Dreams of Forever

Captain, do you have a minute?

What is it, lieutenant? I need to finish this paperwork before assembling the guards.

What's really happening between you two?

Pardon?

You know what I mean, captain.

Are you suggesting I'm involved with- No, I'm not! I've told you this before! That kiss in the garden was because she was drunk!

So she kissed you on the cheek again because...?

"Do I have to?"

"I'm sorry, I'm going to be out of town for a few days at most and I can't trust Spike to take care of you while I'm away." Twilight brushed her daughter's cheek. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."

"But day court is booooorrrriiinnngggg." Somnia whined as Twilight put the saddle bags on her back.

"I know, but it's important you learn from the royal sisters." The train's whistle went off and the conductor called out the immediate departure of the train. "The captain will meet you at the train station to take you to the castle. Love you!" She nuzzled her daughter before passing her off to the escorting guard.

She waved them off while Somnia stared out the window at her, sadly waving back as the train departed from Ponyville.

The train ride was quiet for the filly as she stared out the window. She really didn't want to go. It had only been two days since their little talk, and she was getting used to the attention her mother was giving her, even going so far as to let her sleep in her bed. The nightmares were less intense than they had been when sleeping alone, which resulted in the first good night of sleep in a long time, one without any nightmares.

Catching a quick nap on the ride over, she relived the murder of a pony by one of the serial killers that were sacrificed with all the associated sick pleasure they experienced from gradually grating the hooves off the pony. Then the nose. Then the lips. Then the eyes...

The guard ended up waking her up before she could relive the disposal of the body in the pig pen, mentioning that they were approaching Canterlot. Upon pulling into the station, it was already past sunset. Captain Broken Dawn was waiting with a few other night guards on the platform.

With her spirits lifted, she happily trotted from the train to meet the familiar face.

"Captain Dawn! I wasn't expecting you to meet me."

"Shattershield needed to rest after the events of court today." He took another bite of his bagel. "Ready to go?"

"Mm-hm." She trotted alongside him to the waiting chariot. Two thestral guards flew the chariot over the city, giving Somnia a good view of the nighttime activity. While most of the streets were empty, there was a section of the city that seemed to be thriving at night.

They landed on the castle chariot platform rather than the castle doors itself, a few night guard unicorns waiting patiently along with Princess Luna. The guards scanned each of the ponies before nodding to the princess.

"It is good to see you again, Princess Somnia. Did you get much rest on the ride over?" The lunar princess smiled down to her.

"A little." She followed Luna into the castle, roughly in the direction of the throne room. "Am I helping you with night court?"

"In a way, yes." She glanced down to her. "I need to patrol the dreams of ponies to stop nightmares from disturbing their sleep. I would like you to alert me if somepony arrives seeking an audience, that way I can do both my duties at once."

"Oh..." The two entered into the throne room, Luna sitting on the throne while Somnia sat on the cushions in front of her.

"Captain, are there any visitors at the moment?" She called out to the captain standing guard by the door. He took a quick look outside the doors before nodding to the princess. "Send them in."

The pony was an older earth pony stallion with graying hair. Somnia half-listened to their complaint about noise from the entertainment district. It was a fairly small complaint, all things considered. Luna gave her recommendation for noise-suppressing drapes before the pony was on their way.

"That's all, your majesty." Captain Broken Dawn rubbed his nose. "Looks to be another quiet night."

"Thank you, captain." She turned to Somnia. "Alert me if another pony comes. Gently touch my horn and I'll get the message." Her eyes closed and her horn ignited before she drifted from the wakeful world into the dream realm. Somnia waited a few minutes before getting up to go over to the captain.

Standing at the other side of the door, she put on her best guard stance, mimicking what Shattershield had taught her. Broken Dawn was less formal than his fellow captain, preferring to sit and shuffle a deck of cards lazily. Her eyes drifted to his form, studying it.

He was muscular, there was no denying that. She could see herself--

No, that wouldn't be appropriate. He was uncomfortable with her advances, otherwise he would have accepted her offer. Still...

"Eyes steady, soldier." He smirked to her as her eyes glazed his lower half. Quickly turning away embarrassed, she tried thinking of an excuse, but none came to mind right away. "You're too young for that sort of thing. Luna knows where you got those ideas from." He chuckled.

"I-I was just checking out your armor." She stuttered out an excuse. "I never saw it so clearly before."

"Right... And you happen to look everywhere that isn't covered by armor?"

Wincing, she let it rest. He caught her and both of them knew it. They did their own things in silence for what felt like an hour before a knock on the door startled the filly. The captain looked up: "Better go tell her."

Somnia trotted back over to Luna and tapped her horn. It took a minute before Luna opened her eyes, clearly unhappy with how things had went from her deep frown. "So soon? I was expecting another hour before we had more visitors."

"It's only been twenty minutes, your highness. Shall I send them in?" Broken Dawn replied from the other side of the throne room.

"Twenty minutes?! That felt like forever." The filly collapsed onto her cushion.

"Send them in." Luna giggled. A thestral trotted in, eyes scanning the throne area.

"Your majesties!" He bowed.

"Quiet Flight, it's a pleasure as always." Luna sat back in the throne, smiling down to her visitor. "How may I help you this time?"

"I was actually going to ask about her." He nodded to the filly. "I read in the newspapers that she mentioned batponies at the press conference. Is it true that she wants to help us?"

Somnia sat up to tiredly smile down to them. "As much as I can. Nopony deserves to be mistreated like that."

"It is nice to hear you are sincere about helping us. It hasn't been an easy time living among other ponies." He smiled grateful for the support. "But why? Why do you care so much about us? Most see us as a lost cause."

"Nonsense." Luna spoke up. "You are ponies like any others. You deserve the same treatment."

"Yeah, what she said." Somnia nodded to the Princess of the Night. "But there is a bit more... I don't like to see creatures suffer. I see enough of that when I'm asleep."

"I'm sorry I can't help you, Somnia." Luna put a hoof on her shoulder. "But whatever Grar did to you is blocking me from even seeing you in the realm of dreams."

"I understand she still has a ways to go before she has her coronation." Quiet Flight interjected. "Does that mean that the reforms will come when she is older?"

Both of the alicorns thought about it for a moment, for radically different reasons. "No, I want justice as soon as possible." Somnia answered before Luna. "I'm not going to stop until something is done."

"It certainly will be interesting to have another princess supporting them." Luna commented. "Perhaps we should talk to some of the nobles on the council, see if they are willing to change their mind." She turned back to Quiet Flight. "I assure you, justice will come, and both of us will fight for it."

"Thank you, your excellence." He bowed again. "It's good to hear the rumors were true."

"Rumors?" She raised a brow.

"From Hollow Shades, your majesty. An anonymous thestral said that the new princess was friendly to us despite her mother's prejudice."

"That's Duskwing for you." Somnia giggled. "Won't let it go."

Luna brought a hoof to her chin in thought. "Duskwing... I've heard that name before. I believe they were the first thestral to introduce themselves to me. Quite bold, considering the most others had said was 'Thank the heavens' and 'Praise Luna' up until that point."

"I wouldn't know anything about that." The batpony grinned. "But it would be a good guess they were the one behind it. Anyway, I must be going. Work won't wait for me." He waved back as he trotted out of the room, the captain closing the door behind them.

"Did you mean what you said?" Luna asked, smile falling from her face. "Or are you simply placating them?"

"I meant it. Dad won't stop, and neither will I!" She proudly declared.

"Have you found out who your father is?"

"Yeah..." The filly admitted, smile creeping onto her face. "He's just like I remember. Won't stop until all batponies are treated with respect."

"Well I hope that you will introduce me to him." She smiled back, having a feeling she already knew who she was talking about.

"How many?" Broken Dawn asked to his side.

"I lost count around a four-hundred." The filly squinted. "Is it just me or are they merging together?"

"Just you. They're always the same." He focused his eyes on the same spot on the ceiling. "On second thought, maybe they do change."

From across the throne room, a deep sigh echoed out. Princess Luna got up from the throne, bags under her eyes. "Captain, would you please take Somnia back to her room so that she may rest? I need to raise-" she sighed, "lower, the moon."

"Of course, your highness." He saluted, leading the filly out into the hallway. She was having trouble focusing on anything except the swishing of the captain's tail. It had been a long night, far too long. Nothing to do except count ceiling tiles and admire the physique of her companion.

While she was tired, she also was dying for some kind of release before bed. A quick one in the shower would suffice, if her luck wasn't good.

The captain opened the door to the filly's room, raising a brow when she didn't enter. "Is something wrong?"

"I, um..." She needed something, ANYTHING. "Mom usually helps me go to sleep."

"You want me to read you a bedtime story?" He chuckled. "It's been too long since I had a princess ask me to do that."

"Not exactly... I, kinda, sorta, want you to snuggle with me until I fall asleep." She lowered her head.

"Snuggle... with you?" He took a look at both guards at the side of the door, both staring off at the opposing wall with their stoic expressions. Sighing: "Is that an order?"

"Um, yes." She smiled, standing up straighter. "I order you to snuggle with me until I fall asleep."

"Can't refuse an order, no matter how ridiculous." He mumbled as the filly trotted happily into the room. Following after her, he saw her standing there waiting for him patiently. "What now?"

"I'm going to have a shower. When I get out, I need you to help preen my wings." She held back her smile by biting her lip.

"I don't know how to preen wings!" He exclaimed. "Does it look like I have feathers?"

"I know you do." She stepped forward, getting uncomfortably close to him. "Luna told me you helped her when she returned from the moon."

"Yes, your majesty." He said through gritted teeth. She was really going all out to get him riled up. He sat down on the bed and waited for her while she showered, his mind slowly going through the motions of steeling itself against any unprofessional feelings.

"Dawny~" The filly called out from the bathroom, getting a cringe from the pet name. "Can you help me with my tail?"

Getting up, he entered into the bathroom, filly standing under the shower stream holding back a giggle. "I just need it shampoo'd and rinsed. It doesn't want to stay still."

"Let me..." He couldn't believe he was going to say this. "Get out of my armor."

After disarming, he entered into the shower behind her. She wasn't kidding, her tail certainly was waving back and forth as he rubbed in the shampoo. If he could see her face, he bet she was loving every moment.

"How long has it been since you were last with a mare?" The filly suddenly asked, adding to his frustration.

"Nearly twelve years." He grabbed the shower head to rinse her tail completely, and so he could keep his mouth shut.

"Ya know, I haven't ever been close with a grown stallion before." Her tail flicked unexpectedly to the side, giving him a clear view of what he was secretly craving. "I've always wondered how it feels..."

Finishing with the rinsing, the captain promptly exited the shower and dried himself off. Rather than donning his armor, he went out to sit in the bedroom proper. He needed to settle his nerves and the little guy before he could get that armor back on. What the hay is wrong with me? She's a princess! And a foal! I can't do this, I can't!

The filly plopped down next to him, towels over her mane and tail. "Ready!" She declared, extending her wings.

Moving slowly, he adjusted her... what even were they? They were too smooth to be feathers, but too thin to be flaps and parted like a feather. Ignoring the unusual biology, he did his best with each wing. No feather-things needed to be removed, only readjusted.

"Mmm~" The filly moaned out as he finished. "Wanna get the light?"

"Sure..." He trudged over to the switch, turning off the room's illumination before going over and laying atop the sheets.

"Come on~ You should get under the sheets. I can't snuggle into you like this." She complained.

Getting under the sheets, he couldn't help but feel this would all end badly. She was really, REALLY persistent. Snuggling into his side, she wrapped her hooves around his neck, making sure he couldn't escape.

"It's nice to have somepony to hold..." She trailed off, bringing her head closer to his neck. "Twelve years, huh?"

"I'm going to regret this in the evening." He mumbled out before taking her head for a kiss.

KNOCK KNOCK

Broken Dawn's eyes shot open at the sudden loud banging from the door. Moaning from on top of him was the filly he was tasked with protecting, staring lazily into his eyes. "Wanna get that?"

"Uhhhh..." He rolled her off of him, his heart pounding as he finally took note of how far they had actually gone. Grabbing the towel from the floor, he quickly wiped himself down before heading over to the door. His heart stopped when he opened it a crack only for it to fully open, the Princess of the Sun striding right past him into the room.

"Somnia! You were supposed to be awake an hour ago!" She stopped in her tracks at the victoriously smiling filly rubbing her eyes. Looking back to the ashamed guard captain, she took in the rest of the room. The towel on the floor, the captain not in his armor, the messy bedspread, the smell. "You didn't."

"I gotta shower." The filly giggled, hopping down from bed to go back to the bathroom. The princess closed the door with her magic before turning to the captain.

"Care to explain?"

"There's no excuse for what I have done. It was a dereliction of duty and unbecoming of an officer of the Royal Guard." He simply stated, hanging his head. "I deserve whatever punishment you deem fit."

The princess took a deep breath, thinking it through. Putting on her motherly smile, she leaned down to whisper in his ear. "I promise, nothing will happen to you, on three conditions. One, you are going to be reassigned as one of her personal guards. I don't want her to go trotting off alone, understood?"

"U-Understood. A-And the second?" He dared to ask.

"Second, you are to be transferred to a new division of the royal guard as a lieutenant for the foreseeable future. I can't let your transgressions go without punishment. I'm sure you can understand why."

He let Celestia fill in the third condition on her own. "Third, if you get her pregnant, I will throw you into Tartarus for a thousand years."

He nodded, understanding that this was a better fate than he could have gotten. She was mature enough, he hoped, and had her cutie mark so he wouldn't serve any jail time for what he did, but getting dishonorably discharged from the royal guard and publicly shamed for being a foal-fiddler was by far a worse fate.

The former captain entered into the bathroom to grab his armor, carefully eyed by the princess. The filly greeted him but he kept his mouth shut as he re-donned his armor. She finished showering by the time he did up the straps, exiting just before her to take up a post next to Celestia.

"Lieutenant, please go down to see Captain Shattershield. He will give you your new armor and so you can clear out your office." The regal sister commanded, getting no objection from him as he trotted from the room.

"Lieutenant?" Somnia asked concerned. "He's--"

"Been reassigned." Celestia filled in. "It's not as bad as it sounds. Being a part of the new division has a certain amount of prestige associated with it."

Leading the way out of the room, Somnia felt kinda bad about her advances. She didn't want him to get in trouble. Her moping was interrupted when Celestia opened the door to the meeting room. Three other ponies were gathered, the blue haired noble with a monocle speaking up first:

"Princess, was something wrong with the little filly?" He asked concerned.

"No, she simply slept in." She answered. "But that is beside the point. We are here now, so let's begin."

"I'm Raven Inkwell, your majesty. I handle the administrative tasks that are too tedious for the princesses and take notes in meetings for them to review." The mare with dark brown hair and a white coat bowed. "My official title is the Secretary of State."

"I'm Lord Fancy Pants, current minster of the nobility. Anything related to the aristocracy is my specialty." The aforementioned noble nodded.

"Coin Counter. Finance minister." The last, and grumpiest, pony stated simply. "I balance the books and handle the finances of Equestria. Need something funded? Talk to me or talk to one of these other ponies."

"There are other ministers I should introduce you to, but these are the three that you will be interacting with the most. You are already familiar with Captain Shining Armor, he is in charge of the Royal Guard." Celestia added.

"Huh? I thought--"

"He was a captain?" Celestia smiled. "His official title is Captain-General Shining Armor of the Royal Guard. All other captains report directly to him or the princesses if he isn't available, as is the case since he moved to the Crystal Empire. I will need to also introduce you to the E.U.P. general staff, but that can wait until Twilight is available to meet them as well."

"Shall we get started?" Fancy Pants asked, smiling to both of the princesses.

"Please pass the salt and pepper, Princess Somnia."

"Of course, Lord Fancy Pants."

"Princess, would you please pass the bowl of lettuce down this way?"

"Here you are, Princess Celestia."

"You're doing much better than when we started." The noble sipped his tea.

"I'm trying my best, good sir." Somnia kept the smile on her face all through the tedious exercise, with a few slip-ups earlier on.

The door to the room opened, Lieutenant Broken Dawn entering donned in a light blue-tinted armor lined with gold, taking up a position next to the door with a stoic expression. Entering behind was Captain Shattershield, their armor matching the lieutenant's except for the addition of purple lines that traced the edges.

"Captain, you're late." Celestia teased.

"I don't follow your orders anymore, now do I?" He smiled back playfully.

"Princess Somnia, you already know Captain Shattershield." Celestia got up from her chair to stand next to the captain. "What I haven't told you is that he is in-charge of your personal guard, what we dubbed the Queen's Guard."

The filly squealed in delight. Her dreams confirmed that the Queen's Guard would be forming, but she hadn't actually expected the captain to be accepted into it. Only one last measure she needed to perform before the 'trio' was complete. From behind her, she heard Fancy Pants speak.

"The Queen's Guard? I don't quite understand, princess."

"Princess Somnia is due to become Queen of Equestria at her coronation in a few years. She will need her own personal protection detail if she is to be living in Ponyville. The captain has already selected a few ponies from the guard to assist in the task of protecting her against threats internal and external."

"And will they be serving under the captain-general?" He asked curiously.

"No, they will answer only to the queen, and until then, two principal regents." Celestia clarified, Captain Pansy entering into the room after shooing away another guard. "Captain Pansy, congratulations on your promotion."

"Thank you, your majesty. It is a great honor to be serving you personally." She bowed before the princesses. "Princess Somnia, Lord Fancy Pants, I am now in charge of the Royal Security Detail, formerly the Princess Security Detail. I am tasked with protecting the royal family and any additional assets that may fall under my purview. Officially, I answer to Captain Shining Armor, but he now answers directly to you." Nodding to Somnia. "Or he will once you're officially queen." She corrected.

"Princess Twilight will be receiving quite the letter." Celestia mused. "Make sure she doesn't faint when she finds out."

"I'll do my best to prevent impact, your highness." Shattershield chuckled, returning to a stoic expression next to the door opposite Broken Dawn.

"Is this the big news?" Fancy Pants questioned as Celestia sat back down at the table. "The 'administrative changes' you mentioned?"

"Indeed. Somnia?" The filly slowly turned to look back at the princess, biting her lip to hold back any more squeaks. "It is almost time for night court. You don't need to be here while I fill in Lord Fancy Pants about the changes. Why don't you go wake up Luna?"

"Yeah, sure!" She happily smiled. Getting down from her chair, she was flanked on either side by her personal guards. The other guards stood out of the way as they made their way towards the royal suites. It was so surreal, having her own guards that she can command. No more interference by other ponies, they were hers. Now and forever.

They stopped in front of the doors to Luna's chambers, the lunar guards casting a glance to one another.

"Business, Princess Somnia?" The mare stoically asked.

"I'm here to wake up Luna."

"I afraid we can't allow that. She is not to be disturbed until sunset."

"Overruled." The captain stepped forward. "Open the door."

With a nervous look to their other guard, the mare undid the lock letting Somnia enter. She told her bodyguards to stay outside the room, silently closing the door behind her before carefully approaching the bed and pulling herself on top of it.

Tapping her horn gently, the sleeping princess moaned out while pulling a pillow over her head: "Five more minutes..."

Somnia knew how to deal with sleepy fillies. Moving over to in front of Luna's face, she leaned down and licked the princess' horn from the base to the tip, sending shivers along Luna's spine.

"Tia, it's not funny." Luna growled out.

"I'm not Tia, I'm... Nia?"

"Somnia?" Luna pulled the pillow from her head to stare at the filly in bafflement. "What the buck..."

Somnia simply shrugged. "Fae and I always did that to each other when we wanted to get each other up."

"That explains why mom did that when we were foals." Luna sat up in her bed, shaking her head. "Bizarre that something done only with intimate lovers is used to wake up family."

"I mean, we kinda did try--"

"I don't want to hear it." Luna put a hoof over the filly's mouth. "Just... sit here while I get ready. How long until sunset?"

Looking over at the clock: "About thirty minutes, give or take."

"I'll take." She got out of bed, drudging her way into the bathroom while Somnia took a moment to look around the room. Above Luna's bed were stars resembling constellations, or at least that's what Somnia thought since they looked nothing like the constellations from back in Excalicorn. The room was dimly lit by these stars along with a bit of glowing material against certain hard edges on the furniture.

A few minutes later, Princess Luna departed the bathroom and began donning her regalia. "Did Celestia give you any surprises lately?"

"She gave me a personal guard, that was pretty surprising." She kicked her hind-hooves back-and-forth. Of course, its formation wasn't the real surprise, only the captain's acceptance. Hay, she even knew that Broken Dawn would join them even if she didn't know the circumstances.

"Ah, so she did." Luna turned to the mirror to adjust her mane. "We believed it to be for the best considering how danger prone you are. Still, one pony isn't enough to make an entire elite guard."

"I got two! Captain Shattershield and Lieutenant Broken Dawn!"

The princess froze at the second name. "Lieutenant... Broken Dawn. They joined when you asked them?"

"I don't think he really had a choice." Somnia winced. "We, um, were kinda..."

"Kinda what?" Luna turned around. "Somnia, kinda what?"

"Kinda caught..." She whimpered out nervously.

"Did you seriously buck him?!" Luna yelled back. "After everything I told him, he still goes ahead and ruts you!"

"Wait, you knew?"

"The entire barracks knew that you had kissed him! Then I find out that you were presenting yourself to him, alone, in emotional distress no less!" Luna took a breath before continuing. "Where is he?"

"Outside!" Somnia hopped down from the bed and trotted over to the door, pulling it open to reveal her two bodyguards on the other side. "Dawny, Luna wants to yell at you a bit!"

"Dawny?" Shattershield turned to his partner.

"Long story..." He nervously chuckled.

"You foal-fiddling piece of shit!" Luna left the room grabbing him by the collar of his armor with her hooves. "I told you: No bucking the filly!"

"H-Hey, she approached me about it!" He defended himself against the angry princess.

"If you hadn't already been demoted and lost your entire command, I would have you court marshaled for insubordination!" She growled back. "If I find out she's pregnant, I swear I'll--"

"Luna!" Somnia objected, forcing her way between them. "I'm not pregnant! Probably..."

"PROBABLY?!"

"That bad, huh?" Shattershield chuckled, shaking his head. "I wish I could have seen the look on the lieutenant's face."

"Yeah, thanks for making me feel sooo much better." Broken Dawn facehoofed. "There goes my entire career! Did you see the way the other guards were looking at me? It's like I stabbed a princess or something!"

"Well, you kinda did stab a princess." Shattershield laughed.

"Colts, are you done?" An impatient Somnia tapped her hoof on the ground. They were standing in the dimly lit field of the training grounds of the barracks, three royal guards lined up for inspection. Each one volunteered for the position in the Queen's Guard and weren't disqualified by either Princess Celestia or Captain Shattershield. Two royal guard, one lunar guard, and Somnia already knew from the moment she laid her eyes on one that they were meant to be in the Queen's Guard. Four down... How many more to go?

"Ahem, yes, your highness. For now at least." Shattershield smirked to her. "Are they to your approval?"

Somnia gave another look back at them. "And I can trust them to carry out my orders?"

"As long as you don't order them to buck you, I'm sure they will."

"Buck you, captain." Broken Dawn added quickly.

"I don't see anything wrong with them..." She warily looked back at the guards.

"But?"

"But I want to know the ponies under my command. I want to know I can trust them." She picked at one of the royal guard's armor. "I've had assassins try coming after my family from within the guard. I don't want to see anypony hurt."

"I assure you, they are completely trustworthy and will excel in protecting you from threats."

"I know..." She leaned against the guardsmare, who nervously sweated at the uncomfortable situation. "What's your name?"

"Corporal Hunter, your majesty!" She answered professionally.

"See the problem? She's too military!" The filly walked back over to her two guards. "How do I know that she doesn't have other motives?"

"What makes you so sure we don't have other motives?" Broken Dawn spoke up, glancing suspiciously to his companion.

"Because I know your motives!" She pointed a hoof at the lieutenant. "You didn't have a choice. Either this, or jail."

"I wouldn't have gone to jail, ya know?" He raised a brow. "You're probably legal."

"Legality not withstanding!" She pointed her hoof at the captain. "You're here because Celestia doesn't trust me."

"Pretty much." The captain shrugged, not even bothering to deny it. "Keep an eye on you, make sure you don't get killed, try to cock-block you when you're getting frisky."

"Captain, permission to speak." The lunar guard asked, an earth pony mare with tan fur and bluish hair.

"Granted."

"Is this all an act or is she really--"

"That bad?" Broken Dawn rolled his eyes. "Tell that to my lieutenant badge. Ask Captain Scythe if you don't believe me. Say the former Captain Broken Dawn sent you, I'm sure she'll get a kick out of it."

The mare swallowed. "Captain, permission to withdraw my application."

"Denied!" Somnia giggled. "Welcome to the Queen's Guard!"

"...buck."

"Language, sergeant!" The captain looked down to Somnia. "And the others?"

The filly turned to speak to the remaining two ponies. "While I have nothing against either of your skills or devotion, I need ponies that I can get along with. I'm sorry, but both of you are rejected."

The two ponies saluted, receiving salutes in return before they marched off to the barracks leaving a very confused and concerned sergeant as the sole applicant.

"What's your name?" Somnia trotted up to her new guard. "I'm Somnia."

"Uhh... Yes?" She looked over to the captain who laughed out loud, receiving a facehoof from the other.

"Hmm... Sergeant Yes?"

"Um, no, ma'am! I mean, Sergeant Fleeting Dust, ma'am! Your highness!" She winced at the fumble. "Sorry, your highness!"

"You're going to have to start calling me Somnia. I can't stand these 'highness's and 'majesty's. Same goes for you two. To me, you're Shield, Dawny, and Dusty, and to you I'm Somnia, or Som if you want. Only refer to me by my status at formal events or in front of other ponies that aren't family."

"Captain, are you sure she's qualified to order us around?" The sergeant asked warily.

"Of course she is." He walked over to the filly, putting a leg around her withers. "If she wasn't going to be a colossal pain in the flank to protect, then we wouldn't even be here."

"Grar, want to introduce yourself?" The filly asked, looking to nowhere in particular.

Gladly.

"WHO THE BUCK WAS THAT?!" Dawn jumped back from the filly, getting laughs from his startled companions.

"Captain, what in Celestia's holy sun are we doing here?" The sergeant whispered back to her superior.

"Not our place to ask, and it doesn't seem so bad." He looked up the boarded up windows, occasionally behind metal bars.

"Are we there yet?" The impatient filly asked from atop Broken Dawn's back.

"We'd go faster if you would just walk." He said through gritted teeth.

"You had plenty of stamina earlier~"

"Eck." The sergeant fell back into position. It was one of the poorer sections of Canterlot, tucked against the mountain. Here the sun rarely reached the streets except during mid-day. On one side, the mountain, on the other, Canterlot Castle. Only one type of pony would live in a place like this...

"Dawn?" A voice called out from an open window. "You on patrol with the squad?"

"Not exactly, Rose." He admitted. "Do you have a moment to chat?"

"I always have time." She closed the shutters, returning at the door to invite them inside. "Um, all of you?"

"Captain, sergeant, keep watch here. Dawny, with me." The filly hopped down from her mount, shocking the thestral mare. She moved out of the way to allow them entry, receiving an apologetic look from her fellow thestral.

"Dawny?" The mare teased her old friend. "What? You adopt her or something?"

With sigh, he sat down in the fairly small living room, filly strategically sitting on his lap to make him even more uncomfortable than he already was.

"What would you like to talk about, princess? I-I assume princess, cause, you know, wings and horn." She grabbed her cold coffee to take a sip, immediately regretting it.

"I want to know what it's like to live here in Canterlot." She squirmed a bit on her cushion, getting them to lift her up and place her next to him.

"O-Oh, well, I don't think I'm the best to ask about that..." She nervously chuckled.

"Why not?"

"Well, it's just that I don't get out into the city very often. Too many..."

"Unfriendly faces?" Dawn filled in, getting a nod from the mare.

"Do you know why?" The filly followed-up.

"I-It's just, um, my is it hot in here." She bit her lip, trying to think of any answer that wasn't the real reason.

"Do you have any meat slices in your fridge?" The filly asked hopefully.

"I-It's not illegal! I bought them perfectly legally!" Rose defended.

"Can I have some?" She got up onto her hooves. "Pllleeeeeeaaaasssse?"

"What? B-But won't you get sick?" She turned to the guard for reassurance.

"Part batpony." He shrugged. "If she was telling the truth."

"I always tell the truth!" She positively stated, before bobbing her head to the side. "Most of the time..."

"Um, just around the corner." The mare pointed, filly jumping over the sofa to get to the fridge. "Dawn, i-is that the new princess?"

"Unfortunately, yes." He laid back on the couch, smiling. "Quite something, ain't she?"

"I didn't realize she was..."

"A filly?"

"Yeah. I thought the news was exaggerating. H-How are you handling it?" The question went unanswered as Somnia trotted back in, a few meat slices in her mouth. She plopped down next to Dawn, offering him one which he accepted.

"Now." She took a bite out of her meat and meat sandwich. "What can you tell me about what it's like to live in Canterlot, for a batpony?"

"There you are! The guard has been looking for you everywhere." Luna flew down to the filly and company that approached the castle. "Is- Is that meat?"

"Want some?" She offered a chicken leg. "If you can eat it, that is..."

"I-I can." She admitted. "I shouldn't..."

"Live dangerously." Broken Dawn shrugged, throwing the remaining bone on his leg into a plastic bag they had found on the ground.

"You went out for food? But we have food here." She wearily moved her gaze to the other two guards, having either a drink or packet of fries.

"But you don't have fast food." Somnia tapped a hoof to her head. "I didn't want a meal, I wanted a snack."

"We went down the street to that subsidized place that you and Princess Celestia sometimes go to." The captain added, grabbing another fry from the packet with his mouth.

"That explains why we didn't find you..." Luna winced, shaking her head to get back to the topic she was looking for the filly for. "Twilight is returning on the nightly train. She'll be in Canterlot in an hour or two."

"Great!" Somnia trotted past her. "I'm going to have a nap then!"

"Princess, can I please request a transfer?" The sergeant whispered to Luna once the other guards were out of earshot.

"What? I thought you wanted to join the Queen's Guard."

"I did, but she's a bit..."

"Foalish?" Luna shook her head. "Right now, yes. Probably won't change much as she grows up, but it's manageable if you know what to look out for."

"I was going to say irresponsible, but that is also true."

"You're in the Queen's Guard until your contract expires." Luna stated matter-of-factly. "Nothing I can do unless you get your commanding officer and one other superior to sign your release form."

"Okay, I think I can convince Shattershield. Would you be--"

Luna stopped in place, mischievously smiling down to her. "The chain of command is you, then Captain Shattershield, then Princess Somnia. I'm sorry but you've made your choice, whether you like it or not." She glanced back to where the group had turned the corner. "The fact that Somnia picked you means something. She isn't light about who she lets close. I'll offer you a deal. Finish your contract, fill me in on any happenings around her, and I'll provide a count's pension to you so that you may retire early."

"That's..." She couldn't believe it. Simple spying work lasting three years for a noble pension? "Sold!"

"Do you think she took the bait?" Dawn stole one of Shield's hayfries.

"Oh yes, I think she did." Somnia turned around seeing the mare calmly trot back up to them, a bit more bounce in her step.

The guards sat inside Somnia's room while she showered, hashing out their rotation. Each would take a third of the day, Dawn taking the night shift while the other two argued the day shifts. Once it was all settled, Shield and Dusty left to pack their things and to gather Dawn's box while he guarded the door.

The next hour was fairly uneventful, besides Dawn having to wake Somnia up from her nightmare and getting a face full of hoof. They arrived at the train station with a couple of minutes to spare before the train arrived. Entering into the civilian car, Somnia spotted the tired, and mostly sleeping, Elements of Harmony.

"Somnia?" Twilight squinted, seeing the three armored ponies take up positions around the filly. "Who are they?"

"My guards!" She trotted over, giving her mother a hug. "Oh, and this is for you." She pulled an envelope out of her saddlebags before settling down next to her mother. Each of the guards took a different post in the train car while Twilight read the letter from Celestia and Luna.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I'm sure you have plenty of questions about the new company with your daughter. We are beginning to put forward our administrative reforms and believe that a more permanent force would help ward off any threats. They are the Queen's Guard, loyal servants answering to only you and her. Each individual is highly skilled at what they do and loyal to a fault.

Another matter we need to discuss is your roll in the regency council. As the only living close relative of the queen that can be trusted, you are bestowed the title of mother-regent, one of the principal regent positions. We will handle the day-to-day tasks of Equestria's government while you make sure she grows into a proper leader. Your brother will be reaching out to you about the change of command, given that you are the only superior he answers to now (besides Cadance).

We trust you will make the correct decisions, Mother-Regent Twilight Sparkle of Equestria.

Sincerely,
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna

"Check, check." She barely heard the captain whisper while holding a hoof to his ear.

"Copy." The guardsmare replied, also holding a hoof to her ear.

"Check." The stallion who Twilight recognized as Captain Broken Dawn repeated in a similar style.

"Any issues?"

"Negative." "All clear."

First Daring Do being real, now being made the most powerful pony in Equestria with her own personal guards...

What next?

Pinkie Pie rolled over in her sleep, whispering: "No, Twi. Don't say that."