense for improvisation." Spitfire read off the list as if it were all written right in front of her. "I was hoping she'd join the Wonderbolts for her internship."

"I planned to," Scootaloo said. "But then we were talking and this seemed like a good way I could help Her Highness."

Barking out a laugh, Spitfire poked Scootaloo in the breast with one wing feather. "Once you graduate from the Guard training, I expect to see you in our intake, and I promise you I'll have my sergeants work you until you wonder if your hooves will ever touch the ground again."

It was as good an invitation to join as she was going to get, and Scootaloo enjoyed a brief rush of I did itness before she remembered that this was all about making the right choice—not the first one. "I'll think about it, Commander Spitfire."

Spitfire nodded. "Good. Now, Your Highness, if I might go back to my duties? I have some quality order-shouting I need to do."

"Yes, yes. You may go, Commander. Lyra, you can leave too." Celestia was very proud of Lyra, and would happily heap more responsibility on her if she weren't about as weighed down as anypony in Equestria. When Scootaloo looked back at her foster mother, however, Celestia put a wing around her shoulder. "We have a lot to talk about."

Freezing where she stood, Scootaloo looked up and nodded to Celestia. "Y-Yes, Your H—" Her reply was halted by two white feathers pressed to the bridge of her nose.

Waiting for the room to be empty of everypony except herself and her guards, Celestia smiled. "Now, you need to learn the history of the Royal Guard first." Walking over a stained-glass window, Celestia gestured at the pattern. "Simply put, when my sister and I became princesses and rulers, we needed ponies to assist us.

"At first it was clerks and bailiffs, but when my sister formed the E.U.P. Guard, we had warriors pledging themselves to us. The most awkward nights of my life were when I first fought Nightmare moon and, not long ago, I didn't fight her. I had to order the Royal Guard not to interfere—both times—to avoid them getting caught both physically and philosophically.

"The Royal Guard are here to protect the rulers from others—not each other. Do you understand that distinction?" Only since her sister had been freed of her curse, Celestia had begun telling this extended version of the Royal Guard's history. If she'd mentioned Luna before then, of course, the curse of Nightmare Moon would have ripped her guardponies' memories from their heads.

Thinking about it, Scootaloo put the idea into fighting terms she could reason around. "We keep our backs to the throne, you mean?"

"Exactly. Your duty is to put yourself between the ruler and the nation's enemies." Celestia was hardly surprised that Scootaloo, of all foals, would understand this key point. With the ponies who'd raised her, Celestia would trust her to make the right choices given all the information. "The next detail is I'm going to give you a weapon and ask you to never use it on any creature."

"The spear?"

"Yes. Though from what I remember, you came up with the idea of using it more as a staff than a spear. You have handled one before, or so Shining told me, but I will be bestowing an enchantment on you that makes it active."

Shining had been explicit with Scootaloo about how dangerous the spear of a Royal Guard was. "I understand. You enchanted them?"

"Partly. The enchantment is one of pure destruction. Sharp Horn works the pattern of the enchantment, and I fill it with the fury of the sun." Celestia always lamented the need for weapons, for the Guard themselves. "Even the greatest of monsters doesn't deserve what those spears will do."

"So why give it to us? Why make us promise never to use it?"

"Because," Celestia said, "it's a promise I expect—one day—the Royal Guard may need to break. Doubly so if it's myself they're defending Equestria from."

Scootaloo couldn't stop herself from gasping. First, she'd never considered that it was expected that a Royal Guard might need to break their promise to Celestia, but second that she herself might be a danger. "Y-You?"

"For over a thousand years I have lived with the knowledge that even Equestria's finest ponies can fall—and they have a long way to fall if they do. My sister served as more than just a torment—she was a lesson I will never forget. Absolute power can lead to abuse so readily." Celestia took slow, even breaths. It had been harder and easier in the past. Explaining this detail when there was no example she could give was harder to explain but easier on her emotions—the opposite was the case now. "Some day you may have to turn around and look at me with your spear held proud. That is why the spears' enchantments are powered by the sun and not by myself."

"I don't know if I could do that, but I promise you that I will try. I will stand with my back to the throne—and I will never use my spear." The words seemed like the right ones to Scootaloo. They were to the point and conveyed everything she understood of what Celestia had spoken about.

It was the promise worded how Celestia would have expected a pony twice Scootaloo's age to make it. "Thank you, Scootaloo, that's exactly what I wished. Now—" She froze as she heard a pair of hoofsteps—metal-on-stone—in the throne room. It was a gait and pattern she knew well. "Sister? You're up early."

"I had trouble sleeping. There is a huge disturbance coming soon." Luna's eyes strayed to Scootaloo and then back to her sister. "Foalnapping?"

"Luna, Royal Guard Cadet Scootaloo here won the event at your own school and earned an internship here, protecting us." Celestia turned and walked to her sister and, as they came together in a hug.

"So you relented and let a mare into the Royal Guard?" Smirking, Luna hugged Celestia for all she was worth. "I was starting to wonder if it was a trend that had roots in aesthetics."

"No. It was a trend that caught on over a hundred years ago, and nopony ever thought to ask me about it until Scootaloo did. I believe Commander Bright Feather is preparing an announcement about it, as well as Scootaloo's armor and weapon." Celestia slowly released Luna as she moved back, letting her sister end the hug on her own terms.

"Weapon too? You're giving her one of your spears?" Luna was looking around, feeling more than a little in need of her morning coffee. "Drat it, where is the coffee?"

"I prefer tea. Your coffee is normally brewed in another two hours." Celestia nodded to the Guards by the door that led to the kitchen. "Do tell the kitchen Luna requires her bitter bathwater to start the evening."

"I'll have you know, my bitter bathwater is the finest blend of dark beans in all Equestria. You don't even want to know how the beans are refined." Luna tossed her head and walked over to Scootaloo. "You have taken oath with my sister?"

Scootaloo stood straight. "No, Your Highness, I haven't. I promised Equestria I would protect its leader."

"Well said. Come, we hunt." Luna beckoned Scootaloo with her wing and gestured to the side door. "You will be up late tonight, so I'd suggest having some coffee. Have you had it before?"

"My mums are both in the Guard. I know what coffee tastes like."

"Well, now you're going to learn what good coffee tastes like." Luna almost pranced as she led Scootaloo to the exit of the throne room.

"Don't lead her astray, sister," Celestia said.

Pausing, Luna looked back over her shoulder with as much innocence as she could muster. "We will tread nowhere near astray, Tia. I will stop at amok."

---

The night became an eye-opener for Scootaloo. Celestia and Luna told her their stories, the battles they'd fought and the friends they'd made, and even as Celestia brought the sun up the next morning, she still felt excitement. "What will I be doing on my first day?"

"The same thing I'll be doing on your first day," Luna said. "But before we sleep, there's a matter of equipment."

"Yes. Once Sharp Horn arrives, I can give you your new armor and your spear." It had been a cozy night for Celestia. With just her and her sister sequestered with Scootaloo, the hours had passed easily as they reminded each other why they weren't just sisters, but friends. "We'll receive a chime when she's here. Would you like to have breakfast with us?"

Scootaloo jumped to her hooves and trotted in place to get them working right after she'd been laying still so long. "What do—" She was interrupted by a yawn that halted her in her tracks.

"I'll go see where Sharp Horn is," Luna said.

Leading Scootaloo to the kitchen, Celestia tried to sneak in and get a seat at the staff tables inside, but Gretchen stomped over and glared at the princess. "I would love to argue about my right to sit at a table in my own castle, Gretchen, but we both need something to put in our bellies before we sleep."

"This is the little terror that asked to join the Royal Guard? I heard about you from Jam Scones—she said you have quite the kick." Gretchen turned her head and let out a trilling-whistle. "I'll get you both something."

"How'd she know I was—?" Scootaloo stopped herself from finishing.

"The Terror?" Celestia liked the title. "The ritual of inducting a Royal Guard is old, Scootaloo. I have conducted them for almost a thousand years. The only reason I'd be escorting somepony here at this hour, looking like I hadn't slept, would be if you were a Royal Guard."

"Oh."

"I find myself enamored of your title, by the way. You haven't been in the Royal Guard a day and already you inspire upheaval. Don't stop."

Author's Note:

So I do this "Ask X" thing. X can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and they will definitely, hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories, and they will answer the best question in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right pony to answer. Try to keep it to one question per post! They will pick one question per chapter.

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Comments

[Venerable Ro]

"'About time'? But the Royal Guard has always been just for stallions." He looked around the room at the other guard, and while one or two looked surprised, none looked anxious or worried. "When was the last time a mare was in the Royal Guard?"

"We'd need to check the records, but I believe it was nearly a hundred and fifteen years ago."

Barely an eyeblink really. Entirely possible that Granny Smith could have met her, certainly not long at all considering the fact that Celestia has ruled alone for a thousand years, and both princesses ruled for however long before that. In the grand scheme of things, the current demographic makeup of the royal guard was more a statistical anomaly than anything else.

[Booster Spice]

The Royal Guards Oath is to Protect The Throne, not the Occupant?

Ponyville, twinned with Lancre?

[harts fire]

i feel change in the wind and i don't know if the Royal Guard is ready.
so Scootaloo has earned a nick name in the Guard as The Terror now she needs to finish growing and honing her skills.

this chapter is just so amazing just wow.

[Numinos]

Huh, so the Royal Guard are protecting Royals and the world from each other. Nice : )

[Maulet Paya]

I know I'm very persistent and boring but the concept of soldier children still disturb me.

[Willfire]

Question for Scootaloo:
I pray this doesn't happen for a good long while, but if you needed to, could you take a life in defense of Equestria?

While there is no shame for either answer, for even soldiers will some times hesitate to take that final step, one should at least acknowledge the fact that it might have to be done.

[Kiper]

Firelight watched one of Lyra's eyebrows rise slowly. "Let's go!"

Is this supposed to be Firelance or was there another pony with Lyra?

Ask Princess Luna: If Princess Celestia enchants the guards spears for destruction, are/were there any enchants that you placed upon them as well?

[Damaged]

10961251
Gah, it was meant to be Firelance. All fixed, thanks!

[redmar]

This was a nice chapter and I wonder what change Luna was referring too. I wonder how Rainbow will react to the praise the Wonderbolts have for Scootaloo. I thinkt hat those spears will be used against a threat at some point in this story and the army of the Storm King is the only thing I can thnk of that warrants it.

[FanOfMostEverything]

Ah, young love. And a prodigy’s improbable rise. The Terror flaps through the day and night. I look forward to seeing what comes of this internship.

To Princess Luna, what would endowing a spear with the power of the moon do? Asking purely out of academic interest.

[tsaukpaetra]

She is Lyra's adopted daughter after all, you can't expect nothing to have rubbed off after all these years.
Wait, hold up, who did she pass her rewarded armor to? And would it be considered an engagement? 😏
It's nice when a hoodwink encourages change. Discord take note!