Belle’s Guardian Prince

Act 1 - Sweet Songbird - Part 1

“The perfect stride for the perfect twirl~ A move of hips, you saucy minx~”

The crowd cheered, watching enthralled as the spectacle continued. The music ran high as the dancer and singer on the stage gave her all, as always, to please her adoring fans. She moved her hips wildly, her legs moving in accord with her rhythm making it seem like she was made out of rubber. Her tail moved along with her, her mane flowed freely, and the rest of her body moved with a mastery that was rarely seen even for professional singers like her.

But more than that, each movement she made, the beat of the music, and the lyrics of her songs were accentuated by her body and her presentation. With her two-toned mane and tail, green beautiful eyes, a supermodel figure that emulated that of the famous Fleur-de-Lis, combining all of that with her charming, lovable personality it was a no brainer why the stadium was packed to the brim with fans.

“Sweetie Belle! Sweetie Belle! Sweetie Belle!” The crowd chanted her name as the piece was coming to an end. Taking it up a notch, she readied herself to perform her latest stunt. With a wink to her back-up dancers, they moved to position and awaited her first movement.

As the song reached its climax, Sweetie Belle twirled like a ballerina a few times, her short skirt flowing with her motions to gift her fans more shots of her pink panty-clad crotch and soft, generous ass. Then, she stopped and flipped back, easily stretching her legs apart as she advanced while the dancers twirled around her. Then, using her magic, she used it to give her momentum a bit of a push to launch herself up to the air, twirl again, and land doing a perfect split for her audience; her soft D-cup breasts bouncing freely until they settled.

The crowd went wild, cheering her name, screaming, or just losing their minds as her split timed perfectly the last string of the song. The stage illuminated and the large screens showed the spectacle in all its glory. Getting back to her feet is a swift movement, Sweetie Belle waved at her fans.

“It’s time for the break! We’ll be back in five minutes, so keep on your grooooooove~” she sang, her fans cheering her on more. After that, she handed the microphone to her assistant and she walked away to the backstage and to her private room. “Uuuuf! That was tougher than in the rehearsals!” She laughed, a hand pushing against her sore hips.

“That was amazing, Sweetie!” Pipsqueak, her manager, complimented her as they entered her room, the mare waving friendly at the dancers and other members of her staff before entering. “You pulled it off flawlessly.”

“I better! We did, what, two hundred practice runs? I can’t wait to see the recording later!” She chirped happily, removing her top to reveal her braless tits.

Pipsqueak blushed but didn’t look away. “Could you at least use bras, Sweetie?”

“But they’re so itchy and my girls like to be free,” she said, cupping her breasts and groping them a little.

Pipsqueak sighed as he watched his friend remove her skirt and panties to change to another outfit. Turning around to give his shameless friend some space, he continued. “Okay, have it your way. Ehem, back to business. Your sale records have gone up! You’re just a few million more and you’ll get your first Platinum, Sweetie! You also have a scheduled meeting tomorrow with an orphanage for the charity event you wanted to sponsor, meeting up with Sapphire Shores to discuss the possibility of an on-stage duo, aaaaaaand a dinner with Rarity!”

“Ahhhh, Rarity. It’s been so long since I last saw my big sister,” Sweetie lamented, putting on her fresh set of purple panties and matching skirt, even shorter than her previous one.

“You literally saw her last week,” Pipsqueak deadpanned.

“Shhhhh, I am grieving the absence of my beloved big sister here. Hush, heartless manager. Go count bits or something!” She cried out before putting on her top, using her hands to properly adjust her juggers. “What about Apple Bloom and Scootaloo?”

“I’m sorry, Sweetie. I did my best,” Pipsqueak said, turning back to face her.

“...It’s alright. Sucks I can’t see them as often, but hey, that’s life, right?” She replied with a small smile.

“Truly, I am sorry, Sweetie. I only managed to get them to the second half of the concert,” he replied, his regretful expression turning into a playful smirk.

She blinked a few times, her brain processing her words. “Pipsqueeeeeeak!” she cried a moment later, hugging him tightly.

Whilst being near smothered by the now familiar feeling of Sweetie’s boobs, Pipsqueak chuckled as the door opened to reveal the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Once the three saw each other, they squealed and ran into a three-way hug, all of them speaking and letting out high-pitched yells at the same time. When they were done, Scootaloo was the first to regain her senses and finally be understandable.

“Daaaamn, girl, you look even better up-close than in those videos! You’re not all skin and bones like that fake bitch of Diamond Tiara.”

Sweetie giggled. “Now now, Scoots, Diamond Tiara is very pretty, just like I am. But want to know a secret? She got so thin because I won the last runway!”

“And the one before that. And the bikini modeling competition. And the commercial AD’s for Cider-Bites. And two whole concerts before that. Please, stop me when you want, Ah can go all night,” Apple Bloom said, a cocky eyebrow rising.

“Yeeeeah, she can be a bit of a sore loser. No. She IS a sore loser, but hey, she’s doing pretty well for herself,” Sweetie stepped back only for Scootaloo to get behind her and grope her breasts while Apple Bloom squeezed her hips. “Giiiiiirls!”

“Yeah! She’s doing pretty well for herself when you’re not outshining her at every turn!” Scootaloo laughed. “Seriously, everyone knows you two are rivals!”

“Rivals? We don’t even hold events together and she’s never said anything bad about me to the press or on her social media. We’re no rivals! Why would we be rivals? I was just lucky I could get tutelage by famous and talented ponies. I wouldn’t be here in the first place-”

“-If Spike hadn’t pushed yah to that audition, right?” Apple Bloom finished for her.

Sweetie Belle blushed, her mind wandering back to that fateful day.

*********************************************

“But what if I fail? Everypony is going to laugh at me, Spike…” she lamented, not really fighting back against Spike’s hold over her wrist.

“Trust me, you’ll do fine, Sweetie. You have an amazing voice and talent, I’m pretty sure you’ll win. And if you don’t, then at least you’ll get to have lots of fun!” Spike reassured his twelve-year-old friend.

“B-but how did you get me in? I didn’t sign up!” Sweetie protested, her voice showing her nervousness as they approached the mobile scenario.

“I signed you up!” Leaning in, he whispered to her ear. “Hey, don’t tell anyone but I pulled some strings here and there to get you in.”

“Y-You did!? I mean, you can do that!? How?” She asked, impressed.

Darting his eyes side to side rapidly, he came up with a quick excuse. “I, uhh, w-well, being twilight’s Number One Assistant has a few perks!”

“Okay?” Sweetie’s head tilted, noticing his nervousness but decided to not push it further. As they approached, she could hear the melodious voice of Diamond Tiara singing. She’d be found eating Rarity’s emergency ration boots first than admitting she actually liked her singing. It was pleasing to the ear, very energetic, and it showed a lot of care and practice behind it. Even if at times it sounded like she was putting too much effort into her voice, making her unnecessarily loud.

Shaking her head from such thoughts, she realized they were already set up in the line. Looking around in an effort to fight down her nervousness, she noticed Dinky and Firestorm were the last fillies in front of her. Dinky was next to her mom, Derpy, and Firestorm next to her dad, who was also reassuring her since she was up next. She could see several other fillies and colts sitting around, likely participants along with their parents or guardians. She saw a security stallion approach her with a cocked eyebrow.

“May I help you?” He asked dryly.

“Sorry we were late,” Spike began before her lips began quivering. “We’re here for the competition.”

“Name?” He said, pulling out a check board from behind him.

“Sweetie Belle Unicorn. Guardian, Rarity Belle Unicorn, or if she couldn’t make it, Spike the Dragon, which is I,” he replied.

“Ah, I see. Everything is in order. You’re lucky, little missy. You almost lost your chance. Here is your badge,” he said handing her a small blue badge with her number. “Best of luck.”

“Thanks, but she won’t be needing any of it!” Spike called back.

“Spiiiiiiike!” she whined. “Everypony is listening!”

“What? I can’t show some confidence since you’re more nervous than Fluttershy over choosing which tea set is cuter?” He smirked. “Relax Sweetie, I’m sure you’ll do amazing!” Just then, the singing ended and several claps followed.

“Thank you, dear judges, it was my utmost pleasure to perform before you~” Diamond Tiara said before rushing off the stage. It only took a few seconds for her to reach the edge and see the newest addition to the line. “Ugghh, really? They let any loser participate?” she asked rhetorically whilst eyeing Sweetie Belle.

“You should be careful, Tiara, I think your lips may get big from the flank kissing you just did,” Sweetie countered with a sweet smile.

“Hmpph!” Diamond ignored her, preferring to divert her attention to her nearby parents. “Mom! Daddy! Did you see me? Did you hear me? Hear them? They loved me!”

“Of course they loved you! You sing like the angels themselves, baby girl!” Filthy Rich said, praising his daughter.

On the other hand, Spoiled nodded with a condescending smile as she watched the competition. “It was well worth the bits I invested in your lessons. The winner is clear. No need to hear the last pitiful attempts of talentless foals. But, oh well, I did not write the rules, shame,” she said louder than necessary so that everyone could hear her, uncaring about the glares she received from other parents while Filthy Rich merely sighed, having to endure his wife’s antics yet again.

Firestorm went up next. While she performed her heart out, Sweetie Belle enjoying her voice but having to admit she wasn’t quite as good as Diamond Tiara, she made up for it with sheer emotion. Once she ended, clapping followed, and then Dinky went up next. She could feel her throat drying up and her hands sweating.

“Hey, Sweetie, relax. I’m here, okay? It doesn’t matter who’s up there or in front of how many you are going to perform for. Just sing from your heart like you always do and you’ll be fine,” Spike reassured her, managing to calm her down a bit.

“B-But I don’t want to… I’m not pretty like Rarity and I don’t sing that well either,” she said.

“Are you kidding me? Your singing voice is phenomenal! And, sure, you’re not Rarity, but why would you want to be like her? I’m sure you’ll be even prettier once you’re older,” he said with a slight blush on his cheeks.

“You really think so?” Spike nodded. Closing her eyes for a moment to find her resolve, she nodded. The rapid clapping and whistling from somepony broke her out of her trance. Looking up to the stage, she saw blushing but smiling Dinky running happily at her mom. “Okay… here goes nothing!”

“Good luck!” Spike cheered.

“Yeah, only losers depend on luck,” Diamond Tiara called, much to her mother’s approval and her father’s dismay.

Walking up to the stage, she finally saw who the judges were. Her eyes went wide when she saw three very familiar faces.

“Well lo and behold, is that lil’ Sweetie Belle I see here?” Sapphire Shores said with her usual pizzazz.

“Indeed she is. Hi, Sweetie Belle!” Coloratura waved a hand at her.

“Greetings, Sweetie Belle,” Songbird offered with a nod. “You may start whenever you’re ready.”

“T-Thank you, all! O-Oh wow… Spike didn’t mention you’d be the judges, eheheeeee…,” taking a deep breath, she steeled herself. Remembering the words of Spike, she pushed her fears aside and was surprised how easy it was. Then again, after a few years of Cutie Mark Crusading and the usual shenanigans, she and her friends found themselves up to on a near-daily basis and had pretty much made her mentally strong to face almost any challenge.

Then, as she was about to open her mouth, she froze. She had no idea what to sing. As if coming to her rescue, she spotted Spike out the corner of her vision giving her two thumbs up.

“Y-You know that I’m sweet and kind~” she began to sing, lacking in confidence at first, but there was no turning back now. “A bit aloof, maybe far too refined~ Yet I seek out the eyes of a stallion whom may I a-a-doooreeeee~~!” She sang with proper confidence now. Her stance shifting from stiff standing to energetic movements. Going with the flow, she twirled and danced around the stage as she sang. She didn’t care at that moment, in fact, she’d forgotten all about the judges and the competition itself.

Spike was right. She loved singing. It was the only thing she loved to do that came close in comparison to help others find their purpose or their talents. And once she started singing, she went all out. Pouring her heart into the song, she approached the end of it. “-give up hope! I wonder where’s my ‘One’, perhaps my search was wrong~? For who’s to say a pony is the one I sought~! I can feel my heart be set aflutter~! Ahhhhhhhh~” she finished her song, doing a little bow towards Spike, who blushed and blinked at her. She blushed, too, before straightening up to face the judges.

They clapped vividly, nearly as much as they had when Diamond Tiara was on stage. She then rushed off-stage and ran up to Spike, hugging him tightly as they spun around a few times.

“See? What did I tell you? You were fantastic!” He praised, making her blush.

“Thanks, Spike. I had a lot of fun! Can we go home now?” She asked.

“Don’t you want to stay and see if you won a place?” Near them, they could hear Diamond Tiara scoffing at that suggestion.

“I don’t really care if I won a place or not. It’s like you said, I did it just for fun!” She said eagerly.

“If you say so, then let’s get going!” Spike agreed.

“Hold it,” the security stallion said. “The judges are calling all participants to the stage. It seems they already made up their minds.”

Spike and Sweetie exchanged looks, nodded, and followed the rest of the foals and their guardians. As they climbed up the stage, Spike waved at the three judges, them waving back at him for a split second. Once all the participants were on stage, the three music divas stood up.

“This was certainly a most interesting competition!” Coloratura began. “Ponyville has many talents and surprises in store as always. Spike, please send our regards to Princess Twilight for sponsoring this event.”

“Will do, Coloratura,” he winked at her.

“Out of every other competition we’ve held across Equestria, this is the first one that showed not only talent, but also emotion and raw brilliance. That is what we were looking for,” Songbird added.

“Don’t forget that touch of magic and spectacle, girl!” Sapphire chirped causing her fellow divas to laugh. “Now, everyone did amazing and all are great in their own ways, but sadly, there are only three winning places. The third place will receive a special commendation and a signed poster by all three of us! Plus, five hundred bits, our treat.”

“The second place will also receive the poster and the commendation, tickets to all of our up and coming concerts for the rest of the year, and a thousand bits,” Songbird said, smiling pleasantly as she did.

“And the first place will receive a poster and two thousand bits, but instead of the commendation, the lucky first place will get the first row and backstage privileges for each and every one of our concerts and get special one-on-one tutelage from all of us so, should they desire it, pursue a career as an up and coming star!” Coloratura announced, making most of the colts and fillies go wild with excitement.

“Huh… they didn’t mention any of that before. Heh, how much do you want to bet they planned this surprise from the start?” Spike whispered to Sweetie Belle’s ear.

Sweetie nodded, smiling at the three divas for their incredible surprise. “I hope whoever wins gets to shine and be happy!” She replied eagerly.

“You don’t want to be first place?” Spike asked, surprised.

“With those prizes? Of course! If I do, Rarity’s gonna faint. I soooo want to see the face she’d make!” She giggled. As the fillies and colts simmered down, she tugged at his shirt. “T-Thanks, Spike, for signing me up. I had a lot of fun.” Spike smiled at her with a fang-filled grin.

“Alright, alright children, settle down!” Coloratura clapped her hands and quickly the kids went back to a state of agitated silence, barely keeping composure. “Now, I know that losing sucks. So, as part of our goodwill, everyone else will get their own signed poster for participating. Now, shall we begin? Sapphire, do the honors if you don’t mind.”

“Spleeeee-ehndiiiid~” picking up a small card, she continued. “ For our third place, please give a warm round of applause for Sweetie Belle Uniiiicorn!” Instantly, many of the nearby fillies and colts congratulated the famous Crusader while she hopped happily before jumping on the dragon that brought her, forcing him to carry her bridal-style for a few seconds while she screamed against his chest. “Girl, you know how to blow your voice, wwwuuuuahuu! Songbird!”

“Our second place iiiiiis Dinky Hooves!” Songbird announced, the audience going wild yet again as Dinky began to cry happy tears while hugging her mom for dear life, Derpy immensely proud of her daughter. “Your singing prowess and emotional weight resonated with all of us deeply. I hope we can hear more from you in the future, if you choose the path to stardom. Coloratura?”

As the other parents and guardians clapped and showed genuine happiness for the fillies that had won so far, only Spoiled Rich abstained from showing nothing but a higher-than-thou condescending indifferent smile while Diamond Tiara chose to not acknowledge the two winners so far.

“Finally, our first place and winner of the competition ‘A Star is Born!’, Diamond Tiara Rich!” She announced. The congratulations followed suit, Filthy Rich near the tearing point while Spoiled had an expression of pure smugness while Diamond Tiara smiled widely, looking down on those around her. Neither of them doing anything to hide their true feelings. “Powerful. Emotional. Balanced. You showed great ability, young lady. We will be most pleased to have you with us.”

“The honor is all mine,” Diamond Tiara replied, smirking as she sent a self-satisfied glance at Dinky and Sweetie Belle, both unaware of it. Or at least so she thought. “I’m certain that with your guidance, I can become the next great star of Equestria.”

The three Divas giggled. “We shall see. Now, you may all go. You may retrieve your prizes at the other side of the stage with our handsome security guards,” Coloratura teased, causing the stallions to blush and look away, hurriedly setting up everything they needed. As one, the children and their guardians left, not without Sapphire Shores giving Dinky a golden ticket for her and her mom while Songbird Serenade gave Diamond Tiara a sealed black letter.

Just as Sweetie was about to grab her prizes, Coloratura called to her. “Sweetie Belle?”

“Yes, Miss Coloratura?!” She replied excitedly, turning back to greet her.

“Listen, could you stay for a little while? There’s something we’d like you to hear,” she glanced back at her two fellow stars, who nodded her way.

Sweetie smiled. “Sure!”

************************************************

“He was as surprised as I was,” Sweetie replied, a soft, warm smile spreading across her lips while her heart beat faster at the thought of the dragon.

“Yeah, you won third place, but you impressed Coloratura, Sapphire Shores, and Songbird Serenade so much that they ended up offering you private teaching sessions! How cool was that!?” Scootaloo exclaimed happily. “Now look at you! The greatest rising star in Equestria, the Charming Belle!”

“Huh… that’s… odd,” Pipsqueak mused, approaching the trio. “Sweetie Belle, did you hand out VIP Backstage passes before the concert?”

“Nope. Why do you ask?” She replied, her tone shifting to a concerned one.

“I’m missing a few that weren’t accounted for. Hmmmm, I smell something fishy going here. Perhaps we should cancel the rest of the event.” He pondered.

“Absolutely not,” Sweetie said in a rare moment of staunch firmness. “I canceled the previous concert. I won’t let my fans down over a few missing tickets. I’m sure they’ll pop up somewhere eventually.”

“Sweetie, please,” Apple Bloom began. “We all heard what’s been happening with yer concerts lately.”

“They’re just accidents or faulty equipment. And no pony has gotten hurt so far! I allowed the last concert to be canceled because the fireworks were faulty and were detected in time! Nothing’s gone wrong!”

“So far,” Scootaloo interjected. “Sweetie, what if… what if these ‘accidents’ are anything but?”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it. They happen too often, at almost every concert you hold and even outside them. Don’t think I didn’t read about how you nearly got mugged two weeks ago, and the culprit wasn’t caught.”

“Yeah, surprised he was able to walk after I kicked him in the balls,” Sweetie laughed.

“Please, Sweetie Belle, this is serious! Promise you’ll be careful?” Apple Bloom pleaded. On the side, Pipsqueak remained silent as he stared at his friend.

“Don’t give me that look, Pipsqueak. I’m not going to hire another ‘bodyguard’. No way. Nah-ah!” Sweetie said, crossing her arms.

“Wait, you’ve had bodyguards before? How come we never knew about it?” Scootaloo asked.

“Because those ‘bodyguards’ were busy guarding my body, trying to claim me like a piece of meat or trying to put the moves on me rather than doing their damn jobs! Can you believe one of them actually tried to drug me so he could bed me!? I still owe Sapphire a drink over that tip about double-checking my booze.”

“We can have this conversation later, Sweetie Belle. You have thirty seconds to get on stage!” Pipsqueak pressed. “Bloom, Scoots, come with me, you can watch from the backstage alongside me.” Sweetie Belle hugged her friends before darting out of her room. It didn’t take long for the cheers to be heard and her voice announcing her return, rallying up her fans for more. “I, too, believe someone’s behind all of these ‘incidents’. Who or why, I have no idea.” He said after stepping out of the room, his long-time friends followed closely. “I already increased the size of the security team, implemented stricter protocols, made sure we didn’t have any turncoats or inside agents. Nothing.”

The two mares nodded, though they didn’t quite understand what Pipsqueak was talking about, they understood that things were bad and that he had no leads or suspects.

And so, they decided to watch their friend continue with her show, enjoying her songs and moves. As the show was coming to a close, they allowed themselves to sigh in relief as nothing had yet happened.

Sweetie Belle danced, moving her hips as only she could and knew how while her breasts bounced with the beat; her melodious voice singing the lyrics with ease and familiarity. As she prepared for the closing act, her backup dancers closed in. Two of them picked her up while two more served her as support, when it was ready and she hit a rather high-pitched tone that not even Sapphire Shores could reach, they launched her to the air where she did three flips. She landed perfectly, showing her balance and superb flexibility as she spun around a few times using her ballerina skills.

Coming to a halt along with the song, she spared a single moment to chastise herself for missing her mark, standing nearly a foot away from where she was supposed to end up. Did I do an extra spin? Or did I land too early? Arrrghh, rehearsals were such a paaaaain for this one! She whined internally, nothing of it showing through her expression while the crowd roared at the amazing show that had come to an end.

*CRRRRAAAASH*

Sweetie Belle slowly, slowly turned her head to the right, her gaze cast downward. The entire stadium had gone silent, the music had been cut away, and the only thing that could be heard were the electric buzzes and fizzles the destroyed lighting camera gave out.

The lighting camera that had landed and was now partially encrusted on the floor… precisely on the spot she was supposed to be standing on.

She dropped her pose, lowering her left leg slowly until it hit the ground. She managed to take a step away from the camera before the security team swarmed the stage. Knowing pandemonium was about to be unleashed, she managed to put her fear and surprise aside to talk into the microphone. “Wow! That was a close one! It seems we’re experiencing technical difficulties, everycreature! Please, keep calm and follow the instructions of the security personnel! I thank you all for coming and I hope to see you all in m-my next concert, ‘Luminus Nights Across Baltimare’!” With that said, she winked and blew a kiss to the audience before being escorted out by two of her security staff.

Thanks to her quick thinking, she avoided chaos from erupting. Not that she would’ve been able to hear them. She had spoken more out of instinct than over reason. She couldn’t hear anything else other than her beating heart. Her skin was tensed, she was sweating cold, all her fatigue had suddenly vanished, and she was on the verge of throwing up. She didn’t even notice the two stallions leading her to her room or handing her to her friends before closing the door, locking it for good measure.

She couldn’t hear her friends' panicked voices. In fact, she couldn’t hear anything other than white noise. She looked at her hands and found them shaking. Not only that, her entire body was trembling and she could barely feel her legs. It was a darn miracle she hadn’t soiled herself.

After several moments of hyperventilating panic, she finally began hearing the cries, curses, and promises of pain and suffering her friends were making while they cried, both angry a near-tragedy had almost happened and relieved Sweetie was unharmed. She opened her mouth to speak, but only a pathetic squeak came out.

“That does it,” said Pipsqueak, cutting through their chatter like a knife and getting his friends’ attention. “You’re getting a bodyguard and that’s final.”

Part 1 End.

Author's Note

Special thanks to anyone that read this!