When breakfast was over, Prince Tempo instructed Douglas to follow him out of the breakfast hall. They went to the throne room and over to where the Prince’s office was and Douglas was instructed to remain outside.
‘First day on the job, so be ready for... well, anything. This part’s simple enough. This door will remain closed unless you knock and say someone wants to see me or I open it up to ask you something. For now, I want you to stand outside and keep watch. If someone knocks on the door of the throne room, answer it to see who it is, have them wait outside, and let me know. Understand?’
‘Yes, Prince Tempo,’ Douglas said.
‘Good. Do you have any questions?’
‘What if they say they have an appointment with you and want to come in immediately?’
‘You still need to make them wait and come and retrieve me. Better to have the extra procedures than to have someone who doesn’t belong, right?’
Douglas nodded.
‘Very good. I’ll only be an hour, then we’ll head out. I just need to do some quick paperwork.’
Douglas nodded and took a position outside the door with his sword and shield. Prince Tempo closed the door connecting the throne room and the office and the Palace became silent except for the occasional sound of a pony’s hoofsteps passing by the door on the balcony.
Douglas didn’t mind the quiet. After the hectic schedule and constant moving around of the past few days, he was grateful for what may as well have been a break. He still needed to be alert, of course, but for the most part guarding the prince in his office was a relatively simple job. He was left alone with his thoughts.
First were his new quarters. He liked them; they were fancier than most others he’d lived in. He may have been paired with a roommate, but he liked Ruby Rose and he had enough of his own space he had some feelings of privacy. The common room appeared to be a good enough place for socializing and mingling with the other guard members, plus there were quite a few of the ponies in the Guard who were friendly.
And then there was the Crystal Palace itself. It was strange and exotic in its structure and build of entirely crystal, but it fascinated him. The colors of light often changed the way the stone looked, from deep blue in the afternoons to an almost purple in the evenings and a fiery orange tint in the morning.
But what Douglas found more and more fascinating was the Crystal Prince himself. D’Amore Temporus asked and seemed to know a lot about him, but Douglas seemed to realize he didn’t know anything about him besides his cutie mark, talent, position, and that he wanted to be his friend. The Crystal Prince had kept himself elusive, even mysterious towards him. Even now, as he sat outside the door to his office, he realized he had no idea what went on inside.
Why did he even need a personal guard? The Crystal Palace seemed to be well-fortified, and the room was not so easily reached. Was it so that he could not be disturbed? That seemed likely, but it was possible few ever did disturb him.
Was there something in there he didn’t want anyone to see? Douglas wished he could open the door and look into there, but had a feeling that would give him a stern reprimanding, and he didn’t want that now that he was sure he was on the Prince’s good side.
Douglas was brought back to the mystery of what happened that morning. There was no doubt in his mind he was on the Prince’s good side, that was for sure; Prince Tempo had almost never spoken out against him barring the one time in the training center and even that had a compliment in it. And then there was the meeting that morning where the Prince was sweet-tempered, good-natured, and willing to talk about rather personal things with an understanding and even accepting air. But still Douglas wondered why the Prince would take a vested interest in him.
As a matter of fact, he could pin down the beginning to a specific incident on day one. Prince Tempo had said ‘You will find that love can do strange, yet powerful things here and can be a driving force behind many of our actions.’ And... right at the end... a smirk and a strange, mischievous look in his eye. Almost like he’d made a joke to himself, and Douglas was sure it was directed at him.
He’d seen that mischievous look more since then. It was there when Tempo had flicked the dirty rag at Storm Shield. It was there over tea the morning when he was offered the job at the Crystal Palace. It had been there when Prince Tempo locked eyes with him that morning, had been there when he had stared into the handsome face and found himself unable to look away.
But what did the Prince mean to do? What could he do, exactly? Prince Tempo, his actions, and his words... while Douglas suspected they all had some sort of degree of truth in them, he wondered if there were not underlying reasons for his actions. Including placing him as his personal Guard.
Before he could entertain his thought process any longer, there came a knock on the door of the throne room.
Adjusting the grip of the shield in his hand, Douglas walked over to the door and opened it. Standing at the entrance was Gleaming Shield, dressed in full armor.
‘Captain Gleaming Shield,’ Douglas said, saluting.
‘Lieutenant Douglas,’ Gleaming Shield saluted in return. ‘Is there anyone speaking with Prince Tempo at the moment?’
‘No. I suspect he is in his office. Do you wish to speak with him?’
‘Yes. Let him know I wish to see how you seem to be adjusting to the Palace, as well as a few other matters with the Guard.’
‘Yes, ma’am. Please wait out here and I’ll notify the Prince.’
Gleaming Shield nodded and Douglas closed the door. He walked across the throne room and knocked on the door. Prince Tempo opened it moments later.
‘Captain Gleaming Shield is here to see you, sir,’ Douglas said officially. ‘She wishes to discuss matters involving my adjustment as well as general Guard information.’
Prince Tempo nodded. ‘Thank you, Douglas. Send her in.’
Douglas nodded. Prince Tempo kept the door open as he walked across the throne room and opened the door, noticing Gleaming Shield waiting patiently outside.
‘Prince Tempo will see you in his office.’
Gleaming Shield nodded as Douglas closed the door. ‘Good boy. Already you are acting professionally and fit for the position.’
‘Don’t get too excited,’ Douglas responded quietly as they walked to the office. ‘It’s still my first day as escort.’
‘Escort?’ Gleaming Shield asked, looking at him in surprise. ‘I didn’t expect he’d put you as escort.’
‘Neither did I,’ Douglas agreed.
They reached the office and Douglas knocked three times before he showed the mare in. ‘Captain Gleaming Shield,’ he said.
Prince Tempo smiled. ‘Thank you. I’m afraid I cannot have you stay in the room at this time, Douglas. Please wait outside for just a moment until we’re done.’
‘Yes, sir,’ Douglas said. He bowed and left the room, closing the door behind him and resumed his position.
But Douglas was inwardly questioning the decision. Why did Prince Tempo not want him in the room despite the fact they were talking about him? If Gleaming Shield wished to know about him, Douglas could provide a personal testimony. He could talk about the ponies were treating him nicely, how Prince Tempo had assigned him to be his personal guard, how he felt nervous about it but how the prince wanted to be his frie—
There was a loud banging from inside the room. Gleaming Shield sounded as though she was shouting angrily, but he could not figure out what it was. Douglas drew his sword from the scabbard, whirled around towards the door, and opened it.
‘What’s going on!?’ Douglas shouted, assuming a defensive stance.
In the silence that followed, Douglas examined the situation. Prince Tempo was sitting calmly on his side of the desk though he held a stern expression towards Gleaming Shield. The unicorn mare, on the other hand, had both of her hooves on the desk and had been glaring at Prince Tempo. At the sound of Douglas’ shouting, however, she slowly turned around to face the human.
‘I appreciate your quick response,’ Prince Tempo said calmly. ‘However, there is nothing to be afraid of. Please, go back outside the room. I will call you in when I need you.’
‘No,’ Gleaming Shield said firmly. ‘Let him stay. I wish to hear his opinion on the matter himself.’
Prince Tempo shrugged. ‘If that is what you wish. Douglas, come here for a second.’
Douglas was trembling, but he sheathed his sword and followed orders. He walked around the desk and faced Prince Tempo. However, Tempo didn’t speak but motioned him to look towards Gleaming Shield. He did so and paid attention to her completely.
Once she saw that she had Douglas’ attention, Gleaming Shield started to speak. ‘Prince Tempo wishes to have you as his personal guard?’
Douglas turned to Prince Tempo, who didn’t look back. ‘Yes,’ he said, turning his head back to the mare, ‘that is what he proposed.’
Gleaming Shield seemed unsure of the response. ‘What do you think of being the personal guard to the prince?’
Douglas shrugged. ‘I wonder why he made the choice as to me, but at the moment I dare not question it.’
Gleaming Shield turned to Prince Tempo, who looked at Douglas, who remained focused on Gleaming Shield. ‘Has he given you any reason?’
‘Two of them,’ Douglas said.
‘In detail, please.’
‘He said he wished to keep an eye on me due to me being strange and foreign. By the same interest he took an interest in me and wished to know more about me and where I came from.’
Gleaming Shield looked between Prince Tempo and Douglas for a while. ‘Nothing else?’
‘Well, he wished to be my friend.’
Gleaming Shield nodded and set himself down. ‘You believe him to be capable for the position?’
‘He appears to be willing to serve,’ Prince Tempo said calmly as he returned his gaze to Gleaming Shield. ‘And if he fights like he does when I saw the fight in the training center, I would say I have a very capable assistant.’
Gleaming Shield responded quicker than Douglas could. ‘You saw the whole fight? You just told me you saw one and broke it up.’
‘From beginning to end. It was almost a normal sparring match, but I was afraid it would come to more damaging blows, and so I stopped it.’
‘And you didn’t tell me this!? I only learned about it from Storm Shield. Why did you keep that from me?’
‘I decided not to concern you in the matter,’ Prince Tempo said matter-of-factly. ‘I was able to put a stop to it and I take it that another such incident did not happen.’
‘No, sir, it didn’t,’ Douglas said. ‘Then again, I cannot tell if it was because you intervened or because you pulled me out before it could happen again.’
‘I do not wish for it to happen again,’ Prince Tempo said quietly but darkly. ‘Princess Celestia would have my hide if I did.’
Gleaming Shield’s expression softened, but not by much. ‘So, you are okay with being Prince Tempo’s personal guard?’
‘My earlier sentiments remain.’
Gleaming Shield nodded. ‘Unless you have any more comments to add, I think I’ve asked all I’ve needed to.’
‘He asked to be my friend,’ Douglas said without knowing quite why he was saying it. ‘It has been a long time since anyone has asked that of me, even since before I came here.’
Gleaming Shield looked at him thoughtfully.
Prince Tempo bowed to Douglas. ‘You are excused, Douglas. I shall be done with Captain Gleaming Shield shortly, at which point we will head downstairs for lunch. Please wait outside until we are done.’
‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ Douglas said. He bowed and left the room.
Douglas heard no more of the conversation between Gleaming Shield and Prince Tempo within the prince’s office. More questions came into his head. What was Gleaming Shield so angry about? Why was she against him being Prince Tempo’s personal guard? Why did Prince Tempo keep his knowledge of the fight hidden from his own captain, who was supposed to know those things?
The meeting lasted for at least fifteen more minutes before Gleaming Shield exited. Douglas walked alongside her to the entrance of the throne room and opened the door for her.
‘What do you think of it here, Douglas?’ Gleaming Shield asked.
Douglas shrugged. ‘I have been treated fairly and kindly by all those here. It is a welcome change, but we shall see what things fate has in store for me.’
Gleaming Shield nodded. She turned to Douglas and spoke in a hushed voice. ‘I may not be your commander anymore, but if you have any problems – any at all, whether they are about the guard or the palace or your job or even the prince – you may come and see me.’
‘Why are you so concerned?’ Douglas asked.
Gleaming Shield tried to smile. ‘No reason. It’s just because Princess Celestia sent a note for me to look out for you, too, likely assuming you stayed in the barracks. Being that I would have been your boss if this had not happened, I only wish to let you know that option is available.’
Douglas nodded. ‘I shall keep that in mind. Thank you, Captain.’
‘You’re welcome, Lieutenant,’ Gleaming Shield replied. Then she turned and descended the staircase from the throne room.
Douglas closed the door of the throne room and returned to the open office door. Prince Tempo was still sitting at his desk, but he appeared to be doing nothing.
‘Is there anything else you need, sir?’
Prince Tempo shook his head and smiled. ‘No, Douglas. I apologize if you were put under pressure.’
‘It’s fine,’ Douglas said. ‘If I may have the favor, may I speak my mind?’
‘You may.’
‘I was wondering why I was not invited in to give personal testimony to Gleaming Shield about my stay here.’
Prince Tempo nodded. ‘I was not sure which order she wished to speak in. I’m afraid to say it was the issue of your stay first.’
‘May I ask what problem Gleaming Shield had? Or is that information I am not entitled to?’
‘You are a recent edition to the Crystal Palace Guard – remarkably so – and she was a bit concerned about placing you so close to me within so short a time.’
‘It’s a question that has passed my mind as well, sir.’
Prince Tempo nodded. ‘Perhaps later, I will tell you. For now, I am done with what business I needed to complete today. Come.’ He stood up from behind his desk and walked around. ‘I have to meet with a few ponies up on the next floor about finances, trade, and other things. I apologize if they bore you, but we’ll have lunch and go for a walk around town later today. Sound good?’
‘Of course,’ Douglas said. ‘Whatever you say.’
None of the sessions were boring even though Douglas knew next to nothing about what happened in most of the meetings and understood none of the jargon. Douglas found Prince Tempo to be meticulous but to-the-point in his discussions, which helped keep things moving along.
At the beginning of each session Prince Tempo greeted each of the ponies personally and introduced them all to Douglas. He explained Douglas’ position and qualifications and made sure they all approved of him before moving on and asking the first to present the days’ business.
Each seemed to understand the Prince’s need to be swift but meticulous. They always handed out at least five pages’ worth of notes and charts detailing what happened but immediately launched into explanations of the highlights of the notes and any issues that needed specific handling. Prince Tempo was not a swift speaker, waiting until he was sure the others had finished their portion before speaking himself, but always getting exactly to the questions he wanted and never circling an issue.
He had little patience for those who circled around the issue, as well. If anyone tried to circle around an issue or didn’t know quite how to phrase it, the Prince would immediately interject with either what they were trying to get to or a repeating of his question until they would give him a direct answer.
Even so, there was a lot of business to be done. The Prince spent nearly an hour with every office and would not leave until all the business he had to or wanted to get done was done and there was no more questions. It amused Douglas how, in the office of finance, Prince Tempo had sat around for five minutes in complete silence, with the finance department heads staring at him awkwardly, until one of them had the gall to ask him a question... the exact one he’d been waiting for. It was only after the question was asked that Prince Tempo finally stood up and bade them farewell.
After nearly three hours of meetings and going through the departments one by one, Prince Tempo walked into the hall, stretched himself, ruffled his feathers, and asked Douglas if he had any particular ideas about lunch.
‘...no?’
‘Right, you really haven’t been around here before, have you? Come on, you’re coming with me to lunch. I know an excellent place we can sit down.’
‘...shouldn’t I be guarding you in some manner?’
‘I’m pretty sure you’re not an automaton, though correct me if I’m wrong and a circuit breaks or a spring comes loose.’ He let out a loud and jovial laugh at his own joke. ‘Come on, it’ll only be an hour and you need to eat, too.’
Douglas realized his stomach was feeling a little empty. He had no choice but to follow Prince Tempo as he trotted jauntily down the hall, almost with a bounce in his step, towards the lift that led to the main city of the Crystal Empire.
The sun almost blinded him coming out onto the streets; it wasn’t particularly dark inside the Palace, but for some reason the brightness and the colors surprised him. Everything seemed brighter and more vibrant as Prince Tempo led him gaily down one of the main spokes and towards a market section, decorated in festive manner with flags waving around and streamers all over the place.
The Prince chose an open-air café and chose a table without waiting to be seated. But as soon as they sat down a waiter was at their side and taking their order. Douglas, sitting around uneasily, barely noticed when the waiter asked him for his order.
‘...what?’ Douglas asked.
‘What do you want to drink, sir?’ the waiter repeated.
‘Oh, uh... I-I don’t know. What is it? Uh... I mean what do you have?’
‘How about a fruit tea or a glass of water?’ Tempo suggested.
‘...let’s go with that.’
Tempo picked up his menu. ‘What are you interested in?’ he asked. ‘I’m don’t know if I want the grilled eggplant sandwich with chips or the large salad with vinaigrette dressing.’
Douglas didn’t say anything in return. He looked at the menu and avoided Tempo’s eyes for as long as he could. He surprised himself by getting a fish filet sandwich – he had not expected meat of any kind – with a fruit salad as a side. It came with a small slice of pie as a dessert, and he got a slice of apple pie.
When the meals were ordered, drinks arrived and their menus were taken away. Tempo tried asking him what he got, and Douglas answered the simplest way he could before looking around.
It amused Douglas – for reasons he couldn’t even understand – how there was miles of clear skies and fields of grasses that abruptly turned to snow. Perhaps in how similar it was to his home: a large circle where everyone lived and worked, surrounded by a barrier that appeared to isolate them from the rest of the world.
But here, everyone was happy. Foals ran freely through the streets playing games of pretend and chase games. The adult mares and stallions conversed happily in the markets and squares. The stalls were filled with wonderful, ripe fruits and luscious greens, not to mention the smells of freshly-baked goods that permeated the air.
Tempo took a sip of his pink lemonade and sighed. ‘So, what do you think of our city so far? I know this is isn’t your first time really getting a good look at it, but you are still new here.’
‘It is quite beautiful,’ Douglas allowed himself to reply. ‘The residents appear happy, the streets and homes are well-maintained. I’m quite impressed.’
‘I wager you’ve never really had the chance to enjoy yourself like this.’
‘You’d be correct.’ Douglas allowed something of a smirk to come onto his face. ‘Much less doing so with a prince.’
Tempo laughed. ‘It certainly isn’t a normal thing for me either,’ he admitted. ‘However, considering you are my personal guard, I would like for you to feel comfortable around me. Expect things like this to happen often.’
Douglas allowed himself a laugh. ‘This job just keeps getting more benefits to it. First medical, now social. Pretty soon, you’ll be finding me a partner, no?’
They both laughed over that one.
‘Actually,’ Tempo admitted when he calmed down, ‘there are quite a few married pairs within the guard.’
‘Really?’ Douglas said, now with genuine interest.
‘Yeah. A few years of going out on patrol together tends to strengthen the bonds between them. Some of our strongest warriors are those that have been fighting together for years and eventually get married.’
‘Do they ever settle down?’
‘Oh, the mare usually will,’ Tempo said. He took a sip of his lemonade before continuing. ‘Once they start having foals. The stallion will serve another year or so then retire honorably. Go back to University, get another job that’s quieter.’
‘Sounds like you’ve got things made.’
Tempo leaned a hoof on the table and rested his head on it. ‘Did you ever have a partner back home?’ he asked curiously.
Douglas sighed. ‘I had a female friend for a few years. Her name was Angela. A head shorter than I was, blonde hair, sweetest laugh you ever heard, even sweeter since she hardly ever let it out.’
‘What did she do?’
‘She worked as a government secretary. I met with her frequently because I was working on the mirror as a technician. She was allowed outside the bounds because it was a low-level job, and we met up frequently.’
‘You said she was a friend of yours. Would you have married her?’
Douglas thought about it, twirling the spoon around in his hand. ‘I don’t think I had thought about that yet. We dated, though, or at least what could count as dates. Dinner at each other’s houses. Taking walks through the city.’
‘Did she have a hand in your punishment?’
‘No.’ Douglas sighed and his face turned into a frown. ‘Matter of fact, she was killed before I was. Right in front of me, too.’
Tempo looked at Douglas with deep sympathy. ‘I am terribly sorry.’
‘Oh, don’t be. It was the government’s fault. Suspected her of treason.’
Tempo nodded. ‘You seem to have dealt with that whole experience very well.’
The food came. Douglas’ fish filet was lightly browned and had an excellent honey mustard sauce. ‘Maybe. It’s been a while since I’ve really got to thinking about her. Life has been so hectic since entering the Guard, you know?’
Tempo hummed in agreement. ‘Yes, the guard can be very stressful. I don’t think they perform as well under stress, though.’
‘Oh, no,’ Douglas said. ‘I remember giving myself a shock because my supervisors wanted me to hurry up. I was under so much pressure and stress I passed my hand in between an open circuit and ‘boom!’ I was taken to the medics for that one, but I turned out alright.’
Tempo stifled a giggle. ‘Do you like your fruit salad?’ Tempo asked him.
‘It’s delicious,’ Douglas said. ‘The berries are quite juicy and flavorful in particular.’
‘They’re crystal berries. Light, sweet, and refreshing, and hoofpicked from the fields around town. They’re always in plentiful supply.’
‘Do you grow the rest of them here?’
‘The climate is good for apples, but the bananas and mangoes we have to bring in from orchards and plantations down where it’s warmer.’
Douglas looked around him. The sky was clear and shone a bright blue, the crystal of the Crystal Palace seeming to fade into the sky. ‘Seems like nice temperate weather to me.’
‘This is the warmest it will get all year,’ Tempo replied. ‘It cools down after about two months.’
‘Ah, so the temperature doesn’t get warm enough for those.’
‘Correct. Still, the growers we order from take care of their produce. It’s still fresh as though it’s picked off the tree.’
‘Sure tastes like it,’ Douglas said, taking another bite of his salad.
And without really expecting to and despite his initial misgivings, Douglas found himself warming up to the Prince. He was friendlier and easier to talk to than he expected, and there was something about his voice and actions that made Douglas feel comfortable being around him and speaking to him. As they walked around town the rest of the day, Douglas listened intently to the Prince as he spoke about the Crystal Empire and its history as though from the mouth of a scholar.
Sure, he still wasn’t quite sure as to how to react to him sometimes, but overall he liked the energetic and sweet temperament of the alicorn. He spoke to him genuinely and seemed to care about him no less than he did any other of his subjects, perhaps even more. He made sure Douglas was comfortable and liked his new job, made sure the others were treating him okay, and seemed to delight in even the simplest of Douglas’ awe and amazement at the history and the way he told him things. But when Douglas spoke about his own home, he listened with intent at the stories Douglas told, expressing sympathy and horror at all the right places.
‘That’s quite a tale,’ Tempo said as they returned to the base of the Crystal Palace at the end of the day. ‘But consider this: that chapter of your life is over, and a new one has begun.’ He smirked, and that mischievous gleam came back into his eye. ‘Let’s make this ending a happy one, shall we?’
And, for once, Douglas agreed with him wholeheartedly.