"Have to fix that." Sweetie Drops put on some dark sunglasses and cleaned up her area. "I hope you're all ready, because Luna requested I keep my eyes out for something we could work on, and Bright gave it to me."

Rarity sat down. "What was that, darling? A true pity I didn't get to talk to that sea pony. They looked different from the other ones I'd seen." She rubbed at her neck where the new one had visible gills. "Fascinating, truly."

Bright hopped up on Rarity's back, hugging her, but eyes on Sweetie. "What's on your mind?"

"You." Sweetie turned from the cleaned grill, tossing the last of her mess where it belonged. "You need stamina. I say we all need stamina, considering our line of work. So we'll focus there."

Luna lifted an ear at those firm statements. "How do you propose we address that?" She lowered her hat a little. "It is quite warm today."

"Good." Sweetie clapped her hooves. "Up. All of you." She paced before them as they stood up, looking at her with some confusion. "Luna got permission for this as a training trip. Prepare for some of that training. If Equestria is footing this bill, we're giving Equestria something back for it, even if it's 'just' better prepared agents."

Bright waved a hand eagerly in the air.

Sweetie snorted. "I feel I will regret this, but, yes, Bright?"

Bright clapped his hands, balancing on his thick tail a moment. "Is this the volleyball part?! I call dibs on Rares' team."

Rarity giggled at the idea with a little blush.

Sweetie brought a hoof to her head. "It is not. A fine game, and maybe we'll get to it later. No, stamina. I want you to run to there." She pointed down the beach. "There's a water fountain down there, what luck. Get to the water fountain, hydrate, get to running back. Repeat that twenty times."

She flashed a smile at Luna. "I've been authorized by our favorite princess to offer a prize. Since this is an endurance match, and not a speed one, this won't go to the creature that does it fastest. It goes to the one that varies their speed the least, while still going faster than a walk."

Luna stretched out in grand motions. "Well, I will not be happy for a slow trot." She took off at a moderate one, sunhat bobbing on her head. "Come along."

Rarity grinned, pleased at Luna's sporting willingness to participate in Sweetie's impromptu training regimen despite princely privilege permitting otherwise. She offered a supportive hoof-bump to a nervous Bright. "Buck up darling! This exercise shan't seem so grim with thy beloved at thy side, hm?"

Without further ado she cantered gracefully off, trusting Bright to catch up alongside. Before long they matched the princess's brisk trot, though Rarity took care not to outpace her new hybrid companion. "Do set thine own comfortable stride dear - we shan't race Her Highness! Merely...keep apace lest she leave our sights, ah?"

The trio maintained disciplined pace, neither moving ahead nor falling behind. Rarity smiled privately, sensing the quiet camaraderie kindling. How far from those early misadventures blundering untested together! Though their course remained unclear, shared strides smoothened the rougher patches of doubt.

A fourth joined them, Sweetie going quickly to catch up, then slowing to match them. "If you all... keep even with each other, figuring out who to reward is going to get tricky."

Luna snorted gently at that. "Then, perhaps, if none of us falters..." She paused, reaching the fountain for the first time. A little drink was just the thing. It wasn't cold water, coming from that water fountain that was itself sunbaked, but it felt great anyway.

"Then we... share in our victories." Luna nodded to her agents and teammembers.

Bright was the one heaving the hardest, pumping his limbs as best he could. "No... fair... I'm the smallest." It was perhaps one of the first times he'd regarded his short stature as a negative. "Luna's awesome and tall... She has this."

"I have many things." She inclined an ear towards Bright. "But thou must continue. We all need to practice, if we are to rise to future challenges."

Rarity nodded encouragement even as her own legs continued pumping. "Her Highness speaks true - we each face limits unique as our gifts." Sweat glossed her coat as the tropical sun climbed its punishing arc. "But in unity...is compensation found!"

Struck by inspiration, Rarity stuck close to panting Bright's side. "Darling climb atop - let my reinforced constitution spare your shorter stride undue strain this once." A subtle shimmer rippled through her body, eldritch energies coalescing. "My sanguine vitality shall empower us both!"

Bright grinned with renewed hope clambering onto Rarity's back. His tiny fists gripped silken mane tightly as her vampiric vitality suffused through contact into his own flagging reserves - bridling the voracious fatigue steadily overtaking his smaller hybrid frame.

As one they surged forward reinvigorated, no longer struggling alone. Rarity's fangs flashed with effort but her breath flowed steadily despite puffing passenger. United thus, princess and protege alike demonstrated leadership's truth - empowering those in one's service such that all excel together.

Luna smiled softly at her subordinate's selfless initiative, having likewise looped a supportive wing beneath laboring Sweetie's barrel. "Well done Rarity...a queenly gift showing the way."

A sharp whistle made them all flinch and look over at Sweetie in surprise. She was glaring at them. "Down! You're not building stamina if you're getting free rides." She went so far as to swat Bright free from Rarity's back. "Get serious, and get running!"

"Yeah yeah..." Sullen, but not fighting, Bright struck the ground with his paws instead, running as best he could.

"Better." Sweetie stuck at his side. "You know, you don't have to set pace against Luna. Slow, if you want, but keep it smooth. This is about stamina, not speed."

"Stamina, not speed, right." Bright gulped even as he slowed a little, trying to find a comfortable rate.

Rarity slowed to match him. "I won't abandon you, darling. You know that."

"Did I mention you're best pony recently?" Bright nudged against her from the side. "Because it's true!"

Luna swelled with quiet pride as each agent took turns lifting Bright’s spirits when exhaustion mounted another circuit. Others may expect this odd group to fracture under duress. But true bonds had rooted through the happenstance that brought them together.

The barriers fading with shared effort heartened Luna. She knew hardship awaited over the horizon. But through camaraderie this makeshift family would meet each test as one.

Of that she held faith, trusting not her royal guidance but pony resilience itself to forge unity between differences. However the odds or opinion turn, these selfless souls gave Luna courage to continue the journey.

That and it had to work. It just had to. The entire team was her idea, hoof-picked by her. Her team just had to show its value... The image of Celestia, laughing at her from high on her throne...

Luna shuddered at the mental image and refocused on keeping her pace even. She was ahead of the others. Perhaps being larger had advantages at times. "Not a race," she reminded herself as she trotted. "How many times has it been?" She had long since lost track.

Sweetie glanced at her arm as if checking a watch, but she had none on. "We're thirteen in, seven to go! C'mon! You're doing great."

"Seven?!" Bright threw up his hands, coughing in a fit before he could get himself straight. "Man..."

"Dear familiar." Rarity leaned in. "I will give you a prize if you can keep going. Get to the end and you can ask any one thing of me, darling."

"Any... thing?" Bright's eyes ignited with a renewed flame. "I'm on it, Rares!"

Bright’s eyes ignited with renewed flame hearing Rarity’s enticing pledge of a personalized prize awaiting his success. "I'm on it, Rares!"

Yet determination alone couldn’t reverse creeping exhaustion dragging his much smaller body to its mortal limits. His pace slowed further, huge ears drooping wearily. He bit his lip anxiously - to fail Auntie’s challenge so close to the last lap!

Then inspiration struck! Bright’s thick tail shot out, looping itself tightly around Rarity’s hindleg as she trotted ahead before recoiling like a furry elastic cord. The improvised slingshot hurled him forward to ricochet skyward with a mighty conjured 'boing' of a sound.

"Last sprint, here I come!” Bright hurtled way out ahead propelled by makeshift bunny ballistics, forgetting fatigue for a few precious seconds of freefall elation...

...Before his flight path suddenly intersected Sweetie’s stern trajectory midair with a loud whump.

Groaning ponies collapsed in a tangled mess of sprawling limbs and spiraling stars. Luna trotted up hiding her smirk. “Ahh so the elemental power of surprise enters the physics equation! Shall we review impulse, momentum and force as well in our next rousing lecture, Sweetie?”

She winked discreetly before helping disentangle her moaning agents. No serious injuries it seemed, aside the usual bruises to egos.

Sweetie shoved Bright free. "What you get, trying to cheat. Paws, ground. Your tail can help you balance, not fling you around. Get moving!"

Bright scampered past Sweetie, lest he get yelled at more.

Sweetie went to Rarity's side. "You know, technically... He voided his right in your little wager."

Rarity smirked softly. "I'll keep that in mind if he asks for something I just don't want to give, dear. But, otherwise, I intend to reward his efforts."

Sweetie snorted in wry resignation. “Well, as ever you are in charge of your own bet...” She smirked just a bit. “But should his inevitable request for utter nonsense grow too exhausting, you have an easy out waiting for you.”

She gazed ahead where Bright happily orbited a patiently indulgent Luna, evidently fully recharged by anticipation of claiming his eagerly-awaited boon from doting Rarity. Sweetie chuckled to herself. “Whatever might he ask to merit such reckless glee...”

Rarity waved a dismissive hoof. “Oh, I’ve pampered that dear heart enough to anticipate his desires well. Like as not he’ll request being groomed in some silly luxury fashion.” She smiled softly with a knowing wink.

“But come what may, bringing such simple happiness earns all and more from me.” Her pace quickened subtly as they closed on the fountain for the final time. “Just a short gallop more and our fuzzy cadet shall savor sweet success yes?”

Rarity’s grin widened a bit more roguishly. “Do remind me later though should records show recent unexplained requisitions for, oh, bungee cords or some such adventure paraphernalia...”

Sweetie nearly tripped mid-canter, picturing the havoc an enriched Bright might lovingly unleash on headquarters! "What in Equestria would you need those for?!" But no answer was coming. She rolled her eyes with a snort of annoyed confusion.

Luna reached the finishing line first, slowing to a gentle walk as she paced around the blanket they had left behing. She got around to facing the others as they came in. Sweetie was second, slowing to a stop with a soft huffing.

Rarity and Bright came in together. Bright flopped face-first into the sand just an inch past the line. "Ha.... ha...." He flopped over onto his side in a pained roll. "I did it! You saw it!"

Rarity sank onto her belly next to him. "I certainly did. A heroic effort by my heroic familiar." She smooched him on the forehead. "I trust we are done for now?"

She was looking at Sweetie. Sweetie nodded. "Yep. Stamina, done. But don't think that'll be the only thing we're doing this weekend." She clapped her hooves with a firm clop. "But that's all for now. Catch your breaths."

Luna sank down on the blanket, reclaiming her lost spot. "That was... invigorating. We really should make it a habit of that."

Sweetie moved to Luna's side. "I can let you know when I do my morning trot, if you like? I do one every day."

Rarity came over, a tired Bright on her back. "I'll pass... But I do know a lovely place to fetch some proper dinner. Such a labor has worked up quite a hunger in me."

Author's Note

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