Royal Bodyguard: Fire and Ice

by Jasper77W

Chapter 1: Hearts and Hooves day

The light blue unicorn walked through the Canterlot gardens, admiring the scenery. Too bad she was just passing through though.
As her hoof steps echoed off the beautifully tiled streets of Canterlot, she searched left and right for the correct address. It was Hearts and Hooves day, and all the seats at the cafes were taken by ponies, their special somepony across the table.
Hoping her date would be as good as he sounded on the phone, Halcyon Fleet straightened her deep blue mane, neatly tied into ponytail. She didn't usually have one, since her work restricted the amount of personal customization abilities.
She worked for the Secret Service, merging in with crowds and protecting the royals, even if they may not know it. She didn't know anypony else in the service other than her superiors- everything was all kept confidential. Her cover story was that she works as an assistant for a famous dress designer, but her cutie mark would give her away- that's why she wore a long silky dark blue dress to cover it, and she dearly hoped it wouldn't attract any attention. She had light blue diamond earrings to go with the dress- it was plain and simple, but elegant.
Her date, Blaze; whom was introduced to her by a friend, had already reserved a spot in the Canterlot restaurant. It was one of the locations where the Grand Galloping Gala was held, and namely one of the best restaurants in Equestria. Halcyon was surprised her date was so organized- not that she didn't trust her friends to get her a good stallion, just that it seemed... odd.
Two stallions in suits opened the huge oak wood and gold double doors, and Halcyon bowed politely as she entered.
The welcome hall was grand, the ceiling high above her head, golden sculptures lining the sides. The designers must've been instructed to make it all look expensive instead of good, because that's exactly what it looked like.
"Hello miss! How may I help you? And you do look stunning, I must say. All dressed up for Hearts and Hooves day?" the receptionist asked kindly.
"Indeed." Halcyon waved away the complement. She thought it best not to go into details, seeing as the receptionist didn't have a special somepony around her. "My date reserved a spot here- I believe his name to be Blaze?"
The receptionist took a while to search through the files. "Ah, yes; of course. Then you must be Miss Fleet?"
Halcyon nodded.
"This way, please."
The receptionist led Halcyon into the main hall, and she was instantly hit by the highly tempting aroma of the different high-class foods. God, she was hungry- although she didn't show it. She was used to stuff like that- you always had to act up in front of the princess.
Walking through the tables only made it worse, but she knew as soon as she ordered the food would be there- after all, to make it up to the top in Equestria must mean good food, environment, and obviously service too. Her date inviting her here, would either mean he had a lot of money, or that he cared enough to do so. Either way, it was a win-win. Now just to see how the stallion actually is.
An orange unicorn with a mane of various shades of red stood up, grinning at Halcyon as the receptionist led her to the table.
Halcyon made a quick analysis- she had to make one on any suspects while working anyway, so it was merely a natural instinct now. The stallion's hair had obviously been brushed multiple times, and was neat and tidy. The dark red suit he was wearing had an odd silky texture, seemingly top-notch. His bright red tie was tucked in neatly, and there didn't seem to be anything off.
Not bad, Halcyon thought. Not bad at all.
It seemed the stallion's attention to detail was pretty sharp, with his suit without a flaw and all.
Halcyon smiled politely, taking a seat, careful that her cutie mark doesn't accidentally show.
"You must be Halcyon." Blaze smiled warmly, also taking a seat as the receptionist walked away. "I've heard a lot about you from your friends."
"Oh?" Halcyon tilted her head slightly to one side.
"And I must say they were right- you do look stunning."
"Hmmm. Flattering- and I must say you don't look too bad yourself." Halcyon said, taking a sip of water. "But I do prefer it if we skip the formalities. Please, do be more relaxed, and speak in a... Normal, manner."
"Very well." Blaze gulped. Something about Halcyon gave him the chills... He couldn't quite place what, but he had a feeling it was her odd amount of authority. Not that he didn't fancy her- she was probably the prettiest pony he'd seen so far. He'll just have to wait it out and see what it's like. "So, Halcyon, what do you work as?"
Protect royalty. Tackle and arrest terrorists. "Well, I work for designer Rarity- she's on a trip to Ponyville, she lives there. She should be back soon, but in the meantime I look after her shop." Halcyon settled with that. "And you? Blaze, was it?"
"Yes." Blaze said, trying to feel more relaxed. He wasn't often so tense on his other dates. This one was something different. "And... I work as a bank accountant."
"Ha. That would explain the expensive suit." Halcyon gestured at the dark red suit.
"Ready to order, sir, miss?" a unicorn waitress asked, a pen and clipboard hovering in a pink aura in front of her.
"Why yes- of course." Halcyon said, flipping open a menu and dearly hoping that she didn't sound too eager.
"Do bring some red wine- I think we'll have the one from Canterlot gardens." Blaze said, and the waitress jotted down some notes.
"I'll have... The fried rice with a side of hay, carrots and cucumber." Halcyon said.
"And I'll have the vegetable noodles thanks." Blaze said to the waitress, then turned to Halcyon. "I come here often- and many times just for the noodles." he explained.
"Drinks? Other than wine?"
"Ooh... This Fire Mango sounds nice..." Halcyon eyed the orange and yellow photo of the drink.
"And Ice Blue, thanks." Blaze said, taking Halcyon's menu and handing both to the waitress. Halcyon nodded a thank you politely.
"So, Halcyon-" Blaze cast away the temporary distraction. "What more can you tell me about yourself?"
"Well... Nopony dared bully me at school." Halcyon chuckled. "I did have pretty good grades though. Let's see... I went to university, and worked at several tailor shops before finally settling at Rarity's a few years ago. My parents live in Neigh Zealand- it's a small island to the south-east. I'm eighteen... And that's just about it. So, Blaze... Tell me about you." she rested her chin lightly on a hoof.
"I... Was... Eh... A little rebellious, shall we say... During primary, but as time passed I noticed how foalish that was." he flushed a little. "I skipped university, but I was already at their level anyway." he grinned. "I'm twenty, and my parents live in Detrot City."
Halcyon smiled. Not looking bad so far- maybe not the rebellious part, but from what she was seeing so far she thinks they could settle for a month or two. Good enough a date for Hearts and Hooves day, compared to the other years. Maybe this time she can text her parents and not get them worried that she won't find a stallion- they were never afraid that her date might be mean. They knew none of her dates dared.
"Two years older than me, then. I do prefer my dates to be older- you know, so I look younger." she giggled quietly.
"Oh dear. So I look old then?" Blaze asked jokingly.
"No, of course not." Halcyon laughed sensibly.
The waitress was back, two drinks and two plates of food levitating around her. She gently placed them down on the table, and Blaze rubbed his hooves together. Halcyon was glad he was beginning to act more relaxed now, after a casual ice-breaker joke. It probably overdid it too- the ice melted away completely.
Being extremely hungry herself, she still ate her food sensibly and bit by bit, her horn glowing as she controlled the knife and fork.
The waitress popped open a wine bottle, pouring the contents into two light blue crystal glasses and gently setting them down on the table, barely making a sound. Both Halcyon and Blaze nodded politely as the waitress retreated elsewhere.
"Would you like to try some of the fried noodles?" Blaze asked, studying Halcyon cautiously.
"Oh, yes. I would love that please." Halcyon had a straight back, watching Blaze levitate a fork with noodles curled around it and gently place the food down on her plate. "Thank you." she said brightly. "And would you...?" she gestured at her fried rice.
"Ah, no thank you. Having been to this restaurant multiple times I have tried many of its popular cuisines." Blaze smiled. "But thanks for the offer anyway."
"No, no. Thank you, this date is really turning out better than any of my other ones." Halcyon smiled honestly.
"Doing my best." Blaze said.
All in all, it was a pleasant evening for both unicorns. The food was good, everything was good. Nothing particularly notable during the few hours, but Halcyon can truly say this for once- she really liked Blaze. She was still waiting to see how it would go though, testing for any similar feelings on Blaze.
"Well... That was... Fun." Halcyon said as the restaurant doors closed behind them, and they stood some-what awkwardly on the steps leading to the double doors. It was dark already, the moon light glowing brightly through the clear skies. The cold night breeze ran through Halcyon's mane, making it some-what less tidy. She didn't care anyway.
"Sure was." Blaze smiled, showing gleaming white teeth and waiting for an answer.
"Well, I couldn't wait to hang out again. You are definitely one of a kind, mister." Halcyon laughed.
Blaze grinned. "Me too."
"I'll call you then, some time." Halcyon said, trotting down the steps.
"Take care." Blaze waved.
"You too."

*

Halcyon didn't text Blaze straight away the next day- there was some event that wasn't an emergency but required her attendance at work. She had to leave straight away the next morning, heading to the castle.
Two spears crossed in front of her as the royal guards guarding the entrance told her to halt. She sighed. Nopony recognized Secret Service- that's good and bad at the same time.
She pulled out a summoning letter, and the royal guards lifted their spears, letting her in.
Folding the letter and tucking it into her shoulder bag, she proceeded through the castle gardens and into the main hall.
"Miss Fleet." her superior said, an old officer with a clean shave in full golden royal guard body armor.
"Sir." Halcyon stepped to a halt, her hoofstep echoing in the silence. She bowed out of respect. "The briefing was... A little too brief."
"Indeed. We gotta surprise for ya- and another Secret Service agent." the officer said, smiling. "Princess Celestia wants a word with you. The other agent left an hour ago. She said she'll meet you in the throne room."
"Thank you sir." Halcyon nodded again, and proceeded through the castle.
The name 'throne room' had an authoritative feel to it, but it really had a relaxing environment, with the fountain and all. None the less, one may still feel the authority the princess had, and it didn't dim by the slightest- it simply felt a lot less threatening.
Princess Celestia smiled as Halcyon approached.
"Miss Fleet." she said, and Halcyon bowed.
"Halcyon is fine, princess." she said as she looked up.
The princess smiled gently. "Alright, Halcyon. You see... You are an S.S. agent, a very talented one at that, from what I hear from your supreme officer."
Halcyon's mood brightened as she heard her superior had complemented her.
"Today, I would like to offer you an opportunity. It may not be desirable, given what an S.S. agent does- but I would very much appreciate it if you do accept- as I would be much overjoyed. Although of course- nothing is forced." the princess paused.
Halcyon waited in silence for the princess to start talking again, wondering what this opportunity might be.
"I would like you, to become one of my royal body guards." Princess Celestia said, pausing and waiting for Halcyon's reaction.
Halcyon just stared wide eyed. Royal guards were one thing- but the princess's royal body guards were another. They were the ones to stand either side of the princess, the last however strongest line of defense for royalty. Needless to say- only the best can get in. And here she was, being invited by the princess herself.
"I... I would be honored." Halcyon bowed.
"Lovely!" Princess Celestia grinned- unlike Halcyon had ever seen her. It was odd... It felt like she was chatting up a friend, or something. "I should probably send you to Ponyville straight away."
"P-Ponyville, princess?" Halcyon was a little confused. Scratch that, very confused.
"Oh, yes. I'm certain you'd love it there. Our top fashion designer Rarity is over there at the moment- I'm sure your cover up story covered that. Anyhow, she'll be designing your new armor- I do need my body guards looking stunning, after all." the princess chuckled. "I'll arrange transport immediately." she said, nodding at a nearby stallion who quickly moved off, obviously to signal a waiting transport.
"That's... Very generous of you, princess." Halcyon smiled.
"Thank you, dear. Now, the trip should be a fast one, so I don't think you have any personal belongings you need to take with you...?"
"No, princess. Of course not." Halcyon said calmly, but inside she was boiling with excitement. Maybe she became one of the princess's pets, but that was only a name that was called by other jealous try-hards.
She barely travelled anywhere by the luxurious first cabin, as she often viewed it as expensive and unnecessary. But now that she was in the first class cabin of the train, it really did have a totally different feel to it. There was the service, which was rather quite desirable considering the ten hour long train ride. Service included food, drinks, and the one thing Halcyon was looking forward the most to- a massage. Keeping a straight back all the time did hurt, after all. Best part was, she didn't have to pay a single bit.
Having some alone time in the private cabin, she quickly texted Blaze, asking to arrange another date sometime next week.
The reply came sooner than expected, and Halcyon frowned at it. It read: 'Hi Halcyon! I'm glad you did reply. Can't tell you how happy I am- but unfortunately I'm on some foreign business and am out of Canterlot, I might be able to make next week, but I'm not sure. Maybe arrange a meet-up after I get back? Sorry about the wait. It really was an emergency. -Blaze.'
"Foreign business, eh..." Halcyon put the phone back in her shoulder bag, which sat innocently on a small table. "Suppose accountants do have to sort some things out, sometimes..." she muttered to herself, some-what disappointed.
She called in the massage, and admittedly it was better than she expected. All the tense muscles in her back were relieved from tension as the professional massage pony rubbed her back. It was total bliss, so to make it even better she ordered a drink too.
After a few hours of that, she waved the massager away with a 'thanks' and continued on with her boredom. The skin on her shoulders and back hurt with all the rubbing, but she felt so completely relaxed.
Glancing at the time on her phone, it told her she still had five hours of boredom left- and she wondered how other ponies coped. She started a game of 'Angry Colts' on her phone, but for some reason could not for the life of her pass the last level.
Four hours to go.
She began typing a diary on her phone... 'Dear Diary, I am dying soooo baaaaad....'
Three hours.
After a fifteen thousand letter diary(mainly because most of the words were really looooong), she finally put her phone away and tried to find something else to do. She found her toolkit in her shoulder bag, and got the tweezers out. Rummaging through a cupboard, she found clothe hangers. The wire was relatively thin, she reasoned.
Two hours.
Now she had a table full of little wire framed toys she made with the hangers and tweezers. Some were functional, like the stick pony on a bicycle. But otherwise there really wasn't anything to do. Hiding the mess, she called for another drink.
By the time she got to Ponyville, she was almost half dead from boredom. Excitement slowly settled in as she hopped off the train with nothing but her shoulder bag.
Rarity's fashion shop should be somewhere near- she found the tent like structure in minutes, after walking through Ponyville several times, that is.
She pushed the door open gently, and bell ringing as she entered.
"Oh, hello my dear! What may I help you with?" Rarity said, greeting her as she would any other customer.
"I'm here because the princess-"
"Miss Fleet, is it? Of course, I'm quite honored to provide the new armor for the royal body guards..." Rarity said, pushing Halcyon into a seat. "Just you wait- I'll get the prototype straight away!" she said, running off into a storage room.
"Miss Rarity-" a familiar voice said, and a royal body guard entered, dressed in full armor, his red mane showing beneath the orangey golden helmet.
"Blaze!?" Halcyon stared in shock, and Blaze stared back.

Comments

[Blazing_Mane01]

Heheh, that's pretty good.

Just a tip, but your setting seems to drag a lot to me. When I saw your first chapter being 2500+ words, I was expecting some more settings... You have three distinct action settings in chapter one. I was expecting like six or seven, since that's pretty much how I write stories.

I'm also working on a fimfic with an OC named Blaze! (partial reason why I checked this story) You can click my name to check it out.

[Serendibite]

Yes! A side story! I love these! Can't wait for the next updates! Keep up the good work! /) * (\

[Jasper77W]

1364056

Thanks- I like writing my peaceful scenes in detail. It's often in the action scenes that I pick up the pace- for the sake of the readers, you read an action scene for the action not the scene. I'll check on your FiMFic later- once my Internet becomes stable. Thanks for dropping by!

[Blazing_Mane01]

1365001

Absolutely.

I do understand that your characters were in peaceful situations. I guess I dont see em very often in my story, is all. Didn't mean to offend if I did.

Choppy Internet... Ugh, I know how u feel...

[Jasper77W]

1365100
Nah. All good. Not offended at all. In fact, I love the discussions and suggestions

[Blazing_Mane01]

1365154 ...
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I just got another like on my story...
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...
Was that you?

[Jasper77W]

1365267
maybe