Guardian

by Xrevias

Chapter 12 - Where the Chaos Brought Us

Golden Dusk woke up the next morning… a tad too early. He grumbled and pulled his blanket over his head. He found himself unable to fall asleep again, so he reluctantly stood up to start his day. He indignantly rubbed his eyes to wake himself up.

Dusk pushed off his blanket and stood up. He blinked multiple times to clear his vision a bit more. He left his room and made his way down the stairs, dreading the emptiness of his house.

He sighed as he settled down on the couch. The cushions immediately beckoned him to do so!

Now, what was he supposed to do today? The Purifiers aren’t going to be a problem anymore, and he was pretty sure he’s on leave from being a butler. Would he have to be a witness for the trial? He sure hoped not, it was usually boring, and the princesses are powerful enough to judge them themselves.

Though… What caused him to have chaos magic? Love magic was in Lotus Mist’s body, didn’t he absorb that?

Pondering on it a bit more, he was able to come to a conclusion. The volatile magic of the different creatures clashed with the magic from the Crystal Heart. That, in turn, gave Lotus little control over her actions, as she was moving based on her emotions. Lightning was probably the form that the magic took as a means of output.

Dusk groaned and he rubbed his temple. Too. Much. Thinking!

The door to his house produced three knocks. He lit up his horn to answer it, feeling too tired at the moment. Once open, Scarlet Gem walked in, a paper bag in her wing.

What was she greeted with? The sight of Golden Dusk, looking half-dead, and a smile on his face when she entered. Not to mention, the lights were off. She flicked the light switch and the room was much brighter.

“Hey, Gem,” he greeted, his eyes showing why he didn’t need the extra light.

She gawked. “What happened to you?”

“Tired,” he groaned.

Scarlet giggled. “Well, I brought you something.” She placed the paper bag on the coffee table. “Hope you like it,” she winked.

“When have I ever not liked your cooking?” Dusk asked rhetorically, magic already working on opening the bag.

Scarlet settled to sit beside him. “Good question…”

“Oh!” Dusk exclaimed in excitement. She made fruit tarts again!

He began to take tentative bites, not wanting to rush it. Scarlet giggled as she watched her friend eat in his thestral form. His eyes immediately lit up when he saw what was in the bag. It would take the princess’ orders for her to not admit it was cute.

Dusk sighed in satsifaction. His horn lit up to levitate another tart to him as he faced his back to Scarlet and leaned on her. She raised a brow but rested a hoof around his chest to be more comfortable. He started eating again.

“You’re leaning on me… why?” she asked. Though, she didn’t mind.

Dusk swallowed. “Because you’re still somehow softer than my couch!”

She chuckled, giving him a light nuzzle. “Then why don’t you buy a better one? We have the salary.”

He stopped eating and gave her a frown. “But then I wouldn’t have an excuse to do this…”

She cooed and ruffled his mane lightly. He blushed as he ate, not fighting the attention. Seemed she managed to get the ire out of him!

Scarlet glanced at the daffodil that was still on the table in front of them. Right… the thing that happened at the park. When would he bring it up?

While she was distracted, Dusk managed to finish three tarts.

“You want some?” he offered.

“No thanks, I already ate,” she replied.

Dusk nodded, eating more. “D’ya think we gotta go to work?” he mumbled through a full mouth.

“Not sure… there aren’t a lot of ponies outside either.”

He sighed. “I hope not... “

Suddenly, Scarlet’s necklace glowed and magic flowed out of it and onto the table. A letter formed with the royal seal on it. Dusk used his magic to float it to Scarlet, so that she wouldn’t lean forward making him lean on the couch. She rolled her eyes and opened the envelope, giving the paper inside a read.

“Oh, lucky us. We don’t have to go to work for today.”

“Just today?!” Dusk commented.

Scarlet rolled her eyes. “You can always take a sick leave.”

He grumbled. “I’ll just go to work…”

“Again, sick leave if you really don’t wanna.”

“I like my job,” he mumbled. “Luna and Nightingale are fun.”

Scarlet smiled and patted his head before pulling out another paper. “They’re also ‘permitting ponies to roam the streets again.’”

He swallowed and sat properly, resting his head on Scarlet’s shoulder. “Auntie and Mel round them all up then?”

“Most likely.”

Dusk’s head left her shoulder, and he poked his tongue out at her. His horn lit up as he gathered the scattered crumbs before dropping them in a trash bin. Scarlet remembered what happened last night.

“Does your magic feel… different?”

He faced her and shook his head. “No, it doesn’t,” he answered. “Discord did say to not force the chaos.”

Scarlet nodded in understanding. “If you’re not gonna play around with your magic, what’re you going to do?”

Dusk hummed. “Well, it’s way too early to go to the park.”

She gawked. “Way too early?”

“Yeah… isn’t it?” he asked with a tilt of his head.

Scarlet groaned and pointed to the clock hanging on the wall. Dusk’s gaze slowly followed where her hoof was pointing. He recoiled when he saw the time, to Scarlet’s partial amusement.

“It’s past noon…” he murmured breathily, showing shock.

“I brought the tarts as a sort of dessert… guess that was breakfast,” she mused.

Dusk moaned and rubbed his forehead. “Not too early for the park then, I guess,” he muttered.

She giggled. “You know, if you love the park so much, why don’t you get a house there?”

He grumbled. She poked him playfully with a hoof which he returned twice as strong. She glared at him. So, that’s how it was gonna be?

Scarlet made to shove him and he tumbled onto the couch, laying down sideways. She laughed for a few good seconds until she was hit with a pillow to the head. Her back fell onto the couch, and she swore that there was a gold glow to that pillow!

Dusk sat up straight and smirked. His attack was successful!

Scarlet wore a deadpan stare at the ceiling when she pulled off the pillow. She slowly sat up to give that exact same look to Dusk. He kept his impish grin, basically challenging her. She smirked, held up the pillow, and threw it at him with assistance from her wind.

He yelped as it struck him, knocking him down again. He giggled and threw it back at her. She took the hit and chuckled when she was knocked back onto her back. Dusk quickly got up and pinned her to the couch, a smirk on his muzzle.

“I win?” he asked, a light blush on his face.

Scarlet found here cheeks washed with a slightly deeper pink. “Fine…”

Dusk flashed a victorious smile before realizing the position they were in and sheepishly backing off. Scarlet sat up straight, noticing her friend’s new shade of red.

“You okay, Goldie?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” he reassured her.

In truth, his heart was beating at above average speeds. He brushed his banges to the side, and he felt a tingle in his stomach.

Scarlet felt something similar… she swore that if she was sure that he liked her back, she may have made her move then.

Dusk coughed. “We still on for the park?”

She raised a brow. “I thought it was ‘too early?’”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s gonna be sunset soon!”

She laughed. “I’m kidding, calm down.”

He feigned an indignant scoff and got up.”You coming?” He hid his fangs.

“Yes, yes, I’ll come with you to the park.”

Scarlet got off the couch and made her way to the door. Dusk opened it for her, and she nodded in thanks as she walked out first. He followed after her, locking the door. The knob clicked, and he stored the key in his magic storage. She was already on the sidewalk when he descended the short flight of stairs.

This… this development was oddly familiar. Dusk and Scarlet bonding, then going to the park, and Dusk ended up upsetting her. Hopefully it won’t happen again.

Surprisingly enough, Canterlot seemed to be back in its original state. Ponies were already up and about despite the recent attack.

Eventually, they made their way past the familiar gate and into the park. They followed a cobblestone path until they reached the main area. The playground already had foals running around it, but their parents kept a watchful eye. The lake also had a small amount of ponies gathered around its reflective water.

Dusk found an empty bench and took a seat; Scarlet followed closely behind, taking a seat as well. They hummed as a cool breeze made their manes dance. The sound of foals cheering and laughing added to the whole scene.

That, and having the pony that was beside them there.

Scarlet rested her head on Dusk’s shoulder. “At least we don’t have to worry about Purifiers anymore.”

He smiled, receiving a pinkish hue to his cheeks. “Yeah… guess we can rest easy.”

She nodded, keeping her head where it was. By the sun, if he still didn’t take a hint…

Scarlet may as well make the first move.

Dusk glanced at her before looking up. The sun was starting to set, leaving purple, orange, and a bit of red in the sky. There were only a few clouds, and beneath the cheering of foals, he could hear the subtle chorus of birds.

A few minutes passed by, and the pair was still sitting on the bench idly. They received a few glances from the foals’ parents, each one ending with a smirk. Ignoring them, Scarlet closed her eyes and relaxed.

After a few more minutes, Dusk said, “Wanna go for a walk?”

She opened her eyes and lifted her head to face him. “This is suddenly getting really familiar…”

Dusk sputtered. “I promised we’d talk about it some other time, right?”

She sighed and nodded. “Well, let’s walk then,” she smiled and stood up.

He nodded and got up from his seat. Dusk led her along the same path and through the foliage. He pushed past bushes and branches once more, holding them with his magic for Scarlet as well. They made their way to the same patch of flowers, though there were less ponies around than before.

Dusk walked around and found a small patch of green grass. He settled onto it and enjoyed the view, the air, and the sounds. He closed his eyes to focus on his hearing. The rustling of the leaves behind him, the birds chirping, and the soft hoofsteps of Scarlet getting closer.

She sat down beside him. “I thought this was a walk?”

He opened one eye. “I didn’t say for how long, did I?”

Scarlet giggled. “No, I guess not.”

She thought that right at that moment would be a good time. The setting was perfect, and there were barely any ponies around. She made subtle gestures with a hoof, and a small bouquet of flowers gathered to her side. He’d go along with getting flowers from a mare… maybe.

“Hey, Gem,” Dusk called out to her.

She jumped, thinking he noticed. Turning her head to meet his gaze, she was shocked to see that he had a rather dull look to his usual sparkling eyes.

“Is… something wrong?” she asked.

He took a shaky inhale. “Just… question…”

She leaned in closer.

“Do… do you… are you mad at me?” he asked, stuttering slightly.

“What?” she replied incredulously. “Mad? Why would I ever be mad at you?”

“The whole thing that happened here before…” he explained. “You were acting pretty… apathetic to me after that…” he added in a sad tone.

Scarlet pulled him in for a hug. “Goldie, I could never be mad at you,” she said softly. “I guess… I guess I was just a little hurt…”

She heard his breath get caught in his throat. “I… I hurt you…?”

She tightened the embrace. “It’s okay, though… I got over it. We’re fine, I promise.”

“I still hurt you though,” he answered. “If only I wasn’t so stupid… I shoulda said something…”

Scarlet let go of him and held both his cheeks with her hooves. “Goldie, you are not stupid.”

“But I—”

“You’re not!”

Dusk kept his gaze locked with hers for a few moments before nodding and sighing. A breeze of air flew by, filling in the silence. All the while, his eyes seemed dull, but it twinkled all of a sudden.

“Maybe… maybe instead of saying… I should be doing,” he whispered to himself.

“Huh?” Scarlet asked, bemused. “What’re you-”

She was cut off by Dusk’s muzzle pressing up against hers. Scarlet’s wings flared in surprise, and her eyes were filled with nothing but silver, white and gold. The gold started to fade as Dusk closed his eyes. Slowly, she melted into the kiss and wrapped her hooves gently around him.

Butterflies flew rampantly in her stomach. A blush crept up to her cheeks as Dusk showed no signs of pulling back. He was shaking a little, but he relaxed when he felt her embrace him. Time slowed for a few moments, but it sped back up when he pulled back, a stuttering mess.

“Um…” Dusk stammered.

Scarlet pulled up her hoof and gently touched her lips… they were still tingling…

“I…”

Scarlet looked up to face Dusk. He was a nervous wreck, and the deep red color on his cheeks showed visible signs of being flustered.

“Goldie…” she said cooly.

Dusk gulped. “Y-yeah?”

She leaned forward, a smirk growing on her face… and a blush.

“You…” she said huskily. “Are in so much trouble…”

He blushed at the tone of her voice. “I… I am?”

“Yup,” she cooed.

Suddenly, Dusk was pushed down and he found himself lying on the patch of grass. Scarlet held him down, her blush intensifying. He showed no signs of resistance, so Scarlet just went in and whispered to him.

“This is payback for the pillow fight~”

She pressed her lips against his and closed her eyes. Dusk didn’t resist her so-called ‘payback.’ He melted into the kiss and unconsciously pulled her closer with a hug, one Scarlet very much enjoyed. Her wings twitched and fluttered as time went on. She trailed a hoof upward to caress his cheek. Dusk’s tail swished, sending specks of dirt into the air.

Scarlet pulled back, a goofy grin on her face. “Do instead of say, huh?” she asked, a pink hue on her cheeks.

Dusk nodded, a deeper blush on his face. “Yeah… but I think saying will do both of us some good…”

She hadn’t noticed but his horn was glowing gold. Slowly, a familiar bouquet of flowers floated in front of him. He held it with two hooves and offered it to her, still laying on the grass. A coy smile graced his face.

“Gem…” He brought it closer to her. “I love you.”

Scarlet’s eyes moistened as she accepted the bouquet. How long she had yearned to hear those exact words come from his mouth. She knows just what he would like to her right about now.

Setting aside the bouquet for now, she pulled him up to sit directly in front of her. Scarlet embraced him, not only with her hooves but also her wings. She said:

“I love you too.”

~~~

Golden Dusk and Scarlet Gem left the park, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. They walked closer to each other, and they wore soft smiles on their muzzles. Scarlet gave Dusk small nuzzles every now and then.

She couldn’t be happier! They finally sorted out what happened at the park, and it ended with both of them admitting their feelings for each other! Her wings fluttered and the pink hue to her cheeks returned.

Dusk felt the same way, but his blush was a darker shade than hers. Every small nuzzle she gave him, he eagerly returned. Though, he wanted more, it would be of improper public conduct to do so.

They reached his house once again, and the sun was about nearly gone. The moon appeared, giving some light for the ponies roaming the dim streets, and stars twinkled in the sky.

He unlocked the door with a key and went inside; Scarlet followed behind him.

“So… dinner?” he asked with a smile.

Scarlet giggled. “Well, I did offer!” She started to turn to face the kitchen, a pip in her step.

“Do you want help?” he offered.

She stopped half-way and faced back at Dusk. Scarlet smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek that sent tingles through both of their forms.

“Sure,” she accepted and made her way to the kitchen.

He blushed and followed her.

Scarlet opened a few cupboards to see what Dusk had. She hummed as she assessed on what she could make. Dusk waited for her to finish, planning to act as a supporter. Scarlet nodded to herself and pulled out different vegetables, and spices. She organized them by what they were, and grabbed a pan from a rack.

“What’ve you got in mind?” Dusk asked, approaching her.

Scarlet hummed. “Well, I don’t really have a name for it. Could you julienne the carrots for me?”

He tilted his head. “Jul… lienne?”

She paused as she placed the pan on the stove. “You don’t know?”

“Do I work at the Royal Kitchen?” he deadpanned.

She giggled and nuzzled him. “I’ll teach you,” she said.

He nodded and levitated a cutting board and two knives onto the counter in front of him. He washed a carrot and peeled it cleanly. Scarlet honestly thought that if he got actual training in, he might just make the cut to be a professional chef.

“Okay, so,” Scarlet started while taking hold of a knife, “you just have to make it into a sort of box.” She proceeded to trim a carrot’s four sides, letting it lie flat on the board. She was standing on two hooves and Dusk watched closely.

“Then, cut it into strips.” She cut the rectangular carrot into thinner sticks. “And make those shorter!” She finished with cutting the sticks in half.

Dusk nodded and stood bipedally, opting to use his hooves for cutting. Sometimes, there are side-effects when peeled vegetables or foods come in contact with magic!

He held a knife in one hoof and a peeled carrot in the other. He successfully trimmed the four sides, making a rectangle. Though, he probably should have trimmed it less. Ignoring that blunder for now, he proceeded to cut it into thinner rectangles. Stacking those up on top of each other, he managed to turn them into thinner, smaller sticks.

“Like that?” he asked Scarlet.

She turned to face him after placing a pot of boiling water on the stove. She eyed his work and nodded. “Yep, but you could’ve trimmed it less.”

Dusk nodded. “Do you need more?”

Scarlet shook her head. “Two carrots is fine.” She pushed over some potatoes. “Just peel these and I’ll handle the rest.”

He took the potatoes in his hooves and gave them a rinse. Scarlet was working on some form of dough. She kneaded it with her hooves, getting flour on her hooves and coat. Dusk shook his head and smiled, gotta peel some potatoes!

He used a peeler to remove the skin, twisting each one with one hoof, and moving the tool with the other.

“Are you gonna boil these?” he asked.

Scarlet nodded while placing the carrots he just julienned in a small bowl.

“Want me to cut them into smaller pieces?”

She hummed. “Sure.”

He chopped up the whole potatoes in half, basically making them faster and easier to cook. He rinsed them one more time and left them on a plate for Scarlet to use.

To his side, she had laid out some dough in a circular shape. She was frying some carrots and other vegetables with spices in the pan. Dusk plopped the potatoes into the pot once he deemed them ready.

Almost sadly, he went to sit by the table.

“There nothing else you need?” he asked, pulling out a chair.

Scarlet checked to see if there were enough potatoes. “For now, no. I’ll ask for your help if I need it though.”

Dusk sighed, he had to face the torture of the smell of food being cooked!

Though… did it only have to be him that was getting tortured?

“Hey, Gem,” he called out, “what’re the rules about distractions in the Royal Kitchen?”

She quirked a brow and glanced at him. “We’re supposed to be able to work despite annoyances… like construction or the lieutenants shouting outside. Why?”

He smirked. “Let’s test that, shall we?”

His horn lit up a bright gold and Scarlet yelped. Did he… oh he did.

“Nice try, Goldie.” Her ears twitched after being subjected to a small round of tickles.

He hummed and his horn lit up again.

A flower from the bouquet he gave her levitated towards her. He brushed it along her muzzle, opting for attempting to make her sneeze. She smirked as she continued to work.

“Gotta do better than that,” she shot at him.

Dusk sighed and brought the flower back to him. A brush popped in in a flash, and floated over by her head. Scarlet didn’t notice at first, but she nearly jumped when he started to comb her mane with it.

“I think my mane’s fine as is,” she remarked.

“So you don’t want me to braid your already stunning, and rather poofy mane?” he asked innocently.

Scarlet placed the dough in a circular baking pan, preparing it with a pink hue to her cheeks.

She answered, “Just be gentle…”

Yes, he was being playful, but he would never dare to mess with a mare’s mane. In soft strokes, he brushed out the knots and his magic started to play with the strands of hair.

She had to calm herself down… it’d been far too long since somepony had braided her mane, but she never felt quite like this the last time it happened. Her wings fluttered as she pulled out the cooked potatoes from the pot. She placed them in a large bowl and began to mash them.

Dusk’s magic pulled gently on two spots on her mane, beginning to braid it. As Scarlet moved around the kitchen, he would pause to make sure she didn’t get hurt. She placed the mashed potatoes and what she had fried into the dough. She covered it with more of the uncooked pastry and placed it into a preheated oven.

“And… thirty minutes,” she said to herself, standing back up straight.

She turned to face Dusk who looked completely… lost. He was staring at her, unflinching, and unresponsive.

“Golde?” she murmured. “You okay?”

He shook his head and his magic floated a small mirror in front of her.

“I… think I did a bit too much.”

Scarlet eyed her reflection, finding that her mane had been done up neatly into one single braid. Dusk managed to embed some of the flowers into it, and it hung over one shoulder. She slowly turned her head to one side to get a better look. The puffiness of her mane was gone, for now, and it seemed smoother. It was simple but fetching.

“Oh… well, I…” She ran a hoof along it. “Who taught you?”

“I grew up with two mares for my best friends,” Dusk chuckled. “I’m not sure if you know them, but they ended up brading my mane and I did theirs too.”

Scarlet giggled, eyes not leaving the mirror. “I’d pay to see that!” She grasped the floating mirror before resting it onto the table. “Who were your friends?”

“Well… Lyra Heartstrings and Vinyl Scratch.”

“Oh, Lyra Heartstring and Vinyl—”

Once her mind caught up to what he just said, she shouted, “Lyra Heartstrings and Vinyl Scratch?!”

Dusk covered his ears with both hooves and sighed. “Yeah…”

Scarlet stammered and leaned in closer to him. “You were close friends with DJ Pon-3 and Lyra Heartstrings?!”

He winced. “Yes.”

She immediately gave him a filly-like grin. “Can you get Vinyl Scratch’s autograph for me?”

“Didn’t know you were into her stuff.”

“Please?”

Her pout may as well have equaled a foal wanting some ice cream.

He chuckled. “Sure, sure, next time I send her a letter.”

Scarlet hoofpumped, causing her mane to bounce.

“You know,” Dusk mused, moving to Scarlet’s side, “the braid’s nice and all… but…” He undid the braid with a hoof, letting her mane poof up once more. The flowers fell gracefully onto the floor.

“I still think this suits you best,” he blushed and buried his face into her mane.

Scarlet smirked, a pink hue to her cheeks. “Is this your way of flattering me?”

Dusk squeaked, keeping his face hidden. “Uh… yes?”

She chuckled and pulled him into a hug. “You’re so cute…” She pecked him on his cheek.

He returned the embrace, steam emitting from his… now tufted ears?

Scarlet squealed and tightened the hug. “Goldie, did I just fluster you into becoming a bat?”

He remained unmoving as heat crawled up to his cheeks. He couldn’t shift back!

“Goldie~” Scarlet sing-songed. “Are you a bat right now?”

Scarlet Gems relied on movement to perceive objects! Don’t move…

She started to pry him off the embrace. He struggled to stay attached, but alas, his efforts were unfruitful. She managed to pull him back far enough to see a new coat of red on his face. His mouth opened and closed, repeatedly revealing his fangs, and his gold, draconic eyes quivered.

Scarlet swooned over it. Be it bat or just a normal unicorn, he was still cute!

“I feel like you looking like a mare should be a crime,” she teased.

“Why? Want a big strong stallion to protect you?” he snarked.

She shook her head and laughed. “No, because you’ve stolen way too many hearts.” She leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Including mine…”

Dusk stammered and his ear twitched. Wow it was hot in here… He pulled on his hoodie’s collar to let some air in. Wait, but it’s enchanted to…

Oh… he was just blushing way too hard…

Luckily for him, the oven bell dinged. The two glanced at the source of sound. Scarlet pouted, having had her fun interrupted, and she made retrieve the food. Dusk held her back and his horn lit up. He smiled as plates, forks, knives, and the baking tray floated over, laid about the table neatly.

“Wanna be a waiter?” Scarlet whistled.

He rolled his eyes, the blood leaving his cheeks. “Sorry, am a butler already.”

She shrugged, sitting beside him. “Close enough.”

Dusk chuckled and finally noticed the baked pastry in the tray. Didn’t she fry vegetables and make mashed potatoes? Were they in there?

Scarlet pulled it over to her, a knife in her hoof. The tart crackled as she cut into it. She pulled out a portion, and underneath the layer of pastry were the mashed potatoes combined with an assortment of fried vegetables. She placed it onto Dusk’s plate.

“Thanks,” he nodded.

He held his fork in a hoof and dissected the food. Scarlet, after getting her own portion, did the same. At the same time, they brought their forks into their mouths to sample Scarlet’s cooking.

Dusk’s eyes shot wide, sparkling in amazement. His body relaxed considerably as the flavors flooded his taste buds.

Scarlet’s reaction was tamer, only nodding in her own self-approval.

“What is this?” Dusk asked before hurriedly taking another bite.

“Remember that… ‘Shepherd’s Pie’ back in the mirror?”

“The one made with meat?” He shuddered slightly.

She nodded. “I liked the idea of the pie, so I made my own version.”

“It is really good though…” He pulled out another portion from the tray.

Wait, he finished one already?!

“Then again, when has your cooking not been good?” he mused.

Scarlet nudged him with a bashful smile. He giggled and gave her a small nuzzle before resuming his meal. They continued to eat dinner for a few minutes, sharing idle chatter. This… this was a rather big moment for the two. They were able to confess their feelings for each other, and they couldn’t be any happier!

They eventually finished eating and Dusk was doing the dishes quickly. The sound of running water resounded throughout the house, and so did the noise of dishes being placed on the rack. Scarlet gawked at the speed his magic worked, clearly surprised.

“Again, wanna be a chef? Just a supporter?” Scarlet asked.

Dusk snorted and floated the last plate away. “Butler,” he simply stated.

She sighed and went over to the living room. She settled on the couch, eyeing the vase with the same daffodil from before. She remembered she still had the flower Dusk had given her.

The silver unicorn dried off his hooves and went to sit down beside her. He immediately leaned on her, finding comfort in doing so,

Scarlet smiled and unfurled a wing to wrap around him. He blushed lightly but liked the feeling nonetheless.

“Y’know…” Scarlet said, “there’s something missing…”

Dusk raised a brow. “What is?”

Her necklace lit up and a scarlet-colored flower floated in front of her. Slowly, she used wind to place it into the vase with the daffodil.

“There we go,” she nodded. “Now it’s obvious that we’re a thing.”

He chuckled. “You sound like a kid.”

“Says the foal.”

He shook his head. “Does… will anything change? Between us?” he asked.

Scarlet hummed. “Not much, but more snuggles!” She squealed as she tightened her embrace.

Dusk nuzzled her in return. “I… I could get used to this,” he admitted.

She returned the gesture. “I could too.”

They sat in silence, embracing each other all the while. Dusk enjoyed the softness of the wing that was wrapped around him. Though he was wearing a hoodie, it felt like a comfy blanket whenever it reached his coat. Scarlet rested her head on his shoulder until he pulled back, a deep red to his cheeks.

“Um, Gem?” he stammered.

Her eyes widened, visibly concerned. “Yes?”

“C-can I… can you…” His draconic and innocent eyes looked up at her with a downward gaze. “Can I k-kiss you again?”

Scarlet felt blood creeping up to her cheeks. She chuckled and pulled his chin up to plant a soft kiss on his lips, eliciting a happy sparkle in his eyes. She gazed at him softly, a warm smile on her face.

“For long as you want to.”

~~~

“She stole magic from the Crystal Heart?!”

The four alicorn princesses of Equestria sat in Canterlot Castle’s throne room. The night sky beckoned the stars to twinkle, and the moon shined brightly. Mythic Moon and Emerald Melody covered their ears at the level of volume the pink princess decided to use.

“Yes, princess.” Mythic lowered her hooves. “She managed to steal magic from the Heart and used it for her abomination of a potion.”

“That’s strange,” Twilight Sparkle commented. “I didn’t feel any of it from Golden Dusk last night… you said he absorbed it all?”

“Yes,” Mel replied. “He took all of the magic the potion had granted Lotus Mist. The lightning strike you all probably saw-”

“More like definitely saw,” Shining Armor said nonchalantly.

“- was a byproduct of it.”

“But if he did absorb it, why didn’t I feel it?” Twilight asked. “Cadence, you checked on him too, did you sense it?”

Princess Cadence shook her head. “As somepony who’s always near the Heart, I can say that I didn’t feel any of its magic from him.”

Mythic sighed. “Well, this got more complicated.”

“But if Golden Dusk doesn’t have it, where did it go?” Luna asked.

“I would’ve thought you lot would’ve gotten it by now.”

All ponies in the room looked up to see Discord watching them closely with a monocle.

“I mean really, it took you all one day to realize he didn’t have the Crystal Hearts magic…” he sighed.

“Care to enlighten us, Discord?” Celestia more demanded than asked.

He scoffed, throwing his monocle away. “Allow me to answer your question with a question.” He floated closer to the group of ponies, still a good distance above them. “Was there anypony else who had it?”

Mel frowned. “We just said that Golden Dusk absorbed the magic from Lotus-”

She paused, and Discord began a slow clap.

“Bravo, the Maestro figured it out faster than the Warlock,” he deadpanned, showering her with flowers.

“So it’s still with Lotus Mist?” Mythic asked incredulously.

Suddenly, she wore a silver medal and Discord started to cheer. “Woohoo! Second place!” he congratulated her.

She indignantly removed the medal, tossing it to the ground. “How is that possible?!”

All eyes shifted to stare at the draconequus. He sighed, popping all his shenanigans out of existence.

“You understand that ponies have different types of magic, yes?” At their nod, he continued, “And you all understand that your bodies can attract and use them?”

“Your point?” Mel asked.

“Affinities, ponies,” he deadpanned. “She’s got an affinity for the Crystal Heart’s magic, making it stick to her.”

“Affinity?” Celestia asked. “How could one have an affinity for Love Magic.”

Discord facepawed. “Seriously? You guys dubbed it ‘Love Magic?’”

Cadence grinned sheepishly.

He sighed. “Well, this ‘Love Magic,’ clearly likes this Lotus Mist, which is why your Hunter was not able to absorb it.”

“Wait… I just realized… how can Golden Dusk absorb magic?” Twilight inquired.

The Lord of Chaos groaned. “Your fellow princesses will tell you later, Twilight.”

Luna nodded. “What are we to do with Lotus Mist?”

“Banishment from Canterlot?” Shining suggested.

Celestia hummed. “I most certainly will not be locking her up for eternity…”

“Talk about pony bias…” Discord mumbled, a statue of him before his reformation appearing in the room.

She rolled her eyes. “Because I now understand that even the most chaotic of hearts can achieve friendship.”

Discord scoffed and looked away, hiding the small smile on his face. He stroked his goatee, making it look like he was doing some serious thinking.

Twilight nodded with a warm smile. “The magic of friendship… or so Rainbow Dash calls it, ‘Rainbow Lasers.’”

They all giggled while the sole draconequus shuddered. He’d been on the receiving end of that.

“Banish her from Canterlot, then what?” Mel asked.

“Let her walk away with what she did to Goldie?” Mythic added.

Oh? So the Guardians were unhappy with what happened to their teammate?

“Believe me, Golden Dusk got more out of it,” Discord chuckled, holding up a claw that cracked with chaos magic.

“Oh… right…” Mythic said nervously. “Is there… anything we need to know about his chaos magic?”

“Well, he first needs to find a way to activate it,” Discord explained. “For me, it’s snapping, for him? It’ll come naturally.”

Mythic shuddered. So, he could randomly activate the magic at any time.

“Bah!” he scoffed. “This is way too much serious time for… the next month,” he shuddered with an exaggerated motion of his skin crawling. “Ta ta, ponies.” He snapped his claws and popped out of existence.

“Maybe we could take Lotus Mist?” Cadence suggested. “She’s a trained maid, right?”

Shining Armor gawked. “Really, Cadey?”

“Affinity for Lo… the Crystal Heart’s magic, and our shortage of staff with combat training?” she argued. “If we can reform her, it’d be a benefit for us.”

Her husband stared at her for a few moments before sighing. “We could give it a shot…”

Cadence smiled. “What do you think, Aunties, Twilight?”

“I see no problem with that,” Twilight replied.

“As long as you keep a watchful eye on her,” Celestia added.

“Perhaps you could cast a spell ensuring her compliance?” Luna suggested.

Princess Cadence nodded and turned to face Mythic and Mel. She felt tension well up within her when she saw Mythic writing something on a scroll.

“Guardians?” she called out.

Mythic showed the scroll to Mel who nodded in approval. She sighed and floated it over to Cadence.

“Spell that paralyzes Lotus if she tries to do something that you’d rather not,” she explained. “Only a split second of pain, then you’ll have to cancel it.”

“Best if you two link up and cast it,” Mel said to Shining. “That way, either of you can deactivate it.”

Twilight immediately leaned over Cadence to see what was written on the scroll. This… she’s never seen this before!

Suddenly, she bolted from where she was sitting and was in front of Mythic Moon with a sparkle to her eyes.

“Where’d you learn to make this? Is there a painless variant? Which Starswirl theories did you use?” she bombarded the mare with questions.

Mythic Moon was happy to reply. “Brushed up on magic manipulation and enchanting when I was younger, yes there is a painless variant, and it uses Starswirl’s theory on Command Magic.”

Twilight lit up even more and asked even more questions. Mel tuned out the two ponies’ new teacher-student relationship lectures, and faced the princesses.

“So, that’s it for the night?”

Celestia nodded. “Yes, Maestro, that’s it for-”

“Oh, come on!”

They all turned to see Cadence standing by the window with ire written all over her face.

“What’s wrong?” Shining asked. “Did you miss another pair of ponies you were… you called it ‘shipping?’”

“Yes!” she cried. “And it’s not just anypony!”

“What? What’d you see?” Twilight asked, Mythic now listening attentively.

She huffed. “Let’s just say there were two really bright lights of Love Magic shot up to the sky that started to meld together.”

Only she could see it, which was why she had to explain what it was.

“What colors were they?” the purple alicorn followed-up.

Her anger left and soon turned into a smirk. “They were gold and scarlet.”

Mythic Moon stared at her for a few moments. “How far high up did it go?”

“Might as well be an alicorn couple,” she responded.

Mythic grinned. There were only two ponies in this city that could achieve that, and Mythic already knew who they were. She glanced at Mel who was grinning, then to the other royalty in the room who wore the same expression.

Well, all of them except Twilight Sparkle. She looked around and noticed their smiles. She asked:

“Am I missing something?”