In the last three weeks leading up to their graduation from Basic, Comet and Angel were tested as never before. Everyday started the same, a thirty lap run around the Training Compound, but each one was focused on their specific shortcomings. Comet went through a more vigorous and detailed combat training while Angel worked on making herself more stoic and even in flight training.

Due to her bat wings, it made her far less agile than Comet in the sky. She could fly straight forward just fine, but the most basic obstacles forced her to almost come to a complete stop before she could turn. Corporal Feathermane even began to become less of an instructor and more of a drill sergeant, turning up the pressure for Comet and Angel to perform better, move faster and fight harder.

On the other side of the rankings, Shining Armor hunched over, blocking the door with his body. His horn glowed, making the windows unbreakable. He stared coldly at the phoenix in the center of the room who was cawing unhappily. He grumbled to himself as the phoenix turned away from him, acting like a stuck up filly.

"I knew I should've asked to use Peewee instead," he mumbled to himself.

Apparently phoenixes have really good hearing, because Philomena cawed angrily and flew over to Shining Armor, who for his part ran around the opposite side of the room, and tried to peck the living daylights out of him. Believe it or not, this was actually a successful training day for her.

Back in the barracks of the Training Compound, it was hard for Angel to sleep. Tomorrow was graduation day and she would become a real Royal Guard. She chewed on a lock of her mane as she lay there, wishing Celestia would decide to raise the sun early so it would happen. After about fifteen seconds of waiting, Angel got bored and peeked underneath her bed.

Below, Comet was sleeping soundly, as if tomorrow was nothing special. Corporal Feathermane had worn him out with the sparring matches, pushing him to mix both hoof to hoof and weapon combat. Angel knew from four months of being around him that Comet preferred to avoid conflicts, which led to him being very quiet and indecisive. She also knew his favorite meal was roasted carrots and fresh oats, he had one of the best Prodder faces ever, and he loved silence.

Deciding it was best not to wake him, Angel rolled back over onto her pillow and lay there, thoughts stuck on Comet. She knew him well, almost too well. Granted, the duo had spent the last four months almost glued together. Corporal Feathermane insisted that it helped them train when one recruit had a rival, but Angel never really saw themselves as rivals. No, they were more like friends, maybe even approaching a brother and sister relationship.

She had been thinking about Comet and how he had changed from their first meeting when he was mean, sarcastic and just plain unpleasant to be around. Although she would never admit it, Angel almost despised Comet's company at first almost as much as he did. The only reason she kept being happy was because she knew it annoyed him. However, after that black eye incident at the beginning of Basic, she had felt she was too harsh on her opinion of him and worked around that.

Then the incident in the mess hall happened. She had seen the guards mess with Comet, but only intervened after they had hurt Comet. She knew she could've stopped it before it got that far, but she didn't out of spite for Comet. Angel felt a sour taste in her mouth as she remembered that day.

It certainly stood as the meanest she had been to Comet and she was ashamed of that. Now he was her friend, quite possibly even her best friend. Plus, there was also a little inkling at the back of her mind that said he was more than that. He was strong, kind and now fun to be around. He had those blazing red eyes she loved the color of, he smiled at her almost exclusively and he even knew how to comfort her. Angel rolled over and closed her eyes. She had thought any mare would be lucky to have him, but now a new thought sprung from that. Could she have him?

Comet, asleep underneath her, was dreaming about winning a flying race against Soarin' and tons of mares screaming his name. Spitfire had even fallen for him for winning. It was a good dream.

The trumpets woke Comet and Angel, who was overtired from her night of introspective thought, and they both went out to meet Corporal Feathermane. He stood in his usual spot and wore his stoic face when the pair approached. "So, you both have gone through four months of training and you think you're guards now?" he asked rhetorically, "Then let's see how well I've disciplined you. We'll go for our usual run, but this time, we ain't stopping until the sun is behind that spire there."

He pointed a hoof over to the castle at what would just barely be called a spire. Comet and Angel immediately took off, running the usual course. Corporal Feathermane followed them, watching like a hawk as they ran. He was unusually strict today, but Comet knew this was a huge test not just for them, but for him as well. He had to prove he could train recruits. Angel was lagging behind, but Comet slowed down ever so slightly to help her keep pace.

Apparently, Corporal Feathermane had not noticed and soon Angel and Comet were side by side. Angel was tired, but she pushed herself to run. Soon morning had passed and so did lunchtime. It was the afternoon when the sun finally touched the spire Feathermane had referred to and he let them stop running. Both Comet and Angel were worn out beyond belief, so Comet collapsed on the dirt with Angel on top of him.

As the two recovered, Feathermane brought them each some water and a snack. When the two could finally stand, Feathermane grinned. "So, you think the hard part is over?" he asked slyly, "This is a two part exam. You have proved you have the toughness and stamina to be guards, but now you have to show off your flying skills. Come with me."

The trio walked over to the front of the compound, which hurt for Comet and Angel, but when they got there a rather large purple object sat in front of it. Corporal Feathermane walked up to it and said, "Here's your final challenge." He pulled off what apparently was a cover and revealed a spectacular golden cage and a fiery red bird inside. The bird cawed angrily and Feathermane continued, "This is Philomena, Princess Celestia's prized pet phoenix. She is very temperamental and likes to get loose. It's part of the pegasus and bat pony's job to keep an eye on her."

Without warning, Corporal Feathermane reached over and undid the clasp and the door swung open. As quickly as she could, Philomena bolted out of the cage and flew off.

"Your final test is to go get her before sundown. Dismissed!" he shouted.

Comet and Angel looked at each other before taking off after the phoenix who could fly just as fast as either of them could. Angel flew faster in a straight line, so she pulled away from Comet and bore down of Philomena. Philomena glanced back at Angel and cawed angrily. She tried to go faster, but noticed the castle rapidly approaching her. Philomena waited until the last second and broke off sharply to the left. Angel, for her part, flew by the turning point and frantically tried to stop her forward momentum. The castle wall rapidly approached her and she gave a small yelp of terror before she felt something grab her tail.

A swift and slightly painful yank later, Angel was being dragged parallel to the castle wall. She turned to see Comet pulling her along, a determined face etched on his. When Angel finally got her wings flapping again, Comet spit out her tail and flew next to her, never taking his eyes off of Philomena.

The duo continued to chase the phoenix around the castle spires, dodging and weaving around bridges, balconies and even the large telescope at the tallest spire. Try as they might, though, Philomena was somehow just as smart as both of them, forcing Angel to almost crash repeatedly and Comet to have to try and catch up. All in all, Philomena used their flying abilities against them since Angel couldn't turn too well and Comet wasn't very fast. To Comet, this was harder than the running. After about an hour and a half of chasing the bird, Angel set herself down to catch her breath and let her wings rest. Not sleeping a whole lot the night before was catching up to her and she watched Comet fruitlessly chase Philomena.

There had to be a way to catch her, especially if it was part of the guards job to watch her. Trying to watch Philomena's flying patterns was nearly impossible since she often changed her tactics to avoid capture. Maybe there was another way. Angel would have bribed her with treats, but she didn't know what phoenixes considered treats.

Finally, it looked like Comet had a breakthrough. He hid behind a spire, breathing heavily but keeping an eye on the bird. When she realized she wasn't being followed anymore, Philomena perched herself on a window sill near Celestia's tower. She sat there and happily began preening her feathers while Comet tried to sneak up on her. Philomena paid him little attention as he neared from behind. When he was about four feet away, Comet lunged for her, but Philomena easily dodged him and even got to peck him in the head a couple times.

She flew off in a huff to another window sill and this time kept both eyes on Comet, who was rubbing his head vigorously. Angel stifled a chuckle, but in doing do an idea hit her. The duo had only about an hour solid daylight before the sun would start setting, so they had to try it fast. Angel also knew it had to be done right since Philomena evidently made sure to fix her mistakes. She waved to get Comet's attention, and did.

He flew over and scowled at her. "Having fun watching?" he growled and Angel smiled at him.

"My dad always told me to take my time with problems. I think I have an idea on how to catch her," she stated happily. Comet rolled his eyes and let her continue before uttering a sarcastic remark. "Philomena thinks like us. She recognizes our tactics and prevents us from catching her by using them against us. She also remembers how we've tried to catch her and avoids that too. However, she can only focus on one pony at a time. If one of us goes and gets her attention, the other might be able to surprise her."

Comet narrowed his eyes and said, "I've been chasing that blasted phoenix for an hour and that's the best plan you've got?!" he hissed. Angel reached out a hoof and put it on his shoulder.

"It's a way we haven't tried yet," she offered. Comet grumbled in response.

"Then who's going to sneak up on her? Probably you, right?" he retorted sarcastically.

"Nope. I make too much noise when I fly. You are going to be the big strong phoenix wrangler," she said with a grin.

Comet groaned. He didn't like the idea, but he couldn't come up with a better one on the spot. He nodded and Angel smiled widely. She leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the cheek and said, "We had better hurry!" Comet sat there dumbfounded as she flew off to Philomena, who eyed Angel angrily. She knew that they were trying to capture her, so Angel did the obvious thing.

"Okay, Philomena, you win!" Angel called over to the phoenix. Philomena tilted her head to the side and Angel continued, "You've outflown both of us and you proved you are smarter. I can't catch you and neither can Comet!"

Philomena raised her head and puffed out her chest. It was about time she finally started getting some respect around here. Angel kept on flattering the proud bird as Comet quietly flew up the backside of the tower and landed on the tiles. He slowly leaned over and had a perfect view of the phoenix's back. Her eyes were closed and if she could grin, she would be right now.

Without warning, Angel dove towards Philomena, who in turn easily dodged her by flying straight up, right into Comet's line of sight. He lunged towards her back as Philomena glared down at Angel and easily caught her. Philomena, startled by the sudden grasp she was in, cawed loudly and angrily as she flapped her wings, trying to break free.

Comet, who was in control now, flapped his wings as hard as he could and bolted back towards the training grounds. Philomena protested loudly and began to peck at his forehooves. The cage, along with a surprised looking Corporal Feathermane, raced towards the pegasus and phoenix.

Comet managed to slow down enough to get Philomena in the cage, but the phoenix had anticipated that and nearly escaped again. A gray hoof shot out from behind Comet's head and slammed the cage door shut before Philomena could escape again. The phoenix cawed angrily and pecked at the door, but the latch clicked into place and the door was locked.

"We did it!" Angel shouted happily from behind and gave Comet another air crushing hug.

Corporal Feathermane simply stood there with his mouth hanging open and blinked twice. It usually took ten times the guards to catch Philomena than this duo, but they managed to do it. A steady clapping of a hoof broke the revel of Angel and Comet and they saw Shining Armor not too far away. The pair quickly took on their guard stances as he approached, but Philomena cawed angrily at him.

Shining smiled at them, but first turned to Corporal Feathermane and said, "Well done, Corporal. Your first recruits passed the final test." He then turned to the duo and said, "That was quite a performance. The guard usually need to overwhelm Philomena with numbers to catch her again, but you two did it with teamwork and logical thinking. I was a bit disappointed you decided to not help Comet for a while, recruit Angel."

He looked to her and she lowered her head, somewhat ashamed, but Comet cleared his throat.

"Permission to speak, sir?"

"Granted."

"If it wasn't for her observation of Philomena's behavior, sir, I doubt I would have been able to catch her," Comet said briskly.

Shining looked from Comet to Angel, who had now put her head back up and was slightly blushing, and grinned. "I suppose that is true. Commanders don't often fight with the troops, but they do provide a tactical advantage by looking for weaknesses. Still, though, Angel did quit on the test prematurely."

Comet, who felt a strange sensation to protect Angel, said, "If that means she did not pass, then I didn't either, sir. I only caught her after Angel suggested the tactic we used."

Shining Armor narrowed his eyes at Comet and said, "You're willing to jeopardize your promotion so she doesn't get left behind?"

"Sir... yes, sir," Comet managed to say.

Angel's eyes widened at that and a huge sense of incredulity flooded her senses. Comet wouldn't get promoted unless she did too? A twinge of an emotion stung her heart. It was a good emotion, though, one that made her want to squeeze him into a hug.

All the ponies remained silent as Shining stared at Comet who, in turn, never let his gaze falter. His future in the guard was on the line here, but Comet felt strangely calm. If Angel, his friend, wasn't there, then being a guard wasn't something he wanted to do. Finally, Shining broke a smile and said, "Congratulations, Privates. You have successfully passed Basic Training."

He held out a hoof to Angel first, who shook it and then to Comet who also shook it.

"In recognition of your amazing performance and the recapturing of Philomena," he paused as she cawed angrily in the background, "You both are hereby Royal Guards of Equestria and will report tomorrow for your first day guarding her royal highness's prized pet, Philomena."

He saluted the bat pony and pegasus, who returned it, and said, "The armory will be your first stop tomorrow so you may be outfitted with the golden armor. Dismissed."

That night, Comet and Angel spent the evening talking and exchanging happy emotions about graduating.

Author's Notes:

Now Basic Training is over, but there's still plenty of story to go on. Hope you all enjoy it!

Just so you know: Prodder is the Equestrian equivalent to Poker. Be sure to thank Lumina Rose for reminding me to add that.