The seasons turned—mostly at the behest of pegasi. Robin returned to Thestralia with documents and news of support from a new trade partnership, Joyce found a surprise in her income care of Celestia paying her for assisting in said partnership, and me… I buckled down like nopony had buckled down before.

School was much like an extension of what I'd learned on Earth, but with harder maths and magic. It was kinda hard to say no to such an awesome combination, particularly since it was Princess Celestia teaching it. She gave us topics to research, which inevitably led to each of us finding our own challenge.

Outside of school was Sweetie Drops. Days came and went, but my time with her was the high point of each. We cooked together still, but now we added exercise to our daily fun. A quick run around Canterlot, lifting weights, and testing ourselves with magic were all part of our regime.

Eventually the day dawned that summer holidays were starting, which coincided with the E.U.P. Guard's intake and boot camp.

I opened my eyes slowly and blinked them a few times to clear the night's sleep. "Ahhhh!" I jumped back from the huge, cream-colored smiling face that stared at me from about a hoofwidth away. "Sweetie! What the heck?!"

"It's sign-up day!" Sweetie started bouncing in place.

As my shock wore off, I began to fully appreciate just how excited she was, and that excitement started rubbing off on me. "How long have you been ready?"

"I woke up two hours ago!" Backing off from the bed, Sweetie Drops revealed her own duffel was packed and Sitting on her bed.

My own excitement soon had me jumping off my bed and heading for the shower at a trot. "When do we have to be there again?" I knew, but I also knew Sweetie would get even more excited over the details of our four weeks that were to come.

"I spoke to Sergeant Bluebelle again. She said we should be there at eleven, but stuff doesn't start 'till twelve. She also said that she wasn't allowed to tell us everything that would happen, but to be ready for running."

With my magic, showering was not a slow process. I had my fur and mane wet and soapy in no time. Rinsing off I used a conditioner (different for both, of course) and was ready for drying (something else that could be sped up with magic.

"Okay," I said as I walked out of the bathroom. "Let's get my stuff—"

I surveyed the duffel bag sitting on my bed from where I'd stopped. "… packed?"

"I couldn't wait! I put in all the things I thought you'd need. Your books, your favorite brush, shampoo and conditioner, and some snacks!"

Waiting for Sweetie Drops to stop dancing from hoof to hoof was going to be futile, so I instead walked over and double-checked. "I don't think I need introductory magic books, but everything else looks great."

Sweetie was still far too bouncy, and was jumping from one hoof to another. Today was certainly going to be a day.

"Should we go for our morning run?" I asked.

The blur that ran past me was definitely off-white for the most part but had blue and fuchsia highlights. I turned and gave chase.

Normally we would stick to a canter as we circled the outermost ring of Canterlot city, but today Sweetie jumped right into a gallop. Six months ago, at Hearth's Warming, I might have struggled to keep up with her for the whole run, but after the work she'd pushed me to do, I was able to push up beside her.

As the city blew by us, I found myself able to split my focus between watching ahead and watching Sweetie. The latter was simply something I enjoyed, and the former was to time teleports so that I wouldn't have to dodge things.

Bridges, shops, houses, and even plush garden passed us by. As far as we were out, there was no bridge to cross back to the center circle of Canterlot. "Ready?!" I asked.

"Go for—"

I never let Sweetie Drops finish. My teleport took us line of sight across the river and onto an outer road on the center island. Our hooves didn't miss a beat and the road pushed its way behind us.

Sweetie shifted back to our normal path, taking us down the road that led to the E.U.P. Guard headquarters. There were pennants and banners up proclaiming a recruiting day. The guards on duty spotted us galloping and they waved.

"We'll see you a bit later!" Sweetie Drops said at the top of her lungs.

By the time we got home we were both panting, but definitely not struggling for breath. A slow-down trot around the block brought us back from the edge of a mad gallop and made it so we could feel our legs again.

Sweetie slowed down at the dorm, but I kept going to the edge of the river, then right in. Cool moving water poured past me, sourced as it was from the mountain spring, and I soon felt my heart slowing down.

Splashing hooves beside me revealed that Sweetie had decided to join me. When I raised an eyebrow at her, she used a hoof to splash my face with water. "I'm not above using your good ideas," she said.

I lowered my head under the water until even my horn dipped below the surface. It was easy to remember countless bubble baths I'd had back on Earth, but that last one had been a doozy. Dealing with turning into a female pony had seemed so much harder back then.

When Sweetie's snout bumped mine under the water, I gasped and jerked out. "Hey!"

"What?" Sweetie asked.

"No fair kissing me underwater. I can't prepare for it properly." I did my best to pout. Pouting was an open invitation to Sweetie, and she knew it.

I didn't need to wait long for the kiss. We worked well enough together, and had spent enough time together, that moments of intimacy were frequent and executed flawlessly. Which is why I turned sideways while Sweetie's eyes were closed, wrapped both forelegs around her and pulled her into the river.

"Lyra!" Her tone was more exasperated than actually scared. The river had one waterfall into a hovering pond before it would then cascade over the side of the city. She stared at me for a moment before kissing me again.

The water pulled us over the cascade and we were weightless for nearly a full second before splashing into the pond. We never broke the kiss.

Around us, the water moved slowly in the floating pond, but we were too focused on each other to care. One thing led to another, and we were falling again. Sweetie's forelegs pulled me a little tighter to her, but I had this all worked out, right about—

"You need some help?"

We broke the kiss to look at the pegasus diving beside us. "Hi Soarin. I think we're good. Are you good, Sweetie?" When Sweetie nodded, I triggered my spell and teleported us up.

Line of sight was easy, you just had to specify distance. I didn't get quite enough air, so I activated the spell again and was now high above the city. The river we'd started in was below, and it was easy enough to judge the distance and put us just a little above it.

One more POMF and a loud splash had both of us laughing and getting our hooves underneath us. We both turned our heads as we heard the sound of hooves connect with the ground.

"That's just about the wildest thing I've seen for a while, which is saying something given my job." Soarin's eyes were careful to trace both of our forms as we pulled ourselves from the river. It wasn't the worst feeling in the world, but I certainly didn't reciprocate.

"It started as trust-building. Now I think she just does it to show off. Actually…" Sweetie kissed my wet cheek. "I know she does it to show off."

"Only a little. I love the feeling of closeness it gives me, or maybe that it feels like we're all alone together." I locked eyes with my soggy fillyfriend and couldn't keep a goofy-happy smile off my face.

"Right. Well, uh, I'll let the other on-duty pegasi know you're just doing a thing, they'll probably still dive to help you. The fall isn't known for being bad, but the bit right at the bottom is." Soarin waved a wing to us. "I gotta go. Big day at the E.U.P. Guards today, new recruit day."

"We know!" Sweetie Drops was back into maximum excitement mode. "We're signing up!"

Soarin blinked a few times then rolled his eyes. "Yeah, figures. You should pull that stunt again for the Guard, I'm sure they'd love to think they just killed two new recruits."

"Maybe not the guard, but if you want we could try it on your Wonderbolt friend." Never let it be said I never let a good opportunity to make a scene go to waste. "Do you think she'd freak out?"

Soarin's eyes went wide. "Spitfire? Holy crap. Don't even think of doing it to her. She'd flip out or something!"

"Spoilsport," I said. "We should probably go and dry off and get breakfast ready."

"Lyra, we don't have to get breakfast ready. Mom has all that covered now. We do need a quick rinse and dry, though." Sweetie used one of her forelegs to hook around my withers and pull me away. "Maybe we'll see you later, Soarin."

The pegasus flew away and we got all the way up to our room before Sweetie almost exploded. "I can't believe we're friends with a Wonderbolt!"

"Oh sure. Alicorns, bat ponies, and foreign dignitaries are nothing, but a stallion walks along and my filly goes gaga." I accepted my shoulder-thump from Sweetie with pride. "Dibs on shower."

I hung around after my shower to speed up Sweetie's, then we both headed downstairs for breakfast. Breakfasts at the dormitory were normally more relaxed, but today there was a cooling porridge and fruit. We collected a bowl each and an apple and found a table.

We may or may not have actually spent the time gazing into each other's eyes (something I'd caught us doing a lot lately), but we did discuss the morning's run. Times were we could have made better use of our skills, or where something interesting had been going on. We finished our breakfast and tried to make our way out.

I didn't count on Candy Cane blocking the door. "My little filly!"

Stepping to the side, I managed to give enough room for Candy to completely engulf Sweetie in a hug. It was a tender moment for them, and I thought it best that fillyfriend Lyra not interfere—I thought wrong.

I'd tried to sneak past Candy when one of her forelegs reached out and snared my neck.

"And you too! It feels like just yesterday that you swept my little Sweetie off her hooves. Now you're both going off to fight who knows what!"

I reached my legs up and hugged Candy Cane back. "You took me in and treated me like your own. Then I—then we got a bit serious. Thanks, Candy, but you know we're not really going anywhere, right? I'm going to be back here in a month or so, and Sweetie's going to be stationed in Canterlot while she trains."

"But you won't be here-here." Candy used a foreleg to lift me away from her neck. "You're going to take care of my little filly, aren't you?"

"Your little filly is strong enough to crush me like a twig!" I said.

Candy rounded on her daughter. "You're going to take care of little Lyra, aren't you?" Mother and daughter cracked up laughing at the same time, and I couldn't help but join in.

Another round of hugs was in order, and more goodbyes, then finally we grabbed our things and headed outside.

"Fancy seeing two new recruits here," Shining Armor said.

I spun to look at him and grinned. "Almost. We have to actually turn up to count, I think." Without hesitation, I approached him and lifted a hoof for a clop.

"Yeah, well, maybe I'll have to put in for a temporary assignment just to bug you two." Lifting his own, larger hoof, Shinning gave both of us a hoof-bump. "Might as well walk down there with you."

For six months now Shining wore the full armor of a Royal Guard, and it suited him. It seemed like every day he grew a little bigger and filled out a little more. He caught the eye of most mares, but there was only one that he wanted to catch—Cadance only had eyes for him, too.

"Got the day off, then?" I hefted my own duffel onto my back with magic.

"I told the captain there was two new ponies I wanted to escort to the E.U.P. Guard recruitment. He said to take the morning off." Even now, walking down the backstreets of Canterlot, Shining was drawing attention. The most amazing thing was he didn't seem to even notice it.

Sweetie, with her own duffel on her back, was looking at Shining with a different longing to the other mares (I hoped). "You just get to take the morning off for that?" Her eyes were tracing his armor.

"When one of the ponies is a member of Princess Celestia's school—and specifically her class—yeah. I do. I'm a full member of the Royal Guard now. I don't have to jump at the slightest word of any of the others. In the guard, there's four ranking officers. Three of them perform duty assignment and the the captain of the guard runs the whole thing." Shining built up into a trot that was easy to move in. I glanced at him and had to admit that for carrying all that armor, he moved like it was nothing.

Sweetie looked at me with a glare.

"What?" I asked.

"You're checking out Shining's butt again, Lyra!" Despite her tone I could see laughter in Sweetie's eyes.

Shining Armor froze, a mortified look on his face.

"Sweetie! You were checking him out just before!"

"I was looking at his armor!"

Shining facehoofed. "Can we not talk about my bu—"

"Well, I was looking at his armor too," I said.

"And his butt." Sweetie lost the fight first and started giggling.

"Nah. I like a more rounded butt." I made sure to turn my full attention on Sweetie Drops' rump—even making my jaw hang open slightly.

"Much better!" Sweetie said.

"Did Cadance put you up to this?" Shining caught up to us quickly. "Seriously. She wants me to go out on dates every other day. I think she wants me to move out of home, too."

"Dude! That's great!" I made room for him to walk between Sweetie and I. "That is great, right? I mean, Cadance is awesome."

Sweetie groaned. "Lyra, let him finish."

"Alright! Sorry, Shining."

"That's alright. I want your opinions. Are we moving too fast? Cadance and me. Sometimes I just worry that things are too good, you know?" Shining let out a distressed whinny. "I really like her, and—"

"Wait," Sweetie said. "'Like'? Shining, in case you haven't noticed there's a word a little bit heavier than that, it's kinda Cadance's thing."

"Do you think you're going too fast, Shining?" I asked.

"What? No. I just worry what she thinks and what my parents think."

"What Cadance thinks?" Sweetie asked. At Shining's nod, she let out a tiny noise. Normally that noise would be quickly followed by her yelling my name, but this time it was Shining who was gonna get it. "Shining! She is trying to get you out on dates more often! She wants it heavier!"

"Is this about your parents?" I asked. Shining's worried look was all I needed. "You think they'll be upset you've found the second prettiest mare in Equestria to walk beside you?"

"Nice save," Sweetie Drops said.

"Thanks. But the point is, you need to talk to them. Ask them what they think. I met them at Harth's Warming, they seemed pretty awesome." I used my magic to pat Shining on the shoulder. "There's another option."

"What?!" Shining's head spun around so fast I thought it might break off.

"Yes. What, Lyra?" Sweetie sounded like she was ready for a sarcasm-off, and had her A-game out.

"Well, you have the third most amazing fillyfriend in all Equestria. Why don't you ask her for help?"

"Third?" Sweetie asked.

"After you and me," I said. Sweetie Drops nodded as if this made everything just right.

"I don't know, guys. It seems like a good idea, but then I come back to not knowing if Cadance will be okay with it."

"Then let's run," Sweetie Drops said.

The ensuing gallop to the E.U.P. Guard pavilion was at a break-neck speed that Sweetie set. Shining and I were both puffing a little by the time we reached there (in Sweetie's wake), only to find Sweetie whispering to the stallion on duty.

"Private!" the E.U.P. Guard shouted. The change in Shining was immediate. He froze and stood dead straight. "You will proceed to the most pink alicorn you know and stallion up! Do you understand me?!"

"Sir! Yes, sir!"

"Dismissed!"

I couldn't stop giggling as Shining galloped back into the city in the vague direction of the castle. "That was great!"

Sweetie had a satisfied look on her face. "What are the odds that shout wears off before he finds Cadance and spills everything to her?"

"I wouldn't bet on it. Now," the stallion said as he looked between us. "Which one of you's here to sign up?"

It was hard to be in much higher spirits than we were already, but Sweetie and I managed. "We both are!" we said at the same time.

The stallion looked extremely happy. He slowly opened his mouth. "Well? What are you standing around here for?! MOVE IT! MOVE IT! Lift those hooves fillies!"

My brain barely got past the pure shock of being yelled at like that. His voice seemed about twenty times more intense when it was focused at me. Fortunately, my legs didn't have a problem with understanding him.

He kept yelling until we were running into the next bunch of Guards. I recognized a few faces from ponies who'd been on guard duty for our morning runs. They didn't yell, just pointed further along. Which is where we saw Bluebelle. She was putting out a sign that read: Recruits Here!

"Why doesn't it surprise me that you two are our first? I assume Grape Shot at the entrance gave you a good shouting at?" Bluebelle asked.

As it turned out our first hour was spent filling out paperwork and getting checked out by the Guard's physician. In short order there was a dozen of us all milling about together.

Bluebelle walked into the room and smiled at us all. "Attention!" There was not a distracted pony in the room. Everyone looked at Bluebelle. "Now that we have your sizes, please proceed through to the next room to be fitted with your training armor."

"I can't wait!"

I looked at the pegasus who'd shouted. She was a sort of light blue with darker blue or cyan mane, and she looked every bit as excited as Sweetie and I. "Hi there. I'm Lyra."

"I'm Bottle Rocket! This is so exciting!" She flapped her wings in an excited flurry of motion. "We don't want to miss out. Come on!"

"But—" Sweetie's cry was cut off as Bottle grabbed each of us with a wing and shoved us along to the front of the queue forming for armor.

"Are all pegasi this full of energy?" I asked.

"Flighty, you mean? I think this is her special gift, Lyra."

Bottle seemed completely immune to any and all comment. She shoved us forward like a battering ram. "This is Lyra and—" Bottle looked at Sweetie in confusion. "And—uh…"

"Lyra Heartstrings," Sweetie said, "Sweetie Drops, and Bottle Rocket."

No sooner had Sweetie finished than three sets of armor were floated up from the piles and set before us. It was reasonably obvious whose was whose, what with one being built with a hole in the helmet for a unicorn, one with holes for wings, and the last not having either of those.

Seeing that there was plenty of room further along to get dressed, I used my magic to levitate all three sets and manifested two big hands to push and guide Bottle away from the guardsponies passing out equipment.

"Do either of you know how to put this on?" Sweetie asked.

The moment I'd put Bottle's armor down there was a flurry of movement and she was wearing it. I had to blink a few times, trying to work out if it was some magic trick. "How'd you do that?"

"C'mon! I'll show you!"

A lesson in straps, buckles, chafing, and padding out a helmet later and I felt a pile heavier. All over. From my rump to my withers and even on top of my head. Weight. It seemed crazy until I caught my reflection in a window.

The trainee helmets didn't have the big brush on top, nor did they have the fancy horseshoes that I'd seen other guards with. But it looked amazing. I looked amazing. I turned my head to ask Sweetie how I looked only to catch sight of her in her own armor.

There was something about the helmet and the little binding around our tails that was magic. Sweetie's mane and tail were both long and flowing rather than curly. Her eyes locked with mine and I felt Cadance's style of magic happen.

"Good work, newbies. Got your armor on snug? Not shifting around when you move?" Bluebelle walked up to me and pulled my armor side to side, which had the effect of pulling me side to side as well. "Looking good there Lyra. What about you, Sweetie?"

When Bluebelle tugged at Sweetie's armor, my fillyfriend barely moved. It was a reminder of just how much stronger an earth pony was than a pegasus or unicorn. When Bluebelle turned to Bottle Rocket, she narrowed her eyes. "Bottle, what did I say about overtightening your armor around your wings?"

"C'mon, sis! I didn't overtighten it!" Bottle lifted her wings and showed Bluebelle. "See?"

"You did, Bottle. Here." Bluebelle used her wings to adjust a strap that went over Bottle's back under her armor. "There. At home I'd just give your butt a kick, but you're in the Guard now, so I need some better punishment. Why don't I get you running with Lyra and Sweetie here?"

"Oh yeah, sure. Like keeping up with a unicorn will be hard. Why don't you give me something harder, sir?" Bottle Rocket glared at her sister.

"If you can't beat me, you can show me how to clean and take care of my armor," I said.

"Sounds perfect. Alright, you three and…" Bluebelle hooked a stallion with one wing. "What's your name, newbie?"

"Lancer, sir!"

"Lancer, you get to go out in the first four." Bluebelle shifted her weight from side to side a little. "Come on you lot, let's go for a little walk." She led us outside and took off into a canter. The game was obvious—keep up with her.

I'd be an idiot if I said the run was easy. She took us out of the city and down the mountain, around it, then back up again. By the time we reached Canterlot again I had a heavy lather under my armor and it felt like a lead weight.

Sweetie Drops looked better off than me, but neither of us compared to Bluebelle. She slowed down at the gates and dropped us back to a trot. "How was that, recruits?" Her voice didn't waver, she was barely breathing hard.

"Sir! A good run, sir!" Sweetie and I blurted back.

Behind us was Bottle Rocket and Lancer. Lancer was doing better than Bottle, but not by much. Both were lathered in sweat, were panting hard, and I could see defeat in Bottle's eyes.

"And the rest of the squad?" Bluebelle asked.

"S-S-Sir—" Bottle gasped for air. "Alive, sir."

"Y-Yeah. Uh, sir." Lancer wasn't much better than Bottle.

"Alright. Let's get you something to drink. We're the first back it seems, which means we get to help prepare dinner!" Bluebelle's exclamation drew groans from Bottle and Lancer, not so from Sweetie and me.

The kitchen was huge. We weren't the only ponies working there, a stallion with a whisk for a cutie mark looked us up and down. "I see two ponies miserable to be here, and two that look like they're ready to dive on the nearest station and start work." He pointed at Lancer and Bottle. "Potatoes always need peeling—get to it. You other two, what's your deal?"

"Sir, I grew up working for my mother in a boarding house for unicorns. Cooked meals there since I could get my hooves on the bench," Sweetie Drops said.

"And you?" He turned his attention to me.

"I helped my mum cook growing up, and I've been helping her cook at the boarding house for six months," I said.

"So an old hoof at this, and someone who at least knows which way around the wooden spoon goes. You've worked together before, but tonight you're working with a few more of us. I'm Sergeant Stiff Peaks, what'm I going to call you two?"

"Sweetie Drops."

"Lyra Heartstrings."

"Well, Sweetie, Lyra, first names in the kitchen. Let's get you up to speed."

Working in the kitchen excused us from "digging practice", though Lancer and Bottle were replaced halfway through the prep work for three other ponies who apparently didn't know how to hold a shovel. They were even worse at peeling potatoes, or so it seemed.

After dinner, we did more exercise, which amounted to having heavy weights loaded onto a harness for us to pull. Everything seemed to be about manual work and doing it the hardest way possible. A shower later and we were all falling into bunks. I barely got my eyes closed when sleep grabbed me up in its pillowy embrace and hugged me all night.

Robin: did you have fun with your family?

"It was amazing to see my mum and sister again. I wish I didn't have to go back, but Screech needs me. She's an amazing pony, but she can't do everything herself." Robin turned her head and nipped at one of her wing claws in what might be a nervous twitch. "Anyway. I gotta go back! Bye!"

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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Awesome ponies who are already helping to keep me in keyboards and rum:
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