//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 - An Eventful Day // Story: Guardian // by Xrevias //------------------------------// Golden Dusk and Scarlet Gem roamed the streets in search of a place to eat. The purple and white colored architecture of Canterlot never ceases to amaze them. Each building was so intricately designed, that it in of itself may as well be an art form. The glass windows of each building seemed so clear, yet at the same time so strong and reinforced. Which, would most likely be because of the thought of somepony breaking into their home or store. The pair made a left turn and Celestia’s sun shined brightly upon them. While the early morning light would be rejuvenating, this was just making the pair feel slightly uncomfortable. Scarlet more so than Dusk, even though the latter was wearing a hoodie. “How come I’m sweating more than you?” Scarlet asked rather indignantly. “Enchantments,” Dusk stated. “Regulates the temperature.” “Where in Equestria did you find a hoodie like that?” “Mythic Moon.” “Oh.” That name was more than enough to explain why. The two made a right turn and entered Restaurant Row, the set of streets that have the largest number of restaurants in the whole city. The pair of ponies could smell hints of food from each breath they took, but it was rather faint. Ponies, nobles and non-nobles alike, trotted around either eyeing the different restaurants, or stuffed and moving on with their day. Golden Dusk and Scarlet Gem walked around and eyed the different buildings. Each one had a sign right on top of their door that indicated their rating. One, two or three hooves engraved on them. The more hooves, the better the rating, basically. They passed by multiple restaurants who’s menu just didn’t appeal to the two. Either it seemed way too sophisticated or too simple and plain. A short while later, Golden Dusk stopped walking and eyed at a restaurant that caught his interest. The usual purple and white theme of Canterlot was barely present in the building. The outside walls were decorated with green accents and fake flowers, the window gave a wide view towards the inside which was similarly themed. Hanging from the wall, a sign had two hooves engraved on it and the name of the restaurant. “The Meadow Blossom,” Dusk read aloud. “Seems interesting.”  To his right, Scarlet stopped in her tracks and stared at the building, a hint of sorrow in her eyes. He glanced back at the restaurant and back to his friend. Slowly, he put two and two together.  He groaned and facehooved. “This is way too cliche,” he muttered. Dusk poked Scarlet three times to garner her attention. She turned to face him with wide eyes to see his sympathetic smile. “If you don’t wanna eat here, that’s fine. But, I think closure would be good for you,” he told her softly. Scarlet Gem glanced back at Meadow Garden before looking back at him and sighing. She gave him the best smile she could manage and said, “Sure, if you say so.” Dusk raised a brow for confirmation to which she just rolled her eyes and nodded. He approached the glass door and opened it, a chime resounding from a bell. Dusk poked his head inside first and saw the place was not completely packed, but not empty either. He entered the restaurant and was greeted with a unicorn mare in a smart-casual outfit. “Good morning, sir,” the pony greeted and Dusk realized it wasn’t noon yet. “Will you be dining on your lonesome?”  He shook his head as Scarlet walked in tentatively. “Table for two,” he responded. The pony went wide eyed as she recognized his companion. She managed to calm herself down and coughed into her hoof. “Very well, sir, please follow me and we’ll get you seated.” Dusk nodded in appreciation as Scarlet followed closely behind them. She got looks from the staff but she was not sure if she should be worried or not. The pair followed the waitress to a small corner table for two, the seats being across each other. They took their seats though Scarlet showed signs of being slightly uncomfortable. “I’ll be back with your menus,” the waitress smiled and left them for now. Dusk patted his hoodie down while Scarlet sat quietly in her seat. “So,” he started softly, “you know any of these ponies?” “All of them,” she murmured.  The waitress came back and levitated two menus in front of them. “Please, just raise a hoof when you’re ready to order,” she said and walked away. The pair went over the menus and scrutinized each dish. Scarlet noticed a few changes here and there but not for the better. Some of the food she had improved had different descriptions, and none of them were as thrilling as they were before. Dusk hummed in thought as he made assessments as well. He may not be a trained chef, but he’s learned a thing or two from being around her. “This’ll do, I guess,” Dusk said rather apprehensively. “Made your choice?” Scarlet asked. “Yeah, you?”  She nodded and raised a hoof. The waitress that showed them their seats a while ago came back quickly. “Your orders?” She asked. “I’ll, uh, have this… Salad Car… Carpack… just, here.” He sheepishly pointed to the dish at the menu. Scarlet giggled softly while the waitress rolled her eyes. “The Salad Carpaccio. It has raw fish, are you fine with that?” “That’s fine,” Dusk replied, he’d already tried fish before. The waitress nodded. “And for you, Scarlet?”  Scarlet tensed slightly. “Do you still have it?” she asked. The waitress sighed but nodded. “Yes… though you may not be happy with it.” She tilted her head and shrugged. “I’ll still take it, Orchid.”  Orchid nodded reluctantly. “And for drinks?” “Just water,” the two said simultaneously. She nodded once more and said, “It won’t be long, I’ll bring you your water in the meantime.” With that, she bowed slightly and took her leave, taking the menus with her. “So, what’s ‘it?’” Dusk asked, having lacked context. Scarlet had a foreleg on the table and rested her chin on its hoof. “A little dish I made for the restaurant specifically,” she answered. “I just wanted to see if they kept it the same or changed it.”  “Oh,” Dusk hummed. “Well… we’ll have to see.” She nodded and the two sat in silence for a moment. She mulled over how different the menu had gotten, it hadn’t even been a month yet! Dusk returned about two weeks ago, and she was dismissed the week before that. Scarlet hasn’t seen the new manager yet, but she remembered him to be extremely snooty and arrogant. Hopefully, she could keep her emotions in check, that was more of Dusk’s thing after all. Two weeks… she had been with Dusk the whole time and they were practically inseparable. While they don’t see each other everyday, more often than not when they were together, they were having a good time. Minus the whole Purifiers ordeal, of course. Now, she was extremely unsure on whether Dusk was interested in her or not. She’d tease him every now and then, but he either shrugged it off or made a small retort back that left them both laughing. She internally groaned as she looked around the restaurant aimlessly. Stupid stallion… Dusk, who sat in front of her, was having a major introspection session as of the moment. Scarlet’s teasing confused him a lot, and yet his stomach always fluttered whenever it happened. Could it be… He blushed lightly and did everything he could to avoid making eye contact with her.  “Do I really…” he thought to himself, adding more blood to his cheeks. “Then… is this… a da—” “Your water,” Orchid interrupted his thought. She levitated two glasses and a small pitcher onto the table. “Your orders will be here shortly.” She gave a respectful nod and walked away again. Dusk downed his glass in an instant and filled it once more. When Scarlet raised a brow and looked him in the eye, he nervously looked away like nothing was wrong. She shrugged and took a sip of her own water. “Goldie, you okay?” she asked, worried by his odd behavior. He fought down everything he was feeling and went straight back to normal. “Yeah, sorry, I’m fine.” She gave him a doubtful look. Dusk rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, Gem, really.” Scarlet shrugged and nodded, unaware Orchid was back already. “One Salad Carpaccio.” She levitated a plate in front of Dusk and startled Scarlet. The waitress snickered before reluctantly levitating the pegasus her food. “The Meadow Blossom Special,” she said. Scarlet eyed the plate in front of her and so did Dusk. He had a salad with a few bits of raw fish hanging around. He could instantly recognize tomatoes, lettuce leaves, and some olives. A little bit of dressing was spread around on top of it all, and gave it overall an appealing look. Scarlet, on the other hoof, had a collection of flowers on her plate. Daisies, poppies, and other different flowers that were fairly common. She made this in the image of the restaurant, and yet it seemed different somehow. Orchid coughed, interrupting the two’s judging. “I know we aren’t supposed to speak to our customers but… Scarlet, is he your coltfriend?” The pair stared at her for a few seconds before Scarlet blushed and looked away, avoiding eye contact with the other two. Dusk didn’t blush, and opted for letting out an exaggerated breath of air. “Thank you!” he practically cried. Scarlet felt more blood rush to her cheeks while Orchid raised a brow. “For what?” the waitress asked. He leaned back onto his chair as if in relief. “For not calling me a mare,” he muttered. Scarlet’s blush retreated as she slowly turned her head to meet his gaze. It wasn’t a glare, but there was a rather amused sparkle to her eyes. Orchid chuckled. “To be honest, sir, I wasn’t sure in the first place. Though, I took the fifty-fifty chance of getting it right.” Dusk groaned and almost wanted to plant his face on the table. In front of him, Scarlet started a small laughing fit, but not loud enough to disrupt other customers. “You still didn’t answer the question.” She looked to Scarlet, which halted her laughter. Scarlet coughed lightly. “We’re just friends, Orchid,” she managed to get out, paying no heed to the slight pain in her chest. Unbeknown to her, Dusk felt something similar but he nodded at Orchid’s questioning gaze at him. The waitress sighed in disappointment. “A shame, here I thought she’d finally brought the stallion she has been pinning for—” Scarlet covered her mouth with a hoof to stop her from continuing. She gave Dusk a sheepish smile before glaring at Orchid. The waitress raised a brow, as if she was questioning why she did that. Scarlet gave a subtle flick of her head in Dusk’s direction. Orchid’s eyes darted back and forth from the two ponies as she was struck with realization and nodded. “Sorry about that Dusk, little bit of mare talk,” she feigned an innocent smile. Dusk raised a brow. “There wasn’t much talking.” “A skill only mares can acquire,” Orchid added with a smirk. He sighed, he’d never understand them. Orchid realized that they haven’t touched their food yet. “Apologies, I took up too much time. Please, enjoy your meal,” she smiled and departed. Scarlet and Dusk stared at each other for a few moments before breaking into a small fit of giggles. That encounter had been rather entertaining. Dusk looked at his salad once more before taking a tentative forkful into his mouth. He chewed for a few moments, and decided that it was passable. Scarlet bit into a flower and her eyes immediately widened. She was shocked at how different it was. The flowers remained the same, but underneath them there were a few different things. She’d originally made it to not be aromatic when it arrives to a customer, but rather for the aroma to explode in their mouth. This one, it gave of a strong smell at first but became muted as it is being chewed. Not to mention, the taste was rather different, and not the good kind. Scarlet swallowed and gave the dish a disappointed look. Dusk leaned forward and asked, “What’s wrong?” She sighed and took another bite. “They changed it way too much, it’s not as good as before.” “Well, my salad tastes fine,” he nodded. “Does it reflect the two-hoof rating?” He was about to answer but his voice got caught in his throat. Yes, the salad was good, but even he could make a salad of the same caliber. While it may be rather picky of him, salads were not that hard to make after all, but he’s had much more complex salads in similarly rated restaurants. “No, it doesn’t,” he murmured and picked out some lettuce and ate it. “Exactly, even if it’s not bad, it’s not the same as before.” “Thank our manager,” Orchid said from her side. “Too many changes, not the right ones.” “Why’re you here again?” Scarlet asked before her eyes widened. “Not that I mind, but isn’t it policy to not interrupt customers unless they ask?” Orchid chuckled and shook her head. “This is more business than pleasure, I assure you.” She floated another plate to the center of the table, looking like dessert. “On the house.” She winked and walked away. The plate had a brownie, some chocolate on the side, and a dollop of ice cream on top. A simple, yet effective combo. The two now had something to look forward to after they finished their lunch. Dusk, almost swiftly, finished his salad, while Scarlet went a bit slower with her food. He took the initiative and used a smaller sized spoon to sample the brownie. He cut into the soft brownie with it, along with some ice cream. The spoon floated in a gold aura as he brought it closer to his mouth and ate the sweet treat. The ice cream melted almost instantly when it entered his maw. The brownie’s flavor blended well with its sweetness, and he happily licked his spoon clean before taking another bite. Scarlet giggled as she finished her flowers and took a scoop for herself. She made a similar assessment, and smiled. They hadn’t changed this recipe. Suddenly, they heard a small yelp coming from the kitchen. A moment later, a rather irate unicorn stallion walked out of the kitchen and up to the table with an apologetic smile. Following behind him, Orchid and a stallion in a chef’s outfit were rubbing their heads as they settled behind the counter. “Apologies, dear customers, it would seem that my staff had given you an older recipe,” he said. “Please, allow us to—” he stopped once he saw the empty plate with small traces of melted ice cream. Scarlet licked her lips and put her glass of water down. “Actually, I’d like our bill, please.” The stallion, wearing a suit and tie, sighed indignantly and nodded. Dusk teleported his bit bag as he started counting, to be stopped by a small gust of wind sent his way. He looked up to Scarlet who had a wing pointed at him. “I said, I’d pay,” she said softly. Almost guiltily, he gave a small nod as he popped his bag out of existence. She smiled and held her two hooves around her necklace. The scarlet-colored gem glowed dimly and a ball of magic left it and slowly formed into a bit bag in Scarlet’s hooves.   The stallion walked back and levitated a small brown folder and stood back respectfully. Scarlet opened it and immediately gawked at how much she had to pay. “This… this is overcharged!” she exclaimed to the stallion. He gave her a smirk. “We charge pegasi extra.”  Really? That was the best excuse he could come up with? She looked at him in disbelief and turned to look at Orchid who was beside the counter. Orchid gave her a sad nod in turn. “Still, this is way too much!”  “I thought I had told you to not come here again,” the stallion shot. So, he did recognize her. “I just wanted to see how much worse this place has gotten,” she refuted. The stallion huffed and looked irate. “I’d rather say how much better it's gotten now that a pair of wings have left the kitchen.” Orchid and her colleagues collectively glared at their new manager. Scarlet stood up, left some bits on the table, and Dusk followed suit, keeping his anger in check. The manager grinned as he counted the bits she left… to see that it was underpaid. “You’re missing quite a few bits, miss Scarlet,” he said as they neared the door, which was being held open by Orchid. Scarlet’s eye twitched and Dusk made sure not to look behind him. “Just go, I’ll pay for the ‘extra.’” Orchid ushered them out. Scarlet was about to stop Orchid, but she kept pushing them to leave. Dusk was having none of it, he wouldn’t let two ponies pay for his meal. He opted for turning around, keeping his face emotionless as he said, “Unjust charges.” The manager looked at him, bemused. “What?” “Harassment, discrimination, mistreatment of patrons and staff.” He stalked closer to him as he listed different offences. “Shall I go on?” The stallion scoffed, trying to keep his composure. “So? What are you going to do?” Dusk smiled grimly as he pulled out a small badge.  The manager looked at it and immediately paled. He held out a royal guard badge, specifically, a Celestial Guard badge.  “I’m going to assume you know what this means?”  “S-sir, you can’t possibly be—” Scarlet walked back in despite the protests of Orchid. She stood beside Golden Dusk, a smile on her face as well, as she too pulled out a similar badge. Her former colleagues stared at her in disbelief, while the manager paled some more. “I’m sure the princesses would love to hear your defence.” Dusk leaned in closer to the manager and let his fangs grow and eyes change.  “Tell the truth, otherwise…” He gave him a dangerously toothy grin. “... your charges are going to be far worse than they already will be.” Dusk nodded as he smiled chipperly and walked out the store, ignoring the looks he was getting from Orchid and her colleagues. He left, with Scarlet following close behind. The Meadow Blossom’s door chimed once more as Orchid’s head poked out and she mouthed: “Thank you.” ~~~ They two found themselves making their way to the Canterlot Carousel. The food in Meadow Blossom was passable, though it did not fully represent their two hoof rating anymore. “Did we take it too far?” Dusk asked Scarlet who was walking beside him. She shook her head. “No, he should have been reprimanded earlier.” He nodded, making a left turn around the block. “So, when do we give the report?”  “Just file an accusation and let the Guard handle the rest,” Scarlet shrugged. She didn’t want to do any more paperwork. Dusk giggled. “But what if we are the Guard?” “Shush, you.” He laughed as they had stopped in their tracks, interrupted by a line of ponies outside the Canterlot Carousel. This was Dusk and Scarlet’s first time seeing it. The building, colored in different shapes of purple, fit just right in with the rest of Canterlot. Two large windows displayed different outfits and a small stairway led to the door. A line of about eight ponies formed right outside, meaning that the two had to wait for their turn. The door opened, and a tall baby blue mare stood outside. She brushed her dual-toned orange and yellow mane to the side. She wore what looked like a black jacket and skirt, and… a gold saddle? She looked around outside and when she caught sight of Dusk and Scarlet, she motioned for the two to come over. Confused, Scarlet and Dusk slowly walked past the line of ponies who complained lightly at them being brought in first. “Are you two Golden Dusk and Scarlet Gem?” the tall mare asked them. “Yes,” Dusk nodded. She smiled. “My name is Sassy Saddles, you may call me Sassy for short, please come in.” She ushered them in. “How come they get to go in?!” a pony in the line complained. Sassy shot them an annoyed look. “Reservations, ponies. They help sometimes.” The complaints died down quickly as Scarlet and Dusk walked in. The racks were embedded into the walls rather beautifully. The stairs had a slight curve as they went up, and the lighting somehow accentuated the clothing they had for sale even more. There was a surprisingly moderate number of ponies inside, browning or already paying for their clothes. “Aren’t you guys on sale? I thought there’d be more ponies here,” Scarlet asked. Sassy giggled. “While that is true, we only let a select number in at a time, as to not overcrowd the place.” “Oh,” Scarlet nodded in understanding. “So,” Dusk started, “we have a reservation?” Sassy nodded as she walked into a room. “Yes, please come in.” Scarlet and Dusk followed as they entered a private room in the store. There were a few racks of test suits and dresses of different sizes. To their right, mirrors with some lights around them were placed on the wall, and a small bench for ponies to sit on. Sassy’s horn lit up as she floated a scroll to her. “Dear Sassy Saddles,” she began, “Princess Luna has informed me that one of her future butlers is in dire need of a suit! I shall send you the details of this pony, do have him reserved as the princess mentioned he may come by today. He may or may not be in the company of his friend, I will write down the details of these two ponies below!” Sassy walked towards Golden Dusk and gave him an inspection.  “For the butler, a white maned unicorn with light grey coat named Golden Dusk. He wears a black hoodie at all times, and you cannot be helped but be drawn to the sparkle of his gold eyes!” Golden Dusk blushed and Scarlet giggled. She non-verbally agreed after all! Sassy then approached Scarlet. “For his friend, a pegasus mare with a wheat colored mane and a tan coat who’s name is Scarlet Gem. Her dual-toned wings speak nothing short of graceful, and her scarlet eyes dazzle like the gems they are!” It was Scarlet’s turn to blush, hiding behind her slightly poofy mane and Dusk couldn’t help but silently agree. Sassy nodded and finished the letter, “That’s it for now, darling! We really should catch up sometime in the future. With love, Rarity.” The two ponies were able to calm down enough. Though Sassy just had to add, “P.S., Princess Luna said to not mistake the butler’s features for a mare!” Scarlet howled with laughter while Dusk glared at the inanimate piece of paper. Sassy chuckled. “Sorry dear, all in good fun.” Dusk nodded and laughed lightly as well. “It’s fine, really.” She nodded and put down the scroll on a small table. “Onto business then, would you like or do you have a preferred style of apparel?” He hummed lightly. “Well, the princess just said to get a suit and nothing more,” he smiled a bit sheepishly. “Do you maybe have a way to… make a suit that would go over this hoodie?” Sassy raised up a hoof, with a brow raised. Dusk nodded with a smile, and raised his leg for her to feel the fabric. “Hm… it is not that thick so it should be possible,” she concluded. “Though, I may have to measure you and it.” Her horn glowed and a measuring tape floated towards her. Scarlet took a seat and watched the seamstress do her thing. Golden Dusk stood as still as possible as she ran her tape through his forelegs and chest.  Sassy’s muzzle scrunched up in slight irritation. “Sorry, dear, but would it be alright if you could take off your hoodie? With what I’m measuring, it may be inaccurate.” Dusk’s eyes widened. He didn’t want to take it off. She noticed his apprehension. “Dear, I am a professional, you can trust me. It’s not unlike ponies to walk around with nothing on, right?” He gave her a small nod but still showed signs of discomfort. Scarlet approached him and rested a hoof on his shoulder. “C’mon, the quicker you get this done, the quicker you can put it back on.” He gulped and nodded again. His magic glowed around his apparel, and he raised up his hooves. Slowly, he dragged it off of him and Sassy’s eyes widened and Scarlet’s had a wistful sparkle. He sported a rather large diagonal scar across his chest. It wasn’t gnarly, the wound seemed to have closed up properly. Though, it was still fairly obvious. Sassy kept her composure as Dusk stood up straight and still once more. She quickly got his measurements and noted them down on a clipboard.  “Alright, thank you dear,” she smiled. Dusk gave her a small smile in return as he put his hoodie back on, patting it down so that it fit to a T. “Well, your hoodie doesn’t add that much to your overall foreleg thickness, we’ll have to make the suit maybe half a size larger for it to fit comfortably,” she said. “So, if you ever wear it without your hoodie, it may be loose. Is that alright?” “Yeah, that’s fine,” Dusk answered. Sassy nodded and started noting down different notable aspects of Dusk. Rather timid when getting into touchy topics, but she could tell there was a hint of confidence in him. His gold eyes are his most notable physical feature, so maybe she could add some gold accents to the suit as well. “You’re not gonna ask about it?” Dusk inquired. Sassy bobbed her head slowly. “I do not ask my customer’s about their personal life, that would be unprofessional.” She noted down a few more things. “Thank you,” he said softly. She grinned. “Thank me when you get this stunning suit, dear.” She turned to look at Scarlet. “And you too. You’re going to have to thank me for giving you some eye-candy.” Scarlet blushed lightly and smirked. “Isn’t he already that?” Dusk glanced at the two of them before he turned a delightful shade of red and looked away. Sassy laughed. “Well, for making him sweeter then.” “Deal!” Scarlet chippered, a pink hue lightly tinting her cheeks.