Twilight returned to her table at an easy walk. She nodded at the stallion that had been stationed beside her. "How are things going?" Her eyes wandered over his collection, which seemed to be just as plentiful. "Are ponies not biting?"
"Oh, they are," he replied with a chuckle in his breath. "I just keep restocking as they sell."
She considered that a moment. "Why not put out everything you have?"
"Because what looks like it's more rare gets more attention." He tapped the table lightly. "Like your table."
Hearing them speak perhaps, Sunburst suddenly chimed in from nextdoor, "Hey Twilight! Just about finished here."
Twilight blinked, leaning over to get a view of Sunburst and her table. There were a precious few things remaining on it. "I hadn't brought much... Maybe I should have--"
The stallion shook his head. "Don't think about it that way. If you do another, think about it then. This is your first time, right? You did great!"
Sunburst bobbed his head in agreement as he stood up. "This opens up our schedule nicely, especially if you just want to take these back home." He gestured over the few trinkets remaining.
"You will not do that!" came an excited female cry. A griffon landed, her talons closing around an amulet, her eyes focused on it. "Where'd you get this from?!"
Sunburst fell back in surprise, but Twilight moved in beside the griffon. "It was at an antique store in Ponyville, origin: unknown. It has clear--"
"It belongs to griffons," she called with the clarion cry of the hawk she half was. "I must have it!"
Twilight rolled a hoof towards the amulet clutched in the griffon's talons. "I'll be happy to sell it, perhaps at a discount if you could tell me what makes it so important?"
She suddenly thrust the amulet forward dangerously close to Twilight's face. "Can't you see it? It was worn by the King Grover, forged in dragon's breath over an active volcano in the middle of a heat wave just to get it right. How much?"
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but there was a hoof in the way. Sunburst had recovered and was smiling uneasily. "Before we get to that, what will you do with it? If it's a societal treasure, will it be put in a museum or somewhere like that?"
The griffon blinked, disarmed a precious moment. "Museum? I was going to just... you know, have it."
Twilight nodded at Sunburst, sharing his wavelength. "It's free, if you promise to put it somewhere that all griffons can see it. They don't have to be able to touch it, that could hurt it, but see it, perhaps in a glass box? You could show it off."
"They'll be so jealous," agreed Sunburst with a smile.
"So jealous," the griffon agreed, hugging the amulet close. "You got a deal! I'll park this thing right where everyone can see it and know that they'll never have it."
With the happy griffon wandering off, Twilight lifted the two remaining items and tucked them in her potentially novel bag. "I vote we dedicate the rest of the weekend to enjoying this convention."
"Seconded." Sunburst raised a hoof before circling the table to join Twilight. "Plenty of light left in the day."
"Is there?" Twilight turned to the door, squinting at the window visible through it. "It's early evening, I think."
"Wow, I lost track of time." He put a hoof behind his head. "Well, we should get something to eat. I'm not sure either of us ate a thing all day."
A soft rumble from Twilight's midsection agreed with the idea. She colored faintly. "Alright, let's do that. That reminds me though." They began walking out of the dealer's area, emerging into the convention proper. "Keep an eye out for--"
"Hi!" Star Catcher was there, smiling brightly at the both of them. "All done?"
Sunburst jumped with surprise, glancing between the new mare and the fidgeting Twilight. "Um... a friend of yours?"
"We just met earlier today." Twilight smiled thinly. "How'd you know I'd be here?"
"Well, you went to that panel and I checked how long it was, and I figured you'd come back here afterwards, and here we are! So, what kind of food do you two like? I'm treating, remember!"
Sunburst looked over the earth pony mare curiously. "I'm sorry, you are?"
"Nobody," she assured. "You can call me Star though. You, on the other hoof, are Sunburst, royal crystaller, and..." She waggled her brows. "Royal consort."
Twilight's face lit up. "Don't say it like that! I was thinking we'd just grab something from the foodstands." She pointed towards the food court. "We both have other panels we want to see today, so a sit down restaurant won't fit in the schedule."
Star took a firm step in the direction of the foodstands. "Let's get going then. What would you like? The roast carrots are nice, if a little sugary."
Sunburst quickly trotted up beside her. "Excuse me... Star was it? Twilight is tired and wants to decompress."
"That's why we're getting something to eat." Star nodded confidently.
"She wants to decompress," he repeated. "That means only being around ponies she already knows. We are both introverts." He waggled a hoof between himself and Twilight. "We'll be happy to talk to you, maybe later?"
"Oh! Oh... well..." She glanced around fitfully before curling on herself and drawing out a business card. "Call me." Once Sunburst had the card in his magic, she dipped her head at the both of them and trotted away, ears falling as she went.
Twilight blinked as she drew up beside Sunburst. "That was... Thank you. I wasn't sure how to tell her to take a step back." She raised a hoof to apply it to her own face. "Princess. Of friendship... And I still get tongue tied around ponies that are too aggressive socially. I must look like a real foal."
"Nah." He bumped up against her with a gentle smile. "Let's get something tasty to nibble on and just unwind, alright?"
"That sounds great." She leaned back against him a moment, seeming to draw strength from his familiar presence. "Those roast carrots actually sounded good, I admit. What do you think?"
"Roast carrots it is."
They secured their food, roast carrots on buns with a big bowl of hay fries to share between them and sat down at a table to eat and say nothing. It had been a busy day and both were ready to do a lot of saying nothing. They chomped their food, making the soft noises of appreciating the food, but no words flowed between them.
And both were pretty happy for it.
Twilight lifted the scraps from the table in her magic, floating them past the other attendees towards the trash. "That wasn't bad."
"Mm." Sunburst's eyes were on the convention brochure, examining the options. "Oh, we should sign up for the escape room. I'm pretty sure you have to reserve a time slot."
Twilight bounced to her hooves. "Let's get on that then. Maybe we'll spot a treasure or two on the way.
The two giggled with shared joy as they walked off. Sunburst scanned over the list as they walked. "Hey... One of these, 'Locked in with you, you can escape without me, but you shouldn't.'" He tilted his head. "Think it might be in the escape room?"
Twilight gave a single firm nod. "Excellent deduction. Let's get over there."
They hurried through the crowd, weaving about other ponies that seemed to be milling about far more aimlessly, to speak nothing of the ones that did have targets and were moving just as quickly, causing narrow misses through the packed halls. They turned down into a narrower one that had far fewer ponies. The second door on the left had a large sign that declared it to be the escape room. It had a picture of the mascots with alarmed faces, the ceiling slowly closing on them as they worriedly searched for ways out.
Twilight pointed to the sign. "Pretty sure we're in the right place. Now where are the ponies that work here?" She didn't see anyone standing around looking official.
"Maybe inside?" Sunburst trotted up to the door and willed it open, but the handle just wiggled a bit, locked. "Huh..."
A tinny voice came from the sign, "Room's in use."
Both of their ears perked at the sign. Sunburst spoke first, "Oh, we wanted to sign up to play?"
Twilight nodded in agreement. "We hope there are slots available?"
"Mmm," came the reedy, likely male voice. "We're pretty full up..."
Sunburst's ears fell. "There has to be just one slot? There's only two of us if that helps?"
"Well... we have one." Some papers were rustled around. "If you can come by at midnight? Only spot open all weekend."
Twilight made a face. "Not ideal, but if that's the only choice..."
"Afraid so."
Sunburst nodded. "Then we'll take it!"
Twilight considered with a soft 'mmm'. "Do we need to bring anything?"
"Just a thirst for adventure and sharp minds," said the male. While his speech was written for excitement, he lacked all the drive to bring it home. "Can I have your names?"
"Twilight Sparkle."
"Sunburst."
The sounds of a quill scratching at a paper came through the speaker. "Got it. See you then." More quietly, perhaps not knowing he was still audible, he said, "So much for sleep tonight."
Sunburst turned to Twilight. "Alright, that's handled. Now you have a demonstration to get to, right?"
Twilight waved in the direction she would go. "And you don't, so why not come with me?"
He smiled at that. "Since you're offering..."
Together they cut through the convention. With the progressing of the day, it seemed many ponies were slowing down. There were others that were wide eyed and grinning, the night owls of the community.
"I knew you'd come here." Star Catcher was right beside the door leading into the demo Twilight was heading towards. "How was dinner?"
"Oh, just fine." Twilight nodded. "But we're just in time."
"I know, right? Let's go." She moved to enter with Twilight and Sunburst. "This must be extra exciting for you, being a unicorn."
"Well, yes, it's about magic." She looked towards the front as her eyes darted, looking for two seats, preferably just two seats, but there was plenty of room about. She would not lose Star that easily. "The use of magic in repairing priceless artifacts is a fascinating topic."
Sunburst was looking around as well. "And one above the level of most ponies, from the look of it."
There were, at most, about twelve ponies in the hall, scattered loosely about in the seats facing the stage and waiting for the demo to start.
The three of them plopped their bottoms down on seats next to one another. Sunburst, then Twilight, then Star.
Star clapped her hooves together softly. "I don't know how to do magic myself, for obvious reasons." She tossed her head, mane bouncing, no horn in sight. "That doesn't stop it from being interesting."
The lighting suddenly dimmed. "Have you ever dropped something at the worst time?" asked a familiar male voice.
Light snapped on in a spotlight down on the stage, showing a broken plate. "Thought it was the end of the world?!" asked another familiar male voice.
"Don't you worry," they said together, emerging from the darkness on the right and left side of the plate. "Because we have the best--"
"Most expedient," said Flim.
"Most Fantastic," continued Flam.
"Never can be beaten method of restoring the lost!" they finished together, waving hooves meeting as they grinned. Their horns glowed bright green, magic sweeping over the plate as it hovered with its various pieces. With a loud pop, the plate was restored, shining and new as it floated over to a pedestal that wasn't there a moment before.
Twilight cringed, realizing who was giving the demo. Sunburst and Star seemed entirely unaware of there being a problem.