A Broken Flame

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

Day 3 part 3

Day 3

Current Time: 6:00 pm

Monday, July 10th

They soon arrive at the majestic palace. Passing through numerous corridors and halls, they come before DJ’s new bedroom door with his destiny mark and birthmark on the door. DJ expectantly imagines what there will be, but, as soon as Cadence opens the door, he is ecstatic, as his bedroom is far more superior than the one that he has imagined in his wildest dreams.

(Basic outline of DJ Hopper’s room.)

In the room, made of yellow crystal walls, which are shining in the light, on the center of the right wall an enormous bed is placed, which is the first thing that catches DJ’s attention.
The bed, richly decorated with an undefinable amount of golden and red pillows, fall themed blankets and comforters, dominates the bedroom, and in front of it there’s a red and orange striped rectangular rug and a stand, made of orange crystal, which supports the vast TV. The colt notices that on his right stands a closet, actually a pretty imposing one. He, still ecstatic about his bedroom, slowly comes close to the closet, opening it.

Inside of it, he finds a walk-in closet with a large amount of room to hang numerous amounts of clothes and storage space. He looks to the opposite side of the room to find a majestic, arched window that takes up most of the wall. DJ Hopper comes near it. The view is spectacular to him, as it looks towards the train station. On his right, now, there’s a desk, his personal working space, while on his left stands a glorious red mahogany wooden bookshelf, brimming with books of all kinds from fiction to nonfiction, history and magic, the wood making a lovely contrast with the crystal.

The girls, in the meantime, slowly enter the room and comment on it with a thin voice, out of breath and mesmerized by all this beauty.

"Wow… this is beyond incredible." Sunny says.

"Yeah… I don’t really know what to say, just that I’m slightly jealous of DJ." Gleamie adds.

"Yeah…" Opal and Archer reply at the same time.

"Cadence… they’re right, they’re absolutely right. I really don’t know how to thank you…" DJ thanks the Princess.

"Well, first of all, you don’t have to thank me, the pleasure is all mine. And second of all, you haven’t seen anything yet…" Cadence replies, with a wide smile on her face, pointing at a closed door near the television stand. The colt’s eyes light up with curiosity as he hurries towards it. Cadence and the girls follow him.

He enters the doorway to see a luxurious bathroom themed with yellow colors. Entirely made of white tiles, it shines with light, almost blinding everypony. A yellow rug runs down the middle of the room from the door to the end of the room. Along with two bath mates underneath each sink.

A room with a toilet is to the left of the door also themed yellow. The main element that catches the colt’s attention certainly is the massive tub that was big enough to fit several large ponies. He excitedly jumps up and down.

"I’m…so…so…so… happy!" DJ says between each jump. "Thank you Cadence, I’ll forever be grateful to you." he then tells the princess, running towards her so that he could give her the tightest hug.

"It’s nothing DJ, you deserve this and much, much more." Cadence, in turn, replies, hugging him back.

"So, what do you like the most about your bedroom?" she later asks.

"Um, where can I start? Maybe the bed, since it’s so huge, the tub, for the exact same reason, and the window, because it looks directly towards the train station!" an excited DJ answers, not taking a second to breathe.

"My gosh, this room’s incredible! I love how spacious it is!" Archer comments.

"Yeah! And have you seen how pretty it is? I’ve never seen such a beautiful room…" Crystal Gleam adds.

"Girls, what about the tub? It’s phenomenal! It’s so big that everyone here could fit in there." Opal observes.

"What about the bed? Do you know what I mean?" Sunny states.

"Yeah, we do…" the girls reply simultaneously.

"Even though it is really big," Sunny notices, "why is that so, DJ?" she questions.

"Well, I like cuddles from Cadence and I want there to be enough room for her, so that she can cuddle me often, and possibly for others… I’m a big snuggler, you know." DJ Hopper answers bashfully.

"And what about the tub? That one’s also huge…" Opal curiously asks.

"I also like to cuddle Cadence in there and I want enough space, so that she can be in the tub with me, along with my friends." DJ says.

His response bothers the girls, who blush, the thought of DJ and Cadence bathing together making them uncomfortable.

"What?" DJ asks in confusion.

"Well, it’s a bit… weird?" Opal states.

"What? Why? You all were fine with being in the mud bath together!" DJ observes.

"That was different, DJ." Archer argues.

"Different how?" DJ asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Girls and boys shouldn’t really take a bath together. It’s not proper, nor appropriate… we should always keep the privacy of our bodies." Archer explains.

"Well, that’s part of the reason why I always wear clothes, it’s because I don’t like to be naked!" DJ asserts.

"Furthermore, I make an effort to make sure that I don’t flash him and show him what’s under my tail. Don’t worry, girls, there’s nothing to worry about." Cadence declares.

"Yeah, I do the same, it’s nothing." DJ agrees.

"Hmm…" Opal and Gleamie voice, not quite convinced of the idea, but momentarily leaving it be.

Sunny, on the other hand, squeals and jumps excitedly up and down as she touches her cheeks energetically, finding the whole thing extremely cute. DJ slightly giggles at Sunny’s squeals, finding her vibrant personality refreshing. Cadence, to break the tension and to surprise DJ one more time, takes a golden bell in her hoof from the television stand and rings it. A few moments later, Golden Tassel, DJ’s beloved personal maid, comes into the room.

"GOLDIE!!!" DJ exclaims, running up and jumping towards the maid, embracing her in a hug which she gladly returns while rubbing his back.

"Hello, young master DJ, it is great to see you again." she replies while embracing him, smiling at his sweetness.

"It is great to see you too, Goldie!" DJ exclaims, leaning back and looking up at her while wagging his tail like a happy puppy.

"Well, look at who we have here! Who and what are you girls doing here?" Goldie asks, curiously looking at them with a smile on her face.

"This is Opal Bloom, while this is Crystal Gleam… Here, then, we have Sun Glimmer, and finally Archer." DJ introduces the girls to Goldie, pointing at each filly as he says the respective name.

"Hi! I’m Opal, just a farm filly." Opal says.

"While I am Crystal Gleam, otherwise known as Gleamie, and I love pretty things." Gleamie affirms.

"I, on the other hand, am Sun Glimmer, also known as Sunny, and I love spas, just as much as the sun, since my family owns one. One spa, that is." Sunny presents herself.

"And I am Archer! I love sports, especially archery. My name testifies it, as you may have noticed it." Archer concludes.

The girls have just finished introducing themselves, when suddenly they all hear a tummy grumbling, belonging to Cadence. They all turn their heads to her.

"I guess that means it’s dinner time." she says bashfully. "Are any of you hungry?"

One by one their tummies all grumble. Gleamie’s first, then Opal’s, afterwards Archer’s, a few seconds later Sunny’s, and lastly DJ’s.

Cadence and Goldie laugh in amusement as all the foals’ cheeks turn bright red in embarrassment.

"So, would you guys like to have dinner with us? You’re more than welcome here." Cadence proposes with a welcoming smile.

"Sure, thank you so much Cadence!" Opal replies, which causes a furtive nudge made by Gleamie.

The Princess, DJ and Goldie set forth towards the main dining hall. The girls follow them a few paces behind.

"Opal, can you explain to me why you can speak for yourself? I’m not used to being here in the castle! What if I embarrass myself like I usually do? In front of the Princess no less!" Archer whispers to Opal, a little bit upset.

"Exactly!" Sunny echoes.

"Girls, don’t worry, I know Cadence, she’s not a tyrant who will never forgive you if you drop a fork, my gosh!" Opal responds, slightly rolling her eyes.

"Exactly, you should know that by now…" Gleamie agrees.

"Opal, Gleamie, we know that she's extremely kind. It’s exactly for this reason that we’re intimidated by her. I mean, she’s a role model! We don’t want her to be disappointed in us, that’s all." Sunny argues.

"Girls, once again, do not worry, she isn’t like that, she’s one of us! It will be alright, I promise." Gleamie reassures them.

The girls, now all convinced, pick up the pace, so that now they are walking besides Cadence, DJ, and Goldie.

"You know, girls, you have been extremely kind to me today, and I want to treat you to a meal to thank you for your hospitality." DJ expresses.

"Oh, DJ, we thank you infinitely, but you really don’t have to! It was our pleasure, I promise." Sunny says, smiling sweetly at the colt.

"Yeah, absolutely. We were so happy to show you around the Empire!" Archer adds.

DJ, deeply moved by their kind words and delighted, starts to cry, big tears of joy running down his face. Furthermore, an intense amber light starts to be released from him. Cadence, seeing him getting emotional, walks to him and hugs him tightly.

"Hey… everything’s alright." she whispers to him "What’s wrong?" she asks.

"It’s nothing…" DJ responds, wiping the tears away from his face with his hoof. "It’s just that it has been a while since I have been shown so much kindness from so many ponies that are complete strangers to me. It’s refreshing and really, really beautiful." he adds.

"Oh, dear colt, it’s our pleasure, I say it with utmost sincerity, to show you hospitality, especially since you are Cadence’s personal student… I’m sure that the other staff members would agree with me." Goldie affirms, gently caressing DJ’s head.

Opal carefully observes the occurrence, confused by DJ Hopper’s behavior. She decides to ask about it later, as now it doesn’t seem to be the right time to do it, and tries to comfort him with a tight, supporting hug. Archer, Sunny, and Gleamie join in, tremendously sorry to see DJ cry. The colt silently cries, letting his overwhelming emotions all out and enjoying the girls’ warm embrace.

A few minutes later, DJ stops crying and asks, "Um… Can I… Um… if you girls don’t mind… call you… Um… my friends?… It would mean a lot to me if I could."

"Of course you can! It’s cool, I’d love to hang out with you more and maybe do some target practice together." Archer approves, smiling encouragingly at DJ.

"Oh, sure! I wouldn’t mind hanging out with a cute colt like you. No, I certainly wouldn’t…" Sunny affirms, blushing slightly at the thought.

DJ, in turn, blushes back, chuckling nervously.

"Of course it’s fine, DJ! As I always say, the more, the merrier!" Gleamie adds.

"Hmm… I don’t know about that, DJ. I like you, you’re really nice and funny, but you’re also a boy, and I don’t trust boys, since I only have had bad memories with them…" Opal replies, hesitant and sorry.

"Oh, come on, Opal. You know that he’s not a tyrant like Sombra, he’s a sweetheart! You can’t forbid yourself to trust boys again just because of your past experiences." Gleamie defends DJ, trying to convince Opal.

"I guess you’re right…" Opal responds to Gleamie "But DJ, you’re on thin ice. Once you lose my trust, it’s impossible to take it back." Opal warns the colt. DJ droops his ears in sorrow.

"Of course, Opal, I understand. I promise that I’ll try to be the best friend that you could ever ask for." DJ tells Opal, smiling at her. She weakly smiles at him back.

The group makes its way towards the dining hall, with Cadence leading the way.

"Goldie, do you want to join us? It would make me the happiest colt!" DJ proposes.

"Even though I have already eaten, I’ll join you, master DJ." Goldie approves, smiling at him sweetly.

They enter the gorgeous dining hall, while Sunny and Archer look around it, taking in the view of the large crystal table adorned with flowers.

"Wow, the hall looks amazing!" Sunny and Archer comment, out of breath, while taking a seat at the end of the table on the right side.

Cadence, instead, takes a seat on the far left of the table, while DJ pulls out Opal’s chair, which is across from Cadence. Opal sits down and thanks him for being such a gentleman, while Gleamie sits between Opal and Sunny, with Opal being on her right and Sunny on her left, next to Archer. DJ, then, sits with Cadence being on his left and Goldie on his right.

Bit Check, the castle’s personal waiter, comes in to take everyone’s order.

"Hello, Bit Check, could I please order two hay bacon BLTs?"

"Good evening, Miss Cadence, of course." A smiling Bit Check takes the Princess’ order.

"Hi, um, could I order a twelve inches sub sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, marble shredded cheese, spinach, guacamole, pickles, black olives, and mayonnaise, please?" DJ asks.

"Oh, we have a foodie in here! You have my respect, Mister DJ." the waiter comments.

"Um, thanks." DJ Hopper answers, slightly chuckling.

"I’d like a twelve inches sub sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, marble shredded cheese, pickles, cucumbers, and mayonnaise please." Archer makes her order.

"One for me too, please." Sunny echoes.

"Ok, so two of them." Bit Check replies while writing briskly on his notepad.

"Could I please order a six inches sub sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, marble cheese, and mayonnaise, please?" Gleamie asks.

"One for me too, please." Opal echoes.

"Sure, Miss." the waiter responds "And what about you, Goldie?" Bit Check asks, nodding towards her.

"Oh, just an ice tea for me, Bit Check." Goldie answers, smiling at him.

"Ok, I’ll quickly bring your orders to you." Bit Check affirms.

The waiter goes back into the kitchen to execute their orders.

"So, DJ, what have you seen in your trip around the Empire?" Asked Cadence.

"Well, first of all, we went to the park and played tag. It was pretty exhausting, by the way." DJ begins.

"Yes! I couldn’t even walk anymore." Opal says, chuckling at the memory.

"Then, since we were so hungry and exhausted, we went to the local bakery, where I ate a particularly superior crystal berry pie." the colt continues.

"Oh, and he showed us his dance moves! They were pretty spectacular." Gleamie observes.

"Then we went to the train station, it will be useful if I ever want to visit other cities." DJ goes on, "and then we went to the library. It was so pretty and also extremely vast! I then got a library card and I look forward to checking out books.”

“You can always check out books in the castle library if you want.” Cadence informs DJ.

“Oh okay I will keep a note of that! Then we went to the Crystal Stadium, but we stayed there just for a little bit, since no one here except for Archer likes sports. Then we went to see the Statue of Spike."

"We also found out that Sunny finds Spike cute." Gleamie says, smiling slightly.

"Which isn’t really surprising, since Sunny finds everyone cute." Archer adds.

“What!? I can’t help it if I find someone cute.” Sunny's face blushes a deep red and tries to hide under the table with everyone else chuckling.

DJ chuckles.

“And then we went to the archery range, where I did some target practice with Archer," he continues.

"By the way, you keep saying that you aren’t good at sports but you’re pretty good at them! Besides playing tag, you can also do target practice perfectly!" Archer comments.

DJ Hopper slightly blushes. "Why, thank you, Archer!" he thanks her, "and then, finally, we went to Sunny’s family’s spa. First we went to the steam room where the girls all cluttered me trying to get warm, and then we took a mud bath and I thanked Opal for the tour while Archer and Sunny played in the mud. At this point, you came to the spa, and the rest is history!" he concludes, smiling at the happy memories.

"Archer isn’t wrong, though, he does seem secretly sporty…" Gleamie starts to say.

"Yeah, he was really hard to catch when we were ‘it’ at the tag game, and we are usually pretty good at it!" Opal continues.

Suddenly, Bit Check arrives from the kitchen with the group’s orders, and everyone digs into their meal.

"Mmm, you know, in the future I’d love to do some more target practice with you, it seems that you’re really good at it!" Archer proposes taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Oh, but I’m not that good. Actually, my self defense laser does most of the job since it has an auto tracking system but I usually don’t use it while I am practicing shooting targets." DJ states. At everyone’s curious look, he explains, with a sad look in his big eyes, "You know, my parents were very overprotective of me… but, anyway, the spa treatments really relaxed me."

"And you’re welcome to my family’s spa anytime you want." Sunny affirms, smiling at him.

"Mister DJ, you look very handsome, do you know that? Your fur is bright and it’s shining." Goldie compliments DJ, starting to gently pet him.

"You’re also really soft." she comments. DJ closes his eyes as he smiles, enjoying the cuddles and the affection.

The girls all giggle in cuteness overload, looking at how precious DJ looks, enjoying the protection and the feeling of safety.

"DJ, if I’m not being too nosy, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Opal takes the courage to ask.

"Sure, ask away." the colt approves, a little bit scared of what she might be curious about.

"Why were you so overjoyed by our kindness earlier?" Opal says in one breath, afraid that DJ may refuse to answer.

"Um, I don’t know if I want to answer that…" DJ Hopper begins to say ear’s drooping.

"DJ, you don’t have to worry. You can trust us, and telling us about the messed up things that happened to you will actually help you to feel better, to be freed from a burden that’s called the past. We all have it, by the way, that burden, so you aren’t alone in this." Cadence kindly encourages DJ to talk about his past.

DJ, at the Princess’ words, takes courage.

"Ok… to sum it up, ponies weren’t really kind to me. Because of my powers and special abilities, everypony that I encountered treated me like a celebrity and had high expectations of me, and that started to kill me on the inside, because no one saw me as a normal pony, able to make mistakes or deserving to be loved and to be treated as an equal, but instead they criticized me for my faults. That, obviously, put an enormous pressure on me, making me feel constantly observed. So, you know, it’s quite refreshing to be surrounded by ponies who want to be your friend because of you, and not because of your powers or expectations." DJ finally confesses, tears streaming down his face as Goldie stokes his head gently, to calm him.

"DJ, whatever will happen I’ll promise you this, we will never treat you like the other foals from your childhood did. We’ll always consider you as an equal, because, as far as I know, you’re DJ, not some pony that has crazy powers." Opal says, looking at DJ with sorrow.

"Absolutely, DJ." the others add simultaneously, upset by the revelation.

"You can feel safe here, nothing of this kind will ever happen to you again." Cadence assures him as he slowly nods. She takes his hoof into hers.

"Thank you all for your support, I really appreciate it." DJ Hopper says, a small, tender smile forming on his face.

Goldie keeps petting him as everyone continues to eat their meal.

"Hmm… I wish that I could purr to express my contentment, because that’s what I would be doing right now if I could." DJ states, his eyes slowly closing in satisfaction.

"Does someone want to play a game while our stomachs make room for dessert?" DJ proposes after finishing his sandwich.

"Yes, that’s a great idea!" Sunny expresses, nodding vigorously.

"What about a card game?" the colt offers.

"Yes! We could play Go Fish." Gleamie utters.

"Sounds like an amazing plan!" Archer excitedly voices.

"Yes!" Opal and Sunny reply simultaneously.

"Ok, so we’ll play Go Fish then." DJ Hopper says "Goldie, could you get a few decks of cards for us, please?" he then asks his personal maid.

"Sure, young master DJ, I’ll get them now." Goldie responds while getting up to exit the room, so that she can get the decks.

"By the way, don’t expect to win easily this time, DJ, I usually play a few card games with my older sister Opal Jack when we’re done with our chores, and I can confidently say that I’m pretty good at it." Opal affirms.

"Yeah, me too… I often play some card games with the staff over at the spa when they’re off duty, and with my family too." Sunny adds.

"Hmm, I don’t really spend much time on card games, so I’m not that much of an expert." Gleamie admits.

"I, on the other hand, I’m really good at playing sports or even games," Archer expresses. "I can take on anyone." she then adds with a smile.

"Wow! Then DJ might have some competition with you, since he’s also pretty good at playing card games." Cadence says to Archer.

"Yes, I might, even though I’m not so sure if I’ll win or not." DJ declares, smiling sheepishly.

A few moments later, the ponies see Goldie coming back, carrying a few blue and red decks of cards.

"Here you go, little ones." Goldie says with a sweet smile.

DJ’s personal maid takes a blue deck and a red one and she shuffles them together for the young ponies.

"So, how do we determine who wins?" Sunny, in the meantime, asks.

"Hmm, maybe we could decide that the winner of three matches wins, and that it doesn’t matter if they win from the blue deck or the red one." Opal proposes.

The others nod in agreement.

"Yes, that works." DJ Hopper approves.

"So, who’s going to be the dealer?" Goldie asks.

"Maybe DJ could do it!" Sunny expresses, smiling at the colt.

"Yes, I agree!" the other girls say in unison.

"Alright, young master DJ, here you go." Goldie tells DJ Hopper, handing him the shuffled pack of cards.

"Thank you, Goldie." the colt thanks her.

DJ takes the deck of cards, giving five of them to Opal, Archer, Gleamie, Sunny, Cadence, and Goldie, and places the rest of the cards face-down in the middle of the table.

"Ok, so you can start, Cadence." DJ affirms.

Cadence begins to ask Goldie if she’s got any fours.

"I’m sorry, Miss Cadence, I do not!" the maid declares. "Gosh, I can’t believe that I’ve said that to the actual Princess, ‘Go fish!’" she then adds, causing everypony to laugh.

Because of this she picks a card up from the stack. Cadence, still laughing, takes a card.

Now it’s Opal’s turn. She studies her cards attentively, unsure of what to ask for and making sure that Gleamie doesn’t see what she’s got.

"Sunny, do you have any jacks?" Opal asks.

Gleamie, clearly not having a poker face, widens her eyes, while Sunny just smiles.

"Go fish, Opal." she says, triumphant.

Opal playfully rolls her eyes and picks up one card from the pile. Now it’s Gleamie’s turn.

"Gosh, what do I do…" the filly thinks out loud. "Opal, do you have any jacks?" she finally asks.

"Ugh!" Opal responds, while handing to Gleamie her only jack.

Gleamie grins in victory and promptly questions DJ if he has any jacks.

"I’m sorry, Gleamie, but I think that you’ll have to go fish." he simply replies, shrugging.

Gleamie’s smile dramatically falters, causing everyone to burst out laughing. She, then, picks up one card. Now it’s Archer’s turn.

"Well, well, well, Gleamie, let’s see if you have any jacks in there." Archer quickly affirms, feigning solemnity.

Gleamie, with a deep sigh, hands to Archer her three jacks.

"I was so close!" Crystal Gleam then whines.

"That’s too bad." Archer ironically replies, laying down her four jacks.

Now she’s observing her remaining cards, determining her strategy.

"DJ, do you have any twos?" she eventually decides to ask.

He raises his eyebrows as he gives her his two.

"How did you know that I had a two?" DJ Hopper curiously asks.

Archer shrugs.

"Honestly it was just luck this time, even though I wish that I was some kind of clairvoyant." she says, laughing. "Now, do you have any twos, Sunny?" the young pony, then, adds.

"Yes, I do have one…" Sunny says, giving Archer her two.

"Whoop there it is!" Archer exclaims. "Opal, what about you? Do you have any twos?"

"Unfortunately for you, I do not. Go fish!" she responds, grinning.

Archer, laughing, takes a card from the stack. A thoughtful Sunny is pondering her choices.

"Hmm… DJ, have you got any fives?" she, in the end, questions.

"Nope, go fish." DJ replies.

Sunny, smiling, picks a card up from the center of the table. Now it's Goldie’s turn.

"Archer, have you got any eights?"

Archer nods, as she hands her her eight.

"Gleamie, do you have any eights?" she questions a few seconds later.

"Unfortunately I do not, Goldie. Go fish!" Gleamie responds.
Goldie, still laughing, takes a card. DJ’s turn has come.

"Archer, have you got any queens?" he asks.

Archer gulps as she gives him her two queens. He smiles sheepishly, but then he sees Opal’s glance nervously shifting from one side to the other.

"And what about you, Opal? Do you have any queens?" he tells her, raising his eyebrows.

"You got me." Opal says, mocking defeat and giving DJ her card.

The colt, exultant, lays his four queens before him.

"Sunny, have you got any kings?" he, in the end, requests.

"I’m sorry, DJ, I do not!" Sunny answers, her expression so disappointed that it makes Opal silently giggle.

"It’s your turn again, Cadence!" DJ informs her.

"Sure… have you got any nines, Archer?" the Princess inquires.

"Yup!" the filly exclaims as she gives her her only nine.

"And have you got any fours, Sunny?"

"No, I don’t, Cadence, you’ll have to go fish." she replies while shaking her head.

Now it’s Opal’s turn.

"Have you got any fives, Sunny?" she asks.

Sunny nods as she gives her her two fives.

"Have you got any fives, Goldie?" she, then, questions.

"Yes, dear." Goldie tells her, giving Opal her only five.

Opal, then, places enthusiastically her four fives on the table.

"Hooray! My first ‘book’ of the day, and certainly not the last!" she exclaims, causing everyone to smile at her exuberance.

"And have you got any kings too, Goldie?" Opal then asks.

"Nope!"

The filly draws a card from the stack, as the turn passes to Gleamie.

"Hmm… have you got any fours, Opal?"

"Nope, sorry. Go fish!" Opal answers.

"Ugh, fine." Crystal Gleam states, jokingly rolling her eyes.

She takes a card from the group of cards, passing the turn to Archer.

"Well, well, well… who am I going to choose?" Archer theatrically questions.

"Oh, give us a break, Archer, enough with the suspense." Gleamie says, chuckling lightly.

"Fine! DJ, have you got any twos now?"

"Yeah…" he replies, handing her his card.

"And with that, ladies and gentlemen, I win this round!" Archer declares while picking DJ’s card and placing her four twos on the table, leaving her with no cards.

Everypony, at this point, laughs and congratulates Archer on her win, clapping at her.

Other two rounds start, won, respectively, by DJ and Archer, which makes the filly the definitive winner of the game.

"Congratulations, Archer, you deserve it!" the colt exclaims.

"Thank you, DJ… to be fair, you were a really good competitor!" Archer, in turn, responds.

"Does anyone want a dessert now? I don’t know about you, but I possess a very sweet tooth." DJ, then, asks the others.

"Yes!" the girls all agree simultaneously.

"Yes, I’d like a sweet too," Cadence adds. "What about you, Goldie?"

"Um, sure! I’d love that, Miss Cadence!" the maid approves.

"Okay, I’ll call Bit Check, then." Cadence concludes, getting up to call the waiter in.

A few moments later, Bit Check comes to take everyone’s order.

"Hello again, everyone! What would you like for dessert?" the server asks.

"Hi, um, could I get some vanilla ice cream with some crystal berry topping, please?" Opal requests.

"Sure, Miss!" he answers, while writing her order on his notepad.

"Could I, instead, have some homemade chocolate pudding?" Gleamie adds.

Bit Check nods vigorously.

"I want a crystal berry fritter, please." Sunny orders.

"The same for me too, please." Archer echoes.

"Could you bring me a golden pastry, Bit Check?" Goldie asks.

"Sure, Goldie…" the waiter replies while writing incessantly.

"I’d like some vanilla ice cream topped with crystal berries, just like Opal ordered, please." DJ requests.

"I’d kindly want a chocolate donut with cream filling, Bit Check." the Princess finally says.

"Sure, Miss Cadence." the server says "I’ll bring you your desserts as soon as possible." he, then, adds while walking away.

"While we wait for our dessert we could play another card game…" DJ proposes.

"Yes, I’d love that!" Archer agrees "In this way I can let you claim your championship on card games." she, then, adds with a smirk.

"Really funny, Archer." DJ Hopper jokingly says. "My favorite card game is Garbage, could we play it, please?"

"Sure!" Gleamie exclaims.

The other girls nod in agreement.

"But I don’t really know the rules of the game, and probably the others don’t, either… Could you explain them to us, please?" Archer queries.

"Of course! Okay, so you have ten cards that you are trying to get rid of that all count up to ten. If you get a card that you don’t have, like for example two, then you put it in the two spot and then flip over the old card, put it in the right spot, or throw it away." the colt answers, "Do you all get the rules?" he then queries.

"Yup!" the others exclaim simultaneously.

Goldie, then, shuffles the blue and red decks of cards again, and, while she does that, DJ speaks again.

"Let’s set this rule now, the card color and suit have to match, so that we can easily put the cards away. Also, now you will be the dealer, Cadence. Is this alright?"

Everypony nods.

With all being established, Cadence starts to deal ten cards to each player, placing the remaining ones at the center of the table. Each pony, without seeing their cards, places them in two horizontal rows of five cards each. This time Opal’s the first. She draws a card from the stock, and it’s an ace of clubs. She places it on the ace spot, where she finds four of clubs, that was previously placed there. She, in turn, puts the card on the four spot, where she unfortunately finds a seven of spades, a different suit. She ruefully sighs, discarding the card by placing it face up on the table next to the pile of cards and passing the turn to Gleamie. The filly picks the seven of spades card up from the stack. She places it on the seven spot, where she finds a king of hearts.

"Okay, I’ve officially given up!" Crystal Gleam ironically announces, drawing, in this way, a smile upon the other ponies’ faces.

She discards the card, passing the turn to Archer. The latter draws a three of heart, which she promptly puts on the three spot, substituting it with a four of hearts. The card, then, replaces a seven of the same suit on the four spot. The filly keeps to successfully replace her cards until she completes her layout. She, then, discards the remaining card, a two of hearts.

"Gosh, I cannot believe it! You’re either extremely lucky or possess secret knowledge." Opal voices, looking at her with an inquisitive glance.

"I swear, I don’t know how I did it! " Archer responds, shrugging.

Now it’s Sunny’s turn. She picks a card from the stockpile, which immediately reveals to be a queen of hearts, ending her turn abruptly.

"Wow! This is proving to be so much harder than I thought…" the filly considers.

She places the card onto the stack, while Goldie begins to play. The maid draws an ace of diamonds, which she puts on the one spot, substituting it with a three of diamonds, its position previously occupied by a six of the same suit. She places the card on the respective setting, but there lies another six of diamonds, the same card, determining the end of her attempt, and the beginning of DJ’s one. The colt draws a ten of spades, with which he replaces the seven of spades, on the tenth position. As it happened with Archer, a lucky event occurs for DJ Hopper: he collects all the spades and displays them before him. He smiles, extremely pleased by his luck. He, lastly, discards a seven of diamonds. Now it’s Cadence’s turn. The Princess picks up a three of clubs, which she immediately replaces, on the three spot, with a king of spades, ending her turn.

"Well, so far only Archer and DJ have completed the set. Let’s start a new hand!" Cadence says, collecting all the cards that are on the table, shuffling and dealing them again to the players.

This time Archer and DJ, since they’ve won the hand, play with only nine cards, while the others with ten. At that moment, though, Bit Check comes towards their table, bringing the ponies their desserts. Everyone stares at the dishes, unsure of whether eating the sweets or continuing to play.

"Well, what if we eat while we play?" Sunny proposes.

"Simple solutions to complex problems, I guess…" Gleamie considers.

Her offer is gladly accepted by all, and the game continues, as everybody takes a few bites of their dessert in between turns. Gleamie, less experienced than the other ponies and clearly not exceptionally fond of card games, has to restart her deck immediately after the start of the turn almost every time, while DJ Hopper and Archer, towards the end of the game, start to get competitive. This time the colt beats the filly, laying the last ace on the lone one spot.

"Congratulations, DJ!" the ponies all exclaim, celebrating DJ’s victory.

"Thank you all, even though you certainly weren’t easy to beat, Archer!" DJ replies, triumphantly jumping on his seat.

"Now it’s getting kind of late… maybe we should go." Opal says after some time. "I had a really great time, though, we should do this again." she adds with a smile.

"Yeah, totally!" the other girls exclaim.

The fillies, then, begin to give DJ a hug goodbye. Archer is the first, hugging him quickly. The same, however, cannot be said for Sunny, who’s enjoying the embrace a bit too much, blushing and smiling sweetly, not wanting to let go of DJ.

"Okay Sunny, that’s enough, you can let go of DJ now." Cadence awkwardly expresses.

"But he’s so warm and cuddly!" Sunny whines, not wanting to let go.

"Come on, Sunny, let go please! I got to give the other girls a hug goodbye!" DJ exclaims, starting to get all warm and fuzzy.

"Who are you trying to kid? Just give in and accept it, we all know that you like it!" Opal says, hiding a giggle behind her hoof, beginning to feel a little bit cheeky.

Opal isn’t lying, DJ’s enjoying Sunny’s hug so he just accepts it and cuddles into her.

"Awwww!" the Princess and Goldie inevitably exclaim, their hearts melting at the precious scene.

A few minutes later, Sunny finally pulls away from the hug, allowing Crystal Gleam to embrace him.

"Wow, you’re so warm!" she comments, before pulling back.

Finally, Opal comes to squeeze him in an embrace, which makes DJ Hopper struggle to keep his emotions under control, and causes his wings to pop up inadvertently another time. Everyone burst into a loud laugh, while DJ and Opal’s cheeks turn into a bright red from embarrassment. DJ nervously chuckles as he backs away from the filly.

"Sorry." DJ says, trying to hide his shame.

"Um… Y-yeah, it’s okay, DJ. See you around." Opal briskly says, running out of the room which causes Gleamie to sigh.

"I’ll go check to see if she’s ok. Goodbye!" she affirms, running after Opal Bloom.

"DJ, I’m so sorry for how I’ve bothered you, I didn’t mean to cause you such embarrassment…" Sunny declares, utterly mortified.

"Yeah, you’ve got to forgive her, she means well, you know that." Archer adds.

"Oh, i-it’s o-o-okay, S-Sunny, n-nev-verm-mind…" DJ stutters, looking deeply shocked by what the filly just made him do.

"Goldie, you probably should calm him down, I’ll escort the girls out in the meantime." Cadence affirms.

"Of course, Miss Cadence." the maid replies.

The Princess and the two fillies walk out as DJ awkwardly waves goodbye at them, moving his hoof as if he’s knocking on a door and continuing to sit there, still profoundly embarrassed. As the girls leave the room, they frantically try to apologize again, this time to Cadence.

"Don’t worry girls, it’s not a big deal, and if we’re going to be honest, DJ’s shyness doesn’t help either… he will calm down, I promise." the Princess tries to calm them down.

"Thank you for saying that, Cadence, your words reassure me." Archer expressed. "But I still can’t understand why you did it, Sunny! It was kind of inappropriate, if you know what I mean." she, then, tells Sunny.

"Gosh, I get it, I exaggerated! But I couldn’t help it, he was so cute and soft!" Sunny exclaims.

"Sunny, as I understand it, I think that you might like DJ. Is that so?" Cadence inquires.

"Um, I mean, I think so… I find him cute, and also kind of attractive." Sunny admits, her face turning red.

"And have you told DJ this?" Cadence asks her with an understanding smile.

"Yeah, I told him at the bakery but he said to me that he wasn’t interested." Sunny says, a bit downcasted.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Sunny… you see, sometimes boys are quite clueless, in a way that they actually don’t understand their feelings. What I’m trying to say is that just because he doesn’t like you now it doesn’t mean that he might not like you in the future, when he’ll get to know you better. And if he still won’t be interested, surely there will be another colt waiting for you." the Princess reassures her, sympathizing with her feelings.

Now the ponies come before the exit of the castle, where Opal and Gleamie are waiting.

"Now, girls, I must leave you here, be sure to travel safely. Goodnight to you all." Cadence affirms, before walking back to the dining room to check on DJ.

Princess Cadence comes in to find DJ hugging Goldie, who’s tenderly rubbing his back, trying to calm him down. She walks towards them and sits near them on the floor.

"How are you feeling now, DJ?" Cadence asks him.

"Still a bit embarrassed, but better now." DJ replies while laying his head on Goldie’s shoulder.

"I’m glad for that! So, what do you want to do for the remainder of the day?" she questions.

"Oh, nothing much, I’m really tired." he answers with a smile "Maybe I’ll unpack my things and put some of my clothes away in the closet."

"Ok, do you need any help with that?"

"Um…I certainly wouldn’t mind the extra help, but I don’t think that I really need it."

"It’s alright, I’ll be more than happy to help you." Cadence responds with a smile. "Come on, Goldie, let’s go to DJ’s room."

Day 3

Current Time: 8:00 pm

Monday, July 10th

They enter DJ Hopper’s room. The colt takes off his hunch and begins to take things out from it. He starts by taking all the dirty clothes out and putting them in a now nearly full hamper, positioned to the left side of the door and next to the television stand.

"Goldie, could you take the laundry down to be cleaned, please?" he requests.

"Sure, dear!" the maid responds.

"But please keep in mind that I’m allergic to blue dye, so you shouldn’t use it to clean my clothes. I don’t know if you can wash them without it…" DJ starts to explain.

"Young master, you underestimate my cleaning skills. Let me tell you that I’m excellent at it, so do not worry, I’ll find a way to clean your clothes without the blue dye." Goldie affirms.

"That’s perfect, thank you, Goldie!" DJ Hopper exclaims.

"You’re more than welcome, sweetheart." she tells him affectionately.

With that being said, the colt takes out some clean robes to hang in the closet. With the help of Cadence, he folds the clothes and puts them on the hangers to position them in the wardrobe, while Goldie takes the dirty garments to be washed. DJ, then, puts his socks and underwear in some baskets and some spare hunches onto the shelves for storage. Afterwards, he turns his attention towards his desk, which is meant for writing letters and doing homework. The colt takes out some pencils, pens, colorful highlighters, a ruler, and some other objects to be put in the desk drawers. The Princess’ attention is caught by the pens, unfamiliar to her.

"What are those?" she curiously questions, pointing at them.

"Hmm, let me search it up in my database…" he says.

After a few moments, DJ Hopper speaks again.

"These are ballpoint pens, they are a particular type of pen that dispenses ink in paste form over a metal ball at its point, hence the name. So they’re used for writing on paper." he explains.

"Wow, that’s really interesting! I’ve never seen them…" she voices.

He, subsequently, pulls a mobile of Sakatoria out from his hunch.

"And what is this?" she asks.

"This is a small model of my home planet, Sakatoria, I use it to send letters back home to my parents." he says.

Cadence simply nods. With that, DJ heads into the bathroom and puts his toothbrush, toothpaste, brushes, combs, loofah, and soap in their corresponding places. When he exits the bathroom he sees that Goldie has returned, bringing with her the hamper, now empty.

"Is there anything else that you want to add to your room?" the Princess says to DJ.

"No, not really. For now I’d like to keep it this way, it’s perfect!" DJ excitedly states.

Goldie, in the meantime, takes a look around to observe the new objects, some of them quite peculiar, and notices the mobile.

"If I’m not being indiscreet, could I ask what is this?" the maid questions, indicating the odd gadget.

DJ looks uncertain, pondering whether he should explain it to her or not. Cadence, seeing his expression, motions him to follow her to the bathroom. Once they’re there, the Princess speaks, putting a hoof on his shoulder.

"You should trust her about your identity, DJ, she’s a good and kind pony. Do you trust my judgement?"

DJ thinks about it for a few moments, before nodding in agreement.

"Ok, Cadence, I’ll tell her."

She nods, smiling affectionately at him. Then, they come out of the bathroom to find an apologetic Goldie.

"You don’t have to tell me that if you don’t want to…" she expresses, mortification in her eyes.

"No, it’s fine. I trust you, Goldie!" he says, smiling at her. "But keep in mind that whatever happens in this room should stay in this room, so please, do not tell anyone about what I’m going to tell you."

"Of course, young master DJ, I won’t say a word." the maid utters.

"Ok, basically, to keep this short, what you’re seeing is a mobile, a model of my home planet."

At his words, Goldie’s face looks shocked for a moment, but then she realizes that DJ and Cadence trust her with this secret knowledge, so she puts on a brave face.

"I’ll keep your secret, master DJ, I promise." she vows.

They remain in silence for a few moments.

"So, DJ, what do you want to do for the last thirty or forty minutes? We should go to bed at nine o’clock." Cadence speaks.

"Well, firstly, what are we going to do tomorrow?" the colt asks.

"Tomorrow Azure and Luna are coming here. Quite exciting, isn’t it?" Cadence replies with enthusiasm.

At the news, DJ Hopper’s face lights up and his eyes sparkle. He excitedly jumps up and down.

"Yay, that’s amazing! I should probably take a bath… actually, nevermind, I want to keep the chemicals from the spa for as long as possible, to get the benefits." he voices.

Cadence giggles at his agitation.

"Well, maybe you could try the tub another time." she proposes.

"Yes, that’s a great idea." DJ responds "Hmm, now I’d like to try out the bed, do you want to do it with me?" he adds.

"Sure, DJ." the Princess agrees.

"Of course." Goldie echoes.

So Goldie goes over on the side of the bed near the desk, while Cadence goes to the opposite one. They pull back the comforter as DJ walks towards the side of the bed near his maid, climbs on it after taking off his hunch and robe and crawls over to the middle of the mattress. Cadence takes off her armor and gets into the bed along with Goldie getting into the bed with him after he does.

"Well, how’s the bed, DJ?" Cadence inquires.

"Hmm, really, really, comfortable, and with plenty of room for other ponies as well." DJ responds in a husky voice, getting comfortable into Cadence’s chest fluff and hugging Goldie.

"Can the bed be raised and lowered to my liking?" he then asks.

"Yes, it can." Cadence answers.

"With individual spots?"

"Why don’t you see it for yourself." she says, pulling out a remote from one of the nightstands and hoofing it over to DJ.

DJ takes the remote to find ten sets of up and down arrows. He presses the up arrow placed in the middle of the top row. The bed emits a whirring sound and its top part starts to raise behind the colt’s head.

"Wow! This will help a lot when I need to sit up on the bed. I can also enjoy watching TV with numerous cuddle buddies!" he exclaims, a happy smile forming on his face.

He decides to grab the remote control and turn on the television, while snuggling with the two ponies. As soon as the first pictures begin to appear, he marvels at what he’s seeing.

"The picture is so clear! You can see every little detail…" DJ Hopper comments.

"Well, it’s because it’s an HD television with 3D graphics and other high quality technical things I currently cannot remember the name of." Cadence explains.

"It’s a very impressive TV… I really look forward to watching movies with other ponies." he remarks.

"Here, press this… it will show you a clip with the 3D feature." Cadence instructs him, pointing at a remote control's button.

He does what the Princess has said, and, upon pressing the button, a tridimensional succession of colorful images appears before him, surreal and magical, making everypony marvel at the mesmerizing scene. When the clip finishes, it has finally come the time to go to bed.

"Well, it’s time for bed, and I’m beyond exhausted." DJ declares, yawning deeply.

"Goodnight Cadence." he says, hugging her tightly.

"Goodnight, little one." she, in turn, whispers, giving him a feathery kiss, which he reciprocates.

He then turns his body towards his maid, "Goodnight, Goldie." he says and embraces her and kisses her goodnight.

Goldie blushes at the gesture, but she accepts it and tickles the colt in return causing him to giggle.

"You’re such an affectionate colt." she observes with a tender grin, giving him raspberries and kissing his cheek.

They stay there for a few moments, until they all fall asleep.

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long I was waiting for the artwork of Goldie.