Desperate Duty

Steel Storm yawned as he emerged from the Royal Guard locker rooms, a towel draped across his dark gray back, just in front of his cutie mark of a crossed lightning bolt and steel beam. His blonde mane was still damp from the shower, hanging limply around his horn, and threatening to droop into his green eyes if he didn't keep blowing on it. Another day in the guard, another wake up call at 5am with hardly any time to shower and get dressed before the day's assignments came in. He didn't mind the early mornings, it was simply a matter of turning in early, but having mere minutes to go about his morning routine and get himself looking nice would never stop being an annoyance.

Trotting down the hall, Steel made his way back to his dorm, where a number of his fellow guards were already scrambling to get their shiny gold armor ready. With less than three minutes to do the same before his section's lieutenant came around, he hurried over to his cot and footlocker and began retrieving his set. A little bit of spit on the dark spots followed by some vigorous rubbing with his towel left the set looking brand new. If he got in trouble today, it wouldn't be because his armor was dirty.

Once each guard was dressed they were to stand alert in front of their footlocker until the lieutenant came by, inspected, and then dismissed them. Steel was one of the last ready, having pushed his time to look as best he could, but he was still early by a few seconds.

A set of distant clinking that slowly grew closer announced his commander's arrival. Lieutenant Swift Wing rounded the corner, a navy blue pegasus with a gray mane that slowly made his way down the row of guards, scrutinizing everything and everypony with his cold orange eyes. After making his way to one end of the file he turned around and did the same, before finally regarding the unit with a warmer look. "Alright company, you know the drill. Today's post assignments are in and are as follows..."

Steel relaxed. No news was good news. As the lieutenant starting listing off pairs of names combined with a designated patrol or station, he mostly tuned out, waiting to catch his name and the location of his post for the day.

"...Sergeant Steel Storm and Corporal Meadowlark, Canterlot castle, 2nd floor, east wing, door one..." and that was all.

Meadowlark? Now that was a pony he hadn't been assigned with in a while. Steel peeked down the aisle until he found her; a white earth pony with a wavy light blue mane, and a singing bird on her flank. He'd been in the guard quite a while and made a number of friends, but Meadowlark was one of his oldest. The two had first met in a bar on one of their off days, lamenting about how it was hard to adjust to guard life when you didn't know anypony else, and loneliness made for good company. One thing led to another and soon they were hitting it off on the regular everytime an off day came up. Guard assignments were picked from a hat though, so it had been a long time since the two had gotten to be on duty together. Today was looking up already.

Meadowlark met his eyes with her own golden ones, a glint in them, and a slight smirk on her face. Steel smiled back before returning to attention. Today was looking up indeed.

~~~~~~~~~~

Meadowlark had a spring in her step as she left the guard barracks. As soon as they were dismissed she sidled up to Steel Storm, who was just as happy to see her, as she was to see him. "Well we're at it again big guy. Been a while, eh?"

Steel snorted. "I saw you yesterday."

"Yeeeaaah, but we didn't do anything yesterday," she pouted. "Or the day before. Or the day before that one..."

"...Because of all those training exercises. Simply wasn't time to do anything," he replied.

"There'll be plenty of time today though!" she sang.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Steel smirked. "We still got a job to do and the lieutenant will have our asses if we chat the whole time. Wanna hang out over lunch though?"

"But of course," Meadowlark replied. "Donut Joe's?"

Steel smiled. "Classic. Sure."

Meadowlark and Steel trotted down the busy Canterlot streets on their way to the castle. Passing by dozens of shops and streets vendors in tightly-packed streets, and weaving around countless ponies heading to and fro. It wasn't even 7am yet and the city was already alive and bustling in the summer morning. Every so often they'd see a fellow guard and wave, but there wasn't much time to do anything other than walk and talk.

The pair would've progressed onto the castle without delay, until Meadowlark caught a certain vendor in her eye. "Yo hold up a sec," she said.

Steel turned around indignantly. "Eh? What are you doing, we gotta..." he trailed off, noticing Meadowlark in front of a tiny coffee stand on a street corner. She retrieved a pair of bits from a hidden coin purse and seconds later returned to Steel's side with a steaming cup in one hoof.

"Why are you looking at me like that? C'mon, let's go."

Meadowlark set off, and Steel had no choice but to follow. "Stopping for a coffee? Really?" he asked.

"I'm thirsty and tired," she replied. "Last night's training exercise went pretty late. Maybe you handle it better, but I'd rather not fall asleep at my post."

"The fresh air and busy city ain't enough?" Steel quipped.

"...She was also having a discount on caramel flan lattes, and it's been a while since I had one," Meadowlark added.

Steel raised an eyebrow, but didn't press it, and instead thought of something else to talk about. Nothing wrong with a little early morning coffee, right?

~~~~~~~~~~

It was almost 7am sharp when Steel and Meadowlark got to the castle, went in the closest gate, made their way up to the second floor, and trotted around until they found where they were to be stationed; guarding a large oak door separating one of the castle's many hallways from one of the castle's archive rooms. They were stuck on the hallway side, with little to look at but some stained glass murals they had already seen before and were just tall enough they couldn't see outside. In addition, there were a number of doors on the side for everything from bathrooms to broom closets to office spaces. Five hours spent here almost entirely motionless was not what most would consider a good time, but the guard was not most ponies. A shift like this was just a daily occurrence.

Meadowlark felt a bit more bouncy after finishing her coffee, having long since finished it and tossed the cup when they arrived at their post. Her mind sharpened as the caffeine made its way through her system, leaving her with a surplus of energy that would now be wasted just standing there. Still, she had orders to sit still, and managed to settle into her job perfectly, just as she had a hundred times before.

The hallway was devoid of ponies at the moment. It wasn't very busy to begin with, but it was also really early in the morning. Traffic usually picked up as the day got underway. The job was simple: stand as still as possible until a pony arrived seeking access to the archives, then let them in if they had proper clearance, turn them away if they didn't, and use acceptable force if they refused. A job simple enough it could be done by one pony, but the Canterlot archives were like nowhere else in Equestria, and at least two were required in case something went wrong. In fact, the first two ponies they let through were also a detachment of guards, who would be patrolling the inside of the archives for the duration of the same 5-hour shift. There were also several patrols that came by this way occasionally to ensure Meadowlark and Steel were still at their posts.

Standing in place for hours at a time seemed agonizingly boring for most ponies. Indeed, even royal guards had problems with it at first, but after doing it enough you learned to get used to it. Meadowlark didn't mind; it gave her a chance to be alone with her thoughts, and boy did she have plenty of thoughts. Thinking about past moments, what she'd have for dinner that night, what she should've said in that one argument from last week, which guard had the biggest...nevermind. There was nothing else to do besides glance at the clock, and if she did that she'd go crazy.

Meadowlark was in the middle of trying to replay one of her favorite movie scenes in her head, when she suddenly noticed an uncomfortable feeling sitting in her belly. Shit, maybe I didn't think this through, she thought, realizing she needed to pee. Too late to go now though. It wasn't the first, nor would it be the last time; oftentimes one of the first things a guard would do upon dismissal was hightail it to the nearest bathroom. Meadowlark had her own share of close calls in the past, she could look forward to this being similar. The need just hadn't set in so...soon, before.

Whatever, it wasn't anywhere near bad yet. Just don't think about it, that's what makes it worse. That much was true at least, but a part of her couldn't shake an uneasy feeling.

~~~~~~~~~~

Steel Storm was glad when traffic started picking up. Over an hour into his shift and he had resorted to counting the number of individual shapes in one of the stained glass windows. He was up to 97 when he finally noticed a pair of ponies heading their way; a pair of pegasi stallions, one red with a blonde mane, the other orange with a frizzy black mane. He cleared his throat as they stopped in front of him. "Papers, please."

The red one retrieved a signed document from his saddlebags, which Steel readily took in his magic. A quick description of the pegasi known as 'Crimson Skies' plus some numbers, legalese nonsense, and a signature from a high-ranking official proved that everything was in order. He passed it back, only to notice the orange one trotting after. "Excuse me, papers?"

"Eh?" the orange one balked. "I thought only one of us needed them."

"'Fraid not. No papers, no entry," Steel replied gruffly.

Crimson bit his lip. "Dammit! Sorry Rusty, guess I got mixed up. Wait for me in the lobby alright?"

Rusty groaned. "Urgghhh fine, just a bunch of dusty old books anyway," he pouted, then flew off down the hall.

"Heh, dumbass," Meadowlark chuckled after a little bit.

Steel glanced over at her. "Shhh! Quiet on duty, remember?"

Meadowlark visibly faltered slightly. "Right, yeah..."

Steel nodded, returning to facing forward with a blank gaze. He noticed her fidgeting a little too, but was nice enough to not add "and stay still" for the time being.

A minute later, another pony came trotting down the hall. Steel checked them as normal and let them through, doing the same with the next few ponies before quietly telling Meadowlark she could handle the next few. Receiving a neutral grunt of acknowledgement, he returned to counting shapes on the window mural. Okay where was I? 96 right?

148 shapes later, Steel decided to take a glance at his friend before moving on to the next window. It was subtle, but every so often he could see her fidget. Sighing, he decided to finally point it out. "You gotta sit still too," he quietly hissed.

Meadowlark froze in place, meeting his eyes. She replied with a terse nod and remained still, but her expression wasn't very well composed. Steel eased himself; something was up with her. "Meadow, you good?"

She replied with an obviously forced smile. "Yeah, just fine."

"You don't...look fine."

"Well I am."

"You're a terrible liar."

Meadowlark flinched. "I'm fine, really! We're not supposed to be talking anyway."

Steel didn't respond right away, but his gaze remained on his friend. This usually wasn't like her. Sure enough, she fidgeted again after a second, then tensed up as if she knew he noticed it. The way it looked, he figured she was almost more hopped up on coffee now than...

Oh. The coffee.

"...Do you have to pee?" he finally wondered.

Meadowlark visibly recoiled. Her face grew noticeably redder and she opened her mouth a few times before settling on keeping it shut. No response was necessary anyway.

"Meadow..." he started.

"Dammit, I know!" she hissed back. "I was tired and wasn't thinking straight, and it's been ages since i had coffee, I forgot what it does to you!"

Steel softened his gaze. No point ripping into her for it. "Lesson learned I suppose," he mumbled. "You gonna be okay though?"

"Yeah," she was quick to shoot back. Too quick. Steel didn't believe it either, but there was nothing he could do for the time being.

~~~~~~~~~~

Meadowlark couldn't deny it anymore, she was in trouble. Nearly another hour had passed (she started checking the clock, even though she knew better) and her bladder was only getting fuller. She'd been like this at the end of some shifts, but never in the middle of one. She'd need to figure out something sooner or later, but for now she did her best to act natural, as there was still a steady supply of ponies needing to be vetted.

Her situation wasn't helped by the fact there was a clear bathroom a few doors ahead of her. Oh how she'd love to just pop in for a minute or two, but she wasn't allowed to abandon her post. If Steel didn't get after her, one of the guard patrols might notice, and if word made its way to her commander she'd be scrubbing the mess hall floor with a toothbrush for a week.

Why oh why did I have that coffee? I wasn't that tired, was I? was all she could think about now. She practically danced in place; staying still enough when somepony needed to be let through, but otherwise she was shifting her hooves, lifting a leg, or squeezing her plot together tightly. Her bladder was turning into a lead weight, taking control of her actions and leaving her unable to relax at all anymore. It was getting worse by the minute, and all her concentration was now going into keeping herself dry.

Steel was being nice about it at least. Despite her obvious discomfort and fidgeting, he hadn't spoken up about it since earlier. She wondered how long this could go on for before he had to speak up again though. If she didn't empty herself within the next three hours, she'd very well end up emptying herself on the castle floor instead, and then he'd definitely have something to talk about.

Dammit dammit dammit, if I just keep standing here I'm gonna wet myself! Meadowlark frantically ran through her options in her head. There was a toilet right there, she just needed to pop out for a minute or two without being noticed. Steel would probably, hopefully be understanding, but if any other guardsponies came by, they'd immediately notice the discrepancy.

"H-hey, Steel?" she finally spoke up, a thought in her mind.

Steel looked over, taking in her deteriorating condition, and frowned. "How are you holding up?"

"Not g-great," she admitted. "But I have a p-plan. Can you d-do illusion magic?"

Deflating a little, Steel shook his head. "Not at all."

Meadowlark winced. "C-can't even try?"

"What are you trying to do?"

Grinding her teeth, Meadowlark briefly gestured to the bathroom down the hall. "If you c-can, like, make a copy of me, th-then I'll just sneak down the hall to...y-yeah."

"I'm not sure I can copy an apple, much less you..."

"And I'm not sure I can last another ten minutes," she moaned. "Dammit, I figured as much."

"Just go then."

"E-eh?" Meadowlark balked. He wasn't asking her to just let go on the floor, right?

"Don't torture yourself. Bathroom's right there. Not worth it to uh...make a mess," he explained, watching her with concern.

"I-I would but...if somepony finds I abandoned my-"

"I'm ordering you to then. I'm technically a rank above you, if anypony asks it's my fault."

Meadowlark stared at him for a good few seconds then chuckled slightly. "Shit, you'd do that?" Why didn't I think of that?

Steel smiled at her. "Of course. Now go, longer you wait, higher chance of actually being caught."

"Alright. Th-thanks dude," she replied, hurriedly setting off. She wasn't stiff; her squirming had made sure of that, but the sudden movement after hours of relative inactivity jostled her bladder. Hnnnngh, oh that hurts. Don't wet yourself now! Meadowlark had a strained expression on her face and her gait was awkward as she struggled not to go all over the floor on her way there. The bathroom was so close.

Though she had only gone a few strides, Meadowlark panted as she arrived at the bathroom door. With a final glance back at Steel, she stepped through the door. A small tiled bathroom meant for one pony awaited her. The room featured a sink, trash can, and a toilet, the last of which she hurriedly stumbled over to. "Cmon cmon, gotta pee sooooo bad," she panted.

Royal Guard armor was made to not be heavy or cumbersome, but it still came down far enough that it needed to be removed if Meadowlark was to cleanly relieve herself here. She pulled off her helmet, letting it drop on the floor with a clang, then hurriedly undid the straps around her waist so she could toss off the main portion of it. Faster faster, oh sweet Celestia... By the time it was off she was ready to explode, and wasted no time in backing up and slamming her plot down on the toilet seat.

"Ooooohhhhhhhhh!"

Meadowlark loudly moaned as she finally released her pained hold. Her nethers opened and a powerful stream of urine rushed out, spraying into the toilet bowl with a mighty hiss. She shivered with delight as her bladder gushed its contents into the waters below; she had never needed to pee so bad before. Sweet Celestia that feels SOOOO GOOOOOD!

With a deep sigh, Meadowlark allowed herself to fully relax, breathing heavily as she noisily relieved herself. Earth pony genetics, combined with months of long guard shifts, left her with an impressive bladder capacity; she could probably fill a bucket if she went in one instead. Thankfully that was not the case. She remained glued to the toilet for upwards of a minute while the splattering of her pee showed no signs of slowing down.

As her release passed the one minute mark, Meadowlark finally felt her stream start to die down. She was in ecstasy as the final drops pattered out; going from beyond full to refreshingly empty was an incredible feeling, and she couldn't help but punctuate her release with a soft moan. "Oh man...that's better..."

After drying herself off and flushing the toilet, Meadowlark went to retrieve her armor, laying haphazardly on the floor. Once she was properly dressed she moved for the exit. She would've washed her hooves, but she didn't want to spare any time removing and redressing her guard boots either. With one last sigh, she left the bathroom.

A quick look around revealed that she and Steel were still the only ones in the hall, assuming nopony had come around while she was in there. Trotting over to her post, she avoided eye contact with Steel until she was settled in again.

"Feel better?" he chuckled.

Meadowlark blushed. "Shut up, course I am. Anypony come by while I was gone?"

"A civilian, but I don't think they noticed or cared."

"That's a relief," she sighed. In more ways than one. "So uh, still up for Donut Joe's later?"

"Sure, just don't drink so much this time," he grinned.

"I'm gonna be hearing about this all day, aren't I?"

"Possibly."