Artemis Sparkshower

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For Specialist Artemis Sparkshower, today had been the most exciting day of her life! At least, after the other most exciting days of her life, like when she'd finished horseshoe camp and joined the Royal Guard for real. Or even when she'd first arrived in the huge capital city of Canterlot! And now she'd been accepted as a Very important Pony bodyguard!

Well, except the target wasn't exactly a pony, but that was beside the point. The point was, now she was finally going to get a taste of the high society life that the folks around her lived and breathed. Her mind was swirling with all the different kinds of fancy hoity-toity events she would get to attend.

Attend as a bodyguard, but hey, you gotta start somewhere, right?

She'd be going to royal balls, and attending gala openings, and seeing masquerades, and --

"Listen, sparks-for-brains, if you're gonna have your head in the clouds, you might as well get your butt up there as well, so you don't block the doorway for the rest of us!"

'Aw, sunshowers.' "Sorry!" Artemis quickly hustled out of the way, entering into the small, shared living space allotted to her and her fellow guards. Having been pulled down and out of her daydream, she put down her bag and surveyed her new home. The furnishings consisted of a sofa with a pair of club chairs, with a little breakfast-table to seat four. Of the five doors that surrounded her, four lead to near identical bedrooms, while the fifth led to a small washroom.

One of Artemis' new squadmares, Glamerspear, was already poking her head into one of the bedrooms. From what Artemis could see, and assuming they were outfitted identically, they would each get a wardrobe, a dresser, a writing desk, and twin bed.

"Nice digs. Sure beats the barracks," the unicorn, Glamerspear, commented.

"The one on the far left is mine." That was the squad leader, Corporal Bound, entering shortly after.

The pegasus quickly assumed parade rest, and gave an enthusiastic greeting. "At ease! Good morning, Corporal Bound!"

Glamerspear turned herself around to mimic the pegasus' parade rest form, while Corporal Bound shot the cream colored pegasus a disinterested look. "...Carry on."

Before the second word had even escaped her mouth, Glamerspear was already back to poking around in the different bedrooms, apparently trying to figure out which of the identical ones was best.

"Specialist Sparkshower?"

"Yes, Corporal!"

"First time out of your unit?"

"Yes, Corporal!"

"First time bunking with anyone other than a bunch of other junior guards?"

"Yes, Corporal!" By that point, Glamerspear had finished her inspection and was looking curiously at her other two squadmares - but Artemis made sure to keep her attention on the senior non-commissioned officer, just as you're supposed to.

"We're living together, Specialist. 'Parade Rest' is going to get old fast every time I need to use the mares' room."

"Yes, Corporal!"

"Save it for when we're out of our quarters, Specialist. In here, we're all just guards. Understood?"

"Yes, Corporal!"

Corporal Bound just shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, trundling off to her chosen bedroom, duffel bag in tow.

There was a chuckle from one of the middle bedroom doors. "Geez, Sparks, you sure can take a hint." Sparkshower turned to face her squadmare. Glamerspear looked to be a little older than the pegasus, but only by a few years.

"I'm just following the Military Customs and Courtesies. We're still in the Royal Guard."

Using her telekinetic magic, Glamerspear tossed her duffel bag into the room, where it landed on the bed with an audible 'poomf'.

"Pssht, sure we are."

Artemis furrowed her brow. "We still have to go to reveille each morning."

Her expression unchanging, SPC Glamerspear started to prowl around the living room, taking time to check just how plush the sofa and chairs were. "True."

"We still have three drills a week."

"Also true."

"So how are we not Guards, Specialist Glamerspear?"

"Because..." In one swift move, she hopped into the air and landed on her back, lying on the couch. "... We get to be in Society."

At that, Artemis felt her expression relax. She began to grin as she started thinking about all the great ponies she was going to get to meet. And the parties she'd get to attend! And the stories she'd share with her new mare friends! "Yeah... Yeah we do!"

Glamerspear waved a hoof at the pegasus. "Aw, you're not so bad, Sparks. You can call me Glam, by the way."

Trotting over, Artemis took Lily's hoof and gave it a shake before hopping up onto one of the chairs. If Artemis was to guess, the seat was probably a far cry from anything a Lord or Lady could sit on, and while it was no cloud, it was way comfier than anything in the barracks. "Pleasure to meet you."

"So, what's your story, Sparks?"

"Well, I'm from Berry -- that's a little town about two hours' train ride north of here."

"No offense, Sparks, but anybody can tell you're not from a big city. Or even a small city."

'How did she know?' Sparkshower guessed she still had some country traits to shake off, especially if she wanted to fit in with high society in Canterlot!

"... But you're not from Cloudsdale? I thought that's where all the pegasi lived."

At that, Artemis started to beam with pride. "Most of them, sure. But my family's been living in Berry for generations. Us and the earth pony farmers who depend on us for the weather, we go way back, like one big team."

"Swell. And you've been in the Guard, what, like two-and-a-half years? Made Specialist recently?"

Another point of pride. Artemis hoped she wasn't getting too rosy-cheeked about all this. "Actually, I've only served for a year and a half! I got an early promotion for outstanding work during that recent Crystal Empire Incident."

Despite her cynicism, Sparkshower's squadmare seemed suitably impressed.

"Neat. They don't let just anybody get VIP duty, so I knew you must have had something going for you."

Artemis wasn't entirely sure if that was a compliment or an insult.

"What about me, you ask? WELL, I've been earning top marks in my company - Air Defense, in case you forgot - ever since I left 'shoe camp. I've been at this for five years, you know." Glam shot Sparkshower a grin. "... So if you need any tips, rookie, you just let me know, ho-kay?"

"I will! Thanks."

There was a moment of silence when neither of them could quite figure out what to say next. It was all so much to take in at once.

It was during this silence that Corporal Bound strolled out of her room. Fortunately, Artemis managed to suppress the urge to shout 'At ease' once again.

"Sparkshower, you have first duty tomorrow. Glamerspear, you've got the afternoon. Until then, we've got the day off. I'm going to head over to the commissary to get some books and magazines. Either of you want anything?"

Sparkshower was first to make her request. "Oh! I'd love a copy of 'Canterlot Match'!"

Glamerspear tilted her head all the way back over the armrest to look upside-down at CPL Bound. "I've got some bits in my duffel bag if you could get me the latest issue of 'Cosmoponitan.'"

"Don't worry about the bits. It's my treat to get us all off on the right hoof."

"Gee, thanks, Corporal!"

Corporal Bound gave Artemis a defeated look. "Call me 'Honour' when we're informal, Specialist. That's my first name."

"Sure thing, Corporal Honour Bound! I mean... Honour."

"As you were."

The door was barely shut behind her when Glam spoke up again. "There goes somemare who's been in the Guard for too long."

'In the Guard too long? Was such a thing even possible?' "Why do you think that?"

"Well, duh, just look at her! And listen to how she talks! She's done everything already! There's nothing new under Celestia's sun for her."

It made sense, but it didn't seem like something very nice to be bringing up.

"... Well, if she wants something new and exciting, VIP duty is the right place, right, Sparks?"

"Heh, yeah. Though if I'm being honest, just about everything is new and exciting to me around here."

"Aw, that's the spirit! And so what if we have to deal with a bit of a freakshow, right?"

"Freakshow?!"

At Artemis' exclamation, Glamerspear dialed back her enthusiasm quite a bit, her ears going flat against her head.

"Sorry. That was too harsh."

There was a pause.

"I mean our charge, this Anon guy."

Artemis recalled Anonymous' formal title when she was given her marching orders. "Anonymous, By Appointment to Their Majesties Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Royal Engineer."

"Yeah. Gotta admit it's a fancy title, though. And he may look a little weird, but if Princess Celestia puts up with him, he can't be all that bad," Lily acquiesced.

"I've only met the Princess once before, at graduation, but it seemed to me like she doesn't just 'put up with him'."

"Oh, you think so? Well, you're the Armoured Recon, I guess. Still, he's pretty funny-looking, right?" She flipped over forward onto her belly faster than seemed possible to Artemis. Glamerspear looked up at her with a grin. "Betcha you never saw anything that walks around on two legs like that growing up in 'Berry', am I right?"

"Well... there was a minotaur who lived just outside the town, near the forest."

"Oooooh! Was he all scary and mysterious?"

Artemis shook her head. 'This mare sure has an active imagination. And she thought I had my head in the clouds?' "No, he was just an old bull. He used to pick mushrooms in the forest and bring them to market. And the earth ponies would sometimes ring him up when they needed help moving something real big."

"Bo-ring! Now, Changelings, those things are creepy. Hey -- you know what the difference between a young Changeling and an old Changeling is?"

"No, what?"

Glamerspear rolled over onto her back again, thrusting her forehooves up into the air. "You don't have to lead the old Changelings quite so much when you're shooting at 'em!" Glamerspear made 'pew-pew' noises with her mouth while swinging her forearms like she was hurling invisible spears up at the sky.

While her antics seemed silly, to be fair, she'd probably actually done that. Oh, thunderstorms, was this going to be an interesting assignment!

Still, though... a chance to experience Canterlot society, at last!

Next Chapter: Chapter 3 Estimated time remaining: 37 Hours, 13 Minutes