A Series of Unexpected Events

by LeoValkenhein

Chapter 1: Unexpected Task

Chapter 1: Unexpected Task

Rain Flare trots to the door and is about to open it when it swings outward. There, standing in the doorway, is Princess Celestia's number one student. After a moment of astonished paralysis, he bends his forelegs in underneath himself, resting on his knees, he lowers his head and arches his back up slightly.

"My lady, I apologize for my rude behavior, I had no idea I was amongst such esteemed company."

The purple unicorn blushes slightly and cracks a small smile.

"Hee hee, there's no need to be so formal. I'm not actually royalty, I'm just a student of the Princess."

"Still, you vastly out rank me, you deserve more respect than an uninvited guest passing out in your foyer," the guard rises slowly, making eye contact, "I hope there is some way you can forgive me."

Twilight giggles softly.

"Of course I can forgive you for avoiding near death by electrocution. Now, seeing as how you obviously know who I am, mind elaborating as to who you might be?" she cocks her head slightly in a curious as she poses the question.

"Oh, of course, where are my manners. I am Rain Flare of the Royal Guard. I hale from Cloudsdale, graduated third in my class at flight school, fifth in cadet school. Took the Royal Guard exam twice before being accepted. After the attack by the changelings I was reassigned from Princess Luna's guard to the border Equestria shares with the changelings' territory. I was stationed there for three months before being summoned to Canterlot by Princess Luna for an important mission. I was on my way there when I had my, um, accident."

Twilight blinks several times before responding.

"Well, that's quite the introduction," the grey coated stallion flushes slightly in embarrassment, "Oh! I almost forgot what I had come up here for, Spike has made breakfast, we'd better get down there fast before it's all gone," the unicorn turns quickly and gallops down the stairs, disappearing underneath them as she enters the kitchen. Rain Flare follows her down a bit slower, as his stomach growls at the thought of food. Trotting into the kitchen, Rain Flare sees that the ponies from last night are still here, Rainbow is the first to notice his presence.

"Hey Rain Flare, long time no see. Nice of you to drop by, even if it was only because you were being chased by a gigantic lightning bolt," she walks over to him as the other four turn their attention towards the stranger, "Want me to introduce you to everypony?"

Rain Flare smiles at his old frienemy from flight school.

"I'd be delighted, thank you," Rainbow is a bit taken aback by his friendly attitude, he'd been so different in school. They'd challenged each other to numerous races and other tests of ability, called names, picked apart one another's tricks. What was with this new him? Pushing the thought aside for now, Rainbow Dash begins the introductions.

"Come on. This is Rarity, she owns the Carousel Boutique in town."

The white unicorn smiles at the stallion.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"It's nice to meet you too," he bows his head slightly in greeting, a mild blush appearing on the mares cheeks.

"Such wonderful manners. If you need something to wear for your audience with Princess Luna, please stop by my shop, I'd be happy to make you something."

"Thank you for the offer, but I was planning on just wearing my armor," he pauses a minute, realizing he had no idea what had happened to his saddle bag, "Speaking of which, do you know where my things are?"

"Oh of course, your bag had fallen off during the incident with the lightning bolt. Applejack found it and brought it up to the study. Twilight could probably take you after breakfast."

"Thank you, I'd be crow food if I lost that uniform," bowing his head again, Rainbow leads him over to a pale orange pony with a stetson sitting at the table.

"Howdy, sugar cube," She says with a southern drawl, "Name's Applejack, ma' family owns Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight's told us you're from the Royal Guard; one of Princess Luna's personal protectors no doubt."

"Aha, indeed I am. I understand you're the one who recovered my armor, I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am for that," he kneels down like he had before Twilight.

"Well shucks, you sure are a proper pony... Uh, no offense."

"Ha ha, none taken," he chuckles as he stands, "Please let me know if there is any way I could pay you back," Applejack nods in acknowledgement and Rainbow takes Rain Flare over to where Fluttershy is giggling at her hyper pink friend. Rainbow clears her throat to get their attention.

"Fluttershy," she gestures to the pink-maned, yellow pegasus, "this is Rain Flare, he's an old friend of mine from flight school."

The mare blushes and looks down, fidgeting nervously.

"Oh, um, hi, I'm Fluttershy..." she speaks in barely a whisper, causing Rain Flare to have to lean in closer to hear her.

"Hello Fluttershy, there's no need to be afraid, I promise I won't summon any more lightning," she looks up timidly, and when they make eye contact, Rain Flare flashes her a smile. Instead of calming her down though, it makes her blush deeper and look down again. Frowning at his failed attempt, Rain Flare turns to the bouncing form next to him. Extending a hoof he manages to get out a "hello," before his foreleg is shaken violently, causing his whole body to move up and down.

"HiI'mPinkiepie!Areyoureallyamemberoftheroyalguard?That'ssocool!Youmustknowallkindsofsecrets. OhhhIwannaknowsobadbutIwon'taskcausethatwouldberude,andIdon'twanttomaketheprincessesangry. Thatsthepointofsecretsanyways,noponyissupposedtoknow!Idon'tkeepsecretsthoughItellmyfriendseverything!Doyoukeepsecrets? 'Causeifyoudothat'stotallyyourchoiceand-"

"PINKIE!" Rainbow, who had been trying for some time now, finally gets Pinkie Pie's attention, "you're gonna rip the poor guy's leg off."

The pink pony blinks a few times before releasing the stallions hoof from hers.

"Oh, sorry, I guess I just got a little excited to have a new pony in Ponyville."

Rain Flare reorients himself and sits on his haunches before the hyperactive mare.

"It's quite alright, I've been trained to endure far worse than an over-enthusiastic hoof shake before revealing our countries secrets," he smiles at her, hiding his annoyance at being treated in such a fashion, he was a member of the Royal Guard, not some wandering pony passing through town for Pete's sake.

Rainbow guides him away from Pinkiepie and Fluttershy, back towards the table.

"Well, that's everypony. Why don't you have a bite to eat, we can catch up later."

"Yeah, sounds good to me," Rainbow goes off to mingle as Rain Flare digs into a delicious breakfast of homemade pancakes.

********

After waving goodbye to her friends, Twilight approaches Rain Flare, who is polishing his armor in the living room.

"Hey, you almost ready to go?"

"Just about. Trying to get rid of me are ya?" he says with a mischievous smile.

"N-no! Of course not! I was going to ask if you would mind me tagging along. I've been meaning to go to Canterlot for a while now; there are some books I wanted to find for the library."

"Ha ha, I'm just teasing you. No I wouldn't mind, it would be nice to have a traveling companion."

Twilight harrumphs.

"You should know better than to tease the Princess's number one student."

Rain Flare cringes, he had completely forgotten after being so relaxed amongst her friends, he bows his head in shame.

"Please accept my most humble apology. That was way out of line."

"Hee hee, gotcha' back. Let me know when you're ready, I'll send for a coach," the unicorn leaves the room as the bewildered guard tries to decipher what just happened.

How can she be so laid back? Rain Flare ponders, putting on his now shimmering armor, She's practically royalty. Have I just spent too much time around Princess Luna and away from towns folk? I guess I just didn't notice. Most of Luna's guards end up acting a bit medieval, just a side effect from hanging around a princess that's a thousand years behind the times, I suppose, he puts on his helmet and trots out to the main room of the library, where Twilight waits at her desk, reading a book she has probably read a hundred million times; The Biography of Starswirl The Bearded.

"You ready?" She asks, looking up from the tome.

"Yes, my lady. Has the coach arrived?"

The sound of wheels turning on gravel answers his question before Twilight can. Walking to the door, Rain Flare opens it and lets Twilight exit in front of him. He then proceeds to politely pass her to open the carriage door.

"Your chariot awaits," he extends a foreleg towards the inside, inviting her to go first. Smiling, she hops in.

"You're such a gentlepony. Or are you just trying to make up for insulting me?" She sticks her tongue out at him playfully.

Sighing, the stallion hops up into the carriage and sits across from her. A driver closes the door and soon they are airborne, soaring over Ponyville. Twilight peers out the window in wonder.

"You know, I never get over how beautiful everything looks from the sky. So serene and peaceful. Being able to see for miles with no obstructions. Oh it must be wonderful to be able to see the world like this all the time," she turns towards the pegasus as she says the final sentence.

Rain Flare shrugs.

"I don't know, I guess. Seeing it all the time makes it not so special after a while..." he turns his gaze to the window, wishing he could get the same thrill Twilight was getting, the one he got the first few flights that he could remember. Sighing, the guard returns his attention to the librarian.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to depress you..." Twilight frowns at the stallion's downtrodden look.

"No, no, it's fine, really," putting on a smile, he seeks to change the subject, "So, what books were you hoping to find in Canterlot?"

"Oh, you really want to know? Well a new theory on the Higgs Boson Particle was just released an..."

Following at first but soon losing her in complex formulas and concepts, Rain Flare turns his attention to Twilight herself instead of her voice, which he had for some reason begun to love hearing. For the first time since meeting her, he realizes just how beautiful she is. Her pink streaked purple mane is well kept and looks so soft, though he dares not reach out to stroke it. She has a fairly amazing form for one that sits around reading and practicing magic all the time. Her coat has a magnificent shimmer to it, and her flanks, while not as full as some other mares' he'd courted, where quite magnetic to the eyes, although he couldn't see much from this angle. Twilight had apparently noticed he'd stopped paying attention, for she had ended her lecture and was now eying him with a cross expression as he continues to nod subconsciously.

"I don't appreciate being mocked," she says, staring him down.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't mocking! I swear! I just got kinda lost and didn't want to interrupt and pepper you with stupid questions..." his head hangs, not able to meet her gaze.

"I'd rather be asked for comprehension to things most ponies don't understand than ignored," she says, relaxing her muscles but keeping him in an icy glare.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..."

She sighs, not being able to hold any kind of grudge.

"It's fine, I should be used to it by now, almost nopony can follow me when I get going," she brightens up a little, smiling, "Hey, points for trying, right?"

"Aha, thanks. I'm really sorry," Rain Flare brightens some too, lifting his head and offering a shy, apologetic smile.

"It's alright, no harm done. Where did I lose you?" she asks, cocking her head slightly.

"Ummm... About when you starting mentioning formulas with more than four parts," he smiles sheepishly, flushing a bit in embarrassment at his lower intelligence.

"Ha ha, you did better than most. How about I put it this way..." Twilight begins explaining and Rain Flare nods as she goes, paying more attention this time, asking questions when she loses him.

By the time they land in front of Canterlot Castle, Rain Flare has a pretty good grasp on the basics of theory behind the Higgs Boson particle, although he probably wouldn't be reading the new books Twilight was looking for today, at least not without her help. This gives him an idea of a way to spend more time with the beautiful, intellectual mare, but he isn't quite sure why he wants to.

********

Upon entering the castle, after waving goodbye to Twilight Sparkle, Rain Flare is lead immediately to the throne room, where Princess Luna is waiting. Rain Flare trots over and kneels before the midnight ruler.

"Your majesty, I apologize for my late arrival, I was delayed by my own rashness."

Luna speaks in her booming echo of a voice.

"Rise, Rain Flare of the Royal Guard. You're delay has put nothing at jeopardy; you are excused from any criticism on my behalf."

Rain Flare does as he is told, but keeps his head low in respect.

"What is it that you have summoned me for, my lady?"

The princess adjusts to a more normal volume so as not to be overheard by anyone but the guards in the room.

"The matter we must discuss is of great importance, and secrecy. Come with me to my private chambers," dismounting her throne, the regal alicorn walks the short distance to her room. Rain Flare follows a few tail lengths behind, head still bowed. The door glows with a purple light and closes behind the stallion.

Luna sits on the large rug in the middle of the room, she sweeps a hoof over a patch in front of her, inviting Rain Flare to join her. As he sits in front of her, she smiles warmly at him.

"It is good to see you again. I was quite sad to have to give you up to sentry duty, but you were the best, and that is what they needed. I have missed our talks about today's society; you were so good at explaining everything I had missed during my imprisonment. You were also one of the few that enjoyed hearing about the days of old from firsthand experience, rather than read about it in a text book."

Rain Flare smiles back at the princess, loosening up some now that they are in private, "I've missed you too princess. I must say, you seem to be getting along much better since I was transferred."

"Yes, so I have heard. 'I am getting more used to today and my guards are getting more used to yesterday' I believe is what the paper said."

Rain Flare chuckles.

"You do tend to rub off on us. I sorta barged in on Twilight and her friends on my way here - part of what kept me - and I think they all found me a bit... What was it Applejack said? 'Proper.'"

Luna smiles, then remembrance dawns on her face.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot why I called you here. There is a matter of great importance that my sister has charged me with taking care of. It involves her favorite student. You've heard of Twilight's achievements, have you not?"

"Of course, she's one talented unicorn."

"Well, none of that would have been possible, nor would I be sitting here talking to you, had Princess Celestia not sent her to Ponyville to make friends," Rain Flare nods, listening, "Since the attack by the changelings, Celestia has decided it is time for Twilight to escalate her powers once again. This is where you come in."

Rain Flare shakes his head in astonishment.

"Me? What could I possibly do to advance the skills of the most powerful unicorn in Equestria?"

"Twilight was able to do all the things she has and come this far in her training because she found the power of friendship. Now she must take the next step; she must find the power of love."

Rain Flare stares in incomprehensive silence, trying to figure out what he'd just been tasked with doing.

"You're saying you want me to... You want me to court Princess Celestia's number one student?" a sudden flash of anger courses through him, "What gives you the right to tell me who I should get with? What if I didn't like Twilight? What would you do then? Force me to do it? You're just lucky I do."

Luna stays calm during his outburst, understanding this is quite the task.

"That's not exactly what I meant. I recall you being quite the charmer while you were here, flirting all the time with the mares that came to the castle. I was implying that you help her find her special somepony, but if you wish to take the position yourself, and you think she would accept, I'd be more than happy to give you my blessing," the Princess smiles at the flabbergasted stallion, his cheeks flushed from jumping to conclusions.

"I- I'll have to think about it..."

Comments

[LeoValkenhein]

Whoo hoo! Official first chapter!
Read, comment, and critique please.
I hope you guys enjoy it as much as you enjoyed my introduction test run.

[Writer12577]

Well, I don't have the time to do a proper review due to the fact I'm going to have to go see yet another doctor in about an hour, so I'll just stick to telling things the regular way.

First off, this was great! Good formatting, great use of English (I personally liked the "frenemy", if that wasn't a typo), even a nice and catchy storyline forming up!

Some minor spelling mistakes, such as

"PINKIE!" Rainbow, who had been trying for some time now, finally gets Pinkiepie's attention. "You're gonna rip the poor guy's //Guys = a group of people// leg off."

Aside from such small mistakes, you're doing great! I'm definitely enjoying this.

Have a picture:
i.imgur.com/yJhKT.png?1