//------------------------------// // Part 4: The Guardian // Story: Black Gold // by Cardinal Dan Productions //------------------------------// Against all odds, Gem’s wish was granted. She didn’t know how Amethyst was able to convince her superiors to allow the transfer, but it went through anyway. She figured it to be just another example of her persuasive and convincing nature. She approached the holding cells with a sense of excitement in her steps. The rest of the day was already hers. Now, all there was to collect was the colt. Gem came to a stop in front of a lonely cell and motioned for a nearby guard to bring the keys. From inside the cell, Carbon looked up at her and scowled. “You again... What do you want now? I don’t have anything to say to you.” The guard arrived with the keys and began unlocking the cell door, surprising the colt. Gem chuckled at his taken expression. “I’m releasing you, Carbon. You should be grateful.” As the door opened, she beckoned for him to follow her. “Come, now. We’re leaving.” He looked back and forth between her and the other guard with a feeling of disbelief in his eyes. In an effort to reassure him of her intentions, Gem beckoned him with an open hoof and the friendliest smile she could manage. To her astonishment, he actually came forward, leaving the cell behind and joining her in the corridor. “Where am I going? What’s going to happen?” Gem’s smile widened. “You are being transferred into my custody, little Carbon. We are going home where you will stay until such time has passed that the captain and I deem you of legal age and release you.” His ears folded back. “Wh-What? That’s four years away. I don’t want to stay locked in some guard’s house for that long!” Defiance rode on the edge of his voice, troubling Gem and causing her smile to vanish. “The Alternative is less forgiving, Carbon. If you don’t come with me, the captain will have no choice but to place you back under foster care.” Carbon stayed silent and made no more arguments, earning a nod of approval from the guard towering over him. “Very well... Let us depart immediately. There is a lot to do in the way of making preparations.” Carbon scowled at her again. “What does that mean for me?” She took his jab lightly and smirked in reply. “It means, colt, that I’m going to see you taken care of.” *** After braving the cold and trudging through the snow block after block, Gem and Carbon arrived in a part of the city that stood out above the rest, one that was more exclusive and lousy with ponies of class and breeding. Every time she would look back at Carbon, making sure he was still behind her and hadn’t tried to make a break for it, his head would be turning in all directions to see the sights around him. His eyes lit up at everything he saw from the elaborately decorated street lamps to the expensive stores and restaurants. They passed these by, however. Gem wore a smile on her face, her chest fluttering, as she lead him to her apartment complex. The building before them rose high above the others that surrounded it, and it glittered majestically in the snowfall. At the door, standing outside the apartment, was a hulking brute of a stallion. Despite his size, he was dressed sharply in a mint-green uniform, and he wore a cap of the same color that sat just behind his horn. He tipped his hat to them as they approached. “Good day, Mistress Gemini.” Then, he noticed the little colt trailing close behind her, looking up at him with a nervous look in his eyes. “Who’s this? mistress, you never told me you had a foal of your own.” Gem’s chest twisted itself into knots as she looked back and forth between Carbon and the stallion blocking the door. “Oh... Oh, no... It’s not like that Bulk. He’s not mine. The colt is going to be in my custody for a while.” Carbon noticeably rolled his eyes and muttered something inaudible, causing her to glare at him. “A long while...” Bulk, the door steward, let out a hearty laugh and stepped aside to let them pass. “Right, Mistress Gemini. Lots of luck to you and the little guy, huh?” Gemini sported a kind smile and offered him a short bow to show her gratitude. “Indeed, Bulk. Thank you, as always. Of all the ponies in this city, you are among my favorites.” Once inside the apartment complex, the guard and colt made their way across the lobby towards an elevator that would take them up. Just like when they were outside, Carbon looked captivated by everything he saw. Another pony in uniform was waiting by the elevator. She opened the doors for them, and Gemini stepped inside the box with Carbon by her side. “Good day. What floor do you wish to reach, mistress?” Gem nodded respectfully towards her. “Thank you, um... ten, please.” The mare obliged her, and closed the gate that separated the elevator from the lobby. Then, she wrapped a hoof around a nearby lever and gave it a pull, causing the elevator to rise as gears overhead began to turn. As the box began to rise and the lobby disappeared beneath them, Gem watched Carbon out of the corner of her eye. His gaze was fixed on the gate. She wondered what he must be thinking, being in such a strange position, but then again, she was in just as strange of a place, taking care of a colt. In her mind, she thought about what Azalea might think, but those thoughts were interrupted as the the elevator came to a stop on the tenth floor. “Here we are.” The mare in uniform smiled at them as she opened the gate. “Have a wonderful day.” Gem disembarked the box with Carbon, and the two of them made their way down the corridor, passing several doors along the way, until they came to a stop in front of the door that opened into her home. When Carbon hesitated to enter, she took his hoof in hers and pulled him inside. The entry hall opened up into a large, central room that branched off into various other parts of the suit. Gem noticed that Carbon hadn’t moved from entry hall, but his eyes darted to every corner of the central room, full of wonder. She cracked a smile and motioned with her head for him to follow her. “Come in, Carbon. This is going to be your home for a while.” To her amazement, he took several steps forward, his head remaining on a swivel as he looked at everything the suit had to offer. Gem lead him across the room to another door that lead to a small guest room. It never saw any use, because Azalea always shared her bed when she visited. Gem opened the guest room door and allowed Carbon to look inside. With wide eyes, he stared into the room and swallowed hard before speaking for the first time since they arrived. “Is... that for me?” She nodded her head. “I’ve never had one of those...” The guard smirked at him and coaxed the colt inside to inspect the room. “What do you mean? You’ve never had a room like this to yourself?” Carbon shook his head. “No... this.” He placed a hoof on the bed and pressed down into the mattress. It was then that Gem began to truly understand just what kind of life this colt had endured before she met him, living on the run, alone on the cold streets of the empire, lost and without a family. It broke her heart, and the feeling worsened at the notion that she might be the one responsible for his suffering. She shook the thought from her head, remembering what Azalea had told her. It wouldn’t do her any good to dwell on such bad ideas. All she could do now was help Carbon in whatever way she could. Gem cleared her throat subtly, getting his attention. “Um... Take as long as you need to get aquatinted with the space, Carbon. Would you like anything to eat?” When he nodded his head meekly, she smiled. “Very well. I don’t have much food here, but I’ll call the front desk and have them deliver something.” She began to back out of the room and close the door when she heard a faint voice. It was Carbon. Gem wasn’t sure if she had heard him correctly, but it sounded as though he had muttered ‘thank you’. A delightful feeling swelled inside of her stomach, a feeling known only to changelings when they were receiving love. It was the equivalence of sustenance. Though it was still too early to tell if Carbon truly loved her, this development was certainly a step in the right direction. Now giddy with excitement, Gem retreated to her room to decide on what to order for herself and Carbon to eat. ***Up Next: The Little Trickster***