//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 - They're Back! // Story: Guardian // by Xrevias //------------------------------// “Ah, it is good to be back!” A burly earth pony stallion stretched his legs as he got off the train. He took a deep breath, practically savoring the fresh, Canterlot air. Other ponies got off the platform, and were being met by their families. The night sky made everything dimmer, yet a red pegasus stood out from behind him. They groaned as they dragged two bags of heavy luggage out the train door. “You could at least help me, Az!” they complained, dropping the luggage in front of him and glaring at the blue earth pony. Azure Spark chuckled. “You could use the practice, Wild Blaze!” Wild Blaze’s glare didn’t falter. His gray mane resembled the color of smoke, and his eyes were colored like fire. Keeping the stare, he attempted to pierce Azure’s soul. Azure sighed, picking up the heaviest bag and placing it on his back.  “Thank you,” Blaze said. Now, he was able to carry the other on his back. The two ponies trotted off of the platform and directly into the streets. Some ponies spared glances at Azure for his larger build than most, and some looked at Blaze, in awe of him being able to carry such large baggage. “If you are having difficulty with that bag, I can carry it for you,” Azure offered. Blaze snorted. “This much, I can manage.” He nodded and looked forward, eyeing the large castle. “Shall we announce our return to the princesses?” “Sure…” Blaze trailed off and was now staring at something.  Azure followed to where his gaze was and gawked. A noble house with a large hole in its wall. Guards were stationed around its perimeter, and workers were hastily trying to repair it. “Sir, what happened here?” Blaze approached a lieutenant. The pony in armor sighed. “Purifiers did a number on it.” “Purifiers?” he asked. “With your baggage, I assume you just arrived at Canterlot?” At his nod, he continued, “The Purifiers were a group that despised the nobles, and they proceeded to attack a number of noble houses. Even tried to invade the castle.” Azure walked to the side of Blaze. “Come now, Blaze, the guard has to focus on his task.” The red pegasus nodded, both thanking and apologizing to the guard. The guard responded, waving dismissing the need for an apology. The pair were now back on track to the castle. “Do you think Golden Dusk’s back?” Blaze asked. “If he isn’t, we will arrange a search party,” Azure responded. “Though, we have no right to complain about what took him so long.” He chuckled. “Took us three months to deal with five manticores? We’ll have to explain why.” Az snorted. “Well, now that we are back, we’ll need a decent amount of drinks!” He cheered his agreement, sharing a hoof bump with the bigger stallion. Though, whoever those Purifiers were? They were lucky they missed out on the Titan and Berserker. ~~~ Golden Dusk walked down the halls of the castle, on his way to the Royal Kitchen. He wore his suit and tie proudly and showed no shame in his thestral form. Keeping his form dignified but humble, he approached a double door with small windows on them. He knocked three times before a thestral mare opened the door slightly. They recognized him and nodded. Him being there meant the princess wanted a snack! He pawed a hoof on the carpet to feel its silkiness. It should take a minute or two before they have a small cart prepared.  Eventually the same chef pushed out a cart with several plates, the cloche atop them there to keep the food warm He gave them a thankful nod as he rested his hooves on the handle. The chef nodded and blew him a kiss. Staying calm, he mouthed the word ‘taken.’ The thestral mare pouted but nodded. She went back inside the kitchen to resume her duties. Dusk feigned a chuckle and turned to make his way back to the throne room, ignoring the indignant and jealous stares of the Lunar Guard stationed about. Well, a mare making a move on you was a compliment.  He pushed the cart down the halls, admiring the lavender flowers that bloomed in pots that were hanging from the side of the pillars. Apparently, Princess Luna suggested it as lavender was believed to aid ponies in their sleep.  He reached the large, ornate, purple doors, and the guards stationed there saw him and opened the doors. He nodded his thanks as he entered with the cart. “Ah! The butler returns!” Princess Luna’s voice echoed. “And with my treats!” Dusk chuckled as she stepped down from her throne. Nightingale rolled his eyes, prepared to note down anything strange that may happen.  “Princess, your meal.” With a flourish, Dusk unveiled her snacks. Cookies!  Luna practically squealed as she hurriedly picked up one of the treats. Her two aides laughed as she ate. Dusk levitated a separate plate to Nightingale who voiced his thanks. Dusk took a seat beside the cart and nibbled on his own portion. Luna devoured her plate in mere minutes, leaving her pining for more. She immediately lit up when she saw more of the treats floating onto her plate. She looked up and saw Dusk’s horn glowing gold. “I’m not that hungry,” he explained with a smile. “Plus, you have a night court to run.” “Many thanks, dear butler,” Luna nodded. He chuckled and finished his last cookie. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he looked at the princess nervously. “Will the night princess be ever so humble to allow me to disappear?” he asked with a shaky smile. She raised a brow. “Very well, but for what purpose?” “You’ll see…” With his cryptic answer said, his horn glowed and he slowly faded from view. He invisibly stood up and walked onto the sides of the pillars, climbing them. Once he reached the ceiling, he found a rafter to settle onto. Luna glanced at Nightingale who shrugged. Suddenly, the doors burst open and a large earth pony stallion trotted in. He howled with laughter, proud of the destruction. A red pegasus was showing the Lunar Guards outside a gold badge and was apologizing for the burly stallion’s behavior.  Luna gawked before repairing the doors with a spell once the pegasus went inside.  “As energetic as ever, Titan,” she frowned. Azure Spark chuckled loudly. “What better way to announce our return?!” “Getting proper permission to enter the throne room?” Wild Blaze deadpanned. “I still sometimes wonder why somepony titled ‘Berserker’ is much calmer than the Titan,” Nightingale commented. So, this was what his gut was telling him was gonna happen! He started scribbling on the scroll the return of the other two Guardians. Blaze rolled his eyes. “Same, buddy.” “Have the pair of you just arrived?” Luna asked. He nodded. “We just dropped off our stuff at the armory.” “Ah, the princess had her cookies once more!” Az said nonchalantly. “Shall we announce your return?” She ignored him. “Properly and orderly, this time.” “If you’d be so kind,” Blaze nodded. “Luna!” Az shouted. “Would you like to join us in drinking a few days from now?” he offered. She hummed in actual consideration. “Depending on the schedule, I might. Oh, but you’d have to take the others with you.” “Tia too?” “If she’s available.” “Speaking of ‘others,’” Blaze started, “Is Golden Dusk back yet?” That would explain why he wanted to hide… Dusk breathed quietly, doing his best not to draw attention to himself. “Yes, he returned a month ago,” she responded. “Shall we call for him?” Up on the rafters, he could see the wide smirk she sported. “Call for him?” Blaze asked. “It’s in the middle of the night, he’s probably sleeping.” “What would you do if he doesn’t come?” Luna responded. “Then we pay him a visit!” Az said. “And I’ll make sure this fool doesn’t destroy anything,” Blaze sighed. Oh, no… Dusk didn’t want any collateral damage! “Very well, let us test the odds then,” she nodded. “Golden Dusk!” Gulping, the unicorn dropped back down onto the floor silently. He stood behind his two teammates as he slowly dropped the invisibility. He was bowing, and he kept his face blank. “Yes, princess?” he basically announced his appearance. His teammates jumped and turned around. Luna smirked. “Golden Dusk!” Az exclaimed, putting a foreleg around his shoulder. Dusk yelped at the sheer weight. Blaze eyed his form, noticing the formal attire. “You’re… wearing a suit?’ He sighed. “Yeah, got butler duties now.” He did his best to return Az’s gesture. Though, the larger build of the stallion brought much difficulty. “Butler?” Az asked. “Gem told me to get a job… here I am,” he replied. The other ponies in the room smirked at the mention of Scarlet Gem’s nickname. Yes, they already knew he called her that, but they all knew there was some sort of spark to the pair of ponies. However, Luna already knew that Golden Dusk and Scarlet were an item… she just made an agreement with her fellow ponies the night before. “So  you are now serving our night princess?” Az chuckled. “I believe that was what you were already doing.” Dusk rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to drink my days away.” “Lies!” Az denied. “We only drink once or twice a week.” Blaze snorted. “Az, with the amount you drink, it might as well be everyday.” “I can handle my booze!” “You know, that’s probably the reason it took you guys three months,” Dusk commented. Blaze shook his head. “You know that Az takes work seriously… most of the time.” “All the time!” Az huffed. “I just prefer to have some fun.” “You call wrangling five manticors fun?” He deadpanned. “Of course!” “Azure Spark’s antics aside,” Luna cut in, “shall we send word to our sister?” “Shouldn’t she be sleeping?” Dusk inquired. Luna hummed. Celestia would probably want her head if she’s disturbed. “Very well, by tomorrow then.” “Anyway,” Dusk started, “you guys missed a lot.” “Something about ‘Purifiers?’” Blaze asked. “Really,” Az sighed, “what a plain name.” Dusk deadpanned, “They still attacked ponies.” “Though the crisis was averted, yes?” he replied. “What more do we need to know?” “Well, for one, I’m a butler now, but you already know that,” Dusk nodded. “Then, Gem’s working in the Royal Kitchen now too.” “A good job for her,” Blaze commented. “And Auntie is gonna want your armor,” he finished. The two older stallions slowly craned their heads to gaze at each other. They wore shaky smiles and their eyes were twitching.  “You guys messed them up, didn’t you?” Dusk deadpanned. Luna held back her laughter. “Az just had to charge into three manticors!” Blaze shouted. “If you hadn’t thrown your flames, I would’ve been fine!” “The other two were circling you!” “And the state of your armor shows how well you handle that,” Az snarked. The two continued to bicker and Dusk sighed. He knew that the two had one of the strongest bonds in the team, but it also meant that disagreements were this bad. Az stomped a hoof, leaving cracks running along the floor. “It was your fault!” “Mine?!” Blaze’s eyes glowed a bright red, looking like something was being ignited. “How about you?!” “Don’t use your magic on me, Blaze!” “Or what?!”  He held back a wing and a condensed ball of fire spiralled within it. He proceeded to throw it at Az who just scoffed. The earth pony had blue magic formed around his hooves and he swatted the ball away like it was a baseball. Luna rubbed her temple, seemed a crater was about to be formed... Unbeknownst to all of them, the fire headed straight for Dusk. His eyes widened right at the last moment. He was daydreaming, darnit! He managed to activate his shield and it surrounded his body. The impact left an explosion, knocking Dusk back a few notches. Az and Blaze stopped bickering and they turned to look at where their teammate was standing.  Dusk’s eyes blazed gold and he clenched his teeth together. His fangs seemed to become more apparent, and his ear twitched.  “Seriously?!” he yelled. “Here? Of all places?!” He moved closer to the pair. The ponies in the room stared at him with wide eyes. “I know you two disagree sometimes, but really?!”  Az actually winced… an angry Dusk was a fearsome one. “Here I thought you were the mature one.” He pointed at blaze. “I get that you’re both probably tired, and Auntie’s gonna give it to both of you, but I doubt she would mind if I got first dibs!” “Uh… Dusk?” Blaze started. “What?!” he hissed. “Is that normal?” Dusk was taken aback, so he calmed down for a moment.  “What’s what normal?” He then took a look at the two ponies in front of him. They were supposed to be taller than him… why was he eye-level with Az now? He glanced downward and gasped. His hooves weren’t touching the floor! “Uh…” he gulped, now floating in a random direction. “A little help?” Blaze faced Az with a blank face. “What do you think?” The earth pony hummed thoughtfully. “Really?” Dusk deadpanned, floating up higher. He squeaked as the distance grew. “Perhaps if he drops his ire?” Az suggested. “I’ll drop that ire on your head if you don’t help me!” Blaze chuckled. “Let’s give him a few moments… maybe he’ll learn to respect his elders.” “I am respectful enough!”  “I can agree to that,” Az responded. Dusk dearly wished he could really drop his ire on them now. Maybe in the form of a piano. Hearing the snapping of its strings, the different distorted notes, and the look on their face would be appealing. He turned to face the ceiling, not wanting to look down. His ear twitched and he heard some form of pop, followed by a crash.  He twisted his body to look at where the sound came from. He was met with the sight of Az’s head poking out of a grand piano’s body. Shards of wood were scattered around the floor, and Blaze stood a small distance away from him. “Where?! What?!” Blaze exclaimed. Luna stared in shock. She didn’t know where that came from. “Can you bring me down now?!” Dusk shouted. Blaze quickly flew up and dragged him back to the ground. His hooves touched the floor, and he used magic to make sure he stuck to it. “This… is strange,” Az commented. “Conjure a shield for a moment?” Dusk obliged and his horn glowed gold to summon a shield around himself and Blaze. Luna shielded herself and Nightingale as well. She also placed another around the earth pony, knowing what he was about to do. Az nodded and took a deep breath before his eyes flared a bright blue. Magic exploded from his form, reducing the piano to small fragments that flew towards her shield. He stretched his legs. “Now I can move again.” Luna’s and Dusk’s shields dissipated before he collected what was left of the piano with his magic.  “Where’d that piano come from?” Blaze asked. Dusk shrugged. “Don’t know, but Az deserved it… probably.” “Perhaps the source of the piano came from you, Golden Dusk?” Luna voiced. “Uh, how?” he replied, clearly confused. “Yes, princess, how would it have been Dusk?” Az added. She chuckled. “You two clearly have some context missing, but he should be able to explain to you.” She shifted her gaze back at Dusk. “Did you perform any specific motion whilst hovering?” “Unless you count twisting and turning, then no.”  She rolled her eyes. “Something more… reflexive, perhaps?” He raised a brow. “Well, I guess my ear twitched, and that wasn’t me.” “Correction, it was you, but it wasn’t intentional.” He shook his head “Where are you going with this?” “What did Discord tell you the last time you were here?” “‘Don’t force the chao-’” He suddenly fell silent, looking down onto the ground thoughtfully.  Az stepped forward. “Discord was here?” Luna nodded. “For reasons you will be briefed on.” “How does that tie to Dusk?” Blaze followed-up. Suddenly, a gigantic, plain purple cube appeared behind them. They saw the unicorn gaze at it with a jubilant smile on his face. They barely noticed the subtle flick of his ear, but they did notice the flash of the box disappearing. “Hah!” Dusk exclaimed. “I can use chaos magic!” Az recoiled. “Wait, chaos magic?!” “Since when?!” Blaze added. “Briefing, later… for now…” His ear twitched and a cluster mini-catapults loaded with dodgeballs appeared to his sides. “I wonder how good those two are at dodging?” His teammates snorted but gwaked when the balls started to glow gold. Dusk grinned darkly as he readied the first round of shots. The catapults creaked as they stalked forward, getting closer and in range. “Hunter! Sit!” Luna bellowed. The volume of her voice caused his ear to twitch, causing the catapults to disappear. He whined as he planted himself on the floor. She chuckled with mirth, acting like a mother scolding her foal always worked. “The fact that that works…” Blaze sighed. “When do we get briefed?!” Luna hummed. “I suppose now would be fine. We aren’t expecting any more nobles tonight.” She looked to Nightingale who nodded. Az asked, “If it wouldn’t be much trouble?” She chuckled. “Believe me, it’s fine.” She glanced at Golden Dusk. The unicorn had a gold ribbon around his barrel, anchoring him to the floor. He hovered in the air and looked akin to a balloon… albeit, a living, pony-shaped one. “Are you quite done, Hunter?” Dusk coughed, the ribbon pulling him back to the ground and using a spell to make his hooves stick to it again. “Alright… I’m done.” “Were you actually mad?” Blaze deadpanned. He laughed. “A bit, but it left as quickly as it came.” He approached the side of Luna’s throne, looking like a proper and dignified butler. The princess nodded and gazed over the two other Guardians. “Let’s start from the beginning.” ~~~ “Let me get this straight.” Princess Luna, with the help of Golden Dusk, told them of a tale not so easily forgotten. One of well-planned attacks, explosions, and utter stupidity. Seriously, the Purifiers barged into the throne room thinking they can overpower four ponies of royalty? Then, there was their simpleton name for a group. Dusk covered what happened in the warehouse, although it wasn’t entirely complete; he missed out on what Mel and his aunt did. He gave a rough explanation of the potion and what it was made out of. He even pushed his theory of how it turned into chaos magic. He used to be into studying… some of it remained. They eventually reached the part where he absorbed the magic from Lotus Mist. For a potion, it seemed to have long-term effects. Some of the jailed ponies, apparently, still showed signs of much more powerful magic than average. He told them of how he absorbed it so that she would come to her senses, and he mentioned the state it left him in. The story moved forward onto Discord’s ‘catalyst,’ and how he felt almost immediately better. “This pony, Lotus Mist… managed to harm Golden Dusk?” Blaze finished. Az chuckled. “Maybe we should train him once more?” “So, me absorbing magic to stop a pony from going crazy equals to lack of combat training?” Dusk deadpanned. “It was a suggestion.” “What will her sentencing be?” Blaze asked. “Princess Cadence has laid claim to her becoming a maid of the Crystal Empire.” He sighed. “Nothing else?” “Banishment from Canterlot.” “That’s fine, I guess,” he said hesitantly. Ah, the Guardians, ever so protective of their teammates. It was astonishing Scarlet Gem didn’t come back with a complaint. Oh, and before she forgot. “Do the pair of you think you can have your reports in by tomorrow morning?” she asked. Az and Blaze tilted their heads. “Oh, sure. Do you need it that early?” Blaze responded. “No, we just need all the Guardians assembled here by the afternoon,” Luna nodded. “Wait… all of us?” Dusk said. She chuckled, “Do not worry, there are no catastrophic threats… yet.” They stiffened, thinking for the worse. She laughed. “I jest, one can never know when something disastrous can occur.” They all sighed.  “So, by what time tomorrow?” ~~~ “Well, I wasn’t exactly expecting this development.” Emerald Melody stood in front of the two Royal Sisters. Mythic Moon was to her left, and Scarlet Gem and Golden Dusk on her right. Princess Celestia was skimming through a scroll, and her sister had a jar of cookies on hoof. Luna eagerly munched on the snacks, and their casualty left the Guardians rather perplexed. “Are we waiting for anyone?” Mythic asked rather drowsily.  “How many nights, Moonie?” Scarlet deadpanned. She groaned. “Not nearly enough.” “To answer your question, Warlock, yes. We are waiting for someponies.” Celestia rolled up her scroll and dared to take a cookie from Luna. Her sister sighed and reluctantly gave her a treat. She smiled and gave her a light nuzzle in thanks. Mythic Moon nodded and looked to her right. Her nephew and Scarlet were standing a tad closer together than usual. She smirked and brought her gaze to meet Mel’s. The green mare tilted her head, so she jerked her head, basically pointing to the two beside her. Mel slowly craned her neck to her right before smirking. Dusk caught wind of their grins. “You two okay?” he asked. The older mares whistled innocently. “We’re fine.” He shrugged and looked straight ahead. He so dearly wanted to ask Luna for a cookie… Scarlet glanced at Mythic who gave her a wink. The unicorn’s horn lit up, and white trails of magic formed with each motion she made. Moving her head, she managed to form a white heart. Scarlet blushed and looked away with her wings fluttering slightly and keeping her head low. Dusk used his muzzle to push her head back up, and his eyes showed concern. “You good?” he asked. Mythic Moon grinned and watched with one eye kept on them, and Mel did the same. She leaned in closer to his ear. “We didn’t tell them yet…” The gears in his brain worked together to process that statement. An audible ding of bell resounded in his mind shortly after. His mouth opened and closed before his voice made a drop to almost inaudible levels. “What do we do?” he whispered. “I don’t know!”  “We both agree that they’re kinda like our mothers, right?” Scarlet nodded. “How in Equestria do we-” The doors suddenly barged open once again. Luna sighed, this was a repeat of last night. Azure Spark trotted in proudly, and Wild blaze was left to apologize to the Celestial Guard this time. Everypony, except Dusk and Luna, stared at the two ponies who entered the room. They weren’t informed of this! Well, Luna told Celestia, so her reaction was tamer. A small smile graced her face. “Really?” Blaze groaned. “Again?” Az shrugged with a grin on his face. Emerald Melody approached them with a downward gaze. A shadow covered her eyes, and her expression seemed flat. Az and Blaze tensed as she closed in. Though, they didn’t expect what happened next. Mel pulled the two ponies into a tight hug. An impressive feat, considering Az’s large stature. They remained unmoving for a few moments before turning the embrace. Blaze turned to the other ponies in the room, basically asking ‘since when did Mel do hugs?’ He was met with a round of shrugs. He snorted and gently let go of the mare. Mel pulled back with a weak smile on her face. “I… I don’t think having three of you gone for months… did anything good,” she giggled softly. Mythic walked to them and briefly hugged them as well. “Welcome back.” “I see you have not been sleeping much,” Az mused. She playfully punched him as Dusk and Scarlet approached.  “What took you guys so long?” Scarlet asked. Blaze sighed. “Five manticores and trying to relocate them?” “Harder than you might think.” Az added. Dusk made an obvious glance to Mythic. She looked at him with a tilted head while he raised a brow. “Oh, right,” she said and gazed back at the two stallions. “Where’s your armor?” Nervously, they craned their heads to not face the mare. The princesses raised a brow, and Mythic started to sport a wide grin. “Did anything happen to them?” “N-no,” Blaze stuttered. She leaned in closer with a glow to her eyes. “The truth,” she demanded. Az gulped, and Blaze knew that it was him who would have to admit it first. “Cracked some of my wing plates, missing chunks of my helmet, and dents running through the chest!” Blaze said first. “Lost a leg plate, damaged hoof guards, and dents along the helmet,” Az muttered next. Mythic’s eye twitched. “What?!” Dusk, who was standing next to her, recoiled and his ears twitched. Suddenly, a lengthy amount of rope appeared next to Mythic, and it tightly bound itself around her mouth, keeping it shut. She mumbled a few incoherent sentences as she tried to pry it off.  Dusk lost focus and he started floating up in the air. Scarlet tracked him with her eyes with an incredulous stare. He sighed and opened his eyes to find himself floating away. “Uh,” he squeaked, “help?” His body turned to make him face the ceiling. The hood of his hoodie hung downwards as gravity still worked on it. Scarlet quickly flew up to his side and gently brought him back down. She carried him in her forelegs, and he felt surprisingly light. Once she landed again, Dusk made a motion to grab onto the floor with his magic. Once he felt his hoof was stuck to it, he eased himself off of Scarlet’s hold, and one by one his hooves met with the ground once more. Mythic briskly approached her nephew and dramatically gestured to the rope around her muzzle. He smiled sheepishly and made his ear twitch. The rope disappeared in a soft, white flash. “Since when could you use chaos magic?” she asked… surprisingly calmly. “Last night,” he answered truthfully. “How good’s your control?” He demonstrated by summoning a small cube with a flick of his ear. “I get how to create things,” he explained. He removed the magic from his hind legs which started to float upwards. “Still don’t get that though.” He stood on four legs once more. She sighed. “Okay, we’re going to have to work on that.” Her lips curved into a grin as she looked to Scarlet. “Quick save, Scarlet.” Scarlet blushed and gave a slight nod.  “You know,” Mel started, “Princess Cadence mentioned two large beams of magic shooting up last night…” “What were their colors again?” Mythic asked innocently and looked to the princesses. The two smirked. “Gold and scarlet.” Dusk stood still, clueless. He tilted his head, and he eventually realized what that meant. Steam hissed from his ears as his face was colored red. He looked to his right and saw Scarlet who had the same expression on her face. “Care to… enlighten us?” Celestia smirked. Scarlet sighed, calming herself. She unfurled a wing and wrapped a still flustered Golden Dusk under it, pulling him close. He squeaked and faced Scarlet. She gave him a soft smile before pecking him on the forehead. He was left a stuttering mess, and he buried his face in her neck. The mares in the room cooed while Az and Blaze snorted. “Does that clear up your suspicions?” Scarlet asked the room. “Very much so,” Celestia giggled. Dusk pulled back from her neck with his now-slitted eyes.  Mythic gasped. “You’ve already managed to do that?!” she exclaimed. “Do what?” Scarlet replied. “Fluster him into becoming a thestral,” Mythic chuckled. She smirked. “Yup, even yesterday.” Dusk altered his gaze between the two mares with a pout.  Mythic approached the two with a smile and pulled them into a hug. “I’m so happy for you two.” They returned the embrace and Mel soon joined in. The royal sisters wondered when they’d end their barrage of hugs. They shared a brief moment before they all stood back up once more. Az walked to them next with a grin. “So, who asked who?” “Goldie did,” Scarlet answered. “He caught me off guard.” Mel, Az, and Celestia simultaneously sighed, much to the new couple’s confusion. Luna prodded a hoof at her sister with a smile. Celestia responded with her horn glowing gold and a bag full of bits appearing in front of her. She quickly double checked the amount and gave it to her sister.  Mythic smirked at Mel who brought out a number of bits from her bracer and gave it to her. Az did a similar thing, but with his foreleg cuffs. The gems embedded in them glowed a bright blue as a bag of bits fabricated in front of Blaze. “Wait, you guys placed bets on who’d ask out the other?” Scarlet deadpanned. Dusk didn’t really mind. He approached Princess Luna before bowing. “I am humbled by your faith in me, princess,” he stated with a smile. Luna giggled. “Arise, butler! For you have brought me great joy!” He stood up straight and tall. “Your reward…” Her horn shined brightly, adding suspense. A cookie popped out in front of him and hovered. “A treat!” she laughed. Dusk gratefully accepted it and nibbled on the cookie. Celestia rolled her eyes, she believed it was about time to get straight into business. “Are we ready to discuss why we have summoned you here today?” the sun princess asked them. The Specialists formed one straight line, now having a more formal demeanor.  “What have you got for us, princesses?” Emerald Melody asked. “Rampaging creatures?” Blaze added. “Criminal organizations?” Scarlet continued. “Somepony steal a slice of cake?” The Guardians glared at the silver unicorn. Dusk’s gold eyes slowly looked away from them. Plastered on his teammates’ faces were amused smiles, despite the serious tone Celestia used. Princess Celestia laughed. “Actually…” “We want you all to go on vacation.”