Guardsmare Twilight

The celebration lasted deep into the night, and many ponies congratulated Twilight on her promotion to corporal. She had only seen a few unicorns look at her in mild disgust and was sure nothing could please them at that point, so she ignored them and continued on. Her parents had to leave early, like many others who had nowhere to stay for the night. Only her brother remained, still having some free time before he had to return to his duties in Canterlot. "So Twily, any idea who will be posted under you?"

She had to giggle. Having ponies under her command sounded so unreal still. "I think so. I'm sure you and Celestia set up my squad during training. You are terrible at hiding things and you know it." She got an adorable pout from her brother. "Don't be so hard on yourself; they have no idea. Can't wait to see their face when they learn they will be posted in their home town. Well, except for Spear, but he doesn't mind where he goes. Don't think he ever told me where he's from."

"Deep down you're still my little adorable little sister. It's hard to see you as anything else but..." he trailed off, looking her over for a moment. "You have grown so much, I hardly recognize you. And to think you did all this in order to be able to read more spell books. Now look at you, all grown up and ready to tackle the world on your own." He looked eyes with her, making sure she understood the next part clearly. "Promise me one thing: stay safe and make some friends out there. I know you're close to the ponies from your squad, but I mean real friends, ponies you can hang out with, share hobbies or maybe even a little more. Somepony outside of the guard. I can say from my own experience that it would make you a lot happier."

"The Princess has put you up to this..." Twilight pouted, only to start giggling slightly. "I will, Shiny. I promise." Giving her brother one final hug, they parted ways; tomorrow would be a busy day, and she couldn't wait to see the looks on her squad's faces when they got the good news.

Waking up early had become natural to all of them by now. Their postings would be announced in the afternoon, giving them enough time to sleep in for once, but all of them were up before sunrise. The only one still sleeping in a small basket that Twilight had gotten from the mass hall was Spike. Everypony had fawned over the little guy when they noticed him, bringing a proud smile to Twilight. She knew she had made the right choice.

"So, Corporal, where do you want to be stationed? I bet they asked you already to make sure the best graduate this Fort has ever seen would be comfortable." Spear said, not making any attempt at hiding his smirk. He could tell something was up and was trying to get Twilight to spill the secret.

"I was thinking about Ponyville; you know, make sure I keep my promise." Twilight's voice was filled with a mix of determination and nervousness, knowing that her decision would have a significant impact on her and her squad's future.

Star and Spear stared at her, slack-jawed. Back then, they had chalked it up as wishful thinking, not something that was truly going to happen. "You mean..." Star stammered, "they are finally." She didn't finish, launching herself at Twilight and embracing her in a tight hug, not letting her go for a long time as tears streaked down her face. Her dream of protecting her village was finally coming true.

Wind and Glowing simply watched, not sure what this was all about. "Back during survival training, we discussed the dangers of the forest and what it did to the small towns nearby." Spear explained to them. "Many ponies join the guard because something happened to their family or friends. Twilight promised to do something about it, wrote a twelve-page long report on it and sent it to the Princess herself. We didn't think anything would change, but..."

"It's not official but I'm pretty sure they will put me in charge of the new Ponyville Garrison, and you will likely all be posted there." Everyponies eyes went even wider, non of them having expected that. The anticipation of their future assignments filled the squad with excitement. "Don't quote me on that though, I only put all the hints together, it could still change." Watching them compose themself, Twilight continued, "Let's get cleaned up and ready. I can't wait to get out of here.

After getting ready, they joined the rest of the guards, waiting for their assignment. Spike enjoyed the attention he was getting riding on Twilights back, she had to hush them away when the time came to be assigned their first post.

One after another, names were called and orders given. "Private Glowing Fields!" Captain Shield Strike shouted, getting the attention of the entire squad. "Everfree Division, Ponyville Garrison." Twilight had to suppress a giggle when she let out a loud "Yes!" The list went on, ponies getting distributed all over Equestria. Some were happy with their assignment, others less so.

"Private Spear Point, Private Star Berry!" Shield Strike shouted, getting both of their attention. They were not the first to be bunched together if their names were close in the list of names. "Everfree Division, Ponyville Garrison." By this point, no pony was surprised by a small town getting a garrison. Other towns had gotten similar assignments, but something was not adding up. Twilight counted five other small towns, and none had a corporal assigned to them. She was sure they couldn't transfer anypony with experience there; the guard was already short-staffed as it was. Another thing that didn't add up was that there was no Everfree Division to begin with; even Fort Everfree was part of the Canterlot area.

Her unvoiced questions were soon to be answered when Shield Strike shouted, "Corporal Twilight Sparkle!" getting her full attention and a crisp salute. "Everfree Division, command, Ponyville HQ." She blinked. This was so far outside the norm she had no idea how to react. "If you do well, your promotion is already waiting. Don't mess this up; it was your idea, after all."

Shield Strike continued on down his list until he reached the last name of the squad. "Private Wind Sheer!" She heard him shout, getting her out of her thoughts again. "Everfree Division, second in command, Ponyville HQ." Twilight couldn't be prouder. The pegasus earned the position, he had worked harder than anypony else had. It was good to have a second in command she could trust. With all the postings announced, it was time to head out. They would take the train and travel a station further; both Fort Everfree and Ponyville were on the same line, after all. With her in charge, they gained some freedom as well. No pony was waiting for them to report to; they could take their time. Their posting officially started in a week, just after the Summer Sun Celebration. "Corporal a word." She heard Shield Strike call out.

"Yes, Sir?" She stood to attention again, snapping her textbook salute for which she was known by now.

"You can drop that for now; let's talk freely." Relaxing, Twilight settled down in her rest stance, prompting him to continue. "Are you sure you can handle this? We can still call in somepony else to take charge if you don't feel up to it yet; there is no shame in admitting that."

His expression was sincere, with no mockery in his tone. It was good to know she had ponies she could count on if she needed help. "No, Sir, I can do this."

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear. You're an exceptional pony, Twilight; let no pony tell you otherwise." With a smile, he reached behind him, pulling out a stack of folders. "That's all the Guards under your command. Ponyville will be home to the central command for the smaller towns around the Everfree Forest. They will have their own autonomy as far as dealing with threats to the towns goes but will report and answer to you. Do you understand the responsibility?"

Twilight's expression hardened; she had made a promise she was sure to hold. "Yes, Sir, I will do my best to guarantee no pony has to live in fear any more."

"Good, have a nice travel. I can't wait to hear good things from you. Remember us small guys once you reach the top."

Giving him a nod, she turned towards the train station, where the rest of her squad was already waiting. As soon as she came into view, they stood to attention, giving her a salute and a crisp "Ma'am." This was something she had to get used to, but for now, it was unnecessary. "You can drop that for now. You're not on duty for at least another week, and I'm not going to have you salute me when not on the clock."

"So any idea were we will stay? Ponyville doesn't have a guard station as far as I now." Star asked.

"Not sure, haven't read that far yet." Twilight pointed at the stack of folders in her saddle bags.

Star shrugged. "Well, my family has a barn they don't use, and there are plenty of empty houses as well." Nudging Twilight in the side, she smiled a mischievous smile. "Or the library, wouldn't that be something." She got Twilight's attention in an instant, prompting the rest of the group to burst out laughing.

"You're the worst," she pouted. "You all are going to run the night shift for the next month." that, unfortunately, didn't stop them from laughing. Their train arrived shortly after; it was time for a new chapter in Twilight's life.