The phoenix raised her head with sleepy eyes, then yawned. She preened her feathers back into place from where they had been disturbed in her nap. Shifting her weight to her right foot, she looked out onto the Castle Gardens. Celestia would be looking for her soon, yes, but until then… something akin to a smirk crossed Philomena's beak. She would have some fun with the new guards.
Opening her wings, she drifted down from her perch and onto a nice, warm thermal. Ahh, now that was something… the wind felt marvelous between her feathers, and she could see almost all of the Castle Grounds from here. Spying a target, she flew straight onto the helmet of a startled guard. He stuttered, then said some words that were best left unrepeated.
Smirking, Philomena flapped her wings and gained altitude, heading back toward the castle. The pegasus guard looked at her, then muttered. He straightened again, regaining the famous blank face of the Royal Guard.
He almost jumped out of his hide when Princess Celestia appeared, her mane flowing in the wind only it could feel. "Your Highness!" he shouted as he saluted.
The Princess gave him that gentle smile. "Can I ask you a favor? I can't seem to find Philomena. I would search for her myself, but the ambassador from Grypha is coming. Could you find her please?"
The guard looked at her, then back in the direction the firebird had flown. "Uh…"
"Philomena! Please! Stop!"
The Captain of the Guard smiled to himself as the phoenix appeared around the bend in the long hallway. Ignoring the firebird's flight, he waited for the guard to come around the corner. When the guard did, he seemed startled to see Shining Armor. "Sir!" the guard nervously said as he saluted. "Have you seen Philomena? Princess Celestia asked me to find her."
To his surprise, Shining Armor chuckled. "Ah. I think I can help with that." The unicorn looked up at the ceiling, and the guard followed his gaze. Philomena had perched on one of the ledges that lined the ceiling, and she was looking down on them.
"Philomena," the Captain of the guard said, getting the phoenix's attention. "Princess Celestia wants to see you."
The firebird made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a sigh, but she glided down and onto the startled guard's shoulder.
"Thank you, sir," the guard stuttered, then saluted before trotting back in the direction he had come from. Shining Armor silently laughed when Philomena looked back at him with narrowed eyes.