There's a First Time for Everything. [Dead]

[CableZ]

Ahh Tuesday, such a normal day for everyone, well everyone not named 'Twilight Sparkle'. Just last week, Spike had burped up an unexpected letter from princess Celestia herself, causing quite the stir with the newly crowned princess. The letter was a bit of a shocking read, unexpected to say the least. It read as such:

Dearest Princess Twilight.

With your new ascension to Princesshood, and your decision to stay living in the town of Ponyville, I made a decision of my own. Despite the power of the elements of harmony, sometimes you will not have your friends by your side, and you may need an ally to call on.

I have tasked a great pony with your protection, he is a hero from a time before even my own, a great warrior and fighter, who has kept Equestria safe time and time again long before I and my sister Luna ever did.

I know such a pony would provide a great interest to you, and I know that he is a pony who would give his life for your safety, you two will be a great match. He will be arriving next Tuesday, I know you will provide him with a warm welcome and settle him in. His name is Aero Tempest, I'm sure the history books in your library will have mentioned him many times as the first Hero of Equestria.

I hope this will not inconvenience you in anyway my Dear Twilight, I am simply looking out for you.

Love, Princess Celestia.

That was that, not much Twilight could do about the matter, but simply wait for the stallion to arrive. The train ride was a little bit of an awkward affair for Aero, most ponies were staring at him in his large, impressive golden armour. He didn't mind all too much however, he was content to look out of the window, admire the scenery, occasionally looking back to his helmet that rested on the table in front of his seat. Ever since he had come out in public as the hero of time, Aero had been getting a fair bit of attention, however nothing could have prepared him for when Celestia had called him to her throne room to say that he was to protect the newly crowned Princess Twilight.

Stepping off the train into the cloud of steam it kicked up with it's shrill whistle, Aero wore his full suit of armour, looking around the quiet little train station. The town seemed nice enough, as nice as any town he supposed, Aero had never really known such a place. Walking down the streets, Aero found the place to be quite agreeable, it was a nice, quiet town with pleasant ponies, even if they were staring at him right now. It was quite odd to see such a heavily armoured pony in the quiet town, but they had seen many more odd things in the past.

Aero found the little library quite quickly, finding a house within a tree wasn't exactly the hardest thing in the world. Making sure it was the right place, he walked up tot he large, heavy set wooden door, Aero looked up at the tree for a moment. With a smirk beneath his mask, Aero knocked firmly on the door 3 times, it felt good to be working again.

[Oopsie Daisy]

- - -

Loud audible trotting could probably be heard from all across Ponyville as a certain purple mare paced around her golden pony head bust, whimpering with an odd mixture of nervousness and excitement. The letter she had just received from the princess was still idly hovering above her enlightened horn, following behind her with every turn she took. Spike was away in Canterlot, so she had to deal with this all by herself. No one was around for her to talk to about this letter, and more importantly, no one for her to freak out to. So instead, she was just going round and round in a big never-ending circle, muttering to herself as she tried to gather her thoughts.

"Oh my gosh. The first Hero of Equestria is going to be my new bodyguard. Aero Tempest himself is going to be staying here! Ohh.. I have so many questions! I mean I've time travelled before myself, but.. he's been around since before even the princess! Spike, do you realise what this means?!..." She froze in place and blinked, looking around for the dragon a minute before remembering where he was. "Oh yeah. Well, I can't waste anymore time! I have a week to make this place as clean and tidy as I can. It's not every day a famous time travelling hero of Equestria comes to stay in your home, is it?" She raised a hoof to her chest, inhaling heavily, before releasing a breath and moving the limb away from her form. The calming technique Cadance had taught her sure had come in handy.. but only after she'd got the stressing over and done with! Of course she wasn't offended by the princess' offer to have her own protector. It wasn't that she couldn't handle herself of course, but one could never know. She was a princess now, and all of the princesses had guards - ranging from Luna's nocturnal batponies to Cadance's Crystal armada. Just now, one guard would suit Twilight just fine, and the extra protection sure would come in handy - especially from a well-known experienced soldier older than time itself.

Well, enough dawdling. She had work to do! First she had to The place needed to be spotless. Which included all the books sprawled out open on the floor in a heap. How did she always manage to make such a mess with them?

- - -

In no time at all, it was "next Tuesday". Twilight was feeling a bit flustered, and had spent all morning making sure everything was perfect. She breathed a sigh of relief as she walked through the main reading room, suddenly spotting a quill that had been left in the middle of the floor. She squealed and rushed towards it, immediately lifting it with her magic and placing it in a drawer. Just as she was wiping a bead of sweat from under her fringe, a loud knock was heard from her front door, causing her to jump once again. Suddenly overwhelmed with excitement, Twilight allowed herself one final minute to calm herself before trotting towards the front door. When she opened it, the first thing she saw was the unusual helmet completely covering the stallion's face. It looked just like how it had looked from her history books. "Welcome! You must be Aero Tempest," she said, trying not to sound TOO eager. "It's a real honour to meet you." She bowed with respect before taking a step back to allow him passage into her home. This was quite an awkward situation, but she was sure he was used to doing things like this. "Uh.. please! Make yourself at home. Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" Of course she usually had Spike to take care of things like that for her, but of course he wasn't here. But that was okay, she didn't mind being the host. She just hoped her hospitality was enough for the armour-clad hero before her. He was probably used to luxury she wasn't currently able to offer, but hopefully he was a stallion of simple tastes. After all, he must've wanted to do this job, and Celestia would only ever choose the best for her.

[CableZ]

Aero was just slightly taller than Twilight, so he looked down slightly at her, smiling softly behind his helmet, it took his head a minute to work out that she couldn't see his face. Nodding in thanks, Aero quietly stepped into the warm interior of the hollowed out tree. Looking around briefly, Aero took in the scent of old paper, the great smell a library always seemed to offer. Stepping toward the center of the room, Aero turned back to face the princess, the apparent lack of his face being an awkward point. Realizing this quite quickly, Aero chuckled softly before reaching up and took off his helmet. Holding the helemet under his wing and shaking his hair out, Aero smiled at the princess, cute as always.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic and defender of Equestria" Aero bowed regally, showing her the utmost respect. "I am indeed Aero Tempest, I have been tasked with your..protection" Aero spaced out slightly as he looked around softly. "This is your home? Right...should make protection easier if it's all one location" The hero spoke as he inspected the area from his current position. "The honour is mine Ma'am" Aero smiled once more, brining his attention back to the princess.

The hero then proceeded to do a little lap of the main room, looking around, inspecting it and generally just looked about the place, partly for security reasons but also because he was slightly nosy and used security as an excuse. Once he made it one way round, he returned to the center of the room, looking back at the princess with his same smile.

"I understand your assistant is currently in the capital, as such I will be not only performing as your guard, I will be at your disposal for anything you may need" He spoke with a serious tone, but that same sweet smile. "I'll try and keep out of your way during my time here, I wouldn't want to get in the way of your duties" He chuckled softly

Aero shuffled his wings slightly, his wings strained slightly in his armour, still not totally used to wearing it again. He waited for some sort of response or order from his new princess, He had noticed that other guards in Canterlot took on elements of their respective Princesses, so Aero would have to find a way to do that himself, to honour the young princess, although how he would do so would be something he would need to figure out over he next few days.

[Oopsie Daisy]

- - -

She watched him walk into her home, smiling warmly as he had a look around and took in the nice papery library smell that she had long since gotten used to. The place was immaculately neat and tidy, and she had been sure to clean and dust everything. She was also planning to get the fire started soon as it would most likely get cooler that evening - especially considered the weather ponies had scheduled a storm for that night. She watched wide-eyed as he took off his helmet, hardly believing that such a living legend had just stepped into her home, feeling a little bit starstruck. "Oh, I can get that for you," she offered, using her magic to take it for him and levitating it onto the rack just near the door. Carrying such a heavy and awkward bit of equipment under one's wing surely couldn't be that comfortable, especially if you have to do it for too long. She was still getting used to her wings, but thanks to Rainbow Dash and even Fluttershy's help she was slowly but surely getting better at using them.

When he addressed her by her full and.. rather unnecessary title, a blush instantly tinted her purple cheeks. "That's.. me," she giggled awkwardly, her blush only increasing when he bowed to her. Something ELSE she was going to have to get used to. "And what about you Sir Aero Tempest, First Official Hero of Equestria and the Princess Guardian?" She beamed, feeling that he deserved the praise more than she did. What he'd done in the past wasn't anything to shake a stick at! "Saying it's truly an honour to have you in my home is a severe understatement," she said cheerfully and genuinely, nodding after his next statement, noticing him space out a little. Oh she had plenty of questions for him at a later time, and just now she could hardly contain her excitement. But she knew she had to remain calm and collected, and would wait for him to get settled first. "If you need to take your armour off, I have safe places it can be kept in storage. I can't imagine it's too comfortable to wear all day long," she said politely, watching innocently as he had a good look about, from the many bookshelves to the kitchen area to the stairs that led down into the basement. "Yes, this is my home. Princess Celestia gave me this library to live in herself. Pretty cool, huh?" The lavender mare gave the ancient guard a cheesy grin, forever grateful to the princess for sending her to Ponyville. As much as she loved her home in Canterlot, she felt a lot happier in the smaller simpler town. Mostly thanks to her friends, of course.

Beaming at his politeness, Twilight watched as he had a good look around, not minding in the slightest. She was sure he had some sort of guard procedure to go through, and had no trouble sitting back and letting him to his work, no matter how nosey he seemed. It wasn't like she had much to hide or protect.. well, save for the Elements of Harmony, of course, still kept secure in their glass container. When he looked back at her with a smile, she was quick to return it, immediately at attention in case he needed or wanted anything.

"Yep, he's away on royal business," she said matter-of-factly, in response to his question about Spike. She smiled warmly when he mentioned he was there for anything she might need, even though there wasn't much he could do that she couldn't do herself - or get Spike to help her with, and he would be home in a few days. But still, extra help was extra help, and there was no doubt she was very grateful. "And I appreciate that. Thank you, Aero." She giggled. "And I'm sure you won't get in the way. Please let me know if there's anything I can do for you in return, I want your stay to be as comfortable as possible," she said kindly, leading him up the stairs to the bedroom. His bed had already been prepared opposite the staircase, near the stairs leading to her own bedroom area. It felt a bit awkward showing a stranger their sleeping quarters in her house, but she knew he would protect her well. Of course she'd have to get used to having a bodyguard around. She'd already told her friends about his visit, and they were all hoping to meet him soon... especially Rarity. "Well, this is where you'll be sleeping," she said, turning to head back downstairs. "Make yourself at home, and feel free to have a look around. Let me know if you have any questions, or if you need anything." This whole playing hostess thing was also something she'd have to get used to. Usually she made a pretty decent host, but this was a situation she'd never been in before.. and she didn't have any books that would help her out on this matter either. She'd just have to wing it... no pun intended.

[CableZ]

Aero couldn't help but chuckle at her use of his full title, she was sharp, and funny. He wasn't one for the whole formalities, titles and ranks were never his style, but he knew how to stick to them. Aero wasn't entirely sure if Twilight was one for formal either, he figured that if she wanted to stay in Ponyville in her tree house (he he) that she preferred her normal life as opposed to one as a princess. Regardless of what he thought, he couldn't assume anything about his new princess, she was a princess after all. Aero nodded his head as he looked around, it was indeed cool, he honestly didn't expect there to be much space but there really was, it was quite impressive. Aero wasn't one for flattery, but she really seemed to be gushing about his presence, the blush present of her face was quite cute, boy it was a good thing Nightfall wasn't here, otherwise he'd be getting smacked upside the head right now.

As she began walking up the stairs, he quickly followed suit, his armour rattling around softly as he ascended the stairs. He had no problem being her assistant, frankly even being the assistant to a princess was a high honour, let alone her personal body guard. As they entered the upper area of the library, and Twilight directed him to his bed, Aero nodded in recognition of it's location as he looked around the room. He was kind of surprised to see that her bed was in the same room, albeit on a slightly elevated area, in fact it brought a slight blush to his face, he was in a princesses bedroom, something he had only been in one other time in his life.

He was about to say something, until he saw her heading down the stairs. A slight smile spread across his face as he turned back to his bed, seeing the neatly laid out bed spread, Aero appreciated the effort that Twilight had gone to. Aero was a military pony, such kindness and luxury was not something he was accustomed to, his own parents never treated him so nicely. Unclipping the pieces of wing armour that covered his wing feathers, Aero placed down down softly on his bed before taking a quick look around the room. Aero skimmed though the bookshelves, before noticing one book was out of its place, seemed odd with how tidy this place was, Aero though looking around the rest of the room. Quickly climbing up to Twilight's bed area, Aero looked out of the window with a slight smile, it was a nice day, afternoon to be more specific. Turning back to head downstairs, Aero stopped in his tracks when he noticed something on the neatly pressed cover of Twilight's bed. It was a book, a familiar book at that, it was a history book that Aero himself was actually featured in. Seeing a little red ribbon bookmark around 1/3 of the way through the book, letting curiosity get the best of him, Aero reached over and quickly lifted the book open to the bookmarked page. A slight shock washed over him when he saw the subject of the page...him. Seemed that the good princess had been studying up on his exploits, these books didn't talk much about how Aero was, just what he had done and a few other things, this particular page talked about his disappearance his one day romance with an unknown princess, before he vanished, never to be seen again..never to see the pony he loved again.

Closing the book with a slight tear in his eye, Aero quickly wiped away his sorrow and hopped down from Twilight's bedding area, before trotting down the stairs he had come up only minutes earlier. He entered the main area of the Library and looked around for Twilight, at first glance he couldn't see her, so he opted to simply call out, it's not like the place was that big.

"Princess Twilight, is there anything you want me to do?" Aero called out in a slightly raised voice.

[Oopsie Daisy]

- - -

After returning to the main area of the library, Twilight paused for a moment to wonder if she had anything to do. She'd tidied and cleaned absolutely everything, written to Spike, prepared Aero's bedding, had greeted him and welcomed him into her home... so, what now? Her horn lit up brilliantly as a piece of paper on her writing desk came floating up to her. It was the list she'd written herself for the day, and it kind of ended there. A look of panic crossed the young pony's face, before she calmed herself and shook her head. The fact that she didn't have anything else planned was a good thing, right? Now she had company, and her schedule was now intertwined with his. But at the same time, he was here to assist her. But what if he had plans? She made a note to ask him whenever he decided to come down.

Placing the list back down, Twilight trotted into the kitchen, humming to herself. It was then that she remembered what else she needed to do for the day. Shopping. She was quite low on supplies, which was no good when there was a guest in the house. Usually Spike accompanied her to the marketplace, but it appeared that her new housemate would have to fill in instead. Bringing up a new scrap piece of paper and a quill, Twilight wasted no time in writing a new list while having a good look around the area, writing down everything she needed.

Soon she heard hoofsteps come down the steps, and her ears twitched as he called out her name. Magicking her saddlebags to her back, Twilight quickly entered the main area to join him. "There is, actually," she said with a smile. "I need to head to the market and get some new supplies. Usually Spike comes with me but.. clearly he can't just now." She chuckled, making sure she had enough bits on her. "Would you like to come with me? After all, I'm not just buying things for myself."

[CableZ]

Aero walked over to a spare set of saddle bags in the corner as Twilight began speaking, seemingly agreeing both instantly and without thought. Hoisting the bags onto the back weight of his armour, the saddle bags he were had 2 bags either side of them, as opposed to the usual 1 bag per side, so that he could carry for stuff. This was due to his role, Aero didn't mind this new assistant/guard position, because it was work, instead of going stir crazy in his home he was out and about and doing stuff, maybe back in the past he would have been annoyed by this but now he was just grateful. With a smile, Aero nodded at Twilight, signalling both that he was agreeing to go, and was ready to head off immediately.

With little more hesitation or preparation, the newly made duo headed out of the door and into Ponville, Aero walked out behind Twilight, forgetting to close the door, but immediately stuck his head back through the door frame, grabbed his helmet from the rack and closed the door behind him. Aero trotted just behind Twilight's side, giving her the royal space she needed, while still making it present that he was with her, her royal guard. He was happy to be out and about, really he didn't know what to expect when he was given this assignment but it was a pleasant surprise to see that the Princess lived day to day much like any other pony. As the pair walked through the streets toward the market place, stares were abundant, whispers about the shiny golden pony with princess Twilight. It was actually kind of cool, he felt like kind of a celebrity, well...you have to take a victory where you find one.

They came to a stop at the town square, the hub of the town, if you needed to head off somewhere, it was the best place to go, you could get to anywhere in town from this point. As they came to a stop, Aero walked around to face Twilight, lifting up his face plate to smile at Twilight.

"So what is it you are out to buy today your Majesty?" Aero inquired as he held the face plate up with a curious tone and gaze, accidentally dropping the faceplate with a clunk before lifting it up with eyes ringing slightly.

[Oopsie Daisy]

- - -

The guard appeared to waste absolutely no time in preparing at her request, causing her to giggle slightly with amusement. There was no doubt she appreciated his quickness, and it wasn't like the purple pony wasn't used to assistance from other's. The awkwardness was swiftly melting away, and while it was still weird that a full grown pony (and a hero of time, no less!) was there for her every beck and call, she knew she'd get used to him soon enough. It was only customary for royalty to have protection, and since she was now royalty.. it was important that she now had a protector. She was still getting used to being royalty of course, but the best way for her to deal with it was to be thrown into the deep end and start from the bottom. And it seemed that had included having her own personal bodyguard. Fair enough.

She waited for him as he turned to grab his helmet and close the front door as they exited the library, feeling a bit awkward at how much space there was between them. She understood that he needed to remain professional, but it felt rather unfriendly and distant and she was more used to close and social. Maybe it was just something else she'd need to get used to. Including the many stares and whispers directed at them as the pair walked through the marketplace: ponies bowing their heads and greeting Twilight formally while staring at the oddly-armoured pony at her side. She smiled and waved back awkwardly, pausing to make smalltalk with a few as they were her friends. She felt grateful when ponies still treated her as herself and not as some royal figurehead who could only be spoken to formally. She was still herself, and it meant a lot to her when those she cared about remembered this. Princess or not, she didn't feel more important than any of them and didn't want them to feel the same way.

"Here we are," she said with joy as they reached the central point of the market. So many different kinds of stalls surrounded them. A magenta hue sparkled over her horn as a piece of paper floated from her bag and levitated before her eyes. Her shopping list, of course. The one she had misplaced after "finishing" her to-do list due to some distraction or something along that nature. She could be so skittish and easily distracted when Spike wasn't around! It was shameful, really.

Her ears pricked as Aero lifted his helmet face plate and asked what she was out to buy. The list had the usual.. fruit, vegetables, bread, sugar, a couple books, juice, and kitchen utensils. "Quite a lot, actually," she said with a smile, looking up from the sheet and heading in the direction of an apple stall. "We can start with stocking up on food. My kitchen is embarrassingly empty - especially considering I have an important guest staying! I appreciate the help," she said warmly. Six saddlebags were better than two, after all.

[CableZ]

Looking around the market stalls as Twilight listed off her ingredients, Aero made a mental checklist of each item and where it could be found. As odd as it may have sounded this was not unfamiliar territory for Aero, he recalled that once during his time in boot camp that he and some other cadets had to restock the entire canteen in one day as they'd used all the cooking ingredients for what can only be described as a food based Armageddon. As such he had to get a lot of food and from that little experience has treated every shopping expedition since as some kind of covert military operation.

While he was going through some kind of over dramatic military operation in camo during the night in the enemy territory known as Maketoria in his head, a group of local kids tentatively approached the odd pair with curious eyes. One of the braver fillies walked up to the two and lightly tugged on Twilight's fur, looking up at her with a nervous smile.

"Um..Princess Twilight? who's the golden pony with you?" She asked in a sweet little voice.

"He's so shiney!" one of the others called out from the group a few meters away.

Aero turned to Twilight and chuckled softly, he'd let her come up with whatever answer she wished and would simply play along. Aero had always been good with kids, maybe because at heart he was one himself but he just had a way with them. He loved making them laugh and smile with his antics or his strange stories about imaginary places and creatures, he was a bit of a goofball sometimes.

[Oopsie Daisy]

- - -

Twilight's muzzle was so deep in the piece of paper hovering in front of her face that she didn't even notice the group of foals approaching her. It was only when she felt a slight tug on her shoulder that she lowered the list and noticed them all looking up at her tentatively, and a soft blush covered her face as she smiled warmly at them. "Oh, hello there!" she said cheerfully, pushing the list aside to offer them her full attention. She saw the nervousness in their eyes: particularly when they looked at the odd armour-clad pony at her side. Admittedly he stuck out like a sore ear in this small simple town, so their anxiousness was no surprise to the princess.

"This is Aero Tempest, my bodyguard," she said proudly, emphasising his position and smiling with amusement as the foals' eyes widened with intrigue. The next comment coming from deeper within the group made her giggle slightly, and she nodded her head. "Haha, yeah.. I guess he is pretty shiny," she said, looking to him with a smirk, allowing him to take over the conversation and answer more questions himself. It wouldn't be fair if she did all the talking when he was the main attraction. She'd had her fill of questions from adults and foals alike in Ponyville after her descent into princesshood (specifically about the two brand new appendages poking out of her back..) so she didn't receive that many anymore.

A colt took a few steps towards the guard, feeling relaxed by his warm smile. "Mister, um.. Tempest? Why do you wear armour like that?" he asked in a quiet voice. Their rising confidence seemed to effect other nearby foals and some of their parents, as more ponies seemed to gather around the pair. Twilight's smile became slightly nervous as she watched them, wanting to get back to her shopping. Hopefully this wouldn't take too long, as she had a schedule to stick to as usual. At the same time, she couldn't blame them, even though the crowd was a little overbearing for her. Hopefully it wasn't bothering the subject of all the attention too much.

[CableZ]

Aero chuckled at the question of the little colt, it was a good question really. So far as he had learned there was no need for armour in this day and age, he stuck out like a sore thumb in his shiny golden armour. This was not to say however that he didn't look impressive, for the same reasons that one wouldn't usually wear armour anymore, armour was not made in abundance. As such Aero was wearing quite a rare item, doubly so due to the fact that this was the only armour of its kind and it was made to the highest quality that was possible.

Thats not to say however that he didn't feel like a total dork wearing it sometimes, not only that but it could get really hot being in this tin can all day. He knew that if he asked that Twilight would allow him to not wear it, she gave off a kind vibe as soon as you met her. However he'd never ask nor would he take her up if she asked him if he wanted to remove it, Aero had a strong sense of duty to his task and to his new Princess so there was no way he was going to dishonour that by removing his armour.

It was only after a few minutes that he realized he was lost in his thoughts again, snapping out of it he saw that he was now stood in a heoric pose to match his dutiful thoughts. Chuckling sheepishly he stood back normally and reached up to take his helmet off to talk to the little kids. Shaking out his helmet hair, he held the shiny golden hemlet with the burning feather under his wing.

"Well sport, I'm known as the hero of time, and this is my armour from thoouuusands of years ago, if I don't wear it pony folk won't know I'm a hero," He grinned, looking to either side he leaned down and spoke in hush whispered "Ponies give me loads of free stuff when they find out."

The kids all giggled and ran off, one of the stallions pretending he was the hero of time which caused Aero to grin like a goofball. Seeing that a small crowd was forming around both him and Twilight, Aero felt that it was his first oppurtunity to shine.

"Excuse me folks, me and Princess Twilight are simply doing some shopping and would appreciate some space, however I apprecaite there may be some questions so I'll quickly answer the basics for you. My name is Aero Tempest and I'm Princess Twilight's new body gaurd, yes this armour is shiny, no I am no crazy and yes I would like a cookie." Aero laughed as a mare from the crowd offered him a cookie from a bad with the words 'Sugar Cube Corner' written on it.

With that the little group of ponies dispersed and melted into the rest of the crowds that were moving through the Ponyville market, pleased with himself he turned back to face Twilight with a wink as he put his helmet back on, making sure it was securely upon his noggin.

"So, food was it? Where would you suggest?"

[Oopsie Daisy]

Considering we don't really know how to continue this thread and are making plans for another one, there's no need for this to still be here. I'll move it to the bin myself.