//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 - Chaos // Story: Guardian // by Xrevias //------------------------------// Lotus Mist drank the potion Close Ward specifically told her not to. Being backed into a corner… she had to. The nobles had to pay. After downing it in one gulp, she felt different. She didn’t feel the pain when she was launched into a stack of crates. All she could really feel… Was unbridled rage. Lightning overtook her body, and her thinking dulled. Her surroundings seemed… slower… or was she just faster? The crackle of electricity jolted her muscles awake. Volatile magic ran through her veins, pulsing, giving her strength.  Seeing the guards and her comrades injured sparked more than enough memories for her to lose control. Curse the nobles. The black-armored pony was still hiding somewhere. His friend, however, was wide open. Curse the guard. Lotus Mist bolted right at the pegasus guard, stirring a reaction from her. She dodged, and Lotus kept chasing. If she wanted change… she’d have to take it by force.  The guard managed to slam some wind onto her, and she tumbled in the air. Another gold bolt of magic hit her, but she shrugged it off like it was nothing. Right now? All she could think of was destroying them. Curse the princesses. The sun and moon wouldn’t escape her wrath. Once she was done with the ones here… They’re next. Yet… despite all that rage… there was a form of warmth… When another pair of guards entered the room, she felt about ready to attack them as well. Especially when they approached her injured comrades. Yet… they showed mercy instead of wrath. Lotus Mist paused mid-flight. What was she doing? Inside of her, it felt like there were two forces clashing head on, fighting for dominance. Her rational thought came back for a few moments. The warmth left as quickly as it came. Another gold beam of magic had hit her. She knew… she knew that they had to pay. So why… Why was there a pink glimmer in her eyes? ~~~ “Lethal force is now authorized.” Mythic Moon’s  grin grew wider under her helmet. She managed to fit her armor to accommodate her glasses. She held a hoof to the side of her head, and a white stream of magic flowed outward. It melded with her armored horn as another metallic layer came to existence. It was colored a lighter blue, and had white lines running along it.  Scarlet Gem wore a similar smirk as she flew around to dodge Lotus Mists attacks. She maneuvered to loop around and get behind Lotus. As she was doing so, she held both hooves by her chest. Red magic flowed from it and covered a portion of her forelegs. A set of scarlet bracers formed around both forelegs; a set of rubies on both.  Once she finished her loop, she pointed both forelegs at Lotus and magic shot from it. Lotus staggered mid-flight and fired another bolt of lightning. Mythic’s horn flared and so did the lines of its armor. A barrier formed in front of Scarlet who nodded in thanks. Emerald Melody had a line of green magic form in front of her right hoof. She made a motion to grab it, and a weapon that looked like a baton fabricated. An emerald sat proudly on its tip, and the body was colored black and gray. She made motions that made the gem glow and leave green trails as she cast a spell. She launched a barrage of magic projectiles at Lotus who struggled to dodge. Golden Dusk held out his left foreleg as if he were trying to grasp something. Gold magic flowed from where he wore his band, and it formed an arcing weapon. It had a handle and two curving blades that formed in opposite ends of it. Dull gray lines ran along the weapon’s silver coloring.  The lines started to glow a bright yellow, and a gold string of magic formed and connected the two blades. Magic bow in hoof, Dusk stood bipedally and pulled back on the drawstring with the other. A gold arrow formed, and it was pointed at Lotus Mist, following her movements. Scarlet dodged left and fired off more beams of magic at Lotus, stunning her again. Dusk made a brisk inhale as he let go of the arrow, and it flew straight for her chest. Lotus managed to put up a foreleg to attempt to block it. She screamed when the arrow pierced through her leg, blood dripping from the wound. The arrow slowly disappeared and the blood continued to trickle. The wound covered itself up a few seconds later. Golden Dusk clicked his tongue in annoyance. He prepared another arrow, this time with a different spell embedded in it. His bow pulsed once more as he fired it. Mythic Moon and Emerald Melody continued to bombard Lotus with spells that continued to stagger her. Scarlet used her wind to give them openings, and they relied on Dusk to deliver a killing blow. Each time an arrow was aimed for her, Lotus would block it with a hoof. Scarlet grew tired from flying too much. Dusk glanced at Scarlet who crossed her forelegs and formed a T. He nodded and she flew right for Lotus. Her bracers glowed and sent a blast of magic once Lotus was hit. The blow brought the pegasus crashing to the ground.  Lotus found herself lying on cracked concrete, and Dusk stepped forward with his bow on hoof. She laughed when she realized they sent their ranged attacker to face her. Though… why were the bow’s limbs sharp? Golden Dusk, still standing bipedally, held the bow by his left flank with his grip on it shifting upward. Then, he brought his right hoof to the other end of that handle. After a subtle click, he pulled out his right foreleg and he now wielded two swords.  The weapons still glowed a bright gold as he readied his stance. His horn was lit and so was his eyes. Scarlet was now hovering a farther distance away from the fight. Mythic Moon grinned. So, he did take good care of it. Lotus Mist was in a stand-off with the Hunter. The Maestro, Warlock. And Valkyrie kept their distance, playing a more supportive role that Dusk would usually fill. He took a deep breath. “Just give up.” Lotus prepped her knives once more. Her wings flared as she prepared for take off. “She’s unresponsive,” Dusk said to his teammates through a mental link. “Try to incapacitate her,” Maestro replied. “If we can’t… you know what to do.” He nodded and he fired a spell at Lotus. She dodged and responded with a bolt of lightning. It flew to the ground next to Dusk. Quickly, he absorbed the magic left behind by the strike. He flinched by how uncontrollable it was.  Lotus saw his reaction and charged at him, sparks left in her trail. Dusk recovered quick enough to block one of her knives with a blade and went to strike her with the other. She blocked it, and found herself in a white aura as she was pushed away from him.  Mythic Moon pried the pegasus away from her teammate, and Mel fired more spells at Lotus. Scarlet used wind to mess with her movements. Dusk took a step back as she was assaulted by spells. Lotus Mist screamed and lighting bolts sprung from her form. Mythic covered Mel and the other Purifiers in the room while Dusk shielded himself and Scarlet. Once the strikes died down, Lotus glanced at her teammates, and her expression softened. Dusk absorbed her magic again, to analyze it a bit more. He flinched again, but there was some form of warmth… He dodged when Lotus got up close and personal with him. She used her knives to send attacks in quick succession. Dusk used his armor to absorb the magic and to block the strikes. He countered with his own flurry of well-timed cuts that brought wounds to her body. Which healed up unfairly quickly. “Damn,” he cursed and put some distance between them. Another barrage of ranged attacks fired at Lotus who dodged by flying around them. The poor concrete floor was absolutely destroyed. For the last time, Dusk absorbed the magic that was stored in his armor. His horn crackled for being overcharged. He put the gathered magic into his weapons. They sparked and were now also imbued with lightning. While he was transferring the magic… he felt that same warmth again. “Warlock,” he called out, “do you know what was put into the potion?” “Volatile magic, some plants, and magic from the Crystal Heart,” Mythic responded, firing another spell. “Love magic?” he whispered to himself.  “Have an idea, Hunter?” Mel grunted as she conjured a shield that was struck. “If I can absorb the magic running rampant in her… we might be able to end this.” “Okay, we need to weaken her first.” Mel fired off another spell. Dusk sighed, this was going to be hard. Lotus made an attempt to attack the pair of magic casters with her knives. Mythic responded with a blast of magic that sent her tumbling back. Mel had small green orbs floating around her, and they launched themselves at Lotus. She took off and flew to avoid them, but they were tracking her. Scarlet used wind once more to throw her off-course.  Struck by the orbs, she tumbled down to the ground once more. Dusk took the opportunity to strike her with her own ability. His sword slammed into the ground, and the lightning caused a small explosion. Lotus managed to evade it and made to strike him. “Auntie, if you can weaken her magic enough…” He groaned as he used a shield. “I might be able to get her.” “Okay. Scarlet, be ready to move in.” Mythic's gaze focused on Lotus. “Don’t be reckless, Hunter,” Mel chided. He rolled his eyes as he weaved under a knife strike. He made to slash Lotus but she dodged again. Dusk stepped back and cast a spell, and gold spikes of magic sprung from the ground; he made sure it was slow enough for her to dodge. And dodge she did. Lotus took off in the air, leaving her balance off in the reaction. “Now!”   Mythic’s eyes flared purple, and Lotus’ movements slowed and her lightning dissipated.  Scarlet took the chance to get her off the air completely by sending a small whirlwind towards her. Lotus was sound around before her flight faltered and she crashed onto the ground. Mel waved her baton and vines sprouted underneath Lotus, binding her tight. Dusk charged at the pegasus but not going in for the kill. Instead, he stood in front of her struggling form, his horn glowing brightly. Glimmers of magic pulsed from Lotus Mist’s body, and they flowed into Dusk’s horn. He grunted and struggled in holding his stance. Lotus’ gaze went upward as she felt the magic from the potion being drained from her. She struggled even more against her binds. Scarlet flew in to hold Lotus down. Dusk continued to absorb the magic, though showing sign of difficulty. The purple glow from Mythic died down, and she casted a spell that formed tendrils of magic to further bind Lotus. Her magic was way too unstable now! Dusk finished absorbing the last of the volatile magic and staggered. Lotus twitched before she fell limp against the vines around her. The glow from Mythic’s and Scarlet’s eyes died down. Emerald Melody approached Lotus and checked her consciousness. The strength of her magic was much lower than before, and she was barely awake.  “What… happened?” Lotus asked breathlessly. She took in her surroundings and noticed the destruction. Black cracks along the floor, piles of wood that have been incinerated, and her teammates who were bound and caught. “The potion happened,” Mel replied. “We will be taking you and the rest to the castle.” Lotus tried to fight but found her body weak. She sighed and glanced behind the green-armored pony. Her eyes shot wide. Scarlet noted her action, and followed her gaze. She stared at what she saw, the urge to help welling up inside her. Mel and Mythic looked behind them. They saw Golden Dusk, eyes blazing and shifting between gold, blue, purple… his form crackled with lightning as he tried to keep control of himself. He was grunting and stood shakily on all four legs. His weapon was left on the ground. “Hunter, let it out!” Mythic cried.  Dusk turned and walked dizzily, her voice barely reaching him. When he finally registered what she said, he looked to the ceiling and pointed his horn at it. Lightning struck the rafters and an explosion brought a hole in the roof.  He stood shakily in a daze before slowly losing balance and falling to the ground. Scarlet managed to catch him. Through his armor, electricity sparked around his form on occasion. Mythic approached the pair and tried using her eyes to stop it. She tried multiple times, but found it had no effect. Mel tightened the vines around Lotus as she walked to her teammates. The three other Purifiers in the room watched in sympathy. They showed them mercy… why wouldn’t they?  The Maestro held a hoof on Dusk’s head, analyzing his magic. Mythic’s horn lit up to do the same. It was… far too chaotic. “Why can’t our Hunter catch a break,” Mythic muttered. Dusk came to, and he chuckled weakly. “P-part… of the… job…” Scarlet looked at him in worry, blue sparks still came off of him. Mythic picked up his weapon and put it back together, forming a bow. She held it to his left foreleg as it was absorbed back into his band. “While Warlock would be the best option to get him to the castle, I doubt Valkyrie and I would be able to bring back all the Purifiers,” Mel assessed.  “I’ll bring him,” Scarlet replied. Dusk twitched and groaned, he was clearly in pain. Mythic nodded weakly. She wanted to be able to look after her nephew… “Warlock, the sooner we get this done, the faster we can watch over him,” Mel reassured. She sighed. “Okay, keep him safe?” she asked Scarlet. “Always,” Scarlet nodded. She gently picked up Dusk with two hooves, and flew out the window.  Mel and Mythic turned to look at Lotus with both their eyes glowing. This… was her fault. Lotus shivered. She had very strong beliefs about the nobles and some of the guard… but this… this felt different. She felt like she had it give up and accept punishment. “You…” Mythic started, “are lucky that even we have rules to follow.” Mel’s glare disappeared and she sighed. She tapped Mythic on the side. “Let’s get to work.” Mythic huffed and she levitated the trio of Purifiers they left tied up in the corner. Mel cut off the vines from the ground, and levitated Lotus in those. The Guardians walked beside each other, both levitating their baggage closely behind them. Close Ward glared at Lotus. “Why?!” she whispered loudly. “We… I needed to…” Lotus responded. The four of them had similar beliefs, but the other three knew Lotus took it too far by drinking an unstable potion.  “Well…” Rock Steady sighed. “So much for our little crusade.” “Yeah…” Lotus said weakly. “I suppose I took it too far…” The three stared at Lotus. Did… did she just say admit she was wrong?! “You’re all looking at me as if I can’t tell if I’m wrong,” she deadpanned.  The four were placed beside another collection of crates while Mel and Mythic worked on the rest of the Purifiers. “Well…” the trio said at the same time. Lotus actually laughed. “Damn you three…” Her eyes had a pink twinkle to them. ~~~ Scarlet flew above Canterlot briskly as she carried Dusk. The moon shone brightly, and the smoke from the noble houses were gone. She could still see guards roaming around, making sure everything was okay. Dusk twitched slightly as another spark of electricity left his form. Scarlet quickened her pace, surely the princess knew what to do. “Isn’t it… supposed to... be the other… way around?” Dusk giggled weakly.  Scarlet stared at him. “We don’t conform to normal gender stereotypes,” she scoffed.  Dusk chuckled and leaned in closer to his friend. She may have been wearing armor… but it made him feel safer. He was never really good with heights, so he opted to not look down. “We’ll get there soon,” Scarlet reassured him. Blue sparked once more... and it shifted colors. “Just… don’t drop me…” ~~~ Princess Celestia and Luna sat on their respective thrones. They were discussing the possible punishments for the Purifiers. Shining Armor and Cadence were sitting next to a purple princess by the side of the throne room. Lightning suddenly flashed outside, alarming the ponies. Nightingale and Raven Inkwell stood close to their princesses.  Shining Armor got up and looked out the window. “There aren’t any clouds…” he said. “Well, Shiny, ya don’t need clouds when you’ve got magic.” All ponies looked around to find where the voice came from. Though, Celestia and Twilight already knew who it was. A draconequus popped into the room. He sat on a large couch, his form extending to occupy its entirety. He tossed popcorn into his mouth and chuckled. “Have to say, you ponies are absolutely chaotic at times.” He popped the couch and popcorn out of existence. “It’s very… invigorating.” Celestia sighed. “How can we help you, Discord?” Discord scoffed. “Well, if you really wanted to help, you’d let whatever is going on outside continue.” He floated over to Celestia. “Though, I doubt you will.” “Nope,” she denied. He sighed. “A pity… chaos can be so much fun.” The pillars started to sing a capella, accompanied by the instrumentals of the curtains. “Discord!” Twilight Sparkle complained. “Oh, don’t get your mane in a knot, bookhorse,” he chuckled. “Oh? What’s that?” The purple princesses mane suddenly became messy. She tried fixing it with her magic but found herself unable to.   Luna chuckled and got up. “Captain Wuzz! Shall we enter the world of Ogres and Oubliettes?” Discord smirked. “Why, I never thought you’d ask, Archmage Selene!” The throne room started to contort into a world of strange proportions. The trees looked to be made of cardboard, and dice were placed around. Celestia and Twilight’s horn flared as they cancelled the spell. “Sister!” Luna cried. “What art thou doing?!” “Staying focused on the task at hoof,” Celestia replied. “Our Guardians haven’t come back yet.” Luna’s ire soon turned into worry. They shouldn’t be taking this long… Discord and Twilight stopped bickering. The purple princess asked, “Guardians?” Discord sighed. “You haven’t told your newest purple princess?” “We haven’t had the time to bring it up.”  He clicked his tongue and rubbed his goatee. “I leave you to it. For now, something that concerns all you princesses and me is inbound.”  The four alicorns tilted their heads, and right on cue, the doors were pushed open. A pony in scarlet armor glided in with another pony in black pony in her forelegs. Celestia, Luna, and Cadence immediately got up and approached them. Discord hovered behind them curiously, and Shining Armor ushered for Twilight to go with them.  Scarlet slowed down to sit on her haunches, cradling Dusk in her forelegs. The unicorn’s body sparked purple and he groaned. “Hunter?” Celestia asked in worry. “Please tell me you know how to fix this,” Scarlet pleaded, to everypony and Discord. Twilight’s horn lit up purple as she examined Dusk. His magic was… strangely familiar but she ignored that for now. There was another form of magic inside him that was unstable, volatile, and difficult to control. That magic was fighting against the pony’s regular and already powerful one. The conflict between the two is probably causing this… but she had no idea how to fix it. “I… I have no idea,” she admitted sadly. “I haven’t seen this before.” The royal sisters gave it a try as well. Their magic washed over Dusk’s body, but nothing changed. Cadence tried next, but healing wasn’t her speciality. Especially when it came to magic ailments. All three came to the same conclusion as Twilight Sparkle. Dusk turned his head. “Oh… princesses,” he whispered. Weakly, he tried getting up. “What are you doing?” Scarlet asked, keeping him down. “Gotta bow,” he giggled. She rolled her eyes. “Nope, you gotta rest first.” Discord was tapping his chin. “Hunter, remove your helmet,” he stated. The other ponies in the room stared at him. Did he really ask for that?  “I need to see your eyes,” he explained. His serious tone was… unsettling. The two Guardians in the room looked to the three taller alicorns. “You’ll have to explain to princess Twilight,” Scarlet said. Twilight Sparkle was visibly bemused. The princesses nodded and Scarlet poked Dusk. He nodded and struggled to use the key spell. Finding his magic was too unstable to use, he motioned for Scarlet to take off his helmet. She obliged and used one foreleg to do so. His silver coat made itself known, and so did his white mane. He kept his eyes closed to make sure nothing dragged along them. When he opened them again, all the ponies around him gasped.  “I… get that… I don’t look good… right now… but…” he chuckled. Even Discord looked surprised.  “Why?” Celestia asked. “Purple… yellow… blue…” “Chaos,” Discord stated in a serious tone. “There’s chaos magic brewing in him.” Dusk had sparks around him once more. “How does chaos give somepony lightning powers?” Scarlet wondered. “Well, whatever that magic was, it turned into chaos magic,” Discord explained. “Your Hunter’s normal boring pony magic is fighting against whatever else he absorbed. So, it’s absolutely chaotic inside of him right now.” “What do we do?” Scarlet asked.  “Wait… chaos magic?” Dusk inquired. “Sounds cool…” he slurred. Celestia gazed at Discord. “What do we do?” Luna trailed a hoof along Dusk’s mane. Cadence and Shining looked at Discord, anxious about his answer.  “I could try to drain it from him,” he suggested. “But…” Using his claw and paw, he made a motion of bringing them apart. “I might take his regular magic as well. The two different types of magic in him are fighting over control.” He formed two blobs of magic. “One is trying to absorb the other, so they’re basically melding together. I take out one, the other might be dragged along.” Scarlet gulped and asked, “What’s the other?”  Discord couldn’t help but grin. “We let him keep it, learn to control it, and master it.” He popped in a perfect representation of Dusk running around with chaos magic. “What do you wanna do?” she asked Dusk. “Second,” he managed to get out. Discord nodded and he formed an orb of chaos magic with his claw and paw. “I’ll give you a catalyst. It’ll absorb the magic and separate your pony magic from the newly formed chaos,” he said.  Dusk nodded weakly and Discord ushered the orb to enter Dusk. “Go on now, it’s your new home,” Discord urged. The small bundle of chaos magic managed to look hesitant. It slowly brought itself inside Dusk and it disappeared in his form. The unicorn groaned and the sparks started to fade. Twilight couldn’t help but look intrigued. “Did… you just put something inside of me?” Dusk asked. “Well, technically it’s a someone, but yes,” Discord nodded. “I… have… another living creature in my body,” Dusk shuddered. His eyes slowly reverted back to their normal gold.  “Oh please, think of it as a pet.” He waved his paw dismissively. Scarlet looked at him quizzically. “You’re okay?” She was still holding him in her hooves. “I feel better…” he replied. “But I really wanna—”  He was cut off by Scarlet wrapping him in a tight embrace. Everypony and Discord grinned, sans Twilight. She wondered why they were grinning. The two were friends, right? Dusk returned the embrace and sighed. “Might wanna loosen up a bit.” Scarlet squeaked and let him sit down properly. Good thing she still had her helmet on… Discord hummed. “Ah, your magic should recover completely by the ‘morrow,” he nodded.  “So,” Dusk began, “how does the whole… ‘I’m an emissary of chaos’ thing work?” Discord laughed. “Well, I didn’t think about it like that. But if you say so…” He snapped his claws and Dusk had a patch on his armor; it had Discord’s face on it. “Hm…” he hummed before grinning. “I don’t mind…” “Oh sweet Celestia what is going to happen,” Scarlet moaned, earning a raised brow from the mentioned princess. Discord looked at his non-existent watch. “Oh, look at the time, and I have a tea party with Fluttershy tomorrow!” He prepared another snap. “Tip, Hunter, don’t force the chaos.” A loud click resounded in the room and he disappeared in a flash. “I… guess?” Dusk said, perplexed. Luna chuckled and her gaze was brought to Scarlet’s forelegs. She had her weapons equipped?! “What…. brought you to use them?” Luna inquired, gesturing to her weapons. Celestia gaze followed to where her sister pointed. Her eyes widened as she saw what Scarlet had on. “It’s what caused Dusk’s ‘condition’ in the first place,” Scarlet explained. “A potion… ask Warlock.” Scarlet gaze back to Dusk who looked rather exhausted. A strange occurrence, since his magic usually kept him going. The unicorn mumbled something incoherently as he leant on Scarlet’s shoulder. She blushed under her helmet but kept her form stoic. Cadence grinned and had to stop herself from giggling like a filly. The doors opened once more and Mythic Moon and Emerald Melody rushed in. They immediately approached their teammates and startled Golden Dusk. “Was… tryna sleep…” he complained. Mythic Moon left no words for complaining and wrapped her nephew in a hug. His eyes opened wider, and he returned the embrace. Emerald couldn’t help but notice that his helmet wasn’t on— “Hunter,” she said calmly. “You’re helmet?” He lazily gestured to where Scarlet put down his helmet. “I was told to remove it, calm down.”  Mel sighed and moved in to join Mythic’s embrace of her teammate. The Warlock was shocked under her helmet. Mel… was hugging now?! The gesture went as quickly as it came. Mel looked to the princesses. “I suppose we are now introducing ourselves to our newest princess?” Mythic let go of Dusk as they too stood up. Scarlet moved to be beside the Hunter and gave him his helmet. He nodded in thanks and put it on. “Princess?” Twilight asked. “Introductions?” “Yes, Twilight,” Celestia nodded. “The four ponies standing in front of you are members of the Royal Guard,” she explained. “Are you aware of the rank ‘Specialist?’” Twilight nodded. “The rank is specifically given to elite guards that serve directly under the princesses.” “Correct. Now, the group in front of you are all Specialists.” She gestured to the Guardians. “But… even that rank doesn’t suit them.” “Pardon?” Shining Armor stepped in. “The ponies in front of you might as well be the Specialists of the Specialists.” Luna added, “Their power may even rival ours.” Twilight Sparkle's eyes widened and she nodded slowly. “These Specialists are so powerful and committed to preserving Harmony, that we have grown to be friends with them,” Cadence smiled. “They are there for us in our times of need, to accomplish tasks that possibly no other pony would do.” Luna stood tall. “We may as well call them…” Celestia trailed. “Guardians,” all ponies said. Twilight looked around the room, eyeing the different ponies and deadpanned, “Did you guys practice this or…?” Luna giggled. “The idea of us explaining to you has come up more than once.” Mel stepped forward. “Princess Twilight, Emerald Melody, the Maestro, at your service.” She bowed. Mythic went next. “Princess, Mythic Moon, the Warlock, at your service.” Then, Scarlet said, “Scarlet Gem, the Valkyrie, at your service.” Dusk went last. “Golden Dusk, the Hunter, at your service.” After their introductions, their helmets opened up to show their face. Though, Dusk had some trouble finding his magic again. He felt better already! Though, he still wanted to sleep. “Question, Golden Dusk,” Twilight said. “Have we met before?” He chuckled. “Sort of,” he answered. “Who do you think kept all the creatures of Everfree away from you and your friends?” She nodded in realization. “Thank you,” she smiled. The thoughts of what more they might have encountered if he wasn’t there… were unpleasant. “Of course.” He bowed. Twilight faced Celestia. “So, the Guardians are a group of elite guards?” Celestia nodded. “That is correct, Twilight.” “Then, these mares were the ones who… resolved what happened tonight?” “Yes, Twilight,” she snickered. Even Luna started giggling. “Huh?” The purple princess asked, bemused. Scarlet Gem suddenly burst into laughter, followed shortly by Mythic Moon. Shining Armor howled, laughing, and Luna stopped holding back. Celestia had to make do with small chuckles. “Why’s everypony laughing?” Golden Dusk rolled his eyes. “Princess, we’re not all mares.” Twilight Sparkle’s brain paused as it processed the statement. It’s gears clunked against each other, wires sent signals, and, eventually, a light bulb lit up brightly.  “Oh!” she exclaimed, now understanding. “Sorry!” Dusk chuckled. “No worries.” Mel cut in after her own fit of giggles, “The Purifiers have been sent to the dungeon, princesses.” Celestia calmed herself and nodded. “We’ll deal with them in the future. For now, we need you Guardians to make sure none of them are still running around.” All four nodded and made their way to the door. Dusk was stopped by the magic of Luna.  “Hunter, you are to rest,” she said softly. “Your magic will come back to you by the sun rise, if Discord’s assumptions are correct.” “I am always correct!” Discord’s voice echoed. Luna rolled her eyes.   He hid his joy in being let rest. Dusk nodded and followed closely behind his teammates as they left the throne room. “Sorry guys, Luna’s making me rest.” He caught up to them. “More than well-earned,” Mel said. “We’ll take care of it,” Scarlet added. Mythic shook her head. “Mel and I will, you kids go get some rest.” “But I’m not even tired!” she retorted. “We all know what happens when you use your wind too much.” Mel rebuked. Scarlet’s mouth opened and closed a few times, unable to come up with an answer.  “Just rest,” Mythic laughed. “We got this.” Mel nodded and Scarlet sighed. The quartet separated into pairs as Dusk and Scarlet went to the armory. They went to a discreet and hidden section of the castle where Mythic told them to store their gear. Dusk prodded at the wall, and a brick slowly sunk in. A door slid open and the two entered. There were six spots dedicated to just their armor, and weapon racks just in case. Dusk pondered on how it would work since they could just stand on two legs and leave the armor.  He gazed over two extra armor stations that were colored silver and red.  “What’s taking them so long?” he thought. He walked over to one spot, colored yellow, and stood bipedally. The back of his armor opened and he calmly moved out of it. Once he left the spot, the metallic plates closed and the armor slowly moved back to standing on four legs. “Neat,” he murmured.  Scarlet got out of her armor as well. “Oh, sir butler, where have you been?” she mock-swooned, and her accent shifted to one of nobility. Dusk remembered he hadn’t taken off the suit. “Apologies, the maids were being rather difficult.” He bowed impishly. “Wanting to know your address I presume!” Dusk kept his head down for the duration of his blush. “Not Luna’s butler if I’m not a bat!” “Oh, but you are!” He grumbled, he forgot he still didn’t shift. “Let’s go…” Scarlet giggled. It was good to see he was back to his original self! They left the totally-unsuspicious-room-hidden-in-the-castle and left through the front gates. Shining Armor’s shield pulsed as they walked through it. Unconsciously, the pair made their way to the streets and straight to Dusk’s house. “Hey, isn’t the stallion supposed to be walking the mare home?” Scarlet asked innocently. “‘We don’t conform to normal gender stereotypes,’” he quoted in a mocking tone. She laughed. “Touché, Goldie.” Dusk unlocked the door to his house. Instead of going in straight away, he surprised Scarlet with another hug. “Thanks again,” Dusk said softly. “Prolly would’ve been worse if you hadn’t flown me there.” Scarlet returned the embrace. “What’re friends for?” Both of their stomachs twisted at that statement. Dusk pulled back. “Well, I shouldn’t hold you up.” She nodded. “I’ll check on you tomorrow, okay?” She flared her wings for take off. “Shouldn’t I do that for you sometime?” “Hush up, Goldie, we both know you’re sleeping in tonight.” “Hey!” Scarlet giggled and left him. His pout was visible but it dropped and was exchanged for laughter as he went back inside his house.