Two months later…

Cold Case stood before the standing mirror in her bedroom, frowning at the reflection of herself in a simple long-sleeved black dress with a matching purse. It wasn’t that she disliked it—she had picked it out of Rarity’s selection herself, after all—but rather it was still a foreign feeling.

Even after the first date, Cold had found it hard for herself to relax, to let go of the day’s stress and spend a night out with Beacon. A simple dinner, a trip to the movies, even pizza delivered to the office during one late shift – at least that last one she could blame on her job.

And yet Beacon still came back. Phillip’s advice seemed more and more concrete with each date they went on, and she felt, at least to some extent, that the old, reserved Cold Case partially melted around the Lieutenant General, if only to refreeze again in her absence.

She whirled around at a knock on her apartment’s door and forced herself to calm down. Her anxiety had been doubled ever since she had made the decision—starting with this date—to swap her shoulder holster for a concealed pistol in her purse. The change from the norm was another layer of discomfort.

Cold made her way into the living room and up to the front door. She still peeked through the peephole and, upon confirming the fiery mane through the glass, opened the door for Beacon.

In comparison to Cold, Beacon wore a white strapped dress that exposed her front legs – and how well the white contrasted her charcoal grey coat. Her mane was done up in a simple ponytail, held by a golden band of beads. A white purse was draped at her side.

“Hey,” Beacon said, stepping inside as Cold shut the door behind her. She planted a kiss on Cold’s cheek, the warmth of which, as usual, lingered long afterward. “You look great.”

Cold smiled – considering she hadn’t bothered doing anything with her mane, she took Beacon’s word for it. “Hey. Are you ready to go?”

“Just a minute, I brought you something,” Beacon said, opening her purse.

Cold blinked, her blush turning to that of embarrassment. “Beacon, you… didn’t have to. I didn’t…”

Beacon smirked. “Surprise gifts happen, don’t worry. There’s always next time.” She winked before turning her attention back to her purse. “This is… admittedly not quite a gift.”

Cold frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well… how long is it until you give that coin back to Phillip?” Beacon asked, shifting the contents of her purse.

Cold blinked. “A few more months, why?”

“I got to thinking, and I thought I could give you another milestone to work towards,” Beacon said, fishing out the object in question – a black box.

Cold’s eyes widened and she felt her heartbeat quicken before her mind finally caught up and realized it was too big to hold a ring. She watched Beacon walk over to the bookshelf in her living room, open the box, and prop it up in an empty space on the top shelf.

Within the box was black felt, holding a medal on a simple ribbon. The ribbon itself was red with white edges. The medal itself was heart-shaped, a similar red in color as the ribbon and trimmed in gold. The top had a shield with an Equestrian coat of arms perfectly inserted into the dip of the heart and flanked on either side by olive branches. A golden, obverse profile of Faust was set in the center.

Cold walked over and studied the medal. “What is it?” she asked.

“Well, it’s a Loyal Heart,” Beacon explained. “Those in the service get these when they’ve been wounded or killed in battle. I earned mine from getting shot five times.” She smiled sadly.

“And you’re… giving it to me?” Cold asked. “Bea, I don’t think I can accept it.”

“Well, it’s less of a gift and more of a coupon, I suppose,” Beacon said, turning to Cold and taking her hoof in her own. “I don’t know how strong your addiction still is, but… next Hearts and Hooves Day you can redeem it.”

“Redeem it? For what?” Cold asked with a scoff.

Beacon smiled and leaned in close, her voice softening. “I’ll treat you to a romantic night out in Canterlot, preferably on Hearts and Hooves night but whenever you’re free – I know you have a busy schedule.” Beacon chuckled softly. “I wanted to give you something else to work towards.”

Cold’s face nearly turned pink and she gulped, glancing at the medal on the shelf. “It’s… thank you,” she replied, averting her eyes.

It started to sink in – the weight of the gift. Phillip’s coin remained in her coat as a constant reminder of his trust in her. Now Beacon was giving her one too – and she only hoped the trust Beacon had in her was justified.

“You’re welcome,” Beacon chuckled, letting go of her hoof. “And now if anyone asks, you can say someone’s given you their heart.” She winked.

Cold snorted. “That sounds unbelievably cheesy.”

“If you hang around Empress Cadenza enough, the cheese grates off on you – her husband too, for that matter,” Beacon said with a laugh.

Cold shared a little giggle, which caught Beacon’s attention. She smiled warmly and offered Cold her hoof.

“Shall we be off to dinner?” she asked.

“Let’s,” Cold agreed, taking it.

As Beacon opened the door for her, she glanced back at the medal and smiled. She nodded to Beacon as she exited.

And as they walked down the hall, Cold leaned just a little closer into her.

Author's Note

Aand that's all folks!

The Loyal Heart is my interpretation of a pony Purple Heart. My thought process went something like this: purple -> purple is the color of loyalty/bravery -> hey, that's an Element of Harmony -> Loyal Heart. And instead of Washington, it's Faust.

Thank you so much for reading Frost and Fire, my longest story to date. I have a second Noireverse story in the works, one that should help expand upon the world outside Ponyvile.

Another thank you to Josiah for letting me bring this story to life and for his feedback, and another thank you to Seriff for his help with the fight scenes.

-yours truly,
The Legendary Bill Cipher, Equestria Enthusiast