Rarity was annoyed. Scratch that, Princess Rarity was furious. “How dare he do this to me?” She grumbled to herself whilst marching through the castle corridors. She came to a halt in front of a statue depicting her father, The King of Unicornia after a hard won battle against... She snorted. Ancient history, whichever enemy he had been fighting against. And yet the old coot still acted like they were in the middle of a war!

King Diamond the Third. Stalwart hero of Unicornia and defender for all that is right, just and fair. Depicted here after his monumental victory against the savages of the northern wastes.

These were the words engraved on the plaque at the base of the statue. Rarity merely snorted again. Just and fair? Not where his daughters are concerned, apparently.“I have my own life, you know?!” She yelled at the statue, turning around and giving it a kick with her hind hooves. The polished marble was unaffected by her rage, neither a splinter nor crack to be seen. Rarity’s hooves, however, hurt with the reverberations of her strike. She limped off towards the training grounds, forcing herself to walk as normal though each hooffall made her wince. She would never dare raise her voice against her father in that manner, of course, but at least the catharsis helped her cope. The warrior king was old and respected by all. Though not very wise she thought sourly. A lady’s sensibilities should be respected, and she should not have to be stalked by some... some brute!

Her father had asked, nay, ordered her to cancel all of her plans for the day in favor of watching several sweaty, muddy, ponies work themselves to the bone in order to impress her. Normally that would have been fine. As long as she did not have to participate in those little exercises in futility she couldn’t care less what the guards wanted to show her. Noblessé oblige and all that.

Today, however, was a very bad day for her. She’d had plans, weeks in the making, for a trip down to the southern city of Canterlot with some of her friends. Because of its location on the borders with Pegasopolis and the free states of the Earthpony Federation, it had become a major trading hub, and as such, the stores were sure to carry the latest of fashions for her to enjoy. She lit up her horn and adjusted the mantle on her back. It wasn’t uncomfortable per se, but a lady should have options when it came to garments. While the purple mantles clearly denoted her status as a member of the royal family, she dearly wished for more variety.

As she walked through the last few hallways that would lead out into the courtyard, she wondered what options remained to protect herself from being bored to death. The entire day would be for naught, that much was certain. She already knew what the guard had to offer. Most, if not all of them, regularly competed for her affections at the bi-monthly tournaments her father held, after all. And although she would, without a moment’s hesitation, admit that their skills were impressive; she simply wasn’t the slightest bit interested in such displays. Mock battles and first blood surrenders might be exciting for the masses, but she had seen so many that they had become rote and dull. The prospect of having to spend an entire day watching them was further soured by the inexorable fact that it was going to rain today. That had been another reason she had wanted to go to Canterlot. It was said that the weather there was regulated by Pegasi and the ponies living there never had to deal with snowstorms or even rain if they did not specifically wish for them.

When she finally stepped out into the courtyard, she was given a glimmer of hope. Fluttershy, her best friend and closest confidante, was seated in the royal box. She was watching two of the burly guards wrestle each other to the ground in the pit down below, wincing every time one of them landed a blow.

Thank goodness. At least I shan’t be alone.

Her relationship with the pegasus had started off on a peculiar hoof. Fluttershy was the daughter of a minor noble in her father’s kingdom, who had fallen in love with one of Pegasus soldiers he fought alongside in the war. When they finally announced their marriage, it had been a big point of contention in the country, with an overwhelming majority concerned that the unicorn bloodlines would be diluted. King Diamond had blessed their marriage after finding out just how valorous the pegasus had been on the battlefield, after which the contention had died down and they’d had a daughter.

As a ‘half-breed’, Fluttershy hadn’t had an easy childhood. From what Rarity had heard of her history, she had been bullied at every school she had gone to, and when she inevitably failed, her parents had decided to homeschool her. Combined with the fact that both of her parents had been veritable heroes in the wars they had fought in, had molded Fluttershy into a pony that was demure, easily frightened, and sometimes too kind for her own good. Rarity knew better than to let that fool her, however, as her friend possessed a solid iron core when she deemed the situation important enough. Their very first meeting had been a fight over a hoofservant which Rarity had admittedly been treating a little too harshly. First impressions hadn’t stood in the way of a powerful friendship, however, and she couldn’t be happier that she wouldn’t be alone at the very least.

“Fluttershy, good morning, darling,” she called out, making her way over to the box and depositing herself squarely in her father’s chair. It was well worn and a little uncomfortable because of that, but such things were to be expected when it saw use at least twice every day.

“Good morning,” the pegasus replied, not taking her eyes off of the two wrestling brutes. She didn’t look happy, but then, Rarity imagined Fluttershy was dealing with a selfsame feeling she was. Or likely she felt even worse. Even now that she had grown up, being a pegasus in a country mostly inhabited by unicorns earned her a lot of odd looks, a problem she would have been able to forget, at least for a day, if they had actually made it to Canterlot.

She put a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder and smiled at her. “I take it you’re as dreadfully upset about this whole ordeal as I am?”

Fluttershy nodded, still keeping half an eye on the two stallions treating one another as ragdolls.

“Not to worry, darling. We’ll make a grand time of it somehow.” After a few minutes of silence in which Fluttershy didn’t deign a response, Rarity started to feel uneasy. Ever the socialite, silence, no matter how comfortable, weighed on her mind. “So,” she began, trying to talk away the mood that seemed to hang over them. “How are your parents?”

“Why aren’t we allowed to go?” Fluttershy asked, completely ignoring Rarity’s question. It was a little disrespectful if one took proper etiquette into account. Where her friends were concerned, however, Rarity didn’t, though that didn’t mean that she was happy with having her own question ignored. “My father insisted I choose one of the Royal Guard to be my bodyguard today,” She answered with a thin smile. “Something about flaring tensions with some country or other and how he is afraid for my safety.”

Fluttershy let out a sigh “Oh...”

“What is the matter, darling?”

Fluttershy gestured at the wresting ponies down in the mud. It had started raining and both were having trouble keeping their footing in terrain that became increasingly more treacherous. “At first my parents were completely fine with me going to Canterlot, and then today they told me that I’m not allowed to go without an escort....”

“So you’re here to look for somepony to guard you as well?” Rarity hummed thoughtfully. “Well, perhaps if I choose my bodyguard swiftly, we can convince your parents that one bodyguard is enough for the both of us, and we might be spared an entire day of boredom.”

Fluttershy didn’t look convinced. In fact, she looked rather worried. “But isn’t that dangerous? What if you pick the wrong pony and they can’t protect you when it’s needed? Not to mention how upset your father would be if he found out you’re ignoring him?”

Rarity huffed irritably. “Not all of us are as obedient as you are, Fluttershy. If you really wanted to go, you could easily have ignored your parents and just gone.”

“Like you did?”

Rarity regarded Fluttershy, noting the look the pegasus was giving her. Ahh, there’s that iron core. They stared at each other for a while, the fight going on down below forgotten for the moment.

Just as Rarity softened her gaze, Fluttershy broke. “I’m so sorry, Rarity. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, darling, I’m afraid you’re quite right.” Rarity got off her father’s resting place and weaseled onto the bench Fluttershy was sitting at. “Even if I picked a bodyguard this instant, my father would still make me watch the training goings on for the rest of the day to make sure that I’d picked the right one, maybe even test them himself.” She nudged Fluttershy with her shoulders and paired it with another smile. “So what say you we make the best of what we have?” A smile and a nod was all the response she needed from Fluttershy. “Silver Platter?”

“At your service, Princess.” Her personal attendant appeared next to her, almost without making a sound. That had always bothered her. Silver had been taking care of her since she was a foal, and she considered him to be more of a father figure than her own father had been. The aging unicorn stallion had practically raised her, and had always attributed the many streaks of silver in his otherwise dark brown mane to her antics growing up. Yet despite all that, a grudging respect was as high as her affections for him went. He was a servant to her father's whims... as it seemed she was as well.

“Given that Fluttershy and I are going to be stuck here for the next few hours, would you be so kind as to inform my other friends that we sadly won’t be joining them today?”

“As you wish, Princess.” Silver Platter bowed and turned to leave.

“Oh and Silver? Could you be a dear and bring us some refreshments while you’re at it?” Rarity added after a moment of thought, halting the stallion just before he passed through the doors.

“Refreshments coming right up, Princess.”

Rarity and Fluttershy watched the squad of guards deemed worthy enough to become bodyguards go through their early morning exercise. According to Captain Aegis, it was just the warmup before they were presented for Rarity’s judgement, a tidbit of information that made her angry with her father all over again. Over the course of several hours they ran obstacle courses, did pushups, sparred with one another, and generally did everything that bored Rarity so terribly. She passed the time by idly chatting with Fluttershy about everything from speculation about the fashion in Canterlot they were missing out on to what had been going on in both their lives, annoyed at the fact that she was being made to wait whilst she could have been doing a dozen other things.

They were still talking and giggling amongst themselves when the Captain came up to them once again. “Princess.”

Rarity ceased her giggling and took a second to reconstruct her composure. “What is it Captain?”

Aegis snapped a salute and donned his helmet. “The guards are ready for your inspection, Princess.”

With a sigh and a nod, Rarity sent him on his way. “Time for me to go play the good princess, darling. Would you like to come with, or...?”

Fluttershy was already shaking her head.

“That’s what I thought. Sit tight, darling, I shan’t be long.” A familiar dread crept through her as she followed the captain to the river of mud the grounds were turning into. Part of being royalty meant having to get down from her pedestal at times to show that she was interested in the plight of those that served her. She wouldn’t have minded, if it hadn’t been for the rain and the mud which left stains on her otherwise pristine coat despite the umbrella a servant held up for her. It made it hard for her not to frown in distaste, much less present an appreciative smile for the guards. She managed it, but only because of the hundreds upon hundreds of hours of practice foisted upon her by her mother.

“Guards! Stand at attention! At the end of this day, one of you shall be so privileged as to become the personal bodyguard of her highness, Princess Rarity. I want you all to show her your very best!” Aegis yelled, making Rarity want to close her ears. Verbal assault was another thing she wasn’t too fond of. “We remain unseen—”

“Ours remain unharmed,” the guards replied as one, bringing one foreleg up to their chest in salute.

Rarity inspected each of them in turn, giving them a light smile before moving on to the next pony. The important thing is to make them feel needed, even if you aren’t being genuine She remember her mother saying. Easier said than done when you’re standing knee deep in mud, mother. This is positively horrid. Regardless, she continued with her inspection. Surprise came in the form of three mares she had never seen before. Which made sense when she thought about it. Mares wouldn’t necessarily want to compete for her affections, although it did make her think. Perhaps she could show her father just how useless this entire endeavor was if she picked an unknown whom her father would never approve of, and be done with the entire charade by the end of the week. The thought made her smile widen just a smidge.

It was obvious that none of them would even be here if they weren’t at least competent, but the last one in line, a unicorn mare only slightly larger than herself already looked winded despite the fact that all the guards were wearing was a simple underlay without any actual armor. And while staying clean in this sort of weather was impossible —something she was reminded of when she stumbled and almost landed face first in the mud— the mare’s purple coat was especially dirty. Sweat and mud clung to it in equal measure which made her look altogether more unkempt than the rest of the guards.

Rarity’s smile turned into a smirk. She skipped the last few in the line and went straight for the mare, coming to a halt in front of her. She sized the mare up, making herself a little bigger to look her in the eyes and watched for any other signs of fatigue or weakness.

The only thing that greeted her was the same thousand yard stare all guards had. Rarity shifted her stance to be more casual; stretching herself like that would be murder on her muscles if we wasn’t careful, and regarded the unicorn once more. Even if she couldn’t find anything, there was something about the mare that made Rarity suspicious.

“Your name and rank, soldier?”

The unicorn saluted. “Twilight Sparkle, private first class, Ma’am.”

There was something in her tone of voice that felt off to Rarity, disrespectful even. She sneered at the mare and may have pressed her muzzle to Twilight’s if the mare hadn’t been as dirty as she was. “You are to address me with the respect that is owed, Private Sparkle.”

“My apologies, Your Highness. Please forgive me.” One of Twilight’s eyes had twitched in annoyance before she spoke, and though there had been no trace of it in her voice, the involuntary spasm wasn’t lost on Rarity.

“Captain,” she said, beckoning Aegis over. “Are you sure Private Sparkle is skilled enough to even be among the selection?”

“She wouldn’t be here if that weren’t the case, Princess.” Despite his words Aegis looked similarly unhappy with Private Twilight’s apparent lack of respect.

Rarity snorted dismissively. “Then how is it she already looks winded? Private, I would like a further test of your abilities... let’s say... twenty laps in full armor?”

Twilight’s jaw trembled and for a moment it looked like she would argue, but when she didn’t and simply turned around, Rarity audibly cleared her throat. “Did I say you could start yet, Private?” The annoyed sigh and the rolling of the eyes weren’t lost on her either, and she would have doubled her punishment if the captain hadn’t stepped in and done it for her.

“That makes it thirty laps, Sparkle.”

Such a pity that Captain Aegis isn’t available... Rarity thought while watching him berate the disrespectful mare. He was one of the few stallions who used his head, and as a result had quickly risen through the ranks. Unfortunately that put him out of her reach, as the kingdom was short on good officers. Her left ear twitched when she thought she’d heard her name and she turned both of her ears in the direction of the talking pair.

“This is manure, Captain. We both know she’s just a bratty princess who likes to throw her weight around.”

That did not sit right with Rarity. It did not sit right with her at all. With a dark look she turned to Twilight once more and stalked up to her while debating whether to have her imprisoned for insubordination, or executed outright.

Once again, however, Captain Aegis was just a little faster. “Fifty laps, Sparkle. Another word and it’s a jail cell for you.”

Twilight Sparkle wisely kept her mouth shut. She briefly disappeared into the barracks to don her armor and then started her penance, followed for almost half a lap by Rarity’s angry looks. Of all the ignorant little... She let out a sigh and plastered a semblance of a smile on her face before turning back to the other recruits. “The rest of you may begin sparring. One pair at a time, please. If I am to choose a bodyguard from among you, I wish to get a good look at everyone’s technique.”

There were a few snickers among the assembled guards which were dealt with just as swiftly as Private Sparkle had been. Even so, when she figured out the unintended innuendo in her sentence, her embarrassed blush reached all the way to her ears.

By the time she returned to the box her embarrassment had faded somewhat. It had been replaced by an overwhelming desire to be clean, and seeing the basin filled with water, and a maid waiting to help her with just that made her want to kiss Silver Platter for being so thoughtful despite their history. If there was something she hated more than wet mud it was that same mud drying up and caking to her fetlocks. “This is such a chore...” she told Fluttershy while sitting down with a sigh. A genuine smile graced her lips when she dipped her hooves into the warm water. “It’s been hours already and they’ve only just started. Where are they going?”

The nine guards that had remained after Private Sparkle started her run, were leaving the field, filtering through a side door in the barracks. She had expected them to begin their sparring right away, having waited long enough for them to finish their infernal warm-up period. Seeing them leave the arena only made her more impatient. At least, until Fluttershy’s soft voice came from next to her. “They’re getting their weapons and armor.”

“Whatever for?” The look she got from Fluttershy after that made her feel like a foal, and a dumb one at that. It should have been obvious that their merits as a bodyguard weren’t so much dependant on wrestling as they were on skill at arms, though for some reason she had expected they would be doing exactly that. “So... more like a tournament than I would’ve expected.”

“Hmm hmmm...” Fluttershy hummed thoughtfully, looking equally disheartened by the prospect.

They watched in silence as the guards returned, taking up their positions on either side of the field and turned to her with a salute before the first pair moved forward and crossed swords before beginning their fight. After the first *clang* of steel against steel, slashes, blocks, parries and strikes quickly flowed together into a dance that Rarity found herself rather intrigued by, which in and of itself intrigued her even more. Is it because I have to choose one of them? she wondered. Or perhaps because those long speeches father holds sap all energy and attention for miles around?

Although she couldn’t come up with an answer, she found herself interested in the goings on of what was essentially a tournament battle for the first time in her life. It ended far too soon when one of the guards dodged left when he should have dodged right and got a minor cut on his foreleg. Aegis declared the winner after which the guards bowed to her once more, and the second pair took up their places at the center of the arena.

The second battle was much less interesting than the first, and Rarity found her attention drifting. Perhaps that first battle had been a fluke, merely interesting because everything else that surrounded her looked drab and uninviting. For a moment she let her eyes drift over the purple speck on the far end of the field. Twilight Sparkle was still running laps, and though fifty was a lot, it wasn’t unheard of. Even from a distance, Rarity could clearly see the mare’s laboured breathing, and smiled grimly. Serves her right for behaving like a dumb mule.

The second and third fights could not hold her attention, and the fourth was only mildly interesting; drawn out by both fighters dancing around one another more than they actually fought, and when Rarity took a moment to look over at her friend she found Fluttershy transfixed, not by the fight, but by Private Twilight who had just taken up her spot on the right side of the field. Following Fluttershy’s gaze, Rarity once again felt the anger well up within her. It wasn’t obvious if somepony weren’t looking closely, but the mare appeared to have seriously tired herself out during the run. Rarity was looking closely.

“Unbelievable that they would let a lousy unicorn like that into the selection process,” she said with a huff. “She’s clearly not fit or disciplined enough to be in the military, much less in this ‘elite’ pool of guards I am supposed to pick from.”

Her pegasus friend looked away from the guard and back at her. “Why? Didn’t she do everything she was ordered to do?”

Rarity let a little of her anger show on her face. “She was being disrespectful and outright rude to me, the princess of the country! Soldiers aren’t supposed to do that.”

“So you dislike her because she’s different?”

The iron in Fluttershy’s voice made Rarity wince. Given her childhood, it was an understandably sore spot for her, but even so... “No, darling. I dislike her because I am here to evaluate and choose one of these ten ponies to be my bodyguard.” She pointed at the mare trying to catch her breath. “Having a bodyguard that is disrespectful could very well cause more harm than good in social occasions. And just look at her. If she’s already exhausted just from running around a little, she obviously doesn’t have what it takes. I simply don’t enjoy having my time wasted.”

Fluttershy regarded her sadly for a moment before turning back to watch the fight, leaving Rarity to deal with a sudden uncertainty. What if I did single her out? Well, if I did it was because she already looked weak, wasn’t it? She shook her head and focused her attention on the battleground where the fourth fight had just ended. Tired as she was, Private Sparkle would lose soon enough; and if she did manage to win... Well, that would be a reason re-examine my stance on the matter, wouldn’t it?

The maid finished up her task just as Private Sparkle and her opponent made their way to the center of the grounds, leaving Rarity with wonderfully clean hooves, and free to focus her full attention on the upcoming fight.

The first strike made it clear that the fight would have more in common with the first one than any thereafter. Both Twilight and her opponent swung low and blocked each other's swing with their own, the force of the collision making the both of them lose their magical grip on their swords, which flew off in different directions.

Twilight, tired as she looked, was still the first to react, running up to the stallion she had been pitted against and bucking him in the chest. It didn’t visibly harm the stallion, though it did take him a moment to catch his breath. In the short few seconds it took him to do so, Twilight used the momentum of her kick to see herself to the other side of the arena, where she picked up her opponent’s sword. Another second and she had turned around around again, lunging at her opponent like a mare possessed, likely seeking to end the fight as quickly as she was able.

The stallion jumped back, only barely dodging the blade. He slid backwards a little further due to the mud and picked up Twilight’s blade before she had a chance to lunge at him again. They traded blows, parrying and dodging strike after strike, which made it hard for any of the spectators to determine the outcome of their mock fight.

It quickly appeared as though the stallion had the upper hoof. Twilight was visibly tiring and her reactions slowed just a smidge. They were still evenly matched, but every so often he would get in a slash or a strike that came just a little too close for comfort. Twilight retaliated by kicking him in the chest again after a well executed parry, before jumping back to give herself some breathing room.

“Oh my goodness... Rarity, you have to stop them.”

Rarity flicked an ear in Fluttershy’s direction though her attention remained riveted on the fight going on down below. “Whatever for, darling? This already is one of the more interesting matches and... dare is say it, exciting!” For the first time in her life she wondered what it would be like to be in an actual battle. Minus all the blood and the dying, she was starting to believe that she could actually enjoy herself. Perhaps I should take up fencing? She snorted daintily. That was a slim chance at best, but she begrudgingly had to admit that she hadn’t expected Private Sparkle to hold her own against the larger stallion. For better or worse, it excited her, at least until she realised that she was, in that respect more like her father than she would have liked. It dampened her excitement somewhat, but could not entirely snuff it out.

“Lunges aren’t allowed in mock battles! She could kill him!” Fluttershy all but shrieked, fearfully watching the battle rage on.

That made Rarity pause. Surely I don’t want ponies to die in some mock battle, do I?

Before she could call everything to a halt however, Aegis spoke up. “Milady Fluttershy, Your Highness. I have trained these ponies until every single one of their legs felt like lead, and then made them train some more. They have near enough perfect control of their bodies as well as their blades. You needn’t worry.”

Fluttershy still looked worried, but Rarity, for her part, took the assurance for what it was. She wasn’t an expert on the workings of swordplay after all, and this fight was swiftly becoming the highlight of her day.

The two combatants circled one another, making feints and testing each other’s defenses with half-hearted slashes, waiting for an opening.

Though neither fully committed to an attack, Twilight was getting increasingly sloppy. Several strands of her mane had gotten free from the ponytail she had tied it in, and her movements were becoming sluggish. Finally the stallion spotted an opening and lunged.

That’s when Twilight did the unexpected.

To Rarity, it seemed like the entire thing played out in slow motion. While both guards had been letting their swords do the talking for most of the battle, Twilight suddenly screamed and charged right at the incoming blade.

Fluttershy shrieked.

Twilight’s horn pulsed and her magic touched the stallion’s magical aura, applying pressure from the side of the blade which altered the arc of his swing. Unfortunately... she wasn’t quite fast enough. With an agonizing slowness, Rarity watched the blade shear off several of Private Twilight’s loose hairs before connecting with her skin just above the left eye. For a moment, it seemed to Rarity like time had stopped. One of her would be guards was going to be killed in a training exercise.

In a rush everything returned to normal. Twilight twisted her head around the main impact point of the blade and brought her own down low alongside the stallion’s legs, sliding past him through the mud. She ended up near the edge of the arena, springing to her hooves and turning around, ready for more.

She lowered her sword after a few moments, left eye closed whilst blood ran down her face in rivulets, washed away by the rain which had only become more intense during the fight. The stallion didn’t move for a few precious seconds before he slumped and fell over sideways with a muted groan.

Rarity wanted to applaud. Whatever else Private Twilight had done, her fighting style had been both skilful and exhilarating to watch. That final move in particular... Fluttershy didn’t share her opinion on the matter, looking both horrified and angry. And she wasn’t the only one.

“Restrain her!” Aegis’ voice thundered over the grounds, making several of the guards rush forward and encircle Twilight. The mare did not resist, letting her magic fade after which the bloodied blade fell to the ground. The captain himself looked furious, but walked over to the wounded stallion first, inspecting the damage that had been done to his underling before helping him to his hooves. He assigned one of the mares to help the wounded guard to the infirmary and walked over to where Twilight was standing, his paces stiff with unexpressed anger.

Rarity, and much to her surprise, Fluttershy as well, hurried towards the stairs leading down into the mud. She wanted to know what was going on. Twilight’s display had been nothing short of spectacular, yet it was clear she had once again disobeyed the rules.

“Get some shackles on her and throw her in a cell. No food or water for three days.” They heard the captain say when they finally arrived at the scene, making their way through the perimeter of remaining guards.

Rarity’s first thought was to countermand the order, but the small part of her that was still seething at the disrespectful unicorn stopped her. Instead, she turned to the captain and asked “What is going on, Captain?”

“The captain rounded on her and inclined his head in respect. “My apologies, Princess. I am afraid that further selection will have to wait, whilst we clean up this mess and imprison the traitor.”

Traitor? Before Rarity could give voice to her question, Fluttershy stalked up to Twilight. When compared to the much larger unicorn, their difference in size was almost laughable, although Fluttershy’s anger gave her a great deal of presence.

“How dare you!” She screamed in Twilight’s face. “It isn’t enough that you kill enemies on the battlefield? You have to cripple your allies too?!” She drew back a hoof and slapped the unicorn in the face. Twilight did not respond in any way, which only put fuel on the fire of Fluttershy’s outrage. Slapping the unicorn in the face quickly gave way to punching her in the chest, which had even less of an effect than Twilight’s kicks’d had on her opponent.

Fluttershy prepared to strike again when Rarity caught her hoof with her magic. “Enough of that, darling. A lady shouldn’t lower herself to such things.” She waltzed up to her friend and embraced her lightly, a gesture Fluttershy gratefully accepted. “Captain, what is she talking about?”

“Private Sparkle’s attack severed several tendons in Private Ward’s legs. With luck the doctors will be able patch him up for him to return to active duty after revalidation. If not...” Aegis hung his head.

“If not... what?”

“If not, Ward will likely never walk again.”

Only when the stark reality of his explanation became clear to her, did Rarity understand just where Fluttershy’s anger had come from. With an audible —and most unladylike— grunt she spun around and drove her own hoof into Twilight’s cheek. Unlike Fluttershy’s futile blows the blow at least turned the unicorn’s head a little. As much as she wanted to keep going until she got a reaction from Twilight however, she restrained herself. Her words had been directed at Fluttershy, but that didn’t mean she should not endeavour to live up to them herself.

With the ‘lady-like’ hostilities over, Aegis stepped forward and let his gaze drift over his subordinate. “Private Sparkle, you are hereby charged with treasonous actions against the crown. You are stripped of your rank, and you will be imprisoned until such time your fate is decided by the king. Dismissed.”

“Yes, Sir,” Twilight said before she walked off, escorted by several of the guards she must have trained with for years. Outwardly she looked completely impassive, as sturdy as a brick wall, and with just as much emotion. But while her facade may have worked on most anypony there, she couldn’t ward how she was feeling out of her eyes, and Rarity had caught just a glimpse of the storm that raged on the inside.

Twilight Sparkle was afraid.

As well she should be.

They watched the procession move off before returning to the observation box, all of them dirty, wet, and unhappy with the way things had gone. “What will happen to her now, Captain?” Rarity asked Aegis while the same maid that had done her hooves just moments before came back with several towels and helped the princess dry herself as best she could.

Aegis looked like a stallion that had aged several decades in the span of a few minutes. He slowly took off his helmet and placed it on the floor in front of him before answering. “She will spend a few days in jail while I inform the king of the incident. After that she will likely be executed for treason.”

Making sure Fluttershy was alright and waving the maid off to tend to her friend, Rarity sat down next to him and looked out over the training grounds which offered a sad sight without anypony making use of them. “I’m afraid I do not understand, Captain. While it was certainly wrong of her to injure her opponent, I cannot fathom how it constitutes treason.”

Aegis looked over his shoulder towards one of the guards near the door. “Swift Wind, get me something strong, would you?” After the guard had saluted and disappeared through the doors he looked back at Rarity. “As you know, Highness, we have conscription laws in place demanding every able bodied pony to serve in the military for at least five years. Outside of that, everypony can become a soldier in our fair country if they so choose, but even with all of that, good soldiers are hard to find. While training accidents can and do happen, intentionally harming, or worse, crippling a soldier has always carried a hefty penalty.”

Rarity mused on the information for a while. “And if he is not crippled, will she be spared? They were fighting for a lofty position, after all. Isn’t execution going a little far?”

Aegis shrugged, a thoughtless gesture which made him stiffen up and bow repeatedly a second after he realised what he’d done. “My apologies, Princess. I meant no disrespect.”

“Sit down, Captain. You’re making me nervous.” Rarity smiled reassuringly until he finally sat down. “I am not about to hold something like that against you. I am sure it has been a trying enough time to even get them ready without a tragedy like this happening.” She put a hoof on his foreleg, wondering if what she was about to say was the right thing to do. “Please understand, I don’t mean to intrude on protocol, but I think a little leniency may be called for.”

He looked relieved and did as he was told which made Rarity giggle. He seems so much more... alive, why can’t all guards be that way? A brief glance at Fluttershy revealed that at the very least, her friend was also coming down from the anger she was wrestling with and Rarity felt like things would be alright.

“Some may call for leniency, though I doubt that the king will see it that way. Some ponies will no doubt be happy about this event, while others won’t be happy about losing a mare with such promise to the noose.”

“She was promising, then?” Rarity heard herself asking. The question came as a surprise, even to herself. Normally she wanted nothing to do with soldiers. They were unkempt, coarse, and aside from the ones inside the castle, almost always smelled of sweat. Not to mention that she was asking about a traitor. And yet she couldn’t deny being intrigued by the mare; if only because of how she had handled herself in a fight. “My apologies, I know this must be asking a lot, but I must admit I am intrigued.”

Aegis looked at her curiously, before remembering his manners and bowing politely. “What do you wish to know, Princess?”

Who is she? Who are her parents? How and when did she get selected for bodyguard duty? how did she pull off that last attack? The questions tumbled over themselves in her head in their rush to be the first one that made it to her mouth. “Everything.”

The captain scratched his head. “I don’t know much about her life prior to her joining, but I had heard that she has had trouble with authority figures before, as you noticed today. That said, I haven’t had any problems with her myself. Though it was listed as the reason, she was at the bottom on the recommendation list given to me by the castle’s drill sergeant. The worst of the best doesn’t sound like much I’ll grant you, but making it here at all speaks volumes about her capabilities.”

“And such things don’t usually happen?” Rarity asked while motioning Silver Platter closer. “Could you get me a nice wine, Silver? This whole mess has gotten me thirsty. And some more fruit juice for Fluttershy if you could?”

“Certainly, Your Highness.” The greying attendant bowed and took off without so much as a whisper while Rarity turned back to the patiently waiting captain of the guard.

“To answer your question, Princess. No. Soldiers with authority issues are only ever recommended for bodyguard duty if they have something truly unique going for them.” His gaze drifted over the dark spots in the mud where blood had mixed with the soil. “Unfortunately, that means that things like this can occur, although thankfully not often.”

“What did Private Sparkle have going for her, Captain? Given the... ahem... issues she had were deep seated enough to extend to the royal family, she must possess something truly marvelous.”

Before Aegis even had a chance to respond, Silver Platter proved his status as the most efficient caretaker in the castle once more, at least in Rarity’s mind. The aging stallion returned with the drinks for the ladies and Swift Wind in tow. The younger stallion was smiling sheepishly before levitating a bottle with a label of a red pepper surrounded wholly by black to his superior.

“The young sir had gotten himself lost in the wine cellar,” Silver Platter explained while pouring Rarity a soft cherry wine before carrying the rest of his cargo to Fluttershy. Rarity had an inkling that her friend would appreciate the company more than the drink, but that was just as well. Besides, Silver Platter deserved a few more breaks.

“I would have to say potential.”

Rarity turned back to Aegis who had already emptied a quarter of the bottle he had been handed. “Pardon?”

The captain took another swig from the bottle before gesturing to the grounds with a hoof. “Private Sparkle was very... badly trained when she came to us. To the point where I couldn’t believe she’d ever had any training at all.”

“And had she?” Rarity followed the captain’s example and drank from her wine after asking the question; if only to keep her own curiosity at bay.

He shook his head, his expression turning sour. Apparently his drink wasn’t agreeing with him. “No, not from what I've been able to gather. She had been a reservist. Went through basic, of course. Everypony does. But they had her serving as a clerk somewhere.”

“A clerk? That seems... odd. She doesn’t seem...” Rarity made a circle with her hoof, trying to find the right word. “Soft enough? I would expect a clerk to be a rather dumpy looking sort.”

Aegis nodded. “That’s what I thought, until we ran the first competitive trials. Sorting the wheat from the chaff if you will. I fully expected her to be among the first ponies to fail, but her progress was astonishing.”

They fell silent briefly while Rarity mulled over the information. The worst of the rain had subsided and the sky was clearing up, allowing for some scattered sunlight here and there. She glanced over at Fluttershy briefly, finding her friend in a deep conversation with Silver Platter. She knew, because the attendant had sat down, a breach of protocol he would have never let happen otherwise.

“I surmise that she is devoted to her training then?” She asked swirling the drink in her glass but refraining from taking a sip. She wanted to savor it, just like she savored the second hoof account on the life of a pony she was becoming more and more interested in.

Aegis scratched his head again and took another swig, unable to stop himself from treating Rarity to an apologetic smile for the way he drank, which she swiftly waved away. “I wouldn’t say ‘devoted’ so much as ‘zealous’. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her rest. She’s always training in one way or another.”

In the silence that followed, the sun finally chased away the last of the clouds and bathed the castle grounds in its warm light, just in time for them to see a pair of trainees run up to the box. They bowed towards Rarity before turning to the captain. “Captain, a massive bar fight has broken out in the trader’s district and the town guard is asking for our help.”

Aegis sighed softly before getting up and taking his helmet in his magic. “By your leave, Princess.”

Rarity nodded and got up herself. “Keep me apprised of any developments.”

“As you wish, Princess.”

After Aegis had left with his recruits, the rest of the wine disappeared quickly. With the selection process postponed there was no reason for them to stay in the confines of the observation box, and she was starting to feel a little peckish. “Enjoying yourself, darling?” she asked, walking over to Fluttershy and Silver. The attendant got up and bowed to her and then Fluttershy before taking his leave, while Fluttershy offered her a weak smile.

“No, not really.” She looked back at where he had been, but the attendant had already vanished. “Talking about it helped though.”

Rarity smiled back at her and all but dragged her onto her hooves before guiding her down the steps and towards the doors. “Well, I think a meal will do us both good, and we can talk some more. For instance, I would very much like to hear about how you knew lunging was forbidden in training fights.”