Lucky Break

by Ferris the 1st

Chapter 2: Jitters and a Love Bug

I woke the next day cringing against the sudden burst of sunlight through my perfectly placed window. Pressing my face into the pillow, I muttered, “Damn it, isn't it enough that I almost died for you?” In hindsight, that wasn't fair. Celestia usually did right by her ponies, but after being pushed out a window and given street surgery by gryphon talons, I think I had earned a bit of sarcasm.

Plus, this was probably just her way of reminding me that I had a date to prepare for. I couldn't be sure, but I definitely felt like the sun princess had been paying special attention to the whole ordeal following my request. Rising up, I gave the spartan furnishings of my room a once over. Dresser was still there, bedside desk was still there, and the curtains hadn't moved. Yeah, everything was okay.

I was still adjusting to the fact that I'd gone from sleeping in the barracks surrounded by snoring stallions to having a personal room in the more deserted section of the Canterlot Castle. A small section in the wing had been set aside for agents of the Heavy Equestrian Response Division to live in while they were here. As a recent addition to the HERD, it was mind-boggling to me.

Such as considering the suggestion that I'd received from Princess Celestia for a good place to take her assistant on a date.

I'd been standing in her private study a couple of days after being released from the hospital with a hint of worry. I remember standing there, sheepishly asking her what kind of place I should take Dawn to. Her response had been quick.

With a quick hum, she turned those wisdom filled eyes on me with a sly smirk, “Well, she has been talking about a place that just opened up in the entertainment district. I've heard it caters more to the middle-class and features some of that new... 'techo' music. A place called The Veil.”

I'd done some research on the place and it checked out for the most part. The Veil was definitely less... classical than most places in Canterlot and even featured an open bar. Not exactly my pick for a first date, but the princess was adamant that Dawn would enjoy the place, so I was going to go out on a limb and trust her. It's not like the admission fee was going to hurt me much; it turned out that I'd gotten an account with a bank in Canterlot that had been collecting bits from my time working for the guard proper.

It had also been mentioned to me that a substantial amount of bits had been moved into it as thanks for stopping Sunslayer. We couldn't exactly openly announce what had happened and the HERD was a hush-hush organization. I wasn't about to complain, considering the amount of zeros on the account made my head hurt. It was worth more to me than a medal around my neck.

Especially now as I considered all the things I should bring. Or that I thought I should bring. I wasn't exactly well-versed in the dating scene since the last attempt I'd made had been a little after graduation from school. First thing was first, I needed a trim because I was starting to look rather scruffy. Then maybe some new clothes? Ugh, this was a lot harder than other stallions made it sound!

Should I bring flowers, or was that too desperate?

I didn't even realize that I'd walked out of the castle in the middle of my thoughts. It wasn't until I heard a voice calling my name that I even figured out that I was beyond the castle gates. Blinking, I turned my head toward the voice and let a small smile come to my face, “Corium? Is that you?”

Indeed it was. In sharp contrast to the ponies that called Equestria home, the changeling stood out like a sore hoof. Starting from the tips of his ears, his chitin did a wonderful impression of moving between day and night as it swept toward his tail. He buzzed a pair of insect-like wings to hop the short distance between us and the two of us clasped hooves for a moment.

“Lucky, long time, no see,” Corium announced with energy, “I'd been hearing rumors flying all over about you and then Canterlot comes under the shortest siege to date? Somehow, I feel like you had something to do with that.” Silly bug was a bright one to nail it on the head like that. Of course, I couldn't exactly confirm that.

I shrugged, going for a neutral response, “I was in the area. Bit of a surprise.... say, Corium,” I asked, a thought occurring to me, “mind helping a friend out?”

“Is Twilight Sparkle the princess of the idea,” he asked rhetorically, “spill it. I'll assume it has something to do with the anticipation, worry, and attraction you're exuding?”

I snorted at him, “Corium, isn't there something in the treaty about not reading emotions like that?”

He rolled his eyes in return, “You're acting like it takes active sensing to read you, Lucky. You've never been good at hiding your emotions.”

“I suppose not. Well, see... there's this mare-”

“Pretty?”

“Beautiful! Even got set up on a date with her and advice on where to take her. The problem is that I... haven't dated... for a while...”

“...and you're worried that you're going to mess it up,” I nodded and he let out an excited noise, “oh, Lucky, this is going to be fun! I seriously thought that this was going to be a boring day, but then you go and make it my,” he chortled and I could feel the pun coming, “lucky day!”

I groaned good-naturedly, but followed the skipping changeling along as he nearly dragged me by my hoof. Amid the rapid babbling that spilled from his muzzle, I managed to get that he had been “dying to try some of the places around Canterlot.” I was okay with his eccentric ways as it caused the stuffy nobility and skittish commoners to give us a wide berth.

I flicked my ear at a pause in his long-winded speech, “So, not that I'm not happy to see you, but what brings you to Canterlot, Corium?” We were entering the business section of Canterlot now and the crowd thinned some as we turned off of the main street.

Corium blinked for a moment, then settled down beside me, “Oh, right. Thanks for reminding me. I'm actually here on loan from the changeling kingdom by request. Apparently some members of the upper guard,” he gave me a knowing look, “think that this herd of yours needs some help.”

“Ah, so running into me wasn't so coincidental,” I raised a brow at him, “considering what we deal with, it sounds bigger than you're letting on. Anything that I should be worried about being dragged into?”

“Not until you're done with your date, no,” he stated firmly, giving me a false glare, “the only thing that your getting into is the heart of this mare of yours! Now, the first thing we need to do is get you looking presentable! When was the last time you had a bath!” The hyper changeling started buzzing around me, making very motherly comments as he ushered me into what appeared to be a spa.

Most stallions may say that spas aren't masculine enough, but I'll be condemned to Tartarus for a thousand years if you don't emerge from them feeling younger and more ready for a day. Corium continued to chat my ears off as the poor spa ponies did everything they could to keep up with him. Despite his eagerness to partake, he seemed to have difficulties sitting still for long. The pony assigned to me even murmured thanks to me for not being a hooffull.

I was glad to see him up and about like this, though. The last time I'd seen him, he'd been in a hospital bed recovering from a coma he'd fallen into saving me from a hammer blow. I'll be honest when I say that I still felt guilty about him getting hurt for me and even helping the local law enforcement and a contingent of the Royal Guard bust up the drug ring that had started it all didn't make me feel better.

I had to curb his enthusiasm a bit when he tried to convince me that I needed a hooficure. I still needed to maintain some of my stallion dignity after all. My hooves had been molded by years of honest work as a delivery pony back home and I didn't want to lose that.

I did relent to letting the spa ponies shine them up a bit though... for Dawn. Then a trip to a barber to trim up the scruffy edges to my coat, mane, and tail lead the two of us to discussing what the two of us had been up to for the past few months. I had to edit mine a bit since we had some civilians around us, but I got the point of it across.

Corium listened intently before going on about how after getting released from the hospital, he'd gone up to the Crystal Empire for a little bit. He highly recommended crystal-berry wine (in small doses) before we came to the highlight of the day. He grilled me with the intensity of a royal interrogation about Dawn and I answered his questions to the best of my ability.

By the end, he furrowed his brow, “So... you know next to nothing about this mare aside from how she looks?”

“Hey,” I stated defensively while I tried to hold still for the barber, “she is quite the looker. I also know that she likes to be coy and works for the princess. Besides, isn't that what the first date is for? Seeing if you're compatible?”

He huffed in response, sitting next to me since the ponies in the shop couldn't do much with the substance that made up his mane. Chewing on his lip slightly, he answered, “I... I suppose, but usually you hang out a bit first to see if you're interested in more than their appearance before going for the date,” he buzzed his wings, “well, that settles it!”

I blinked over at him, “Settles what?”

He grinned, “We have most of the day before you're supposed to meet up for the date, right,” I nodded, “well then, we have that time to do some investigating! You can't be going into this blind, so let's go find out just who this Dawn Breeze is!”

I did not like the way his eyes glinted when he said that....