//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 - Vacation? // Story: Guardian // by Xrevias //------------------------------// The bright rays of the morning sun shone down upon Scarlet Gem, Golden Dusk and the other ponies in Canterlot’s train station. Both wore their saddlebags, and waiting before them was a pink train, the Friendship Express, giving off a low buzzing sound.   “You got everything?” Dusk asked. Scarlet checked her saddlebags, “Yup.” “Alright,” Dusk smiled. “Now, c’mon!” He nudged her forward with a hoof, causing her to yelp. She rolled her eyes and entered the train, a cool breeze washing over her. The pair found an empty seat, folding their saddlebags’ straps before placing them underneath it, Dusk using his magic to help Scarlet. They sat down as passengers came aboard, some continuing on to other cars, while some found their own seats within the car. “We’re staying at Princess Twilight’s, right?” Scarlet asked. Dusk nodded. “Yep, Tia sent her a letter, apparently.” “Will she be okay with it?” “Princess of Friendship,” he stated. She giggled, wrapping a leg around him. “Yeah, okay.” He smiled and gave her a small nuzzle. “Do you wanna walk around Ponyville or get ‘settled in’ first?” “Walk. You need it.” “Hey!” Dusk pouted. She chuckled, pecking him on the cheek and eliciting a small blush from him. “So, is this going to technically be our first date?” she teased. He buried his head into her shoulder, hiding a deeper blush. Scarlet cooed and patted him on the head. The train gave one more long whistle, then they started to move. Outside, ponies were waving goodbye to their family members on the train. Unfortunately for Golden Dusk, he was seated right by the window. So, his antics were seen by countless ponies. Scarlet noticed the chuckles of both mares and stallions, some cooed, and foals giggled when they noticed. “Please tell me we’ve left the station…” Dusk mumbled, still hiding on her shoulder. “I can feel the looks I’m getting.” Scarlet rolled her eyes and glanced back out the window. They finally left the station, and the train was speeding up. Canterlot was getting smaller by the second. “Okay, they’re gone.” Dusk slowly turned his head behind him with one eye open. The gold in it sparkled as it met with the sun’s rays. He sighed, having calmed down. He pulled back from his hiding spot to see Scarlet’s smirk. “What?” he deadpanned.  “Nothing,” she whistled and innocently gestured to her side. He tilted his body to see the grins of other ponies in the car. Some left quickly when they saw him peek at them, while others remained amused. Dusk squeaked and leaned back onto his seat, slumping. He pulled up his hood to obscure part of his face. “Aw, they just think you’re cute,” Scarlet cooed. He huffed and looked out the window. She just giggled and leaned on him, feeling surprisingly tired.  “How long’s the ride gonna be?” she asked him. “Where’d your energy go?” He raised a brow. “How long?” she pushed. He chuckled. “Maybe two or three hours.” She nodded, her scarlet eyes closing. She rested her head on his shoulder, finding it a suitable pillow alternative.  He smiled at the sight. Cautiously, he glanced around to make sure nopony was looking. He leaned in to peck her on the forehead, causing Scarlet to nuzzle him. Her breath steadied and got softer as time passed, indicating that she had drifted to sleep. The colorful train chugged its way down its tracks. Pure, white steam ejected from its chimney as it hauled its railroad cars full of ponies. Minutes flew by and Dusk started feeling sleepy as well. He turned his head, to see the Scarlet had curled both of her forelegs around his. He giggled softly before yawing. Smiling, he rested his head on hers. His eyes fluttered shut, and he let himself slowly drift off to sleep. Around them, ponies were cooing as softly as possible ~~~ A few days ago... Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had gathered the Guardians for a meeting. Unsure of the reason for all of them being summoned, assuming it was another threat, Emerald Moon stood straight and firm while her teammates tilted their heads. After the princess’ statement a few moments ago, she took a step forward. “Vacation?” she asked, confused. Celestia chuckled. “You’ve all been doing a lot of work these past few days…” “Months,” Azure Spark, Wild Blaze, and Golden Dusk muttered. “... and We believe that it would be a good time for you all to relax,” Luna continued with a nod to her sister. Dusk snorted. “Once Az and Blaze get home, it’s all relaxation for them.” Blaze trotted over and gave him a noogie. Dusk just giggled and submitted to the treatment. “We’re not going to be here for the Purifiers’ trials?” Mythic Moon inquired. She may have wanted to be there for it. “You will,” Celestia reassured. “We are scheduling it a week from now. The minor players will undergo their trials without you.” “Seven days will be enough to arrange the trials,” Luna commented. “This in mind, it should be ample time for some rest.” “Moonie could do with more,” Scarlet giggled. Mythic scoffed. “I get enough rest, thank you, Scarlet.” She gestured to the weary eyes she wore. Golden Dusk smiled. Where could they go? The thought of spending time with them brought excitement to swirl within him! Maybe… hm, he did want to visit a few old friends. Maybe he could introduce his ‘family’ to them? Mythic flicked her head away, feigning annoyance.  After all, the last time he’s been there was several years ago, when Nightmare Moon returned. Who would’ve thought a supposedly, cataclysmic event would lead him to reconnect with old flames?  Mel tapped her chin with a hoof. “Well, the orchestra’s going to be down for a while…” “Las Pegasus!” Az cried, wrapping his forelegs around the other five as best he could. Oh… Las Pegasus. That wasn’t Ponyville. He surrendered to the embrace, attempting to hide his melancholy. “I’m down,” Blaze responded. “Sure!” Mythic cheered. “Eh, I’ll be at the casino,” Mel shrugged. And… they were all agreeing. Scarlet chuckled and wanted to go last. She turned to Dusk, who was beside her wearing a downcast expression. Az had already let go of them at this point. “Goldie?” She nudged him with a wing, drawing the attention of the others. He shook his head and smiled. “I kinda... wanna go to Ponyville,” he told them. Stunned, the other ponies leaned backwards slightly. The two princesses raised a brow, wondering why. Mythic looked at him, shoulders slumped and eyes wider. “You don’t wanna come with us?” she asked softly. He shook his head. “I’d go with you all in a heartbeat… but I want to visit a few old friends.” She kept a soft gaze before sighing and pulling him into a hug. “Next time, you’re coming with us whether you like it or not,” she said with slightly moist eyes. It’d been so long since the two had been on a trip together.  He returned the embrace with a similar expression. “I can do that.” Mel had a faint smile, and so did the other ponies around her. They all understood the relationship Dusk and Mythic had. She wasn’t just an aunt, she may as well have been his second mother. She was there with him throughout his foalhood. Through the hardships, through the joy, she was there. The two hadn’t spent much time bonding the past few months, and they both missed each other dearly. Opportunities to do so seemed all too rare with their jobs, so it was a surprise that he’d pass up a chance like this. As a family more than a team, it didn’t feel right.  Mythic pulled back and sniffled. “Okay, how about you, Scarlet?” she asked the pegasus. “You going to go with your coltfriend?” Scarlet chuckled while Dusk wore a light blush. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t get in trouble,” she smiled. She snorted. “Good luck with that.” Dusk shook his head, and his teammates laughed. “Shall I arrange accommodations for you all?” Celestia asked. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” Mel replied with a smile. She shook her head, “Of course not, Raven will see to it that the royal suite is available to you. “For Golden Dusk and Scarlet Gem, I will send a letter to Twilight.” “Why Princess Twilight?” Dusk asked. “While she lives in a large castle, currently she only shares it with Spike and her student Starlight Glimmer,” she deadpanned. “More than enough rooms.” He grinned sheepishly and nodded. “And she’ll be able to get to know you two better,” she added.  Scarlet chuckled. “Hey! We might become friends with the Princess of Friendship!” He giggled, and so did Celestia. “Oh, and if it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” Celestia began, “you should take the opportunity to meet the Elements as well.” They slowly craned their necks to face her. “You want us to tell the Elements about the Guardians?” they said in sync. “Precisely,” she confirmed. She glanced to her side and gawked. “Luna! Your crumbs!” All ponies shifted their gaze to the night princess. Cookie jar in one hoof, a cookie in the other, mouth stuffed and dirtied with remnants of the treat, and the floor her throne was settled on had crumbs all over. Her innocent eyes glanced between Celestia and the Guardians repetitively. Her voice was muffled, and bits of cookie shot out from her mouth. “What?” ~~~ As the train exited a tunnel, light spilled back into the car, falling straight onto Scarlet Gem’s sleeping form, causing her to stir. She squeezed at whatever she was holding as her eyes groggily opened. Before everything else, however, she noticed the extra weight placed on her head. Once her eyes readjusted, she realized that she was hugging Golden Dusk’s foreleg, and that he had another one holding onto her. She repressed a squeak and concluded that Dusk was leaning his head on hers. His steady and calm breath told her that he was asleep. Carefully, she extracted her own head from his by holding Dusk’s head with a wing. She let go of his foreleg, and she replaced her wing with a hoof. Gently, she rested his head on her shoulder. Dusk probably didn’t wake up because of him wearing the hood. She smiled and nuzzled him softly. This resulted in him wrapping a hoof around her foreleg. He squirmed slightly before relaxing once more. Scarlet giggled and looked out the window. The mountains had snowy peaks, and the sky was clear with only a few clouds hanging around. She could hear the subdued chapter of ponies in the train, trying not to be too loud. Being careful to not wake Dusk, she reclined on her soft seat a little bit more, letting herself relax.  “I wonder what Ponyville’s like…” she mumbled to herself.  The train approached a small hill and moved upward. Once it reached the top, Scarlet could faintly see a town. She immediately noticed the Castle of Friendship, being the largest building. Half its height and barely even half the width was… a pink building? She channeled magic into her eyes to get a closer look. The view got closer and closer until she maxed out the amount of magic she could channel. She wasn’t as proficient as Golden Dusk or Azure Spark, but it did let her see the candles on the roof?! She blinked and narrowed her stare, ignoring the fairly obvious glow to her eyes. Was that frosting on the overhangs?! Wait, the roof looked like chocolate!  “Well, that set’s a standard,” she mused as she let her magic flow naturally around her body once more.  There were theories of all tree tribes being able to use magic, but it was only proven a few decades ago. A former Royal Researcher concluded that pegasi and earth ponies also had magic, but the way that it was manifested was different. A trigger or channel, they explained. For unicorns, they had a more direct means of channeling magic, that of their horns. Pegasi were able to move clouds, control weather, and fly because of their wings. It served as a sort of catalyst for how their magic takes shape. For earth ponies, their magic was triggered by connecting and cultivating the earth. That was the main reason crops grew faster and why they had an abundant harvest almost everyday. Their bodies adapted to the need of greater physical strength, and thus channeled the magic into their muscles, giving them superior physical capabilities to other ponies. However, what was common between all of them was having magic constantly flowing throughout their body. Sort of like blood vessels, magic travels through a pony’s form, giving them energy and the capacity to do what they can.  Other ponies learned of this and managed to control the magic flow. When magic is abundant in a limb or part of the body, the function of the part is amplified to great lengths. Scarlet Gem managed to control the magic, enhancing her natural pegasi eyesight, letting her see farther and clearer.  Still, Dusk and Az were the best at this among all of them.  “Ngh,” Dusk groaned, raising his still hooded head up. He was immediately met with Scarlet’s soft smile.  “I think we’re close,” she told him. He nodded groggily and yawned. He let go of her foreleg before leaning in to give her a nuzzle, one she happily returned. Dusk snuck in a peck on her cheek before turning to look out the window. She giggled with a light pink hue to her cheeks. “Oh, we are!” he cheered quietly. “Maybe thirty minutes,” he estimated. Scarlet pulled out a small box from her saddlebags. Dusk glanced over to her, and she grinned. She opened the box to reveal some of her fruit tarts. His mouth watered as he stared at the treats. She placed the box between them, making it easier to share. Immediately, the unicorn started to nibble on a mango-flavored one. He sighed happily as he tasted the treat. “So,” Scarlet started, “what’ll we be doing once we’re there?” Dusk swallowed. “Well, we could stop by the castle first,” he responded. “Drop off our stuff.” “Yeah, that’d be nice,” she nodded. “Anything I need to know about Ponyville?” He hummed before taking another bite of tart. There was the Everfree Forest, but she’d know about that already. Oh, Sweet Apple Acres would be a good stop! Sugarcube Corner too! Sugarcube… Corner... Pinkie- “Prepare for an incoming pink pony,” he stated blanky.  She blinked. “What?” “You’ll see.” Scarlet stared at him for a moment before shrugging. She looked out the window and saw the town getting closer. The train curved left, and they were now parallel to it. Dusk continued to eat like there was no tomorrow, but he made sure that there was at least half the box left for Scarlet.  He swallowed his last tart before muting a burp.  “Yeah, that walk’s gonna have to happen soon,” Scarlet shot. Dusk rolled his eyes. “Looks like you’ll need the same.” He gestured to the now-empty box of tarts. Scarlet shrugged before closing it and putting it back in her saddlebag. “I didn’t act like a vacuum at least.” He blew her a raspberry and looked out the window. The train station was getting closer and closer. To his right, he saw that some ponies were already getting ready to leave. Some foals excitedly bounced in place. Dusk pulled out his saddlebag from underneath the seat and held it in his hooves. “We’re close,” he told Scarlet. She nodded and stood up, carrying her saddlebags in a hoof. Dusk followed with his bags floating beside him. He used his magic to help Scarlet put on her bags as he did the same. She gave him a smile in thanks as a small line formed in the aisle.  The train slowed to a halt, and the speakers beeped a few high notes. “Ponies departing at Ponyville,” a deep voice announced, “thank you for riding the Friendship Express.” Other ponies remained seated, their destinations being farther down the line. As the line of passengers dispersed into the station,  Golden Dusk and Scarlet Gem soon stepped out into the fresh air. Taking in deep breaths, they savored it while looking around the small station, appreciating its rustic charm. Ponies were greeting each other, and it seemed families were getting together again. A wistful smile graced his face, and he turned to Scarlet. “Let’s go?” Scarlet nodded, and the two passed by a small flight of stairs and right into Ponyville. Ponies were extremely amicable, waving and greeting the pair of ponies they’d never seen before. Well, it’d been several years, Dusk would be surprised if even half the town remembered him.  He glanced around, almost cautiously.  “Any second now,” he said enigmatically. “Uh, what?” Scarlet asked. Suddenly, a pink blur sped in front of Golden Dusk. Scarlet yelped as she tumbled to the ground, dropping her saddle bags in the process. In front of her, a pink pony with a mane as poofy as cotton candy was bouncing up and down. The pony wore a wide smile as she stood- bounced in front of Scarlet. “Welcome to Ponyville!” The pony greeted. “I’m Pinkie Pie, Ponyville’s resident party pony!” Pinkie Pie touched Scarlet’s necklace, “Oh, pretty!” Scarlet shook her head, recovering. “How were you that fast?” Pinkie Pie giggled. “Because my Pinkie Sense told me there was gonna be a new pony in town! I’m just so excited to be your friend!” She kindly helped her up and gave her back her saddle bags. “Well, I can do that,” Scarlet replied, thinking that questioning it would lead her to insanity. Pinkie Pie turned to face Golden Dusk. She tilted her head. “That’s weird, my Pinkie Sense only told me there’d be one pony…” She twitched her tail. “Did I wake up on the wrong side of the bed again?” Dusk chuckled. “Nope, your senses are spot on Pinkie.” She leaned in awfully close to him with an inspecting gaze. “Have I seen you somewhere before?” “Please, Pinkie Pie.” His voice took on a noble accent. He closed his eyes, and once he opened them again, they had draconic pupils. He wore a fanged grin, and his ears grew tufts.  “One does not simply forget the ‘Vampony of Ponyville.’” Pinkie gasped, and it made her hover in the air for a few moments. Scarlet gawked, but Dusk kept his smirk. She dropped back down and tackled the thestral-unicorn into a hug. The hoodie, the eyes, and the vampony title were all she needed to remember him clearly! “Goldie!” she cried with slight moisture in her eyes. “It’s been sooo long!” Dusk relaxed and returned the embrace. “I shoulda visited at least,” he apologized. Pinkie shook her head and pulled back with a smile. “Now I can make you a ‘Welcome Back to Ponyville Party!’” she exclaimed. He grinned. “Well, I can’t say no to a Pinkie Party, right?” “Nope,” she giggled and bounced backwards. Realization dawned upon Scarlet. A pink earth pony capable of doing things that can’t be explained?! Three balloons for a cutie mark… the Element of Laughter, Pinkie Pie! “Wake up, Gem.” Dusk waved a hoof in front of her, fangs hidden. “Huh- what?” She shook her head rapidly. He rolled his eyes. “Pinkie agreed to show us the way to Princess Twilight’s castle.” “Oh, alright.” “Let’s go, slowpokes!” Pinkie giggled and literally walked with a spring to her step. This pony could bounce! While they trotted, she pronked. Making their way through Ponyville, ponies greeting Pinkie and them as they passed by. The variety of colors and architecture just brought the whole place to life. In the distance, Scarlet noticed a farmhouse. It was probably owned by the Apples, Dusk had mentioned them before. “- and over there is the new fountain!” Pinkie gestured to a white fountain with water sprouting from different places. “Yep, that wasn’t there before,” Dusk mused. “Sugarcube Corner change much?” Pinkie immediately beamed and turned to face him. “The Cakes had twins!” Dusk smiled warmly. “I’ll be sure to congratulate them later.” “Mister Cake sometimes asks about you, you know,” she said rather sadly. He sighed, feeling a slight pain in his chest. “Yeah, that’s why I wanted to visit this week.” “And you brought a new pony with you!” she replied happily. Scarlet smirked. “He didn’t bring just anypony…” Pinkie stopped to stand in front of Scarlet. “Who’d he bring?!” Scarlet Gem smirked mischievously. She unfurled a wing and wrapped it around Golden Dusk. The unicorn squeaked lightly as a light blush adorned his face. She took it a step further and nuzzled him. Pinkie gasped even louder and clapped her hooves together. “Oh. My. gosh!” She pulled the two into a hug. “I’m so happy for you two!” Scarlet retracted her wing. “Heh, look at his face.” Dusk pouted, pink still on his cheeks. Pinkie laughed and faced Scarlet.  “Take care of him, okay?” she asked softly.  “I will,” she replied.  Pinkie smiled. “Maybe I’ll add a ‘congratulations, you’re a couple’ party…” Dusk blushed a deeper shade of red while Scarlet had a lighter hue to the blush she developed. “Please don’t,” Dusk begged. Pinkie hummed. “Well, I’m starting to run out of party supplies, and the shop’s gonna get their shipment next week…” He sighed in relief. She shrugged. “Guess this’ll do.”  Out of thin air, she pulled out a canon. Scarlet ducked when… conffeti shot out. Dusk chuckled and caught one of the pieces of paper. “Been a while since I’ve seen this,” he mused. “How?!” Scarlet asked. Dusk and Pinkie shrugged. “Well, let’s go!” Pinkie said before bouncing once more. Wait, where’d the canon go?! Dusk leaned in to whisper to Scarlet. “I’ve rolled with ‘It’s Pinkie Pie, don’t question it.’” She groaned and rubbed her forehead. “Guess I’ll do that too.” A few minutes of trotting later, they reached the outskirts of Ponyville where a fairly long path led straight into a crystal castle bearing a striking resemblance to a tree. The crystals glimmered in the sunlight, and the base of it seemed to have crystalline roots attaching it to the ground, further cementing its tree-like appearance.. A star, which closely resembled Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark, was proudly showcased on the top of it. Pinkie dashed for the door and knocked thrice. Scarlet and Dusk followed behind her at a calmer pace. Once they reached the flight of stairs, the door opened and a small purple dragon peaked out. “Oh, hey, Pinkie!” they greeted in an almost childlike voice. “Heya Spike!” Pinkie responded. “Is Twilight in?” Spike nodded. “In the library… as usual.” She giggled. “How about Starlight?” He rolled his eyes. “With Twilight too.” “Well, you’ve got guests!” She gestured behind her. Spike glanced behind Pinkie and saw the Golden Dusk and Scarlet Gem. Saddlebags on their backs and waving. Scarlet wore a smile while Dusk’s was a smaller one. Spike’s mouth formed an ‘o’ and he looked back to Pinkie. “Come in!” he told the three and opened the door wider. Pinkie giggled as she pronked inside followed by Dusk and Scarlet entered next, who thanked Spike as they passed him.  Spike waved a claw dismissively. “No problem!’ Once inside, the pair instantly noticed the sheer size of the hall. The ceiling was up so high, it could probably fit an Ursa Major! Crystals that were embedded in the ceiling glowed, giving light. Carpet lined part of the floor, and the windows were huge! There were also a lot of doors… “Let’s head to the map room?” Spike asked Pinkie. “Sure!” she replied. “Let’s go!” Dusk and Scarlet followed the two down the halls. They reached a pair of large double doors. Spike and Pinkie pushed it open, revealing a large round crystal table. Six chairs adorned with different cutie marks surrounded it, and along with a smaller one for Spike next to the one displaying Twilight’s cutie mark. The table displayed an illusion showing a  map of Equestria. “Woah,” Dusk said in awe. He waved a hoof on top of the map, and it passed through the mirage. Spike chuckled. “Cool, huh?” He walked his way over back through the double door. “I’ll go get Twilight.” The three nodded and Pinkie took a seat on a crystal chair with her cutie mark. “It’s cool, right?” she asked them. “Our cutie marks light up, and we go to different parts of Equestria to solve a Friendship Problem!” “Friendship Problem?” Scarlet asked. Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! There’s this one time Dashie and I went to Griffonstone to help them get along better!” she said. “We even had a run in with an old friend of hers!” Scarlet nodded in understanding. “How do you know where to go, though?” “The map calls us,” she responded. “Like… our cutie marks start to light up and they hover over wherever!” “Kinda like this, then?” Dusk said.  His horn lit up and he held his hooves in front of him. Slowly, an image of a feather covered in a gold light formed in front of him. It was his cutie mark! Another image formed, one of a scarlet-colored gem that had a cool breeze in front of it. Scarlet’s and Dusk’s cutie marks floated over on top of the map, where Ponyville was. Pinkie beamed and nodded enthusiastically. “Impressive magic.” Dusk turned to look behind him and the glow on his horn died. A lavender alicorn stood in the doorway with a lilac unicorn behind her.  “Please, Princess Twilight, it’s nothing,” he shrugged off. Twilight Sparkle raised a brow. “The fact that the glow on your horn’s gone suggests that the illusions are self-sufficient.” She walked closer and eyed the mirage. “That’s impressive.” Dusk grinned sheepishly and Scarlet patted him on the back.  “Oh, and please, just Twilight will do,” the princess smiled. The two nodded and the lilac pony tried waving the mirage away. Instead, it bounced into the distance before disappearing.  “I’ve never seen illusions do that before…” they muttered.  Dusk chuckled. “Well, I was born with abnormally dense magic, so that plays a role.” “That would explain a lot,” the lilac unicorn chuckled. She outstretched a hoof. “Starlight Glimmer.” “Golden Dusk,” he replied as he shook it. Starlight turned to face Scarlet and extended her hoof to her. “Scarlet Gem,” she responded with a smile.  “Starlight’s learning, Spike!” Twilight giddily clapped her hooves together. Spike snorted. “Yeah, way to go, Starlight!” Pinkie joined in the cheering. Dusk tilted his head at Starlight getting flustered. “Learning?” Starlight craned her neck to face the pair. “Ahah… I wasn’t that good at making friends…” Scarlet chuckled. “Well, you can consider us as friends.” Starlight smiled softly with a downward gaze. Pinkie started whispering something to Twilight who nodded. The purple princess then approached Dusk and Scarlet. “Should I show you to your rooms?” she asked. “That’d be nice,” Dusk responded. She nodded and gestured for them to follow her. Pinkie then started to whisper something to Starlight who grinned.  The two followed the princess as she led them through the spacious halls.  “How long will you two be staying?” Twilight asked them. “Want us out already?” Scarlet said with mock-hurt. She stopped walking and faced them with a red face, flailing her hooves. Her wings and eyes shot wide. “What?! No! I just need to make a list of groceries for Spike and…” Her panic left quickly when she saw Scarlet Gem’s grin. “Wow, Tia was right,” Dusk commented. “You are easy.” The alicorn pouted and huffed as she began leading them once more.  “Aw, I’m sorry, Twilight,” Scarlet trotted up closer to her, feeling like she hurt a puppy. “If it makes you feel better… how about I give you a little something?” She glared for a moment before holding a hoof to her mouth, giggling. “That was the fastest somepony ever dropped the title.” Scarlet shrugged. “You work for three princess for a couple years, it’s second nature.”  She shook her head. “And please, no need to give me anything. It was all in good fun.” “You’re getting it either way,” Scarlet smiled. “The box in my right bag, please, Goldie.” Dusk walked to her right side and used his magic to open the bag. He pulled out a familiar box, only it was completely full. He stopped himself from staring at it for too long before giving it to Scarlet. “Thank you,” she thanked him. Twilight raised a brow. “What’s that?” “Have a look!” Scarlet held the box in front of her. Curiously, Twilight Sparkle took the box in her magic. The raspberry aura lifted the lid, and there was a shimmer of light that blinded her for a moment. Once that settled, she noticed that there were tarts inside. The cause of the shimmer were some crystals infused into some of them, probably for Spike. Different fruits glistened from being cooked. The thought of popping these in a toaster for a few seconds to reheat it crossed her mind.  She may or may not have drooled slightly before she closed it. “Thank you,” she smiled warmly. “I hope these crystals weren’t too expensive…” Scarlet waved a hoof dismissively. “Our salary can cover it.” The three approached a hallway lined with doors that were once again quite large though they were styled differently. At the end of it was a large star-shaped window let light spill into the hallway. “We have two rooms ready for you,” Twilight said. “Here, and here,” gesturing to a pair of adjacent doors.  Dusk nodded, stepping forward. “I’ll take this one, then.” “That’s fine with me.” Scarlet walked over to another door. Twilight giggled. “Don’t worry, they’re fairly similar.” He chuckled and held a hoof to the handle. Surprisingly, a small gem embedded on it glowed a faint gold. He swiftly pulled back his hoof. He looked to Scarlet who had a similar thing going for her, only it glowed… well, scarlet. “Oh, that’s the castle getting to know you,” Twilight chuckled. “It’ll probably only allow you or ponies with your consent to enter the room.” Dusk and Scarlet tilted their heads. “This castle’s alive?” She nodded. “Basically, yeah. The same thing happened when Starlight got her room.” “This castle’s probably evolving and we don’t even know it,” Dusk told Scarlet in a flat tone. “Maybe it’ll grow wings and fly away?” she replied seriously. “Most likely.” “That’s not gonna happen,” Twilight deadpanned. “You never know, princess,” Dusk smirked. “After all…” His ears gave a not-so-subtle twitch, and the box had wings. Though, they weren’t strong enough to fly it. “Aw, I need to practice,” he said sadly. The alicorn gawked, trying not to drop the box. “Wait, what?!” He giggled and he flicked his ears, making the wings disappear. “Just ask Discord.” He opened the door to his room, walking inside. Twilight slowly craned her head to Scarlet Gem who shrugged. “The Lord of Chaos gave him a catalyst, now he can do that,” she stated. “He isn’t that good with control yet.” She nodded slowly. Wait, where’d her notepad, quill and inkwell come from?! “You’ll probably get the most notes from Discord,” she chuckled. “Sorry, Twilight, we aren’t experts on this.” The alicorn sighed sadly, popping her note-taking equipment away.  “Thank you for those tarts,” she smiled. “Will you be able to find your way back out?” Scarlet replied, “If there’s anything I can trust, it’s Goldie and his sense of direction.” Twilight Sparkle nodded and made her way back to the map room. Scarlet Gem entered the room, and it seemed to lock behind her. She wasn’t sure what the subtle click was.  A twin bed was in the center, and a circular carpet was laid on the floor. Two small shelves were placed beside the bed. Lamps hung from the ceiling with crystals inside them lighting the room. Two windows on one side of the room gave a decent view of Ponyville. An astonishingly regular-looking desk was on her left. There was a small, open closet too. She slid off her saddlebags and placed them beside the closet for easy access. She made her way to the bed before taking a seat. She felt herself sink a few inches before it stopped. The blanket was smooth and comfortable, and the mattress was soft! Two knocks resounded from the door. “You wanna go to Ponyville or rest first?” Dusk called inside. Scarlet approached the door before opening it.  “Let’s walk, Goldie,” she grinned. Golden Dusk rolled his eyes as she left the room. The two trotted through the castle halls, making their way to the exit. They passed by the empty map room, and they eventually made it back to the large double doors. They pushed it open with ease, following the path into town.