Demoted

Chapters

Silver Gleam
Auburn Gust
Polar Ace
Silver Gleam P.2
Interlude
Morning Star
Frost Wing

Silver Gleam

Silver Gleam nervously paced back and forth infront of the throne room doors, his armoured shoes clicking against the marble floor. The Royal Guard bit his lips as he debated on whether or not he should just cut his losses and run with his tail between his legs. Maybe start a new life in Vanhoover under a new name and–

Shaking his head, the unicorn stallion pushed that thought aside. No, wanting to run away at the first sign of danger was precisely what had gotten him into this mess! If he wanted to keep his job, then he’d need to pony up and stand strong in the face of danger! Taking a deep breath, he mustered up all his courage and stood proudly. I can do this!

“Silver Gleam?”

No I can’t! With a loud gulp, Silver Gleam turned as the double doors to the throne room slowly opened, revealing none other than Princess Celestia standing at the end of the room and staring at him. Doing his best to look composed, Silver began the slow walk towards the princess. Once he had cleared the doorway, the doors slammed shut behind him, sealing him inside with his looming fate.

His hooves felt like lead weights as he trotted up to the princess, stopping before her and leaning down into a bow. “Y-you wanted to see me, Your Highness?”

“Yes, I did.” Gesturing for him to rise, she held up a scroll in her magic. “I was going over your recent evaluation and I couldn’t help but notice some… issues.”

Silver winced at the disapproving tone in the princess’s voice when she had said “issues”.

“According to your commanding officer, you’ve been repeatedly caught having abandoned your post, failing your standard gear and armour maintenance checks, and several times having fallen asleep at your post. As one of my Royal Guards, I trust that you will be vigilant at all times to catch any threats towards the citizens of Canterlot, but it seems my trust has been misplaced in you.”

Silver felt like a young colt being reprimanded by his mother, hanging his head in shame.

“After seeing this report and, taking everything into consideration, I’m afraid actions must be taken to ensure you learn proper discipline. As such, I have decided that as of today you will be demoted from the ranks of the Royal Guard.”

Silver Gleam’s head snapped up to stare in horror at the princess. “De-demoted? But–“

Before Silver Gleam could utter a word in his defence, a swirl of the princess’s magic began to wrap around him, making his coat tingle. In an instant, he felt himself shrink slightly, losing several inches of height as his armour hang off his diminished body. As a lock of hair entered his vision, he looked up to find his mane growing as he got smaller, blue bangs beginning to drape down his forehead.

His armour began to feel much lighter as it changed from steel to a silky fabric, fading in colour until the gold had become a velvety black. “My… my armor?” Silver Gleam squeaked, a hoof shooting to his mouth as the voice that came out of his mouth sounded less like a stallion, and more like a young mare. His eyes widened in terror as he realized what the princess intended to do to him.

“Noooo….” She squeaked as the transformation progressed further and further, her uniform changing into a black lace dress with white ruffles that draped over her rump, while her helmet had turned into an equally as frilly headdress. “Ow!” Silver winced as she felt a tug against her mane, watching out of the corner of her eye as her two toned blue mane was carefully braided and tied together with a nice bow.

“There, all done,” The princess said as she admired her work. The stallion that had once been standing before her had now been transformed into a short and adorable mare, dressed in the black maid outfit of the cleaning staff.

Silver was in a state of shock, flopping down onto her rump as she stared wide-eyed at the black slippers now on her hooves, looking herself over at what her laziness had done to her.Just when it looked like she might burst out into tears in the middle of the throne room, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. Looking up, she found Princess Celestia looking down at her, a warm smile on her face that instantly made the newly transformed mare feel safer.

“I know this must be hard for you, but I want you to try and see this as a learning experience. If you can show me you can do a good enough job as a maid, then I’ll consider letting you back into the Royal Guards, ok?”

With a sniffle, Silver wiped the building tears away as she nodded her head. “Ok…”

“Good. Now, please report to the maid quarters to receive your new assignments, Silver Gleam. Oh, and do hurry. It wouldn’t do to be late on your first day, now would it?” Celestia said with a. Small titter.

Silver Gleam blushed as she turned and walked back towards the throne room doors, still reeling a bit from her sudden transformation and new assignment. Oh, I hope none of the guys hear about this… They’ll never let me hear the end of it!

Auburn Gust

“Hey, look over there…”

AuburnGust glanced towards his fellow guard, Star Victory, without moving from his post, noticing him pointing across the room. Following where the unicorn was pointing, the pegasus noticed one of the maids cleaning the windows. “Yeah, it’s one of the maids. What about it?”

“Doesn’t she look kind of… familiar?”

Squinting, Auburn gave the mare a second glance. “Now that you mention it… yeah, she does kinda look familiar. I can’t quite put my hoof on how though…”

“I think she’s new. I only started seeing her a few days ago.”

“I guess…” Auburn couldn’t take his eyes off the mare as she cleaned, the nagging feeling in the back of his head that he had seen her somewhere before. She kinda reminds me of… His eyes widened as the pieces in his head finally fit together. No way! That’s–

Silver Gleam hummed to herself as she finished cleaning the windows, smiling at her reflection in the glass. Despite her initial apprehensions about going from being a member of the Guard to a member of the cleaning staff, Silver had taken to her new role with gusto. Sure, it was a lot of hard work, but there was a certain relaxing rhythm to it that made her want to do her best. After all, the princess had encouraged her to take this as a learning experience, and she had certainly learned a lot.

Satisfied that the windows were now clean, Silver Gleam was prepared to start in the row in the nearby hallway. However, she was suddenly stopped by a wing blocking her path, squeaking in fear at the commanding voice of the guard shouting, “Hold it!”

“Is… is something wrong?” She stuttered, glancing up at the guard.

Auburn smiled devilishly as he looked down at the mare. “You tell me… Silver Gleam.”

Silver’s face fell at the sound of her name. So far she had managed to avoid being identified by her former guards, but it seemed her luck had finally run out. “Uh… I… I…”

“Oh, don’t act dumb. We all heard about the guard who got ‘demoted’ the other day, even if we weren’t sure what that meant. Now it all makes sense.” Auburn laughed as he looked over the trembling mare in front of him. “Got to say, your new uniform looks ridiculous!”

Silver blushed, holding a hoof against her uniform front. “I… I kind of like it...”

That only prompted Auburn to laugh even harder. “Ha! I always knew you were a big wuss, now you’ve got the clothes to match it. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing something like that!”

Silver looked away in shame as Auburn only continued to laugh at her, making her feel even smaller than she already was.

As luck would have it, Celestia had been walking through the halls of the castle when she heard the sound of laughter from nearby. Curious, she walked over to find one of her guards antagonizing her newest maid, arriving just in time to hear him say, “I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing something like that!” She frowned, having half a mind to go reprimand the guard pony for bullying the poor mare, when an mischievous little idea suddenly popped into her head. Smirking, she lit her horn as she began to cast a spell.

“Uh… Auburn?” Star Victory attempted to warn the pegasus as he spotted a swirl of sun-yellow magic begin to wrap around his fellow guard pony, but Auburn was too busy laughing to notice.

Silver Gleam had, however, and her face scrunched up as she watching the pegasus begin to shrink as his armor began to transform. Within moments, the pegasus was now no taller than Silver Gleam, their armour quickly transforming into a matching black lace maid’s uniform. Within a matter of seconds, the transformation was complete, but Auburn still hadn’t noticed.

“Auburn!” Star shouted, finally getting Auburn Gust’s attention.

“What?!” Auburn froze at the sound of his, or rather her, voice, placing a hoof against her throat as she realized that voice had come from her. “Wha…what?” Looking herself over, Auburn was horrified to find herself wearing a maid’s uniform in place of her golden armor. “Wha… what… happened to–“

“Good morning, my little ponies,” Celestia greeted as she walked by them, making sure to meet Auburn’s eyes. “I thought I heard somepony insulting the uniforms for the cleaning staff. Perhaps some time spent wearing it will help you better appreciate the uniform more.” Looking to Star Victory, she asked, “Do you have anything to say about the uniforms?”

Star Victory quickly snapped into a salute, sweat dripping down his face as he hastily replied, “N-No, ma’am!”

“Good. Silver Gleam, would you please escort Miss Auburn Gust to the maid quarters so she can receive her assignment?”

Still trying to hold back her laughter, Silver just nodded her head in response.

As Celestia walked away, all Auburn Gust could do was mutter, “…What?”

Polar Ace

Polar Ace held a hoof to his mouth as he tried his best to suppress a loud yawn. Despite working for the Day Guard, the unicorn stallion had a bad habit of staying up well into the night, leaving him exhausted for his duties. To make matters worse, he had been assigned to guard a restricted section of the castle for today, one that saw little to no guests on an average day like today. Standing alone for hours on end in a single hallway was proving to be maddeningly boring, even for a Royal Guard like him.

At least if he had another pony around he could try and spark up idle chit-chat to stave off his boredom, but for some reason this job was a one-pony duty. It was taking all his effort to remain awake, which was becoming a losing battle with each passing minute.

Another yawn bubbled up from his throat, his eyelids drooping slightly as he glanced out the nearby window at the sun. Only another half hour or so until my shift ends. You can do this, Polar! Giving a quick shake of his head to dispel his fatigue, Polar Ace stood tall and proud, just as he had been trained to do.

Minutes later, Polar felt the familiar feeling of sleep washing over him. A quick nap couldn’t hurt… he thought as he finally succumbed to sleep’s loving embrace.

Thunk!

Hmm? Slowly stirring from his nap, Polar Ace rubbed at his tired eyes, blinking away the lingering sleep from his eyes. He could just make out a fuzzy figure standing infront of him, a blob of black, grey and ice blue. Hang on… He thought as his body began to awaken bit by bit. Nopony else is supposed to be here…

“H…hey…” Polar groggily said, his vision clearing enough for him to just make out the image of a grey mare with an ice blue mane standing inches from his face. She appeared to be dressed in the uniform of the cleaning staff, and was looking at him with a confused look on her face that matched his own.

Probably a new hire that got lost on her first day. “You’re not supposed to be here…” Did my voice always sound like that?

The mare said nothing, just blinking at him as she stared back.

“H-hey! This is a restricted area!” Polar barked, his voice sounding oddly high-pitched all of a sudden. “You can’t–“ As Polar reached out his hoof, the mare did the same, the two connecting with a light *thunk*.

“Huh?” Now fully awake, Polar’s eyes widened as he looked down at his hoof, noticing that his armoured shoes had been replaced with lace socks and slippers. Lowering his hoof again, the mare copied his action.

Polar Ace tilted his head. The mare did the same. He stuck out his tongue. Still the mare infront of him copied his actions. Finally he raised a hoof and yet again the mare mimicked his movements perfectly. Which could only mean…

“…Oh,” was all Polar Ace could say as she realized that the mare standing infront of her was her own reflection, somepony having placed a mirror nearby while she slept. That wasn’t the only thing they’d done though, as the mare was now dressed in a maid’s outfit, her once short mane having grown out considerably.

Distracted by her new appearance, Polar Ace didn’t notice Princess Celestia peeking in through the window, giggling to herself as she watched the stallion turned mare. True, turning him into a mare might have seemed like an overreaction to falling asleep near the end of his shift, but this hadn’t been the first time Polar Ace had been caught asleep at the wheel. One more report and he likely would have been dishonourably discharged, so Celestia figured this was a good way to give him one more chance to straighten out.

The fact that Polar looked adorable as a mare was just an added bonus.

So shellshocked was she by her new appearance, Polar didn’t notice as another guard came to replace her until he was standing right next to her. He just looked at her with a sympathetic look and said, “Fell asleep again, huh?”

Polar Ace just meekly nodded her head.

Patting him on the back, the Guard Pony just sighed. “Better report to the maid’s quarters for your new assignment.”

Lowering her head in shame, Polar Ace reluctantly began the long walk across the castle towards the maid quarters, mentally chastising herself. At least the uniforms are comfy…

Silver Gleam P.2

“La, la, la~ La, la~. La, la, la~ La, la…”

“What are you so happy about?” Auburn Gust grumbled, the same sour look on her face ever since she had been “demoted” as she glanced over at Silver Gleam, who looked far too happy to be cleaning the castle.

The former guard was happily humming as she swept the hallway the pair were cleaning, swishing her tail and wiggling her rump as she worked with a song in her heart. She ignored Auburn as she swept one last dust bunny into her pan before scooping the whole thing into a nearby bin. “There, all clean!” She said, admiring her hoofwork for a moment before turning to her reluctant partner with a beaming smile. “How you coming along?”

“Go suck a railroad spike,” Auburn Gust retorted, grumbling again as she lazily dusted a vase occupying a pedestal along the wall, one of many in this particular hallway. “Just because I’m being punished by wearing this ridiculous outfit doesn’t mean I have to like it…”

Silver Gleam just shook her head. With that kind of attitude, she better get used to wearing that uniform…

“Silver Gleam!”

Silver snapped to attention as the head maid, Marble Clean, came trotting up to her. The Earth Pony mare could have gotten a job as a drill sergeant in the Guard if she had wanted to with how she commanded her charges, the sudden influx of “demoted” ponies joining her ranks doing nothing to diminish her commanding aura.

“Yes, Ma’am!” Silver swiftly replied.

“Princess Celestia wants to see you in the throne room, post haste. Seems I’ll have one less washout to have to deal with.” Despite her usual tough demeanour, Silver could have sworn the Marble sounded almost… saddened by that fact. It was for but a fleeting moment though, as the Earth Pony mare snapped her tail like a whip and smacked Auburn Gust in the flanks, causing the poor mare to yelp in surprise and pain. “You call that clean!? I’ve seen hogs that were shining in comparison to that shoddy job! Do it again, and if I find so much as a speck of dust I’ll have you cleaning every window in the castle! With a cotton swab!”

Silver made a quick exit as Marble continued to holler, making her way across the castle towards the throne room. It wasn’t long until she was standing outside the golden double doors marking the entrance to the throne room, raising a hoof to knock against the doors.

“Come in,” Celestia replied from inside.

Pushing the door open, Silver trotted inside, curious and a tiny bit afraid of why the princess had summoned her. Have a done a poor job in my maid duties? Am I going to be demoted again? Putting those concerns aside, Silver stopped in front of the princess and bowed. “You wanted to see me, Your Highness?”

“I did,” Celestia replied, gesturing for Silver to raise her head. “After going over the report from Marble Clean about the exemplary work you’ve done as a member of the cleaning staff, I feel it is time for your punishment to end. In a few moments, I will turn you back into a stallion and you will be reinstated into the ranks of the Royal Guards.”

Silver should have been ecstatic. The Princess had acknowledged all the hard work she had done and decided that she had earned her way back into the Royal Guard. And yet… Silver Gleam felt her heart drop at the knowledge that her time as a castle maid was at an end. Despite the work, he had enjoyed his time as a mare, even come to enjoy wearing the uniform in place of the cold armor of the Guards.

As Celestia’s horn lit up in preparation to cast a spell, Silver Gleam spoke up. “Uh… Princess?”

“Hmm?” Celestia stopped casting, looking at Silver Gleam as the mare shuffled nervously on her hooves, clearly having something she wanted to say. “Yes?”

“Um… it’s just… I mean, if it’s not too much trouble…” Silver Gleam took a deep breath as she prepared to say what she knew in her heart to be true. “Could… could I stay as castle maid for a little bit longer?”

Celestia blinked, tilting her head slightly. “… You can, if you desire, but I do admit to being curious as to why.”

“Well… I… I know this was meant to be a punishment for being a poor Guardpony, but I… I’ve come to enjoy it. I know it sounds silly, but the work is nice and the uniforms are so comfy I don’t really want to give it up. I was never cut out to be a guard, so if I go back I don’t know if I’ll be able to–“

Silver was silenced by a comforting hoof on his shoulder. “Say no more, I understand. If this is what you desire, then you may remain as this for as long as you wish.”

“R-really?”

“Indeed. Even if you choose at any time to return to being a stallion, I can certainly make an exception and have you remain as a maid. Consider this your reward for all your hard work.”

Silver Gleam looked like she was on the verge of tears. “Thank… thank you , Princess.”

“Also, and don’t tell her I told you this…” Leaning down, Celestia whispered into Silver’s ear, “… I might have heard Marble talking about how much she would hate to lose you to the Guard. I may have heard her mention once how the castle hasn’t looked cleaner than it has since you were put under her watch.”

“Really? She… she said that?”

“If she did, you didn’t hear from me, remember?” Celestia said with a knowing wink.

“Or course, Your Highness,” Silver Gleam replied with a wink of her own. “I should get back to work soon. There’s still so many rooms in the castle that still need cleaning.”

“Of course. You are dismissed.”

Celestia couldn’t help but smile as Silver Gleam happily pranced out of the throne room, overjoyed to be returning to her duties once more.

Interlude

“Sister, we need to talk.”

“Hmm?” Celestia looked up from her stack of pancakes as Luna strolled into the dining room. “Good morning, Luna. Sleep well?”

“I did, but do not try and change the subject,” Luna replied as she trotted around the table and took a seat, keeping her eyes trained on her older sister. “I have just been made aware of a particular matter that I must discuss with you.”

“Can’t it wait until after breakfast?” Celestia said with a pout.

Luna opened her mouth to reply, but was beaten to the punch by her stomach letting out a loud growl. “… I suppose it can wait until after breakfast.”

The pair ate in silence for several minutes, the only sound being the clacking utensils against plates. Once the plates had been cleared away, Celestia dabbed at her lips with a napkin as a cup of fresh tea was set in front of her by one of the kitchen staff. “Now, Luna, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

Taking a sip from her coffee, Luna looked across the table at Celestia with a frown on her lips. “A few days ago, I began to notice that there seemed to be more maids around the castle than usual, as well as fewer guards than I am used to seeing. I did not think the two things were related until now, when I happened to overhear a pair of guards talking about how many guard ponies have been ‘demoted” lately. When I asked them to explain further, they informed me of a rather troubling development.” Taking a deep breath so as to steady herself, Luna asked, “Sister, have you been punishing our guards by turning them into mares?”

Celestia was silent for a moment as she stirred a lump of sugar into her tea. “I wouldn’t call it a punishment, per se…”

Luna looked very unamused. “Sister, please. As much as I know you love being a teacher and not giving away the answer to a question, I am not here for games. As your sister and fellow Princess, I deserve a straight answer from you, do I not?”

“You’re right, I’m sorry…” Celestia replied with a sigh. “It’s true. Over the last few weeks I have reprimanded and relocated several members of the guard onto the cleaning staff.”

“And the part about turning them into mares?”

“It was a necessity, sadly.”

“I fail to see how changing a stallion into a mare is a necessary step.”

Celestia gazed silently into her cup of tea for a moment before speaking. “Tell me, Luna… do you know what the purpose of the guard is?”

Luna cocked her head to the side in confusion. “It is to keep the peace and protect the citizens of Canterlot, yes?”

“Correct. The guard is open for anypony to join, but tell me this: how many mare guards have you seen?”

Luna was silent for a moment. “I… I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mare in the guard, now that you mention it. Has it not always been that way? The Guard is, afterall—“

“A stallion’s job?” Celestia finished, sighing again as Luna nodded her head. “The opposite is often spoken of about the castle maids as well, that cleaning is solely a ‘mare’s job’. And there in lies the problem.

“Recently it came to my attention that many mares have attempted to sign up for the Guard, only to be turned away at the door simply because they were mares. The same has happened for the castle maids. Both positions are open to any who wish to help, but many who would be valuable in both positions have been denied because of this bias. Sadly, this has also meant that both have become filled with ponies who do this job not because they ‘want’ to, but because they ‘have’ to, leading to both positions to become filled with their own share of unhappy ponies and troublemakers.”

“And you sought to correct this?” Luna surmised.

“Indeed. I knew that if I attempted to immediately alter the structure of either position I would be met with resistance, so I needed to do so gradually.” A small smile slowly spread across Celestia’s lips. “And I am happy to say that I have been met with some success from my efforts.”

“Scaring the Guard into thinking they’ll all be turned into mares is a success?”

“Not what I had in mind, but it is no different than when a foal misbehaves, is it not? Simply putting the notion of punishment into their head will often dissuade them from misbehaving at all. However, the biggest success I have seen so far is with Silver Gleam, who was the first pony I attempted this plan on. Though he eventually wished to be turned back into a stallion, I am happy to say he has found his place amongst the castle maids after being unhappy as a Guard.”

Taking another sip of her tea, Celestia continued. “While some like Auburn Gust have continued to cause trouble despite their new position, I have received multiple transfer requests from both mares and stallions to be moved from the cleaning staff to the guard and vice-versa. Some guards have even requested to remain as mares even after returning to their previous position. Slowly, but surely, the roles for both are changing for the better.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “And the fact that this also seems to amuse you is yet a factor of this plan of yours?”

Smiling mischievously, Celestia chuckled. “I do admit that it did amuse me a little changing a few unsuspecting ponies and watching their reactions, but I assure you it was little more than a pleasant side effect.”

Luna seemed unconvinced, but didn’t push the issue. “Very well. Seeing as your plan, despite how silly and strange it sounds, appears to be achieving its intended results, I will leave you to it. I must return to my royal duties for now.”

As Luna made for the door, Celestia called out to her. “You should give it a try! I’m sure there is a least one guard in your ranks that could use a little ‘attitude adjustment’…”

Luna paused for a moment. “I will… consider it. Goodbye for now, sister.”

“See you at dinner!” Celestia replied as Luna left. In a pop of magic, a file folder appeared in front of her, filled with the files on various members of the Royal Guards. “Now… who to check up on next…”

Author's Note

People are either going to like or hate me for this chapter, I can't tell which...

Morning Star

Late, late, I’m so very late!

Morning Star blew past a pair of maid ponies doing laundry, sending sheets and linens flying into the air as he yelled a quick “Sorry!” behind him. Of all the days to sleep through his alarm clock, it had to be Inspection Day. The earth pony had raced through his room in a panic trying to get ready, before making a mad dash for the castle. In the back of his mind, he couldn’t shake this nagging feeling that he was forgetting something, but he pushed that aside as focused solely on getting into position on time, lest he suffer through another earful from his Sergeant.

Or worse… be demoted.

Picking up speed and pushing his legs to their limits, he was elated to see a row of fellow guard ponies all standing in a line waiting for inspection. With one final vault, he slid into an empty spot between two other guards just as the clock on the wall struck eight.

Safe!

Right on time, the doors opened up as Princess Celestia trotted into the room, the line of guards all saluting in practiced unison at the presence of their princess. “Good morning, my little ponies,” Celestia greeted them with her usual warm smile as she walked up and down the line of ponies, inspecting them for a moment before giving a nod and moving to the next one.

However, she stopped when she got to Morning Star, her smile drooping into a confused frown as she looked the stallion over. Morning Star felt beads of sweat forming on his neck as he stood there under Celestia’s judging gaze.

“Morning Star… where is your armor?”

Morning Star went as pale as a ghost as his eyes slowly drifted down. He really should have listened to that nagging voice in his head, because only now did he realize that in his mad dash to get to the castle on time, he had forgotten the most important part of being a Guard: his armour.

“I… I uh… I don’t remember…” Morning Star replied, somehow maintaining his salute as he visibly shook in place.

Princess Celestia seemed to think for a moment before her warm smile returned. “I see. Not to worry, I have a spare uniform for you to wear.” Channeling magic into her horn, a soft yellow glow surrounded Morning Star for a moment before a brief flash of light enveloped him. When the light had faded, Morning Star had been dressed into a new uniform.

Except… Celestia hadn’t poofed him into guard armor. Morning Star’s face turned red as a tomato as he took in the maid uniform he was now wearing, complete with frilly skirt, headdress, and black slippers on his hooves. However, Celestia wasn’t done with him quite yet as she lit her horn once more, prompting Morning Star to actually break out into a cold sweat. Oh no… don’t tell me she’s…

Another flash of magic and the whole world suddenly seemed taller to Morning Star now. Her snout crinkled in defeat as she realized that Celestia had seen fit to make sure she now matched her new uniform.

“There, much better,” Celestia said as she continued her inspection. Once she was done, she looked over at Morning Star with a smile and said, “Try not to misplace this uniform, ok, Morning Star?”

“Y-yes, Your Highness…” Morning Star replied as Princess Celestia walked off, leaving the new maid to consider her new role in the palace.

The stallion on Morning Star’s left did his best to try and keep in his laughter until the princess was out of earshot, not wanting to share in Morning Star’s punishment. The other stallion next to the transformed mare just facehooved.

Author's Note

And, that's all for now folks! I might write more if I have any ideas in the future (or more images pop up), but for now I feel like this is a good place to end it.

Frost Wing

It was nighttime in Canterlot, and the city was at peace. Most of its residents were already asleep in their homes at this hour, meaning that the only ponies still awake were the Night Guards, diligently patrolling the city for any trouble that may arise.

Which meant it was odd then that three Day Guards were currently attempting to sneak their way back into the castle at this late hour.

“Shhhh!” One of the ponies, a white pegasus with a two-toned purple mane named Star Whistle, shushed one of his buddies as he glanced around a corner for any patrolling Night Guards. Once he was sure they were in the clear, he gestured to his friends and the three continued on their way towards the barracks. This was not the first time the three friends had needed to sneak back into the castle undetected, so they were pretty confident they could do it again.

“This was a great idea, Star.” The second guard, a yellow Earth Pony with an orange mane named Gold Metal, whispered as the trio rounded another corner. “I’m always up for some partying, especially if it means getting to skip work for a few hours.”

“I know we’ve done this before…” The third pony, an orange Earth Pony with a red mane named Scarlet Spice, muttered, “… but are you sure we can sneak back in as easily as before? I’ve heard that Princess Celestia has been increasing the security measures around the castle lately…”

“Ah, don’t be a such worry wort, Spice!” Gold replied with a wave of his hoof. “We’ll be fine. Even if somepony catches up, we’ll just say we were coming off of a late shift. We’ll be fine!”

“I hope so… cause I kinda don’t wanna be demoted…”

“Shhhh!” Star shushed his buddies again. “We’ll be fine as long as you two keep–‘

For an instant, a bright flash of golden light enveloped the three stallions before vanishing as quick as it had appeared.

“… quiet…”

Where three stallions had once stood now stood three mares, their armour replaced with standard maid uniform for the castle staff. All of them glanced down at themselves in silent disbelief, with Scarlet Spice noticing that her newly grown out mane had been somehow delicately braided Double Dutch style, complete with little bows at the ends.

With a sigh of defeat, Star Whistle grumbled to herself as she strolled past the other two. “Just so you know, I blame both of you for this…”

“Look on the bright side, though…” Gold Metal said with a shaky smile on her face as she tried to reassure her friend. “At least we don’t have to be sneaky any more… right?”

Star just grumbled more as she marched ahead, the other two newly transformed mares following in step behind her.

As she followed behind them, Scarlet Spice looked around frantically, trying to catch sight of where Princess Celestia was likely watching them from. “How… How did she catch us?”

From a nearby tower, Princess Celestia observed the three mares through a pair of binoculars, chuckling to herself. “Three new maid for Marble to deal with, just as planned.” Lowering her binoculars, she turned to speak to the pony standing behind her. “An excellent job in finally catching those three in the act, Frost Wing.”

The dark blue pegasus stallion bowed his head in response. “Thank you, your Highness. I’m glad I could be of service to you.”

“That you did. Judging by the reaction I saw, I’d say none of them even suspected that they were being tailed during their trip. Luna is lucky to have you as one of her guards.”

Frost Wing couldn’t help it as a smile appeared at the edge of his lips. “You flatter me, your Highness. I was simply performing my duty as expected of a Royal Guard by catching those three troublemakers red hoofed.”

“And I am very thankful for your help tonight. Now it’s time for me to fulfil my part of our little bargain. Hold still for me…”

Frost Wing’s previously stoic demeanour broke for a moment as an aura of golden magic surrounded him, his body tingling as the changes began to overtake him. His sharpened features began to soften, as his mane and tail grew out slightly to better match his changing form. This is it… he thought. It’s really happening!

In but a moment, it was all over. Where a pegasus stallion had once stood now stood a pegasus mare her armour having even slimmed down to fit her new frame. Unlike the three guards from before, however, Frost Wing was practically beaming with unbridled joy, her guard training the only thing keeping her from breaking out into tears of joy before the princess.

“I… It’s really… I’m a… a mare…” Frost Wing had dreamed of this day many times, but found that those dreams paled in comparison to having this moment finally fulfilled. Frost Wing bowed her head once more, basking in the kindness of the one who had finally made her long held dream a reality. “I am eternally indebted to you, your Highness. I am yours to command until the end of my days for this gift you have given me.”

“Promise me then that you will do all that you can to fulfil your duty as a Royal Guard and protect my sister from harm. Do that for me, and I will consider your debt repaid to me in full.”

“I do swear to protect Princess Luna with my life if I must, your Highness.”

Smiling, Celestia walked up to Frost Wing and placed her hoof on the mare’s shoulder. “Now rise, Frost Wing. For your services to me tonight, you are relieved from duty until your next shift. Dismissed.”

Raising her head, Frost Wing saluted before turning and making her way into the tower. Though she tried her best to hide it, Celestia could still see the happy wag in the newly transformed mare’s tail and the slight twitch in her wings as she departed. No doubt Frost Wing would be literally jumping for joy once she was out of sight, the knowledge of which filled Celestia’s heart with joy.

Yawning, Celestia spread her wings and took off for her bedchambers. Transforming so many ponies had tired her out more than she had anticipated, so it was little surprise that her head had barely touched down onto her pillow before she was out like a light. Before she drifted off, though, one thought made her chuckle a little.

Luna will be in for a surprise, that's for sure…