Belle’s Guardian Prince

Act 1 - A Prince for Hire - Part 2

“What do you think about the movie Requiem of a Dream?” An announcer asked her partner.

“There’s nothing quite like a science fiction space opera to make me happy. And while I’ve seen better and the cast was either hit or miss, I have to admit that Diamond Tiara’s role as the protagonist, Lucina, is the film’s greatest strength. She is compelling and knows how to play her character, even if at countable times you can see the diva behind the make-up. Such a shame the rest of the cast wasn’t up to par. Still, a solid eight. How about you?” He replied.

“Pretty much the same, honestly. Though the director disclosed in yesterday’s interview that he had another diva in mind for the role. A bit to guess who it is?” She chuckled.

“Let me guess, the Dancing Diva, Melodious Star, and Sister to one of the Bearers, Sweetie Belle?”

“I should really stop betting against you!” She replied, handing out a bit to his partner. “Yes! Sweetie Belle was indeed his number one candidate but she turned down the offer given before auditions began!”

“My word. Why did she turn down such an opportunity to jump into an acting career?”

“Well, we’d have to interview her to confirm the story, but as far as we know, she turned it down because she told him that, and I quote, ‘I have no talent for acting. The last time I tried a fire started. The only thing I’m worse at is cooking.’ end quote.”

“She could’ve easily gotten classes or accepted the role all the same. Her fame and name alone would’ve saved her from any backlash, like so many others with little acting experience have done in the past. Yet, she refused! It takes a lot of guts and humbleness to know your limitations. Quite an admirable trait.”

“Indeed. But guess what? The only thing that’s as great as her shining and bright career is her legendary bad luck.”

“Oh no, what happened this time?”

“As you can see in this recording, at the end of her concert, not two hours ago, a critical failure nearly ended her career and quite possibly her life. Look! Everything was going right, showing her amazing moves and flaunting her body along with her prodigious voice. The music ends and *CRASH* a lens camera fell, missing her by mere inches!”

“Goodness gracious! The audience went mute in an instant. But look, she plays it off to avoid her fans from panicking. This is, what, incident number thirty-seven?”

“Failing lights. Missing costumes. Stage fireworks going off randomly. Power outages. Equipment failure. And now a lens camera nearly ending her life in a tragic manner. I swear, she must be the luckiest and unluckiest mare in Equestria at the same time.”

“Either that or she has a guardian alicorn watching her over.”

The two announcers laughed in merriment.

“FUCKING DAMMIT!” Diamond Tiara roared at the top of her lungs. She turned the television off, throwing the controller to the side. “Again! Every fucking time I’m in the spotlight, that rube manages to steal all the attention for herself!” She gritted her teeth until her gums began to hurt, but that didn’t stop her from pounding her hips down against her henchcolt’s crotch. “And you! How in Tartarus’ pits did you fail me AGAIN!?”

She screamed, cumming hard but never moaning in pleasure. Rather, whatever pleasure she felt served to quench the unyielding rage inside her belly and she groaned, nearly snarling angrily as loud as she desired. There was no need to be cautious once inside her soundproof private apartment and even less so in her room.

Her squirting juices showered all over the chest and face of her henchcolt, Snips, while he greedily tried to drink as much as he could catch. Few would believe that a few years ago he was the short, fatty colt and laughing stock in Ponyville. Now he stood, not quite as tall as his lanky companion and best friend, Snails, but slightly taller than average and a bulky mass of muscles. But even so, he was powerless under the spell of his boss as she had her way with him yet again.

“Mmmmmhmmmm~” he moaned, quite pleased at her taste while trying to break the enchanted cuffs binding him to the large bed. Casting a glance to the side, he saw Snails, his friend forced against the bed, moaning heavily while Silver Spoon went wild with his ass. He turned his attention back to his boss when he saw the pleasure-drunk expression across his friend’s face. “But we almost got her! Do you know how fucking hard it was to get backstage, pose as her roadies, and make sure to make the camera fall on her at the perfect time? It’s not my fault she fucking missed her spot!”

“Almost is not good enough! I don’t want to hear excuses, fucker!” She raged and screamed at Snips, her hips back at work. “Sometimes I wonder why I even bother with keeping your useless asses! You can’t even do one single task!”

“And you can do any better?” Cozy Glow asked in a mocking tone. Sitting on a comfortable sofa, she watched her boss and her manager having their way with the two stallions after another botched mission. All the while furiously masturbating, enjoying the freely given show.

“Shut the fuck up, Glow!” Diamond snapped back, riding Snips harder and making him moan louder.

The pegasus chuckled. “Bitch, please, how can you talk shit to your pussy-whipped goons when you’ve failed harder than before they entered the fucking picture?”

“How does she do it!? How the fuck is that bitch still alive!?” Diamond Tiara laughed. “I really didn’t want things to get this far! I tried smearing her career, I tried discrediting her, upstaging her, doing everything I could to return her to her rightful place! But now that cunt of Sweetie Belle somehow managed to get more support, more eyes on her, more prestige and admiration. Everything that should’ve been mine by right!” She groaned loudly. “I know what she’s after! But I won’t let her get away with it! I’m going to be Equestria’s greatest Star, not her! She fights dirty using her connections to upstage me, rob me of my rightful prizes and fame!? That talentless whore can’t compare with me, Diamond Tiara!”

“S-She reeeeally caaaan’t!” Snails moaned while Silver Spoon increased the rate of her thrusts, smiling as she did so.

“That’s right! I’m ten times more beautiful and talented than she is. She’s just a fake! Putting up a pretty face while flaunting her ass everywhere and at everyone!” She snarled, digging her nails on Snips’ pecks, making him moan. “FINE! If she won’t step aside and learn her place, then I’ll make her! She won’t rob me of my rightful place at the top, the shining star in the spotlight! I’ll fucking make sure of thaaaaaaaaaaat!” She screamed angrily, cumming again while Snips also reached his climax, filling the condom he was using.

Almost in tandem, Snails came, filling the condom he was using while Silver Spoon ruined his ass with her strap-on.

Groaning and breathing heavily, the pink-skinned mare continued talking. “Maim her. Scare her away. Kill her. I don’t fucking care how as long as Sweetie Belle ends up out of my fucking way. Do it, you worthless assholes, and you’ll get to take revenge on me. You’ll have a free card to fuck me however you want,” she smiled wickedly. “Wouldn’t it be nice to be the one on top for once? The one calling the shots?” She leaned in closer, only to spit at Snips’ face. “Imagine it without a condom in the way~”

“Fuuuuuuuuuck!” Snips groaned. “I-I’ll do it! Anything for you, my goddess!” He cried.

“What about you, Snails? Don’t you wanna fuck me like I fuck your boi-pussy?” Silver said with a sadistic smile.

“Uh-huh! I wanna cum lots in your ass, Silver Spoon!” He said eagerly, ready to go again.

“And I’ll be here to watch you all fail!” Cozy laughed. “Seriously, why don¿t you let me do it? I promise I won’t fail~”

“Just like you ‘didn’t fail’ last time you tried?” Silver Spoon protested. “You promised that by spreading rumors and smearing her public image would work!”

Cozy shrugged. “Well, it was working until that bitch somehow managed to cool things off after her ridiculous speech.”

“I. Don’t. Care!” Diamond roared. “Whoever manages to get Sweetie Belle off my back will get the reward!” She snarled. “Now pass me the controller. I need to know what Movie Gossip says about me!”

Unseen by all, Silver Spoon looked at Diamond Tiara, narrowing her eyes while her heart began beating faster; fear taking root.

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

“What do you mean it wasn’t an accident?” Scootaloo asked, her wings flaring and a scowl already forming.

“Precisely that. Whoever did this took precautions and made it seem like an accident. But I took precautions and had everything triple-checked. That lens camera was perfectly fine. Moreover, the police found magic residue, too weak to track back to the source but they found out that it was used to sabotage the camera,” Pipsqueak explained, presenting a few screws and a blackened wrench. “This wrench was only a single turn away from setting off the security holder of the camera. And worse, whoever did it knew precisely where Sweetie was meant to be standing.”

“So we have nothing other than an assassin that’s out there, wanting to get Sweetie Belle!?” Apple Bloom cried, hugging her stunned friend.

“If… when I find out who’s behind it, amma kick their teeth out until they drink their fucking meals for the rest of their lives!” Scootaloo promised, also hugging her friend from the other side.

“Why?” Sweetie muttered. “Why would anyone want to do something so horrible to me? D-Did I do something wrong?”

Pipsqueak shook his head. “No idea. But you did nothing wrong, Sweetie Belle. Whoever did this… quite probably was involved for a long time.”

“So all her accidents were anything but…” Apple Bloom reasoned.

“Looks like it,” Pipsqueak sighed. “Sweetie, I compiled a list of potential bodyguards for you. Choose any you like, as many as you want. I assure you, they aren’t like the ones we hired before. All of them are professionals and come with high recommendations.” He hummed before passing her a thick folder filled with dossiers. “I’m not going to lie, Sweetie. Someone wants you out of the game, permanently if need be, it seems. And if the escalation of attempts is anything to go by, they’ve been getting more extreme as time passes. You’ve been lucky until now.”

Sweetie Belle sighed. After what Pipsqueak had said, she couldn’t sleep. Not that she would’ve otherwise. The crashing sound played in the background of her mind, her mind pushing images of ‘what if’s’ scenarios ranging from being crushed into a pulp to spending the rest of her life in a wheelchair, stuck in a bed, or maimed. She shuddered pushing those thoughts aside. Looking at her bed, she saw her best friends, her sisters in all but blood, sleeping peacefully.

“You thick headed dummies,” she sighed. “Now… what do I do?” She muttered, returning her attention to her desk and the piles of papers resting on it. One of the greatest pieces of advice her mentors had taught her was to always read in great detail any paper, contract, or any sort of information, to catch any ‘small letters’ mixed into them. The process was dull, boring, but it had thankfully kept her mind away from delving too much into her attempted murder.

She had divided the potential candidates into three piles. The rejects, the maybes, and her preferred options. The first thing that she noticed while going through them was that, unlike their previous attempts to hire bodyguards, the candidates didn’t come from private companies. Rather, they had more personal backlogging and very long, admittedly impressive records.

The first pile, the rejects, had only five dossiers present. The middle one was by far the largest, as there was nothing she could find in them that irked her the wrong way. Lastly, her top choices. Some of them came with recommendations from various nobles, high ranking officials, and even from a Princess.

“I don’t want to begin to imagine how many favors Pip had to cash in or promise in exchange for the dossiers. He’s even more worried than I am,” she chuckled. Though, in truth, she was terrified. To know someone was out there with the intent of getting her and had come so close to doing so? It made her shudder for the umpteenth time that night… or early morning judging by the rays of light. “How am I going to choose?”

Suddenly, her phone rang. Picking it up she saw it was a call from her sister, no doubt finally seeing the news or someone telling her. “Good morning, Rarity. Yes… yes, I’m fine! Of course I’m scared, I was nearly crushed! Y-Yeah, it was a huge mistake from the technical team,” she lied, not wishing to make her sister even more frantic than she already was and possibly launch her into a crusade in search of the perpetrator. “Look, I’m fine and I’m getting a bodyguard-- NO! Not like last time! I might get more than one and they all come with high recommendations,” taking a dossier from her best options, she continued. “I have one with me right now. His name is Flash Sentry, he is an Ex-Royal Guard and is highly vouched for by Cadance and Shining Armor. He has like five pages alone on what he can do!”

For the next five minutes, she went back and forth with Rarity, reassuring her she was okay. Finally, her sister relented and promised she would inform their parents that she was alright. Ending the call, Sweetie slumped back on her chair, exhausted after the exchange.

That’s when her phone vibrated. Picking it up, she saw it was a message from Spike. Smiling, she clicked on it. She was confused as it was only a single word. ‘Open’. It took her a moment to understand what he meant but then rushed to the door of her hotel room. There was no way Pipsqueak would let anyone enter her floor without permission. Opening the door, she saw the tall dragon and longtime friend standing before her.

“Hey there, Sweets,” he waved a hand in greeting.

“Spike!” Sweetie said in a hushed but excited manner, not wishing to wake up her friends just yet. Jumping to the arms of the dragon, the two hugged tightly while Spike walked into the room, using his tail to close the door behind them. “Oh my gosh, it’s good to see you again!”

“Same here, Sweets,” he replied, their hug ending. Letting her go, he stepped back in order to admire her for a moment. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Physically? Yes. Not a scratch on me. Pip filled you up?” She replied, signaling him to follow her to the nearby table to sit down.

“Actually, it was Bloom. She called me last night after your concert ended. I wanted to come sooner, but I was stuck overseeing a noble dispute,” he sighed. Taking a seat across the table in front of her, he noticed, thanks to the rays of the sun coming in through a window, that his friend was butt-naked under her nightie. Pushing that information aside, chastising his brain for focusing on those details, he continued. “Pip told me the rest when I arrived,” he glanced at her desk. “I see you’ve been busy.”

“Tell me about it. I couldn’t sleep last night,” she replied. Looking across the table, she focused on Spike for a moment. She suppressed a blush from forming upon seeing him in greater detail. She could still remember the slightly chubby dragon he was before his molt hit. After that, he worked and developed his body. While she couldn’t call him a hunk by any means, he had a charming physique, lean but firm, healthy. He lacked bulging muscles, but what he had was more than enough to be felt through his scales, plus his natural strength was more than enough. He still retained a youthful, playful look on his face while his leathery wings were folded on his back.

The most impressive change was his attire. Gone was his usual hoodie, shorts, and shirt, replaced by a more regal attire, not fancy by any means, but still stylish and denoting a level of authority. For one, he wore pants, a vest and silk shirt, and a red cape. And as if that wasn’t enough, he carried two necklaces, one bearing the sigil of Princess Twilight Sparkle and the other of Princess Celestia, denoting his authority, position, and title as a de facto Prince.

But all of that didn’t really matter to her. She was focused on his eyes, his precious emeralds; the same ones she dreamt about almost every night.

Shaking those thoughts aside, she leaned forward resting an elbow against the table and her cheek on her extended hand. “I don’t know what to do, Prince Spike.”

“‘Prince’? Ha! Hardly. I’m mostly called upon to overlook a meeting or help settle a dispute or something. I’ve been taking lessons to become Twilight’s Ambassador, though.” He rebuked in good humor.

That caught Sweetie off guard. “But you’re a prince! Why would you leave that to become an ambassador?” She asked, puzzled.

He shrugged. “I never really cared about my title. I’d rather go out there and try to do some good than being scooped up in a castle. But this isn’t about me, Sweetie,” his cheerful attitude waned, replaced by a more serious one. “I’ll be blunt. Pip said there are no leads. Sweetie, can you think of anyone, absolutely anyone that could wish to harm you?”

She shook her head defeatedly. “I can’t think of anyone wanting to do such a horrible thing to me.”

“Just as I can’t picture you willfully doing something bad against anycreature,” he nodded. “Do you mind if I take a look at the dossiers?” He asked and Sweetie used her magic to bring them to him. He read through them with ease, taking only ten or so minutes to finish compiling a streamlined stack for her. “All of these are good options. I would recommend you hiring Flash Sentry if you’re looking for a single bodyguard. If you’re willing to hire more, then he could be the head while Mashing Pit and Seastride can act as the muscle. Would make a pretty good team,” he commented, handing her the dossiers of the three candidates.

Sweetie Belle smiled, her heartbeat increasing slightly at his gesture. But just as quickly as it came, her mood visibly dropped. “That’s the problem, Spike. If I’m going to have someone basically shadowing my every move, I’d like it to be someone I can trust and that will do their job first over staring at my ass and tits. Someone I know that can’t betray me… or try to use me.”

He hummed deeply. “Then… how about Glitter Shine and Bow Carve? A thestral and a kirin, both females. The risk of them using you would diminish,” he proposed, passing their papers to her. As she reviewed the dossiers again, he couldn’t help but stare at her and smile, his mind wandering.

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

Spike sat on the chair that belonged to Rarity or any other member of her family. He didn’t mind filling in for Rarity since she was busy with her work and couldn’t make it to Sweetie Belle’s recital. What was born as a simple idea to have fun had become a Ponyville-wide talent show at the school’s festival. According to the Crusaders, it was all thanks to Diamond Tiara’s bitching to her parents wanting all to see her talent.

The only downside he saw in the whole prospect was that Sweetie Belle would be saddened to find him instead of her family watching her when her turn came up. Rainbow Dash sat next to Scootaloo’s aunts, watching her perform various tricks with her scooter, which amazed the crowd. Most other foals had already participated with varying rates of success. Apple Bloom had gone up before Scootaloo, showing her prowess in potion handling with a few demonstrations. After the grounded pegasus, it would be Sweetie’s turn on stage.

Scootaloo’s show came to a close and the crowd applauded, he included. It was always nice to see his friends do things they liked doing. Especially when they were so amazing at it. Moments after she left the stage, Sweetie Belle came out. She was nervous, that much was obvious, and she was desperately searching for someone in the crowd. She found the spot where her sister was supposed to be sitting but found him instead. He was puzzled when she blushed and then smiled at him. Suddenly, her nervousness dissipated, replaced by a strange aura of confidence.

“Hi!” She chirped at the microphone, the speakers buzzing at her tone. “Oops, sorry!” She apologized in a softer tone, making many laugh. “Uhmm, hi, I’m Sweetie Belle. I, uhhh, will sing a song for you all!”She exclaimed, took in a huge breath, exhaled, breathed in more calmly, and then began to sing.

“Everycreature’s got a thing, but some don’t know how to handle it~ Always reaching out in vain, just taking the things not worth haaaving, don’t you worry ‘bout a thiiiing~!”

He… was taken aback. Doing a quick glance around, he found out everypony else was in the same boat as him. He’d heard her sing before, it was hardly a secret she was blessed with a singing voice. But this was the first time he had heard her like that. There was something there, something he couldn’t quite describe, but he could feel it in his bones and scales. She started quietly, meekly and shyly, but she quickly overcame her fear when her eyes landed on him as if his presence was enough to fill her with determination.

Her voice quickly gained power and volume, the crowd snapping out of their trance to move, smile, and enjoy her singing. As the song progressed, she began to move around the stage, using her free hand to make a few movements with it to accompany her song, all while smiling from ear to ear, enjoying herself immensely. At the middle-point of the song, she sang a high-note until the speakers glitched for a second, incapable of handling her range, forcing her to stop. She looked at the speakers, then at the crowd, shrugged, everyone laughed, and proceeded to finish her song

When she finished, many stood up, clapping madly, whistling, and chanting her name. It took him a moment to realize he was among those so moved and impressed with her performance that he’d lost track of his actions. Sweetie Belle waved, left the microphone at the pedestal, and scampered off the stage. He moved to congratulate her on her performance when two things came to his mind. The first was that he now remembered Twilight mentioning something about sponsoring a talent-seeking tour organized by Songbird, Sapphire, and Coloratura.

The second and most important one came to him when he heard Diamond Tiara come to the stage, thanking her parents for making the event possible, and start singing. Hearing her equally talented voice and comparing it to Sweetie’s he knew exactly what made his friend’s voice so marvelous and what made her talent truly shine.

She poured her soul and heart into it and that made it come to life.

“I wonder if she knows how amazing her voice really is?”

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

His smile faltered a little. Is this somehow my fault? He asked himself whilst watching the lovely mare sitting across the table read through the dossiers he’d chosen for her. Her rise to fame wasn’t something he had planned. Far from it, in fact. He only wanted her to see how wonderful her voice was, to have fun, and fight through her stage fright, nothing more than that. He never expected she would be invited by the three greatest Divas of Equestria to be her mentors, seeing in her untapped potential and unique talent.

And judging her track record since she began her career at the age of sixteen and now, four years later, she was on her way to becoming Equestria’s newest big star, he had to acknowledge that they were right. Still, her string of unfortunate accidents and mishaps always seemed odd to him and now he knew why. It wasn’t his fault, but it still felt like in part he was responsible, at least in part, for inadvertently putting Sweetie Belle’s life in danger and under the scope of a maniac out to get her.

“Spike!”

“Huh?” He mumbled, snapping out of his trance. While he was staring at her, he didn’t notice when she started calling out to him and less when she leaned in until their faces were parted by mere inches. “Sorry,” he apologized. “My mind was somewhere else for a moment.”

“Yeah, I could tell. What were you thinking about?” She asked, concerned.

Spike sighed. “That maybe this is my fault, somehow? I mean, it sounds ridiculous but… if I hadn’t pushed you to perform that day then you wouldn’t be in this situation now.”

“Yeah, this is your fault. You owe me three gallons of chocolate pudding, deluxe branch, and a whole cake of moose moka!” Sweetie chirped back and the two shared a short laugh. “You only wanted me to have fun that day, Spike. And I’m really, truly grateful that you went out of your way to push me out and let me enjoy myself. This isn’t your fault,” she reassured him with a kind smile, returning to her normal position.

“I know. But it’s damn nice to hear you say it. I never thought you of all ponies would be in this kind of situation,” he let out a mirthless chuckle. “I mean, you’re not like most other celebrities. You’re honest, humble, cordial, and friendly. You care for what you do and for your fans. Why anyone would want to hurt you is well and truly beyond me. I mean, you’re so damn charming and beautiful, Sweets.”

“O-Ohhh… Oh my... uhmm,” she blushed at his words, trying to look away and playing with a strand of her mane. “Y-You think I’m charming and b-beautiful?”

Now it was Spike’s turn to blush as he saw her partially hide behind the strands of her mane while the light illuminated her figure slightly, just enough to make her skin shimmer a little, or maybe that was just his imagination. “Of course,” he replied without hesitation though not without a little crack in his voice. Coughing, he continued. “I mean, I’m not blind, Sweets. You’re beautiful, gorgeous, even! It’s not a secret that your personality matches your looks.”

“You really… think so?” She asked, her voice barely louder than a mutter. “Am I, you know, sexy?”

Spike smiled, his heart racing. “I’ll be honest, Sweets. I don’t watch your shows just for the music.”

“Oh!” She gasped, blushing madly before giggling like a school filly. “Don't tease me like that, Spike!” She shifted on her seat, unable to contain herself. “You watch my shows?”

“Hardly miss them,” he confessed. “I have a whole collection of your figurines, music records, posters, and more. Gotta confess, I’m a fan,” he replied with a toothy grin.

“A fan, eh? Favorite song?”

“Sunshine Road and Rainbow Glitters.”

“Favorite ad?”

“Maneiami Spring Festivals.”

“Tour?”

“Melodious and Bird from Fillydelphia to Trottingham!”

Sweetie blinked a few times before smiling. “How come you’ve never asked me for backstage passes or front row tickets?”

“I’m but a humble fan, Sweets. I’m usually up in the booths or somewhere in the middle or side rows,” he replied with a shrug. “Now I’m never going to miss out on another one of your shows.”

She opened her mouth but whatever she was going to say died in her throat as an idea popped in her mind. Looking at Spike intently, she got up from her seat in order to walk over to him. Sitting next to him, she began. “Hey, Spike, how do you know all these guys?” She asked, giving a quick glance to the stack of papers.

“Some I know personally and some I’ve just heard about. A few I don’t know but their information and their sources is more than enough to know their capabilities and range of operations.” He replied diligently, trying his best to not look below her neck now that her nightie and the sun teamed up to entice him.

“Are you… busy? I mean, since you’re a Prince and all?” She asked cautiously.

“Not at all. I’m mostly there for show and to fill in on occasion. I may be a ‘Prince’, but I have no real authority other than what these give me,” he lifted his necklaces. Smiling, he leaned against the table. “Sweetie Belle… are you trying to ask me to go on the road with you?”

Sweetie made a clicking sound. “Something like that. Can you fight?”

“I hate fighting. I’m a pacifist, Sweets. But I do know how to defend myself,” he replied, his playfulness slowly replaced by a growing suspicion.

“If you were to, oh, I don’t know, handle a security team and make sure everything is fine, how well do you think you’d do?”

“Ah,” he said, straightening back. His placid, friendly expression gave way to a more serious one. “I know where you’re getting at. Are you sure?”

“Spike, I don’t want a stranger in charge of protecting my life. If you recommend any of them personally, I’ll hire them because I trust you. I don’t want an over-muscled idiot wanting to get in between my legs or try to take advantage of my fame, wealth, or contacts. I want someone that I know won’t betray, use, or try to manipulate me,” her blush returned but didn’t look away. “Besides… I don’t mind you looking at me.”

Spike blushed in turn but his big, dumb smile didn’t falter. “If that’s what you want… I’ll happily accept. I just need to tell my mom and Twilight if it’s okay, given the circumstances.”

“Is that you, Spike?” A groggy Apple Bloom asked, wearing only a pair of panties and a baggy shirt.

“Theeee one and only,” he stepped off his seat to do a little bow. “Go clean up, I’ll make breakfast!”

Part 2 - Act 1 End.

Author's Note

Special thanks to anyone that read this!