If ever there was a perfect day for a ceremony, it was this. The sky was filled with the glorious light of Princess Celestia's sun, and all over Ponyville, mares, stallions, colts and fillies were gathering on the outskirts of town, towards the massive crystal palace of their monarch, Twilight Sparkle. It had been merely a week since the staggering news that they were, by royal decree, their own nation, and for the most part, the feeling about town was positive about it. There had been shock to be sure, but everypony knew that if there was anypony who could lead them in this new age, it was Twilight.
But the news had not stopped there, for today was the day that another new chapter in the history of their home was about to begin, and so all of Ponyville was gathering at the gates of the palace, awaiting the start of the proceedings. Waiting at the gates themselves, flanked by her dearest friends, was Princess Twilight herself. Unlike the other alicorn Princesses, she did not choose to adorn herself with the trappings of royalty, even during formal events such as this, but even so, she still gave off an air of regal command. All who knew her were aware that leadership was in her, and today was one of those moments when it was out for all to see.
The crowds had gathered, but per Twilight's instructions had arranged themselves into two separate groups, leaving a bare path towards the gates in-between them. Everypony there looked on at the lone figure standing on the far side of the path from Twilight. A young pegasus stallion of orange fur and blue mane. Flash Sentry. Once a member of the royal guard of the Northern Crystal Empire, he'd been brought here to Ponyville by Twilight herself to become something far more. As he looked out upon the crowds, the young stallion took a deep breath before taking his first step forward.
As he walked down the path towards Princess Twilight, many in the crowd could not help but admire his armour. At first glance, it seemed like every other golden armour of the guard, but it's bright shine made it clear that this particular piece was freshly-forged. In addition, it did not bear the traditional blue star on the chest as the guards of other parts of Equestria, but rather a new symbol, that of an oak tree. It symbolised their new nation, not only due to most of it being the Everfree Forest adjacent to Ponyville, but also in memory of Twilight's former home, whose destruction immediately preceded the creation of her new palace.
It did not take long for Flash to arrive to stand just before Twilight, and the two stared at each other in silence for a good deal of time. Eventually though, Twilight gave a simple nod, and Flash nodded in return before kneeling before her. Seeing him do this, Twilight took a step forward before speaking to him, in a voice loud enough for all to hear her.
"Flash Sentry, born of Canterlot. You have served the royal guard of Equestria faithfully for many years, and have earned the respect of both your peers, and your superiors. With the formation of the Everfree Kingdom comes the need for defence. Due to your prior and exemplary service, you are formally offered the position to lead the new guard of this nation."
Flash kept his gaze upon her as he spoke, his expression never veering away from his professional and stoic appearance. In the crowd though, things were less calm, as this declaration had led to many excited whispers amongst the onlookers. The formation of a new royal guard corps was a staggering thing to learn of, as indeed was the prospect of being here to witness the appointment of it's leader. It was a privilege that few would ever experience, and there was a general feeling in this moment that they were witnessing something truly special.
Twilight meanwhile kept her cool, and so continued speaking.
"Are you willing to accept this position?"
Flash gave a short, sharp nod.
"I do, your majesty."
Twilight's expression became more serious as she spoke again.
"Do you swear to uphold the peace of the Everfree Kingdom? To protect both it's land and it's people, from all harm?"
Flash nodded again.
"I swear."
Twilight looked out to the crowd briefly, many of whom were craning their necks to get a better look at what was going on, before looking back down at Flash.
"Do you swear to lead others of this corps, to train and to guide them to serve as well as you have served?"
Another nod from the kneeling stallion.
"I swear!"
Twilight looked upon him silently for a few moments before giving a slow nod of her own.
"Then by the power vested in me as Princess of the Everfree Kingdom, I hereby appoint you as Captain Flash Sentry, first and leader of the Everfree Guard. You may rise."
It was his first command in his new position, and he obeyed it as any other. However, what was unlike every other command he'd been given in his career was what came afterwards, for once he stood tall once more, he saw that Twilight, his mate, his love, finally broke out of her carefully created mask of calm and gave him a warm and affectionate smile, one which he promptly returned. This comforting moment was then somewhat ruined by the sudden and alarming sound of the massive crowd around them breaking into applause and cheers. It was not a reception he'd ever experienced before, and for a brief moment, he wondered if this is what Twilight felt when she had been put in the public eye in the past.
As the first of the guard, there were, naturally, no other guards present to keep the crowds at bay, and so Flash suddenly found himself swarmed with many of the gathered Ponyville residents, all of whom were offering their hooves to shake, or questions to ask, or just plain congratulations. Although he'd never been in a situation like this before, Flash did his best to try and get through as many as he could. Fortunately for him, help was at hand, as many of the crowd was distracted from him by the arrival of a very tasty-looking buffet table, headed by both Applejack and Pinkie Pie. As exciting as all this was, few ponies could resist the offer of free cake and pies, so Flash soon found himself free of his new adoring public.
His attention was then diverted to the very familiar sound of a giggle behind him. Turning, he smiled warmly as he saw Twilight standing there. In this moment, he knew that she was not a Princess, nor leader of a nation, but his beloved mate. The two moved closer and gently nuzzled their heads against each other, oblivious to any giggles or sly smiles any of the nearby crowd might have given them. When they eventually parted, Flash looked down at his chest, and the oak tree symbol upon his chest-piece, and placed a hoof on it.
"Captain...wow."
Twilight looked at him with a smile.
"Worried?"
Flash looked thoughtful for a moment before letting out a sigh, nodding at Twilight before speaking again.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. This is a big responsibility. I just hope I can prove worthy of it."
Twilight looked at him and knew deep down exactly what he was going through. After all, it was not too long ago when she herself had felt similar fears when the role of Princess had been granted to her. She knew Flash's mind was probably plagued with doubts and questions right now. Is he worthy? Can he do what's expected of him? What if something goes wrong? And many others. But, also like him, she'd had somepony close to help her through it, her friends. And just like they'd been there for her, so too would she be there for him. So, moving closer, she gently placed a hoof upon his shoulder, gaining his attention. One look at her face, at her warm expression, was all Flash needed to calm down, at least for the moment.
However, this moment between the two lovers was interrupted by the sound of somepony clearing their throat. Turning, Flash's eyes widened as he saw that it was none other that Shining Armour, Twilight's brother and his former commanding officer. As if acting on instinct, Flash stood straight and gave a salute to the older stallion, who was looking at him with a somewhat steely glance. That expression morphed into a big smile however as Twilight rushed forward and embraced her brother in a big hug, which the latter eagerly returned.
"You made it! I'm so glad you're here, BBBFF!"
Shining chuckled at that before responding.
"Me too, Twily."
The two siblings stayed together for a few moments before parting, Shining looking upon Flash once more, who was still saluting. The older unicorn raised an eyebrow before speaking to him.
"There's no need for that, Sentry. I'm not your Captain anymore, or your Prince. So you can drop the formalities."
Flash's eyes darted from Shining, to Twilight, then back to Shining, before nervously and slowly lowering his hoof. However, he had to resist the urge to start shivering as Shining took a step closer to him.
"So...Captain then?"
The young pegasus nodded before replying.
"Er, yeah, seems so."
Shining nodded at that.
"It's won't be easy, kiddo. To lead is a difficult thing. I was in charge of the Canterlot guard for a good number of years. Youngest Captain ever..."
He then raised an eyebrow as he kept his gaze upon Flash.
"...until you, that is."
Flash gulped upon hearing that, but then, Shining had always managed to intimidate him, even before he started dating Twilight. However, he was taken aback by Shining breaking out of this serious demeanor and instead started chuckling loudly.
"Relax, Flash. I'm proud of you. You were one of my best, and I can't think of a better pony to look after my little sister."
The young pegasus smiled at that, and not nervously this time. Shining did not always give praise to his troops, former or otherwise, but when he did, he always meant it. However, looking towards Twilight, he saw that she seemed more than a little irritated at being referred to as "little sister" in front of her coltfriend. One sly smile from Shining caused her to give an indignant huff as she turned her head away. Being an only child, Flash naturally didn't know sibling relationships all that much, but even so, even he knew this wasn't one to get involved with. However, his attention was then focused on Twilight yet again as she spoke in an annoyed tone of voice.
"I just hope you won't be acting that way during your stay."
Flash's ears pricked up at that as he looked straight at Twilight.
"Er...what stay?"
Twilight looked at him with some confusion before a look of understanding dawned upon her face, which then in turn changed to one of excitement.
"Oh! I didn't tell you? Since you said you were unsure of being made a Captain when I first told you, I decided it might be a good idea to have an experienced Captain on-hoof to give you a few pointers here and there while you're staring out, and Shining agreed! Isn't that great?"
Flash suddenly became noticeably paler as his gaze was locked onto Twilight. The idea of being near her brother when he could cause him to go nervous at the drop of a hat was an unnerving prospect at the best of times. But to have him here, with the two of them, watching their every move together, was something else altogether.
"So...he'll be staying here? At the palace? With you and me?"
Twilight smiled, clearly proud of this arrangement.
"Yep! This is so great!"
The young pegasus' eyes then slowly drifted towards Shining, who was bearing a mischievous smirk on his face before stepping forward and placing a hoof on Flash's shoulder.
"And I, for one, am really looking forward to spending some quality time with my sister's dear, dear coltfriend."
With his shoulders slumping, Flash gave his semi-honest opinion on the matter.
"Oh...joy."
