Diamond Tiara of The Royal Guard

Diamond Tiara sat on the table in the examination room waiting for the doctor or nurse. Today was the day that they were supposed to remove the stitches. Since it was not a matter that required immediate attention, she found herself having to wait for a bit.

Her attention turned to the letter that had been delivered to her while she had been making her way to the infirmary. The seal and information included on it indicated that it was from Princess Twilight Sparkle. Most likely it was an update about Aura.

Opening the envelope, Diamond Tiara pulled out the letter and began to read.

To Diamond Tiara,

I write this to inform you that I, regretfully, may not be able to assist in the matter of Aura as per your request. After the events of your and her interaction -- and possibly as a consequence thereof -- said pony has left Ponyville. I have been unable to find any forwarding information, nor had any ponies familiar with Aura been informed of her sudden departure, much less to where.

Attempts shall still be made. Word is being sent to various villages, hamlets, towns, cities, et cetera to keep an eye out for a mare matching Aura's description. Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee finding her, assuming she is still in Equestria to begin with. Should she have gone to the Griffon Empire, Saddle Arabia, or The Bad Lands, it would be all but impossible to know where she is.

Apologies for the pessimistic tone. However the point remains that, while attempts to seek her out may continue, Aura may be beyond reach to find, much less assist.

Further updates will be sent should any major progress be made.

Your friend,

Princess Twilight Sparkle (dictated, but not read)

The door opened to reveal a nurse. She smiled as she came in.

"Good afternoon. Are you ready to have your stitches removed?"

"Yes, ma'am," Diamond Tiara said, putting the letter back into the envelope.

"Wonderful," the nurse said with a smile. "Now this might be a bit uncomfortable, but it should be painless. Just hold still."

Not having much choice, Diamond Tiara held still while the stitches were cut and pulled out. The nurse was right, there was no pain from having them removed. It did feel weird, having the skin tugged on as the thread was pulled out, leaving small pinprick wounds. It was also awkward for Diamond Tiara since she could pretty much do nothing else but watch the nurse work.

It was a relief once it was done. Diamond Tiara hoped to Celestia that she would never have to get stitches again, or at least not in the face.

Stopping off in the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. Would the hair grow back over the scar? Would it be the same color it used to be? Or would she have this bald line across her face for the rest of her life?

Would it be so bad if it did? It would be a pretty obvious reminder over what kind of pony she used to be, and the consequences of it. Seemed like a good way to remind her of who she was, and who she never wanted to be again.

Pushing the thought aside, she walked out and made her way through the camp. Her mind kept going back to the letter as she went. Where in the world had Aura gone? Was she still in Equestria? The Crystal Empire? Could she have gone to Saddle Arabia? Maybe the Griffon Kingdom? They were pretty militaristic. Would they allow a pony to join? If so, the griffons would have no interest in finding out why a pony was there instead of in Equestria's military, would they?

Diamond Tiara felt a pit of dark dread in her stomach. What were the chances that Aura would come back, still angry, better trained in combat, and with some griffons for support?

No. Diamond Tiara gave a shake of her head and pushed the thought out of her mind. The odds were so thin, it would be practically impossible. There were just too many ifs.

Still... there would be no harm in at least having some sort of idea on what to do in the very unlikely event that it did occur, right?

Seeing Dinky Hooves and Rumble, Diamond Tiara pushed the thoughts aside.

"Okay," she said as she moved to the two, "what's our assignment?"

"An escort mission through The Everfree Forest," Dinky answered.

Diamond Tiara stared at the unicorn a moment, blinking. Slowly, a smile spread across her face, followed by a chuckle.

"Good one, Dinky." She took a breath, still laughing a little. "But seriously. What is it?"

"An escort mission through The Everfree Forest," Dinky repeated.

"It's true," Rumble added. "Tomorrow morning, we're supposed to escort a group of ponies from Canterlot through the forest to The Castle of The Two Sisters for some reason."

One of Diamond Tiara's eyes twitched as her jaw hung open.

"Oh, come on!" she practically shouted, stomping a hoof. "They have been telling us since we were little to avoid The Everfree Forest because of how dangerous it is. Now you're telling me that, not only do they want us to go in there, but to try and keep other ponies safe as well? Doesn't this sound like something more experienced guards should be in charge of? Guards that have actual combat experience?"

"Calm down," Rumble said. "Take a deep breath and relax."

Diamond Tiara glared at him, letting out a snort of frustration.

"That's better," he continued with a smile. "Now, first of all, part of our job would include dealing with threats from The Everfree Forest such as manticores, timberwolves, and so on. We were going to have to deal with it eventually. Better sooner than later, right?"

"I vote for 'later,'" Diamond Tiara grumbled.

"Second, it's just a walk to the castle and back. Ponies have been going there for a while, so the path should be pretty safe. Granted there are a lot of dangers out there, but most should avoid the path we're going to be using."

"Plus," Dinky added, "just think about what we'll get to see. We get to see the castle with our own eyes. We might even get to visit The Tree of Harmony."

"Fine," Diamond Tiara snapped. "Fine. Whatever. Let's just make sure that we're ready to get up and going first thing in the morning."

She stopped and turned to face the pair fully.

"And by that, I mean get some sleep and be well rested and focused. If I wake up with my cot out in the hall again, I swear I'm going to buck the pair of you."

Rumble and Dinky's eyes went wide. They turned to look at each other for a second.

"In that case," Dinky said, turning back to Diamond Tiara, "could you give us... an hour?... maybe an hour and a half... alone?"

Diamond Tiara let out a growl as she turned and started to walk away.

"I just had to get teamed up with a pair of sex maniacs."