A Regal Rendezvous [Private]

[Oopsie Daisy]

Gallant Rose

It had already been a particularly busy day for the Elite pegasus guard, and it was only going to get busier. Which was just how she liked it.

First, she'd had to get up rather early for a training session with some of the new recruits, then run some errands for the princesses before they went on their trip as guests to Cranky and Matilda's wedding in Ponyville. They had a few royal escorts accompany them, so Gallant and other high-ranking guards could take care of business during their absence. Which was just as well, seeing as there was a group of important Saddle Arabian dignitaries visiting Canterlot to secure a few trade contracts with the ponies of the capital city. She had greeted dignitaries before, and it would be no problem considering how many other guards would be there. Even a few select night guards were switching shifts to do their own duties during the day, just for extra security and for appearance's sake.

They were scheduled to arrive soon, so Gallant began making her way from the armoury to the main hall of the castle. Her head was held high, her steps lengthy and proud as she made her way through the corridor: her golden shoes echoing off the marble floor below. Guards were posted outside of every room, holding spears in their forelimbs at the ready. Security was always tighter than usual when important out-of-town ponies visited Canterlot, so it only made sense. Gallant herself felt it was a little unnecessary, but she was never one to question the princesses. Each guard nodded to her as she walked past, and she returned the gesture like clockwork. Militant as always, she had little more than an authoritative frown on her face as the main hall came into view. Already there was a collection of guards stationed there, gathered into groups of their respective faction. Earth, Unicorn, Pegasus, and of course the Batponies. Everything was in order, which always made her happy to see.

She stepped into the entrance hall which appeared to already be alive with conversation and preparation. Several guards were chatting between themselves, Saddle Arabian flags and banners decorated the room, and a banquet had been prepared for the visiting ponies. A few other guards were also entering the scene, and the royal announcers were getting ready for their warm welcome in their dapper red suits, feathered hats and trumpets at the ready. A satisfied half-smile lifted one side of her muzzle as she walked up to the other guards, pleased that everything appeared to be going well so far.

There was slight banter between the guards, but they still remained professional and dignified, which was what she always liked to see. Some of them completely shut up when they saw her approaching, and this secretly pleased her. The Batpony group were close to the Pegasi, and Gallant momentarily focused her bright yellow eyes on Nightfall who was making sure they were in line, as always. Gallant Rose smirked, always impressed by the Night Guard Captain. The two hadn't spoken much, but they were similar in how serious they were about their jobs and how much they strived for perfection. It was more than admirable, no doubt.

Soon after, a series of hushes could be heard throughout the grand hall, and all the guard ponies simultaneously stood to attention. The unicorn guards at the doors lit their horns and pulled them open with magic. The announcers began playing a tune as the dignitaries walked in: six Saddle Arabian horses dressed in elegant foreign attire stepped into the castle. They were announced and introduced one by one as they walked down the red carpet, humbly waving and smiling to the groups of guards. Gallant stood just in front of the Pegasus ponies, standing tall and proud as she bowed her head to the guests, expecting everypony else to do the same. There would be much to discuss, but right now her job was essentially to hang around and keep an eye on things. The atmosphere had relaxed a little now that the welcome was over, but now it was time for business. Gallant would take her turn to repeat what the princesses had told her when the higher-ranked guards were done talking with them, so she figured she may as well carry out some personal duties in the mean time. Maybe make conversation with a few other guards.. even though socialisation wasn't her strong suit.

Either way, the guards had their work cut out for them.

--

OOC: Closed for ForgottenExistance only.

[ForgottenExistance]

Captain Nightfall

It was a busy morning. There was little else that could be said about it. There were preparations to make, orders to give, a schedule to keep, and only so many hours in the morning. So, to really put a word to the morning, it would be hectic.

Of course, hectic was exactly what Captain Nightfall liked, because it meant that she got the chance to flex her brain more than her muscles for once. It was the one muscle that really mattered, and it was the one muscle that standard day-to-day guarding didn't task to full capacity.

Nightfall had to alter her sleep schedule two nights early to accommodate for being awake all day, and it would likely affect her sleeping schedule for another day afterwards. But, it had paid off in the end. She had managed to wake up at five in the morning, twelve hours later than she usually got up to start her duties. This was followed by a quick recap of the day's events, a review of the troop positions and the roster that would be under her command for the day, and then a brief span of physical training before suiting up.

Having both Celestia and Luna outside of Canterlot for a full day was something of a rarity, especially whenever foreign dignitaries were scheduled to arrive in Canterlot. However, it was something of a blessing, because the two Captains could focus on protecting the dignitaries instead of dividing their attention between the dignitaries and both princesses. Nightfall briefly suspected that Celestia had organized the entire thing to work out that way, considering just how often the old alicorn liked to tweak things to play out just the way she wanted. Of course, however it had worked out, she was just glad that it had worked out in her favor for once.

Coordinating a small amount of the night shift forces with the day shift forces had been easy, it was just a matter of keeping a token amount of Lunar Guards around to keep up appearances around the dignitaries, and having night shift ponies pick up the slack where the day shift couldn't hold on their own. She spent a while organizing the entire event with the Captain of the day shift, including maps and blueprints as well as duty rosters and personnel files. There was only limited amounts of banter.

When all was said and done, the ponies who were to be used for the day were gathered in the main hall, with both Captains snapping off quick orders to their respective factions. Nightfall stood in front of the collection of bat ponies from the Lunar Guard in front of her, eyeing them with her vivid green orbs. With only a short amount of time before the dignitaries arrived, she only had time for a few final orders.

"And finally, I want you all to keep your eyes protected. Most of you haven't been on the day shift before, so you don't know just how bad the sun can get. We're used to dark places, so I've assigned most of you castle and dungeon patrol. However, first and second squads are going to be out in the streets, which means that you're going to have to deal your photosensitivity for the day. Do your best to keep your eyes away from the sun, and defer to the judgment of the Solar Guard while you're out there. Remember everyone, this is their operation, which means that we're their guests for today. I want you all on your best behavior, and if I hear about any of you getting in a fight with one of them, it'll be latrine duty with nothing but your mouths for a solid week. Do I make myself clear?" she snapped off, making eye contact with each and every one of them as she spoke. She was met with a collection of "yes ma'am"s before they broke to head to their duty assignments.

Only a few of the bat ponies stayed behind, and those were the ones who were there as the token force to protect the main hall and represent the Lunar Guards. Nightfall decided to stay with them, taking her spot in the line and lifting her helmet onto her head. She knew every guard there, maybe not personally, but she had read every one of their files at some point or another. She trusted all of them, and didn't have a doubt that the day would go off without any serious trouble occurring.

When the dignitaries entered, Nightfall bowed along with most of the other guards, if not all of them. It was a tradition to keep, and it made sure that the dignitaries knew that they were important while they were there. It may not have been the princesses who were meeting them, but it was in the castle, so that meant that they would be given only the highest possible protection.

With the greetings out of the way, Nightfall stepped away from the line of Lunar Guards and gazed around, her eyes lingering on every pony there for a few moments. Most of the guards in the main hall would clear out to take up further patrols or door duties, with only a small hoof full of guards staying in the main hall. She had suggested to the day shift Captain that it would be best if most of the roaming pairs of guards were paired off equally; one from night shift and one from day shift. That way, the night shift pony would be with someone who was in their own element, and it would facilitate cooperation between the two groups. As such, Nightfall had personally selected her own partner from the day shift who she would be roaming the castle with.

Crossing the hall on swift hooves, and nimbly avoiding the socialization that occurred between the dignitaries, Nightfall came to a halt in front of the pegasus she recognized as Gallant Rose, an elite member of the Solar Guard she hadn't yet met on a personal basis. Her file was impressive, to say the least, and she had a professional respect for her.

Coming to a halt in front of her, Nightfall snapped off a respectful salute, "Gallant Rose, you've been assigned as my patrol partner for the day's events. We're to cover the east wings until noon," she announced to the other mare. If she was correct, it was going to be a fairly simple duty; wander the east wing through their pre-designated route until lunch, and then shuffle to another patrol until the dignitaries left.

[Oopsie Daisy]

It certainly still felt a little strange that the princesses had left such an important dignitary meeting to go to a wedding, but Gallant wasn't the least bit concerned or confused about the decision. She trusted the princesses more than anyone else, and she felt honoured that they trusted their guards enough to handle it themselves. As always, she would make sure she'd do her absolute best in order to make them proud and make sure everything went smoothly and to plan. The room wasn't overcrowded or too busy, but there was still a decent number of guards in the hall for it to feel truly regal and important. By order of Celestia, she was to make sure the Solar troops stayed in line and keep a close personal eye on the important visitors for when she had to relay messages to them from both princesses. They both deserved a day off to enjoy a joyous occasion, and while Gallant would go with them wherever they pleased, she couldn't help but feel secretly glad they hadn't asked her to come along for this particular trip. She had absolutely no interest in weddings.

With a few odd jobs that needed to be done, Gallant was quick to deal with them, and assign ponies she personally knew were more than worthy. "Sergeant Stonewing, Tornado: you two have been tasked with patrolling the eastern corridors. Private Zephyr, you and Cobalt Blue partner up with the Lunar guards and select others to do the same with the Captain's help. If there is any talking back, bickering or stepping out of line, the princesses will hear about it directly from me. Got it?" Her voice was as hard as her expression, and a resounding "yes, ma'am!" was heard from the group who hurried to do their duties. A satisfied half-smirk covered the pegasus' face as she watched them go, which quickly turned back to her typical guard-mode frown which seemed to be present even when she wasn't on-duty. She had to keep up appearances after all, plus she was known for not smiling much.

So far, everything seemed to be going well. They had made the dignitaries feel welcome in Canterlot, which was the most important thing - besides keeping them safe, of course. She stood at the sideline for a bit, watching the other guards present and making sure they were all doing their jobs and doing them properly. Most of them were now clearing the area, and she knew that she soon would be doing the same. She hadn't yet been told what her next duty would be, so she remained posted to one side of the staircase, overseeing her surroundings and keeping an eye on things. One thing she hadn't expected was Captain Nightfall herself briskly walking in the Elite's general direction, and she stood to attention as the batpony snapped a salute and spoke her piece.

"Captain," was her immediate response as she returned the gesture, quickly raising her foreleg to the side of her head. She was taken slightly aback by Nightfall's words, not quite expecting the information she gave. First of all, she hadn't expected to pair up with somepony, and second, she had no idea it'd be the Night Guard Captain herself. It was an honour, to say the least. Despite her surprise, the always professional pony refused to show it, and nodded once with understanding. She still wanted to know where the order came from, though. "Understood. May I ask who assigned us as partners? Just because this is the first time I've heard about it," she replied, lowering her hoof back to the floor below, a frown still present on her face. She had absolutely no issue with being paired up with such a brilliant guard of course, and was happy to work closely with someone of a higher rank for a change. She could scarcely believe it wasn't noon yet either, for the morning had seemed to go on for so long. Not that she was tired of course, the slate grey-pelted pegasus could go on all day if she needed to. And it looked like she would be doing that today.

[ForgottenExistance]

Impressed by the Elite's professionalism and ability to work her troops, Nightfall had to admit that she had picked the correct partner. If her file wasn't enough to convince her, the small speech she had witnessed was more than enough to pick up the slack. She was quite happy with the performance, and would make sure to write a recommendation in her after-action report about the events. It was rare that she got to meet a pony of the Guard who was both professional and able to work their troops, and it appeared that Gallant had enough of both aspects.

Listening to Gallant's piece, she nodded towards the doors on the east side of the room and started walking, assuming that her partner would follow along without needing to be prodded. It wasn't like she expected the Solar Guard to just lag behind and wait to be told to follow, she was smarter than that. Besides, she wasn't about to talk about orders and politics in a room full of politicians. It wasn't smart, it wasn't professional, and more importantly, it would just be better to talk once they weren't in a room that drowned out noise so very completely.

Once they were out in the hall, Nightfall spoke, "That's because I was the one who assigned us as partners, Elite. I read your file, examined your fighting preferences and your experience. Out of all the Guards, your file would compliment mine the best, and I wasn't about to make that information public until I was absolutely sure," she said, taking off towards the east wings at a well-measured march, "With such important dignitaries around, I thought it best to leave the most effective Guard pairs as being anonymous until it was time for them to pair off. You and I included," she explained, keeping her head forward as she lead them through the halls.

It wasn't as if she expected there to be trouble, or for there to be a spy in the Guard. It was really just a good idea to keep the most effective teams a secret until the last moment, on the incredibly minuscule chance that something did go wrong. That way there wouldn't be a way to sabotage the effective teams before the events started, and they'd remain anonymous until they reached the places that they were stationed. A little bit of caution always helped.

"I understand your ability for field command, Elite, but there's a difference between commanding a squad and commanding half the garrison of Canterlot. I apologize for not having you informed before the events, but it's always a good idea to keep your best players hidden until the game begins," she said, glancing over at Gallant without breaking her stride, "Of course, that being said, you happen to be one of the players I kept hidden," she said, turning her head forward before rounding a corner and merging onto the patrol route she had designated the night before the festivities began.

"More importantly, I thought this would be a good opportunity to test your abilities. There are very few Guards with your skills, and I figured this would be as good a time as any to see what of your file is actually true. You can consider this an inspection if it makes you feel better, but I'm not grading your performance at the end of the day. Your grade is either a pass or a failure, with passing meaning that the delegates are still alive by the time the sun goes down, or a failure meaning that the delegates are dead by the time the sun goes down," she said, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her muzzle and revealing the slight silhouette of her fangs, like a predator playing with its kill.

Nightfall didn't mean to pry into Guards lives like that, but if there was a Guard she thought even remotely capable, she liked to observe on a personal level and determine whether or not they'd be good players if a catastrophe ever occurred. There were only a few Guards that she did that for, but all of them she'd observe, make her notes, and then either file them away or keep them in mind for later. It was part of her method of protecting Canterlot, something she did with enthusiasm and sheer determination.