//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 - Ponyville // Story: Guardian // by Xrevias //------------------------------// Canterlot, the capital of Equestria, watching over her from atop Mt Canterhorn. A shining example of pony accomplishment, a place of architectural wonders, though one stands above all others both figuratively and literal, Canterlot Castle. From it’s towers, topped with onion domes or simple conical roofs, to the wall that wrapped around it, even after nearly a thousand years, it still stands as the finest example of pony architecture. The formerly gold and white monument to Princess Celestia now was equally decorated with silver and purple throughout. The silver and gold shimmered in Celestia’s sunlight, whether it was the stripes upon the roofs of some of the towers, and the flag poles above the large entryway. The Equestrian flag alternates with banners above the inviting entryway, though portcullis waited for those with less than noble intent. But even this bright and welcoming place with its school and library had it’s dark side. Deep below it rested the dungeons, standing all but unused for hundreds of years, although this was no longer the case. Guards descended spiralling stairs and into a darker, more menacing section of the castle. Torches lit up the halls, but only barely. Iron bars lined the halls, and inside were several ponies who had been collectively as The Purifiers filling a small part of the largely unused area.  Unlike the rest of the castle, here guards delivered meals. Despite the setting, the meals were still quite fine if far short of the typical castle fare, delivered on plain metal plates. Each door had a slot for the plate to be passed to the prisoner within. The abundance of space made it easy to keep them seperate, each receiving their own cell.  The last cell in the line contained a mauve pegasus laying in the corner, barely visible despite the torchlight, as if the shadows were claiming her. A guard knocked on the bars a few times, getting her attention. The pegasus jumped slightly, her eyes bloodshot as if she’d been crying. Those purple eyes peeked through her disheveled blue mane, and she slowly stood up to approach the bars.  “Here,” the guard – a unicorn – said with disdain. “Your food.” Lotus Mist held her hooves through the bars, and the guard gingerly handed the plate to her. She pulled it back in before sitting down by the wall and eating the food. “The princesses will quickly rid us of filth like you,” the guard spat before trotting away. Lotus growled internally. Judging by his demeanor, he was, or was related to, a noble. Sighing, she continued eating as if she wasn’t bothered.  “Mom… dad…” she stuttered in a whisper. Slight moisture formed in her eyes, which had a pink sparkle to them. “I’m sorry…” ~~~ “Where are we off to first?” Scarlet Gem trotted only slightly behind Golden Dusk. He knew Ponyville better, so she would be the one following him. The sun had almost reached its peak, but it was, surprisingly, not excessively hot. Though, Dusk still got a few strange looks for wearing a hoodie. “Just follow me,” Dusk giggled. “Enjoy the sights!” Sights, huh? Well, it was true that Ponyville in and of itself was a sight to behold, especially for a city pony like her. The layout of the town was surprisingly organized, and the town hall stood out, allowing new potential residents to find their way there rather easily. The ponies were extremely amicable, too. Though, Sugarcube Corner still stood out amongst the rest. “Ponyville’s in surprisingly good condition,” Scarlet mused. Dusk tilted his head. “What do you mean?” “You know, considering Tirek got here.” His expression softened. “We should’ve been here.” Scarlet sighed. “If it weren’t for the Dragon Lord’s meeting…” The Guardians had been sent to the Dragon Lands after the princess had received a slightly threatening letter from a faction of the dragons. It basically mentioned how the dragons could crush the ponies and plunder their towns with ease. As such, the princesses sent the Guardians to convince the dragons as to why they shouldn’t attack them. While Torch, the Dragon Lord could have dealt with them himself, he felt it better that they received a demonstration of why dragons no longer attacked Equestria.. The young dragons quickly learned their lesson, but when the Guardians returned to Equestra, Tirek had already done his damage. If it hadn’t been for the Elements… “Yeah, but…” He gestured to an open area. “Seems like not everything’s in order…” Scarlet followed his hoof and they saw a small crater. There burnt pieces of wood, collected onto a pile while there seemed to be small roots left on the ground. It looked as if a tree was once there. Though, it seemed the main part of the tree, including its major roots, were dug up on purpose.  “I remember what that was,” Dusk said wistfully. “The Golden Oaks Library.” She faced him with wide eyes. “Wasn’t that where Twilight was…” He nodded solemnly.  “Oh…” The two approached the remnants of the library, which Dusk mentioned before was an actual living space in a tree, and noticed a small sign. “See? Golden Oaks Library,” Dusk pointed out. There was a hint of sorrow in his voice. “Goldie?” she whispered. He shook his head and smiled. “Sorry, I was hoping to see this place again.” He took a step forward and carefully walked through the wood, not wanting to break anything even more.  “But, look…” He used a hoof to push away some debris. A green sapling revealed itself, and it seemed to be healthy.  Making his way back to Scarlet, smiling, he said, “With each end, there are new beginnings.” She chuckled. “We got Sage Goldie back, huh?” “No,” he huffed. “I’m just… sentimental?” “Another thing to love about you,” she mused and pecked him on the cheek. “I… ah…” His cheeks flushed pink, and he started leading her again. “You, ah, what?” she teased. Pouting, he turned to face her. “I love you too.”  Scarlet stopped mid-step before resuming, she hadn’t noticed that some blood rushed to her cheeks. His voice held so much sincerity, and his eyes sparkled when he uttered those words. She sped up to walk beside him. “I’ll never get tired of hearing that,” she sighed happily, nuzzling him. He smiled and returned the gesture. “Hey, we both agree that our team’s basically like family, right?” Pulling back, she nodded. “Yeah, why?” “What’s this then?” He pointed a hoof at her then to himself. “If we were like family before this…” “Then, we’re getting married.” It was Dusk’s turn to stop walking. Scarlet smirked as she heard the gears in his head turn to produce a comprehensible conclusion. His face erupted into a fierce blush and his mouth opened and closed wordlessly. “What? It’s obvious, isn’t it?” she added. “Married ponies are family, so if we’re going to go with the whole ‘the six of us are family’ thing, I think it’d be best to just tie the knot.” “Uh…” He struggled to form a response . “Isn’t it… I… I dunno… a little early?”  Scarlet laughed loudly and threw a leg around him. “I’m kidding, Goldie, it hasn’t even been a month yet!” “I…” He puffed his cheeks. “You’re mean.” “No, you’re just too easy,” she winked.  He sighed. “One of these days I’ll get back at you…” “Keep dreaming.” Dusk got a ‘wicked’ idea. He leaned in closer into Scarlet, with the softest expression on his face. “If being with you is a dream, then I don’t wanna wake up,” he told her. Scarlet giggled to hide the pink in her cheeks. “Not bad… but that’s more sweet than teasing.” He grumbled before quickly pecking her on the cheek. The two blushed when ponies around them cooed, and Dusk had to try really hard to not shift. Eventually, the pair escaped the sightline of the ponies who had seen their antics, and they made their way down the street. Scarlet noticed Dusk perk up when he raised his head higher. His pace quickened, and she almost had to run to keep up with him. They stopped in front of a store with a large piece of wood shaped like a wrapped candy hanging on its side. A large window was covered with curtains from the inside, and a sign on the door said ‘closed.’ “You sure we’re in the right place?” Scarlet asked. “Isn’t this a candy shop?” “Yes, and yes,” Dusk smirked. “You knock, and tell whoever answers that you’re looking for Lyra Heartstrings.” She was about to question him but he’d already casted an invisibility spell on himself. Sighing, she held up a hoof and knocked on the wooden door thrice. She heard a chair drag along a floor, and the hoofsteps of a pony. The door opened with a click, and a beige earth pony with an indigo and pink mane poked out through the crack. Scarlet did her best to hide her surprise, the Guardians were not the first, nor would they be the last secret organization to protect Equestria, and she recognized the pony before her. “Yes?” she asked. “Can I help you? If it's candy, we’re closed today.” “Um, I’m looking for Lyra Heartstrings,” Scarlet answered unsurely. The pony nodded slowly, but Scarlet noticed her scrutinizing gaze. She turned back into the building. “Lyra, somepony’s here to see you.” “Okay, Bonnie!” The earth pony blushed and turned to Scarlet. “Just call me Bon Bon if ever…” Scarlet nodded and heard another set of hoofsteps as a mint-green unicorn came by the door. Her yellow eyes widened when she saw who it was. “Scarlet… something something?” Lyra asked. “You know me?” Scarlet asked, surprised. “Uh, duh! We’ve had our run-ins,” she chuckled. “You came to see me… why?” “Oh, it wasn’t her.” Shivers ran up Lyra’s spine as gold orbs appeared beside Scarlet. Gold magic faded away as Golden Dusk’s head materialized slowly around his eyes, shortly followed by the rest of his body. Dusk smirked while Lyra just stood there, dumbfounded. Bon Bon sighed and took a tentative step back, knowing what was about to happen. Suddenly, Lyra basically pounced at Golden Dusk, sending the pair rolling on the ground until it ended with her on top of him. Tears trickled down her cheeks, while Scarlet huffed.  “Goldie!” Lyra exclaimed. “You’re back!” During his foalhood, Golden Dusk had studied in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. There, he was tormented for having a lower amount of magic, compared to others, and he was ostracized for being a half thestral. Lyra Heartstrings was one of the ponies who accepted him. She was there for him, and the two grew closer as time went on. However, they were separated after they had graduated. Dusk went on to join the guard, while Lyra went off to Ponyville to settle down.  “Again,” he added cheekily. She rolled her eyes, ignoring the moisture. “Again.” A month or so before Nightmare Moon’s return, Dusk was sent to Ponyville to ensure that everypony would be safe. This led to his reunion with Lyra… as well as his other friend. Bon Bon noticed Scarlet’s rather irate gaze. She chuckled inwardly and walked out the door and beside her. “It’s okay,” she reassured her. Scarlet jerked her head to her. “What’s okay.” Bon Bon raised a brow. She used a hoof to trace a heart, causing Scarlet to develop a pink hue to her cheeks. “Oh, yeah, it’s fine,” she dismissed. “Goldie’s reuniting with old friends, it’s alright... also…” She covered her mouth with a hoof and shushed the mare. Bon Bon nodded with a smirk. Lyra wiped a tear away and stood up, helping Dusk. “You brought Scarlet with you?” “You know her?” he asked. “Of her, I guess.” Dusk coughed enigmatically. “Before that, is Vin in town?” “Yo, what’s going on?” A white unicorn trotted out the front door, sporting her electric blue mane and purple shades with pride. Their jaw dropped when she caught sight of Golden Dusk and Lyra Heartstrings standing next to each other. They rushed past Scarlet and Bon Bon and threw her forelegs around Dusk. “Heya, Vin.” He patted her on the back. Vinyl Scratch pulled back with a growing smile. “Heya, Goldie.” Vinyl was a friend of Lyra’s when they entered the school. She also ended up getting closer to Dusk, and the trio were often left alone by the ‘popular’ foals. They got along with most ponies in the school, but Dusk was constantly belittled, which led to him leaning on them for support a lot. Scarlet Gem pouted and looked away. Another mare exited the store, a gray earth pony wearing a pink bowtie. She had treble clef for a cutie mark, and a face that Scarlet recognized all too well. “Octavia Melody…” Scarlet whispered in awe. “Bon Bon, do you know why our marefriends rushed out-” She cut herself short when she saw the reason why. “Oh, it’s Dusk!” she exclaimed with her accent.  “Wait, marefriends?” Scarlet asked. “Vinyl Scratch and I are an item, yes,” Octavia nodded.  She clapped her hooves giddily. “Oh. My. Gosh! DJ Pon-3 and Octavia Melody are dating?!” she squealed. “Tavi, think you’ve got a fan here,” Bon Bon told her fellow earth pony. Scarlet wiped the excited grin off her face. “What? No, I’m just…”  “Tavi!” Dusk called out from beside his two friends. “She’s a major fan!” She glared at him, to which he poked out his tongue as he approached her side. Lyra and Vinyl took their places beside their corresponding mares. “So, who’s she, Goldie?” Vinyl asked. He beamed. “Scarlet Gem, one of the family-like friends I made over the years!” he chirped. “Oh, we met in guard training and we’ve been friends ever since!” Bon Bon whispered something into Lyra’s ear which caused the latter to grin. “So, you brought her to meet us?” Lyra said. Dusk gulped and nodded. “Yeah, why?” Vinyl caught on and smirked. “I remember saying that you should bring your very special friends over, Goldie…” “And I did!” “Not just a special friend…” Lyra giggled. “Somepony more than that…” Scarlet kept her smirk as she glanced over a stammering Dusk. “And s-she is that!” he added. “She’s very special to me!” “Hm, okay then.” Vinyl casually walked in front of Scarlet, pulling down her glasses and trying to look suave. “Heya, wanna go out for dinner sometime? You, me, and my marefriend over there?” She nodded her head behind her. Octavia held back her refute, realizing what she was doing. She waved at Scarlet with the best smile she could offer. “What?! No!” Dusk threw his forelegs around Scarlet.  “Why not, Goldie?” Vinyl asked innocently. “After all, she’s just your special friend, right? One date wouldn’t hurt.” His mouth opened and closed wordlessly. His hold on Scarlet tightened, as if holding her back. His blush deepened and his ears folded back. Scarlet Gem broke into howls of laughter which was echoed by the mares around her. Albeit, more reserved. “Aha, oh, Goldie,” she cooed. “Never change…” She patted his head. Dusk didn’t let go, but his gaze shifted downwards. Scarlet rolled her eyes and affixed her gaze on the mares in front of her. “Since, Goldie won’t be active for… oh, a minute or two,” she chuckled. “I’ll answer your questions.” “Okay.” Lyra stepped forward. “What’s your relationship with Goldie?” Scarlet grinned and managed to unfurl a wing. Said wing wrapped around Dusk’s barrel, pulling him tight to her before she placed a soft kiss on his forehead. The poor colt buried his muzzle into her neck. “Hm, about three minutes now,” Scarlet concluded. “Anyway, yes, he’s my coltfriend.” Vinyl laughed. “So, what brought you two together?” Scarlet hummed with Dusk still leaning close to her. She noticed the glances ponies were giving them, and she sighed. “Maybe we could share inside? Don’t wanna torture Goldie too much after all,” giving Bon Bon a look, “besides, there’s things that we can’t speak publicly about.” ~~~ “Good going, Goldie!” This… this may have been worse than he’d anticipated. Scarlet shared… everything. They were allowed inside the small candy store and sat down on a couch by the wall. A table separated the three pairs, with the hosts sitting on chairs.  Scarlet started with their first encounter at guard training, and she even went on a tangent about his smile and eyes. Lyra commented that her eyes were a similar color to Dusk’s, though, it was a darker color. Scarlet acknowledged it but she felt a deeper connection and love for Dusk’s. She then proceeded to share the drama at the park, how Dusk hurt her a little bit, but it turned out better in the end. Oh, and she had to tell them that he, technically, made the first move. Something that his old friends hadn’t expected. “Wow, Goldie, I didn’t know you had it in ya,” Vinyl commented. Bon Bon and Octavia nodded in agreement. “So, Scarlet,” Lyra started, “Whaddya like best about Goldie?” Scarlet blushed. “Oh, well…” Dusk’s gaze shifted to her, curious about her answer. She shifted in place, feeling the heat on her cheeks steadily increasing. She had to choose one? Her eyes skimmed through the perimeter, hesitant to answer. “Uh…” she said coyly. “I can’t just choose one when I love him for… well, him.” He blinked. That was… probably one of the sweetest things she’s said. Ignoring the probable teasing from his old friends later on, he pulled her into a hug. She yelped but rescinded to the embrace. Right on queue, Lyra and Vinyl proceeded to coo.  Dusk looked up at Scarlet with soft eyes. Scarlet returned his gaze, just as warm. “Love you,” he whispered. She smiled with a blush and nuzzled him. “Love you too.” “Vin, they’re totally in love!” Lyra cheered. Vinyl laughed. “Yep, I can see that,” “Goodness, Vinyl, were we like that before?” Octavia asked the white unicorn. “Hm, for a while,” she responded. “Same with Lyra.” Bon Bon rolled her eyes as she wrapped a leg around the mint-green unicorn. “Hey, you weren’t complaining,” Lyra shot. “And I’m not denying it.” They heard a whizz pass by and a letter dropped through the slot in the door. Lyra’s magic took hold of the envelope, bringing it to her. Opening it, she unfolded a piece of paper and read it with Bon Bon. The pair’s eyes widened and Lyra whispered something to Octavia and Vinyl. All the while, Dusk and Scarlet were too lovestruck to notice.  “What’s that letter?” Dusk finally noticed. Lyra paused her whisper and hastily leaned on her seat normally. Vinyl and Octavia shared fairly nervous looks, while Bon Bon spoke up for them. “Just my wrapper orders, they’re going to be delayed for a few days,” she shrugged. “Hey, we need to fix our setup, right, Tavi?” Vinyl poked Octavia. “Huh? Oh, yes, right, of course.” She stood up. “It was good seeing you again, Dusk. And Scarlet, take care of that colt, yes? From what few we’ve heard from each other, he is quite the gem.” “With what you’re saying, Tavi, I think you might’ve liked him,” Vin said. She scoffed. “Please, you know I only have eyes for you.” The two bickered their way out the door, leaving Lyra and Bon Bon with their guests.  “Do you two have anything to do? We could get out of your manes,” Scarlet said. “Hm, maybe you two could go with us to Twilight’s castle?” Lyra suggested. “I need to borrow a book.” Dusk raised a brow. “Since when did you read books?” “Can’t a mare read a good story every once in a while?” He chuckled. “Fair enough.” Bon Bon stood up. “I’ll get some treats to go.”  ~~~ During their walk, Scarlet had discovered the magnificent treat which was Bon Bon’s candy. She was given a sweet lollipop, whereas Dusk got himself a hard candy. Surprisingly enough, there were barely any ponies around during their walk. Heck, were there even any ponies? “Where did everypony go?” Scarlet asked. “Probably for lunch,” Lyra replied. She glanced at the sky sparingly. “It’s well after noon.” Lyra yelped when she received a light wap from behind.  “It’s ‘lunch-is-now-in-the-afternoon-day,” Bon Bon corrected. She frowned, bemused.  Dusk whispered in her ear, “Again, Pinkie Pie.” Shrugging, she took the first step on the path to Twilight’s castle. Not long after, the four had reached the front door. Unfortunately, for Golden Dusk, he wasn’t keeping track of the magic around him. He entered through one of the large doors first, and he was surprised by the lack of light. Scarlet and the other two followed shortly after. “Surprise!” Dusk and Scarlet were blinded by a flash, whereas Bon Bon and Lyra cleverly closed their eyes, diminishing the effect substantially. Scarlet peeked one eye open and was greeted by an assembly of ponies before her. A familiar pink mare pronked her way towards her, smiling wide. “Were you surprised? Were you, were you, were you?” Pinkie Pie asked rapidly. “Um, yeah, definitely,” she said. Pinkie nodded happily before innocently tilting her head. “Where did Goldie go?” Scarlet turned around and the unicorn was missing. Chuckling, her gaze went upward.  Golden Dusk was floating above all of them, shaking slightly. “Uh, little help?” he squeaked out. Rolling her eyes, Scarlet took off and was beside Dusk in the air. However, she noticed a rainbow trail that whizzed by at the same time as her. A cyan pegasus with a prismatic mane was now on the opposite side of Dusk. On the ground, she noticed a pink-maned and yellow-coated pegasus shut her wings. “Wow, you’re fast,” the mare complimented her. “Same to you,” she returned. “I can introduce you two after you get me down.” He desperately tried swimming his way downwards. The mares shared a laugh and pushed him gently back onto the carpeted floor. His hooves finally stuck back down, imitating gravity somewhat. “Whew, okay,” he sighed. “Scarlet Gem, Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash, Scarlet Gem.” “Yo,” Rainbow Dash greeted. “Heya,” Scarlet returned. Pinkie almost, almost, tackled Dusk and began to barrage him with questions on how he did that.  “You were pretty, fast. Though, not as fast as me.” Rainbow Dash flipped her mane. She giggled. “Of course, how would I compete with a Wonderbolt?” “Hm, let’s get you some training and we’ll see.” “Hooey, Dash you just got yourself a run for your bits!” A mare with a country accent called out. “Can it, AJ! I wasn’t even trying,” Dash replied indignantly. An orange earth pony with a stetson on her tied blonde mane. She had three apples for a cutie mark, and she approached Rainbow Dash with a smirk. “Sure, sugarcube, sure,” she chuckled. With a tamer smile, she held out a hoof to Scarlet. “Applejack, pleasure to meetcha...” Scarlet took her hoof and shook it… though, she returned the gesture twice as hard. “Scarlet Gem, and just Scarlet’s fine,” she said, pretending not to be disoriented. Applejack glanced to her right and sighed. “Pinkie, if’n you wanna calm down, Dusk’s gettin’ dizzy.” The pink mare immediately stopped shaking Dusk around. His gold eyes swirled in their sockets, clearly jarred. “Oops, sorry, Goldie!” Pinkie giggled. “S’fine,” he replied, vigorously shaking his head. “What’s all this for anyway?” His question was answered by the large banner of ‘Welcome to Ponyville!’  “Right, of course,” he laughed. “So, where’s the spread?” ~~~ Scarlet Gem had surrendered herself to the amount of ponies greeting her and introducing themselves. While it was a fate she didn’t mind, it was still rather draining. Once the storm had calmed, she sat down on a chair among other ponies, eyeing everypony around her with a smile; she was thankful for the warm welcome. Golden Dusk went to the long, long table of food for the nth time. After grabbing an amalgamation of different treats, he noticed a pair of pegasi approaching him. “Hey again, Dash,” he greeted.  “Hey,” Rainbow Dash returned. He glanced to her left. “This scene’s familiar.” The yellow pegasus beside Dash giggled. She laughed. “Familiar, but different.” He nodded with a smile and faced the other pegasus. “Hi, Fluttershy,” he said softly. Fluttershy beamed. “Hi, Dusk.” He chuckled. “I remember when you were hiding behind Dash, that change now?” “Yes,” she confirmed. “I-it’s not bad, is it?” He shook his head. “No, it’s good.” “A couple years can bring a lotta change,” Dash said, wrapping a leg around her. She smirked at Dusk. “For better or for worse.” “Wow, what a proph-” He paused, catching her grin. “What, what’re you grinning for?” “Well…” she made motions on her stomach, then to the food on his plate. He gasped. “I am not pudgy!” “Yeah, sure, you’re not,” she snickered. Dusk sighed. “Guess change really is apparent, then.” “What do you mean?” He smirked. “I mean, Scarlet managed to fly just as fast as you. You getting slower?” Rainbow Dash blinked. “I- what?! No!” Fluttershy giggled. “Rainbow, he’s just joking.” He snorted. “Yeah, but your reactions aren’t gonna make me stop.” She groaned indignantly. “I wasn’t taking it seriously…” “But, how did you float up there?” Fluttershy asked. “Oh, Fluttershy, dear, I am so glad you asked!”  With a flash, Discord appeared in front of the three. He tossed some candy aside, letting them rain on some foals, and he wrapped an arm around Dusk. A patch appeared on his hoodie, one of Discord’s wonderful visage. “Discord.” Fluttershy glared at him. “What did you do?” Discord’s refute was held back by Dusk raising a hoof. “He saved me, Fluttershy,” he smiled. “Chaos magic was just a part of it.” Her glare held for a few seconds before she dropped it with a sigh.  “Thank you, Fluttershy.” He faced Discord with a warm expression. “Thank you too, Discord.” Discord scoffed. “That patch isn’t just for looks, Golden Dusk.” “Oh, I know,” he grinned. “Give me some time to learn first.” Discord grinned as well. “Then, we can have our first, chaos-filled field trip!” “Oh, no you don’t!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.  “Can we have it in the badlands?” Dusk asked giddily. “Sure!” “I did not expect these two to get along,” Dash sighed. Fluttershy giggled. The yellow pegasus yelped as Discord pushed her away. “Au revoir, Golden Dusk! Tea parties galore!” “Come back here!” Rainbow Dash dove towards the pair, only to be teleported away as well. A testament to the Lord of Chaos’... well, chaos. Stunned, he asked himself, “Why’d he do that?” “He’s got tea parties with Fluttershy every week.” Dusk glanced to his left to see a yellow filly with a red mane done up in a pink bow, and she had the accent of the Apples. Wait, she was familiar…  “Little Apple?” he asked, astonished. Apple Bloom beamed up at him. “Ya remember me!” She jumped up to hug him. Applejack had him over by Sweet Apple Acres a few times, and he got to meet the entire family. He got particularly close to Apple Bloom during his time there, as they were able to bond over being disparaged due to not having a cutie mark. He laughed. “Of course I do… wait, is that a cutie mark?!” She hopped back down, smiling wider. “Yep! An’ I got it with my two best friends!” He smiled. “Can I meet them?” She beamed. “Sure!” She turned around. “Scoots, Sweetie, c’mere!” An orange pegasus filly approached from behind other ponies first. Her small wings fluttered and she flipped her purple mane. Next to her, a white unicorn trotted towards Dusk and Apple Bloom. He couldn’t help but notice the similarities in their cutie marks. “Golden Dusk, meet Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, meet Golden Dusk,” Apple Bloom chippered.  “‘Sup?” Scootaloo greeted. “Hi!” Sweetie Belle added. “Heya.” Dusk gave a small wave. “Woah, your cutie marks look the same…” The three fillies angled themselves to show-off their marks, proud looks on their faces. “We got it at the same time!” they cheered. “We got all glowy and stuff!” Scootaloo said. “Then, we started floating and the glow got even brighter!” Sweetie Belle added. “Next thing we knew, we got our cutie marks!” Apple Bloom finished. “Cutie Mark Crusaders forever, yay!” they shouted. “Neat group name,” he chuckled. “Say, Sweetie Belle, aren’t you Rarity’s little sister?” The mentioned filly smiled. “Sure am!”  A unicorn with a similar coat to Sweetie and an elegant purple mane approached them. “Sweetie Belle, you better not be getting anymore candy… oh, hello, Golden Dusk!” “Heya, Rarity.” Though their run-ins were less frequent, Rarity was a prominent figure during his time in Ponyville. She would visit Sugarcube Corner with Sweetie Belle every few days, and enjoy a treat with her sister. “Darling, please be honest with me,” she smiled dangerously. “Was Sweetie Belle getting any candy?” “I wasn’t!” Sweetie squeaked. He giggled. “No, she hasn’t, don’t worry.” Rarity sighed and nuzzled Sweetie. “Please understand, Sweetie, you wouldn’t want to lose any of your grown-up teeth now, would you?” “Yes, Rarity,” she mumbled. “Splendid! Now, Apple Bloom, Applejack’s looking around for you. Best if you go see her,” she told the other filly. “Oh, sure,” Apple Bloom responded. “Where was she?” “By the tables, darling.” Apple Bloom briskly trotted away, leaving Scootaloo and the two sisters with Dusk. “You guys see Rainbow Dash anywhere? I couldn’t find her,” Scootaloo said. Dusk coughed. “Something something… Discord.” She frowned. “Can I hang with you and Rarity for a while?” she asked Sweetie. “Sure!” Sweetie chirped. “Not a problem at all,” Rarity added. “Cool!” Scootaloo swiftly prodded Sweetie’s chest before dashing into the distance. “You’re it!” Sweetie Belle blinked before developing a wide grin. Her hoof rose from the ground as she poked Rarity. “You’re it!” she laughed before running away. “Oh, those foals!” Rarity groaned before giggling. “See you around, darling! Tell Scarlet Gem I said ‘hi!’” With one wave, she took off, chasing the fillies. “I didn’t think Rarity would ever…” he sighed. “Guess change brings a lot of things.” Golden Dusk maneuvered through a crowd, waving and greeting ponies often. He found the tables and approached one where a tan-coated pegasus was seated. She sighed and fluttered her dual-toned wings. He smiled and took a seat beside her. “How was it?” he asked Scarlet. She sighed again. “Bit draining.” “Heh,” Dusk chuckled.  His gaze turned to the ponies gathered in the crystal castle. Pinkie Pie was off to one side, playing with foals. Applejack and Apple Bloom were at a table not too far from them. He smiled and waved at the Apples. He could vaguely hear the jubilant cries of Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Rarity. The large spread of food was slowly disappearing. Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer were seated in a table conjoined with the Apple Family’s.  All around him, he could feel the joy, the hospitality, and the amiability of the environment. “Welcome to Ponyville.”