Royal Guard Academy

Before long, it was time for Tempest to go to Canterlot. The day before though, Discord got with Pinkie to throw her a big going away party. Which most of Ponyville seemed to show up to.

“Wow, guys, you didn’t have to do all this for me,” she said with amazement as Pinkie brought her a cake.

“No, but we wanted to,” Pinkie said gleefully. “We’re all gonna miss you so much, but we know you’ll do great in guard training!”

“You’re going to do great work,” Twilight said. “Being a royal guard will really suit you. You have so much experience as a commander, I’m sure you’ll fit right in.”

“I hope so,” Tempest replied. “But it’ll take some adjustment. I mean, Equestria doesn’t exactly approve of someone beating their inferiors over the head if they do something wrong.”

There were some nervous chuckles and agreements.

“Honestly, military training is tough,” Rainbow said. “I mean the Wonderbolts was hard enough, but the Royal Guard is on a whole nother level. It’s gonna be tough, but I know you got what it takes.”

“Definitely. I’m looking forward to the challenge.” Tempest took a bite of cake, and the others got food too, enjoying the party. Tempest talked to her friends, saying bye to them, and listening to their advice. She said she would be writing to Discord and they could get her address from him to write her back, and she would really like to hear from them while she’s in training. She also made Pinkie promise not to send her any snacks. They would likely go right in the garbage.

Pinkie was disappointed, but agreed not to send her food.

The party was fun, and Tempest really let herself relax, knowing it would be her last day to for quite some time. She had some drinks, played games, and tried all the various unhealthy desserts Pinkie had made. And when the party wrapped up, she agreed to get pictures with her friends, so they had something to remember her by. But finally they cleaned up the party and everyone headed home, so Tempest and Discord did the same.

“Man, Pinkie’s too sweet,” Tempest said as she slumped onto the couch.

“Well yeah, have you seen how she eats sweets? Her blood glucose level is so high you could use her blood as syrup on pancakes!”

Tempest lifted a brow at Discord. “That’s. Quite a colorful description.”

“And yet it’s not even an exaggeration. But anyway, Pinkie is a dear. She just loves making everypony happy, and she’ll make any occasion into a reason to celebrate. I’ve always admired her for that.”

Tempest nodded. Then she looked across the room, at where her bags were packed and ready for tomorrow. “So, tomorrow afternoon I’m leaving.”

“Indeed.”

She hugged him. “I’m going to miss you.”

“And I’ll miss you. But just focus on the training, try to have fun, and I’m sure it’ll be over before you know it.”

“Yeah.” She rested her chin on him as she gazed into space. Then she said, “I wonder what my fellow trainees will be like. What their goals will be, and if we’ll get along. I hear mares tend to start out cooperative but get catty toward the end.”

“Is that so? Mm, well, hopefully your group doesn’t fall victim to such pettiness. Whatever the others are like though, focus on doing what you have to do, and be the best there. You’re at an advantage. You’ve commanded before. You’re physically fit and an excellent fighter. Show them how it’s done.”

“Heh, right. I’ll do my best.”

Discord nodded and stood, holding out his hand. “Well, now I would like to give you my going away present. Let’s go to the bedroom.”

Her curiosity piqued, Tempest took his hand and followed him. “I’m definitely going to miss sleeping with you.”

“Same. So let’s make the most of it now.” Discord helped her up into bed, and laid down with her, pulling her on top of him. “Tonight is entirely for you. Have your way with me.”

Tempest blinked, then blushed and gently stroked his chest. “You’ve got it, big guy.”

The next day, Tempest slept in. She wanted to just enjoy her bed for as long as possible, knowing this was probably the last peaceful sleep she’d be getting for a while. She stayed wrapped up with Discord, just holding him close and soaking in his warmth. She’ll miss these lazy mornings with him.

But finally she was too awake to keep laying there, and she got up. She made breakfast, and read a book as she ate. Discord joined her with a collection of fruits, which he proceeded to take the peels off of. And then ate the peels.

Tempest pushed her bowl aside and checked the clock. She wouldn’t be leaving until the afternoon, but she had a feeling the time would arrive before she knew it.

“Think we should go ahead and go to Canterlot?” she asked. “Just so we’ll be in the area?”

“If you want. We could waste some time at the theater too.”

“Good point. Alright, yeah, let’s go.” Tempest made sure she had everything packed, and set her saddlebags onto her back. Then she and Discord headed to Canterlot.

They appeared on a crowded sidewalk, startling the ponies walking by. Tempest hastily apologized, while Discord just laughed. They headed through the city, checking out window displays, occasionally going into stores to browse. Tempest couldn’t buy anything, but Discord found a few things he wanted, stowing each away in hammerspace. Tempest needed to learn that trick because that was useful.

They went to watch a play at the local theater, which took up a good couple hours of their time. Once it was done, they had two hours until Tempest would have to leave. And she wanted to get there early.

They slowly headed for the military base, which wasn’t too far from the castle. It had high walls, and a gate guarded by a unicorn, who carried a spear at his side.

“Good afternoon,” Tempest said, pulling out her paperwork. “I’m reporting to the Royal Guard Academy.”

He scanned the page and nodded, stepping aside. “Go ahead, ma’am. You’ll want to head to the administrative building for in-processing.” He pointed down a nearby road. “Just follow this road, turn left at the second intersection. You’ll see a sign for the campus and all the buildings over there are labeled. The administrative building will be one of the first ones you see. You’ll go in, and follow all given instructions.”

“Thank you. Well, see ya, Discord.” Tempest turned to give him a hug.

“See you at graduation.” He hugged her back, then looked at the guard. “I take it I can’t walk in with her?”

“You can go in with her, but she needs to accompany you everywhere. Which she won’t be able to do once she checks in at the Academy.”

“Ah. Alright then, some other time.” Discord kissed Tempest’s forehead. “Knock them dead, love.”

“I’ll do my best.” She waved to him, and walked through the gate. She glanced back, where Discord was watching her go. He gestured for her to get a move on, and made a heart with his thumbs and index fingers. She turned forward and kept going. The next time she looked over her shoulder, he was gone. She sighed and kept walking. No turning back.

She passed various guards who were going about their days, chatting while on break or hurriedly making their way to appointments. They didn’t really pay attention to her, but she had the feeling they were told not to interact with newcomers.

She found the campus, which had several buildings. Looking around, she saw what looked like dorm buildings, a gym, and the administrative building. There was also a huge running track toward the side, which was currently being used. Trainees ran around it, many being chased by instructors, who were identifiable by blue bands around their necks. At least they weren’t running in armor. That would suck. She went to the admin building.

A sign directed new trainees into one of the doors, and she approached it, pushing it open. As soon as she was inside, she was flanked by two unicorns, both wearing full guard armor and adorned with those blue bands that marked them as instructors.

“Done sightseeing?” one barked at her, making her flinch. “Get moving, over to the table, go!”

She took a breath and composed herself, walking down the hall toward the indicated table. The two hounded her the whole way.

The second yelled, “Come on, pick up your hooves, you’re wasting our time! You think we want to be touring your lazy flank around? Hurry up, get over there!”

It was all part of the game, Tempest thought to herself. They were trying to stress her out. Make her snap. But she’s endured far worse. She kept her expression blank as she stopped at the table. There was a smiling pegasus here, who seemed unconcerned with the yelling stallions.

“Do you have your contract and report notice?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Tempest said, opening one of her bags and taking the papers out. The pegasus checked them, and the unicorns trotted off to harass the next pony walking in. Tempest allowed herself a smile when she heard the poor trainee yelp, resulting in harsher shouting.

The pegasus pulled over a sheet of names, checking one off. Then she turned it around. “Sign by your name.”

Tempest signed it. She was given her contract back, but the other paper was kept.

“Please take your bags and go down to that room,” the pegasus said.

Tempest moved along, and glanced back when the next trainee stepped up to the table. She had tears in her eyes. Yeesh, she was in for a rough time.

The next room had a line, and she saw that newcomers were stepping up to a tool that measured their hoof sizes. She realized it was to get them fitted for their uniforms, which included hoof covers. Knowing one’s size will be pertinent.

There was no talking. Everyone waited quietly for their turn, eyes straight ahead to avoid the stares of the roving instructors.

Each pony, once they were told their size, was given a small bag of items and sent to another room. Tempest saw that most of the trainees were unicorns, though there were some pegasi and earth ponies as well.

When her turn came up, a uniformed mare told her to put her front left hoof against the tool. Tempest did as told, and the measurements of each of her hooves were written down. She was handed the paper and told to grab a bag and go to the next room and sit down.

Tempest did as told, sliding the paper into a saddlebag and going to pick up one of the mesh bags. She was curious about its contents, but didn’t look quite yet, just going to the next room. It was full of ponies silently sitting on chairs, some seeming nervous and others carefully neutral.

Tempest took an empty chair and looked around. There was only one instructor overlooking them, but he wasn’t paying too much attention. She looked at her bag and opened it. She found a raincoat, so big that she assumed it was a one size fits all kind of thing. There was also a flashlight, and a sort of thick woven belt. As she pulled it out further, she realized it had two pouches on it. One contained a canteen, and the other was empty and just big enough for an average-sized book and maybe some additional items like pens.

Its use became obvious when she then found a book. It was paperback and titled Royal Guard Academy Study Guide.

Tempest recognized this. Many of the stories she read from training referred to this as the RGASG. A bit of a mouthful, but apparently you get used to it.

She slid it back into the bag. She found a lock and two keys, along with two chains of different lengths. She assumed they would be for her locker once she gets to the dorm.

There was a tiny notepad, but she figured everyone would be expected to get a bigger one, this was just to use while first settling in.

And finally, there was a bottle of hoof sanitizer, which she found amusing. Were there problems with hygiene here? She zipped the bag back up and set it on her lap, looking forward. Nothing to do now but wait she supposed.

As the minutes passed, more and more ponies came in to sit down. She watched them all, trying to guess at who she might be training alongside.

It was soon far past the final report time. Tempest began to wish she had a watch. There wasn’t a clock in here, she only had a vague idea of the time. But it was definitely past when everyone should have arrived. And they were still trickling in, looking quite harried.

There were probably about eighty when they stopped coming in, and a couple instructors walked in, slamming the door shut. Those that were dozing off jumped to attention.

“Get comfortable, you’ll be here for about thirty more minutes while we finish your paperwork,” one of the instructors said. She was a tall bronze-coated mare with a short black mane, and the ranks gleaming from her shoulder pads marked her as a major. “After that, you will be divided out into your flights. Each flight will have twenty ponies in it. And there you will stay for the next ten weeks, so you better learn to get along. Though if you screw up, we won’t hesitate to send you to a new flight who’s weeks behind in training. So pay attention, work hard, and don’t be an idiot! Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am!” everyone called back.

“Good. Now I know you’ve all been sitting here for a while, so, we have box dinners. Everypony will come up here, get one, and eat.” She watched as everyone shuffled nervously, and firmly said, “And I don’t care if you don’t feel hungry. You won’t be getting another meal until breakfast, so get up here and eat.”

Everyone listened, filing by the table at the front to grab a box dinner. Tempest was amused by how many ponies already looked anxious or regretful. This was barely the beginning.

She picked up a box and went back to her seat, opening it to see what she was up against. It was a very plain meal. A sandwich of some sort, an apple, and a carton of orange juice. Along with a bag of plain salted chips.

She unwrapped the sandwich and lifted the bread to examine it. Cheese and spinach on wheat bread. Okay, edible enough. She opened the packet of mustard and spread it on, then took a bite. As she ate, she watched the others. They were eating pretty slowly. Many seemed nauseous.

“If you don’t want your chips, bring them back up to this box,” one of the instructors ordered, tapping the box.

Many recruits took him up on that. Tempest snorted. No way was she wasting food. She finished the sandwich and opened the chips, eating all of them. Then she worked on the apple in between sips of juice.

She finished off everything, and stood, going to throw her trash away. Then she calmly returned to her seat, and watched as someone got chewed out for apparently making a funny face.

Tempest saw the unicorn mare next to her looking especially sick. She glanced up toward the front, then turned to her and leaned in, whispering, “You okay?”

The mare shot her an uncomfortable look. “I feel like I’m gonna puke.”

“Here, eat the chips. They’re dry, it might help with the nausea.”

She nodded, groaning as she crunched on a few of them. Then she put them down, wrapping a foreleg around her stomach.

“I think I need to go to the bathroom… but I don’t want to ask,” she muttered.

Tempest touched her shoulder. “Well, I’m fine with asking. Come on.” She stood, and the mare nervously followed her to the front, throwing her stuff away. Tempest looked at one of the instructors, saying, “Sir, is there a restroom nearby?”

“Of course there is,” he snapped.

“May we use it?”

“Is it an emergency?”

Tempest heard the mare gag, and said, “It’s about to be.”

The stallion’s face changed immediately. In a low whisper, he said, “Take her out of this door, turn right and you’ll see the restroom signs.” In a louder voice, he said, “Make it quick.”

They hurried out, and Tempest heard him address the rest of the room about where the bathrooms were if they needed them.

Tempest pushed the door open and let the other in first, and she immediately ran to a stall and collapsed over a toilet, throwing up.

Tempest walked up behind her, rubbing her back. She saw that she had a long, straight mane that was all around her face, and reached out to hold it back.

“Th-thanks… ugh…” The mare threw up again, and sobbed, “I’m sorry, I have a sensitive stomach, I don’t know why I thought I could do this.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Tempest said gently. “You’ll get used to it. Was the food bad, or…?”

“No, it was fine, I just don’t handle stress well. I joined hoping I could learn, but look at me. A few minutes getting yelled at and I became an utter wreck.”

“It’s alright. Just relax. Think of what makes you happy. Your parents?”

“Don’t have any,” she said bluntly. “I was raised by my grandparents. And then they died, and I had to do something to make a living. So I turned to the Royal Guard.”

Tempest was taken aback. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I never knew my parents, they died when I was too young to remember. They were always really into exploring, and… apparently contracted some deadly disease while out on one of their trips. Luckily they had left me with my dad’s parents. But they both died from it. So I stayed with my grandparents. Until they passed away of natural causes.”

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

“It’s life.” The mare leaned back from the toilet, wiping her mouth off and flushing it. “I gotta look after myself now. I know I can do it. I just gotta be brave. But I’m so afraid of those instructors.”

“You know… bravery isn’t really about not being afraid,” Tempest said. “Bravery is about knowing you’re scared, but being willing to face your fears anyway. I think you have what it takes.”

The other smiled, wiping her eyes off. “Thank you.”

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” Tempest helped her over to the sink, watching her as she cleaned off her mouth and gargled water.

Once she spit it out, she dried herself off and held out a hoof to Tempest. “I’m Zinnia. You can just call me Zin if you want.”

Tempest took it, giving it a shake as she really took in the other’s appearance. She had a hot pink coat and a deep red mane, with a cutie mark of red zinnias. Her eyes, however, were green. Her name was fitting. “I’m Tempest Shadow. But you can just call me Tempest.”

Zinnia gasped. “I thought you looked familiar! You’re the one that invaded Canterlot a few years ago!”

“Heh, yeah… but I’ve turned over a new leaf and now I’m trying to do good for Equestria. That’s why I joined the guard.”

“Oh, wow. Okay. I see your horn got fixed, I noticed it was broken before…”

“Yep, Discord fixed it for me.”

“Oh, that was nice of him. Well, we should probably get back out there before they come looking for us.”

“Right.” Tempest went back out with her. They quietly slipped into the waiting room and went back to their seats. None of their stuff had been messed with, luckily.

“Thank you,” Zinnia said under her breath.

“No problem.”

They spent several more minutes waiting, before finally someone came in with a packet of papers. He handed them to the short-haired mare who had addressed everyone earlier. She announced, “Okay, listen up! I’m about to assign you to your flights. When I say your name, you will stand and follow your instructor. Take all your stuff with you. First up, Major Charge’s flight, which will be stallions.” She read out the names.

One by one the stallions stood, going to line up at the door, in front of a gruff-looking earth pony instructor.

Once the list was done, Major Charge barked, “That everypony? Okay then. Come on, follow me!” He took off running, and the recruits hastily followed.

The mare looked back at her list. “Next, Captain Iron Sight’s flight. This will be mares.” She read it, and Tempest waited for her name, but wasn’t included in that one. Nor was Zinnia. That group was ushered out.

One more group of stallions was called out. And finally, the last flight, another consisting of mares.

“Finally, my flight,” the Major said with a smirk. She tossed her head back. “I’m Major Eagle Eye. And let me tell you, nothing gets by me. My flight is as follows.” She read out the names of everyone left in the room. Tempest stood, and checked on Zinnia. Her knees were wobbly but she was standing.

Tempest found her instructor’s name interesting. Usually bird-related names were given to pegasi. But she was smart enough to know not to pry.

“Ma’am, that’s an interesting name for a unicorn,” someone said.

Tempest sighed. Damn it.

Eagle Eye whipped around, marching up to the unfortunate recruit. “Oh, is it now? My name is interesting? You think I came here for you to think I’m interesting?”

“N-no, ma’am, I just-”

“You just nothing, feather brain!” Eagle Eye got up in her face. “But since you asked, you want to know why I was named Eagle Eye?”

“I-I…”

“Be quiet and stop whimpering! My mother is a unicorn and my father is a pegasus, and Mom is one of the best royal guards Equestria has ever seen! But she was expecting me to be born a pegasus like Dad and already had Eagle Eye picked out! So despite me being a unicorn, it stuck! But it turned out to fit once they found out how great of a shot I am and how sharp my vision is! Which perfectly suits a life in the guard! So, anything else you find interesting about me?!”

“No, ma’am!” the recruit replied.

“Good! Now, we’re wasting time, get moving!” Eagle Eye turned and sprinted out the door. Everyone grabbed their stuff and ran after her. She didn’t slow, leading them to one of the other buildings, and Tempest glanced back, seeing a few ponies struggling to keep up. The pegasi chose to fly, but even then it was difficult.

Eagle tossed open the door and led them in. “Come on, up the stairs, we’re gonna be up on the fourth floor!”

The stairs rumbled with hoof beats as they ran up to the top floor, and soon they were being corralled into a dorm room, Eagle yelling at them to go find a locker and stand in front of it. As Tempest trotted over to one, she saw a few other instructors come in and start shouting too, practically chasing the stragglers. This was going to be a long night.