Guard Tiara: The Grand Guard Games

With a groan, Diamond Tiara opened her eyes. It took a moment of blinking to have everything come into focus again. The first thing she noticed was the crystalline roof far above her.

"Good morning," a nurse said as she approached to look down at Diamond. "Princess Twilight Sparkle will be here shortly to speak with you. In the mean time, I would like to perform an examination to get a sense of how you are doing. Do you feel up to it?"

"Sure," Diamond said, moving to get comfortable. She was then checked over: blood pressure, heart rate, eyes, ears, mouth, on and on. As she was examined, she was also occasionally asked a question about how she felt.

"Well you seem to be physically fine," the nurse decided. "I'll let you get some rest until Princess Twilight arrives."

"Nurse," Diamond said before she could get to far. "There was another pony that was attacked before me."

"Are you referring to Aura?"

"Yes ma'am. Is she okay?"

"No new injuries," the nurse answered, "and she did not seem to be very traumatized by the event. Her friends came by and she left as soon as she could."

"Okay," Diamond Tiara said. "Thank you."

After giving a smile and nod, the nurse then left. Diamond Tiara was now pretty much alone.

I must say that you are nothing but a disappointment.

The words echoed through her head, sending a chill down her spine. Pulling the blanket tighter, Diamond Tiara pressed down into the bed. It had surprised her how much hearing that had frightened her. Her dad calling her that...

Diamond had thought she had moved past the point of caring what her father thought of her so much. After all, she had defied -- and even argued with -- him when she had chosen to become a member of the guard instead of work for him and take over Barnyard Bargains. But even though he had told her not to, and been angry, he never looked at her like that. Never called her that. Even at her worst, he had always had faith in her, was optimistic, and -- while he had probably ignored some of the worst things she had down -- he had always been proud of what she had accomplished.

Even knowing it was not actually him, to hear him say something like that...

"Diamond," Princess Twilight Sparkle called out from the doorway as she came in. "How are you doing?"

"I feel like I just woke up from my worst nightmare," Diamond Tiara answered. "Did the crystal work?"

"No," Twilight answered with a sigh. "It neither sent out a beacon when you were in danger, nor did it collect a sample of the creature's magic to track it with. So, we will have to rely on whatever you can tell us about it. If you feel up to it, is there anything new you learned."

"Well, for starters, it was a new type of changeling," Diamond Tiara stated. She then went on to tell the princess what she had learned from and about Queen Insidious, excluding what she herself had been afraid of. If she was asked about it, Diamond Tiara would tell, but she would rather keep it to herself. Besides, considering what they have now learned and know, it was doubtful that it would be additionally helpful.

"So we have a new type of changeling," Princess Twilight Sparkle said, "and it indicated that it was born from the one that got impaled on the crystals. How would that be possible?" She tapped at her chin. "Perhaps those crystals have some magical properties of their own? If we could find and study them, it would probably be helpful. Although it could also be dangerous. If they actually were able to do such a thing, then what else could they do?" She turned to Diamond Tiara. "I don't suppose you could find your way to them again if you were flown back out to where you were found."

"I doubt it," Diamond Tiara answered. "I didn't know where I was to begin with or what direction I was walking in. Plus there was no real usable landmarks to begin with. Even if I managed to walk in a straight line, I still wouldn't know which way I came from."

"Too bad," Twilight said with a sigh. "Well, it didn't go as we had hoped, and she did technically get away. Still, nopony has actually been physically hurt, you're alright, and we've learned more about what is going on. So if you feel ready, you can go. And despite what happened, I appreciate that you were able and willing to help."

"What's going to happen now?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"Well as I said before," Princess Twilight Sparkle stated, "you are going back to Ponyville. Especially now that you yourself have been attacked by this Queen Insidious as well. You could use some time to rest and recover from the whole thing. Plus I'm sure there are some ponies that are worried about you by now and waiting for you to get back."

The idea of going home did not disappoint Diamond Tiara as much as it had before. Although she would still prefer to see the new changeling queen captured, she also was kind of relieved to get away from the matter. Plus, it would be night to see Apple Bloom, as well as check on Dinky, and talk to her dad.

"As for myself," Princess Twilight Sparkle continued, "since it's a changeling, I think I'll speak with Queen Chrysalis about the matter. She may not know Queen Insidious, but she may be able to give us a different perspective. Plus, we don't know much about changeling culture. If they are very territorial, Chrysalis may not be too fond of another queen in what she could still see as her domain."

Stepping closer, Twilight placed a hoof on Diamond Tiara and gave a gentle pat.

"Get some rest and have a safe trip back to Ponyville. And I really do hope that you stay with the guard. I see a lot of potential in you."

Smiling gently, she gave another pat. After that, she stepped away and headed for the door.

Oh, I'm staying with the guard alright, Diamond Tiara thought as she moved to get up. There is no way that I am going to walk away when I could do something to try and protect others. Especially when it is a pony I care about.

I'm staying in the guard. And if I ever see Queen Insidious again, I am going to kick her flank from here to Appleloosa.