A Broken Flame

A Broken Flame

By Luckyfanisaac, Applefai, RainbowGlow, Anonymous Turtle, Dinosaur, and Iguana;

Day 3 part 1

Day 2

Current Time: 11:00 pm

Sunday, July 9th

Shining Armor comes into the room and finds Cadence asleep on the bed. He heads over to her and nudges her gently on her head with his muzzle.

Cadence slowly opens her eyes to see Shining standing in front of her, she gives a sweet smile before they greet each other quietly with a kiss. Cadence gently gets up, leaving DJ on her bed as she motions Shining to follow her.

They enter a room adjacent to her own furnished with a couch, some chairs, and a kitchen set. She puts on a kettle for some tea as she sits on the couch with Shining.

"So, how was your day, Sweetie?" Cadence asks sweetly, wanting to know how his day went first.

"My day went great, I handled the court and the repairs to the castle." Shining says as he sips his tea. "How was your day?" he asks.

Cadence smiles as she remembers the delightful day she had.

"It was lovely, we took a trip to my studio, cuddled a bit, I introduced DJ to Golden Tassel, which he liked, who gave him a tour of the maids quarters, hanged out with Golden Tassel, had lunch, then cuddled with the maids, DJ then showed off his dance moves and magic." Cadence says, almost not taking a moment to breathe.

Shining Armor is shocked by this and gasps, surprised that he could do magic.

"You let him use his magic, are you crazy? He could be more powerful than us, we don't even know if he's a friend or foe."

Shining starts to argue with Cadence a bit about that.

Cadence puts a hoof on her spouse's chest.

"Calm down, sweetie. I can tell he has no malicious intent, in fact he's a protector of sorts." Cadence says before continuing. "DJ then took a nap and I gave Golden Tassel the job of being DJ’s personal maid, we then had dinner and talked.”

Shining takes a deep breath and relaxes, drinking his tea.

"What did you talk about?" he asks.

"We talked about how he's from a distant land." Cadence replies, not divulging the whole truth. "Where he's from they have extremely powerful magic, he has even taken part of a war where he fought in. That could be something you two have in common.” Cadence suggests, thinking that Shining and DJ would get along on that common ground.

"I don't see it that way." Shining says as he puts down his tea, “He probably brought a potential enemy right to us." Shining replies, starting to freak out but Cadence has just put her hoof on his chest again.

"Please, trust me. I feel no malice in his heart, he's not an enemy." she reassures him, looking him deeply in his eyes.

Shining Armor takes a deep breath.

"Ok, I trust you." the captain says as he leans back. "What else did you two do?" he asks while sipping his tea.

"We then did a flying session, but after that he seemed stressed so I joined him in the tub and took a bath together." Cadence says, explaining that she took a bath with him.

Shining eyes widen and spits out his drink, he coughs as he looks at Cadence.

"YOU WHAT!?" He asks, fire and jealousy in his eyes as he gets upset at that thought.

Cadence can’t help but giggle.

"Relax, Shining. It wasn't like that." Cadence reassures him before continuing. “We then hung out and talked over dessert. Oh, that reminds me, I left a peanut butter cookie on the table for you." Cadence said as she got another cup of tea.

"Did you at least learn more about him and why he's here, and if he broke the palace?" Shining asks, while he gets another cup of tea.

"That was an accident, and he came here to get away from the war and to learn about harmony." Cadence says as Shining's eyes widen.

"So he's AWOL?" Shining asks sternly. "Then that's the difference between him and I, I would never run." Shining says as he takes another sip from his cup.

"I have taken him on as a student. I plan on teaching him the ways of our land and how to live here so I can keep an eye on him and teach him about harmony." Cadence says as she gets up to get another cup of tea.

Shining just smiles and nods, he then congratulates her on finding a student. "Congratulations, dear. This way we can keep an eye on him, since he is a danger to the empire and to Equestria." Shining says as he puts his cup down.

Cadence lowers her ears and looks at her husband. "That’s not really how I see it, I see it as a way to teach him about making a better social circle." Cadence says.

"Oh my Celestia. Cadence, think!!" Shining snaps, which he solemnly does. "We don't know if he's a threat or not, we need to be on the side of caution."

Cadence through gritted teeth barks back. "Don't you take that tone with me, Mr. Armor, I know that there's no malice in his heart."

"And you're basing that on what? Feelings?" Shining says in a mocking tone.

"You know what, Captain, you can sleep on the couch tonight." Cadence tells him, going into their room and tossing him a pillow and blanket, locking the door as she shuts it.

Shining then snorts as he picks up the blanket and pillow, laying them on the couch as he strips off his armor and puts it away on a mannequin for easy access. He then heads into the bathroom and turns on the shower to wash away the day's sweat and dirt.

While in the shower, his mind wanders as he starts to think in the shower on whether he was wrong or not. "I still think that we don’t know his intent yet, and if he really is from a distant land or not. How can we know if he claims to be who he says he is? How do I know if he is a spy or not and just waiting to strike?" He asks himself in the shower as he subconsciously cleans himself.

Shining sighs as he turns off the water, the bathroom filled with steam as he exits the shower. He levitates a towel to himself and dries off before exiting the bathroom, only stopping to pick up the blanket and pillow before heading into one of the guest rooms to sleep.

Day 3

Current Time: 6:00 am

Monday, July 10th

*noot* *noot* *noot*

An alarm goes off next to Cadence's bed, groaning and rolling over. She turns off the alarm. She then uncovers herself and gets up slowly so as to not wake DJ up suddenly.

Turning around she looks at DJ and smiles lovingly. She decides to let him sleep in until she finishes her shower she then leans over him and gently gives him a kiss on his forehead before pulling the covers over him, so that his neck is covered.

DJ smiles sweetly in his sleep as she kisses his forehead, subconsciously letting off a small glow before it fades.

Cadence giggles as she walks out of the room and into the bathroom. She gives out a few yawns as she enters the bathroom and turns on the shower. The water heats up, filling the bathroom with steam as the semi-hot water hits the tub floor. She enters the shower and sighs feeling the warm water hit her back.

She lets the water cascade around her as she thinks on how to plan her day. "Let's see, first I need to get cleaned and preen my wings." She thinks aloud to herself as she scrubs her mane. While she plans it becomes a mumble as she lists off her day. "Brush my teeth, get DJ up, so he can use the bathroom, have a maid summon the filly I want to introduce DJ to to the dining room, so I can introduce DJ to her, do my hair up and apply my makeup, get dressed, and finally eat breakfast and have DJ Hopper meet the filly and talk to her."

Cadence mumbles to herself as she exits the shower and starts to preen her wings. After she has finished, she looks in the mirror and smiles, levitating a toothbrush and toothpaste to herself she starts to brush her teeth, vigorously brushing each tooth, she gargles and spits in the sink before sticking her tongue out and brushing it. After she is done she smiles in the mirror and admires her work before returning the items to their proper place.

Cadence then levitates a heart shaped hairbrush to her and starts to care for her hair as she walks out of the bathroom to finish getting ready.

She looks over at her bed to see DJ sleeping and thinks that he is adorable when he sleeps, so she goes and gets a camera from her closet, not wanting to wake him, then she turns off the flash and shutter sound before she snaps a picture. She aims the camera at DJ, adjusts the frame and presses the button. The camera captures the picture and she smiles as she looks at it. She, then, puts the camera away and then heads over to the bed.

"DJ, it's time to wake up, sweetie." Cadence says soothingly as she softly caresses his head.

DJ awakes by rubbing his face with his right hoof, as if he was giving himself a bath.

Cadence brings her hooves up to her mouth and squeals in cuteness overload.

She exclaims, “You are such an adorable colt DJ!!”

DJ blushes and hides in his hooves as he lies in bed. Cadence just giggles and kisses his forehead causing DJ to hide himself in the blankets even more.

Cadence just laughs and says, “There is no need to hide DJ. Let’s get up. We have a big day ahead and I want to introduce you to someone special.”

“Really, who?” he replies, still in the blankets.

“You will just have to see, so go into the bathroom and get ready. I’ll be waiting for you out here.”

So DJ Hopper gets himself out of the blankets and goes into the bathroom to do his morning routine. He closes the bathroom door and starts to take his pajamas off and his underwear. He goes into the toilet room to grab his hunch, puts his pajamas into the storage pocket and pulls out some clean clothes, a coat brush and a hairbrush to brush his coat and do his mane. He, then, leaves the toilet room and puts his clothes on the bench and looks into the body mirror and starts brushing his coat and his mane.

Once he finishes that, he puts his brushes away in his hunch and gets dressed. He, then, takes out his toothbrush and toothpaste and brushes his teeth. After he finishes brushing he grabs one of the paper cups by the sink to rinse out his mouth. He fills the cup with water, swishes the water in his mouth and spits it out. He, then, throws away the cup and takes out a dental floss pick and cleans in between his teeth. Afterwards, he puts the pick back into his hunch, picks out the preening comb and starts to do his wings, starting with the right one.

As he’s preening his wings he hears Cadence in the closet putting her shoes and crown on. She, then, knocks on the door from the closet to the bathroom.

“Knock, knock, knock,” she says by the door. “How’s it going in there?” she asks him.

“Great, I'm almost done preening my wings,” he replies.

“Alright I’ll be waiting out here for ya,” Cadence responds back.

“Okay.”

DJ Hopper then goes back to preening his wings. He finishes his right wing then starts working on the left. After he finishes that he puts his preening comb away and exits the bathroom, looking stylish.

Cadence looks at him and says, “Well done DJ, you look very handsome.”

“Thanks, Cadence.” he replies.

“Alright, let's meet with the pony I want to introduce to you. She’s waiting for us in the dining room.” says Cadence.

“Okay, Cadence,” he replies a bit nervously.

“It’s okay, I will be with you while you meet with her, you don’t need to be nervous,” she says, trying to reassure him.

“Alright, Cadence, that helps a bit.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

So, with that, they head to the dining room to meet with this new pony. DJ stays close to Cadence on her right as they head down the hall.

They head into the dining room to discover a crystal pony filly with a teal coat and red mane, orange autumn eyes and a yellow bow in her mane, called Opal Bloom. Upon seeing another pony, seemingly about her age, Opal Bloom runs up to DJ Hopper and introduces herself very excitedly, as she’s always happy to meet new ponies in the Empire.

"Heya, my name's Opal Bloom, what's yours?" She asks, beaming with energy as she looks into DJ's eyes, speaking in a northern accent like the ninth doctor from Doctor Who.

"I-it's DJ." He says nervously as he greets her back, stepping back a few steps, since she is a bit bigger than him and in his personal space.

"Are ya sure about that?" She jokingly asks, causing DJ to blush and stutter more.

"Y-yeah." He said before Cadence puts a wing on both of them.

Cadence, then, guides each of them to a seat at the table, Cadence sitting on the far left side, with DJ sitting next to her on her right and Opal Bloom sitting adjacent from DJ Hopper.

A chef comes out to take their order, quill and notepad in tow.

"What would you all like for breakfast?" He asks.

"I'd like some waffles with orange juice." Cadence says politely as DJ orders the same but substitutes the juice for a glass of milk instead.

The chef jots this down, then turns his attention to Opal Bloom, but she says she doesn’t need anything, since she ate before coming here and just asks for a glass of crystal berry juice. The chef jots it down and returns to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

The trio sits in silence as they wait for the chefs to bring their meal. Opal Bloom gazes at DJ, smiling from ear to ear. "So, what brings ya to the empire?" She asks excitedly.

DJ Hopper shifts in his seat a bit, reluctant to answer since he’s so nervous. Cadence puts a hoof on his shoulder. "It's ok DJ, she's a nice filly, you can trust her." Cadence reassures him.

"I'm just passing through, I guess, though I plan on staying for a while." DJ says as Opal Bloom sits and listens.

"That's cool, I live here with my big sis Opal Jack and we grow crystal berries. We're just simple farm folk." She tells DJ about herself, talking with a fondness of her family and her occupation.

"That's cool, I actually have a soft spot for farm folk, they know what it means to be loyal, hardworking, and integral." DJ compliments Opal Bloom for her farm. “I really like farm folk, especially farm fillies." he says, causing Opal Bloom to blush.

Opal Bloom clears her throat through the blush. "That's sweet, but unfortunately, I'm taken." She says.

"That's a shame, but I'm sure the colt is very lucky." DJ says, a little disappointed, but gracefully accepts it.

“Actually it’s a filly called Crystal Gleam,” she replies. “I’m a bit of a misandrist and prefer to hang out with fillies rather than colts. I don't hate or have any prejudice against stallions, though." She clarifies.

“Oh…I see…my bad.” replies DJ Hopper folding down his ears while Cadence just rubs him on the back.

"Oh, speaking of crystal berries." Opal Bloom says as she looks to Cadence. "I brought your order of thirty pounds of them, Miss Cadence. They just got in the kitchen.” Opal Bloom says.

Cadence giggles. "Opal we've been over this, you can just call me Cadence, no need to be formal." Cadence replies as she brings out a checkbook. "How much do I owe you?" She asks with a pen in magic.

"Just three hundred bits, Cadence." Opal says as Cadence pens the check and hoofs it over to Opal.

Cadence then turns to DJ. "Would you like to try some? They're a staple here in the empire." Cadence asks, getting an enthusiastic nod from DJ.

Cadence then beckons the chefs to bring a bowl of crystal berries with their meal, which they add post haste before bringing the meal to them.

The chefs lays down the banquet, a plate of five waffles stacked on top of each other, topped with butter that is melting on contact with the top waffle, syrup trickling down the side is given to Cadence. A plate of three waffles unstacked and spread out is given to DJ, as a bowl with a plethora of crystal berries is put in the middle.

Cadence thanks the chefs as they bow and return to the kitchen.

DJ, then, tries one of the berries which are a mix of blue, red, white, pink, and purple as he pops one in his mouth. He closes his eyes as he savors the smooth feel of the skin, and, upon biting into the berries, the fruit bursts as a flood of juices fill his mouth, the tart taste soon being replaced by a sweet one as he swallows.

A look of satisfaction appears on DJ's face as he turns to Opal. "Wow, these are really good. You did a mighty fine job growing these." He compliments them, noticing their notes of tartness and sweetness as he thanks Opal for growing them. He, then, turns to the chefs and asks if he could put some on the waffles, getting an approving nod.

"Thank you, DJ. It took hours of watering them and making sure the soil was fertilized and in perfect growing conditions." Opal replies, grateful for the compliment, and smiles as he enjoys them.

"What is it like living in the empire?" DJ asks Opal Bloom curiously as he cuts into his waffles.

Opal Bloom takes a moment to think before she starts to explain. "It's great, the citizens are very friendly and I practically know every pony in the empire and…." She stops mid sentence as her ears droop, she fights a few tears before letting one fall. "Life is getting better now that Sombra is gone." She finishes as she wipes the tear from her cheek.

DJ sees this as her eyes hold some sadness, replacing her chipperness as she answers him. "Are you ok? You seem a little sad." DJ asked.

"I'm fine, it's just, before he was defeated, Sombra killed my parents when they tried to revolt, my sister has been taking care of me ever since." She answers.

"Oh, I'm sorry." DJ says, ears flattened.

"Let's change the subject, what's your favorite food?" Opal Bloom asks with eager interest.

"Hmm, let's see, I like Alfredo noodles and spinach, and spinach is my favorite vegetable. I also try to eat healthy most of the time." DJ answers, keeping the mention of chicken to himself because he’s worried that Opal might not like him as a friend if he mentions that he eats meat.

Opal Bloom tries to hide a look of disgust at the mention of spinach, as she doesn’t like the leafy vegetable.

DJ just smiles at seeing Opal’s face, understanding that not everyone likes spinach, and hasn’t met anyone whose favorite vegetable it is yet.

"So, what's your favorite vegetable?" DJ asks Opal, with the same eagerness to know.

"I really don't have a favorite vegetable, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be cauliflower." She answers.

"I've never tried cauliflower before, but I might try it, only if I had some ranch dressing though. That's the only way I would eat my vegetables raw. I prefer them steamed, except for broccoli. I would prefer not to eat that at all." DJ replies as he blushes a bit.

"I actually like raw broccoli, maybe steamed with cheese melted on top of it. But I understand if not everypony likes it." Opal replies with a smile.

DJ grimaces and focuses on eating his breakfast for a while, taking a bite of his waffles.

"Let's move on from food." Cadence says trying to change the topic. "So Opal, what do you like to do in your spare time?" She asks.

"I like to hang out with my friends and help ponies around the Empire when I'm not busy with my chores." Opal answers, smiling as she usually does.

"I also like to help ponies out with things too." DJ then expresses.

"Then you would really like the orphans at the orphanage in which I help on Thursdays. Mainly making meals, playing with the fillies and colts and watching over them." Opal chimes, hoping to show DJ sometime.

“I’m not very good at cooking, but I can help clean and watch the foals,” DJ says nervously. “I usually make pre-made dinner foods, but I can follow a recipe.”

"Hey, I’ve got an idea. Why don't you take a tour of the empire with Opal here? I'll get your room ready in the meantime." Cadence suggests.

"I don't know, I'm not sure how the townsfolk will react to me." DJ said nervously, eyeing his empty plate.

Opal looks over with an encouraging smile and Cadence reassures him by patting him on the back. "You'll be fine, this could be good practice for you to come out of your shell and make some friends." Cadence says lovingly as she boops his nose.

"Don't worry, I'll look out for you, and I'll introduce you to the other ponies of the Empire, even to my friends, if we run into them." Opal speaks, her chipperness returning.

"Ok, I'll go." DJ says reluctantly as he gets up from the table, placing his dirty silverware on the plate at three o’clock like he was taught.

Opal Bloom quickly downs her glass of crystal berry juice and takes a hold of DJ's hoof, particularly dragging him. "Thanks for having me over, Cadence, we need to do this again." She yells out as she bolts out the door.

Shaking her head and smiling, Cadence cleans the table and brings the dishes to the kitchen, helping the chefs to clean them, before heading to one of the guest rooms to prepare for DJ when he gets back from touring the Empire.

Meanwhile, in the town square, Opal Bloom is showing DJ the ropes. "Over there is the firewood seller, it doesn't get too cold here, but it does get cold." She says as she points to the stallion, Beam Cutter. "And over there is the fruit seller, she gets fruits from all over Equestria and sells it here so we have more variety." She says as she indicates the mare vendor, Fruit Juice, before getting an inquiring look on her face. "Say, what kinda fruit or fruits do you like?" She asks DJ as she takes a break from introductions.

He stops to think before answering. "Hmm, let's see. I like mangoes, which are my favorite fruit, but I prefer mango based products. I also like watermelon, green apples, red peppers, tomatoes, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, oranges, tangerines, plums, and star fruit juice, but I don’t like the smell it leaves when you get the liquid on your fingers." He responds after listing off his favorites.

"Why do you ask?" DJ asks her. "And what is your favorite fruit?" he continues.

"I was just curious, trying to conversate. As for my favorite, I like crystal berries, obviously, apples, kiwis, strawberries and the other fruit you have listed, but I've never tried star fruit or mangoes before." She replies.

DJ nods his head. "That's understandable, the star fruit and mangoes aren’t common and are a bit exotic." He says as they walk through the town.

"I'll have to try them someday, if I find them." Opal Bloom says, expressing interest in trying these mythical fruits.

As they talk, they head over to the local park, where they meet some of Opal’s friends, three ponies standing there. Opal introduces them to DJ.

"DJ, these are Crystal Gleam, Archer, and Sun Glimmer, my closest friends in the Empire.”

(Archer and Opal Bloom. Sun Glimmer is an earth pony, too.)

(Crystal Gleam and her older sister by four years.)

Crystal Gleam gawks at DJ, finding it odd that Opal Bloom is being tagged by a male. "Hey, Opal. Why are you being tagged by this stallion?" She asks, not pulling punches.

"Oh, I'm just showing him around." Opal replies. "He is new in the Crystal Empire and I was giving him a tour and introducing him to friends and hotspots." She continued.

"Your attire is quite unusual, where are ya from?" Archer and Sunny ask about his appearance. Finding him a bit strange overall, but mostly the robe.

"Oh, my robe? It was a gift from someone close to me, they gave it to me on my last birthday. I wear it to keep the memory of them alive." DJ answers, thinking of fond memories.

"Memories are very important to me and my people." DJ says, explaining why he wears his robe.

"If it isn't too personal, may I ask why you have a cyborg eye piece?" Gleamie asks curiously.

DJ droops his ears and answers rather depressingly. "It's not, I have it because it helps me with my memory disability, I don't have a photographic memory like the people where I'm from and it is considered criminal behavior to make fun of it." He answers.

The friends, then, ask DJ if he wants to play tag with them. DJ's eyes light up at the invite as he agrees.

"Ok, let’s see, who wants to start?" Opal asks.

As everyone remains silent, the filly jokingly rolls her eyes.

"Fine, I’ll do it!" Opal declares "We can play in the whole playground, I’ll count to ten."

"Awesome!" The others respond simultaneously, while they start to gallop away.

"One," Opal shouts, "two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine… and TEN! Let the battle begin."

Opal hurries towards Gleamie, circumventing the colorful and tortuous slides. For a moment she seems to have lost sight of her, but she soon recognizes Gleamie’s softail color of teal. Opal gallops even faster as Gleamie looks back, shocked to find Opal so near to her. Within the bat of an eye, Opal briskly touches her shoulder with the hoof.

"Tag, you're ‘it’!" Opal says, before running away as fast as she possibly can.

Gleamie stands still for a few seconds as she decides her strategy. She chooses to follow Sunny, who, instead, manages to momentarily evade her sight, hiding among the high trees, seeking relief from the heat.

"This isn’t fair!" Gleamie says, laughing.

Gleamie sees, with the corner of her eye, Archer, who is trying to silently run behind her. She pretends that she hasn’t noticed her, but, as soon as Archer is close enough, with a leap reaches her hoof towards Archer’s back, and touches her.

"Aha, caught ya! Tag, you’re ‘it’." Gleamie affirms, triumphant.

"Don’t be so quick to laugh, Gleamie." Archer says, laughing.

Archer starts to run towards DJ, who, on the other hand, quickly eludes her, so she catches Sunny, who has just got out of her illicit hiding spot.

"Tag, you cheater, you’re ‘it’!" Archer jokingly shouts.

Sunny can’t stop giggling as everyone else tries to get away. She tries to catch Archer, but she’s able to dodge every attempt. To tag Opal seems a remote achievement, the same goes for DJ. So she chooses to pursue Gleamie, who seems to show a slight tiredness. She quickly gallops towards Gleamie and touches her.

"Woohoo! Tag." squeals Sunny.

Gleamie is determined to tag DJ, but it proves to be more difficult than she has imagined. DJ not only is fast, but also ready and prepared to make things hard for Gleamie. He quickly makes his way towards the trees, thinking to have escaped Gleamie. Then, he gallops towards one of the red spiral slides and enters in it. He looks back and he’s pleased to see that there’s no sign of Crystal Gleam.

"She will never find me, I’m a freaking genius." he thinks to himself.

Only that Gleamie has constantly been following him with her eyes. She quietly goes to the slides, and slowly climbs the stairs. She notices DJ sitting inside the slide, with his back turned towards her. Gleamie silently comes near him, and whispers to his ear a "Boo" as she quickly touches his shoulder. DJ starts and swiftly descends downhill because of it. Crystal Gleam bursts out laughing as she climbs down the stairs to avoid being catched by DJ, who quickly tags a surprised Sunny.

"Hey! I didn’t even see you." Sunny says as she starts to run towards DJ.

"What can I say? It’s a cruel world." he responds, chuckling. He has never felt so carelessly merry in his life.

Sunny fails to catch DJ, and Opal dodges her attempt, but she quickly tags Archer. Archer starts to run towards Opal, who is the closest to her. They run through the luscious trees, only for them to come back to the slides, at the center of the park. Archer accelerates, tagging a tired Opal. Opal Bloom takes a few seconds to breathe, then she starts to pursue the others. She tries to catch Gleamie, without having much results, as she’s incredibly fast to escape someone’s touch. That leaves her the choice of following DJ, who’s starting to feel fatigued. She quickly gallops towards him, her hooves making a resonating sound on the ground. She rapidly touches him.

"Tag." she says, breathing heavily.

DJ tags Archer, who, in turn, catches Gleamie. Everypony at this point starts to feel tired, so they all stay within the center of the park. Because of this the game is becoming easier. Gleamie gathers her strengths and tags Opal, almost bumping into her in the process. Opal reaches Archer, who attempts to follow DJ, even if in vain, as he smoothly avoids all of her attempts. Subsequently, Archer manages to tag Sunny once again, who in turn, on the verge of exhaustion, with the last bit of her strength succeeds to touch Opal’s tail by accidentally tugging it, before falling on the soft, green grass, out of breath. Opal flinches.

"Hey!" she squeals, slightly offended.

"Sorry Opal, it was an accident!" Sunny replies from the ground.

With the last effort, Opal tags DJ and stops, sweat trickling down her face, her cheeks the color of rubins. She slowly makes her way towards Sunny, lying down beside her.

"Let’s just stop here," Opal says to the others "I can’t… run… one more… step… otherwise… I’ll… throw… up." She whispers between each breath, accentuating the last word.

DJ comes near Opal as he lies down too, followed by Archer and Gleamie. They all stay there, the grass coated with dew refreshing them, as the sun warms their faces, creating a delicious contrast. In all the silence that follows, DJ’s stomach rumbles, not in a really elegant way. They all start to laugh out loud, until their tummies hurt.

"What if we go to eat at the Crystal Sweets Bakery? We have been running for at least an hour, we deserve it." Sunny proposes.

"Yeah, I agree." Gleamie approves.

"My stomach also agrees." DJ affirms.

They all giggle again.

"DJ, you’ve got to go with us to the bakery, the food there is spectacular, really indescribable!" Opal exclaims, so with that they all get up and head to the Crystal Sweets Bakery.

Day 3

Current Time: 12:00 pm

Monday, July 10th

Around twelve pm, still exhausted from the game of tag, they all head into the local bakery and are greeted by a crystal stallion. "Hello, ah, Opal Bloom, I see we have a new face here. Hey there lad, my name's Crystal Berry, nice to meet ya." He says with a smile.

"Afternoon, Mr. Berry, this is DJ." Opal Bloom responds, introducing him to DJ.

Opal Bloom turns to DJ. "You’ve got to try his crystal berry pie, it's to die for!" she says.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have any money with me." DJ expresses.

"It's alright, it's on me." Opal replies.

"Are you sure, Opal? I wouldn't want to be indebted to you." DJ questions as Opal pats him on the back.

"Aw, it's nothing, consider it as my treat," the farm filly says, smiling brightly as she escorts DJ to a booth.

The owner of the café hands out the menus for them to browse. DJ picks the menu up and starts pursuing its contents thoroughly, and a crystal berry muffin catches DJ's eye. "Um, I'd like this please, with a crystal berry pie for dessert." DJ orders, returning the menu to the owner as the rest of the group places their orders.

After taking all of their orders, Crystal Berry goes into the kitchen and starts preparing the dishes. He comes back with a rolling cart as he places the plates down.

"Here we are, I hope you all enjoy." he says as he gives them the food.

He places a crystal berry fritter in front of Opal, the pastry glistening with a light buttery coating as the berries and jam mingle together on top.

He, then, passes DJ the crystal berry muffin. Steam emits from the dessert as DJ opens it and starts to put butter on it. But then he realizes he didn’t get a slice of the crystal berry pie.

“Um, where is my crystal berry pie, sir?” he asks Crystal Berry as Mr. Berry places a sub sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese, with mayonnaise lightly spread on the top bun in front of Gleamie.

“I’m sorry, DJ, but you’ll have to wait a bit longer for it because it is still in the oven. I apologize, I didn’t realize that it was out of stock until now.”

“Oh, okay I can wait.” DJ replies.

“Thank you for your understanding.” responds Mr. Berry, as he places a plate with a chocolate donut filled with custard in front of Archer, and, finally, places a plate in front of Sun Glimmer, who had ordered a cinnamon roll.

They all sit in the booth with DJ being across from Gleamie, and Sunny from Opal, with Archer on Sunny’s left. A few moments of silence pass, until DJ tries to break the ice.

"It's admirable that you ordered something healthy, Gleamie. I would have done the same, but desperately wanted a crystal berry product for lunch." DJ compliments her.

"Thank you, and I completely understand, those crystal berries are killer." Gleamie thanks him as she digs into her sub.

Sunny, who had already dug into her cinnamon roll, looks at DJ with curious eyes.

"So, how much are you liking the Crystal Empire right now?" she asks as she goes back to her cinnamon roll.

"Well, I'm really enjoying my stay, and I genuinely like Cadence and Opal for their kindness and hospitality. They've treated me well, almost like family." DJ says as he takes a bite of his muffin, his eyes lighting up at the flavor.

A few more moments of silence pass, until DJ thinks of a question.

"So, what do you all do for fun?" he asks, taking another bite of his muffin.

"Well, I like to go to the archery range and do some target practice." Archer replies.

"I just lay in the sun to soak up the rays or play in the sandbox at the park." Sun Glimmer answers as she eats.

"I like to dance in fancy clothes. Kinda like in operas and stuff." Gleamie replies, causing interest to spark in DJ's eyes.

"I like to dance too, but I use every part of my body, even my tail. I've trained to the point where I have strong muscles in it, that make me able to balance myself on it." he explains, causing a look of curiosity to appear on Gleamie's face.

“Really? Can you demonstrate?” asks Gleamie.

DJ blushes a bit, but gets up after taking another bite of his muffin and finds a spot in the restaurant with enough space to demonstrate his dance skills.

He dances a few steps of ballet, tango, salsa, and other various dances as his new friends watch in awe. He then starts to act like a charmed snake as he balances on his tail. Then he uses his tail like a hammock as he leans back on it. When he’s finished the girls applaud in approval and compliment him as he sits back down.

"So, what do you do for fun?" Archer asks him as DJ starts eating the muffin again.

Swallowing a bit of muffin, DJ then speaks.

"I like playing dress up and reading books mostly, but I'm always down for trying something new in the Empire." he answers, not willing to express all of his interests quite yet and wanting to do something with them all.

"What are Princess Cadence and Shining Armor like?" Sun Glimmer asks DJ with idle curiosity.

"Cadence is really sweet and kind, but I'm a bit afraid of Shining Armor." DJ answers.

"Oh, how come?" Opal asks, tilting her head in confusion.

"I don’t like drill sergeants or unicorns when they do magic, because I was mistreated by a unicorn from where I'm from." DJ explains, lowering his head as he remembers.

Opal pats DJ’s back with her hoof. "It's ok, I understand, I don’t like males with power either. Some of them let it go to their head." she says soothingly.

"Do you really not mind me being a boy?" DJ asks Opal in a hushed tone.

"I don't mind, in fact, I see you as a girl since you’d rather hang out with girls than boys." Opal says, reassuring him.

DJ blushes a bit at that remark, but doesn't mind.

"Am I a pretty girl?" he asks as he smiles a bit cheekily.

Opal giggles a bit at the question. "Yes you're gosh darn gorgeous." she says while ruffling his hair.

"I actually see you as a very handsome boy and wouldn’t mind if you wanted to come to my family’s tanning salon." Sun Glimmer says, causing DJ to blush.

"Thank you for the compliment, but I only like smart and hard working earth filly farmers and I probably wouldn’t ever get a tan." DJ replies.

"That's ok, but if you ever want one you can ask me, and I'll hook you up." Sun Glimmer tells him, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder.

"So, do you like Opal? And are you attracted to her?" Crystal Gleam asks, playfully nudging DJ and arching her eyebrows.

Hearing this question makes DJ blush. "I don’t really know her that much and I'm still looking for a smart farm filly. I'm not saying Opal isn't smart, but she is taken already and I’m trying to respect that. So I'm still looking for a filly that fits the bill, so to speak." DJ replies as the owner brings him the slice of crystal berry pie.

“Here’s your crystal berry pie, sorry for the delay,” says Mr. Berry in shame.

“It’s okay, I don't mind.” replies DJ and picks up a fork, gently cutting off a piece, getting a modest amount of filling and crust. He brings the bite into his mouth and chews slowly to savor the flavor. The sweetness and tartness of the berries paired with the buttery crust go well together as DJ smiles.

"You're right, Opal. This pie is mindblowing." DJ says as he takes another bite.

"I'm glad that you like it, I actually supply the berries for anyplace that uses them." Opal replies, grinning from ear to ear.

"So DJ, what would you like to do after we're done eating?" Archer asks as she finishes her chocolate doughnut.

DJ then says that he wants to finish touring around the Crystal Empire with Opal.

"Oh, we haven’t visited the train station, the library, the Crystal Stadium, or the statue of Spike ‘The brave and glorious’ yet!" Opal excitedly exclaims as she lists off places she wants to show him.

"Who's Spike?" DJ asks with peaked curiosity at the mention of his name and moniker.

Opal grins as she starts to tell the story.

"Spike is the one who saved the crystal heart and our empire from Sombra when he returned, he's a very important role model to the Crystal Empire.”

DJ listens to the story wholeheartedly as Opal tells him, hanging on every word. Once she has finished she sees that they are all done with their dishes and the owner has brought the bill. Opal gladly takes it and places the amount on the counter. "Thank you, Mr. Berry, always the best." Opal says as she and the group start to head out.

"You're welcome. Come again, and please bring your friends." Mr. Berry replies, waving bye to the younglings.