The Guard and the Princess

Another day, another chance at greatness. Or a chance of failure and complete and utter embarrassment. Depends on who you ask, really.

The rooster crowed outside of the window of the barracks, signaling the start of another day. Flash Sentry rose up slowly and stretched his wings. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and open the curtains of his room.

"Good morning, Crystal Empire," he murmured to himself, taking a brief moment to admire the view, "Ready for another day."

He brushed his mane and teeth, then quickly put on his armor and helmet. He stood for a moment in front of the mirror, looking at himself cautiously. Do I look okay? he wondered. He wanted to make sure he looked presentable. Royal Guards have to keep up their appearances at all times. At any moment, one of them could be chosen for an important task, and they had to be ready for anything.

He looked over at his beside table. A small portrait of his family sat next to the alarm clock he'd never bothered to use, since the rooster was loud enough already. He gazed fondly at his family. His kindly mother Lily Shine, who'd encouraged him to follow his dreams ever since he was little. His stern but well-meaning father Copper Glint, who'd raised him to be honorable and truthful. And his cheerful little brother, First Base, who'd adored Flash ever since he was born.

He was the reason Flash had chosen to join the Royal Guard, to show his little brother that he really could be a hero. A hero who battles monsters, stops invasions, and saves princesses. A hero somepony would be proud of.

A loud knock on the door startled Flash. "Hey Flash, you awake?" a loud yet familiar voice called out.

Flash chuckled to himself. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. "Yes, Silver Sheen," he called back, "I'll be right there."

He opened the door to see the familiar grey face of his good friend. Silver Sheen was a unicorn who'd been stationed in the Crystal Empire along with Flash, and the two were very close. Silver was one of those ponies who laughed at his own jokes and wasn't above the occasional prank. But even so, he was understanding and truthful, and was a friend you could always count on.

"How's it going, buddy?" Silver asked, playfully punching Flash in the shoulder. Flash winced briefly at the impact, though it honestly didn't hurt. Silver would never intentionally hurt someone.

"Well, I'm still breathing, so that's a plus," Flash joked, closing the door behind him. Silver chuckled in response.

"Well, we better head down to the mess hall, or it's leftover oat bran for breakfast if we're late," Silver said, quickly glancing at the clock in the hall. Flash nodded and the two set off.

After the two made their way to the mess hall, they quickly grabbed themselves a meal and went to find a place to sit.

"Hey, Flash! Silver!" a red pegasus guard called out to the two, waving to them, "Over here!"

Flash and Silver quickly walked over to the table at which the red pegasus sat. "Hey, Storm Clash," Flash said as he sat down, "What's new?"

"Well, I might get elevated to a higher rank soon," Storm replied, "My superior officer said he was impressed with my performance during drills yesterday."

"Sounds fascinating," Flash responded, munching on an oat muffin. Storm Clash had always been one of the best recruits, topping some of the more experienced members within mere weeks of his arrival. Flash looked up to him as a model of greatness, someone he could strive to be like. Yet, he could more often than not, barely meet the standard.

Flash always had the hardest time catching up to his peers. He felt like he was almost always was behind, and when he did try to better himself and match the other stallions in his squadron, he would barely make the standard. He'd gotten into the army on a pure chance, having barely made the entrance qualifications. He tried as hard as he could to be better, yet the response from his commanding officer was always the same: Not bad, Sentry. But you can always do better.

Suddenly, a loud voice silenced the noise of the mess hall.

"Soldiers! Attention!"

Everyone turned to see Captain Shining Armor standing in the doorway of the mess hall. The captain was often busy with his multiple responsibilities of being both the Royal Guard Captain and Prince of the Crystal Empire, but he always stopped by to check on his recruits.

"I want everypony to assemble in the courtyard outside immediately!" he commanded. He swiftly turned around and marched out the door. All the soldiers in the hall quickly finished off their food and followed the captain. Flash, Storm, and Silver hurriedly followed the crowd.

"What do you think he wants?" Silver asked, wiping crumbs from his mouth.

"Not, sure," Flash replied, "But whatever it is, it must be important." Ever since the birth of  Princess Flurry Heart, Captain Shining Armor had been very busy with the new responsibility of being a father. Even with Royal Crystaller Sunburst's assistance, caring for the new princess was a lot of work. Whenever Shining Armor would stop by, it was more often than not for something very important.

The three friends picked up their pace and soon arrived outside in the courtyard by the Crystal Palace. Captain Shining Armor stood at the head of the crowd on an elevated platform as he spoke.

"Gentlecolts, I have brought you here for a very important purpose," he addressed the guards in a loud voice, "After the failed attempt to conquer Equestria by the changelings' former queen, the lack of security surrounding the town of Ponyville has becoming alarmingly apparent."

Silver stifled a laugh. "That's because Ponyville has no security!" he snickered under his breath.

"Exactly, Silver Sheen," Shining Armor said sternly, shooting Silver a harsh glare. Silver quickly quieted down. He knew that the captain had little tolerance for troublemakers.

"So, in an effort to combat future threats," he continued, "Princess Celestia has decided to establish a Royal Guard branch in Ponyville to improve security, and most importantly, ensure the safety of Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Flash couldn't help but blush at the mention of Princess Twilight's name. Ever since he'd met her not very long ago, he'd been fascinated by her. Even though he'd only seen her a few times: once at the Princess Summit, once at the train station when he was serving as Princess Cadance's royal escort, and again at the welcoming of the duke and duchess of Maretonia. But those were only brief glimpses; he'd barely even gotten to speak with her. Regardless, he couldn't get her out of his mind.

"And so,"  Shining Armor spoke once more, snapping Flash out of his daydream, "After conversing with Princess Celestia, it has been decided that a small selection of stallions will be drafted into the newly formed Friendship Guard!"

He looked up to the balcony above them, where a servant unfurled a banner with a crest on it. The crest was Princess Twilight's cutie mark surrounded by six different colored gems, likely representing the Elements of Harmony.

"Now, this is something that you'll have to work for," Shining Armor spoke again, "Not all of you will be chosen. A total of sixty stallions, twenty from each separate branch of the Royal Guard, will be chosen to travel to Ponyville as members of the Friendship Guard. And of that number, one stallion will be the captain of this new guard."

Flash's ears perked up at this revelation. Captain of my own guard?! he thought to himself, This could be my chance!

Each separate branch of the Royal Guard has its own captain, although Shining Armor had the highest authority over all three branches. The Day Guard has Solar Flare, the Night Guard has Moonstrike, and the Crystal Guard has Noble Truth.

This was the moment Flash had been waiting for! This was his chance to prove himself worthy of being a Royal Guard!

But this wasn't going to be easy. Shining Armor said that this was an opportunity that had to be earned. Flash would be competing for this position with some of the best of the best. Even if he did make it into the Friendship Guard, he'd probably just be a low-ranking soldier.

But that didn't mean he couldn't try.

I'm gonna do it, he decided, I'm going to work as hard as I can to join this new guard. I'm going to prove to everypony that I can be the best Royal Guard ever. For my family. For me. For Princess Twilight.

Once Shining Armor dismissed the soldiers, everpony went to their daily jobs. Flash, Silver, and Storm had basic town patrol.

"So, who do you think will be chosen for the new guard?" asked Silver as they walked.

"Not sure," Storm replied, nodding hello to a passing crystal pony, "But whoever does will sure be lucky!"

"Yeah..." Flash muttered, not paying attention. His mind was focusing on something else. Or rather somepony else.

Yes, he was thinking about Princess Twilight. But he couldn't help it. She was just so captivating. The instant she came to his mind, it was nigh impossible for him to get her out. But then again, was that really so bad? She was so graceful and kind; so angelic...so beautiful...

The trio stopped by a flower stall, and Flash was so caught up in his own daydream, he didn't notice the fact that he was staring blankly at a bouquet of violets.

Silver noticed this, and grinned impishly. "I guess members of this new guard will get to spend and awful lot of time around Princess Twilight..." he teased.

Flash blushed furiously, and attempted in vain to hide his face.

"You'd like that, wouldn't ya, Flash?" Silver continued to rib on his friend, who by now was covering his face with his wings.

"Shut up, Silver," Flash said through gritted teeth, his voice muffled by his wings. Any mentions of Princess Twilight was Flash's weak point. He could barely focus on anything whenever her name was brought up.

"Don't you pretend, Flash," Silver continued, "It's no secret that you have a thing for her."

"I do not!" Flash protested, angrily jabbing Silver in the shoulder. Silver winced, then began to laugh. Flash growled in frustration. Silver's inability to take things seriously was one of the most annoying aspects of him.

"Silver, leave him alone," Storm scolded. Silver shrugged and walked a short distance away, leaving Flash and Storm alone.

Storm placed a hoof on Flash's shoulder. "You want this position, don't you, pal?" he said quietly.

"More than anything," Flash responded, thinking back to his earlier thoughts about Princess Twilight and how he'd decided to do this for her.

"Well, you're gonna have to work hard for it then, right?" Storm asked, pacing around Flash in circles, as if inspecting him.

"Yeah, I guess..." Flash replied.

"Well, then let's get to work!" Storm declared, pumping his hoof in the air, as if celebrating a victory.

"YEAH!" Flash cheered. He bucked his back hoofs in the air and struck a noble pose. "I will join the Friendship Guard!" he declared firmly.

Storm nodded in approval. "That's my pal," he said proudly.

Flash smiled in thanks, then called over to Silver, who was chatting up a pretty blue and pink crystal pony with a daisy cutie mark. "Hey, Casanova! Care to join us?"

Silver looked over, rolled his eyes, quickly said something to the crystal pony, then walked back over to join his friends.

"Did you guys really have to ruin the moment?" he complained. He quickly looked back to the pony he'd been chatting with, who shot him a flirty look. Silver winked back, and she blushed.

Flash and Storm rolled their eyes. "What's so special about this one?" Storm said, "You get a new girlfriend every other week."

"Hey, I can't help it if the mares dig me," Silver responded, "Besides, Daisy Chain is a real sweetheart; I offered to take her out to dinner once my shift's over tonight."

Flash couldn't help but laugh. Silver was such a ladies' stallion. He flirted with almost every pretty mare he came across. Dated tons of them, but hardly ever kept them.

But Silver's love life wasn't of Flash's concern right now. It was time to train. It would be a long process, but Flash was ready.