//------------------------------//
// Chance Encounter 
// Story: The Heart Of Ice That Burned 
// by TheEquestrianWing 
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The Heart Of Ice That Burned

First impressions are very important. Nobody can deny that. They form the basis of how one person views another person he or she has just met. This applies to any first meeting between any two individuals. In a casual environment, first impressions help people choose their friends. In an interview, the evaluator decides whether or not to hire the applicant based on their first impression. In the workplace, the boss gives all of his employees a certain level of responsibility according to how reliable he finds them, which in turn is determined by his first impression of them

The most delicate and sacred form of a first impression is the type that ultimately leads to a romantic relationship between the two parties involved. However, the majority of romances do not begin with either of the participants having an amorous view of the other. Unless it is love at first sight, they only regard each other as acquaintances at first. But it is always possible for their bond to grow into something stronger than friendship.

Nopony understood the value of the first impression more than a certain officer in Equestria's Royal Guard.

This officer was a stallion named Comet Frost. He had been in the Royal Guard for close to a decade. He loved his job, he loved the respect and prestige it brought him, and he had taken it because he loved his country.

When he first joined the Royal Guard, Comet Frost assumed he would spend most of his career patrolling the halls of Canterlot Castle. This was in fact what he did for the first nine years. However, less than a year ago, the Crystal Empire had remerged in northern Equestria after disappearing for a millennium.

Princess Cadance and her husband Shining Armor had been given control of the Empire. Once the city was secured from danger, fifty of the Royal Guard in Canterlot had been assigned to accompany the royal couple.

The number had gradually increased overtime. Just three months ago, Comet Frost had been transferred to the Crystal Empire's division. When he arrived there, he was promoted to the rank of Commander, which made him the Crystal Empire Royal Guard's third-in-command after Captain Shining Armor and his deputy, Commander Plainview.

Because of his status in their ranks, every member of the Royal Guard knew Comet Frost by name and by appearance. He was a Unicorn with an aqua coat, a white mane with a grey streak down the center, and his cutie mark was a snowflake. However, his eyes made up the most unique aspect of his appearance. His right iris was red, and his left iris was blue. Nopony knew why he had mismatched eyes; only he knew. It was a private matter he did not like discussing with others.

In the Crystal Empire, Comet Frost's duties extended to more than just a hallway sentinel. He was also tasked with performance reviews, recruiting the local crystal ponies into the force, and overseeing their training programs. Shining Armor had given him a considerable amount of authority to match his rank.

Comet Frost was very appreciative for all these new responsibilities. He had a great deal of admiration for his commanding officer. The two of them had served together on the Royal Guard for years, and they were more than just colleagues. They had become good friends as well.

However, while Comet Frost knew Shining Armor very well, he was nowhere near as familiar with his wife. In fact, he had never officially met Princess Cadance. He had occasionally passed by her in the hallways of both Canterlot Castle and the Crystal Empire Palace. Whenever he did, he always bowed to her, but they never spoke any words.

It had been three months since Comet Frost came to the Crystal Empire, and he still had not presented himself to Princess Cadance. Of course, Comet Frost knew that he would have to formally introduce himself to her at some point. After all, the whole reason the Royal Guard were even in the Crystal Empire was to protect her.

Comet Frost did not get nervous when he met people. One of his best qualities was that he always knew how to make an excellent first impression. The primary reason he had delayed introducing himself to Princess Cadance was that he was looking for the most ideal opportunity to do so.

Three months after Comet Frost arrived in the Crystal Empire, he was given that opportunity. On this day, he woke up like he did every other morning. He ate breakfast and made himself presentable like he did every other morning. He checked in at his office and examined the roster like he did every other morning.

On any other morning, he would have drawn up a set of training exercises for the new recruits after examining the roster. However, before he could do this, he was summoned to the barracks by Shining Armor. Comet Frost was intrigued when he got this message. The only reason Shining Armor would summon him to the barracks without any prior notice was if there was a sudden need to increase the level of security in the palace.

When Comet Frost arrived at the barracks, three other ponies were already there. Two of them were Shining Armor and Commander Plainview. The third was an orange Pegasus with a blue mane, light blue irises, and a blue shield with a yellow lightning bolt for a cutie mark. He was Flash Sentry, the fourth-in-command of the Crystal Empire Royal Guard.

Once Comet Frost was settled, Shining Armor debriefed him and the other two stallions on the situation. He informed them that he had received an important message from Canterlot. According to the message, the Crystal Empire had been tasked with holding a summit for the newly-crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle. The summit would start in the late evening, and it would last about a week.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would both be attending the summit. They would be arriving well before noon. However, Princess Twilight was not expected to arrive until sometime after Luna had risen the Moon. Shining Armor explained that the summit had been arranged this way so that the Royal Guard at the Crystal Empire would have time to reinforce their numbers and tighten their safety measures. That way, by the time the other three Princesses showed up, the palace would be totally secure.

After the debriefing, Shining Armor distributed the assignments. Commander Plainview was tasked with selecting which units would patrol the exterior of the palace. Comet Frost would pick which units would monitor the corridors and entrance hall. Flash Sentry would organize which units would observe the throne room.

This was the majority of what Shining Armor expected his senior officers to do that day. He also expected each of them to play a minor role in the opening of the summit itself. Plainview was asked to escort Princess Twilight and her friends to the throne room once they reached the palace. Flash Sentry was asked to introduce Twilight Sparkle when she appeared in the throne room. Comet Frost was asked to introduce Cadance, Luna, and Celestia in turn.

Comet Frost saw this as the perfect chance for him to make a good first impression of himself in front of Cadance.

After the meeting, the four stallions got busy. A couple hours before noon, an entire legion of the Canterlot Royal Guard came to the city. These were their reinforcements. It only took Plainview, Comet Frost, and Flash Sentry a few hours to assign all these units to their posts. In the end, the palace had a very strategic and formidable security network formed by hundreds of the Royal Guard.

Comet Frost was off-duty for a couple hours before the summit. He spent that time contemplating what he would say when he introduced the princesses. He stood alone on the balcony outside the throne room, practicing his introductions.

"Okay, how do I put this?" he muttered under his breath, "'Their Highnesses, Princess Celestia of the Day, Princess Luna of the Night, and Princess Cadance of…' of what? The Crystal Empire would certainly work, but that seems too vague. And somewhat insignificant when compared to day and night. Perhaps I could say 'Princess of Love.' No, that might be too suggestive. Maybe I shouldn't refer to them as 'Their Highnesses' either. I can afford to say 'Her Highness' three times; I'm not any time constraints. Hmmm… what if I introduced Princess Celestia as the 'Princess of the Sun,' Princess Luna as the 'Princess of the Moon,' and then Princess Cadance as the 'Princess of the Crystal Empire.' At least that way, I'd be saying that they each represent a physical object. Still, it seems a little inadequate. The Canterlot Royalty already rules all of Equestria, and the Crystal Empire is technically part of Equestria. That being said, all three of them would have some amount of jurisdiction here. I can't make it sound like Equestria is a divided kingdom."

He went on like this in solitude for a long while before he had some company. At one point, he heard a voice behind him call out "Good evening, Comet."

The aqua stallion quickly spun around to face his visitor. He eased down when he realized who it was. He smirked and replied with "Oh, hello, Flash."

The orange stallion nodded his head in acknowledgment and trotted onto the platform. He asked his friend in interest "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm trying to decide how to introduce the princesses at the summit," Comet Frost explicated, "I've literally considered dozens of possibilities, but none of them seem suitable."

Flash Sentry scoffed and stated "I never would have thought you of all ponies would be so distraught over such a small detail."

"Flash, in this line of work, no detailis small," Comet Frost countered.

"Alright, that may be," Flash openly admitted, "Still, I think you're needlessly stressing yourself out. I'm just going to say 'Her Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle.'"

"That's it?" Comet Frost remarked in surprise, "No addendums or anything?"

"Nope, just that," Flash Sentry confirmed, "Even if I wanted to add something, I wouldn't know what else to say."

"Off the top of my head, I can think of a few things," Comet Frosts informed him, "You could say 'Princess of Ponyville.' Or 'Princess of Magic.' Or 'Princess of the Elements of Harmony.'"

"What about 'Princess of Books?'" Flash Sentry joked.

"Books?" Comet Frost repeated.

"Captain Shining Armor once mentioned how much Princess Twilight Sparkle loves to read," Flash Sentry illuminated, "So 'Princess of Books' could be an appropriate label. Who knows? If I say that, she might even be amused."

"It's possible that she has a sense of humor, but I wouldn't risk finding out the hard way if Captain Shining Armor doesn't," Comet Frost observed, "After all, this is his sister we're talking about. You realize that, don't you?"

"Of course I realize that," Flash Sentry retorted, smugly grinning, "How dense do you think I am?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?" Comet Frost leered wittily.

Flash Sentry lightly shrugged and said indifferently "Sure, go ahead. In your mind, how dumb am I?"

"You know I don't regard you as dumb, Flash," Comet Frost stated, "I'm just trying to make sure you understand how important it is that we say the right thing at the summit."

"I understand, Comet," Flash Sentry assured his friend, "Believe me, I'm taking my responsibilities very seriously. And anyway, if one of us should be concerned about the introductions at the summit, it would have to be you."

"Oh?" Comet Frost remarked, raising an eyebrow "Why is that?"

"Captain Shining Armor can be a forgiving stallion," Flash Sentry remarked, "But I put emphasis on 'can be.' It would depend on what misdeed he'd be asked to forgive. If somepony screws up introducing his sister, he'd probably be willing to pardon them. If somepony screwed up introducing his wife… I'd hate to be in that pony's horseshoes."

Comet Frost narrowed his eyes at the younger stallion and frowned, as if he was profusely annoyed. Then he sarcastically uttered "Thanks for bringing that to my attention, Flash."

"I'm not saying that would actually happen," Flash Sentry told him, "I was just speculating. Like I said before, you and I don't have anything to worry about. If you want my advice, look over these 'dozens' of introductions you've made and pick one. You'll do fine."

Comet Frost could not deny the reasoning in his colleague's words. He sighed and remarked "Okay, Flash. I'll do that. You go ahead and double-check the security in the throne room. I need a little more time to think."

Flash Sentry agreed to this proposal and departed from the balcony. Comet Frost was left by himself once more. He spent about ten minutes going over all the possible introductions he had rejected, and finally, he selected one which he deemed adequate.

An hour later, he returned to the throne room. Flash Sentry and a dozen of the Royal Guard were already assembled there. Interestingly, all twelve of these Royal Guard were crystal ponies. Other than Flash, Comet was the only person in the whole room whose coat was not glittering.

That quickly changed. Less than twenty minutes later, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance arrived in the throne room. The fourteen stallions bowed to them as they passed through the large double doors and proceeded to the opposite end of the room. Cadance sat down in the throne, and Celestia and Luna stood on either side of her. Once they were settled, the Royal Guard stood up straight again.

Fifteen minutes later, the double doors opened again and Commander Plainview held them open. The twelve crystal Royal Guard each raised a trumpet to his mouth and blew strongly. As they produced the customary royal fanfare, A lavender Alicorn passed through the double doors and walked down the columns.

She gazed around the room as if she was astonished. Unfortunately, because of this distraction, she was unable to walk in a straight line. She veered slightly to the right as she proceeded down the room. When she reached the end of the column, she bumped into Flash Sentry by mistake.

Both the lavender Alicorn and Flash Sentry were surprised by this, but the orange stallion wordlessly assured her that everything was alright. As the mare backed away, he closed his eyes and announced "Her Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle!"

Comet Frost smiled in satisfaction. Then he pointed towards the other end of the room and declared "Her Highness, Princess Celestia of Canterlot; Her Highness, Princess Luna of Canterlot; and Her Highness, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Empire!"

Cadance stepped down off the throne and approached the younger Alicorn. She chuckled, nuzzled her head against Twilight Sparkle's, and told her happily "Twilight! I haven't seen you since the coronation."

Princess Luna and Princess Celestia moved to Cadance's sides. Twilight Sparkle was not alone either. An orange Earth Pony, a pink Earth Pony, a white Unicorn, a yellow Pegasus, a cyan Pegasus, and a purple and green baby dragon gradually advanced towards her. The white Alicorn pronounced "He have so much to discuss. But it can wait until tomorrow. You all look tired from your journey. Now off to bed, all of you."

Twilight Sparkle, the dragon, and the other five mares acknowledged Celestia's command. All seven of them turned around and headed back to the double doors. On the way, they talked amongst themselves excitedly.

Once they were gone, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance departed from the throne room as well. On her way out, Cadance looked at Comet Frost out of the corner of her eye and smiled at him. He just nodded in return.

After the princesses left, the twelve crystal Royal Guard filed out of the room one-by-one. Subsequently, Comet Frost and Flash Sentry were left by themselves.

Flash Sentry scoffed and perceived "That was perhaps the briefest initiation to a summit that I've ever seen in my life."

"Well, to be fair, it is quite late," Comet Frost pointed out, "Besides, this summit is supposed to last an entire week. There's no harm in having a brief opening."

"I guess that's true," Flash coincided. After a moment of silence, he grinned and stated "Couldn't help but notice you got Princess Cadance's look of approval."

"Yes, but it still wasn't a formal introduction," Comet Frost debated, "And it certainly wasn't 'close and personal,' like your encounter with Princess Twilight."

Flash Sentry scoffed and professed, "Yeah, that's true. I'm a little surprised that happened. You'd think she'd be as concerned about her presentation as we were about ours."

"Apparently not," Comet Frost commented, "Then again, this was her first summit. You can't blame her for being astonished by the profundity of it all. Having all this… attention. She may find it a little overwhelming."

"A fair observation," Flash admitted. There was another short interval of quietness. Then the orange stallion suggested "We should probably turn in for the night, too. We'll need our rest in order to maintain this much security for an entire week."

"I concur," was all Comet Frost said in response.

The two high-ranking officers left the throne room and made their way to their quarters. Comet Frost thought about how the introductions went. He was quite pleased that he had not stuttered or misspoken in any way. However, he still had yet to properly introduce himself to Princess Cadance. To some, that might not have seemed like a big deal, but it was a matter of principle to Comet Frost. He felt that Cadance had a right to know who exactly had been appointed to protect her, and he doubted that she even knew his name. To him, that was inexcusable.

He vowed that he would remedy this problem the next morning. If everything went on schedule, he would have done so indeed. Unfortunately, an unforeseen complication occurred before the Sun was raised.

Comet Frost was awoken in the middle of the night by a loud thumping sound. After collecting himself, he realized somepony was knocking on the door to his quarters. He called out hastily "Enter!"

Immediately, Commander Plainview entered and shouted in urgency "Comet, get in uniform and report to the throne room right now! We have a security breach!"

Plainview left immediately after saying this. Without stopping to think, the aqua stallion jumped out of bed and donned a full set of armor. Then he galloped as fast as he could to the throne room. Shining Armor and Plainview had already arrived there ahead of him.

"Alright, what's the situation?" he enquired anxiously.

"An intruder was in the palace," Shining Armor apprised him.

"'Was?'" Comet Frost noted, "Where is he now?"

"She got away," Plainview enlightened him, "But we know where she is."

"Okay, how did she get out of the building?" queried Comet Frost.

"The same way she got in," Shining Armor replied, "Strictly speaking, she never entered or exited the palace. She just appeared through a type of portal in the east wing. Princess Twilight and her friends were the only ones who saw her. They described her as a yellow Unicorn with a red and yellow mane, mint green eyes, and a shimmering sun for a cutie mark. She escaped through the aforementioned portal before they could stop her."

"What was she doing here?" Comet Frost queried.

"She was trying to steal Princess Twilight's crown," Plainview informed him, "Unfortunately, she succeeded."

"Then we must got after the intruder and apprehend her as soon as possible," Comet Frost declared.

"Negative, Comet," Shining Armor countered "Princess Celestia has already been informed, and she's forbidden anypony from going after that intruder without her consent."

"Did she give any particular reason why?" Comet Frost requested.

"No, but as you and I both know, that's not the point, Comet," Plainview retorted, "When Celestia gives an order, it is our job to follow it."

"I'm not disputing that, sir," Comet Frost assured his superior officer, "I'm just saying; we cannot risk letting that thief get away. The longer we delay, the better her chances of escape may be."

"Princess Celestia has informed us that she has a plan to recover the crown," Shining Armor notified the aqua stallion, "However, she has requested that we let her handle it in her own way. She does not want the Royal Guard involved."

To Comet Frost, this was a most unusual request. However, he had an obligation to honor Celestia's wishes. So he did not question her orders.

"Very well," he agreed.

Later on, Comet Frost discovered that the intruder was a mare named Sunset Shimmer, Celestia's previous failed apprentice. She had been residing in an alternate world for years, but she had found a way to accumulate information on the events of Equestria and return to steal Twilight Sparkle's crown. Her motivations for taking the crown were unknown, but the princesses were very clear when they said it was imperative that the crown be recovered.

Twilight Sparkle was tasked with following Sunset Shimmer into the alternate world. She would be getting there the same way as Sunset: by passing through the portal in the east wing. This portal was actually a mirror which doubled as a gateway once every two and a-half years. Whenever the gateway opened, it only stayed open for seventy-two hours at a time. That was how long Twilight had to retrieve her crown.

Twilight Sparkle was expected to go to the alternate world by herself without any backup. Although she was hesitant to do this, she reluctantly agreed. However, her dragon assistant Spike had rushed in after her before anypony could stop him.

There was nothing anypony else could do now except wait.

Twilight Sparkle's friends Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash all agreed that they would not leave the room with the portal until their friend had safely returned to them. Out of concern for both Princess Twilight and her friends, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance had decided to remain with them in that room for as long as they were there.

Since all three of the princesses were staying in one room, the Royal Guard saw it necessary to post a hefty security force outside the chamber. Shining Armor and Plainview were too preoccupied with overviewing the security measures in the rest of the palace, so the duty for organizing the princesses' detail fell on Comet Frost's shoulders.

Near the end of the first night, Comet Frost entered the room. None of the eight mares were focused on the mirror, but every now and then, they each glanced towards it, as if they were hoping Twilight Sparkle and Spike would come out.

Comet Frost politely cleared his throat and announced "Pardon me, ladies, Your Highnesses."

At this, all eight mares turned towards the aqua stallion. Once he had their attention, he stated "I understand that you have no intention of leaving this room until Princess Twilight has returned. However, she may be gone for a while. So I was wondering… Is there anything I can get you? Some food? Some water? Maybe something to help pass the time?"

Although their primary concern was still for Twilight Sparkle's well-being, the mares had not eaten all day. So they gladly accepted Comet Frost's offer. He asked each of them what they would like for dinner, and he sent their orders down to the kitchen.

Comet Frost decided to wait with them until their food arrived. None of the mares objected, much to his relief.

They spent several minutes in silence. However, there was something on Comet Frost's mind. Something that had been bothering him all day long. He felt the need to get it off his chest, and he believed the best way to get it off his chest would be to discuss it with somepony.

At one point, Comet Frost gazed towards the mares and requested "May I speak freely?"

"Certainly, Commander," Princess Celestia replied.

Comet Frost knew what he wanted to say, but just like the introduction at the summit, he was concerned that it would come out wrong. So he chose his words carefully. He disclosed to the mares "I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am that this fiasco had to occur. I cannot help but feel that this is somehow my fault."

"What do you mean, Commander Frost?" Princess Luna queried in perplexity.

"Captain Armor tasked me with strengthening security inside the palace," Comet Frost expounded, "I posted plenty of units throughout most of the foundation. Yet I didn't think to post a sentinel outside of this room. If I had… maybe we would have arrested Sunset Shimmer before she stole the crown. But that's not the case. So I just want to say that I take full responsibility for this disaster, and for whatever happens to Princess Twilight Sparkle and her assistant."

The mares were astounded by Comet's expressiveness and rectitude. Cadance stepped up to the aqua stallion, gently placed her front hoof on his shoulder, and told him "Commander, there is no way you could have forecasted this. You mustn't blame yourself. I certainly don't. If anything, I blame myself for not watching over this mirror more carefully."

"That is very thoughtful of you to say, Your Highness," Comet Frost remarked gratefully, "But there is no need for you to place the blame on yourself. I'm willing to accept it."

Cadance lightly smiled and said softly "I admire your readiness to accept consequences, Commander, but you are not at fault here. In the long run, the only person at fault here is Sunset Shimmer. She was behind this offense. Not you or anypony else."

Comet Frost felt he would be a fool to continue arguing this point. After all, there was some irrefutable logic in Cadance's speech. Aside from that, he knew better than to directly contradict a princess. So he decided to let the matter go. At the very least, he no longer felt as guilty as he did before this discussion began.

After the mares ate, they spent a few more hours grouped around the mirror. By then, Comet Frost could tell that they were tired. So he had eight portable beds rolled into the room. That way, the mares were able to get their rest without leaving the room.

This was the bulk of Comet Frost's schedule for the following two days. He made attending to the princesses and the five mares from Ponyville his first and only directive. Some might have referred to it as uneventful or tedious, or even somewhat boring. He did not think so. He was just glad he was able to contribute to the mares' well-being.

He was rather surprised that Shining Armor never stopped by. Especially considering the fact that it was his sister in the portal, and his wife was one of the eight mares waiting on her. He just assumed the Captain had his own reasons for not showing.

On the night of the third day, Twilight Sparkle returned with Spike and her crown. She appeared to be tired, but she had succeeded. Not a moment too soon; the portal sealed itself up just as she got back to Equestria. Her friends and the other princesses happily welcomed her home.

Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Cadance all followed Twilight back to her room. On the way, she accidentally ran into Flash Sentry again.

The orange stallion just smiled, helped her up, and stated casually "We've got to stop bumping into each other like this."

Twilight just blushed a deep red when he said this. Once she was on her feet, Flash Sentry sauntered away from the scene without another word.

Comet Frost had seen the whole thing. When Flash Sentry reached him, he remarked cheekily "Smooth move, Flash."

The Pegasus turned to the Unicorn and asked in perplexity "What do you mean, Comet?"

"You've only encountered the Boss's sister twice, and now she seems borderline smitten with you," Comet Frost clarified.

"I wouldn't say she's that interested," Flash Sentry refuted, "Give me some credit. At least it wasn't the Boss's wife. That's more than I can say about a certain superior officer of mine."

This time it was Comet Frost's turn to be confused. He raised an eyebrow and enquired "What in Tartarus are you talking about?"

Before the younger stallion had a chance to respond, they were approached by Princess Cadance. The pink Alicorn stepped up to the aqua stallion and said "Excuse me, Commander Frost."

"Yes, Your Highness?" he acknowledged.

She smiled at him and declared "I just wanted to tell you how appreciative I am for everything you did these past three days. Thank you for keeping us company, and for looking out for us. You are a very praiseworthy and honorable stallion."

Comet Frost did not know what to say to this. But he did not need words to prove that he understood. Cadance bid him and Flash Sentry good night and went to find her husband.

Once she was gone, Flash Sentry remarked "You see what I mean? You were with Princess Twilight's friends and the other princesses for almost all of the last three days. You stood by them when nopony else would. They'll remember that. Especially Princess Cadance."

Comet Frost could not deny it; Flash Sentry was correct. It was then that he realized he had finally succeeded in presenting himself to Princess Cadance. He had left her with a positive first impression of him. The most remarkable and fascinating part was that at the time, he had not even been concerned about making a good first impression.