“Good morning, Captain!”
Freeze Pop’s cheerful greeting to her superior rang through the warm morning air as she touched down outside of the Canterlot Royal Palace.
The dark grey pegasus whom she had greeted smiled, nodding in greeting back to her.
“Good morning, Sergeant. The day finds you well, I see.”
“It does indeed - and finds you ready to go home and sleep, I bet.”
Again her superior nodded. Captain Nimbus was, after all, primarily involved with the night watch. Unlike the younger pegasus mare, his schedule was more or less set in stone nowadays. Very seldom was he seen during daylight hours—or at least, seen in his official capacity during them.
By comparison, Freeze Pop was somepony whose duties could change on an almost daily basis. An especially notable example of this had been during the days leading up to the Summer Equinox Concert, when she had been asked on more than one occasion to be part of the Princess of the Night’s bodyguard. On two occasions she could think of, this had then led to her being assigned to escort Octavia home; after all, even if Canterlot was one of the safest places to live in all of Equestria, it was not without its criminal element. Having a large and sturdily built Guard escort you home went a very long way to deterring any would-be assailants.
“It’s been a long night, Freezy. I mean that literally, mind. I don’t doubt Celestia’s grateful for Lu-Lu taking over the major share of the work this time of year.”
“Neither do I - and I know Luna’s enjoying her bigger share of the spotlight, so to speak.”
Nimbus chuckled at that. “Well, you know what Celestia would say to that.”
“Something along the lines of ‘she is quite welcome to her share of it’, perhaps?”
The question hadn’t been Freeze Pop’s. It had instead come from the mouth of Princess Celestia herself, as she approached the two Guards. Both of them immediately snapped to attention upon noticing her arrival, though they relaxed just as quickly when she gave them a simple smile and a nod of her head to acknowledge their salute.
“That’d have been my guess, Princess.” the white pegasus mare nodded. “And a good morning to you, might I add.”
“Stealthy as always, Your Highness!” Nimbus chuckled, eliciting a small chuckle from the elegant alicorn.
“Well, someone must keep you alert.” she smiled, a twinkle in her eyes. “I see your relief is here, Captain.”
“She is, and what a relief it is.” the grey pegasus joked. “Well Your Highness, if I may be excused, I shall be on my way. I expect Hazy is going to be up soon.”
The princess nodded in reply, a warm tone to her voice as she spoke. “You may indeed, Captain. Give her my best.”
Nimbus snapped to attention once more with a smile. “Shall do, Princess Celestia!” he replied, before taking to the air with a mighty flap of his wings and setting off into town.
Celestia watched him go, then turned her attention to the remaining pegasus. “Sergeant, walk with me a while?”
“As Her Highness wishes!” Freeze Pop replied with a smile, snapping to attention herself before falling into step alongside the taller pony. It was a habit of the princess’s that she was used to by now: each morning after raising the sun, Celestia would take a stroll around the grounds. Sometimes she would have company, be it in the form of her younger sister or one of the palace staff. At other times she would simply go alone, using the time for indulging her mind in a myriad of thoughts.
Today, however, Celestia had chosen to bring Freeze with her for company while she walked the grounds. It meant that, for perhaps the next hour, both of them had a friend to chat idly to before attending to the rigours of their daily duty.
“So, Freeze Pop my dear, how have you been getting on with your evening classes?”
The armoured pegasus chuckled softly to herself. When she had first joined the Guard, she would have been surprised by a question such as that. She hadn’t been aware, after all, how much of an interest the Princesses took in their attendants’ lives and general well-being. Over time, however, she had learned that Celestia and Luna both made it their business to know every member of the palace staff by name. Additionally, both of Their Highnesses invested time in getting to know every pony in their employ on a personal level to some degree – and it was because of such behaviour that Celestia was therefore aware of this particular member of her Guard’s recent learning.
“Things are going quite well, Celestia. Golden Voice keeps telling me I have one of the most wonderful voices he’s ever listened to.”
“My my! Quite the compliment, coming from him.”
It was true, certainly. The tutor of whom they spoke was by no means without talent for song himself. It was, after all, in his name and, unsurprisingly, on his flank. In his younger days the suave stallion had travelled all across the kingdom, dazzling audiences young and old with spirited and breathtaking performances of songs ancient and modern.
“It is. You know, I remember the first time I ever heard him in concert. My mum and dad had dragged me to the amphitheatre, insisting on me experiencing something a bit cultured. I was dead set against it; wasn’t a fan of opera at all y’see.”
“I expect his performance changed your mind on that!”
“Sure did! Come the end of the show, I didn’t wanna leave. I was hoping he’d come back on and sing some more, but he’d already said his final goodnight. Wasn’t the last one I ever heard from him though.”
“I can imagine. A shame time has not been kind to him... I recall when he was still in his prime, not a summer went by without that dashing young stallion travelling his way right across the kingdom and making the fillies swoon in every town he stopped at.”
“I can picture it!” Freeze giggled. “It makes my coat stand on end when I hear him do his thing, even now. Shame he’s a bit old for me and already spoken for.”
Celestia glanced round at her companion, a knowing grin on her lips. “A voice such as that never loses its magic, no matter how old its owner gets. I was nothing but happy when I heard of his decision to spend the remainder of his life here in Canterlot, and on coaching other singers no less.”
“You and me both! And when I managed to secure some tutoring from him... well. I honestly didn’t think I could be happier.”
“And then you had your run-in with your friend from over the hills and far away?” Celestia playfully pried, her knowing look unchanging.
Freeze Pop grinned sheepishly at the princess’s teasing. “News travels fast, huh?”
“That’s one way of putting it.” the tall pony replied. “I shan’t pry further if you’re not comfortable talking about it though.”
“Oh no, nothing of the sort!” the pegasus replied cheerfully. “I don’t mind, it’s not like I’d be able to keep it quiet for too long anyway.”
“Very well.” the princess smiled. “So... is he cute?” she questioned, shoving lightly against the guard’s shoulder.
That was another thing that had surprised Freeze Pop about her sovereign after entering her employ. The only face of the princess she had ever seen was the one she wore for the majority of her subjects: that of Equestria’s sovereign ruler, Princess of the Sun, fair and just, wise and all-knowing. She projected the impression of calm and utmost authority, and commanded an air of awe and respect everywhere she went.
But that was merely one side of the princess. She was not just the ruling authority over the land, and her mind was not focused solely on running the kingdom. Even if that was a large part of where her mind resided most of the time, Freeze Pop had learned that Princess Celestia was, like any other pony, one with many facets to her being. As the pegasus had settled into her role as a guardian of the city, she had also in turn begun to see more of the princess’s other side - the one that only showed when she was not faced by those expecting an audience with the highest authority in the kingdom. When in the company of only a sole few ponies whom she trusted, Celestia would drop her facade of aloof regality and let those around her see what lay beneath.
And as it turned out, what lay beneath was quite the same as any other pony: one who loved spending time with her friends, laughing and joking about life, consoling and comforting when needed, and simply enjoying all that it meant to be alive.
“Well, I thought so.” Freeze Pop answered. “He’s very different. Not some ego-fuelled musclehead. Quite the opposite in fact.”
“Mmhmm? Opposites attract, I see.”
“Hey! I’m not that bad!”
Celestia laughed at that, a warm smile on her face. “No my dear. You have pride in your abilities, as well you should. There is nothing wrong with that, so long as it is not taken too far. I believe one of my student’s friends learned that lesson herself not too long ago.”
“Wouldn’t happen to have been Cloudsdale’s Best Young Flyer, would it?”
“It might have been.”
“Well either way, good for her.” Freeze chuckled.
“How did you run into this friend of yours?”
“Oh, that’s a story in and of itself!” the pegasus replied, happy to have the opportunity to talk at length about her exploits.
Celestia chuckled softly to herself. She knew that look on the guard’s face, and she’d asked her this question for the hope of seeing it. “Well dear, you know I love a good story.”
“Well...” Freeze began.
The freezing cold air sent shivers through the pegasus’s body as she climbed ever higher towards the stratosphere. In spite of the cold, however, she continued her climb. She was used to the feeling, having spent many a month perfecting her high altitude manoeuvres. The mark on her flank was testament to this fact: a frigid cloud over a mountain range declared to the world that she was a pegasus whose endurance was of considerable note.
The air around her wings was now so thin and frigid that ice crystals had formed along her feathers. This was, however, something she had planned for. The very reason for her climbing to this height was for the fact that this would happen. As the layer of ice began to harden further, she stopped beating her wings and angled her body down.
The rushing air seared through her coat as she fell back towards the ground. She was very glad of both the scarf around her neck and the goggles covering her eyes as she rocketed downwards. Her mane was blown back into a long blue streak, and her ordinarily puffed out tail was similarly buffeted into a lengthy blue blur behind her. Her ears pinned back against her head to keep out the wind, though even through the roar of air rushing past her, she could still make out the sound rising in her throat. It was a whoop of pure exhilaration as she delighted in the thrill of her descent.
Clouds filled her vision, but only briefly as she punched straight through them at an incredible speed. The sea below spread out before her, but as she flared out her wings and angled them, her body was pulled up out of its sea-bound plummet. The ice that had been encasing her wings flaked off in all directions, shimmering brightly in the afternoon sunshine. It made for quite the spectacle as she pulled up and soared over the little seaside town below, her course set towards Canterlot.
This had been a training flight for her, after all: an endurance test to keep her fitness up, and to make sure she didn’t lose her talent for such things. She was quite pleased with herself so far, as she had managed to set a new personal best for the time taken to reach Cape Sunrise. With a bit of effort, she had thought, perhaps she would set a record going back as well. It wasn’t until she had already flown about half a mile back towards Canterlot that she had noticed she was being followed.
She couldn’t properly make out who her pursuer was, although it was definitely a pegasus of some sort. She had pondered looping around to chat, but that would have meant a lost opportunity to better her record. As such, she had just continued on her way. Her pace had increased slightly, as she decided to give her pursuer a run for their money as a bit of entertainment on her journey.
After a mile or two, the other pegasus had given up and turned back around, leaving an amused Freeze Pop to continue on her way home with a bit of an amused smirk on her face. She had thought nothing more of the incident until several weeks later...
“...and then it turned out, the same guy Sketchy had seen in the park earlier on was the same guy Lancer had seen in the pub - the one who’d asked after a white pegasus with blue hair in a pub fulla guards.” Freeze finished, giggling at the memory.
“I see. And I take it he saw to introducing the two of you?”
“Yeah, something like that. And he didn’t run off scared that time, so we were able to hit it off.”
“Quite the tale!” the princess commented. “His tenacity is impressive, making the trip from Cape Sunrise to here with no guarantee of locating you.”
“Eh, no offence to Cape Sunrise, but it ain’t the most thrilling place in the kingdom. I should know, I’ve been there.” Freeze smirked. “I guess he just figured there was more to life and set out to see if he could find it.”
“You may be right. So, when do you expect to see him again?”
“No idea, ‘cept for ‘sometime soon’. Blackie said he’d make the trip as soon as there’s some favourable weather for it this month. Well, that and when he reckons he’s up to it. Like I said, he ain’t a big fella. That flight’s nothing to be scoffed at, even one way as I’m sure you know. I just need to make sure to be on the lookout for him.”
“Well, I hope he doesn’t keep you waiting for too long.” Celestia smiled. By now the two had made their way through the palace gardens and back towards where the white pegasus was to be posted for the day.
“I shall take my leave of you for now, dear. Thank you for the company and the conversation, though.”
“Any time, Your Majesty.” Freeze Pop replied, the appropriately respectful tone of a Guard addressing her sovereign returning to her voice.
Celestia gave a simple nod of thanks to the pegasus guard, flashed her a smile, and then was on her way back inside the palace.
Freeze Pop, meanwhile, returned to her post. There was one other Guard stood here, as per requirements. The white-coated unicorn stood to attention, a click of his hooves saluting the approaching pegasus.
“At ease.” Freeze told him as she took up her position at the other side of the royal palace’s front door. The unicorn nodded and relaxed into the same standing position he’d held before. After a few minutes, though, the pegasus noted her fellow Guard shifting uncomfortably from time to time.
“Something the matter, private?”
“Ah? Uhm, no, Sergeant. Not at all. Just, uhm, well...”
Freeze turned her head to look at the unicorn. He was definitely younger than her, that much was clear. It was also obvious that he hadn’t long been a member of the Guard, going by both the lack of any special insignia denoting rank and what Freeze suspected to be the source of his discomfort.
“Let me guess. You’re a bit surprised that the infamous Sergeant Hard-head’s a mare?” she smiled.
“No! ...well... maybe...”
“Listen... what’s your name, private?”
“Flashbang, s—uhh, ma’am.”
“OK, Flashbang. Listen up. There’re a lot of things you’ll encounter in the Guard that’re odd, and that’ll surprise you. Myself for one thing. Sure, most of the Guards’re guys. That’s not really that surprising though. I bet you dunno too many gals who dreamt of being a Royal Guard, right?”
“No ma’am.”
“You can just call me Freeze Pop. Rank’s only important to remember around royalty and rabble, as the old saying goes. ‘course you shouldn’t call anyone rabble, but you get my meaning.”
“Right.”
“Anyways. Yeah. A girl Guard might be weird, but it ain’t the weirdest thing you’ll ever see in this line of work.”
“What is, then?”
“I dunno, man. I’ve seen some pretty weird stuff during my service so far, and I expect the world has a tonne more of it out there. Main thing I would say to you is, learn to take the weird stuff in stride and you’ll go far.”
“I see... thanks, Sergeant!” the unicorn smiled. Freeze Pop raised an eyebrow at him.
“Y’know I did say rank ain’t important at the moment...”
“That’s as may be, Freeze Pop... but even if rank isn’t important as you say, respect is.”
A smile spread on the pegasus’s face at that remark. “Heh. You’re right, it is. Thanks for reminding me.” She turned her attention back towards the main drive leading to the palace gates.
“Are there any other lady Guards?”
“Huh?” Freeze blinked and looked back round at the unicorn. “Well... yeah, ‘course there are. I’m not the only tough as nails mare in the world after all. There’re others in the Guard as well.”
“That’s interesting...”
Freeze Pop smirked. She’d seen that kind of look and that sort of tone before. “Is it now? You scoping for a fillyfriend?” she teased. The resultant blush on the unicorn’s face told her the answer to that.
“Maybe?”
“Pffft, not something you gotta be ashamed of man. If you are, you are. Just be forewarned, the other gals in the Guard are all just as tough as you are. You know full well what kinda testing you gotta go through to get inducted after all.”
“I do.” the young unicorn nodded. “It’s rather gruelling, but I knew I had it in me.”
“I thought I did when I made my first attempt. Hurt when I found out I didn’t.”
“So I’ve heard! Y’know, when they put us through the physical tests, they made mention of one really stubborn pegasus mare who came back time and again to beat the physical. Uh, that was you, right?”
Freeze Pop grinned. Even if she was aware of her own notoriety within the Guard, it still tickled her every time she found out her reputation preceded her among the newbies.
“They didn’t nickname me Hard-head for nothing. Yep, that was me alright. I guess I was just too pigheaded about doing what I dreamed of to give up on it after only one go. Or two. Or three. Or... well, you get the idea.”
“It was the fifth attempt in the end, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, after I spent several months on working myself up to this size. I shoulda done that in the first place; when I first tried out I was a skinny bit of nothing.”
Her fellow Guard took a moment to briefly glance over her figure. The pegasus’s large and sturdy frame was an excellent example of a Guard in her prime: her musculature was firm and lean, well toned from regular exercise. Her posture was proud and upright, and she carried an air of authority about her. It was plain to see simply from looking at her that she was in excellent shape and knew how to handle herself.
“I honestly can’t imagine you as skinny, Freeze Pop.”
“Yeah. Nowadays, neither can I. But I bet you weren’t always a big strapping lad either.”
“Well, no.”
“Ponies change as time goes on. We become who we need to be as life shapes us. This line of work... you’ll get an awful lotta shapin’, if you catch my drift.”
“I do. It’s gonna be difficult and full of unexpected challenges, right?”
Freeze Pop smiled. “Bingo. I think you might just do OK, though.”
The two fell silent after that, their attention focused on their duty. Still, when lunch came around and they were sat outside on the lawn with a hearty lunch courtesy of the royal kitchen, Flashbang had something more to ask of his superior.
“So uhm, Sarge.”
“Mmm?” Freeze Pop replied around a mouthful of sandwich.
“Pardon me if I’m asking too much, but... what were you talking about Her Highness with, earlier?”
The pegasus grinned as she gulped down her mouthful. “Girl talk.”
Flashbang blinked a few times in surprise. “Er... really?”
“Really. Is it that hard to believe?” Freeze Pop replied, an amused smile on her face. “Listen man, both their Highnesses may be responsible for running the kingdom and all, but they’re still also both ponies like you and me underneath that. Honestly, they’re the best bosses you could ever hope to have in that regard: perfectly approachable and easy to talk to.”
“Huh. They hide it well.”
“Of course they do. Equestria needs its rulers, after all. The populace needs somepony to lead them, and they need to be able to look up to that pony - or ponies, rather. That’s why Celestia takes her time to help out her subjects, but she still maintains some degree of aloofness. It’s expected of her.”
“And Luna?”
Freeze Pop suppressed a loud snort of laughter, causing the younger guard to tilt his head in bemusement. She grinned at him as she spoke.
“Luna’s just somepony you have to experience for yourself.” she replied, stifling a giggle as a mental image of the younger monarch zipping down one of the polished tile floors of the palace, her legs covered to the knees in slinky fabric socks, passed through her head.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The rest of their lunch was fairly quiet, and it came to an end fairly promptly. As for what remained of their duty, it passed by with little more conversation or activity of note.
Freeze Pop preferred the quiet days, for the most part. After all, it was only when she began to feel restless that trouble seemed to strike - and at such times, it usually reminded her why she cherished the peace. As her shift drew to a close, though, her younger guard companion had one last thing to question her on.
“There something up there I’m missing, Sergeant...?”
“Hmm?” she asked, blinking. She turned her head to look back around at the inquisitive unicorn. She smiled, shaking her head. “Nope, Private. I’m just on the lookout for something.”
“Hostiles?”
“Nah.”
“Birds?”
“Nope.”
“The sunset?”
“Not that either.” Freeze stated, her eyes scanning the sky. She stopped, staring at one particular patch of sky as she spotted something. She tensed slightly, frowning up at the black speck in a blue sky. A smile slowly spread on her face.
“There. That’s what I was looking out for.” she pointed out, gesturing with a hoof.
“...that’s another pegasus, isn’t it?”
“Not just any pegasus, if my reckoning’s correct!” Freeze Pop grinned, flexing out her wings. “Reckon you can hold the fort for a little while?”
“Well of course, Sergeant!”
“Perfect.” With that, the white pegasus crouched forward slightly and beat her wings a few times, working them into a rapid rhythm. “I’ll be back in a few!” she called back, speeding forward and up into the air.
It had been an arduous flight from Cape Sunrise, but Blacklight now found himself travelling the familiar skies of Canterlot. With the well-laden saddlebags he wore, the journey had taken him a good six hours of flight - with stops along the way to refresh himself, of course.
Still, it’s gonna be worth it. It’s been far too long since I last saw Freeze... now, if I could just remember the way to her apartment...
As he paused in mid-air, however, he noticed something heading his way. Or rather, someone. It didn’t take him long to figure out it was a Royal Guard, and for a few dread-filled moments he wondered if perhaps he had strayed too close to the restricted airspace surrounding the palace. He tensed up a bit as the Guard approached, but as she closed in on him he relaxed.
“Do you know why I’ve pulled up here?” the armour-clad pegasus questioned, her tone authoritative. She had a huge smile on her face as she spoke, however.
“Did I fly into restricted airspace, ma’am?” Blacklight questioned, grinning back at her.
“Oh no, I’m afraid it’s far more serious. You see, you’ve stolen something from one of our ranking officers.”
“...I have?” the black-coated pegasus blinked, taken rather aback by that accusation.
Freeze Pop smiled as she closed the gap between the two, pressing her nose into his. “Yep. You went and made off with my heart a few weeks back, you thieving scoundrel.”
Blacklight’s face flushed red under his coat at that remark, his cheeks hence taking on a sort of purplish hue. “Erm. Well... do you need to bring me in for questioning?” he managed to squeak. He was, after all, somewhat of a shy individual - and although he was usually more at ease around the white pegasus, she knew just what to say to really make him blush.
Freeze Pop grinned at that. “Not questioning, as such... but I will have to bring you down to ground level to keep an eye on you.”
“Lead on then, officer.”
With that, the two of them swept back down toward the palace, landing back where Freeze Pop had left her unicorn subordinate. He promptly clicked his hooves together in salute as she approached.
“Welcome back Sergeant. Who’s this colt?” he questioned, eyeing the black pegasus suspiciously. Blacklight shrank back slightly under the other Guard’s keen gaze.
“This fellow is a very close personal friend of mine, Private.” Freeze Pop replied, arching an eyebrow briefly at the younger unicorn. “So be nice.” she added in a less stern tone.
“You’re a friend of the Sergeant’s?” the unicorn repeated, looking at Blacklight once more with a more relaxed expression. “Well, a pleasure to meet you then, mister...?”
“Uhm. Shining. Blacklight Shining. But just Blacklight is fine.” the pegasus in question replied, feeling rather small stood around two very sturdily built guardsponies.
“Blacklight it is, then. Like I said, pleasure to meet you. I’m Flashbang. I just got assigned to work with the Sergeant today.”
“Nice to meet you. You both on day duty today?”
“We sure are, Blackie. Which means we’re almost done, your timing was practically perfect.”
“Well that’s good. I’m sure the last thing the Princess needs is me distracting you while you’re at work.”
Freeze Pop let out a giggle at that. “Careful there, Blackie. She’ll hear you and start thinking I’m not doing my job properly!”
“As well it’s nearly finishing time then, huh?”
No sooner had the words left the unicorn’s mouth, than a pair of Guards emerged from the very doors they were guarding. Both Freeze Pop and her subordinate snapped to attention, saluting the new arrivals—or, more specifically, the one unicorn of the pair.
“Good afternoon, Captain Armor sir!” Freeze Pop spoke, a smile on her face. “Five thirty pm, and all is well.”
Shining Armor nodded to the pegasus, his expression purposeful but relaxed. “Thank you, Sergeant Freeze. Well, if there’s nothing to report, you’re free to head home. We’ll be relieving you for the night watch.” he replied, indicating himself and the other Guard with him. He then glanced at the smaller black pegasus, and then back to Freeze Pop questioningly. “Friend of yours?”
“Quite a special one too, Captain.” Freeze Pop nodded, glancing over to Blacklight. “Blackie, I’d like you to meet Shining Armor - Captain of the Royal Guard. Captain, this is my friend Blacklight Shining.”
“A pleasure!” the armour-clad unicorn smiled, offering a hoof to the black pegasus. Blacklight shook it after a few moments’ hesitation.
“Likewise, sir.” he replied respectfully.
“So what brings you to the capital, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Oh, that’d be me that does.” Freeze Pop cut in with a smirk. Blacklight simply nodded sheepishly at that, raising a chuckle from the Captain.
“Ah, so that’s it? Well, I won’t delay you further from being on your way then, Sergeant.” he grinned. The white pegasus grinned back at him in a similar fashion.
“You’ve my thanks, Captain!” she stated, stretching out her wings. “We’ll be off then. Say hi to Luna for me when she stops by.”
Shining Armor simply nodded a reply to that, leaving Freeze Pop and Blacklight to take to the air. Once they were out of earshot of the palace, Blacklight glanced round at his companion.
“Y’know, Freezy... the Guards are a lot more relaxed than I thought they’d be.”
“Oh yeah?” Freeze questioned, looking round at her friend with a relaxed smile. “Did you expect them all to be hardcore serious?”
“Something like that.”
“Heh heh. We’re only serious when occasion demands it, Blackie. That’s not to say us Guards aren’t disciplined—far from it, we’re all able to jump into action at the drop of a hat. But the very reason we’re all able to be disciplined and orderly on a moment’s notice is that we keep ourselves more or less at ease the rest of the time. It’s all about your state of mind. If you can keep your mind ready but your body at ease, it’s easier to adjust to a sudden change.”
“So that’s why you’re all... buddy-buddy with each other?” Blacklight replied.
“Pretty much! Besides, it promotes our cohesion as a singular force. If everypony knows each other and gets along, they bond better; therefore they’re more likely to look out for each other in the field where it counts.”
“Got it.” Blacklight nodded.
“Good. So anyway, how was your trip?” Freeze inquired as the two glided lazily down toward the rooftop plaza of her apartment block.
“Tiring!” Blacklight answered truthfully. “My wings and my back are killing me. Can’t remember the last time I felt so sore.”
“Oh?” Freeze replied, a note of concern in her voice as they touched down and made their way to the steps leading down inside the complex. “Well, that’s no good. Sounds like somepony could use a little TLC.”
With that, she pushed open the door of her apartment and led the way inside. It was just as Blacklight remembered it: a short entrance hall led onto a large main room, off of which were a few other doorways leading to a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom. One wall of the room was dominated by large glass panels, granting a spectacular view of the surrounding city.
“Good job for you I’ve had the opportunity to learn a thing or two about giving a good rub down.” Freeze Pop went on, glancing back at the black pegasus with a flirtatious flutter of her eyelashes. “Care to give me a hoof getting this lot off?” she added, gesturing with her head at the armour plating she wore. The subject of her address let out a nervous squeak, his face flushing again. He nodded regardless though, and hesitantly stepped towards her.
“Uhm... what do you need me to do?”
“See along my back there? My plate fastens together along there and between my wings. It’s a little tricky to get at sometimes.”
“Oh, I see it.” Blacklight nodded, finding the fasteners carefully crafted into the armour. They were simple enough to undo from this angle, and he heard the solidly built mare let out a sigh of relief as the plates loosened around her.
“Ah, thanks. I can take it from here. Those things are a real pain sometimes!” she smiled, pulling herself free from the rigid material. Under the plate she still had on a short undershirt covering her upper back, though she soon loosened that and tossed it aside also.
“Ahh! I can’t tell you how much of a relief it is to get all that lot off at the end of the day!”
“Probably about as much of a relief as it was to get those bags off my back.” Blacklight replied with a smile.
“Mmm, I bet!” his companion nodded. “That flight’s bad enough without some extra weight. Speaking of which... why don’t you make yourself comfy on the couch here?” she continued, half closing her eyes with a slightly seductive smile on her face.
“Is this my reward for helping you get that armour off, then?” the black pegasus giggled as he clambered up on the couch as asked.
“I guess you could look at it that way.” Freeze replied. “Now, just hold still and relax.” she instructed, climbing up behind him and laying her front hooves on his back. He flinched slightly under her touch, but soon settled once more as she began to gently search for any tightened knots of muscle. When she began massaging his aching flight muscles, the stallion couldn’t help letting out a bit of a groan.
“Nnnnngh... Freezy... that’s incrediblllle...” he slurred, the tension ebbing out of his body.
“Haha! Thanks, Blackie!” her voice came merrily from behind him as she continued her gentle but firm treatment. “You’ve got a good few knots back here from flying all this way. Seeing as you did that for my sake, I think it’s only fair I loosen them up, you know?”
“Yyyyyeah, only fffaaaairrrr... “ he agreed, closing his eyes as he gave in to the blissful feeling of her healing touch. The distance he’d covered was soothed away into naught but a distant memory, as far as his muscles were concerned.
Freeze’s smooth tones continued along with her treatment. “I’ve missed having you around, you know.”
“I’ve missed being around.”
“Mmm. I’m glad you came better prepared, this time. You’ll want to crash here while you’re staying in Canterlot of course, right?”
“That was the plan, yeeeeah...” Blacklight replied, feeling a growing need to fight to stay awake. It wasn’t the exhaustion from flying here that was tiring him—well, perhaps it was that a little—so much as it was the depth of relaxation he was experiencing that threatened to plunge him into unconsciousness.
“Well, of course you’re welcome to. In fact, I’d have insisted on it.”
“Mmm.” Blacklight replied, a smile spreading across his face. He had expected as much of his companion, seeing as she had essentially taken him in last time he had been in Canterlot. “Thanks, Freezy.”
“You’re welcome, Blackie.” the sturdy mare replied, drawing her hooves down along his back one last time, before settling into a seated position alongside him. “Feeling better now?”
“Much better, thanks.” he replied, sitting back up and stretching slightly. “Oh, I uhm... brought you something, by the way. From home, I mean.”
“Other than yourself, you mean?” Freeze chuckled. “You didn’t have to, you know.”
“I know, but I wanted to.”
“I somehow had a feeling you’d say that. Well... what did you bring me then?”
In response to that, Blacklight hopped off the sofa and headed over to where he’d deposited his saddlebags. Rummaging in one side of them for a moment, he pulled out a large, candy-striped paper bag, which he brought back over to the couch with him. A faint, sweet smell wafted from within, tantalising his companion’s nose.
“Here you go.”
Freeze took the bag from her friend, carefully opening it and peering inside. A delighted smile spread across her face as the distinctly sugary sweet smell hit her nose full force, and she saw what lay within.
“Salt water taffy? Mmm! And that’s a lot in there, too!” she enthused, carefully tipping out a piece onto a hoof. She tossed it into her mouth and chomped on it. The inside of her mouth was soon coated in a sugary mess as she chewed on the confectionery.
“You like it then?” Blacklight chuckled, somewhat amused at her fighting with the chewy sweet.
“Mmnn! Izsh delishush!” Freeze Pop replied. She chomped and slurped a bit more, and then amended her statement. “I mean, it’s delicious!” she chuckled. “Thanks, Blackie.” Having swallowed her sugary treat, she stretched and glanced out the windows, and then back to her friend.
“I take it you won’t be up for heading out anywhere for dinner?”
“I’d love to... but I don’t think I’m actually up to it.”
“Maybe tomorrow then.” Freeze nodded. “I’ll just cook us up something.”
Some hours later, the two pegasi were comfortably ensconced on the large couch facing the window. Two empty plates sat on the nearby coffee table, evidence of the meal of pasta and vegetables Freeze Pop had cooked up—in spite of her own admissions that she wasn’t that much of a cook. The room was quiet, save for the faint background music of a vinyl record playing one of the white pegasus’s favourite opera numbers, and the calm, contented breathing of the room’s occupants.
This wasn’t the first time Freeze Pop had found herself relaxing in her living room with this particular stallion in this fashion. When he had first come to Canterlot and the two had come to know each other as friends, they had spent a fair few evenings in each others’ company like this. In fact, towards the end of his stay, she had more or less been accommodating him here. On that first journey, after all, Blacklight had not brought along much to sustain him. It struck Freeze that, most likely, he had journeyed to Canterlot on a whim, with the hope of finding what he was looking for buoying him on.
When he actually had found the target of his search, though, he hadn’t really thought through what to do. That was why he had ended up under her roof for a spell.
Well, that and a load of other reasons. Freeze thought to herself happily, shifting slightly as she cuddled up to her friend. He responded with a minimal sleepy-sounding grunt, and moved a little to better accommodate her. Despite her better judgement, she found herself fast falling asleep on the couch—but she had to admit that the possibility of a sore neck in the morning was a small price to pay for the level of comfort she now felt.
As the sun finally sank completely below the horizon, both ponies had drifted off into a blissful unconsciousness.