The Summer Sun Celebration only lasted for a single day, but Cadence and Shining Armor stayed in Canterlot for much longer. They wanted a chance to mingle with the other members of the Equestrian Royalty, and the Celebration provided the perfect opportunity for that.
While the couple was in Canterlot, Comet Frost and the rest of the security detail stayed close to them. They were there to ensure their well-being and protect them.
That's not to say the seven stallions were working the entire time they were there. They had time to interact with the locals when they were off-duty.
Wary Spot, Charm Pitch, and Rapid Zephyr had never been outside the Crystal Empire. They were intrigued to be in a town with a predominantly non-Crystal populace. Sweat Breaker and Brusque Rush introduced them to many of their colleagues at the castle.
On one occasion, Flash Sentry ran into Twilight Sparkle once again. Fortunately, this time she did not physically bump into him. It also happened when he was off-duty. Because of that, the lavender mare and the orange stallion had a chance to do more than just acknowledge each other. This time, they were able to exchange words as well.
Comet Frost did not protest Flash Sentry's openness with Twilight Sparkle, but he did give him a friendly warning about fraternizing with her. Luckily, Flash Sentry knew better than to cross that line.
Of course, some would say that Comet Frost was one to talk. While in Canterlot, he spent most of his time with Cadence and Shining Armor. That included the majority of his leisure time. This was not because he had a poor social life or that he was a workaholic. He was a very popular stallion, and he valued his time off just as much as anypony else. In actuality, he stayed by Cadence and Shining Armor because he greatly enjoyed their presence. They seemed to appreciate his company as well. Although Shining Armor and Cadence were his boss and his employer respectively, there were times when they seemed to regard Comet Frost as a friend.
In addition to that, the aqua stallion could not help but admire Cadence and Shining Armor when they were together. Comet Frost had never really been a romantic type, but he liked watching how couples interacted. The affection they had for each other was abundantly evident. After all, a little more than a year ago, their love had saved Canterlot from a Changeling invasion. Nowadays, their bond was just as strong.
Or so it seemed.
Four days after the Summer Sun Celebration, Cadence, Shining Armor, and their security detail returned to the Crystal Empire. Once they got back, Shining quickly dropped his role as "Prince Shining Armor" and went back to "Captain Shining Armor." After donning his uniform, he resumed his duties as the commanding officer of the Crystal Empire's Royal Guard.
As the commanding officer, it was no surprise that most of Shining Armor's duties tended to be particularly time-consuming and strenuous. They were rather broad, as well. They ranged from conducting reconnaissance on the city limits to approving the new trainees to organizing work shift time tables. One could say Shining Armor did more work than anypony else in the Empire.
That was truly saying something, as there was no shortage of work in the Crystal Empire. A thousand years of isolation had rendered the town in need of modernization. Ponies from various cities in Equestria had come seeking jobs to improve and remodel the place. In the year since its return, the Empire was pretty much up to date on the customs and cultures of present-day Equestria.
Since the Crystal Empire had been selected to host the Equestria Games this year, the townsfolk anticipated that they would be even busier than the previous year. The stadium next to the palace was built to accommodate tens of thousands of ponies. Given the popularity of the Equestria Games, it was logical to assume that every single seat in the building would be occupied at the event.
Cadence and Shining Armor consulted their advisors on how to prepare for the arrival of tens of thousands of ponies. The overall conclusion the Council reached was that there would be further need for expansion in the Crystal Empire. They would need more hotels, more department stores, more restaurants, etc. In their mind, tourism was always good for the Crystal Empire, but the numbers they forecasted for the Games vastly overshadowed the town's current population. They had to be ready to receive everypony who came to them. The Council advocated getting started on this project straightaway.
Cadence and Shining Armor found this an ideal proposition. Shining Armor immediately busied himself with seeking out the necessary capital. He started by bringing together everypony that would be needed, such as construction workers and architects. He worked out a plan with them for expanding the Empire outwards, as well as building it up from within.
After the architects spend weeks debating and outlining their plans, the construction workers got to work. They were excellent builders, but they could only go so fast. Shining Armor assigned a group of Royal Guard to supervise the production of the buildings and ensure that everything was going along smoothly. It may have seemed like a strange job for the Royal Guard, but these were arrangements for the Equestria Games, and the Games were regarded as much a political event as a social event. Because of that, Shining Armor felt it appropriate that the Royal Guard monitor the progress of the work teams. He brought it upon himself to head them up.
Despite how busy he was, Shining Armor never appeared fatigued or aggravated. Like his younger sister, he was well-known for his ability to multitask and handle huge workloads in a limited amount of time. However, unlike his younger sister, he had a habit of neglecting to make time for those close to him. Including the mare he shared his bed with.
Princess Cadence did appreciate Shining Armor's vigor and devotion to his work. But all the same, sometimes she was inclined to wonder what he valued more: his time as a guard or his time as her husband. She could not bring herself to ask him, as she felt he already had enough on his mind at present.
At least before the Equestria Games were announced, Cadence was able to be with Shining Armor on a regular basis. But now that he was preoccupied with overseeing the preparations, his wife had no way of knowing when she would see him. If she was lucky, he would return to the palace in time for dinner. If he did not show up there, the best she could hope for was to see him when she went to bed.
As much as she disliked this new routine, there was very little she could do to change it. She had tried speaking to her husband about taking some time off, but he had refused to consider the idea. Shining Armor only trusted himself to get his own work done.
His wife tried to be understanding and patient with him, but before long, she started to feel somewhat resentful. She never told him about those feelings. She had no intention of telling anypony about them. And she never would have, had it not been for a certain aqua stallion.
One morning, Comet Frost visited the relay room. He always stopped by that room regularly to see if anything new had shown up on the bulletin. Most of the time, the news they received was just meant for the Royal Guard or Princess Cadence's Council. However, today's news was addressed to the Princess herself.
"Better swing by the throne room," Comet Frost muttered under his breath.
On his way to the throne room, Comet Frost briefly looked the document over. Its contents pertained to the Equestria Games. Upon his discovery, he lightly scoffed and muttered under his breath "Seems like the Equestria Games is the only thing anypony in this town can think about these days."
When he arrived at the throne room, Comet Frost found several of his fellow officers standing guard along the walls. However, Princess Cadence was not seated at her throne. Comet Frost inquired about her whereabouts to his colleagues, and they informed him that the pink Alicorn was outside on the balcony.
Comet Frost soon made his way to the other end of the throne room and stepped outside. Sure enough, Cadence was standing at the very end of the platform. She was leaning against the rail with her front hooves folded on top, and she was gazing downwards. She appeared to be focused on something that was happening on the ground below.
"Excuse me, Your Highness," Comet Frost politely called out.
The pink Alicorn looked over her shoulder to see who was there. When she realized it was the aqua stallion, she smiled and stated "Good morning, Commander Frost. What brings you here?"
"I have something to share with you," Comet Frost replied. He added in "I could just leave it here if you're preoccupied with something else."
"At the present, I'm not," she disclosed, turning towards the officer, "Come on over."
Comet Frost nodded and trotted over to the pink Alicorn. He held the document out to her, saying "This just popped up on the bulletin."
"What is it?" she asked as she took it in her hoof.
"An article about the Equestria Games," he answered her.
At that, Cadence frowned, sighed in annoyance, and commented "Why is it everypony is so focused on the Equestria Games these days?"
"I'm not going to lie; I was literally thinking the exact same thing on my way here, Your Highness," Comet Frost remarked, smirking.
"Then you and I are perhaps the only ones around who aren't completely obsessed with them," Cadence perceived.
Comet Frost noted that Cadence sounded very frustrated when she made that last statement. He inquired in concern "Does something trouble you, Your Highness?"
"No…" Cadence tentatively began. Then she sighed again and declared "Actually, yes, Commander."
"May I ask what?" he queried.
Cadence did not answer immediately. After a long pause, she looked up at the aqua stallion and told him "Are you certain you'd want to know, Commander? This isn't really your problem."
"If you are bothered by it, Your Highness, then it is my problem," Comet Frost pointed out, "My job is to look out for your well-being. Not just your physical well-being, but your emotional well-being as well. I'm willing to give you my assistance in any way I can."
Cadence lightly smiled again and said "I appreciate that, Commander. I suppose maybe you can help me."
"Very well," Comet Frost coincided, "What would you like me to do?"
"Right now, I'd just like you to listen," Cadence requested.
"Certainly," he stated, "You've got my undivided attention."
There was another brief pause, and then Cadence broke the silence by saying "In the past month, how often have you encountered my husband?"
Comet Frost thought through his memories of the last several weeks, and he tried to recall all the times he had seen Captain Shining Armor. Only now did he realize there were very few of them. He elucidated with "Not that many, Your Highness. Other than the weekly briefings on Sundays, I've only been in the same room or hallway as him about eight or nine times."
"Is that unusual?" Cadence asked him.
"Very unusual," Comet Frost affirmed, "On average, I meet with him at least twice a day, and no fewer than four times on Sundays. But over these past thirty days, including the briefings, I've only seen him twelve or thirteen times."
Cadence scoffed and stated sardonically "That's still more than the number of times I've seen him."
Comet Frost was surprised to hear this. "How often have you seen him, Your Highness?"
"About twice a week," Cadence illuminated, "Yesterday made three for this one. Altogether, I've seen him on ten different occasions in the past four weeks."
"That's rather strange," Comet Frost remarked, "And unfortunate. What's been keeping him away from you?"
"He has a previous engagement with an upcoming event," Cadence explicated, "I'd have thought you'd already be aware of that, Commander. Shining Armor must have mentioned that on one of the times you saw him."
"Well, he did say something about 'preparing the city for a temporary mass pony migration,'" Comet Frost recounted, "I just assumed he was referring to the Equestria Games."
"He was," Cadence disclosed, "Apparently, the Equestria Games are now his top priority. He's devoted a lot of his time and resources to overseeing the preparations."
"Really?" Comet Frost uttered in astonishment, "Peculiar. He told me and my fellow officers that he would just check in on the preparations a few times each day."
"That may have been his original plan," "But he must have decided that dropping by and asking for a progress report was not enough. He's literally spent almost every waking moment down there. I don't think I've ever seen him more determined to get something done perfectly."
"Well, I can understand why he'd want to supervise," Comet Frost thought aloud, "After all, the entire city is preoccupied with the expansion. With all that activity going on at the same time, the Royal Guard would need a high-ranking officer to coordinate them. However, there's no reason why it has to be Captain Armor. Commander Plainview or I could just as easily manage that. Maybe I could speak to him about giving the task to one of us for a while."
"I wouldn't advise that," Cadence informed him, "I actually did suggest that to him at dinner last night. But he flat-out refused to consider stepping down. A couple hours later when we went to bed, I tried to get him to change his mind again, but he declined again. In a much more eloquent manner, I might add."
"What do you mean 'eloquent?'" Comet Frost inquired.
"For one thing, he seemed very restless and irritated at the time," Cadence recalled, "When I tried to continue talking about it, he shot my idea down again. He even raised his voice to emphasize his disapproval."
"He actually yelled at you?" Comet Frost presumed in surprise.
"Yes, and that was what encouraged me to change the subject," Cadence explained, "He looked as though he was going to genuinely lose his temper if I didn't let the issue go. I don't think I've ever seen him like that."
"Neither have I," Comet Frost stated, "Later on, maybe I could talk to him about this subject. You never know; maybe he'll be willing to listen to somepony in uniform."
"A logical observation, Commander," Cadence professed, "But you probably shouldn't bother. If Shining Armor won't listen to his wife, I doubt he'd listen to anypony else. Even his most trusted coworkers."
"Oh… that's a fine point," Comet Frost acknowledged, "One I probably should have considered first. Boy, do I feel like a fool."
"You're not a fool," Cadence assured him, snickering, "What makes you think you are one?"
"The fact that I forgot that Captain Shining Armor doesn't always think like an officer," Comet Frost responded, "You see, family and work are equally important, but the Royal Guard are instructed to keep them separate. A lot of my fellow officers are able to make time for both, including Captain Armor."
"What about you?" Cadence questioned.
"No, I'm not one of them," Comet Frost expounded, "I've been in the force for so long that I've almost forgotten that there can be a link between family and work. In fact, there are only two things I truly believe in: my job and my friends."
Cadence was astounded to hear this. She stated in perplexity "Don't you have a family, Commander?"
"Yes…" the aqua stallion began uneasily, "But I haven't seen any of my relatives in a long time. I'm not exactly on good terms with them."
"Why not?" the pink Alicorn queried in interest.
Comet Frost hesitated for a minute. He did not like discussing his background with anypony. Not just because it disturbed him, but also because he did not wish to make anypony else feel disturbed. He worried that he would do just that by sharing certain memories of his foalhood.
Ultimately, he illuminated Princess Cadence with "It's a bit of an unpleasant matter. By 'a bit,' I mean 'a copious extent.' I don't think you'd really want to know about my life, Your Highness."
He had hoped that that would be enough to change the subject. But Cadence was not about to let the issue go that easily. She stepped forward, looked the Unicorn in the eye, and asked him "Does it really bother you that much?"
"Yes, it does," Comet Frost confirmed, "But it's not myself I'm worried about. I can stand reflecting on the memories. If I couldn't, I wouldn't be standing here. The one I'm really concerned for is you."
"Me?" Cadence repeated in confusion.
"Yes, I feel it would be inappropriate to discuss the early stages of my life with Royalty," Comet Frost clarified.
"Why do you say that?" Cadence enquired.
"For one thing, my past is full of dismal events," Comet Frost revealed, "Events I would regard as horrific, shameful, and even somewhat traumatizing. Aside from that, what really matters is that they're all in the past. As terrible as they were, I've moved on. I don't see any point in bringing them up to anypony else. If I did, I would probably just end up unsettling whoever I spoke to. The last thing I'd ever want to do is make you feel uncomfortable."
Cadence understood his reasoning, and she certainly appreciated it. All the same, she was still motivated by compassion and inquisitiveness to get a more direct answer out of Comet Frost. She informed him "If you're worried about unsettling me, then don't let that stop you, Commander. You should know I'm no stranger to shock. You can speak freely."
"I appreciate the sentiment, Your Highness," Comet Frost disclosed, "But this is my problem. There's no reason I should make it yours, too."
"Funny," Cadence commented, smirking lightly, "You told me that exact same thing a moment ago, remember?"
"Yes, I did," Comet Frost realized.
"So, I'll give you the same response you gave me," Cadence thought aloud, "I am willing to provide you the same type of console. After all, you convinced me that I could open up to you on my feelings for my husband. In the same way, you can open up to me about the past events of your life. Regardless of how dark they are."
Comet Frost was intrigued by Cadence's persistence. He inquired cheekily "Are you ordering me to reminisce on my life, Your Highness?"
"No," Cadence guaranteed him, chuckling a bit, "Not everything that comes out of my mouth is a command. I'm speaking to you as a friend."
"A friend?" Comet Frost asked in bewilderment.
"Yes," the pink Alicorn affirmed, "Right now, think of me as a friend, Comet."
That last word took the aqua stallion by surprise. Cadence had never addressed him by his first name. Come to think of it, he had never seen her address any of the Royal Guard informally. She must have been doing this to assure him that he could be frank with her. In his mind, she was making a very compelling case.
Eventually, Comet Frost inquired "Is there any particular reason why you're so interested in this?"
"You stayed with me during the incident with Sunset Shimmer," Cadence reminded him, "And you protected me from the Everfree Forest and my own rashness during the Summer Sun Celebration. You were there for me throughout two ordeals. Right now, other than my husband, there is nopony in this entire Empire that I trust more than you."
"I'm flattered to hear you say that, Your Highness," Comet Frost said appreciatively.
Cadence grinned and told him "Please, just call me Cadence."
Comet Frost was surprised by that statement. He asked skeptically "Are you certain that would be proper?"
Cadence just rolled her eyes and said in amusement "Yes, I'm quite certain. Stop being an officer for just ten minutes, Comet."
"Alright, as you wish," Comet Frost avowed, smirking widely, "I don't think I could cover the long version of the story of my life in ten minutes, though."
"Then just give me the short version," Cadence proposed, "That or stay with me for a longer period of time."
"It would probably be best if I went with the first option," Comet Frost decided, "I have to get to the arsenal in a half-hour. The quartermaster believes that some of the weapons have been lifted without authorization, so he asked me to go over the inventory with him to see if anything is missing."
"Very well," Cadence coincided, "You can see to that later. For now, I'd like you to stay here and tell me about yourself."
"Then I shall, Your High- er, Cadence," Comet Frost uttered in compliance.
As Princess Cadence laughed as his mistake, the Royal Guard officer could not help but chuckle as well. Then he said somewhat apologetically "Sorry, that'll take some getting used to."
"No worries," she assured him, "When Shining first started courting me, he felt just as awkward when we started going on a first-name basis."
Comet Frost chuckled and said "That sounds like him. On-duty, he's all about formality. Off-duty, he's as candid as Flash Sentry."
"Yeah, that's definitely him," Cadence confirmed, "But we're not talking about him or me. Let's talk about you."
Comet Frost nodded in acceptance and said "Alright, then. But please promise me one thing."
"What?" she asked in interest.
"If I start to get too graphic or too depressing, feel free to ask me to stop," Comet Frost stated, "I won't be offended or anything. Just say the word and I'll end the discussion."
"Okay, you got it," Cadence remarked.
There was another long period of silence. Comet Frost contemplated how to start the recollection of his foalhood. Ultimately, he figured that he may as well pick up at the very beginning. He was still somewhat skeptical about revealing everything to Princess Cadence, but he was convinced that she was willing to listen to whatever he had to say. After all, he now had the privilege of being on a first-name basis with her. No other member of the Royal Guard could make that claim. Except her husband.