A Broken Flame

by Luckyfanisaac

Rating: mature
Tags: Other, Original Character, Mystery, Science Fiction, Crystal Ponies, Adventure, Shining Armor, Doctor Who, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Cadance, Alternate Universe
Length: 109575

A young Time Lord hybrid colt learns what it means to have friends.

A young colt crash lands in the Crystal Empire and learns about what it means to have friends. Join him in his adventures as he learns about friendship and more about himself.

Published 2020-04-05 20:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2024-01-09 05:44:39 UTC

Prologue

A Broken Flame

By Luckyfanisaac

Prologue

A young pony colt wearing a Time Lord robe is rapidly moving around a Tardis console with sparks, flames, and explosions flying everywhere. He is trying to get the Tardis to land after he regenerated.

The Tardis, that’s disguised as a hot air balloon, is now on a planet flying through the sky and crashes through the tip of a snow-covered mountain. The impact shakes the interior that causes the occupant to hit a lever that unlocks and opens the door and also causes him to stumble and fall out the door. Thankfully the Tardis had passed through the mountain peak by then.

The young pony is now dangling from the Tardis holding on by his gifted magical fingers. His scared emotions clouded his thoughts that prevented him from thinking straight that had also caused him to be in his current situation.

The Tardis was now heading towards a town made entirely out of crystals. This was known as the Crystal Empire by the locals. The Tardis unfortunately wasn’t flying high enough to clear the huge Crystal Palace in the middle of the town so the Tardis hit a big portion of the spiked tip of the palace making a loud BANG!!!

The impact caused the young pony to let go of his grip on the Tardis causing him to smack his face and body flat on the side of the Crystal Palace causing a crack in the lens on his cyborg eye that covered his left eye. He slid down the palace for a few feet making this sound.

0:03

The spike cracked where it had been hit giving a loud creaking sound. The Tardis ran up the spike as it fell making a loud scraping sound causing the spike to fling into the setting sun in the West making a fwoo fwoo fwoo sound. It flipped in the air for several feet and landed on it’s tip with a skew like a dart sound then fell over with a loud thud. It laid with the fat part facing the setting sun and its tip facing the Empire. The Tardis then flew off into the setting sun but the Tardis had automatically closed its doors as it had scraped against the spike of the Empire.

The colt then launched off the tip and tumbled backwards the rest of the way down and landed on the outer side of one of the pillars on the east side of the palace. He laid there in this position but his legs were in a lying position.

As he laid there he finally broke down and started to cry but very softly. He cried about all the horrors that he saw for the past few months; He cried that he was away from his family even though they gave him their blessing for running away from his fearful memories; He cried that he lost his father’s type 75 refuge Tardis and might never find it again and go home; He cried for all the pain that he was in both physical and mental; He cried that he didn’t know where he was and he especially cried he had no one to comfort him.

A few minutes ago…

A married pony couple were talking to each other in the living room in the Crystal Palace. It was around 6 PM on July 7 th, (sometime after the end of season 4), so it will be a while before they turned in for the night. The pony couple was Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Then they heard a loud BANG from above them. Followed by a creek, a scrap, and a loud thud.

“WAHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHH HA HA!!!” Cried Flurry Heart from her room.

“What was that!?” Cried Cadence.

“It sounded like something hit the Crystal Tower,” replied Shining Armor. “I’ll take a few guards and go out and investigate. While you calm down Flurry Heart.”

Cadence simply nodded and ran off to calm Flurry Heart while Shining Armor put on his armor. He then rallied up a few guards and set off to investigate the loud noises.

A few minutes later Cadence was able to calm down Flurry Heart and put her back to bed. She exited the nursery and closed the door behind her and headed back to the living room to wait for Shining Armor. After waiting for 5 minutes she decided to go out and do some investigating herself.

As she exited the palace doors two guards walked up to her. “Your majesty what are you doing out here?” One asked.

“I decided to do some investigating of my own.” She replied. “Has my husband discovered anything unusual?”

“Yes,” replied the other. “Some pegasi scouted the skies to find part of the tip of the palace to be broken. We’ve discovered the broken portion of the palace in a field in the west. We were ordered to come back to the palace to fetch more Pegasi and supplies to fix the broken portion of the palace.”

“So we have everything under control right now.” Said the first guard.

“Well then I’ll leave you two to it then and just have a look around.” Said Cadence giving a soft smile.

“Of course your majesty.” Replied the second guard.

After the guards had walked back into the palace to get some supplies Cadence took notice of a soft whimpering sound. She looked around trying to find the source. When she looked around the corner of the Crystal Palace to her right she discovered the noise coming from a small orange colt, with red stripes along his face, hooves, and also in his mane but a lighter shade. He was wearing a red robe, a strange yellow neck brace, and strange black fingers on his hooves. She was only able to see his right eye that was closed and had tears coming out of it, the other one being around the corner. Her motherly and foalsitter instincts soon kicked in telling her that she should try to comfort the small orange colt.

“Hey little guy,” she said in a soft sweet voice trying to get the colt's attention, “why are you crying?”

The colt, hearing a soft voice, stopped his crying for a moment and slowly opened his eyes. He then saw a pink mare with wings AND a horn. His eyes widened at this and became really nervous. He never saw a pony with wings and a horn before. Unsure what to do he got up and hid himself around the rest of the corner.

Cadence, seeing the colt was a little nervous, tried to give some comforting words. “It’s okay little one I won’t hurt you. You can come out.”

The colt only poked his right eye around the corner to look at the mare.

Cadence tried encouraging the colt again. “It’s okay there’s no need to be afraid.”

With that the colt finally slowly came around the corner with his head down. Cadence then briefly noticed that the colt also had a pair of orange wings. When he was finally in front of Cadence he shyly lifted his head up to look at the kind mare. Cadence lifted her right front hoof up slightly and gasped in surprise. On the colt’s left eye was a red cyborg eye piece that had a small crack on the lense.

“He must have had something to do with those loud noises.” She thought to herself. She then saw the colt splay his ears back and gave a sad expression as he tilted his head down. Seeing the colt’s sad expression she brought her right hoof underneath his chin and lifted his head up. She was going to put her hoof around his neck but his neck brace seemed to restrict that.

“It’s alright little one. I didn’t mean to upset you. You just…surprised me that’s all.” Cadence reassured. The colt, feeling a little better, then ran up to her left front leg, wrapped his body around it, rested his right check against her leg, and hugged the kind mare, still a bit shakenned up.

After getting over her initial shock, Cadence simply sat down and wrapped her other hoof around the colt and hugged the colt back running her hoof up and down his back trying to comfort him.

A few minutes later, the colt seemed to calm down and stopped shaking. Cadence then leaned in closer to his ear and asked him softly, “Are you feeling better?”

The colt looked up at Cadence and simply nodded his head a little.

Cadence smiled at him reassuringly. By then the night chill started to blow around them and they both started to feel cold. The colt hugged Cadence’s leg a little tighter.

“Would you like to come into the palace with me?” She asked him. “It’s starting to get a little cold out here.”

The colt nodded his head and Cadence removed her right hoof from his back and stood up. The colt then released his hold on Cadence’s leg and took his right hoof and wiped away his tears, from his right eye onto his sleeve, then stood up as well. Cadence then walked to the steps leading up to the palace door with the colt following just behind. As soon as they got to the steps the colt stood beside Cadence on her left side as they walked up the steps.

When they got to the palace door, Cadence opens the door with her magic. As her horn lights up, the colt gives a small scream and runs back down the stairs and hides himself behind the railing that they passed.

Cadence’s horn stops glowing and she turns her head to the left to where the colt went and gives a confused expression. She ponders what could have scared the colt for a while.

“Perhaps,” she thought, “this colt is afraid of magic. I mean he was afraid of me at first and was only frightened when I held the door with my magic. I’ll probably have to test this later but first I need to calm the colt down again and get him in the palace.”

Cadence then went down the stairs and looked down at the colt. The colt was laying down on his belly with his head down and covered by his hooves while he was shaking. Once again Cadence stood in front of the colt and tried to calm the colt down.

“Are you alright little colt?” Cadence asked, “I didn’t mean to scare you.” When the colt didn’t respond Cadence laid down in front of the colt, wrapped her left hoof around him, and once more started stroking his back this time with her left hoof.

Eventually the colt calmed down, but by then the sun completely went down. At this point the colt was really tired and had his head laying down on his right hoof.

When Cadence noticed this she spoke softly to the colt. “Can I pick you up now, and carry you on my back, so I can bring you into the palace?” The colt made a noise of agreement so Cadence picked him up with her hooves and placed him on her back. She then stood up and headed up the stairs once more. When she got to the palace door she used her hooves to open the door this time.

When they got into the palace, Cadence decides to bring the colt into her bedroom that she shares with her husband, in case the colt needed to be comforted again. She took the colt off her back and laid the colt down with his belly on the bed.

“You can rest here,” she told the colt. “Try and make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.” Cadence then left the room leaving the door slightly ajar and walked down the hall to wait for her husband to return and to tell him of the colt she found.

It wasn’t until 1 AM that her husband returned to find her in the living room waiting for him.

“So how did it go?” she asked.

“Not well,” he replied, “we found out there has been some damage to the Crystal Palace that will take a few months to repair, maybe even a year.”

“Oh dear,” Cadence exclaimed.

“We still aren’t sure yet what caused the damage.”

“Well I might have a theory,” Cadence replied sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck with her right hoof, “to who might have caused it.”

“How so?” Shining asked.

“Well after I calmed Flurry Heart down,” Cadence replied, “I came back here to wait for you. After a while I got tired of waiting and decided to do some investigating of my own. As I left the palace, two guards told me of the situation and then I decided to have a look around. After they left I found a small colt crying by one of the pillars.”

“Wait,” Shining interrupted, shaking his head. “We searched around the palace and didn’t find anypony. How did you find a colt by one of the Crystal pillars?”

Cadence shrugs, “I don’t know. He wasn’t that hard to find once I heard him crying. Anyways after I calmed him down he seemed pretty tired so I brought him to our room so he could rest.”

“YOU LET A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PONY INTO THE CASTLE?!!” Shining screamed.

“He’s not dangerous! He’s just a foal!”

“You don’t know that and of all the rooms in the Palace why did you bring him to our room?!!” Shining asked. “You could have brought him to an empty guest room. I mean we have plenty.”

“Well I had to calm him down a few times and each time took a while. I wanted to be next to him if I needed to calm him down again.” Cadence said.

“Or maybe he was trying to get you to feel sorry for him!” Shining argued.

“No he was scared when I approached him,” Cadence argued back, “I had to talk him into coming out!! He also seemed to have some injuries because he had this weird metal eye piece and it had a crack on the lense.”

“How do we know that it’s not a weapon!!” Shining screamed.

“Hey, he never appeared hostile!!” Cadence shouted. “All I saw was a scared little colt that needed to be comforted!!”

“HOW DO YOU KNOW! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIM!!!” Shining iterated.

Cadence sighed, “It’s very late,” she argued back. “I’ll interview him in the morning and also take him to the doctor for a checkup.”

Shining sighed, “Fine, your right it is getting late. I guess we can take care of it in the morning.”

Cadence took a deep breath and also sighed, “Yes we can worry about it in the morning. Let’s get a good night's sleep. It’s been a long day.”

With that settled for now they decided to turn in for the night.

Meanwhile after Cadence left the bedroom the colt got off the bed and took off his neck brace and robe and laid it on a chair in the room which was Cadence’s chair that she sits on to put on her makeup. The colt, now only wearing a red short sleeve undershirt and long red pants, got into bed and went under the covers. He laid his right cheek against the pillow and went to sleep.

After a while Cadence and Shining Armor came up to the bedroom door and peaked in.

“See he’s perfectly harmless,” whispered Cadence.

“We still don’t know that! He might just be waiting for a perfect time to strike,” whispered Shining. “I mean that metal piece over his eye looks pretty scary and dangerous.”

“If you don’t want to be near him you can go sleep in one of the other rooms!!” Cadence argued.

“And leave you alone and vulnerable!” Shining argued back, “I don’t think so. I’ll be fine.”

“Alright fine,” she said entering the room, “just don’t wake him! I had a hard enough time trying to comfort him and get him to settle down.”

So Cadence and Shining Armor went into their bedroom and got ready for bed. Shining took off his armor and Cadence took off her crown and shoes. After brushing their teeth, Cadence lifted up the covers and was careful while crawling over the colt. She laid down while Shining laid down next to her and they pulled up the covers.

“Goodnight Cadence,” said Shining, giving her a kiss.

“Goodnight Shining,” she said, kissing him back.

As soon as Shining Armour fell asleep Cadence rolled over to look at the colt.

“Who are you?” She wondered to herself as she fell asleep.

Author's Note

Well here we go my first attempt at a series. This story is meant to give some background info to a younger version of my OC. Don’t expect frequent updates. This took me more than a year to be motivated enough to write this.

If anyone is willing to help me write in there spare time please PM me. Or if you want more chapters to come out sooner you can support me on patreon. https://www.patreon.com/Luckyfanisaac?fan_landing=true

Memory Dream Sequence 1

Author's Note

This is meant to give some background to the colt and why he’s so traumatized. I wanted to do a few more chapters like this and keep switching back and forth from the present and the past. Kinda like the show “Ounce Upon a Time.”

If anyone is willing to help me write in there spare time please PM me. Or if you want more chapters to come out sooner you can support me on patreon. https://www.patreon.com/Luckyfanisaac?fan_landing=true

Memory Dream Sequence 1

A Broken Flame

By Luckyfanisaac and Jubal

Dream Sequence 1

There were no windows in the building as he ran down the hallways. This meant that ‘behind’ looked the same as ‘forward’, spinning an unyielding front of confusion crafted by an endless blend of concrete, wood, and stone for those who weren’t familiar with the correct path. But he was determined in his pursuit, regardless of his state of lostness. So engrained was the drive to succeed that it almost seemed to guide him as if divine intervention. All he had to do was follow the sound of music, after all.

The frantic clop of his tiny hooves on the floor betrayed the otherwise peaceful aura of the building. He knew what was coming and that knowledge brought forth a mind-numbingly heavy responsibility given by his teacher—he had to warn everyone inside of their impending fate.

He could still hear the air raid sirens screeching their air-piercing warnings, like broken klaxons in their dutiful repetition.

He had heard about the war from the soldiers he would pass—seen the censored images that had been provided in the newspaper. But it was like reading a book. He could immerse himself in what was shared as soon he was informed but he could put it aside—he could get up and leave. This was real. The war had spread even further and he couldn’t put any book down—he couldn’t leave and that scared him more than he could possibly imagine.

The door to the filled party room burst open, letting through a distressed red-coated earth pony colt clothed in a dirty red hoodie and long red pants. “You all need to evacuate the building! I need all of you to follow me!” Nobody heard him, the music and loud conversation drowning out his squeaky but deepening voice. They all continued on with their business without a care in the world.

“Hey kid, what’s got you all riled up?” His eyes turned towards a stallion in a fancy suit. The stallion had a blue coat and a classy red mane, brushed finely in cascading locks down the side of his head. He held a small glass of something in his hoof. It stank of alcohol. The stallion held him with a semi-professional gaze—if not slightly drunken—that almost perfectly veiled the ocean of annoyance beneath them but he saw right through it and he didn’t care. There was no time for any of that.

“You don’t understand—this place is a prime target! We need to leave immediately.” He huffed out, still recovering the air lost from his hurried run. The future of all the ponies inside the building were balanced on a knife’s edge. He could only hope they would listen.

The stallion’s visage hardened in its annoyance and he leaned forward. “Look kid, I don’t know what you're going on about.”—He pointed towards an earth pony family in the corner, all dancing branzely in tune with the beat—“Go have some fun, make some friends and all that.”

With equal resolve, the colt ran to the stallion, resting his hooves on his chest. He said the only thing he could think of that would get his point across. “The war is coming here!”—he paused, letting his words settle—”and if we don’t leave now, we are all going to die.”

Anger flared within the stallion’s eyes. “Alright kid, that's enough. We’re going to go find your parents and have a little chat with them about your behavior.” The stallion grabbed his left forearm and he was dragged through the energy-charged crowd, all the while trying his best to escape. He barely heard the icy mutterings of the drunken stallion and those around him but young ears prevailed as they always did.

“What is he talking about?”

“The enemy can’t be here… they wouldn’t let them get here. It can’t be.”

“Surely he is mistaken.”

“Honey, maybe we should take his advice and leave.”

“We’ll be fine dear. Our army is big and strong... the enemy won’t get this far.”

Other murmurs were heard around him but no one left the building and continued to enjoy the party. He knew he had to do something and he had to do it fast. Closing his eyes, he brought his muzzle to the offending appendage and bit down. The stallion grunted in pain, releasing his grip enough to allow for quick escape. Wrenching his foreleg from the stallion’s grasp, he quickly improvised his next plan of action.

His eyes scanned the crowd and eyed his prize: The stage, where a singer and her band provided the atmosphere for the entire party. With his course already determined, he scrambled through the legs of startled ponies, all the while losing the fancy stallion in the crowd. He leapt up onto the stage, startling the singer and the band. The music stopped, lending him the brief lull he needed to be heard.

“The enemy is coming! We need to go—everypony needs to leave now!”His high-pitched proclamation was met with confusion, anger, and more than a bit of fear.

“Who let the kid get on the stage?” asked a musician. “Someone get him off.”

“Don’t listen to him! He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”

“Yes, just enjoy the party!” said another, “the night is still young!”

“No you all don’t understand!” He screamed as he felt tears well up. “You all need to leave!”

“Somebody get him off. He’s disturbing the party,” a snotty mare said, waving a fan in her face while sticking her nose up.

“Yeah, get him out of here, he doesn’t know what he’s saying.”

“Somepony find his parents! They need to give him a stern talking too.”

“He probably doesn’t have parents with how he’s acting. Look at how dirty his clothes are.”

“He’s probably looking for attention.”

The voices continued to build upon each other, rising into a deafening crescendo of argument. This wasn’t working. They weren’t listening. He couldn’t spend more time arguing, he had to get them all out.

“No, please listen to me!” He pleaded, banging his hoof on the stage, trying to get the crowd to settle down. But still the crowd kept chatting and ignored him.

“Go home!”

“Honestly, kids these days.”

“Could someone pass over a new glass? I’m gonna need a few more shots.”

“Everypony please listen to meeee—” He was cut off as he was picked up by the scruff. A white-coated mare with a blonde mane and emerald green eyes glared back at him. She was not happy.

He wriggled about violently in an attempt to break the ironclad grip on his neck but he had all the success expected from a pubescent colt fighting against an adult, so he tried Plan B: Beg.

“Please miss, you have to understand! We have to go—please listen! Please!” He felt the pull of tears at his eyes. PLEASE LISTEN!

For a brief second, he saw a flash of sympathy in the mare’s emerald eyes. I’m sorry, they seemed to say. Then they hardened and the sympathy evaporated as if it was never there to begin with.

“Get off the stage.” She walked him over to the side of the stage and dropped him, where he was met by the bouncer/guard he had evaded when he had entered the building.

The bulky stallion was the visage of contained anger, towering over the colt. He felt tears matting the soft fur on his face. The endless determination he had possessed earlier was starting to fade and in its place, he felt only the icy grasp of bleak depression.

Why is nopony listening? he thought. I’m trying to save them!

“Please listen, you're all going to die if you don't leave now!” He cried out once more.

“That’s quite enough out of you,” said the bulky stallion. “You’ve caused enough trouble already.”

“Yes, finally—take him outside.”

“Good riddance.”

“Wait! Listen—do you all hear that?” The distressed voice of a stallion rose over the din of the crowd, barely heard but heard nonetheless. He strained his ears to hear what it was the stallion had heard. The bulky stallion had stopped to hear as well. Then he did: The deep thump and thunder of artillery in the distance.

“The kid was right! The war is here!” And so began the spread of unrest and fear in the crowd. It was as if somepony had shouted Fire! Some gathered their families around them, some looked for the nearest exit, and some didn’t move at all, uninterested in the commotion around them.

“See! We have to get out of here!” The colt exclaimed, the bulky stallion having dropped him in the commotion.

He met the eyes of many others and he read the emotions of every single pair. Annoyance, anger, frustration, but one above all others—fear. So he summoned all the courage within him and said one thing. “Anypony who wants to live, follow me. We have to go now and for those that don't, you will only have yourself to blame when you die.”

A simple statement, but the possibility of death spurred action from many of the ponies around him. His eyes met with the people that remained and he felt an emotion akin to sorrow bubble up within him.

He turned back to the door he came through, a large group of ponies in tow. He ran, without looking back. Even as the ground rumbled its empathy to the approaching explosions, he ran and the others ran with him. Towards ‘outside’—the realm of the living.

The street outside was flooded with a large wave of ponies. Not a moment too soon as the middle of the building erupted like a volcano as it was hit by an enemy projectile. Screams of confusion and fear resounded in his ears painfully as he scraped his way to the other side of the street.

His gaze turned back to the exit, watching as more and more ponies rushed out from the building. A familiar fancy stallion caught his eye, galloping as fast as he could. The explosion compounded on itself, throwing shards of concrete and wood everywhere. He watched as he was swallowed by the flames along with all those unfortunate enough to be behind him.

He didn’t move from his spot, collapsing on the floor, panting heavily as recently arrived guards evacuated all of the civilians in the vicinity. He didn’t move when a strong hoof prodded at his shoulder and he didn’t react when that same hoof wrapped around him and threw him over its owner’s back.

They were led past a tank escort and then loaded onto an army transport vehicle. Once he was on board he was placed in a seat along with several other survivors. The soldier who was carrying him dropped him off with a quick parting of - “It’s all going to be alright.” A lie.

He could lie too, so he responded with - “I know” as he pulled up his hood to bring himself some comfort and hide his face somewhat.

A soldier climbed in and shut the doors to the vehicle. A few quick bangs on the closed door was enough to alert the driver that it was secured. The transport pulled away a few moments later, following the tank escort.

A light shown in the transport as it rumbled along. It illuminated all the dirt in the air. The air was thick and heavy in the quiet atmosphere. Everyone was simply glad to be alive as they talked quietly.

“These ponies say that if it wasn’t for you, they would all be dead.” A soldier comforted him with a pat to the back.

Recognizing the soldier as one he met before in the reserves he gave a forced, tired smile and leaned onto the soldier on his right.

“What you did was very brave.” The guard pressed his muzzle up to his ear. “I don’t think I could’ve done that.”

“But there were still some that didn’t make it.” His voice was strained but his eyes were clear; he had run out of tears to shed some time ago.

“But look at all the ponies who did.” The guard waved his hoof around the vehicle. “And there’s even more in the other transports.”

He looked around at the hoofful of ponies he had saved, all of them having relieved smiles on their faces; the smiles of those who had seen the face of death and escaped with their lives. A few foals were sitting on their parent’s laps. A few couples were leaning against each other for comfort. Some were simply happy to be alive.

But as the transport rumbled along, he couldn’t help but think back to the ones that didn’t make it. The flames had burned themselves into his mind. Even though many had heeded his warning, those that hadn’t… they were dead now. He couldn’t help but feel as if he had inexorably doomed them to a fate they hadn’t deserved.

So with his task done, he buried his head in the broad back of the soldier and sniffled, having a moment of silence for the ones that were dead. For the ones that didn’t make it; for the ones he didn’t save.

They arrived at the entrance to the underground bunker and were led off the transport and into the fortification.

The reek assailed him the second he had stepped hoof into the bunker. The concrete sanctuary had little in the way of ventilation, leaving the sickening smell of close-packed, healthy and injured ponies alike to hang in the air. It was completely unfamiliar and unwelcome.

All the rooms he had passed were filled to the brim with ponies, all huddled around each other. He felt the press of bodies around him as he and the surviving party goers were herded further into the facility, the ground shaking around them. Occasionally dust would fall, completing the atmosphere.

The bunker smelled, he smelled, everypony smelled. So his nose shutdown, just like most of his other senses had done earlier. Touch was meaningless and sound was constant in its tedium—the thumps and blasts of artillery and projectiles along with the rumble of heavy machinery from above began to blend together with the cries of distress from foals and the constant shouting of orders from the guards.

Now here he was, lost with strange ponies in a stranger place. A place that would undoubtedly become their coffin once the doors were shut to the outside. If the enemy didn’t kill them, they would run out of food and kill themselves from within.

As he strode down the corridor with his head down, he eyed the ponies around him. To his left was a family with a quartet of rascous foals, all frolicking around their parents legs like a war wasn’t happening outside. Behind him were several different mares and stallions who were chatting in quiet tones with one another and to his right was a familiar face. His teacher, the one that assigned him to save those party goers.

They exchanged brief nods with each other before being escorted into one of the many pony-filled rooms they had passed, on their tour through the facility.

He settled onto his haunches, back nearly pressed against the cold concrete wall. He looked at the stallion sitting across from him, waiting for something, anything. Searching for some sign of his teacher’s normal verbosity. Then he got it.

“A little birdie tells me you didn’t save all the ponies. I faintly recall asking you to save all of the ponies in that building did I not?” His teacher didn’t miss a beat, not waiting for any sort of response. With all the grace of an ursa major, his teacher settled in across from him.

“Sir, I tried to tell them—”

“Ah ah ah,” the stallion said, shaking his head in ‘mock’ admonishment. “I don’t want any excuses. I’m just trying to understand why you didn’t follow my directions. Maybe you are hard of hearing? I said all of the ponies—not some, but all.” The stallion waved his hoof around the room of ponies. “Does that look like all to you?”

More ponies were escorted into the room, each face different than the last but all of them were fearful; he was sure his face looked the same as theirs but for an entirely different reason. “They wouldn’t listen. They wouldn’t listen.” He nervously repeated as he looked into the eyes of the much larger stallion next to him. “I tried to tell them, and they wouldn’t listen.”

No forgiveness was found in his teacher’s eyes. The red irises hardened. A muzzle pressed itself against his ear. “You failed me and this is not the first time. Your ‘best’ was not good enough. It never has been and never will. You’re lucky the masters want you alive or I would have disposed of you a long time ago!”

His body shivered involuntary, his throat constricting painfully as his voice got caught in his throat. Tears begin to form in his eyes for once again thinking of the lives he didn’t save. His head bowing in shame as tears ran down his face.

“Lay off of him!” A white hoof entered his vision. He heard a grunt from his teacher and his eyes widened. Then there was a beautiful pair of emerald eyes staring back worriedly.

“Are you alright?” He barely heard the whisper but he nodded in reply regardless.

A whisk of blonde away and he was staring at the barrel of his savior, the mare straddling over him protectively. He recognized those eyes. It was the singer. He closed his eyes and listened.

“What the buck is wrong with you!”

“This doesn’t concern you, citizen.”

“Unless I’m mistaken, we are both citizens and adults. And you're damn wrong this doesn’t concern me! You were just yelling at a colt—one that saved half of the ponies in this room!”

“There would be more ponies in this room if it wasn’t for him!” He felt the mare huff, her body pressing closer to the ground.

“If it wasn’t for him, there would be no ponies in this room! What kind of sick, pathetic stallion are you!?”

“I’m his teacher.”

“Helluva teacher you turned out to be!” said a squeaky voice.

He looked around for the new speaker and to his surprise, found one of the foals he saw earlier; a filly, with a blended beige coat, interspersed with splotches of brown.

“Oi, Cunt look at me when I’m talkin’ to you!”

If his teacher was angry before, he was positively enraged now. His red eyes darkened and a faint black mist poured from them. “You best watch your tongue filly, lest you lose it—”

“Head down!” A spear entered his vision, pressed to the head of his teacher. The wielder was a guard, clad in the typical shining platinum armor representative of the order.

His teacher’s horn flared up, grasping him, the singer, and the filly. It was short lived, the butt of a spear slamming into the side of his head. The large unicorn collapsed, cradling his head before glaring up at the guard.

“I don’t want any horse dung—lets go!” A hoof wrapped around his teacher, hoisting him to his hooves. Crimson eyes met green eyes in a battle of wills. Crimson won, promising a world of pain the next time they met before his teacher was led out the door.

Only when he looked around did he realize all of the ponies in the room were looking at him. The filly walked up to him and the mare got up off of him.

“You alright mate?”

He wiped at the corners of his eyes as he rolled onto his stomach and faced the filly. He was in for it the next time he talked to his teacher. He brought his gaze up to the concerned states of the mare and filly in front of him.

“I’ll be okay. Thanks for the assist.”

The filly scoffed. “Assist. Puh-lease, me and my aunt did all the heavy liftin’. What was that bastard's problem anyways?”

The colt eyed the filly suspiciously. She acted older than her age but that didn’t mean she was older. “He’s my teacher; that's unfortunately the only one I have.”

“What’s he supposed to be teaching you then?” asked the singer, concern mixing with the anger in her voice.

He pondered this for a second on how to best answer her. “Organizing evacuations and creating revolutions,” he answered as his best summary. “But my teacher Elktrona never tells me how to communicate to people in the best way possible so I just have to hope for the best; that they will listen.”

“But sometimes that doesn’t work out like today and some ponies die and he would yell at me for it.” He went on, stomping a hoof. “Even though I try my best.”

His memory started to plague him with his teacher's menacing eyes as they glow a dark red color. A black mist waving in his eyes. The white and purple tear streaks cascading down his face started to glow a darker purple. The white turning to black.

His teacher’s voice repeated in his head from other times beforehand.

“That’s not good enough!” He would shout. “You should have done better.”

“I did my best!” He would argue to his teacher, “A lot of ponies still made it out.”

“But still not all of them!” His teacher boomed, “you should have tried harder.”

“What was I supposed to do? They weren’t listening so I only took the ones that were.”

“You should have been able to get them all out!! Now it’s your fault they are all dead. It’s your fault they all died in that building. It’s your fault they all burned to death. It’s your fault you weren’t smart enough to save them all.”

“But I did the best I could Elktrona sir.” He said his voice cracking as he started to break down.

The colt having been stressed out enough already started breathing heavily.

“Your best wasn’t good enough to save those citizens and now they’re dead.”

“It’s your fault.”

“It’s your fault!”

“IT’S YOUR FAULT!!”

“IT’S YOUR FAULT!!!”

The colt coming out of his trance rested his forehead on his legs and cried into his hooves, his tears renewed.

“What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?” He asked out loud to himself but no one responded.

Day 1 Part 1

A Broken Flame

By Luckyfanisaac, Jubal, and Bumblebeau

Day 1 part 1

Day 1
Current Time: 4:21 AM
Friday, July 8th, 2017 year 1

In the early morning The Colt started to whimper in his sleep. He was having a bad dream.

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DggXsC3XXjlU&sa=D&ust=1603380298287000&usg=AOvVaw2WEOxUQx-wXO-KFWqyDaX\_%5D

When his whimpering turned into crying he awoke Princess Cadence and Shining Armor.

“Gah….waaaah?” replied a groggy Shining Armor.

“Hmmmm?” replied a sleepy Cadence.

The Colt simply continued to cry.

“Is Flurry Heart crying?” asked a sleepy Shining Armor.

Cadence lifted her head up and looked around. She then looked down at The Colt to find he was the one crying.

“No love, it's the little colt,” replied Cadence wrapping her left hoof around The Colt. “Shhhhhhhh Shhhhhhhh wake up little guy.” Said Cadence shaking The Colt back and forth trying to wake up The Colt from his nightmare.

“Huhhh huhhh hhhhhuh,” replied The Colt, breathing heavy.

In response, now fully awake, Shining Armor sat up and turned on his lamp on his nightstand to his left, rubbing his eyes with his hooves while Cadence was still trying to wake up The Colt.

“Shhhhhhhh Shhhhhhhh,” Cadence kept repeating, starting to grow concerned as she sat up more while Shining looked on at Cadence also starting to get a little bit worried.

“What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?” The Colt muttered to himself.

When The Colt finally woke up he was full out crying heavily and heavily breathing. Cadence now fully sat up and picked up The Colt from under the covers and hugged him. Holding him on her left arm and rubbing his back with her right. Cadence soon found that The Colt was sweating a little.

“Shhhhhhhh Shhhhhhhh calm down...it was just a bad dream,” Cadence said soothingly to The Colt, bouncing him a little. “It’s over now.”

“What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?” The Colt muttered again this time loud enough for Cadence and Shining Armor to hear.

Shining Armor tried to check The Colt’s heartbeat by bringing his left hoof over to The Colt’s neck to find a fast heartbeat. Now very concerned Shining spoke to Cadence, “Cadence I think he’s having a panic attack.”

“I don’t think so Shining he’s starting to calm down.” Cadence replied as The Colt started to get his breath back.

“Plus I’ve sat foals overnight that woke up violently from a nightmare before.” Cadence also added while The Colt continued to cry into her fur. “But maybe it’s something more traumatizing. I mean he might still be shaken up after hitting the castle but I’ll ask him once he’s calm enough to talk.”

They stayed there as The Colt still continued to cry into Cadence’s fur. “Still think he’s trying to get false sympathy Shining?” Cadence conveyed to her husband.

“Alright he’s not pretending but I still think there’s something weird about him.” Shining said back.

“We’ll learn more in the morning,” said Cadence, “right now let’s get back to sleep.”

So Shining leaned back over to turn his lamp off and laid back down in the bed and went to sleep. Cadence meanwhile still held The Colt still waiting for him to calm down now in the dark, the only light now coming from the night sky.

A few minutes later, The Colt stopped crying enough to notice the warm embrace Cadence was giving him. Liking her embrace, he snuggled into her chest more and hugged her as he dried his tears on her chest fluff.

In response Cadence hugged him closer. As she did this though her right hoof brushed over his right check and felt he had a more fluffy coat than most ponies that she’s seen.

“He’s definitely no ordinary pony.” She thought to herself as The Colt took in a deep breath in and then let out a deep breath out. The Colt then gave a small smile and started to slowly move his tail back and forth against the bed sheets.

After holding him for a while longer, Cadence took notice of his tail moving happily and finally decided that he calmed down enough and decided to go back to sleep. But as she gazed a bit closer to his tail she noticed how big it was for a colt his size.

“Just another abnormality to add to the list,” she thought, adding it to the list of abnormalities of The Colt in her head.

Cadence shifted her body to lay on her right side and then laid back down in the bed while still holding The Colt in her forearms and laid The Colt down next to her. She then pulled the sheets back over The Colt with her left arm and laid her head down on her pillow. As she laid there gazing at The Colt, laying down next to her, while wrapped in her forearms stroking his back with her left arm, while he rested his chin on her right arm, his smile grew a bit bigger as she went back to sleep.

Unknown to Cadence as she slept, The Colt started to glow a soft yellow color as he happily went to sleep.

Day 1
Current Time: 7 AM
Friday morning
July 8th

Shining Armor woke up early to get ahead of the day ahead. He expected a lot of ponies wondering why The Crystal Palace was damaged so he decided to host court for the day to address the issue.

After doing his morning routine, he decided to let Cadence sleep in more so he left a note on Cadence’s nightstand telling her that he will be hosting court for the day and to make sure she interviews The Colt. After giving her a kiss on the forehead he leaves to go get breakfast and to check on Flurry Heart.

Day 1
Current Time: 9 AM

Cadence slowly opened her eyes tiredly and let out a yawn. She lifted her head up and took a moment to look around at her surroundings. She first looked over to her husband’s side of the bed to find it empty. She then turned her head back and then looked down at The Colt that was still wrapped in her hooves.

The Colt was laying his left cheek on Cadence’s right hoof breathing steady. He laid slightly on his left side. His right hoof laid near his mouth crossing over his left. His left leg laying out towards Cadence. He laid there calmly resting giving a cute expression.

Her face warmed considerably at such an adorable sight.

“Awwww...such a cute little boy!!” She exclaimed in her mind.

Cadence carefully removed her right hoof from under The Colt so not to disturb him as she got out of bed. She scooted her body over her husband’s side of the bed so she didn’t have to move over The Colt. She pulled back the covers and laid her back legs over the bed as she stretched. She then got up and made up the bed. After she made up the bed, she went over to the other side of the bed and pulled up the sheets moreover The Colt and put a kiss on The Colt’s forehead. The Colt gave a small smile in response.

Cadence then went over to the bathroom to do her morning routine. She took a shower and brushed her coat, tail, and teeth. She exited the bathroom and went over to wake up The Colt so he could use it.

“Hey little guy, time to wake up,” Cadence spoke softly into his ear as she then gently shook The Colt awake.

The Colt rolled over to face her as he tiredly rubbed his right eye.
(For position illustration purpose only.)
Cadence smiled softly, caressing The Colt’s head.

“Good morning,” she said sweetly as he looked up, blinking his eyes awake and letting out a cute yawn. Cadence couldn’t help but let out a, “Dawww,” at this.

“Hhhhhhi,” he responds tiredly and quietly staring up at Cadence.

“You can go ahead and use the bathroom now if you need to while I finish getting ready,” she says to The Colt.

The Colt then gets out of bed, grabs his clothes from Cadence’s makeup chair, and slowly walks to the bathroom with his head down and eyes barely open. He yawns as he walks into the bathroom shutting the door with his back right hoof.

On The Colt’s left were two sinks with drawers and two doors underneath them on a counter with a big mirror above them. In front of The Colt was a large Jacuzzi tub that was big enough to hold Cadence and her husband with a reclining back seat for both of them. Around the corner on the right, was a walkway and on the left was the shower and a body mirror hanging on the wall. To the right there were a few hooks with towels on them and a door leading to the toilet in its own separate room along with a bench around the corner. Straight ahead was a walk-in closet that was open containing a few extra towels and other bath stuff.

The Colt then walks past the body mirror and he catches a glimpse on the left side of his body to discover an orange wing.

“I have wings!!!?” He exclaimed surprisingly to himself as he quickly puts his clothes down and then turned his head to look at his left side to confirm this. He then quickly snaps his head to look at his right side to see an orange wing there as well.

His eyes trailed along the soft downy wings, observing each and every feather to make sure they were in place. It was like instinct, only one that he didn’t know he possessed. A few wiggles of his back, feeling a few new muscles, his flight muscles expanded, whipping the wind up next to him with a soft whoosh.

The new appendages were strange. They were long and much longer than a normal Pegasus wing. They were more the size of alicorn wings specifically Twilight’s wings. It felt like they were new and yet it felt like they have been there for his entire life.

“What else has changed?” he wondered as he turned back to look into the mirror.

His entire body had changed, his previously red coat now being orange and his hair being a blend of fiery orange and a light red stripe going down the middle. He now had red stripes going down along his face that also wrapped around his eyes going down his neck.

He stared at his new mane. His mane was a barber’s dream: silky and soft, yet firm enough as to stay in place when brushed. A few brushes and it was already set in uniform locks, which strayed down past his chin and neck.

He took off his clothes to explore the rest of his new body. The red stripes continued down his belly and wrapped around the front and back of each hoof. They also wrapped around the sides of his body and back and met up at his tail.

His tail was now also orange with a red stripe going along the top of his tail. His tail was still long with strong muscles under all the soft long hair and could still support his whole body after he tested it and could still bounce on it like Tigger from Winnie The Pooh.

He grabbed his tail around his right side and brought it close to him like a security blanket as he sat down and folded up his wings after spending a few moments trying to figure out how to fold them up. He panted a bit after trying to workout the new muscles in his wings.

“What happens now?” he thought, drifting his gaze downwards to his right. “I will probably have to give some introduction. That kind mare Cadence deserves that much for comforting me and taking me into her home. But how much should I tell her?”

He sighs out loud in thought, “I…I…don’t want to be put on a pedestal here too.” He says nearly breaking down. “Nor do I want them to dissect me or become a science project and be locked up somewhere.” He cries holding his tail closer.

He sighs again, “I guess I’ll just stick to the semi truth and say I just come from a distant land.”

“What if she asks about my unique body?” He wonders, “I think I’ll just be pretty honest about that...minus my destiny mark.” He says looking at his right flank.

As he stares at it he can’t help but think of his rough childhood and the pain of loneliness and how lost he felt sometimes. He rubs his left cheek against his tail to give him some comfort in response.

“I won’t tell her any of that. At least not until I trust her a bit more.” He said to himself, pulling his tail away from his cheek.

He lets out a sigh. “Most of the stuff from my past is a soft subject but I guess I can talk about my family a bit. I’ll just stay away from the sore subjects.”

With a plan set The Colt goes ahead and starts doing his morning routine.

Meanwhile…

Cadence watched as The Colt went into the bathroom and then made up the bed. With that done she goes to put on her makeup but then she notices a note on her nightstand. She picks the note up and reads.

Dear Cadence,

I will be hosting Day Court today to address the public about why the castle is damaged. So you don’t need to worry about that today. I will just be saying it was all an accident by unknown means until we get more information. Please remember to interview The Colt today to get more information about this issue and if he has any relation to it.

Your loving husband,
Shining Armor

After reading the note, Cadence then folds it up and puts it away out of eyesight for safekeeping and in case she needs it later. She then goes over to put on her makeup.

She sits down on her makeup chair and continues to brush her hair as she stares into the mirror. She ponders on how to make The Colt feel comfortable and open up to her.

“I think I need to do something to earn his trust,” she pondered, “but how should I go about that?”

She ponders on this and thinks back to her days as a foal sitter and what she knows of The Colt so far.

“Let’s see: he’s shy, nervous, possibly traumatized by a magic user, definitely not from around here, and is looking for comfort.” She listed, “I guess I should try the gentle approach and be someone to comfort him.”

With that settled Cadence finished brushing her hair and was about to start putting on her makeup when she heard the bathroom door open and the little colt poked his head out.

“Um...Cadence?” The Colt calls out shyly.

“Yes?” Cadence replies turning her head to the right towards the bathroom door.

“Um, am I allowed to take a bath in your tub?”

“Of course, go ahead! Do you need any help?”

“N-no I’m fine! Thank you though!”

Once The Colt closes the door, Cadence looks back to her mirror to ponder her next move. She then hears The Colt shouting from the bathroom.

“Start…. START! … Activate?!”

“What are you doing in there?” Cadence asks as she turns her head to the door utterly confused to what is happening. Before she could get a response, she heard the noise of several items dropping on the floor, and The Colt shrieking.

“Is everything alright?!” Cadence yelled as she made for the door.

“I-I’m Fine!” The Colt replied, but it was too late as Cadence had already opened the door to see him sitting in the tub with his wings open and wearing dark red swimsuit trousers. She also saw a few bottles littered near the tub and on the steps leading to the tub. The Colt jumped in place as he stared straight at Cadence.

“I’m sorry, I just wanted to make sure you weren’t hurt,” Cadence apologized hiding behind the door.

“I-it’s alright, I just-” The Colt started fidgeting while placing his hooves on different parts of the tub.

“Is something wrong?” Cadence asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Using my voice didn’t start the bath, so I’m just looking for the button that starts the bath…”

Cadence quietly chuckles to herself as she witnesses a level of innocence she has only seen in her babysitting days. She then approaches the tub and picks up the bottles and puts them back on the shelf behind the tub. She then turns the handle by the faucet, once the water starts running she places her hoof under the faucet to test the water.

“Have you never had a bath in a tub before?” Cadence says as she peeks at The Colt who is blushing while covering himself.

“I- I just never had a bath in a tub as grand as this,” The Colt says anxiously.

Cadence responds with a murmur as she continues to judge the temperature of the tub. Once it was at a temperature she approved of she removed her hoof and flipped the switch to plug the tub. She then grabbed one of the bottles and added some bubbles to the bath to try to help calm The Colt more. After she added enough to the bath, she then closed the bottle and placed it back on the shelf. She then glanced at The Colt to see his wings were still open. When he noticed her glare he started to move in the tub; His still open wings knocked over some other bottles and some of the ones Cadence just put back near the tub. He fidgeted trying to collect the bottles, but his wings caused more trouble as they pushed other things out of place.

“Are you having trouble with your wings?”

“I’ll be okay I just need to-” before The Colt could finish Cadence approached him and placed her left hoof on his right shoulder. The Colt shyly looked up towards Cadence as she gave him a motherly smile.

“It’s alright, waking up in an unfamiliar place must have made you so stressed out.” The Colt offered a small, shy smile in return to her words.

“Just relax… everything is fine… just focus on the warmth of the water…” She said taking her right hoof and swirling it in the water. The Colt listened to her words and closed his eyes and soon The Colt’s wings relaxed into the water. He opened his eyes to see the results and had a big smile. Cadence gives a small giggle as she sees The Colt so ecstatic over such a simple thing, this causes him to turn his face away from her.

“Th-Thank you…”

“You’re very welcome,” Cadence said as she turned the tab to turn off the water once the tub was full enough. The water came up to The Colt’s waist. The Colt shoots a glare at the faucet as the water ceases to flow, being angry that it didn’t listen to him.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” Cadence’s question broke The Colt from his train of thought.

“…W-well I guess you can tell me where the loofahs are…I can’t see any.”

Cadence smiles and instead of telling him where they are she picks up a light blue and white loofah with her hoof from a drawer. The Colt stares at Cadence as she grabs a soap bottle from a small shelf across from the tub and pours some soap on the loofah. Once she poured a good amount of soap on the loofah, Cadence brought the soap bottle back to its recess on the shelf next to the tub and placed the loofah onto the back of The Colt.

“H-hey! I don’t… you…” The Colt started to protest, but soon relaxed as he felt the loofah massage his muscles.

“It’s all right, just relax…” Cadence said as she then moved from his back to his neck; The Colt stretched his neck out and seemed to enjoy the soothing warm water trickle down his damp coat as he closed his eyes for a moment.

“Arm please,” Cadence said as she moved past his shoulder blade. The Colt opened his eyes and did as he was told and stretched out his right arm next that had a few bubbles on it. There were also a lot of bubbles on his robotic fingers. After cleaning his arm and clearing the bubbles off his hooves, Cadence took this opportunity to study his robotic fingers. “These look so interesting, do others like you have this?”

“Hmm?” The Colt asked in his calm state.

“This device on your hooves, I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“Oh, uh yeah…it’s just a training device to help us control our magic for those having trouble,” The Colt replied unstretching his fingers. “Usually we get rid of them once we have control over it but I wanted a physical reference to show where my magic is coming from. Plus it also helps to grab things and climb up cliffs.”

“They look so cool!” Cadence played with his fingers with her hooves looking over each finger closely and seeing how they moved and bent. She then let go of his hoof after satisfying her curiosity and The Colt dropped his hoof back into the water.

“Can you give me your other arm, please?”

The Colt moved his body over more towards Cadence to give her his other hoof. Cadence cleaned his left arm which was also covered in bubbles. She cleaned his arm until she shifted her focus to his mechanical left eye as she continued to scrub.

“What about your eye? I can’t imagine you received that simply to make your life easier.”

The Colt rubs his eye with his right hoof, and after a few moments, seemed to finally detect the crack on its lens; he traced the line with his fingers with a confused look on his face.

“How did this happen?”

“It may have happened during your little rough landing.” She supplies as she finishes cleaning his left arm.

The Colt was silent, possibly pondering about his landing. “Well it must have been rough to get that much damage or I just simply wasn’t paying attention,” he answered confusingly knowing that his eye piece can self repair. “Anyway the reason I have this is to help with my memory disability. Where I come from everyone has a photographic memory...but...I don’t.” The Colt’s ears then laid flat against his head.

Cadence then wrapped her left hoof around The Colt and brought The Colt close to her and gave him a hug in her hooves. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I was just wondering.”

“No it’s fine...I’m used to it.”

After they shared an awkward silence, Cadence decided to move on to his chest. As she brought The Colt from her embrace she could have sworn she saw a tear fall from his right eye.

“Probably something I will have to go over with him in the future,” Cadence thought.

Cadence then brought the loofah to start cleaning his chest. As the foam of the soap mixed with his wet coat Cadence couldn’t help but notice how heavy it was.

“Your coat is so full; it would be very useful for the snow!”

“Y-Yeah? Does it snow often here?”

“Until a few years ago all it ever did was snow; the Crystal Empire is the northernmost Kingdom of the Frozen North after all, which is also the northernmost province in Equestria.” As Cadence gave her geography lesson she started scrubbing under his wings causing the colt to shiver a bit once he realized he was a bit sensitive there. “But now we only allow the snow in periodically, such as during the winter.”

Cadence rested the loofah on the faucet’s handle while she grabbed one of the faucets behind The Colt and pushed a button to turn it on.

“Really? When I saw the outside before it looked like it was summertime, how did you get rid of all the snow?” The Colt said with curiosity in his voice as Cadence brought the faucet over to get The Colt’s mane wet and to rinse the soap off his back and chest.

“We didn’t get rid of all the snow, per se,” Cadence said as she rinsed the soap out. “There’s actually a magical force field surrounding the kingdom shielding us from the snow. Without it we would be vulnerable to winter storms.”

“You decided to build a kingdom in the middle of a snow storm?”

“It wasn’t always this way…”

“What happened?” The Colt asked as he watched her put the faucet back and it turned off by itself.

“One thousand years ago its previous ruler, King Sombra, threatened to bring darkness, turmoil, and eternal winter to this land. As a result the kingdom was sealed away, that is until about a year ago when the seal broke. It’s thanks to my sister-in-law, and her friends, that love returned to the kingdom, and all its beauty returned!” Cadence said as she grabbed a shampoo bottle and then waved her hoof around the room for emphasis causing The Colt to stare at his surroundings, surely trying to picture the room looking less beautiful than it does now.

His gaze was interrupted as he felt Cadence rub the shampoo on his mane. As she moved her hooves closer to the back of his ear, she saw him close his eyes and slightly lean into her kneading. In response to this she moved her hooves to behind his ears and thoroughly massaged them. The Colt leaned his head sideways and had a relaxed happy look on his face. Soon his tail started swishing in the water, causing Cadence to wonder in that moment whether he was a colt or a puppy, either way it was adorable.

As his blissful state continued he started to glow a yellow hue. Cadence stopped as she took notice and The Colt had a look like he was trying to remember what day it was.

“Wh- what’s wrong?” The Colt asked.

“Y-you’re glowing! Are you alright?”

“Oh um…” The Colt paused for a moment before releasing a heavy sigh. “...Whenever I feel a great amount of happiness I glow like this. So don’t worry, this is normal.”

Cadence breathed a sigh of relief, not only is The Colt safe, but also because she believes he is starting to trust her a little more.

Cadence soon places her hoof on his right wing and starts scrubbing them. The Colt expands his wing as she puts pressure on it with circular motions.

“Are your wings bothering you anymore?”

“Oh, no. I feel much better. The bath really seems to help me relax.”

“Good,” Cadence says as she finishes up with his right wing before she even has a chance to lean in to do the other side the Colt expands his left wing, as though already expecting her to wash it. Cadence gives a wry smile as the Colt notices what he’s done. Cadence says nothing and scrubs his left wing all the same. After a few quiet moments Cadance finishes the job and leans next to the faucet and smiles at him.

“Unless you have a third wing I don’t know about, why don't we rinse off the shampoo? Close your eyes please!”

The Colt did as he was told and Cadence grabbed the faucet again and rinsed the soap out of his wings. She then quickly took the faucet and rinsed out his mane.

“Are you alright?” Cadence said, as he rubs his eyes, he nods his head.

“Good, do you mind if I work on your tail now?” She asks and she puts the faucet down.

“Uh huh…” The Colt raises himself on shaky legs as Cadence puts more shampoo on her hooves. Cadence starts at the base of his tail and works her way up; all the while she notices the vertebrae of the tail itself seems to be longer, and its muscles thicker than most colts have making its mane appear larger than others.

“You have quite an impressive tail! Most colts I know try to have shorter mane tails, but you make it look wonderful.”

“Oh thanks, I do my best!” The Colt closes his eyes and smiles for a moment in response.

“How did you get such an impressive tail?” Asked Cadence as she tilts her head as The Colt looks back at her.

“Oh I inherited it from my mom. She comes from a family of tail dancers who can do amazing things with their tails like hold objects and support themselves on them. The best way I can describe it is to think of it like ribbon dancers but with tails.”

“Really that sounds amazing you’ll have to show me sometime.” Cadence says smiling back at him.

“Maybe.”

“Alright do you want me to do your legs?” Asks Cadence as she drops his tail back into the water and swirls it around a bit to rinse out the soap.

Worried if Cadence will get too close to his private area The Colt replies, “No, I can do it.”

“Very well, I’ll leave you to do the rest on your own.” Cadence washes her hooves inside the tub to get out the shampoo.

“Let me know when you’re done and I can help you dry off!”

The Colt nodded as Cadence left the room to finish putting on her makeup as he removed his swim trunks.

Day 1
9:55 A.M.

After The Colt finished washing himself, he leaned back into the tub and spread his limbs out, enjoying the relaxing atmosphere. For several moments the only thing he could hear was his breathing and the sound of the water swaying in the tub. The silence was broken as he heard Cadence doing something in the closet.

“Cadence, is everything alright?”

“Yes everything is fine, are you finished yet?”

“Yes, I’m done!” The Colt said as he drained the water. The Colt considered stepping out but noticed he was soaking wet; His fluffy coat seemed to have absorbed more water than he imagined.

Cadence entered the room wearing her royal necklace and shoes and saw him standing in the tub.

“Oh here, I have a towel you can use!” Cadence said as she held a fluffy blue towel with a white horizontal stripe on the shorter ends.

“No thanks, I can do it myself!” The Colt then shakes himself like a dog. Water scattered all over the walls of the tub like it was raining in every direction. As he shook his body, he failed to notice Cadence was right next to him as some of the water dampened her own coat.

“Oh!” Cadence screamed as some of the water got on her. The Colt immediately stopped as he heard her voice; his stance was unsteady as his actions made himself dizzy.

“I- I’m sorry, I didn’t see you,” The Colt said petrified, worried she would be upset at his action. But to his amazement she laughed instead; her laugh was cheerful, almost like a bird singing.

“Looks like I need to dry off too, huh?” Cadence smiled as she took the towel and dried off her coat. When she was done she placed the towel over his back.

“Now shall I help you dry off, or are you going to put shampoo on me next?”

The Colt blushed at her joke and soon found himself being picked up in the towel. Cadence placed him down at the bottom of the steps then dried him off. He could feel her ridding his coat of moisture as the fluffy towel roughly brushed against his coat. This was because the towel was enchanted to absorb as much water as it could for those with a thicker fur coat. When it was time to do the more personal areas she handed the towel to him so he could do it on his own while she averted her eyes.

The Colt took off his swim trunks and laid them on the side of the tub after he rang out the water in them. He then started to dry his legs and private areas. Once he was dried up he put the towel around his waist.

“Thank you for your help, if you don’t mind I’d like to be alone so I can brush my coat and put my clothes on,” he said as he walked over to the bench that he put his clothes on.

“Do you need a brush for your coat?”

“No, I have one in my hunch.”

“Your hunch?” Cadence asks, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s what I call this neck collar.” The Colt says holding up his yellow neck collar.

“How do you store stuff in that?”

The Colt brings his hoof up to the part of his hunch that would be behind his head and places it on it and then presses his hoof down a bit and pulls out a red brush that matches the red fur on his body.

“How did you do that!?” Cadence exclaims with her eyes bulging out.

The Colt laughs at Cadence’s reaction. “Sorry I always get a kick out of people being amazed at unexpected stuff that I would do. Anyway...my hunch has an infinite pocket storage enchantment on it that I use to store stuff like personal items, food, medical supplies, climbing equipment, and other supplies when I’m out on the road so I’m always prepared for the unexpected.”

“Okaaaaaaaaaaay then,” Cadence slowly replies. “I’ll leave you then to brush your coat and get dressed.”

“Okay thanks!”

Cadence smiles, “It’s my pleasure, let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help!”

“Yes ma'am.” As The Colt placed his hunch back down he noticed Cadence gazing at his back in the corner of his right eye. She then became alert to the fact she was staring and blushed.

“See something you like?” He teased showing off his flanks towards Cadence and giving them a shake with a sultry smile, which caused Cadence to blush even more, causing The Colt to put his right hoof on his mouth and quietly giggle.

After shaking her head a bit and calming her blush down she replies, “I’m sorry, your wings just look so big and amazing, you must take such good care of them.”

“Really?” The Colt said confusingly as he turned his head more to look at his right wing as he put his coat brush down.

“I’m quite envious, what do you use to preen them?”

The Colt becomes resilient to answer her question, unable to decide how he should answer her without possibly scaring her. Cadence’s cheery demeanor drops, mimicking The Colt’s own face as she realizes he took too long to answer.

“Do you not preen your own wings?”

The Colt turns his body and looks at Cadence with a pitiful look before looking down at the crystal surface of the floor.

“The truth is… No, I don’t know how to preen my wings, in fact before I arrived I never even had wings before. I was just a red coated earth pony with a red mane.” As he expected, Cadence appeared shocked by the information. He didn’t know how much of his old life would scare her, but if his previous incident when he glowed was any indication he should be honest about his body, what if something else about his body seemed weird or scared her; it could cause her to see him as a threat if he wasn’t careful.

Cadence blinked several times before finally being able to speak. “You mean to tell me you only recently became a Pegasus?”

“I guess so, yes.”

“Wow… I heard of Unicorns and Pegasi becoming Alicorns, but this is the first I've ever heard of an Earth Pony becoming a Pegasus! How did this happen?!”

The Colt shrugged at her question, “My best guess is the machine I came here on chose this form for me to make it easier to survive in your kingdom.” Was his response, not willing to go into Time Lord regeneration quite yet and explain how he ended up having to regenerate.

“Huh, your people must have such unique magic to come up with this!”

“You’re taking this a lot better than I thought you would.” He replies with a shy smile with his eyes looking up at her while his head remains facing down.

“Let’s just say, I'm no stranger to the idea of one race of pony becoming another. In fact before my Sister-in-Law, Twilight Sparkle, became an Alicorn princess she was a unicorn, and I was a Pegasus just like you!”

“You were a Pegasus too? Do Ponies regularly change from one race to the next?”

Cadence giggles at his question. “There have been some occasions, but only for those who are worthy, or those who have undergone a special circumstance.”

As The Colt thought about their conversation Cadence moved herself over to the sink, and grabbed a long object that was previously laying in a small basket alongside her combs. The object looked like an old-fashioned letter opener, except the edges were smooth and dull, and it seemed to split at the side, most likely to imitate the design of a bird’s beak. Like the walls of her castle, it was made purely of crystal; It glistened as it refracted the light it collected on its blue and white surface.

“Would you like me to show you how to preen your feathers then?” Cadence spoke softly, with pure intention to help the child. The Colt seemed to calm down after a few moments and nodded his head while he turned around and sat down, facing his body towards the closet and raised his right wing. Cadence then guided what The Colt assumed was a preening comb with her hooves and slid the base of some of his inner feathers between its teeth. “Now remember you have to brush outwards so the oils can spread to the rest of the feather.” Once she finished speaking she gently pushed the comb away from his wings to demonstrate her example.

As Cadence spread the natural oil of his feathers The Colt found himself in a familiar tranquil sensation; The Colt estimated that Cadence was familiar around young ones, as she knew the right amount of pressure to use to make him feel safe, needless to say it worked.

“So where are you from?” Cadence said between strokes. “You don’t look like a Crystal Pony so you must come from outside the kingdom.”

The Colt snapped out of his relaxed state and tried to think of something to say. “Oh, uh, I live in a community in the north, you wouldn’t have heard of it…”

“Is that so?” Cadence digested the information as she glanced at his clothing. Once her gaze returned to his she wore a smile as she asked her next question.

“Well, what about your family? You said you had a mother, she and your father must be so worried about you.”

As Cadance finished speaking, horrible memories flooded The Colt’s mind as he winced. “I don’t think they’ll be too worried about me…”

“Why not, won’t they be curious about why you’re not home?”

The Colt was unsure how to explain his living situation without scarring or confusing his host. Apparently after a moment of silence she took it as him not wanting to discuss it anymore.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to pry,” Cadence said as she decorated a sad expression on her face.

“It’s fine…” The Colt had a melancholy tone to his voice which did a poor job convincing her otherwise.

After a few more moments of silence, Cadence removed the comb from his finely preened wing and brought it in front of him.

“Would you like to give it a try now?” The Colt stared at the comb before reaching for it. Though the handle was intended to be carried in a pony’s mouth, his mechanical fingers were able to grasp its grooves perfectly. He expands his wings and tries to bring it forward.

Thanks to his inexperience at having wings he had trouble bending them the way he needed them. Cadence seemed to understand his struggle and placed her hoof on top of his wing and guided it in front of him. The Colt blushed as he used his empty hand to grab his wing and got to work.

Just like Cadence he slid the comb between the base of his feathers and brushed it outwards, however thanks to his aforementioned inexperience of brushing himself like this (or having wings at all) he had mis-swiped numerous times. After one hastily done swipe he loses his grip on the comb and drops it. After the comb hits the floor Cadence grabs the comb and The Colt noticed the tip of the comb broke off. There was a look of fear in The Colt’s eyes, he let his impatience get the better of him and broke her precious comb; Since it looked so expensive he expected her to be upset with him and possibly kick him out on the spot. Instead Cadence adorned a small smile on her face as she pressed the comb back into his robotic fingers.

“There is no rush, you don’t have to be great at this right away. Just be calm and move the comb gently along your feathers,” Cadence said with a soothing voice. The Colt looked amazed with her words and soon took the comb and tried again. Though he did mess up a few more times, Cadence continued to give him words of encouragement until he was able to accomplish it at a steady pace.

“You’re really starting to get the hang of this, aren’t you? I’m so proud of you!” The Colt looked at Cadence with a doubtful inquisitive look, but then it turned to a look of pure curiosity.

“Are you… Are you really that impressed? But all I’m doing is using a comb, something that someone my age should have learned by now.”

“Well it’s only your first day being a Pegasus, it’s only natural it would seem difficult for you. However, even if you were born a Pegasus, nopony can be good at everything they do on the first try. Even after you struggled with it you didn’t give up, and now you have accomplished learning to do it on your own! Small successes in life will always lead to greater victories!”

The Colt looks away bashfully. “I had a good teacher, so… thank you for showing me how.”

“You are very welcome!” Cadence said with a beaming smile. The Colt shied away as he expanded his wing to see his progress.

“Not bad for your first attempt!” The Colt gave only a smile as a response to her words. He then grabbed his other wing to begin work on it. Hearing her chuckle to herself, The Colt looks as Cadence heads for the door.

“I believe I can trust you to do the rest on your own. I’ll wait for you in the other room when you’re done!”

“Oh, okay… see you later then!”

As The Colt continues to preen on his own he studies the comb again, entranced by its ability to capture the light and reflect off its shiny blue surface.

“It is a beautiful comb isn’t it?” The Colt turns to see a sly smile on Cadence’s face. The Colt in turn gives a bashful expression at her words.

“You know what, why don’t you keep it?”

The Colt whips his head to her with a surprised expression. “Are you sure? But don’t you need it too?”

Cadence waves a hoof as she laughs softly, “It’s alright, as princess it would be quite easy for me to get another, plus you have only the clothes on your back, and whatever else is in your hunch, to your name. Almost literally in fact,” Cadence spies his clothes and chuckles at the irony, but then she raises an eyebrow and forces her hoof on her face.

“Where are my manners? In all this time I never once asked you for your name, what may I call you?” Once The Colt heard this he scratched his head as he mentally chastised himself for forgetting something so obvious.

“Oh, I’m sorry...um...” The Colt thought for a moment, considering what he wanted her to call him from that moment on. “You can call me…DJ…DJ Hopper.”

Cadence smiled as she registered his name. “It’s a pleasure to meet you DJ Hopper, and welcome to the Crystal Empire!”

Author's Note

Finally after 3 months of work it’s done. Sorry it’s been so long but I was having trouble with my Co-Author and with this COVID-19 stuff I wasn’t really motivated to write. I will try hard to get the next chapter, “Day 1 part 2” out in 3 to 5 months depending on if I can get some help with writing.

The reason I’m splitting Day 1 into parts is because this chapter is already over 7,500 words and I don’t want my chapters to be over 10,000 words so that’s why I’m splitting it into parts.

Also the reason why the colt’s name wasn’t revealed until now was because I wanted him to be nameless for as long as possible.

If anyone is willing to help me write in there spare time please PM me. Or if you want more chapters to come out sooner you can support me on patreon. https://www.patreon.com/Luckyfanisaac?fan_landing=true

Day 1 part 2

A Broken Flame

By Luckyfanisaac, farooqpervez, mainediting, and a few others.

Day 1 part 2

Day 1

Current Time: 10:40 AM

Saturday, July 8th, 2017 year 1

The newly named colt, DJ Hopper, comes out of the bathroom with a slightly glowing aura around him after he finishes preening his new wings and doing the rest of his morning routine.

“Cadence, did I do a good job preening my wings?” He asks as he approaches Cadence who’s standing outside the bathroom waiting for him.

“I don’t know, let me see?” She asks, peering down at his wings.

DJ Hopper extends his wings and moves them up and down gently as he slowly spins around.

“They look good!” Cadence compliments after looking them over closely.

DJ Hopper stands in front of Cadence looking pleased with himself enjoying the praise.
(In a pose similar to this.)
“Thanks,” he smiled in reply, blushing a little while slightly tilting his head down to the right.

Cadence brings a hoof to her mouth and giggles a little as DJ becomes all flustered. “Now then why don’t we go to the dining room and get something to eat. I don’t know about you but I’m starving.” She said, smiling down at him.

*grrrrrrr* went DJ’s stomach in agreement which caused DJ Hopper to stare straight ahead at Cadence and blush. Which only caused Cadence to giggle in response.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She said as she stopped giggling. Cadence then led the way to the dining room with DJ Hopper walking on her left side.

At the dining room

Day 1

10:50 AM

Cadence leads DJ Hopper to the dining room and opens the door for him with her hooves.

“Here we are.” Cadence exclaims as she opens the door.

DJ Hopper walks in to see a small family size dining table with six chairs, a high chair in the far left corner, and a swinging door to the left that leads to the kitchen.

“Go ahead and have a seat.”

DJ walks into the room and sits on the far left chair at the table with Cadence pulling out and sitting on the chair next to him on his right side.

DJ pauses, for a moment, rubbing his hooves together nervously. Cadence looks at him patiently, before he finally says, “Why is it so small?”

“The dining room?” Cadence glances over her shoulder at the admittedly small room, especially for a palace. “Oh, it’s cozy, isn’t it? That was on purpose. It’s meant to be more… homey.” She offers him a gentle smile. “Less palace.”

“Oh.” He glances over her shoulder, too. He doesn’t see what she’s looking at, until he realizes it’s just the wall. The colt’s ears flick back in quiet nervousness.

DJ doesn’t know what else to say, and Cadence opens her mouth to speak - perhaps reassure him - before one of the chefs pushes through the swinging doors hard enough to clack one of them against the wall. He flinches at the noise.

“Gooooood morning your highness,” said a crystal pony chef stallion, called Bit Check, with a short nose, a tan coat with blue hair, and purple eyes, and a sniper circle targeting bits in a voice similar to the gadget mobile. “What will you be having this morning?”

Cadence takes point, smiling briefly to DJ before placing her order. “I’ll have some scrambled eggs,” she starts, and the chef nods several times, clearly noting down her words. “Hay bacon, cooked crunchy, and orange juice, please. Thank you so much.” The chef hums, almost idle, before turning his attention to DJ.

DJ opens his mouth, then closes it again. The chef’s purple eyes don’t leave him, but DJ is afraid of being judged. He swallows, then tries again, mouth dry.

“C- Can I have -”

His voice cracks. The chef snorts, and Cadence looks at him sternly. The chef pretends he didn’t do it. DJ, blushing, continues anyway.

“CanIpleasehave some messy eggs?” Cadence nods encouragingly. “Some toast. And milk.”

The chef nods, moving to turn and head back into the kitchen, and then DJ speaks up a little louder. “Can I have some normal bacon please?”

The chef turns quickly, staring at DJ.

“... Normal bacon?” he asks, lip pulling up in something like shock.

“Um. Meat bacon cooked soft?” Cadence looks at him with surprise, leaning back in her seat. DJ looks down. “I only eat it sometimes -”

The chef nods a few times, hiding his face behind his notepad. “Yes you can!” he says, voice high-pitched with something like fear. The same feeling grips DJ’s heart, sudden, sharp, and tight.

“I don't have to -”

The chef is already gone. The doors sway wildly after his hurried exit, and DJ feels a nervous energy build up in his chest. He can't put words to it, but it sure isn't good.

“Do ponies like you eat meat?” Cadence asks DJ.

“Yeah I’m an omnivore.” DJ replies, turning his head back towards Cadence. “Sorry.”

“There’s no need to be sorry.” Cadence replied sweetly. “I sometimes eat fish when my husband isn’t around.”

“Then why was the chef scared?” DJ asks, tilting his head to the right.

“That chef is new and isn’t familiar with everyone’s diet in the castle.”

“Oh,” replied DJ. He took that information in, but he couldn't think of anything better to say, so he just sat there instead and let the conversation die. Cadence smiled at him, trying to give him an opening, but he still couldn't think of anything. He had to think of something!

“What about you?” asked DJ, “What is your family like?”

Cadence blows out a long, low breath. She clearly considers her answer.

“I could give you the normal response,” she says, slowly, “which is that I love them, which I do. But I have a long history. I grew up as the only Pegasus in a little fishing hamlet, and as much as I loved it, I always wished there were others to fly with me when I was a foal.” She gives a light chuckle. “My birth parents weren't able to be there, but I always think they'd have flown with me and taught me how. I had to learn it all by myself.”

“How did that go?” DJ asks, leaning forward a little.

“Oh, I was very lucky I'm a fast learner,” she laughs.

“Do you know any flight tricks?”

“I know a couple basic ones that I learned from a book.”

Cadence stands up to demonstrate a flight trick. She asked DJ, “Do you have any rubber bands with you?” DJ reached behind his head to check his hunch to see if he had some and luckily he found two new rubber bands inside his hunch.

“Here it is, I found it in my hunch,” he said, handing over the rubber bands to Cadence.

She collected the rubber bands and used the rubber bands to join her hooves together to form a single one.

She looked at DJ's eyes and she said, “You will stylishly put both legs into the joined hooves being tied together with the rubber band.” She also demonstrated what she said while DJ gave her all his attention and watched her as she demonstrated it.

“You will flap your wings doing the barrel roll, turning from one angle to the other before you begin to fly with the help of your wings,” she said as she continued putting it in action.
DJ was baffled as she was in a demonstrating mode.

Cadence begins to fly with the help of her wings. It was a good sight for DJ as he looked at Cadence up in the air. After the process, she finally relaxed and moved back to her normal position.

DJ was surprised about how Cadence displayed and demonstrated the flying trick which she ended up flying for real inside a building of all things.

Other than that, DJ was very delighted with the performance of Cadence that he was even ecstatic that he enjoyed the Flight trick performance with the help of the rubber bands.

DJ wanted to ask about the rubber bands, so he summoned the courage to do so.

“That was very interesting but what was the purpose of the rubber bands?”

“After the rubber bands had joined my hooves I had to let my wings do the remaining work since I have developed the courage and ability.”

“Did you ever show off the trick to anyone?”

“Yes, I showed this trick to all of my friends. They were quite impressed because they have never seen anything like this before.”

“Cadence…. would you tell me about your friends?” asked DJ Hopper whose eyes got wider.

“I have many friends and I love all of them….”

DJ Hopper silently listening to Cadence as she is sharing her amazing past experiences with friends with a smile on his face … “We had so much fun at the Grand Galloping Gala. Pinkie Pie is really funny, we almost died of laughter. It was so much fun.” Continued Cadence.

“Though Apple Jack is stubborn, she is very caring. Once Apple Jack is challenged, she never backs off. Her most exceptional quality is being honest so, you can always trust Apple Jack. When I am stuck with a difficult task, It’s Apple Jack who always comes to mind.“

“…DJ Do you know… I have a friend named ''Rainbow Dash” who loves to do pranks. Sometimes she is quite annoying but she means a lot to me. Some of her pranks are quite irritating but often they are quite entertaining, especially when you are not her victim.” Candance replied with a giggle.

“Oh, How can I forget to tell you about Twilight. Twilight is the kind of person you can spend ages with, without getting bored.” Cadence said while wishfully clapping her hooves and closing her eyes. “The best thing about her is that you not only enjoy her company but also learn many things from her. She is an amazing teacher. We are also related as she is my sister-in-law. We have so many adventures together. My husband Shining and Twilight makes life so much better.” Continued Candance who was proud to be Twilight's friend and family.

“I have two friends I knew from when I came to Canterlot in my high school days. Both of them went into the fashion business and I believe that they are still working together. Sassy Saddles designs outfits and Fleur models them.”

Cadence's social circle was a fantasy for DJ who had a quiet lonely life.

Cadence, who was now proud to show off her friends to DJ, couldn't resist mentioning a few other friends, “I have a friend called “Rarity” who is also a fashion designer that is from Ponyville who always dreamed of living in a big city but doesn’t want to move away from her family. She is now in business with Sassy Saddles in Canterlot. She has a keen eye for detail when making an outfit. If your outfit is ruined she can be very generous and fix it up for you at a reasonable price. I also have a friend called "Fluttershy" though she is shy, she is very kind, once she opens up to you. What makes her special is that she can talk to animals and can be herself near them.”

“Friendship makes life so much better. It’s not just about having a good time but it’s way beyond it. We are always up for each other. My friends gave me so many beautiful memories and I can’t imagine my life without them.”

“You are very lucky to have such friends,” replied DJ in a sad voice.

“What about you, do you have any friends?”

DJ splayed his ears back as he nervously rubbed his right forearm with his left, “I think I have some friends but I really don’t know. It’s really hard to tell if I do or not. I was always too nervous to approach someone new so they usually had to approach me and usually they are just trying to get something from me or try to take advantage of me.”

Cadence frowned, “Oh I’m sorry to hear that but don’t worry I’m sure you’ll make lots of friends here everyone is very accepting and friendly.”

Immediately after, food was delivered to both of them.

Chef Bit Check walked in from the kitchen carrying both orders of food. He placed the plate in front of Cadence and said, “Here’s yours.” The Chef nervously places DJ’s meal on the table and says, “And here’s yours with b-b-b-bacon.”

DJ and Cadence give their thanks for their food and start eating as they start chatting again.

DJ picks up his fork and takes a bite of his egg white. “Yum,” he says, stuffing his mouth full.

At first they were both silent as they ate but soon DJ asks Cadence, “So what’s it like being a princess here in The Crystal Empire?”

Cadence takes a drink of her orange juice before answering, “Honestly, I couldn’t be happier. My husband Shining Armor is a very nice person to live with. It’s like living a dream life. I can’t be more thankful. I know, I can almost have anything that I want.” Replied Princess Cadence in a happy tone.

DJ paused eating his meal for a few seconds, paying attention to Cadence’s story, and then asked slowly to prolong the conversation, “What does it take to be a princess?”

“You have to pass many tests one by one to be a princess,” Cadence replied as she dwelled in her memories. “My training as a princess included exceedingly onerous tasks. I was super excited and nervous at the same time. I was afraid that I might not be able to pass the tests. I first had to learn about the anatomy of an alicorn and how my new body works. My first magic lesson was quite exhausting. I was never very good at combat magic plus I never used a horn before.” Cadence continued speaking while looking at DJ.

DJ who was enjoying this chat asked, “What’s the fun part of training?”

Candance instantly replied, “I enjoyed food training most. In that lesson, a princess in training is served the most delicious food. A princess should eat light meals, and snacky things like nuts and luscious glossy fruit like berries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, pomegranates, apples, grapes, and mangos.” She explained. “Why some foods are not allowed because they affect our physique. Like for alicorns we can eat almost anything but if we eat enough fattening foods it will go straight to our butt.”

“Wow, it seems you've been through a lot to deserve this title,” said DJ who was now interested in hearing Cadence's training experience as he finished his eggs and started munching on his toast smeared with egg yoke.

“Yes, every princess has to go through the same test. A princess is trained about how to dress. She always has to wear clean clothes and her mane should be combed properly and a perfectly placed tiara on her head. A princess's posture should be different from other ponies. She should stand tall and proud. The most important training was to have compassion and be kind and have empathy for others. She should feel the pain of others by imagining herself in their situation. She should help and be kind towards all citizens of Equestria.”

Cadence, who was proud to share her amazing experience, told DJ that, “Being a princess is not an easy task. A princess has to perform the most important duties of a state of Equestria,” while thinking she added further, “ …. like the collection of tax, …. performing amendments in official documents or other major tasks. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows.”

DJ nodded in agreement and then replied, “Yes princess, I know the luxury in life always comes with a fair share of responsibility. For instance, I have the task of spreading harmony throughout the whole multiverse when I complete my training.” DJ exclaimed, waving his hooves in a spreading manner.

“DJ do you know a princess has different writing than an ordinary pony. Her signature should be clear and complete. A signature tells a lot about the status of an alicorn,” said Cadence as she saw DJ hopper was all ears.

“Cadence, though it’s the first time I am having a conversation with a Princess, unless I think it is, it’s really cool to know about what makes a princess,” replied DJ who was also enjoying his meal at the same time as he started working on eating his bacon.

“May I have the autograph of the great Princess Cadence?” DJ said in a teasing tone. Cadence grinned as they passed a smile to each other.

A sudden knock-on a door shifted their attention and made them turn their head. Chef stallion, Bit Check, reappeared and said quickly in a polite voice, “Your highness, do you need anything else?”

“I am good,” Cadence replied immediately.

DJ hopper said after thinking for 3 seconds....”Yeah, I am fine. Thanks for this delicious bacon.”

Bit Check nodded and left with a smile on his face. Though still a bit nervous about seeing a pony eat meat like bacon.

“Dancing is one important thing a princess must be great at, especially Ballroom dancing. I have always been good at dancing but my Ballroom dancing skill was not that impressive until I had to take a Ballroom dance training as a Princess. I love that I got to be taught Ballroom dancing. It seemed a little difficult at first but when I got the hang of it, I loved it! My dance instructor, Ms. Lightwing, was a great teacher and her teaching method made it quite easy for me to learn very fast and it was indeed fun!”

“Tell me about your first dance as a Princess,” requested DJ, with excitement in his voice.

“Alright, my first Ballroom dance as a Princess came immediately after my training. It was a great experience that I treasure a lot. I had my hair done and adorned with my crown. My outfit was a beautiful pink, flowery gown. I began my dance with the ‘Cha-cha’ dance steps. Stepping aside with my right hoof and then forward with my left hoof. I replaced my weight on the right hoof and did a triple step in place – left, right, left and stepped back with the right hoof elegantly. Next I took a step forward with my left hoof and replaced my weight on my right hoof. Then I did a triple step in place – right, left, right.” Cadence narrated with a smile.

“Wow!” exclaimed DJ who was now deeply engrossed in Cadence’s narration. Cadence continues.

“Then I switched from the Cha-cha steps to the ‘Salsa’ dance steps. I stepped back with my right hoof, replaced my weight on my left hoof and closed my right hoof to my left. I stepped forward with my left hoof, replaced my weight on my right hoof and closed my left hoof to my right. I rounded up my dance with some ‘Rumba’ dance steps and took a bow. Then my husband, Prince Shining Armor joined me to perform the Couples’ dance steps. The Prince is a very good dancer and he really complimented my dance steps so perfectly. It was a glorious event and everyone present applauded us. I felt very proud.”

“That’s so great! How do you do the ‘Rumba’ dance steps? Can you show me?!” asked DJ excitedly.

“Very well then.” replied Cadence as she stood up to show DJ her Rumba dance steps. She took an elegant dancing position and started dancing. First she took a step aside with her right hoof. Then She closed her left hoof to her right hoof and switched her weight while DJ watched on with full attention. Next, She switched weight on her right hoof and then stepped aside with her left hoof. She closed her right hoof to her left hoof and switched her weight. She switched her weight on her left hoof and then stopped dancing. She took a bow.

“Wow! You really can dance!” DJ exclaimed, “That was impressive! I can dance well too by balancing myself on my tail.” DJ then got up out of his chair after eating his last bite of bacon to demonstrate. DJ then jumps on his hind legs then brings his tail underneath him and sits himself on top of it like a chair.

“Wow that’s really impressive,” Cadence praises, “but how is that dancing?”

“I’m not done yet,” DJ reiterated. He then starts moving on his tail like he was a charmed snake then he stands back up and starts twerking and spinning his tail around like a windmill then like a Tornado.

DJ starts dancing by bending his legs from side to side then in a circular motion. He then waves his front legs in front of himself like he was doing high chi. DJ then starts doing other dance moves that were really impressive.

“Wow you're a really good dancer,” Cadence smiles at him as he sits back down in his chair after a few minutes of dancing.

“Thanks, my mother and her family taught me how to really dance but mostly my aunts did most of the teaching. They watched me dance along with all my female cousins since my mother was too shy to perform and busy as a scientist.” He says as he finishes off his glass of milk.

“Really anything else you're learning?” Cadence asked.

“Well I’m currently being trained to be a balancer paralox. That’s a position of spreading harmony across the entire multiverse and in my case throughout time as well. It was also a position I was born into.”

“Really you don’t have any free will of what you want to do with your life?” Cadence asked in shock.

“Well I could but that is pretty selfish. I have to put others before me.”

“How very noble of you,” Cadence said smiling and bowing her head a little and rubbing behind his head. DJ smiles in response.

“I just finished my darkness training, well I think I have anyway, but I don't have any friends to give emotional support so they can help me out of my depressed funk I am in. Like I said before I’m always nervous to approach someone new.”

“Well I’m sure you’ll make lots of friends here that will help you out.” Cadence replied with a smile trying to comfort DJ.

Just then Shining Armor comes in for lunch.

“Hey honey how's the interview going!?” Shining exclaimed, holding a clipboard in his magic wanting to take notes of the colt.

DJ Hopper jumps a bit in his seat and lets out a small scream as an unfamiliar stallion welcomes himself into the room.

“DJ, this is my—” Cadence tries to say, but is interrupted by a strong gust of air, pulsing outwards from DJ as he stares at the unicorn as he starts shaking. The room drops several degrees as a layer of ice spreads outward from his hooves, and climbs up his legs and starts spreading around him. Thin, wispy red flames dance on his coat like fireflies, and he emits an aura of pure power while ice starts forming on his chair and on the table.

Instinctually, Shining fires out a bolt of magic to try and knock the colt out, though it falls quite short of its intended target, being absorbed by a yellow bubble-shield.

“...Cadence? What are you doing, get away from him!?” Shining’s questioning’s fall on deaf ears as Cadence turns around.

DJ, who had previously been a few feet away from Cadence, was now right next to Cadence trying to duck and cover in his hooves, though surprisingly docile, given the elements raging around him.

She hummed a beautiful tune while trying to calm DJ down, and slowly but surely, DJ returned to his normal form although still having a red mane and coat while now having a red glowing aura around him. Turning back towards her husband, she motioned back towards the door.

“Sweety, do you think you could give us a moment?”

Shining looks at her with intrigue, worry, and confusion. “...What? What was that?” He motioned at DJ.

“I’ll tell you rightafter I’m done talking to our friend here.”

“Cadence, are you crazy he nearly attacked you!?” Shining exclaimed.

“Like I said, I’ll explain to you afterwards—please give me a moment,” Cadence asked.

With much reluctance, Shining retreated back through the door, though he made sure that both of them heard that he was going to have a group of guards waiting by the entrance should anything go south.

Cadence turned back to DJ, only to find him curled up on the ground, hyperventilating, the sheens of ice and flames gone, as though they had never been there in the first place.

She was quick to his side, laying beside him and resting a wing around his shivering form totally scared and afraid. Taking a breath, she continued humming, softly stroking his form with her wing.

There they sat for a period of time, until DJ calmed down enough that he was coherent.

“...What did I do, Cadence?” poking an eye through his hooves.

“Sweety are you okay?”

“What did I do? I didn’t hurt anybody, did I?” He asked, sorrow practically bleeding from his voice.

“...Of course not, you only gave myself and my husband a good scare.” Cadence chuckled good-naturedly.

Silence was heard as the colt started shaking in fear while Cadence continued to softly hum.

“...Why don’t we get you to the doctor?” She suggested. “That was pretty scary.”

“NO!” he squeaked.

“Why not?” She asked, tilting her head to the right.

“The doctors might dissect me!!” He wailed trying to get closer into Cadence’s wing.

“How about this….I’ll be sure to stay by your side to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Promise?” he asked, lifting his head up.

“I promise,” she replied, pulling the colt into her forearms after discovering he was still a bit warm like hot embers. Luckily her alicorn traits protected her from the furnace like temperature coming off of him and he accepted her embrace as she pulled him up off the ground and put him on her back.

The colt started to smell Cadence as he snuggled into her back.

“Mmmm you smell like Candy,” he exclaimed, while Cadence giggled in response, finding the colt's affection ticklish.

They headed out of the dining room to find two crystal guards and Shining Armor waiting.

“Are you alright Cadence?” Asked Shining Armor.

“I’m alright,” replied Cadence, “I’m gonna take our friend over to the doctor to give him a checkup.”

“Cadence… how is he now?” asked Shining in a worried voice.

Shining bowed his head down trying to do an autopsy spell as he lit his horn again, wondering curiously what might be wrong with this colt.

"Cadence..." a weak whimpering voice of a colt reached their ears.

Shining pulled his head up, looking at the same transformation the colt is going through again. Ice coming out of his hooves with fire sprinkled on top as DJ is changing his state. Heat rays coming out from DJ's fur and hooves that could easily cut Shining in two pieces, but he managed to protect himself by jumping to the side.

"Shining go away," Cadence shouted as she created a bubble shield to protect herself from a dangerous attack from DJ.

"Why?.... Why should I go away?..... What did I do to make him go mad again?"

"I don't have time to explain, You just go," shouted Cadence.

Shining started to step back, looking worried about Cadence but he turned around and started to run away from the hall trusting Cadence’s alicorn abilities.

Cadence started to hum the same beautiful tune in her melodious voice as DJ ceased to emit a powerful aura. Shining was now out of sight and DJ was getting back to his original state. DJ, who was about to faint, apologized to Cadence again before falling to the floor unconscious.

"You will be alright," Cadence said while touching DJ's face gently with her hooves. Cadence picked DJ up on her back and then moved to the infirmary.

At the medical bay

Day 1

12:15 PM

Cadence rushed into the medical bay to find an earth pony nurse with a light brown coat and a leafy green mane wearing a white nursing shirt with a name tag saying, “Nurse Heartbranch,” and wearing a white nursing cap with a red cross on it.

“Nurse help! This colt is having a panic attack!”

Nurse Heartbranch immediately turned to DJ Hopper, who was looking exhausted while cuddling Cadence’s back. The Nurse buzzed in a gurney.

“Mind helping me get the colt on the bed, your highness?” The Nurse asked in a sweet voice, as another nurse brought in a gurney. She was a yellow crystal pony with a blonde white striped mane. She had green eyes with a name tag called, “Nurse Sweetheart,” with a nursing outfit and cap like Heartbranchs’.

Cadence helped lift DJ Hopper onto the gurney from her back as Nurse Sweetheart and Nurse Heartbranch steadied it. Nurse Heartbranch started examining DJ hopper for a few seconds while Cadence curiously stared at her.

“Wow this colt is warm,” said Nurse Sweetheart brushing DJ’s mane.

Cadence and the nurses were worried about DJ Hopper's well-being, well mostly Cadence. After a pause, Nurse Sweetheart started moving out of the room with DJ Hopper. Cadence followed after her.

Nurse Sweetheart, led the way as she passed by some offices and exchanged pleasantries with some nurses.

“Can you give me an account of what happened, Your Highness?” asked Nurse Sweetheart as she opened the door to a room she called “an observation room”.

“Well, we were both in the Palace private dining room. I had invited him over and we had just finished having breakfast and were having a great time when my husband, Prince Shining Armor, suddenly entered.”

“So what happened when the Prince came in, Ma’am?” Nurse Sweetheart probed further.

“Well...I noticed that immediately when DJ saw my husband holding a clipboard in his magic, everything about him changed... like.. like he was scared or something… He started to shake and was suddenly covered in ice. He emitted a strong magical power so strong that my husband had to shoot out a magical bolt to try and knock him out before anyone could get hurt.” Cadence explained while Nurse Sweetheart listened attentively.

“So, your husband knocked him down?”

“No! He couldn’t as there was this strong shield all around DJ. The Prince’s attempt was futile. DJ panicked and tried to hide next to me to save himself.” Cadence stopped to look the Nurse in the eye.

“Hmmhmm… keep going Ma’am. What happened after that?”

Cadence continued, “This act surprised me as I did not expect him to be docile despite the powerful elements that he emits. So I sang him a song to calm him down and thankfully, that helped. The powerful elements that raged around him stopped and his body returned to normal but he was still in shock so I brought him here.”

“That’s quite an experience. Thank you for giving a detailed account of that incident. It will really help us in setting up a Medical profile for him.”

“A medical profile. What do you mean by that?” Cadence asked curiously.

“A medical profile is a one-page medical document that contains a patient’s medical information as well as contact details. This document will help the doctors in their diagnosis and observations.” replied Nurse Sweetheart as she drops DJ on the Observation bed. DJ almost jumped off immediately, but Cadence rushed over to put him still.

“Shhh it’s okay DJ. I’m here,” Cadence whispered to the colt as she held him down.

“This is where he will be evaluated by the doctor to determine the appropriate treatment to be administered,” Nurse Sweetheart explained.

“The doctor will be here anytime from now.” She said as she hurried out of the room.

The Observation room had a big window to the hallway through which Cadence saw a Doctor coming towards the room.

“That must be the doctor,” she thought as she gently rubbed DJ’s mane. While DJ smiled into her hoof.

Not so long later, the Doctor gently opened the door, Cadence stood up and greeted the doctor who in return smiled and said, “Good afternoon ma’am. My name is Doctor Scabs and I will be attending to… DJ Hopper here,” he said, glancing through the record in his hoof.

“Thank you Doctor Scabs,” Cadence replied.

“And who are you ma’am in relation to the patient?” asked Doctor Scabs.

“My name is Cadence, and DJ is my responsibility, doctor.”

“No problem ma’am. DJ is in safe hooves. I will observe him now to know the status of his health and determine the appropriate treatment to administer.”

He moves closer as he greets DJ, “Hello DJ how are you?”

“A little scared doctor.” He replied shakingly.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he replied, “I will be examining you today. Can you sit up for me?”

DJ then sits up and the doctor starts examining him, DJ looks very scared and inconvenient with the doctor’s presence. He appears a little shaken.

The doctor does some examinations on DJ and is surprised at how different and how advanced his body is. For instance the doctor found an irregular heartbeat.

“This is strange,” said the Doctor as he continues examining DJ.

“What is strange, Doctor?” asked Cadence with a note of concern in her voice.

“His body…. His body is quite strange… different... unlike anything I have ever seen. I’m having trouble hearing his heartbeat.”

“Well that’s because I have two hearts.” DJ spoked shyly to the doctor.

“Really two hearts!!?” The doctor exclaimed, bringing his stethoscope to both sides of DJ’s chest to confirm that he indeed has two hearts. He gets more serious with the examination such that he couldn’t even respond to Cadence who was asking him what he was up to.

The doctor apologized and said, “I was only surprised his body is so advanced and very different. And quite strangely at that. Ma’am, would you know anything about DJ’s robotic body parts?”

“Robotic body parts? You mean DJ’s robotic fingers and eye piece?” Cadence asked the doctor.

“If my observations are anything to go by, Yes,” the doctor replied.

“Well the fingers are for magical manipulation and the eye piece is for his memory disability,” Cadence explained.

“Really…interesting…can you please follow me ma’am,” the Doctor beckons to Cadence.

“Alright,” she exclaims, “I’ll be back in a minute DJ.”

Cadence stood up and followed the Doctor into the hallway and Cadence closed the door behind her.

“Your highness, I believe DJ is a different creature to what we know. His body structure is quite advanced and I am afraid we will have to dissect him in order to determine how well to treat him.”

“No! Never! You can’t do that. DJ is my responsibility and therefore under the protection of the Crown. Anyone who wants to dissect him will have to go through Alicorn fury.” Cadence fumes as she spreads her wings out.

“But.... your highness, it will do a lot of good if we are permitted to dissect him. Firstly, it will help us get to the root of what he is made of and secondly it will help us gain more advanced knowledge in medical science as we will be dealing with quite an advanced body structure.”

“I am sorry doctor, but I will have to insist that DJ is not dissected by you or any other doctor or medical staff,” retorted Cadence.

“Alright your highness as you wish, but there is no doubt we’ll have to run some more tests on him. That’ll pose to us what exactly is wrong. Please see the nurses at the counter when you’re ready, I'll be back shortly,” he said as he turned back to leave.

“Where is he going? Why does he have to leave his job for the Nurses?” Cadence was perplexed.

She turned and went back into the Observation room where DJ was laid. Cadence rubs DJ on the back and said to him, “No one will dissect you, I promise,” DJ responded with a nod and smiles.

A while later, after calming DJ down a bit, Cadence stands up, ready to go to see the nurses, “I’ll be back, stay put dear,” she said as she left.

Later in the afternoon, some nurses came and took DJ to run some tests on him and do weight and height tests for his basic profile, but that was after Cadence had returned from seeing the nurses.

After the test, the doctor called for Cadence to see him in his office.

“You asked to see me, doctor. I hope DJ will be fine.”

“Yes, please have a seat,” said Doctor Scabs.

“Thank you doctor,” Cadence said as she took her seat elegantly in front of the doctor.

“Yes, your highness. In our observation, we found out that DJ is a winged earth pony. We were unable to monitor his heart rate with our equipment but later found out that he indeed has two hearts and we later connected him to two monitors. His body is quite advanced to what we know hence our move to dissect him in order to examine his anatomy. However, we couldn’t go against your wishes Princess.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Cadence responded warmly.

“After other thorough examinations on DJ, he has been diagnosed with Long Term Stress and possible Shell shock.”

“Is that a serious condition, doctor?” Cadence asked curiously.

“Not really, your highness. But it can be if not properly and quickly managed.”

“How can we do that, doctor?”

“Well, long term stress can be properly managed by following the 6CSRS. The 6CSRS is the 6 Chronic Stress Reduction Steps.” The doctor paused, looking straight into Cadence’s eyes who nodded, encouraging him to continue his explanation.
“In the 6CSRS, knowing the complications the patient experienced comes first. Symptoms like muscle aches, pains, blood pressure, anxiety, fear, and panic are examples of such. Some of these symptoms are what DJ is experiencing.”

“The next thing to do is to set limits to tasks, activities, and obligations. Determine what is necessary to the patient’s survival and what is not so necessary and therefore can be avoided. The patient should also develop what we call BSP - Better Sleeping Pattern. Sleeping early and comfortably will help reduce the raging effects of chronic stress.”

“That’s quite an informative list doctor. Please what are the other three steps?” asked Cadence who had since taken out a pencil and a paper, jotting down what the doctor was saying.

“DJ should try belly breathing as it is one of the most powerful tools for restoring the body after a stress response. Belly breathing, also called deep breathing, or abdominal breathing regulates our heart rate, improves the oxygenation of the blood and releases tension in the body. He should start by sitting or laying down if possible and take a deep breath through the nose until his chest is full and his belly expands then exhale.”

“Can I also try it with him even though I have not been diagnosed with Long term stress?” asked Cadence with a smirk.

“Of course, your highness. It’s a good way of reducing accumulated stress and makes you feel better,” replied the doctor smiling at Cadence.

The doctor then explained the last two steps of the 6CSRS to Cadence while she listened and jotted down on her paper.
“To manage chronic stress effectively, the patient needs to do just one thing to improve their health. It can be as simple as flying leisurely, taking a walk, or light dancing. And lastly, seek professional help from doctors. Don’t wait until something critical happens.”

“Thank you very much doctor. You have been quite helpful and professional all along. All steps are duly noted.”

“You are welcome, your highness.” Replied the doctor who appeared pleased with Cadence’s compliments.

“Does the 6CSRS work for possible shell shock too?” Cadence asked.

“Well, your highness. Shell shock is an aftermath of unmanaged long term stress. So indirectly, taking care of the long term stress will improve the symptoms of shell shock. However, he should develop better coping skills towards shell shock by working on his self esteem. A good self confidence, an improved behaviour, good relationship with others will help him manage shell shock episodes better.”

“Thank you doctor.”

“At your service, your highness,” replied the doctor with a little bow of his head.

“When will he be discharged, doctor?” Cadence asked with a grin.

“I’m afraid he will have to be here with us till tomorrow so we can monitor the progress of his recovery, ma’am.”

“Till tomorrow?!.... Hmmm... Alright,” replied Cadence.

The doctor noticed the trouble in Cadence’s response and moved to assure her of DJ’s safety.

“Do not be despaired, your highness. We will take good care of DJ and by tomorrow he will be.....”

“.......can I stay with him?” Cadence cuts in before the doctor could finish his statement.

“Well, why not. We will be happy to have the princess with us until morning. I will make arrangements to make your stay a comfortable one. Please excuse me ma’am while I make appropriate arrangements.” said the doctor as he stood up to go out of his office.

“Alright doctor. Thank you very much,” replied Cadence as she stood. Her eyes follow the doctor as he makes his way out then later heading back towards DJ’s room.

When Cadence arrived at DJ Hopper’s room she found him sleeping and connected to two heart monitors like the doctor said. That sounded like this

Cadence went over and sat next to the bed to watch over him.

DJ Hopper then starts whimpering in his sleep due to him dreaming about his early childhood. His coat starts to glow red and gives a warm aura as tears run down his cheek and a vacuum noise from his eye piece is heard to vacuum up the tears from his left eye.

In response Cadence lays her left arm over DJ Hopper and starts to sing a song to try and calm him as she strokes his fur coat.

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DL3gdvc92EYY&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1625098072106000&usg=AOvVaw37CeXuEjYyPHj3l\_6rPfwn%5D

After the song DJ Hopper sleeps more peacefully. Then Cadence joins him in the realm of sleep.

Author's Note

Well this took several months of work and cost me $62 to have a co author write. I had the next chapter completed but this one wasn’t. So this chapter had to be completed first.

If anyone is willing to help me write in there spare time please PM me. Or if you want more chapters to come out sooner you can support me on patreon. https://www.patreon.com/Luckyfanisaac?fan_landing=true

Memory Dream Sequence 2

A Broken Flame

By Luckyfanisaac and Bumblebeau

Memory Dream Sequence 2

(Scene 1 - Opening)

The white sun shone brightly over the horizon of the purple and white planet of Sakatoria surrounded by white asteroids that all have portals leading to other dimensions in the multiverse for space traffic. Along with military spaceships and space stations to protect the planet.

Sakatoria was a world where nature and modern technology live in harmony. Where other worlds would be so industrious to the point of depleting their natural resources, or so traditional that their inhabitants live primitive lifestyles, Sakatoria has found a balance so that they can be progressive enough to be considered an advanced civilization, yet able to respect their ancient heritage and traditions.

To honor their planet’s natural form the homes were built into the land rather than on top of them, and the locals drape themselves in purple robes to match the color of their plant life, as a way of acknowledging they are a part of their planet.

(Something like this is what the buildings look like.)

Sakatoria is also a well-respected environment for education in the multiverse amongst immortals and gods, especially among the Paraloxes, multiversal traveling, Fire-like beings who monitor and bring order to the multiverse.

During one such classroom the sounds of digital pens hitting the board filled the room as the teacher, a mare named Mirror Plane (that looks similar to Pinkie Pie’s mom) with a white coat, a purple and white striped mane and tail, (similar to Twilight Velvet’s mane but with thinner purple and white stripes), with blue eyes, black glasses with a golden bead chain, wearing a purple suit with a white buttoned undershirt, continued her lecture on the history of the multiverses.

(Basic picture of classroom)

While the students were all staring at the front of the class, giving the teacher their full attention, one student, known as Burnt Blaze, was a colt with a red coat with a lighter red mane and green eyes. He also had cybernetic attachments such as a red lensed eye piece on his left eye, and small black cyborg fingers on his hooves. His current attire is a purple hooded sweatshirt and purple jeans. He had his birthmark, which is a mark that paraloxes get on their flanks to represent their families and where they come from, a yin and yang symbol stitched on to the sides of his pants where it would be on his flanks.

Blaze was scribbling profusely on his notes to keep track of the teacher’s lesson. The teacher didn’t bother to record her words on the smartboard, so Blaze had to write them down himself. The Smartboard was primarily used to draw illustrations on the board and small bulletin points, which was the real challenge of taking notes in class.

“Mister Blaze!” Mrs. Plane proclaimed.

Burnt Blaze shot his head towards the teacher and stood up in his seat.

“Y-Yes Mrs. Plane?” Blaze asked while covering his face in an attempt to hide his blush. He could feel the icy stare of his instructor piercing his very being.

“In which universe did Chancellor Puddinghead legalize the use of Caramel as an adhesive substance?” his Teacher asked with authority in her voice.

Blaze stared at his instructor, then he darted his eyes across the room; Blaze eyed the other students as they awaited his response.

“Mister Blaze? Your answer?!” Mrs. Plane asked impatiently.

“Uh, … W-Well…” Blaze said as he started to sweat up a storm as he looked through his notes. He looked through his papers like he was trying to find a needle in a haystack. Upon exchanging papers to seek the information he ended up dropping some of his papers. He was about to reach down to grab them, when he found the answer he was looking for.

“Chancellor Puddinghead passed the law in the Universe… 82.38 B. However, many insect infestations occurred because of it. In response his advisor, Smart Cookie, requested that the law be immediately repealed.” Once Blaze finished quoting from his notes he continued to stare at the instructor, hoping for her approval.

“Correct Mister Blaze, perhaps next time you’ll be able to do it without your notes.”

“Y-yes ma’am…”

Though his fellow students gave him a round of applause for his answer, he slumped into his chair as if he had gotten it wrong. It wasn’t fair, he needed his notes to remember things that were said just yesterday, whereas everyone else could easily remember nearly everything that ever happened in their life; Since Paraloxes have photographic memories, it wasn’t against the rules for them to use notes during class.

Blaze had learned not too long ago that he had a disability which made his ability to recollect information in his head harder compared to the rest of his species, which unfortunately was one more thing in his life that made him feel different from everyone else. He was thankful a little bit though that his cyborg eye piece helps him with this problem. Though he still needs to take notes on digital paper that gets saved into his cyborg eye piece.

While Blaze continues to berate his lesser memory, he feels a hoof tap him on the shoulder, he turns to see a filly he became friends with, Nutty Butter, she had a yellow coat and a butter yellow white mane and tail with deep hazel eyes, wearing a lilac and white plaid shirt with a white collar and lilac pants. A picture of a Sakatorian purple nut was stitched onto the pants where her flanks were.

“You dropped these, silly goose,” she said with a wink as she handed over the rest of his notes to him.

“Oh, thank you, Nutty!” Blaze said as he retrieved his notes.

Nutty smiles and whispers to him. “No problem. You know you can always count on me; Friends always help each other out.”

Blaze offers a small smile before making eye contact with Nutty again, Blaze could then see that behind her smile was a certain darkness. Blaze could feel his birthmark, a yin and yang symbol, becoming cold as he continued his little staring contest.

“Hey are you okay?” Blaze snapped back to reality, offered a simple nod in response to Nutty’s concern and retreated his gaze back at the smartboard as he returned to writing his notes.

Blaze couldn’t explain it, but sometimes when he was around others he would feel his birthmark offer a strange sensation. Sometimes it would feel warm and inviting, like when his mother or father would give him a hug or tell him they loved him, other times it would feel cold and hollow; he has felt the later a lot recently, ever since he enrolled in school his fellow students would give him this feeling, and sometimes he could feel what they felt too. The most common feeling he experienced was… hungry. Not for food, but for something else.

Just then the bell rang signaling the end of class.

“Alright class, remember that we will be having a test on ancient “Sakatorian Multiverse History” in 2 weeks so make sure you study hard as it will count towards your final grade.” The teacher, Mrs. Mirror Plane, said to her students. “I expect you all to memorize all of your notes.”

Burnt Blaze knew that last part was directed at him as he digitally put his notes back into his digital binder and put it into his purple saddle bags that had his birthmark on the buckle. He then put his saddle bags on as he headed for lunch.

(Scene 2 - Lunch)

Once Blaze’s Multiverse History class was finished he left straight for the cafeteria, from the corners of his eyes he could see the other students looking in his direction as he passed them and overheard them talking.

“That was totally him! You said he was in the same class as you, are you friends yet?” A student asked.

“Not yet, but I hope that we become friends soon.” Blaze recognized the second voice, it belonged to a student from his Multiverse History class. Blaze’s Birthmark had given him that familiar chill in his soul, yet a smile formed on his face regardless.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t take too long, having a Balancer for a friend could give someone all kinds of perks in this school,” His potential “friend” said.

“I know right, anyone who’s friends with him will practically run this place, and with all the Students trying to get his attention I’ll need to up the ante on being his best friend!”

“Um, you’re going to include me in your little clique too right?”

“Maybe, that depends on how useful you are.”

The students continued their conversation as Blaze stared into space. Soon he walks away from them and avoids the gazes of the other students.

(Outside the History room.)

(Scene 2 - 2)

Once he entered the sizable, grand chamber, his nose was assaulted by the various scents of exotic cuisines from different worlds.

As he glanced around the cafeteria he saw the various tables filled with the other students gleefully devouring their food of choice while socializing with their peers. The floor was aligned with white and purple colored marble tiles; one step can make a sound that made a satisfying clap from his hooves to make the journey to and from the lunchroom as enjoyable as the lunch itself.

At the other end of the cafeteria there was a large oven, and on its surface were various pans and cooking wares made of pure titanium. Basking in the flames were various cuisines such as roasted chicken, bread, soup, and various other foods from many worlds. The cafeteria also served various fruits and vegetables, all grown from Sakatorian soil.

Cafeteria tray

Kitchen area

(Scene 2 - 3)

“Hey Blaze over here,” called Nutty from the front of the line.

“You can come up here.”

Burnt Blaze walked up to her, “Are you sure that this is okay?” He whispered to her.

“Yeah it’s fine you're practically a VIP no one will mind.”

Burnt Blaze took a look back at the other students who were just nodding in approval. Since it seemed...alright...Blaze joined behind his friend Nutty to get lunch.

After a bit of pondering Blaze was able to select his meal. He had ordered roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, and a Vegetable mixture consisting of steamed green beans, carrots, and corn. For a drink he chose some juice, which comes from a native plant with a long unpronounceable name.

Blaze then made his way to the table that contained the plastic cutlery and napkins and took what he needed along with some salt and pepper packets.

(Scene 2 - 4)

Once Blaze was satisfied with what he had, he looked around for a table; to his luck he found a table where no one else was sitting. “Hey look, there's a table!” Blaze shouts. Nutty nods in response and they both make their way and sit down. Once he felt comfortable he started adding the salt and pepper to his food and started separating pieces of the chicken with his fork. He blew on it a few times to cool it down and placed the piece in his mouth; his taste buds were instantly bombarded by the herbs and oils that baked the chicken, and a tear left his eye as the heat burned his tongue.

“Hot isn't it?” Nutty said with a small chuckle as she chewed on her roast beef.

“Just a little,” Blaze said as he took some of his juice. As the cool liquid soothed his tongue he pondered on Nutty’s words.

“Do others really treat me like a VIP?”

“Sure do, you could probably get away with murder if you tried!” Blaze shivered in response to her words.

“But why me? Aside from my poor memory nothing stands out about me.”

“Maybe not, but you’re the first Balancer anyone has ever seen in billions of eons. You’re going to have others treat you as something special no matter what you do.”

Blaze used his fork to play with his food as he continued to ponder the conversation. Nutty took a break from chewing to notice Blaze looking so glum.

“You okay?” She asked after swallowing her food and putting a hoof on his left shoulder.

Blaze pondered his words a moment longer in his head before he was ready to speak them aloud.

“It’s just... it makes it sound like everybody only likes me because I’m different.”

“And you don’t like it very much?”

“No I don’t. If everyone likes me because I'm different... Does that mean if I was just like everyone else would everyone hate me?”

Nutty resumes chewing on her food while she thinks about her next words.

“Blaze, It shouldn’t matter what strangers think about you. Because only those who truly care about you will see the real you. And as long as you have one real friend, you have everything you need.” Nutty then smiles while having a piece of mashed potatoes stuck to the corner of her mouth. “And you’ll always be my friend, Balancer or not!”

Blaze has a sudden feeling of comfort as the two of them return to their food, and a familiar burning feeling assaults his tongue again. But then suddenly he felt a chill from his birthmark, and not even the scalding heat of his meal was enough to rid him of this subthermal sensation.

“Hey sorry but I gotta go, nature calls!” Her words snapped Blaze from this trance as he watched her walk away. He could have sworn she was shaking her hips for some reason.

(Scene 2 - 5)

Blaze reflected on Nutty’s words as he ate his food at a slow pace. He was grateful to have one true friend, but what he really wanted was for everyone to treat him the same way Nutty does. He wanted to feel accepted and loved, but not as the Balancer.

Blaze had heard of the Balancers before, but all he truly knew about them was that they were a type of Paralox that disappeared long ago; Blaze himself was the first one to come into existence in such a long time. He didn’t know why they dropped out of existence or where they went, but apparently they knew how to travel to places no one else could.

Just the thought of being able to disappear like that was a thought that gave Blaze more happiness then he dared to admit. He thought of all the places he could go, the beings he could meet. Perhaps Nutty would like to go alongside him and they could have all sorts of adventures together. Maybe along the way he could make new friends with creatures who never even heard the word Balancer. Others who could see him as a normal pony, just like anyone else.

(Scene 2 - 6)

His thoughts were interrupted as the table he was sitting at was being filled with other students, several of them he noticed were those who sat at the same table as him and Nutty quite often.

“Thee chicken tastes really gooooood today no?” One of the colts, (with a gray coat with a purple mane and tail wearing a gray dress shirt and black pants), said with a wide grin. Blaze felt a familiar coldness from his birthmark as the colt spoke, (in an accent similar to the spa twins in Ponyville).

“Y-yeah, it’s pretty hot though so be careful when taking a bite.”

“Thanks for zee tip, pal!” The colt exclaimed with a smile. The cold feeling in his birthmark refused to leave; Blaze also felt a hint of joy from his cold feeling, like someone was finding humor in something terrible.

“How were your classes today?” Another filly with a yellow coat with pink and blue hair, with pink on her right and blue on her left, wearing a pink and blue tie dye shirt and blue sweatpants, asked Blaze in a smooth voice, (similar to Tree Hugger,) wearing a similar smile taking a bite of her chicken hamburger.

“They were good, and had a bit of trouble keeping track of my notes in my Multiverse History class, but I managed. My genealogy was the same old, same old with it being a semi breeze.”

“Wow, so cooooool! You really take your studying seriousssssssly!” As Blaze became suspicious of her words the cold feeling in his birthmark intensified. A feeling of dullness filled his mind this time as if someone didn’t care.

Blaze looked at the plates of those around him and saw they had the exact same food he ordered; the only exception was the one who had a chicken hamburger and the gray colt who had two rolls.

The student saw Blaze looking at him and picked up one of the rolls. “Would you like one? I made zure to get tah fresh one zo it should bee really good!” The Colt asked with a wide grin. Blaze felt a familiar coldness from his mark and a feeling of dread.

Before Blaze could answer, another student brings out some candy. “How about a Choco-Bar? I also have some gummy fruit if you want.” Blaze shook his head as the cold feeling intensified.

“How about more Chicken? It’s really good today!”

“No you should have more veggies, they’re much better for your health!”

As the students continued to offer him food his birthmark felt so cold he was afraid his leg would go numb; he had to pat his thigh every now and then just to remind himself it was still there. Finally he had enough and stood from his seat shouting at the top of his lungs, “Enough! I don’t want anything else!” The students were completely silent as he breathed heavily with a stern expression; he glanced around the Cafeteria and noticed that everyone else was staring at him. Embarrassed by the sudden spotlight he leaves his table, along with his food; he lost all his appetite after that one scene.

He saw the students get up after him and in response he shot his hoof up in front of them. “Look, I just… I just need to be alone for a bit, please don’t bother me!” As Blaze turned around he became worried he may have been too harsh, that feeling instantly subsided once he heard one of them speaking.

“Now look what you guyz did! He hatez me now becauze you annoied him!”

“We annoooooyed him?! You weren’t doing yourself any favorsssss!”

Blaze’s ears flattened as he heard them fighting and left the cafeteria. He wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible so he headed to the bathroom to try to cool down.

(Scene 3 - Bathroom)

As Blaze entered the bathroom he stared into the mirror and saw his coat and hair were a much darker shade of red. He also saw his tail and mane were on fire. This happens to paraloxes when they experience a strong amount of a certain emotion.

As Blaze stared at the mirror he started to get really angry as his body burst into flames he then started ranting.

“Stop it, Stop It, STOP IT!!! EVERYONE STOP TALKING TO ME LIKE I’M SOMETHING SPECIAL WHEN YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW ME!!! I am more than some dead race! I like to sing! My favorite food is Chicken Alfredo noodles! I have a fear of high ceilings! When I was in kindergarten I kissed a girl I liked.”

“I am all these things and more, but all you care about is that I’m part of some stupid race who ran away because: gods know why! And what’s so special about Balancers anyway? I certainly don’t feel special! Do you know how hard my life was because I have the memory of a Sakatorian Zeta Fish?! Do you know about all the nights I cried myself to sleep because of how many things I failed at, that literally everyone else in my class can do blindfolded?! If the super special Very Important Balancers were anything like me, THEY DESERVE TO BE FORGOTTEN!”

(Scene 3 - 2)

Blaze then continues to stomp his hooves down then bursts into tears as he lays down and cries into his hooves. After a while Burnt Blaze hears a knock on the door. After calming down himself a little bit he replies, “Who is it?”

“It’s me Blaze are you alright?” Replied a voice, it was his friend Nutty who could hear his rant from the hallway.

“Ye ye ye yes?” He shakily replies.

“Are you sure?” She replies knowingly, raising an eyebrow behind the door.

Before Blaze could even consider coming up with an excuse his eyes started to water up again and his throat felt like it was housing an entire family of frogs.

“N-Noooooooo,” He replies, laying down and bringing his head down onto his hooves. “I’m not okay!”

“Did something happen at the lunch table after I left to use the restroom?”

“Yes, the students were being pushy again.” He replied, starting to cry again.

“Oh Blaze I’m so sorry,” Nutty replied in a sweet apologetic voice as she hugged the door. “I should have been there for you.”

Nutty paused for a second, “Is it okay if I come in?”

Burnt Blaze shoots his head up, “But this is the boys room!!” He exclaimed.

“Actually your in a teacher’s unisex bathroom so it should be fine and we’ll have privacy.” She says looking at the bathroom sign for a moment then turning her head back to the door.

“Unless a teacher comes,” she said under her breath.

“Alright come in,” He replies, unlocking the door with his magic.

(Scene 3 - 3)

Nutty opens the door with her magic and sees Blaze in his current state. His coat and mane were on fire with a circular scorch mark surrounding him with black soot on his clothes with tears running down his right eye. She could also hear a soft vacuum sound coming from his cyborg eye that’s vacuuming up his tears from his left eye.

“Don’t look at me!!!” He exclaimed.

0:58

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DGm6SKLUeg5A&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1625098787014000&usg=AOvVaw28Px0N78RnVe2sGO5hZRsH%5D

“Oh my! Burnt Blaze!!....I’m so….sorry,” Nutty exclaimed as she put her right hoof to her mouth and started to tear up. She then runs over to Blaze and grabs a hold of him and hugs him with her belly touching his belly.

As Nutty held Blaze in her embrace he looked upon her to see her skin lighting up as the crackling flames entered her body. With small breaths she took in the flames and devoured them until the fire covering Blaze ceased to be.

This was a common practice among close friends and family to symbolize how close they are when they try to share each other’s flame. The males would produce fire and the females would absorb it.

“Thanks Nutty,” said Blaze quietly, giving a small soft smile.

“You're very welcome, Burnt Blaze,” she said, giving a small smile in response as she gazed into his eyes along with a kiss on the forehead causing Blaze to blush. They hug for a few more minutes and then they hear someone knock.

(Scene 3 - 4 Janitor)

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Went the door.

“What’s going on in there,” replies a gruff voice.

“We’re having an emotional burning moment in here!!” Replies Nutty almost angrily.

The voice sighs, “You shouldn’t be in there. This bathroom is meant for staff only and I’m supposed to be cleaning it right now.”

“We came in here by mistake,” Replied Blaze.

After hearing a male voice the Janitor’s mind starts going south. “Alright I’m coming in. You kids better be okay.” He says, taking out his laser key pointer. This was an invention that helps people not to have to carry so many keys around and is how people on Sakatoria lock stuff.

The door opened to reveal a dark blue bulky stallion with dirty light blue almost gray hair in a brown janitor's outfit with gray eyes and a third psychic eye. This was what most of the paralox’s looked like in the west.

“Now what in the world is the reason you kids are in here?” He asked with a stern expression crossing his hooves.

“Well some of the kids were being a bit pushy to me so I left the cafeteria to go to the bathroom to cool off,” Replied Blaze.

“And as you can see he really needed it,” Nutty jokingly said as she pointed to the smudges on Blaze’s coat excreted from his tantrum. Blaze had a slight blush as he noticed it was all over the walls of the bathroom as well.

“I can see that,” Replies the janitor observing the scorch mark. “So why were the kids being pushy?”

“Well he’s the Balancer and…” Nutty explains but was cut off by the janitor.

“HE’S THE BALANCER!?!” he exclaims in a booming voice causing the kid’s manes to blow a little bit due to the force of volume.

“Uh yes but…” Nutty tries to explain but is cut off by the janitor again.

“So let me get this straight,” he says holding up a hoof, “you think just because he’s the Balancer you two can go wherever you want and do whatever you want!?”

“What no, I just ran in here without looking!!” Blaze exclaims.

“I don’t think so,” says The Janitor, “I think you're trying to get special perks but that’s not gonna happen not on my watch. You kids get yourself cleaned up and get out of here and I’ll be sure to report this to the principal.”

With a rough grumble the janitor gave them both some dry cloth to clean with and some cleaning supplies. Blaze stood up and picked up a spray can believing it is what he should use first.

“No! No! NO! You’re supposed to use soap and water first!” The Janitor said while stomping loudly on the ground.

The sudden outburst caused Blaze to panic as he dropped the Spray bottle. “I- I’m sorry!” Blaze said as he bent over to pick up the bottle.

“Don’t be sorry, be better!” The Janitor argued. Before Blaze could say anything else Nutty cut between them and gave the Janitor a nasty look.

“Hey, lay off him! What makes you think you have the right to talk to him like that?!”

“If either of you two make a mistake cleaning, I’m the one who will have to clean it up. Do you want to go through your whole life making others' lives harder?”

“Of course not, I didn’t mean to-” Blaze stuttered.

“Then do it right the first time!”

Nutty gave another nasty glare before turning to Blaze and placed a hoof on his shoulder, just in time to see him feeling down.

“Don’t listen to him, you got this!” After a reassuring nod Blaze placed the spray back with the rest of the supplies, grabbed his cloth, and went to the sink for some soap and washed it under some warm water. He then took the now soaked cloth and lathered it all over the walls. Nutty copied his actions as she started on the other wall.

“Make sure you scrub in circles!”

“Yes sir!” Blaze replied as the dirt and debris was slowly cleansed from the walls. Once the smudges were completely soaked they took another dry cloth and scrubbed off their work. The walls looked much better, with only small stains visible.

“Here, wash off your cloth and use this for the hard stuff!” Nutty said as she handed Blaze some mild detergent. Blaze did as he was told and soon smiled with pride as the mess he made disappeared completely.

“Wow, you did an awesome job! I can barely see any soot,” Nutty said with a gleaming smile.

“It’ll do, could have done it faster though! Now I have to start on the other bathrooms late!” the Janitor grumbled.

Blaze’s smile faded while Nutty’s scowl returned. “Why are you so mean?! He did the whole thing while you were probably sitting on your butt doing squat!”

The Janitor rolls his eyes as he gathers his supplies. “You’re done, alright, now leave!”

Blaze sulks as he turns around, but Nutty places her hoof on him and nods. “Hey you go on ahead and get changed okay? I just need to talk to him real quick.”

Blaze nods and leaves for another restroom to get changed into some clean clothes from his locker.

(Scene 3 - 5 Nutty’s True Nature)

Once Nutty was sure they were alone, Nutty then gives a nasty look to the Janitor.

“Is that how you treat the Balancer?! You should be on your knees begging him for forgiveness for what you said!”

“So he’s the Balancer, so what? That doesn’t excuse him from not thinking about how his actions affect others,” The Janitor said as he started cleaning the mirror.

“More importantly, why are you so determined to see him be treated like royalty?”

“What do you mean? I just want what’s best for my friend!” Nutty said in her defense trying to hide her nervousness.

The Janitor looks at Nutty and studies her appearance. “You look familiar, what did you say your name was?”

“I’m Nutty Butter, I’m the best friend of the Balancer, Burnt Blaze, and don’t you forget it!”

“Nutty, huh?” The Janitor says as he continues scrubbing. “You know, Miss Nutty, I’ve seen a student that looks like you around quite a bit.”

“Y-Yeah, so what?” Nutty asks while still trying to look intimidating.

“So this student, I happen to see her leaving places just as bad things happen. For example, the Microphones suddenly emitting feedback during school announcements, or Student’s lockers being filled with garbage. Why I even recall seeing her leave from the rooftops after throwing a tub of mayonnaise onto a teacher’s vehicle. I also found mayonnaise and horseradish with the instruments from the school band in the lockers as if someone thought they belonged there.”

At this point Nutty’s Intimidating stare started to waver. “What are you trying to say?”

“I’m just saying, someone like that might think being friends with someone famous could get them out of a lot of trouble.”

The Janitor stops and stares her right in the eyes with a stern expression. “I’ve seen many who used others just for personal gain. But to see someone so young pulling on the heartstrings of someone who may or may not have great potential, I’d rather be a grumpy old man than whatever you are!”

Nutty has an apathetic grimace on her face as he finishes his words.

“So what do you plan to do, tell him I’m not really his friend? Do you really think he’ll believe I'm such a bad person after the way you treated him?”

“Maybe he will, maybe he won't, but I wonder what the school board will believe after I mention your name, Miss Nutty Butter. I doubt the way you perceive your friendship is worth getting detention, or even worse.”

Nutty loses her intimidating look as she considers his words. She considers her next actions carefully and deduces that there is nothing she can do that would get her in worse trouble, out of options Nutty huffs, turns her back, and crosses her hooves.

“You better watch the way you treat my friend, as the Balancer a great destiny awaits him and I’m going to be with him the whole way!” Her scornful glare returns to meet the Janitor’s eyes, “So if you want to try your luck saying his best friend is some kind of troublemaker, go right ahead! Hopefully they’ll still let you keep your stinking job!”

Nutty then exits the bathroom to find Burnt Blaze waiting for her.

“Um hey Nutty is everything alright?” Burnt Blaze asks his friend.

Nutty brushes her mane back with her hoof. “Yeah, everything is fine. Let’s just get back to the cafeteria and finish our lunch.”

Nutty heads back to the cafeteria with Blaze following her. Burnt Blaze can’t help but sense a black aura around her.

(Scene 4 Recess)

The doors swung open as the students ran out to enjoy their outdoor time. Once Blaze finally emerged outdoors he felt the sudden breeze brush against his face. Blaze closed his eyes as the sound of the wind howling in the air became unexpectedly tranquil. However once the wind died down the noise was replaced with the sound of the other students playing.

Blaze felt envious as he saw many students had found their friends and were deciding on which of the various activities they would play together. Blaze wanted desperately to join in on the fun, but knowing his fellow students all they would want to do is talk about how cool being a Balancer must be, or they would pretend to be interested in whatever subject he wanted to talk about, only for him to feel his birthmark become cold again.

Suddenly he feels a tap on his shoulder and sees Nutty giving him a large smile. “Hey there, Blaze! Wanna play?”

Blaze stares at her as a startled expression becomes present on his face. “O-oh Hey Nutty! Um, Sure. What should we play?”

Nutty looks around the playground and ponders for several moments before looking back at him with a cheeky smile. “How about Tag?”

“Tag? Really?!” Blaze asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Alright then, you have a different idea?” Nutty asked with her forearms crossed.

“Well…” Try as he might, Blaze couldn’t come up with any game he wanted to play. Taking advantage of his indecision, Nutty raises her hoof and boops Blaze right on the nose.

“Tag! You’re it!” Nutty says as she runs away. Blaze stands startled once again as Nutty is already several yards away.

Nutty stops in place once she realizes she is so far ahead. “C’mon slow poke! Unless you want everyone to see you lose to a girl!”

Blaze looks around to see if anyone is watching and rolls his eyes. With no better ideas of what to do he runs forward in Nutty’s direction. She purposely waited several moments for Blaze to catch up. He reaches out his forearm, ready to tag her out, before she evades him at the last possible second and has him reaching for air.

“Not bad, Let's try that again, shall we?” Nutty said teasingly.

Blaze huffs as he reaches for her, again unsuccessfully. They continue this playful little fray for several minutes. Blaze becomes so aggressive from his failed attempts that he stomps on the ground while he changes color with flames threatening to emerge from his skin.

“Aww you mad, bro? Want me to go easy on you?” Nutty said with a sly expression.

Blaze has a sour expression as Nutty laughs with her eyes closed, moving him even further. He takes this time to prepare his stance before leaping right at her. Nutty opens her eyes just in time to side step away from him; with nothing to grab on to he falls flat on his face as the rest of his body lands roughly onto the ground.

“Ooh nice try, the landing could use some work though!” Nutty teased before laughing. For several minutes Blaze laid down without a single bit of movement. Nutty stopped laughing long enough to become concerned.

“Blaze? Everything okay?” Nutty asked as she creeped over. Without any response Nutty started to become worried as she placed her hoof on top of him and flipped him over with him now laying on his left side.

“Blaze, Say something!” Nutty said while terrified. Suddenly Blaze grinned widely as he booped her on the nose.

“Tag! You’re it!” Blaze turns himself over, raises himself up, and runs away while Nutty stares at him running away. At first she felt confused, but as reality set in she had a huge frown.

“Why you!!!” Nutty said as she lunged for him. This time it was Blaze’s turn to evade her and he took off running.

“Now who’s the slow poke?” Blaze asked as he ran.

Unfortunately it seems he had spoken prematurely. For not too long after he finished speaking he felt Nutty place her hoof on his side.

“Tag!” Nutty said the moment she made contact. Though a bit disappointed, he turns himself around, hoping to still be able to tag her. But with as much luck as he had before, he had grabbed the air as Nutty stepped away from his reach.

(Scene 4 - 2)

They continued their game for what must have been ten minutes before Blaze finally had to call it quits. Realizing his fatigue, Nutty leads them under the shade of a tree and Blaze wastes no time taking a seat. As Blaze tries to regain control of his breathing he notices some pressure centered on his stomach. He looks down to see Nutty using his stomach as her own personal pillow, with one hoof placed at the upper most part of his tummy while looking directly at him with big wide eyes, one eye mostly covered by her mane, and a small smile on her face.

(Somewhat close to this pose.)

Blaze broke her gaze to look around them, with only his exhaustion rivaling his embarrassment if anyone were to see them. “A-Aren't you ...W-worried of how... other ponies... will see you? Th- They… They might think…”

“Think what?” Nutty said after flashing her eyelashes at him.

Blaze, whether he was too shy or too tired, was unable to answer. Nutty giggled at his display before reaching into her pocket and pulling out what looked like a yellow rubber popping toy. She folded it in her grasp and threw it in the air. The moment it was above them it expanded until it completely surrounded them. At first there was darkness, but then small hexagons revealed the playground. Nutty giggled again as Blaze was registering what he was looking at.

“Don’t worry it’s just a cloaking device, that way no one can see you being a baby!”

Blaze wanted to object, but his fatigue still had the better of him, and his friend using him as her own personal pillow was not helping.

“You did pretty good back there,” Nutty says.

“I did?” Blaze paused to catch his breath. “But I only….caught you….the one….time!”

“Well yeah, but you were able to keep me on my hooves the whole way. You have so much stamina!” Nutty replied.

“Th-Thank you! You’re no…. Slouch…. Yourself…. for a girl!”

Nutty rolled her eyes as Blaze started to regulate his breathing.

“I’m serious though, do you play sports or something? Because no way would a lazy bum be able to play like that for so long.”

Blaze takes a moment to register her words before answering her, “Well, to be honest… I don’t play sports, but I do practice dancing with my mother.”

“Your mother’s a dancer?”

“Yeah, she’s a tail dancer from the Twish family. My mother was just too shy to perform so she became a chemist.”

“Thats cooler then what I got, My family is a bunch of Nut Farmers.”

“Oh yeah? That must drive you nuts!”

Nutty giggled a little at his pun.

The school bell suddenly rings, ending recess for Blaze and his friend.

“Looks like it’s back to class.” Blaze said with a frown.

“Too bad, you were really comfy!” Nutty said slyly as she took down the cloaking device.

“Hey, why do you have something like that anyway?” Blaze asked once the shield returned to its compacted form.

Nutty froze in place as she tried to think of an excuse. She soon thought up a line as she placed the shield in her pocket and leaned close to him. “It’s so I can tickle my tail without anyone seeing me!”

“R-Really? That seems a bit excessive for-” Blaze never had a chance to finish before Nutty interrupted him by tugging his arm.

“Hey, your next class is Study Hall, right?” She asked with an innocent smile.

“Y-yes, why?”

“No reason, but do me a favor and don’t make plans with anyone else okay?”

“Okay, but wh-” Blaze staggered as Nutty looked back at Blaze with a smile.

“Great! See you at the Library!” Nutty interrupted with a wide smile.

Before Blaze could question her further she runs off, leaving him with a blank stare on his face.

“What a weird girl…” Blaze said as he shook his head and made his way inside.

(Scene 5 Study Hall)

After recess Burnt Blaze headed to the library to work on homework.

(Possible Floor Plan for Library.)

He entered the school library, passed the grand staircase in the entryway, and went to the study area by the reference desk.

Once he was at the study tables, he stared at the other tables and chairs lined up around him, decorated like they were preparing for a banquet. On the tables were flowers which were bred from a Sakatorian floral species that originally only existed in caves and other rarely lit environments. Their bioluminescent glow not only provided enough light to allow the students to see their books, but they also gave a calming aroma that provided the perfect tranquil atmosphere for studying.

Blaze continued to look around and reflected on how grand the room itself seemed. To an onlooker it would be easily confused for the inside of a cathedral. Between each pillar there were various Mosaic Paintings decorated with the image of various beings who were important to Sakatoria. Some who had wisdom and sharpened the minds that formed philosophies still argued over to this day. Others who inspired artists and brought repose to the souls of all who witness their creations.

Blaze then looked up to the end of the corridor and saw light reflecting off the marble surfaces like water, and became memorized by the way they danced and created an ethereal canvas above the heads of all who educated themselves below it.

In his mesmerized state he takes off his backpack and tries to place it on the end, but he mistrejects the angle causing the bag to fall to the floor. Blaze snaps out of his trance and bends down to pick up his bag. He looks to his side and notices some books and papers managed to fall directly underneath the tables. After exhaling a breath of pure aggravation he crawls under the table to pick up his belongings.

(Scene 5 - 2)

“And then he just read his notes in front of the entire class!” Blaze paused when he heard the voice of his Multiverse history teacher, Mirror Plane, walking passed the table he was under.

“You’re overreacting, besides, it’s not a rule for students not to read their notes.” Said a second voice who Blaze immediately recognized as his Genealogy teacher, Trace Ancestry. Mrs. Ancestry, which was what all the students refer to her as, was a white coated mare with a gingerbread orange mane and brown gingerbread eyes. She was wearing a purple dress shirt with a pink and white striped tie, a pinkish white undershirt and black dress pants.

Mrs. Ancestry

“Are you defending him?!” Mrs. Plane snapped. “Reading his notes makes him look like he isn’t learning, and if one of the Deans were to walk in and see him like that it would look like I’m not doing my job properly!”

Blaze peeked under the table to spy on the teachers, who have yet to see him, and Blaze could see a darkness coming from Mirror Plane, seething out of her teeth like thick smoke from a flame. This display, followed by the icy feeling of his birthmark, gave Blaze the same uneasy feeling he had felt all day.

“He cannot help it, unlike his fellow students he can’t remember literally every single detail he reads. As teachers our utmost priority should be to assist him in his education, instead of belittling him for what he cannot control.” As Blaze silently listened to her words the icyness of his mark disappeared, and was replaced with an unfamiliar warmth. All along his birthmark felt icy and empty, but now as Mrs. Ancestry defended his disability it felt warm. Not hot like he was being scorched by a flame, but rather a cozy feeling, like his entire body was wrapped in a blanket. He looked at Mrs. Ancestry and saw no darkness from her, instead he saw a small glow, like a candle in the night. Blaze stared at her like he was looking at a beautiful hot angel.

“Not all the higher ups know about his Memory problems, and having a bad memory isn’t something that’s easily identified, so what am I supposed to do if they say something about the way I educate him behind my back?” Mrs. Plane responded to her words with a frown.

“They cannot do anything without your knowledge, if they bring it up then speak of his disability with calm and grace! Seriously Mirror only you worry about things like this!”

“You’re too nice to your students, What will you do if he stops studying altogether?! Life isn’t going to wait for him to pull up his notes if he forgets what he’s supposed to do!”

“Not every situation is solved by having a superior memory, and memory is not always reliable when under a great deal of stress.” Mrs. Ancestry replied while adjusting her glasses. “But let's be serious, the only thing you care about is if he gets good grades.”

Mirror Plane paused for a moment to recompose herself, “And can you blame me? As long as our students achieve great results, our school’s reputation remains flawless. And that means more money for us!”

“Is that all you care about? The money?”

“You would too after all the scratches I found on my vehicle. My insurance won’t cover so many repeated offences! I’ll have to start paying out of my own pocket! I am not going to risk being in the poor house because a student wants an easy grade!”

“That’s the difference between you and me. You only care about the grades of your students, I care about whether or not they are able to learn. And if you are so worried about his memory being a liability, there are other creatures in the Multiverse with memories equal in capacity as him, And they too have been capable of creating Civilizations, Philosophy, and methods of Education.”

“It matters not if other species have thrived with what little they remember! He is living among peers who’s memories can outlast the stars. If he plans to coexist with such peers then he must do better!” Blaze felt a tear leak from his right eye after that statement and he quickly wiped it away and wrapped his tail around himself to hug it.

“Then do better he shall, but not by feeling crushed under narrow-minded expectations!”

“Why do you even care if a single student lags behind? One weak mind pilfers resources better suited to expand the minds that will use them wisely!” Mirror Plane scoffs as she heads to one section of the library, not waiting for her answer. Mrs. Ancestry fixes her glasses again as she sighs at her colleagues' apathy.

“One life has the same potential for greatness as another. It only takes the smallest bit of knowledge to change the world.” Mrs. Ancestry said as she left in a different direction to her coworker. Once Blaze was sure his teachers were gone he emerged from the table and he reflected on their conversation as he picked up his books and put them in his saddle bags. Mrs. Ancestry’s words helped him believe his memory was irrelevant to the good he could do, but did that really matter if everyone else could do more good with better memories and a sharper mind?

(Scene 5 - 3)

As Blaze wrestled with newfound questions, he suddenly felt something tugging on his arm. He quickly turns around to see Nutty with her signature grin.

“I finally found you! C’mon and get up! I want you to come with me!”

“Wh-Why, Where are we going?” Blaze asked as he was forced off his chair.

“I recently joined a study group to help with my grades,” Nutty said as she stopped pulling him. “I would love it if you joined in too!” Giving a happy grin.

Blaze pondered at her request. “How many students will be there?”

“Including me, Four. So what do you say?”

Blaze took a moment to answer. On the one hand, he would get to be with his friend longer, and possibly make more friends. On the other hand, what if everyone in the group else gives him a bad feeling like everyone else at school has? As he continued to ponder he felt Nutty tug on his arm.

“It would mean a lot if you did!” She said flashing her eyelashes again like she did at recess.

“S-Sure, why not?” He stutters out with a blush.

Nutty grinned wider and started pulling him again. Blaze grabbed his bag hastily as she led him towards a table with three students on one end. There were two fillies, one was sitting in the middle of the two foals with a pink coat and a purple mane, with a pink overhead curl in a pigtail, with green eyes, and blue and light blue striped socks with pink freckles on her cheeks. She had a light twister mark on her flanks.

The other filly sitting on the far left end had a white coat and a Pink mane and eyes with a pink spiral on her flanks. The third was a colt with a blue coat and a navy blue mane that had a horn and wearing a blue scarf with a swift Sakatorian ship on his flanks.

“Hello there, You’re Nutty’s friend right?” the colt asked, offering his hoof. “My name is Harbor Sprint!”

After Blaze shook his hoof the filly with the white coat quickly rose and grabbed his hoof with hers. “I’m Pink Swirl, Nice to meet ya!”

The other Filly shook her head as she placed her hoof gracefully in front of Blaze. “I am Moonlight Twister, A pleasure to meet you!”

“Hello everyone, My name is Burnt Blaze!”

“Hey there Blaze, happy to have you!” Harbor said in a tone Blaze recognized all too well. However unlike the friendly tones he heard before, this time was not accompanied by an icy sensation, nor any dark auras. Instead Blaze felt a warm, welcoming presence like he did with Ms. Tracy.

“Do you wish to have a seat?” Moonlight asked Blaze with a warm smile.

Before Blaze could answer he felt Nutty tugging at his arm again. “C’mon sit next to me!” With little else to say Blaze did as he was told and placed his book bag next to the right leg of his chair.

Once Blaze was seated across from Harbor, Harbor pulled out sheets of paper and cleared his throat. “So Nutty tells us you take Mrs. Mirror Plane’s Multiverse History class?”

“Yes, are you in her class too?” Blazed asked, unfamiliar with any of their faces.

“Nah, we got Mr. Fixed Point!” Pink Swirl said in a scratchy tone similar to Scootaloo. “I swear his voice puts me to sleep every time!”

“I have Mirror Plane in my next period class, I do not look forward to it. Her presentations focus overabundantly on minor details,” Moonlight said in a mix of Rarity and Pinkie Pie’s voice.

“I know, I feel like every time I write notes in her class I’m writing an entire novel!” Blaze said with annoyance present in his voice. Moonlight laughed at his comment, which stopped once Blaze started to stare.

“Forgive me, I found your remark much too humorous.” Moonlight said as she waved her hoof in front of her mouth.

Although Blaze was surprised anyone laughed at his lame joke, he was more surprised not to feel his birthmark reacting. It was like she wasn’t forcing herself to laugh at all, rather she had found it truly funny. Blaze didn’t know how to deal with this so he waved back at her.

“No it’s cool, I just thought I was the only one who laughed at my jokes.”

“Doesn’t surprise me though, Moonlight acts like a proper lady, but she has a weird sense of humor; She’ll laugh at anything!” Pink Swirl replied, causing Moonlight to blush.

“Th-That is Absurd!” Moonlight replied.

“Oh yeah, what about that time you saw a picture of one of Princess Platinum’s party dresses and you said, and I quote, ‘why, she looks like an Ice cream clown!’ while giggling like a mule?” Pink Swirl said while quoting her friend.

“C-Could you blame me?! With that much makeup she may as well join the circus!” Moonlight replied with her pink face replaced with the color red.

As the students laughed at their friend, Blaze couldn’t help but feel a chuckle coming in; he covered his mouth in an attempt to hide his sense of humor. Nutty on the other hand looked at Blaze and noticed how much he was enjoying the situation, while she was happy her friend was able to relax, she didn’t like where the attention was going.

“H-Hey, not to be a bit munchy, but shouldn’t we get started? I need to cram the life of the Hippogriff monarchy before Friday!”

Harbor rolled his eyes before clearing his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Nutty’s right, let’s get started!”

Nutty breathed a sigh of relief as she grabbed her textbook. She wanted to bring Blaze in hopes she could help him with any homework he had, and thus seem like an intelligent friend. However if he gets too close to her study group, things might not go Nutty’s way. If only her grades weren’t so bad right now she wouldn’t need this group.

For the next twenty minutes the group went over their notes for their classes. In such a short time they were able to cover the entire Hippogriff Monarchy, up until the invasion of the Tsunami King. Blaze used his stylus pen, and a blank sheet of digital paper, to make corrections on his digital notes.

“Uh, Dude, what are you doing?” Pink Swirl asked with a crooked eyebrow.

Blaze looked up from the table to give Pink Swirl his attention. “Huh? Did you say something?”

“I’m asking you why it looks like you’re trying to write without anything showing up. What, is that disappearing ink or something?”

“N-No I’m just editing my digital notes.”

Pink Swirl takes another look at the table before staring back at Blaze. “What notes? I don’t see anything.”

Blaze then shyly taps near his robotic eye. “My eyepiece records the things I write down, It helps me a lot since I can't…” Blaze pauses as he questions how much of his life he should share with strangers he just met. “It just helps me keep track of my notes, especially for Mrs. Plane’s classes.”

“Believe me I know how difficult recording notes can be,” Moonlight said as she included herself into the conversation. “She puts too much focus on her illustrations and not enough on writing. Quite the artist, don’t get me wrong, but it would be nice for her to focus on other methods of instruction.”

“Like what, Holographic video? Those things rarely show anything other than movement loops, not to mention they’re expensive!” Harbor replied.

“Yeah, not all of us have money like your family does!” Pink Swirl spoke with annoyance.

As Blazed stared at Moonlight fanning herself, which Blaze remembered was a gesture used by higher class citizens, he suddenly had a question in his mind.

“Um, Moonlight. By your family having money, that means you're rich right?” Blaze asked, hoping he wasn’t treading on eggshells.

“Why of course, my family is one of the school’s top sponsors, there’s even a wing named after my late great to the 10th grandfather.” Moonlight replied.

The moment she responded Blaze understood that it meant Moonlight would surely capture the attention of the other students. And if that was true Blaze wondered how Moonlight feels about so much attention.

“S-So, If your family is so well known, does that mean students treat you differently?”

Moonlight looked at Blaze with a pained expression, “Well admittedly they did, I even had quite the crowd to shadow my every movement since my family is one of the top trading families here in Retoria.”

“What happened?”

“Well, I admitted to them that although my family is quite well off, I myself am quite broke.”

“Your family is rich but you don’t have any money?”

“A way of making sure I become a self-made lady, my parents have denied me from accessing any of their funds. Once the other students found out about that it was quite easy to see my own shadow once they left my side.”

“Do you miss the attention?”

“Absolutely not! Sure it was quite nice to have someone who listened to my every word, but when you realize how everyone else was only pretending to be your friend because they believed you would give them what you wanted, you start to realize how alone you really were.”

Nutty couldn’t help but ponder on this and wonder if she makes Burnt Blaze feel the same way. “Hopefully not,” she said to herself in her head.

As Blaze listened to her words he couldn’t help but feel a similarity between them. Blaze scratched his hind leg, expecting it to feel cold, but that cold empty feeling never appeared. Such a feeling normally occurred whenever a student mentioned to Blaze they grew up with a tough childhood or some other tragic tale only to then ask for money or help with homework.

“You think you had to deal with fake friends?” Pink Swirl spoke. “My dad was one of the School’s top athletes, every year he was here the school never once lost a single game! So when everyone finds out we’re related they expect me to follow in his footsteps!”

“So then what happened to you?” Blaze asked, causing Pink Swirl to cringe.

“My first day on the field… I tripped over my own hooves. I couldn’t even get a single goal in, unless you count that one time I scored in our own goal.”

As Moonlight laughed at her story, Pink Swirl crossed her arms and leaned back on her chair. Blaze continued to rub his leg, wondering why their stories weren’t giving him chills.

“My story isn’t as flashy as everyone else’s but my older brother used to go to this school too, and was one of the top students his graduate year! Everyone expects that to mean I’m smart too and they ask me to do their homework.”

“And you’re not smart?” Blaze asked, hoping that he didn’t sound rude.

“Not as smart as he was, never expected getting the cold shoulder from the chess team to feel so…fierce.”

“On the bright side, more fillies talk to you!” Pink Swirl said.

“Yeah, I just wish it was with fillies that didn’t laugh at the drop of a hat, or someone whose hooves could knock out a rhino.”

“And we wish for the company of a colt who doesn’t scratch his hind quarters in the hallway,” Moonlight replied with her hoof covering her devious smile.

Harbor suddenly has a red face. “Th-That was one time! And I didn’t know anyone was watching!”

The students laughed again, which included Harbor after a few moments, and this time Blaze found himself chuckling. Nutty looked at Blaze’s happy expression and hid her face with her book. She wanted to get them both as far away from here as possible, but was unable to come up with a reasonable excuse. If this continues, Blaze may get the idea that there are other students who will treat him kindly, and if that happened what would make what she does so special? She found herself biting the tip of her tongue just to calm herself down as she seized in jealousy.

“So Blaze dear, why did you ask your question? Do other students treat you well?” Moonlight asks, tilting her head.

Blaze abruptly stopped laughing long enough to process her question, and felt nervous as he saw their eyes focused on him.

“Um, yes… sort of, see they only act like my friends, but then they act like they want something from me.”

“Oh wow,” Pink Swirl replied. “So somebody in your family is important to the school too?”

“Not exactly.” Blaze started rubbing his arm with his hoof, deciding very carefully on his next words. “See, I come from a long line of... travelers, and everyone thinks that I can show them places they’ve never seen before.”

Blaze thought he had done a good enough job being subtle, until he saw Harbor’s eyes go wide. “Y-You’re the Balancer, aren’t you?”

The moment he said that Blaze tensed up as the girls went wide eyed as well.

“I thought you seemed familiar, so you are the Balancer everyone speaks of?” Moonlight says as she scratches her chin.

“Y-Yes…” Blaze responded nervously.

“Forgive me,” Moonlight said. “But when I heard of you I had pictured someone who had a more extravagant appearance, but you appear to be so… so…”

“You look so normal, I mean there’s that eye and those fingers, but the way you act is just like anybody else,” Harbor finished.

“I was expecting you to be taller!” Pink Swirl said bluntly.

Blaze looked back at Pink Swirl before hearing Moonlight burst into laughter.

“Pink Swirl,” Moonlight snickered. “He’s the same age as you! How tall were you expecting him to be?”

Blaze held himself, bracing for the chill he undoubtedly would feel. He then looks over to Nutty in hopes she could find a way to get them out of this. But before he could signal her, Harbor spoke up.

“So is it true the Balancers could go anywhere they wanted?”

Before Blaze could answer him Pink Swirl beat him to the punch. “Why would that make you so famous? Moonlight’s family can go anywhere they want too, you don’t hear her bragging about it!”

“It’s more than that dear!” Moonlight exclaimed. “Balancers could travel to realities that even our brightest minds could not comprehend. They could travel to white and dark realities and spread harmony throughout while we could only travel to one or the other and if I recall correctly they were even able to bring some souvenirs of their travels back with them!”

Pink Swirl absorbed the information she was given and started scratching her head. “So they were famous because they brought home snowglobes from other universes?”

“I heard it was closer to resources like food, books of knowledge, technology, and even weapons previously unheard of,” Harbor corrected, which made Blaze even more nervous.

“So let me get this straight, anyone who becomes friends with a Balancer could have access to treasures no one could even dream of?” Once Pink Swirl stopped speaking she paused for a moment to look back and forth between her friends, then she looked at Blaze with a smile. “Yeah, you got it way worse than us!”

“Man, I can only imagine the hard time everyone else gives you,” Harbor said with a grin.

“But don’t worry dear we are nothing like everyone else!” Moonlight said with a cheerful expression.

Blaze couldn’t understand it, he had heard words like these before from his fellow students, but this time he wasn’t getting any cold signals from his birthmark. Instead it felt warm, like it did with Ms. Ancestry. Blaze started to wonder what it meant, until a thought came into his head. What if instead of a cold feeling he was about to feel hot, like a burning feeling, what if this warmth was just the precursor to him knowing an overwhelmingly sweltering existence. But why would this be true? Why them and no one else? The mere thought was starting to make Blaze sweat.

“Hey man, you okay?” Harbor asked while looking like he was concerned.

Before Blaze could answer they all heard the bell ringing, signaling that they should prepare for their next class. Blaze then felt Nutty holding on to his arm.

“Looks like that's the end of our little study group. Thanks for the help, we truly appreciate it!” Nutty said with a smile. She then gave Blaze his book bag back and pulled him to the exit. As they both left Blaze looked at the group one more time.

“Bye, Blaze! It was nice meeting you!” said Harbor Sprint as he waved goodbye.

“Really cool to meet you!” Pink Swirl waved with a half smile.

“We hope to see you soon!” Moonlight Twister flicked her hoof as she gave her farewell.

The unfamiliar warm feeling returned to Blaze. Believing it to be an omen he darted away. Once they were out of their sight Nutty pulled him aside with a concerned look.

“What’s wrong, Blaze? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

Blaze wiped his forehead and felt the sweat from his brow. “They just… give me a weird feeling, I don’t know what to think…”

Nutty places a hoof on his shoulder and tries her best to give him a calming look.

“If you don’t like how you feel around them, then it’s best not to see them again. We’ll have our work hours somewhere else, okay?”

As Nutty spoke, a familiar icy feeling came over Blaze. Although there was something about it he didn’t like, he enjoyed having something he could understand, even if his knowledge of it was minimal at best.

“Now come on, Blaze, it’s time for choir!”

(Scene 6 Choir)

As study hall ended Burnt Blaze and Nutty headed to their last class of the day, Choir Practice, hoping that it would go better than his other classes and turn his day around.

Although many of Blaze’s classes were predetermined for him, he was allowed to also partake in an elective course of his choosing, Blaze enjoyed singing, so he decided to join the school choir; it was the one class he felt like he didn’t need to focus on writing down notes all day.

The class was preparing for their next school concert; They were assigned a popular Sakatorian folk song, which has a great history behind it Hush-A-Bye Mountain. Once they had been assigned their parts they started to go over the notes. Blaze was assigned to the Tenor; He was hoping for a role as Bass, but he was happy to help however he could.

Blaze felt a tap on his shoulder to see Nutty Butter beaming at him. “Check it out, I got an Alto part! Maybe we can stand right next to each other!”

(Scene 6 - 2)

They had practiced for an entire half hour before finally deciding to take a break. Blaze cleared his throat while rubbing his neck. Before he knows it Nutty offers him something to drink.

“Here, have some water! You have been trying awfully hard!”

“T-thank you…” Blaze says bashfully as he accepts the water; the cold liquid feels pleasant against his tired throat.

As he continued to drink his beverage other students started gathering around him offering their complements and praises.

“You were doing really well today; Where did you learn your technique from?” A colt asked with wide inquisitive eyes.

Blaze swallows his drink and brushes his hoof on his lips to get rid of the excess droplets of water on his mouth before he answers. “N-Nowhere special really, it’s just something I enjoy doing.”

“Really? I’ve never heard singing like yours! I figured you must have learned it from somewhere else.” Another student said.

“I bet once you graduate you could go to all kinds of places and learn all kinds of things!”

Blaze rubs the back of his head and blushes, which is soon drained as the ponies continue to flatter him.

“If you do, maybe you can bring us along too!”

“Maybe we should start hanging out, what are you doing after school?”

Soon other members of the Choir gathered around to give Blaze some flattery. Blaze was not sure what to do in this situation; he was happy to see so many try to get along with him, but he was also starting to feel uncomfortable with how they surrounded him. Out of pure instinct he threw his hood over his head and pulled on the strings, causing the hood to close until his face became barely visible beyond his muzzle. He then covered his face with his hooves and started to nervously shake.

Suddenly Nutty stood between him and the others with a scowl. “Leave him alone! Can’t you see you're bothering him?” She said with an irate expression.

“What, so only you get to be friends with him?” One of the other choir members asked.

“Yeah, let us have a turn! You can’t just hog the Balancer all to yourself!”

The students then started grabbing at Nutty, pulling her away from Blaze. She then landed on the floor with enough force to split the cartilage on her nose; pain was present in her muzzle as she tried breathing through her blood-filled nostrils. Nutty looks to Blaze and reaches out to him with her blood soaked hoof. She seemed to be saying something but her words were drowned out by the other students' chatter. Almost immediately Blaze felt tugging on his sleeve. “C’mon man, you want to hang out with us instead, right?

Before Blaze had a chance to answer, another student grabbed his other sleeve. “Why are you telling him to be with you?! Besides me and my friends should have first dibs, we’re the upperclassmen after all!” Said a filly in a voice similar to Diamond Tiara.

“If only seniority made you less tone deaf you might get confused for someone with talent!” Said another filly in a voice similar to Silver Spoon.

As the other members joined this vocal war their words started to mix together to form a collective choir of its own; He couldn’t even hear his own voice anymore as he felt tugged on all sides, completely numbing his sense of direction until the room itself felt like it was spinning him in a circle. His head was beginning to feel so light and empty; he was unable to tell where anything but the floor was. As Blaze felt his legs slowly feel like jelly he started to gag as the back of his throat expanded, with something lodged in his stomach feeling like it was on its way out. Blaze wanted to leave but every attempt to push himself past the students was like trying to walk through a wall. The lump in his stomach twisted into a knot as Blaze begged any being that would listen to make this madness end.

(Scene 6 - 3)

Suddenly a loud slap was heard on the billboard, which was enough to make Blaze’s head stop spinning enough to open his hood and peek through the hole to see the teacher, a stallion with a yellow white coat, light blue mane and tail, with orange eyes, wearing a black suit, a white buttoned undershirt, and purple suspenders over the suit with black pants. As everyone else turned their heads to the teacher, his face was painted with an expression of pure infuriation. “Do any of you understand the importance we will play in performing this song in front of this school? The history and importance behind the lyrics represent the very height of Sakatorian pride, and I will not tolerate any one of you dishonoring it because of sycophancy, is this understood?!”

As the class gave their agreement through groans Blaze opened his hood and looked at his teacher, happy that someone was finally not showing him special treatment because of who he was. That feeling was short-lived as the teacher shot his eyes coldly at him. “As for you, Mister Blaze, Balancer Paralox or not all great minds require respect as well as education, and that is not going to be possible if you keep flaunting your status among your peers!”

“What? No! I didn’t mean to… I wasn’t-” Blaze tried to defend himself, but the instructor waved him off while pinching the bridge on his muzzle.

“Just take your place and do your best not to outshine the others!”

Blaze’s face fell as he returned to his place on stage. As he stares back at his teacher he felt a familiar darkness from him, but unlike the students he felt something different from him; The eyes of his fellow students had a hungry look to them, like they wanted something only Blaze could offer, but his teacher had a more aggressive look, like he despised him, yet also hungry like he desired what Blaze had; The only emotion he could associate this with was… Jealousy?

“From the top now!” His instructor said before the choir started once again.

(Outside choir room)

(Scene 7 Nutty’s Betrayal)

The final bell rings, and the students prepare to go home. As they make for the lockers Nutty spies Blaze staring down at his hooves as they walk.

“Still feel bad about everyone treating you special?”

Blaze said nothing as he avoided the gaze of the other students. Nutty placed her right hoof on his shoulder, causing the colt to break his trance and look at her.

“Hey, I know you probably don’t want to talk about this anymore, but doing so can help get all the stress out!”

Blaze let out a soft groan, he really didn’t want to talk about his problems anymore, he just wanted to go home and sleep off all his worries. However he knew deep down that Nutty was right and he needed to talk about his problems, else they fester inside him. He takes a deep breath and reveals his thoughts to his friend.

“The thing is… all day today Students have been complimenting me non-stop,” Blaze said with a tired look.

“Is that such a bad thing?” Nutty asked with a crooked eyebrow.

“Normally no, except I don’t like the way I feel around them, they make me feel like they don’t actually like me, they’re just nice to me because they want something from me.”

Nutty was silent for several moments before answering. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but as the Balancer, you can expect a lot of popularity like that.” Blaze shuddered as he heard the word Balancer again, needless to say that name has given him nothing but trouble. His thoughts were interrupted as Nutty placed her hoof on his shoulder. “But you don’t have to worry, I’ll always be there for you! You can count on me to be your friend!”

Blaze smiled at her words, but soon recoiled as he felt the icy sting of his Birthmark once again. He placed his hoof between his hearts as he felt hollow, like there was a huge hole where they were supposed to be.

(Scene 7 - 2)

“Hey um…” Nutty looked away and bit her lip. “I know you just said you don’t want others to use you for personal gain… but I actually really need your help.”

“What’s up?” Blaze looked at her with concern. After everything she did for him today, he would do whatever it took to help his friend, no matter what.

“Well, you remember that Janitor from before?” Nutty said, rubbing her left forearm with her right.

“Yes,” Blaze replied.

“Well, he’s been saying some mean things about me, saying I’m a bad student.”

Blaze looks at her with surprise. “Why would he do that? You are an amazing person! I couldn’t count how many times you have been willing to help me out at school.”

“You saw how mean he was to you in the bathroom! He doesn’t care about anyone but himself! And now he’s saying awful things about me to the school board. If they believe what he says I’ll have to stay in detention for the whole week!”

As Blaze hears her story he could feel the anger bubbling inside him. However it seemed to simmer slightly as his Birthmark gave him a chilling feeling.

“So here's the thing-” Nutty continued, catching Blaze’s attention. “-I was hoping you could speak for me, ask them not to believe him.”

Blaze considers her request as he feels the icy sting of his mark. “B-But what if they don’t believe me?”

“You’re the Balancer! You’re like the VIP of the whole school, if anyone can convince them to drop his ridiculous claims it’s you!” Nutty then places her hoof back on Blaze's shoulder. “Please, Blaze. I really need you to do this for me!”

Before Blaze could answer he sees a dark aura surrounding Nutty; the intimidating presence it was exhaling caused Blaze to back away from her.

“Blaze, are you okay?” Nutty asked as he continued his backwards path. As Blaze thought about her words a particular scene came into his mind.

“H-Hey, what happened when you were in the bathroom with him?”

Nutty dropped her caring facade for an instant before answering. “Why does that matter?” Looking down at the floor to the right of her.

“I-It’s just… I just want to know why he would say such things about you…”

Nutty then drew an expression which exudes annoyance looking back up at him. “You of all people should know what he’s like! He’s just a stupid meanie who thinks he can do whatever he wants for no reason other than because he’s older than us!”

“But before he was upset because we made a mess, I don’t think he would just make up stories over something we fixed…”

“So what, you’re going to believe him over me?! I’m your best friend, I deserve your trust and more!” Nutty exclaimed while beating her right hoof against her chest.

“N-Nutty, What do you mean-?”

“I listened to your problems, I defended you from the other students, I even got hurt because of what happened in Choir class today. If it wasn’t for me all the students and teachers would be walking all over you!”

“The- The teachers?”

“Yes, do you know how many of them are just bullies who take advantage of their students?” Nutty exclaimed, starting to pace back and forth. “They say horrible things behind their students' backs, they pretend to care about them so long as the class’s grades are high, and even if you make a small mistake on your exam they treat you like a complete failure! And they expect us to take it with a smile like good obedient robots!”

Blaze was too frightened to respond to her words; he was unable to fathom this new face his friend was showing.

“You know what I mean, don’t you?! You’ve seen how everyone treats you, and you just take it like the helpless child you are! Without me you would be nothing!”

As Nutty started panting and breathing heavily, she started to realize how she must appear to Blaze so she corrected her posture, brushed her mane out of her face, and cleared her throat. “B-Blaze, what I meant to say was-”

The iciness of Blaze’s birthmark pulsed throughout his entire body. Blaze thought hard about all the times he felt this frigid presence and soon developed a theory. All the times he felt cold it was when everyone else acted cruel or hid behind a false persona, so any time his birthmark felt cold it was when everyone had evil intentions in their words. They wanted to use him to gain favor with the school, they wanted to have the privileges they thought he had, they pretended to be his friend when all along they didn’t care about him and laughed at his pain. And since this feeling was present when he was with Nutty, he could only come up with one answer to what it ment.

“You… You just want to use me too, don’t you? You only like me because I’m different! You are just as bad as the other students!!” Blaze choked out feeling his hearts break.

(Orange Pony Nutty, white one Burnt Blaze but is crying)

Nutty paused for a moment before exhaling deeply with a grumpy face. “I’m nothing like everyone else! No one else is willing to go as far as I do to be your friend! I’m the only friend you have and the only one you’ll ever need!”

As Blaze heard her words the Cold feeling of his birthmark left him feeling like multiple holes were pierced into his body, leaving him shivering on the inside. Blaze couldn’t take seeing his “friend’s” true colors anymore and decided to leave.

“I- I’m sorry.. but I can’t-” Suddenly Nutty grabbed the sleeve of his robe as he turned away.

“NO! You are NOT going anywhere!!!” Nutty snapped with fury in her voice. Blaze struggled to escape her grasp and ended up ripping off the sleeve. He didn’t pause and ran at full speed away from her. As he continued to run indiscriminately ahead, with tears threatening to become a waterfall on his face, he heard her yell out in anger.

“You’re supposed to be my friend Burnt Blaze! And friends help each other out, NO MATTER WHAT!!!”

(Scene 8 principal’s office)

Blaze was currently staring down at the floor of the faculty office. A janitor, a different one from before, found him crying his eyes out in one of the boy’s restrooms and had led him to the office to speak with the principal. When Blaze couldn’t speak, the principal decided to call his mother to hopefully make him feel calm enough to tell him what happened. Blaze repeated what happened in his head, how everyone lied about caring for him, how they only wanted to be his friend because of what they would get out of it. Burnt Blaze only wished for a simple life, but instead they will only see him as the Balancer, someone who will only be liked because of how special he is.

They only like him because he’s special.

Everyone likes him because he’s special.

Everyone will only like him because he’s special.

“Blazey?”

Blaze looked up as he heard a familiar sound, it was his mother’s voice; she had finally arrived and had a look like she was scared. She closed the distance and held him by the shoulders.

“Blazey, sweetie, what happened to you? Why is your uniform ripped?”

Blaze couldn’t answer and instead looked down; he didn’t want to see anyone else today. All Blaze wanted to do was disappear at that moment. After a few moments of silence his mother lifted his face to get him to look at her.

“Sweetheart please tell me what’s wrong, I promise I won’t be upset with you!”

Blaze was skeptical of her words, until his birthmark started to feel warm, like it did with the students of his Study Group and Ms. Ancestry. Blaze felt his hearts becoming heavy as he finally spoke. “Mom… do I have to stay in school?”

His mother’s eyes widened as he spoke. “Did something happen in school today? Was one of the kids mean to you?”

“No one likes me momma, they say they do but they only want me to do stuff for them! I hate it here! I’d rather be alone then spend one more second here!”

As his eyes watered his mother couldn’t help but join in. She held him in her arms and nuzzled his head. “I’m so sorry sweetie, I wish there was something I could do. But with me being at work everyday and this being the only school in the area… I’m so sorry sweetie!” As he heard his mother’s words the warm feeling grew stronger, it was such a welcome feeling compared to the rest of his day.

“I will promise you this though,” His mother said as she fought back tears. “You will find someone who will love you for who you really are, not as someone who will bring riches, but someone who is kind, special, and super amazing regardless of his or her birth.”

Blaze hugged his mother tightly praying she was right. Once they were done hugging it out Blaze gave the Principle his story, after examining the situation he decided to look into it and Blaze was sent home. As he left the building he took one more look at his mother who tried her best to give him a warm smile. Fortunately for her his birthmark gave him the warmth to know her feelings were genuine. Then Blaze took another look at the school. He was excused for today, but he’ll have to come back the next day and return to all the fake smiles and false friendships.

Blaze said a silent prayer in his hearts that his mother’s promise would come true one day, otherwise the only friendly faces he will ever know will be masks hiding the monsters underneath.

Author's Note

This chapter is planned to have a lot of fan art so that’s why the scenes were labeled. This point in DJ Hopper’s life is about first and second grade ish. I really tried to stroke the heartstrings in this chapter and that’s why it’s so long. I wanted readers to cry so please tell me you cried otherwise I didn’t do this chapter right.

If anyone is willing to help me write in there spare time please PM me. Or if you want more chapters to come out sooner you can support me on patreon. https://www.patreon.com/Luckyfanisaac?fan_landing=true

Day 2 part 1

A Broken Flame

Day 2 part 1

By Luckyfanisaac, mainediting, sidrahumar120, and Ayaz Naseem.

Day 2

Current Time: 1:35 AM

Sunday, July 9th, 2017 year 1

It is late into the night. Doctor Scabs watches as Cadence and DJ Hopper sleep. His focus rested more on DJ.

“He is quite different alright, but how much? Where is he from anyways? Is he dangerous?’’ These questions bugged the Doctor as he continued gazing at DJ’s body stretched out on the hospital bed. Cadence shifted in her position but fell back to sleep immediately. “I’d really like to know what he is made of. I cannot dissect him but I can scan him obviously.” The Doctor smiled and left the room windows. In the hallway, he met with Nurse Sweetheart and one other Nurse.

“Nurse Sweetheart, please prepare DJ Hopper for an X-ray. And be discreet about it so as not to wake the sleeping princess.” The Doctor instructed the Nurses.

“Eee...hm, Doctor.....”

“Yes, what is it, Nurse Sweetheart?” the Doctor asked Nurse Sweetheart who was trying to make a statement.

“....The X-ray machine was used on him in the afternoon when he was being examined but the X-ray had a hard time detecting his body structure. We tried it several times but we got the same result so we stopped.” Explained the Nurse.

“And why am I just hearing about this now?!” The Doctor sounded furious and surprised all at once but tried to keep his voice down.

“I am sorry sir. Nurse Mayfair was supposed to enter that information into DJ’s medical record.” Nurse Sweetheart further explained.

“Hmmm...the X-ray machine not working on him is quite strange. I think we’d have to use the Magick X-ray to scan him.” said Doctor Scabs.

“The Magick X-ray?” replied Nurse Sweetheart and the other Nurse surprisingly.

“Yeah, I know that the Magick X-ray is a powerful and dangerous tool to use on patients but I think we all cannot deny that DJ is a strange being that needs special attention if we are to find out what is going on in his body,” replied the Doctor whilst looking into the Nurse's eyes. The Nurses nodded in affirmation.

“Alright. Nurse Sweetheart, please follow me,” instructed the Doctor.

Doctor Scabs and Nurse Sweetheart headed into DJ Hopper’s room. Inside the room, Cadence was still fast asleep on the bedside couch and DJ was stretched on the bed covered in his own sweat. Doctor Scabs handed over the notes with him to Nurse Sweetheart, folded his coat sleeves, and stretched his hoofs over the body of DJ. Orange light from the Doctor's hoofs beamed over DJ’s body. The light started scanning from DJ’s hoofs all the way to his head.

“Wow! What are all these shields inside his body?!” whispered Nurse Sweetheart as she scribbled down information from the ongoing scan into the notes the Doctor had earlier handed to her.

“And magical pathways too along his red stripes. I believe they are designed to protect him from harm or something.” the Doctor whispered back.

“They are quite sophisticated and advanced,” commented Nurse Sweetheart.

“Indeed they are, unlike anything I have ever seen. His whole body anatomy is advanced,” added Doctor Scabs.

The Doctor finished the scanning and rolled down his coat sleeves. He collected the notes from Nurse Sweetheart and scribbled in a few more details and then handed them back to Nurse Sweetheart.

“Take these notes to my office, please.” the Doctor instructed Nurse Sweetheart.

“Okay Doctor,” replied Nurse Sweetheart as she made her way out of the room.

In the hallway, she met Doctor Sabre who seemed to be in a hurry. He had a green coat and a yellow mane with deep crystal blue eyes. With a magnifying glass and a clipboard as his mark. He was wearing a white doctor's coat and a stethoscope.

“Nurse Sweetheart, I have been to your desk. I need your attention in room 43 right now.” said Doctor Sabre.

“I will be right there, Doctor. I just want to drop these notes in Doctor Scabs’ office,” replied Nurse Sweetheart.

She dropped the notes on Doctor Scabs’ desk and found her way to Doctor Sabre in room 43.

“Oh, you are here.” said Doctor Sabre as he sighted Nurse Sweetheart entering the room.

“Yes Doctor.”

“Very well, I need you to clean up the wound on this patient and administer morphine as indicated on his chart.”

“Okay Doctor.”

Nurse Sweetheart got to work immediately, cleaning the patient’s wound after looking at the patient’s chart. Doctor Sabre stands by the bedside of another patient, jotting down some details in his notes.

“By the way, what have you and Doctor Scabs been up to all day? Been seeing you two together since yesterday afternoon. Does it have anything to do with the patient brought in by the Princess?” He asked Nurse Sweetheart.

“Well, yes sir. Doctor Scabs and I have been examining that patient and I have to say that what we have found so far is really strange beyond what we could have imagined.” replied the Nurse.

“Really? What strange things have you observed about him?”

“He has a strange body anatomy, Doctor. Our X-ray machines couldn’t scan him. Doctor Scabs had to use the Magick X-ray.”

“What?! Is it that serious?” exclaimed Doctor Sabre.

“Yes Doctor. The Magick X-ray scan revealed that the patient has protective shields and strong magical pathways inside him. Doctor Scabs is going to be running more scans on him,” explained Nurse Sweetheart.

“Wow! Protective shield and magical pathways? That’s epic,” responded Doctor Sabre. He stopped writing, placed his stethoscope on his patient’s chest, held it for a while and then he removed it and resumed writing.

“I am through with the wounds, Doctor,” said Nurse Sweetheart.

“Very well. Would you mind taking me to Doctor Scabs and I’d love to see the strange patient myself.” Doctor Sabre requested.

“I don’t mind taking you sir,” replied Nurse Sweetheart.

They both finished up their duties and Nurse Sweetheart led Doctor Sabre to DJ’s room where they met Doctor Scabs and Nurse Mayfair discussing outside DJ’s room and looking in through the windows at the patient. Mayfair had a pink coat and wavy green hair and blue crystal eyes. She had a clipboard with golden writing as her mark.

“Hello Doctor Scabs. How are you Nurse Mayfair?” Doctor Sabre greets as he enters.

“Hi Doctor Sabre. Please lower your voice. I wouldn’t want our patient here to wake up,” Doctor Scabs replied in a low voice without removing his gaze on DJ’s body.

“Oh sorry.” Doctor Sabre whispered back as he made his way to Doctor Scabs’ side.

“Nurse Sweetheart told me about your findings. What is your next line of action?” asked Doctor Sabre.

“Oh well, I want to carry out more Magick scans in case we missed some things during the first attempt.”

“Alright, I am with you. More findings about him will really be of benefit to our medical knowledge I think. I’d love to be present when you Magick scan him again. I would really love to see for myself.”

“Hmmm…. No problem. I want to round up stuff in my office then I will come back to scan him. I will notify you when I am about to start.”

“I really appreciate that thank you.” replied Doctor Sabre.

“Don’t you think scanning him the second time might be dangerous sir?” asked Nurse Sweetheart with concern.

“Well... I don’t think so.” replied Doctor Sabre before Doctor Scabs could respond. “After all, it will be a benefit to us to find out more about him,” he continued.

“Alright Doctor.” replied Nurse Sweetheart looking through the window into DJ’s room.

“I agree with Doctor Sabre. We will gain an abundance of knowledge by finding out more about DJ’s anatomy,” said Doctor Scabs.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a bright greyish light appears just by the door into DJ’s observation room. It shines into the eyes of the Doctors and Nurses. It was so bright they had to shield their eyes from its rays. The Doctors and the Nurses were surprised and they backed away from the bright greyish light. Just then, the light gathered to form a figure that looked exactly like DJ only in black and white. It stood in front of DJ’s room and faced the Doctors with a furious look.

Doctor Sabre and Doctor Scabs cautiously moved closer to the strange figure while the Nurses stayed back in fear.

“The threat must be neutralised. The threat must be neutralised,” chanted the greyish figure still looking very furious.

“Oh easy there!” Doctor Scabs said to it.

“Threat? What threat are you talking about and who is being threatened?” asked Doctor Sabre.

“The threat on DJ Hopper must be neutralised,” replied the strange figure.

“Threat to DJ Hopper? We are no threat to him. We are doctors and we take care of sick people, not harm them… right?” replied Doctor Sabre as he looked at Doctor Scabs and back at the trembling Nurses expecting them to affirm his claims to the strange figure. Doctor Scabs and the Nurses all nodded in affirmation.

“By the way, who… what are you?” asked Doctor Scabs.

“My name is Burnie. I am DJ’s Retina AI. I see everything around him and even far away from him. I am here to protect him from harm and threats. I have been watching you all along making all efforts to dissect him and then later scanning him and talking about getting more findings about him. You trying to dissect him and finding more about him is a threat on his life.” replied the figure.

“Hello…Burn…Burnie. Nice to meet you. My name is Doctor Scabs and these are my colleagues.” replied the Doctor. “Yes I tried to dissect him but I didn’t after all. And yes we ran a scan on him and all that but all we did and tried to do is to get to know how his body anatomy works so we would know how best to help him. We are not trying to harm him at all.”

“Y… yes. We are not harm… harming him,” the Nurses supported the doctor’s claims in a shaky voice.

“Hmmm…. We shall see about that. But I won’t let you carry out anymore scans on him,” Burnie said in a commanding tone.

“Okay Burnie, no more scans. We won’t run any more scans on him unless you want us to.” replied Doctor Sabre.

“But since you really know a lot about DJ Hopper and how his body works, would you help us with information and guide us on how best we can help him so we can help you neutralise any threat on his life?” The doctor continued.

“Yes, Doctor Sabre. I will help you but only on my terms,” replied Burnie.

Cadence woke up laying on the couch in DJ Hopper’s room. She had moved to the couch after DJ Hopper had calmed down. She was offered a bed by the nurses but she turned it down and said the couch will be fine.

(Room setup plus a sink and cupboards by the end of the bed.)

Cadence was laying on the couch relaxing when out of nowhere she heard a knock at the door. She got up and ran to the door to see for herself who was knocking at this hour.

“Who is there?” asked Cadence.

“Could you please open the door?” replied the visitors.

She opens the door and to her surprise she finds Doctor Scabs with a couple of nurses and another doctor standing at the doorway looking directly into Cadence’s eyes.

“What is it, doctor?”asked Cadence.

“We have come here to talk to you about DJ Hopper,” replied Doctor Scabs. “You might want to see this.”

Cadence steps out of the room to find a black and white version of DJ Hopper.

Cadence asks, “Who is this?”

“I am like an older brother to DJ Hopper- though I am really an AI- to protect DJ Hopper from threats,” said Burnie while introducing himself to Cadence.

"How, exactly, do you think that having you by his side would help DJ Hopper?" asked Cadence.

“Because I am the only one able to see things around him and surprisingly far away from him.'' answered Burnie. “DJ Hopper’s parents were very overprotective of him and that is why they created a lot of protection spells, protocols, and other things that no-one has ever heard of to protect him when he is away from them,” explained Burnie to Cadence.

“Could you please enlighten us more about DJ Hopper’s health?” asked Doctor Scabs.

“What do you want to be enlightened about?” asked Burnie.

“Why is he shell-shocked?” asked Doctor Scabs.

“He is shell-shocked in light of the fact that he was abused by his unicorn instructor in a conflict and that is the reason he doesn't care for unicorn sorcery anymore. He realizes war is coming; he has heard the soldiers and had seen the blue-penciled pictures provided in the paper. Furthermore, he thinks of it as his obligation to caution everybody within their unavoidable destiny; however no one is prepared to trust him or even pay attention to him.” explained Burnie.

“Why is he dealing with long term stress?” went on Doctor Scabs.

“He had been put on a pedestal in his early youth; he struggled making companions, and now, he views himself as a disappointment, for his best couldn't save the existence of the others. Presently he is thinking about his flaw that a ton of ponies have passed on as a result of him. Moreover, his teacher’s voice- that he is a failure- keeps echoing in his ears and it has put him into an atmosphere of long lasting unrest.” goes on Burnie.

“And how will we be able to treat him?” inquired Doctor Scabs.

“Do you really think I will let you treat him!?” Burnie came out with a roar.

“Since I have been watching you running enough bombed scans on his body, in this manner, I will only help you out on my terms, and I demand you stop running these scans this instant.” exclaimed Burnie wildly stomping a hoof.

“Indeed, totally! I'm simply attempting to dissect him to discover how his body operates so as to offset any threat to his life." Doctor Scabs replied.

“And I too would like to see what he is made of.” replied Doctor Sabre.

“You are not qualified enough to dissect and run your scans on his body because you have never dealt with any creature having protective shields and magical pathways before, and you are doing it because you want to become well known in the clinical field.” said Burnie furiously crossing his hooves in front of his chest.

He further explains to Doctor Scabs and the other medical staff also including Cadence that having him dissected and scanned through a Magick X-Ray is more lethal than any other threat, and this is what they need to neutralize.

“You think you are the one who could treat DJ Hopper?” asked Doctor Scabs.

“Yes, it is only I who could shield DJ Hopper from threats and dangers and that Cadence needs to ask DJ Hopper for affirmation.” said Burnie while continuously talking about the threat to be neutralized: constraining Doctor Scabs to run more magick scans on DJ Hoppers’ body.

The Doctor quits running more sweeps and Burnie is presently focusing on Cadence who has been standing unobtrusively for quite some time.

“Why are you standing so quiet Miss?” asked Burnie.

“I am really worried for DJ Hopper's health and if anything bad happened to him, I would never forgive myself.” replied Cadence, making a sorrowful face.

“Why does his life hold so much importance in your life?” asked Burnie curiously.

“Because he cares a lot about the lives of the other ponies and his determination to save them from the upcoming dangers has made me his fan.” explained Cadence with a light in her eyes.

“How far will you go to save his life?” Burnie asked Cadence while looking at DJ Hopper.

“For someone who is so protective of his people, he has the potential to do great things. And I will do whatever it takes to save his life.” said Cadence.

“Well, you seem like someone in this room who could be trusted, don't you?” asked Burnie.

“I am not so sure about that,” replied Cadence softly rubbing her left leg with her right.

“But I am quite sure as I can perceive things far away,” said Burnie with authority.

After much talking and seeing Cadence’s true colors, Burnie is ready to trust Cadence in shielding DJ Hopper from the looming dangers that Doctor Scabs possesses.

“Will you keep an eye on DJ Hopper?” asked Burnie in a hopeful manner.

“I’m very busy as a Princess but I think I can watch over him if I make DJ Hopper my student. I will be more than happy to take him on and teach him some social skills, help him with his anxiety, and long term stress along with anything else." stated Cadence showing a ray of hope.

While Burnie was busy talking with Cadence, Doctor Scabs saw it as an opportunity, and sneaks into DJ Hopper’s room to check on him since Burnie is distracted. He tries to attempt a Magical X-ray again.

“INTRUDER ALERT!!! INTRUDER ALERT!!!” screamed Burnie.

A yellow shield then forms around DJ Hopper and yellow lightning shoots off from the shield hitting and blowing Doctor Scabs back and through the wall at the end of his bed causing DJ Hopper to wake up.

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The nurses run to check on Doctor Scabs and apologize to the other patients for disturbing their sleep while Cadence goes to apologize to DJ Hopper.

She took DJ Hopper’s right hoof and said, “I’m so sorry about that DJ,” Cadence apologized, “I’ll make sure he never comes near you again.”

“It’s okay Cadence, I'm used to it.” DJ Hopper then smiled weakly at Cadence but was still feeling a bit depressed.

“No it’s not okay! I promised you, you will be safe and now look at what's happened.” Cadence expressed jestering towards the broken wall.

DJ turned his gaze towards the broken wall and saw several holes through other patient’s rooms with Doctor Scabs and a few nurses at the end trying to help him up. DJ blushes at the damage he caused and worries what Cadence and the medical staff will do to him. What if they keep trying to dissect him? How far will they go to get answers? How many more ponies will get hurt because of him? These thoughts disturbed DJ Hopper and he started to tear up.

“I’m sorry Cadence,” DJ choked out. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.” He sobbed out.

Cadence leaned in and wrapped her hooves around him as she hugged him. “Shhh Shhh it’s okay Shhhhhhh.” She said as she ran her left hoof behind his back. “You reacted by instinct when your AI protection system registered a threat.”

*sniff* “You know about that?” He sniffled.

Cadence pulled herself away from DJ to look him in the eye. “Yes, your friend Burnie told me all about how protective your parents were of you and how much they loved you,” she explained. “I also told him that I will be looking out for you from now on and I would like to take you in as my personal student so I can stay close to you.”

“What does that mean?” he asks, tilting his head to the right.

“That means I will teach you about a few subjects that you need for a good social life and I will help you with your stress levels and other things you want to learn.” she explained.

“Really?” asked DJ Hopper, starting to cheer up a bit and starting to get excited.

“Yes, really,” she smiled sweetly at the colt.

“YAY!!!” he yelled as he grabbed Cadence’s neck, liking the idea as he wagged his tail under the sheets.

Just then nurse Sweetheart came up to Cadence and DJ Hopper.

“I’m sorry about Doctor Scabs. We should have assigned somepony else to handle DJ Hopper’s case.” Nurse Sweetheart apologized to Cadence and DJ Hopper.

Cadence took a deep breath, “I should have known that he would keep prying for more information after I specifically told him not to go too deep into it. DJ Hopper needs a gentle touch and somepony that understands his condition. Please find him another doctor that will do just that.”

“Of course your majesty.” replied nurse Sweetheart sympathetically as she left the room.

“Somepony?” asks DJ Hopper to Cadence.

“That is just how we refer to other ponies here.” Cadence explains.

“That seems kinda racist,” said DJ Hopper. “Where I’m from there are more than just ponies there.”

“I suppose it is now thinking about it.” replied Cadence, putting a hoof to her chin.

A nurse comes in and tapes a bed sheet over the hole in the wall until it can get repaired.

“Now that that’s settled let’s go back to sleep.” said Cadence.

DJ Hopper gives Cadence a hug goodnight and he drifts off to sleep. Once he is asleep Cadence goes to take care of Doctor Scabs.

Angered by Doctor Scabs’ attempt to conduct a Magick X-ray scan on DJ Hopper, Cadence sets out to confront the doctor over his actions. As Cadence approaches the medical ward, she is shaken and shocked to see Doctor Scabs covered in an entire body cast. "I did not realize the extent of the damage," she exclaims.

The doctor lets out a groan as he struggles to get his words out. "I was curious to find out more about the patient, as I have never seen anything quite like him before," says the doctor in a quivering voice.

The doctor’s lack of remorse filled Cadence up with anger, and she proceeded to chew out the doctor. "What if something had gone wrong? You had no right to conduct a scan without his consent,” said Cadence in a resentful tone. “You saw what happened earlier, what if others got injured due to your actions,” she continued. Cadence then told the doctor, “This injury serves you right for poking your snout into places it doesn’t belong.” The doctor, ashamed of his actions, kept rolling his eyes to avoid eye contact with Cadence.

“I’m deeply sorry, your majesty, I should not have reacted so hastily. I promise to not interfere again,” the doctor muttered.

“That’s right!” replied Cadence in a sharp tone. "I don't want to see you near him ever again," she says as she storms out of the ward and heads back to the room DJ Hopper was being treated in.

As she passes through the narrow hallway, she arrives outside the room and carefully opens the door to not disturb DJ Hopper.

Cadence enters the room to see that DJ Hopper was asleep. She then pulls up the sheets, and whispers “Don’t worry! I will always protect you,” as she pats him on the head.

Cadence then inspects the damage caused to the room by the incident that had occurred earlier, and she vows to herself to always be there for DJ Hopper.

She then finds herself a pillow and falls asleep on the couch by DJ Hopper's bed.

Day 2

Current Time: 7:00 AM

Sunday, July 9th

In the morning Cadence glances over at DJ Hopper's bed and finds out he has also woken up.

"Good morning," says Cadence as she trots up to DJ Hopper's bed. DJ Hopper lets out a weak smile and proceeds to thank Cadence for being there for him.

"I don't know what would have happened to me if you weren't there," murmured DJ Hopper.

"You don't have to thank me. I just did what was right," explained Cadence.

Cadence then told DJ Hopper how excited she was to take him under her wing. "I can't wait till you're up and about again so I can show you around and teach you everything there is to know," said Cadence.

DJ Hopper told her how excited he was, "I'm excited to learn from you," he said, as he started wagging his tail underneath the sheets.

Cadence could not hide her joy and asked DJ Hopper if he'd be OK with her telling her aunts about the whole incident. "I never hide anything from my aunts, and I can't wait to tell them about you," said Cadence before asking DJ Hopper for his approval.

"I…. suppose…. I don't mind you telling others about me, I trust your judgement," replied DJ Hopper.

Cadence was thrilled to receive DJ Hopper's approval, and she hugged him in excitement. "I'm going to write them a letter explaining the situation," she said. DJ Hopper nodded his head.

Cadence explains the whole scenario to her aunts about how she had found DJ Hopper as she starts writing the letter after taking some paper from the table in the room left from a notebook from a nurse who left it there. ‘I’m very excited to inform you that I have rescued somepony who was mentally injured. His name is DJ Hopper, and I will be taking care of him throughout his healing process. I want to mentor him so that I can teach him and take care of him as he has been through a lot. I can’t wait for you all to meet him, he’s quite a character!' Cadence wrote in the letter.

Just as Cadence finishes writing up the letter, she hears a knock on the door. Alarmed by the setback, she looks over to DJ Hopper before getting up to open the door.

DJ Hopper lifts himself from a resting position and sits on the bed as he gestures to Cadence to check who is at the door. Cadence opens the door to find a nurse waiting outside the room.

"Come in," says Cadence.

Nurse Sweetheart walks into the room, and says, "I hope you all are well rested." Cadence and DJ nod their heads. The nurse then walks over to DJ Hopper’s bed, observes the monitors, and takes some quick notes on her writing pad.

The nurse then asks DJ Hopper to stretch out his arms and legs.
DJ complies with the nurse’s request stretching out his arms and legs.

"There we go," says Nurse Sweetheart as she proceeds to check DJ’s physical condition, and asks, “Are you feeling better now?”

DJ Hopper nods his head in approval.

“That is great!” says the nurse as she begins to detach the tubes from DJ Hopper’s body. "If there is no discomfort, then you are free to leave after the new doctor checks you out," says the nurse.

Excited upon hearing the news, Cadence walks toward DJ with a smile and hugs him. Cadence and DJ then proceed to thank Nurse Sweetheart for her service. “I’m really thankful for your help, Nurse. And I’m sorry for bothering you and causing all that damage.” says DJ as he points towards the holes in the wall caused by the events last night.

“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about, it wasn’t your fault. And you don’t have to thank me, I’m just doing my job.” replies Nurse Sweetheart with a smile. The Nurse then finishes writing up the report, collects her notes, and proceeds to walk towards the door.

“So, about the checking out procedure. How long do we have to wait till the new Doctor comes in?” asks Cadence as she walks towards the Nurse.

“I’m going over to his office right now to hand over these reports. He’ll be here in a bit, don’t worry!” Nurse Sweetheart replies.

Cadence then walks over to DJ’s bed and sits right next to him. “I’m glad that you’re OK. There mustn’t be anything serious if they are letting us go.” says Cadence.

“Yeah! I can’t wait to get out of this place.” replies DJ as he smiles at Cadence.

Several minutes later the two then hear a gentle knock on the door. “That must be the doctor. I’ll go get it.” says Cadence as she gets up to open the door.

As she opens the door, she is surprised to see a short figure with a green coat and a darker green mane with crystal blue eyes wearing a white coat standing outside the room.
“Good morning! My name is Doctor Goodwill. I will be checking up on a few things after which you guys will be free to leave.” says the Doctor in a soft tone as he walks into the room.

“Hi Doctor Goodwill! My name is Cadence.”

“Oh of course, Your Majesty! I already know who you are. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Says Doctor Goodwill.

“I take it you’ll be helping us with the checking out procedure?” replies Cadence.

“Yes, but first I need to make sure that everything is in order.” Says Doctor Goodwill as he walks towards DJ’s bed.
“And you must be the great DJ Hopper. I must say that I have heard a lot of things about you.” says Doctor Goodwill.

“Hello Doctor. Might I ask what it is that you have heard about me? I hope it’s nothing bad.” says DJ in a puzzled tone.

“Oh you don’t have to worry about that. You’re in good hooves now.” Says the Doctor as he attempts to comfort DJ.

“Tell me, Doctor Goodwill. Did I do something wrong?” asks DJ.

“You know, with what happened to Doctor Scabs and all. Let’s just say you’re quite a powerful colt, eh?” the Doctor chuckles as he pats DJ on the back.

“No! Please tell me what happened. Did I hurt him?” asks DJ in a remorseful tone as he starts to get anxious.

Doctor Goodwill lets out a sigh and begins to explain the situation to DJ Hopper. “Well, where do I begin? After you were brought in, the nurses treating you couldn’t obtain any meaningful results from their X-ray scans. They told Doctor Scabs about this and he ran a Magick X-ray scan on you to find out more about your anatomy. The test is quite dangerous, and it triggered your defense system. Your friend Burnie warned Doctor Scabs not to do it again, but Doctor Scabs didn’t listen to him. Curiosity got the best of him and he ran the Magick scan again. As soon as he ran the second Magick test, your defense mechanisms kicked in to protect you, and a shield sent the Doctor flying through the wall.” Doctor Goodwill explained. “Doctor Scabs is currently in a full body cast due to the injuries he sustained, but he should be OK!”

“Oh no! What have I done?” exclaims DJ as he holds his head in his hooves.

Cadence and Doctor Goodwill then attempt to comfort DJ Hopper, and the Doctor tells him, “It’s Ok, DJ, you don’t have to worry about him. It wasn’t your fault anyway. Doctor Scabs knew what was going on. Burnie told him all about the situation, and how he shouldn’t run the test again as it posed a serious threat to your safety. He went ahead and did it anyway knowing full well that anything could have happened. Doctor Scabs should have consulted with all the other doctors before taking such a step. I want to apologize on behalf of all the staff here at the hospital for putting your safety at risk.”

“Yes, DJ, Doctor Goodwill is right. Doctor Scabs had no right to run such a dangerous test on you without seeking permission. Even I told him to not go ahead with it, but he didn’t listen to me. The body cast serves him right for not listening to Burnie. It’s all good, though. I went to check up on him, and he will be Ok. I also gave him an earful for what he did.” giggles Cadence.

“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone, I just hope his injuries aren’t too serious.” replies DJ with a look of despair on his face.

All of a sudden an alarm sets off in the room and the blaring noises catch everybody by surprise.

“What is that noise?” says Doctor Goodwill as he covers his ears with his hooves, and frantically looks in all directions to try and find a source for the noise.

“Don’t worry, guys! I’m getting a message from Burnie.” says DJ.

“You had us worried for a second there.” replies Cadence in a relieved voice.

An alert then pops up on DJ’s defense system, and the notification appears to confirm the situation, and it also tells DJ about what happened to Doctor Scabs.

Upon receiving the confirmation, DJ begins to calm down. “Yeah! You guys are right. I shouldn’t be so worried about what happened to that Doctor. Maybe if he had listened the first time round, all of this wouldn’t have happened.” says DJ as he grins.

“Yeah, let’s not worry about that too much. You already have a lot on your plate so let’s focus on getting you right.” replies Doctor Goodwill.

“What’s wrong with me Doctor? Why am I in this situation?” DJ asks the doctor.

“You have been through a lot, and it’s natural for you to be in a state of shock given what has happened to you.” says Goodwill.

“Wait! You guys know about my past?” asks DJ with a startled look on his face as he tried to hide his face in his hooves.

“Yes. When Doctor Scabs ran the Magick scan for the first time and your defense mechanisms kicked in, Burnie explained the whole situation to us. I believe that you’re suffering from shell shock due to what happened between you and your instructor during the war. We know that you’re a bright fellow, but what happened to you can break anyone.” says Doctor Goodwill.

DJ Hopper scratches his head with his hoof and becomes teary eyed. “I don’t want to talk about my past, please.” says DJ as he sniffles.

Cadence then gets up and hands DJ Hopper a glass of water. “Here, DJ. Drink some water. Don’t stress yourself.” she says.

Doctor Goodwill then comes closer to DJ, places his hoof on DJ Hopper’s back and says “Look, I understand that you’re feeling stressed, and we don’t have to talk about your past anymore. But as a Doctor, it was my duty to inform you. You must also know that you’re suffering from long term stress as well. The events that happened in your childhood have taken a toll on you, but, you don’t have to worry about it. Over here you will receive the best care to make sure that you overcome this stress and anxiety.”

“Cadence told me that she will take care of me and I can be her student.” says DJ Hopper hoofing over his cup back to Cadence.

“Yes, Doctor Goodwill. I have already told DJ that from now on I’ll be taking care of him. I see a lot of potential in DJ, and I will teach him all there is to know about having a good social life.” Cadence tells the Doctor.

“Will you excuse us for a minute?” Doctor Goodwill says to DJ as he steps aside and asks Cadence to come outside to talk.
DJ nods his head, and Cadence follows Doctor Goodwill outside the room.

“What is it, doctor?” asks Cadence.

“Well, I have a lot of faith in you, however, taking care of him is one thing but you also have to make sure that he is in the right place mentally. As I have explained earlier, he needs a lot of care to help him overcome the stress and anxiety. I know that you have a lot of responsibilities as a Princess so are you ready to take on this task?” Doctor Goodwill asks Cadence.

“I know what I’m getting myself into. I feel like I have a responsibility towards DJ, and I’m ready to do whatever it takes to get him on the right track.” replies Cadence.

“Very well! If you can take care of DJ, then you guys are free to leave. Let’s tell him the good news.” says Doctor Goodwill.
Cadence and Doctor Goodwill then step back into the room. DJ Hopper can spot the smiles on their faces.

“What happened out there?” DJ asks anxiously.

“We are free to leave, DJ. I told Doctor Goodwill how I will be taking you under my wing, and he has allowed us to let us leave.” replies Cadence in an ecstatic tone.

“Woo hoo!! Finally we can leave this place.” yells DJ Hopper in excitement.

Doctor Goodwill then walks towards DJ’s bed, leans in, and says, “DJ, you are in good hooves now. You are lucky to have Cadence by your side. I’m sure she will take good care of you.”

“I know, Doctor.” replies DJ Hopper with a smile.

“Right! You guys should pack up your things. Be sure to grab something to eat from the dining room before you guys leave. I will send Nurse Sweetheart to help you out with your stuff.” says Doctor Goodwill as he walks towards the door.

“Thanks for your help, Doctor Goodwill.” says Cadence as she walks him out of the room.

Cadence then approaches DJ’s bed and says, “So we are finally free to go. I can’t wait to show you around, I have a lot of activities planned for us.”

“Really?” asks DJ Hopper in excitement.

Cadence nods her head.

Nurse Sweetheart then enters the room and says, “Everything’s clear. Doctor Goodwill told me that you guys are free to leave now.”

Excited at the news, DJ gets out of the bed and limps over to Cadence and the nurse. “I can’t thank you guys enough for your support," he says before hugging Cadence.

"Careful," says the nurse. "You will still have to tend to your anxiety attacks. Take these medicines with you, and make sure to check in with the hospital in a week.”

“Don’t worry, nurse! I will take care of him," replies Cadence with confidence as DJ Hopper hugs her while wagging his tail.

“Perfect! Pack your things, and get yourselves something to eat from the dining room. You must be starving,” says Nurse Sweetheart before walking out of the room.

“She’s right. You must be hungry. Let’s go and grab some breakfast," Cadence tells DJ Hopper.

"Sure!" replies DJ.

As they leave the room, they observe the damage caused to the room by DJ's defense mechanisms. "You are one strange fellow," says Cadence as DJ Hopper lets out a chuckle.

As they pass through the narrow hallways of the medical bay, they find a sign on the wall to their right indicating the dining room.

They walk through the doors to see a spacious room with a large dining table in the center. The wooden dining chairs have a blue fabric lining on them.

DJ steps back and points to a large door, “What’s that door for?” he asks Cadence.

“Oh, that must be the kitchen. Let’s get seated. The chef must be around here somewhere,” Cadence tells DJ.

Cadence pulls out a chair for DJ Hopper and asks him to sit down.

As they sit on their chairs, they find a button on the side of the table.

“What does that do?” asks DJ intriguingly.

“Let me show you,” says Cadence as she presses the button. A loud bell then rings in the kitchen.

"Wow! This is such a nice place," says DJ Hopper in amazement.

A chef then enters the dining room. He’s a white coated stallion with a blonde mane and wearing a chef uniform. He asks, "What would you guys like for breakfast?"

"Pancakes," replies DJ.

“Pancakes? Really?! I love pancakes," exclaims Cadence.

"Perfect, I shall prepare your pancakes," says the chef as he walks back towards the kitchen.

“So, is everything around here as lavish as this dining room?” DJ asks Cadence as they wait for their pancakes.

“Well, all of this seems normal to me now. It might take some getting used to,” replies Cadence.

“I’m not sure about what happened last night. I didn’t mean for anything bad to happen.” says Cadence as they wait for their pancakes to arrive.

“Don’t worry. It was just something that my parents did to protect me in case something happens to me,” replies DJ.
“I also want to apologize for any damage caused to the room,” DJ continues.

“You don’t have to apologize for anything, DJ. It’s not your fault, the doctor shouldn’t have interfered,” Cadence tells DJ.

Several minutes later, the kitchen door then opens, and the chef walks in with the pancakes and some syrup and butter.

“Umm, this is a weird request, but could I get some blueberry syrup?” DJ asks the chef as he sets the pancakes on the table.

The chef nods his head, and walks back to the kitchen.

“I didn’t take you for a blueberry syrup kind of guy,” Cadence says.

“Well, what can I say? I don’t eat pancakes unless I get the blueberry syrup. You should try it!” he tells Candace.

The chef walks back into the room with the blueberry syrup.

“Thank you!” says DJ.

DJ then takes a knife, and spreads butter on his pancakes. He then pours the blueberry syrup on the pancakes.

"Get me more please," he yells to the chef.

“Calm down! They aren’t going anywhere," says Cadence as she laughs at DJ’s actions.

As they are both eating their pancakes, Cadence asked, "What would you like to do today, DJ?"

“I’m down with whatever, but I’m still feeling a bit tired. Perhaps you could surprise me?” replies DJ Hopper taking a bite of his pancakes.

“Let’s not do something too exhausting then. I will show you around the place," says Cadence.

As they ate their pancakes, DJ holds his head in his hooves and says, “I’m really sorry for all of this. I don’t want to be a burden on anyone.”

Having noticed the sort of stress he is under, Candace asked, "What's bothering you, DJ?"

"It's nothing," replied DJ Hopper.

"It's OK, DJ! You can trust me," says Cadence as she wraps her arms around DJ's shoulder.

DJ lets out a deep breath as he begins to explain his situation.

“All of this has taken a toll on me," said DJ Hooper.
“I thought that I would come out of the war as a different person. The instructor that was supposed to teach me, and who I was supposed to trust with my life, ended up violating my trust," says DJ as a tear rolls down his face.

"I was a promising warrior, and people had a lot of expectations from me. I did all I could to protect people during the Great Dimensional War," DJ continued.

Cadence could see the discomfort that DJ was under, and she started to console him. "Don't cry. You did all that you could," she said.

"My darkness instructor set me up!! He didn't want to take the fall, and so he put me in a very risky situation," explained DJ.

"Don't let the action of others define you," Cadence told DJ Hopper as she attempted to comfort him.

DJ Hopper could not overcome his emotions and broke down in tears. "I escaped that place to seek refuge. I was assigned to an instructor who was not very fair to me. I wanted to defend the natives, but I was hurt badly due to his actions, and I wanted to come to a place where my wounds could be treated. I wanted to come here so that I could have a new beginning," sobbed DJ.

“You have to leave these negative thoughts behind you. I promise to help you in overcoming this stress," says Cadence as she passes DJ a napkin.

"My people will look after you, and I will ensure that you have a swift healing process. I will protect you from everything," Cadence reassures DJ Hopper.

“Really?” sniffles DJ Hopper as he struggles to hold back tears.

Cadence nods her head and says, "I can give you some tips to recover from this stress. I have vowed to myself to always protect you, and I’ll help you get through this.”

Excited by Cadence's offer of support, DJ Hopper quickly wiped off his tears and said to Cadence, "I can't thank you enough and I promise I won't let you down."

"You don't need to thank me," Cadence tells DJ Hopper as more pancakes arrive.

"Let's start off with the basics!" says Cadence. "You should try to take deep breaths, as it eases your body and tells your brain to calm down which will help you to deal with your stress."

DJ starts taking short, deep breaths but a bit too quickly.
6:00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqCsEhd5fWY

"Not so fast!" says Cadence as she laughs at DJ. "Deep breathing is most effective when you take some time between your breaths," she explains.

"OK, I will try to do that," replies DJ as he starts taking deep breaths. He then asks Cadence, "What else can I do to take my mind off of the stress?"

"There are a lot of activities here that can keep your mind occupied," Cadence tells DJ. "I would suggest you explore this place by walking around it. I can accompany you if you want," she explains.

“Hmm. That sounds interesting. What other activities can we do?” DJ asks Cadence.

"There are a lot of activities. We could go on long walks, or we could even dance," says Cadence.

“Dance? I love dancing," says DJ in excitement.

"Really? I can’t wait to see your moves again,” she says as they both laugh.

"If these steps don't work, then you should consider talking to others as it takes a lot of stress off your shoulders. I could help you find a therapist," suggests Cadence.

"That sounds like a good idea but I'm not sure if I can trust others with my story," replies DJ, taking another bite of his pancakes.

"Well, if that's the case, maybe I can be your therapist," says Cadence.

“You?! Are you even a registered therapist?” asks DJ intriguingly.

"Yes. I help couples with counselling, and I also talk to other people about love and their problems. Let's set up sessions where we talk to each other for an hour," Cadence tells DJ Hopper.

"That sounds great," says DJ Hopper.

"Also, I feel like you could benefit by having other people around you. You should make some friends to keep yourself occupied here," Cadence tells DJ.

"YES!" yelled DJ in excitement. "Maybe you could introduce me to some of your friends," he tells Cadence.

“Sure thing! I will introduce you to the others," replies Cadence.

Just then a puff of smoke materializes and a scroll appears in front of Cadence as it lands on the table next to her plate. Cadence opens it with her hooves.

Dear Cadence,

We are glad to hear from you, and we hope that you are keeping well. What you did was a very noble act, and we hope that the pony you helped is feeling better now. We are all very proud of your actions, and we wanted to inform you that Luna will soon be coming to visit you along with Azure. We hope that your friend recovers quickly, and that you spend some good time in their company.

Love,
Aunt Celestia

“What does it say?” asked DJ.

“It says Luna will be coming down with Azure.” replied Cadence.

“Luu..naa” asked DJ Hopper, pulling an astonishing face.

“Yes, Luna, the tender-hearted princess, who is also my aunt, who took Azure under her wings when everybody else was feeling below the belt to do so. Do you know who Azure is?” asked Cadence.

“No! I do not know. I have never heard the name.” replied DJ Hopper.

“Oh, she is such a sweet soul, and I assure you that you would love to be around her.” said Cadence.

“Really? Can you tell me more about her?” asked DJ Hopper eagerly.

“I see you are interested in talking about her, and I will tell you everything about her.” explained Cadence putting a smile on her face.

“I am all ears then.” replied DJ Hopper expecting Cadence to start at that exact moment as he took a drink from his glass of milk.

“I will not make you yearn for it then.” chuckled Cadence.

“Azure is a filly with a shy personality. She is smart and intelligent like Twilight but shy like Fluttershy but she is good at heart and she can be a bit like Pinkie Pie once you get to know her.’’ went on Cadence.

“Azure is a very special pony. She belongs to the Tomato family, which is known for their agricultural work. She loved reading magic books, and was always found in the library. She is Luna’s student, and she is a magic buff. But things were not that easy for her….. .” Cadence stopped in between taking a drink of her orange juice.

“Why did you stop?.... Tell me everything you know about her.” asked DJ Hopper like he did not want Cadence to stop.

“She is one of the most talented ponies that I know. She was persecuted for being different, and her family put in a lot of effort to get her to a school where her abilities would be welcomed and nurtured, but she was initially rejected by Luna’s sister, Celestia, who is also my aunt, just on the basis of not being a unicorn. Since she was born without a horn, she was considered a misfit to perform and learn magic.”

“WHAT!! Celestia rejected her just because she was an earth pony?! How awful of her!!! Earth ponies can do magic too. My people are a bunch of earth ponies and they can do magic!!” said DJ as he scowled. He then started glowing a deep red.

DJ Hopper then teleports to the corner of the room “See? I can easily perform magic,” says DJ as he scowls.

DJ then turns towards the fruit basket, takes out an apple, casts a spell on it and turns it into a seed. He then turns the seeds into a rotten apple.

Shocked by what she has seen, Cadence gasps and says “How is that even possible? An age spell is only for Alicorns and they can only do that sort of magic!!?”

DJ Hopper then approaches the chef, looks at him mischievously, and casts a spell on him which turns the chef into a mare. He then reverses the spell, and turns him back into a stallion. The chef’s face turns red in embarrassment and he runs out of the room.

“See how easy that is for me?” exclaims DJ huffing and puffing.

“You didn’t have to prove anything to me, DJ. I already knew you were a powerful magic user,” says Cadence as she attempts to calm down DJ.

“Well, your aunts think that earth ponies can’t perform magic. I had to show you something,” DJ replies waving his hooves around.

“They don’t think that anymore and are trying to change the world’s opinion about earth ponies and pegasi.” explained Cadence, still trying to calm DJ down.

“I still don’t like Celestia,” replied DJ, crossing his arms as he sat back down.

What should I do to keep poor DJ’s mind off his stress? I have to keep him busy otherwise he won’t be able to leave his past behind.

She then looks over to DJ. “You must be bored, DJ. Let’s keep ourselves occupied until Luna and Azure get here in a few days,” says Cadence.

“You’re right! We haven’t done anything since we got out of the hospital. Could you recommend some activities?” DJ asks Cadence.

“Let’s see” says Cadence as she places her hoof on her chin. “We could play some board games. Do you know how to play chess?”

“I never really understood that game. It is way too complex for me. Perhaps, you could teach me how to play?” responds DJ.

“Yeah! I can teach you, but, if it really isn’t your type we could try out other board games such as Sorry. I even have a set of cards, and we can try out games such as Uno or Rack-O,” says Cadence.

DJ Hopper’s eyes light up in excitement. “I love playing Sorry, we should try it later,” he says.

“Of course! And when we have had enough playing board games, maybe we could utilize our surroundings and play some more physically intensive games such as hide and seek,” suggests Cadence.

“But I don’t even know this place that well. How am I supposed to play it if I’m not familiar with my surroundings? That would be unfair,” says DJ with a frown on his face.

Cadence leans towards the Colt and places her hoof on his shoulders. “Don’t worry! I promise to show you around the place before we play. Maybe playing hide and seek would be helpful for you to discover this place,” says Cadence with a smile on her face as she continues to comfort DJ Hopper.

“I’m not sure. I really don’t feel like playing hide and seek right now. Maybe when I get better, and when I have actually seen the place?”

“I understand! We can try it some other time if you don’t feel like playing right now. How about we do something less tiring,”

“Like what?” asks DJ Hopper.

“Have you ever played charades?” asks Cadence.

“I’ve played it a few times with my cousins,” says DJ Hopper.

“It might seem a little difficult at first, but it only works well when there are more ponies around. Maybe we should try something simple. What if we test our creative abilities by painting?” says Cadence.

“Painting seems fun, but I’m not really good at it. Depth was something I always struggled with,” DJ replies.

“Ok. Maybe we could even try to take pictures if you don’t feel like painting. Capturing moments spent with others helps to create good memories,” says Cadence.

“That sounds like a good idea, maybe we should take pictures of something.” replies DJ.

Cadence began to notice that something was not quite right. ”What else can I do?” She thought to herself. ”Maybe he’s feeling a bit stressed and needs some affection. But how do I comfort him? Should I cuddle him?”

Cadence then cautiously scoots over towards DJ Hopper. “DJ?” she mutters.

“Yes, Cadence?” replies DJ Hopper.

“Maybe we could try to cuddle. It will help you to relieve your stress, and I really feel like you could do with a cuddle right now,” Cadence whispers into DJ’s ear in a sexy voice.

“Really?” replies DJ liking the idea from the way Cadence talked, making him want it more.

Cadence then pulls DJ closer, and slowly places her hoof on the Colt’s shoulder. She then rubs his arms and comforts him.

After a while, Cadence notices that DJ is getting closer and more affectionate. She spreads out her wings and holds DJ under them. DJ accepts the gesture and cuddles her back. She holds DJ tightly under her wing, and she observes that DJ is slowly starting to enjoy the cuddle as she spots a smile on his face and he starts to glow a yellow hue.

As some time passes, she then tries to think of something that could be more comforting for the colt. “What if I massage him? Maybe that will help him overcome the stress.” She then taps DJ on the shoulder and asks him, “Would it be OK if I try massaging your legs and hooves to relieve you of your stress a bit more?”

“You really don’t have to,” replies DJ rolling his head back as Cadence rubs under his chin and on his chest.

“It’s not a problem. Plus, I’m really good at massaging, so I’m doing you a favor,” she chuckles.

DJ nods his head, and starts stretching out his legs. Cadence then proceeds to gently massage DJ’s legs.

“I didn’t realize how much I needed a massage. You really are good at this,” says DJ as he stretches out and relaxes his legs. Cadence smiles at the compliment.

As she continues to massage DJ’s legs, she tries to make small talk by continuing with her recommendations of activities that they could do together. “Maybe we could try dressing up in cute clothes, and taking pictures together.”

“I like the idea. I love taking pictures, but I'll have to get some new clothes and then maybe we can try it?” replies DJ Hopper shyly.

“Sounds great! But I have some enchanted fitting clothes that you can wear before I take you to the store to get some clothes for you another day,” Cadence tells DJ.

Excited by the news, DJ gets up and hugs Cadence and thanks her for the massage. “We have got to do that again sometime,” he says.

Cadence then lifts up DJ Hopper, and cradles him in her arms. She looks at him with a grin on her face as he snuggles into her chest fluff, and says, “DJ, you’re the cutest little colt I have ever seen in a long while. I could just cuddle you silly.” As she rocks him back and forth.

Upon hearing this compliment, DJ begins to blush, and his cheeks turn red in embarrassment as he brings his hooves up and touches his cheeks. He starts wagging his tail, and begins to glow even more yellow with excitement. “Thhhhhhhhanks! You’re the best pony I could have met, and I can’t thank you enough for saving me and caring for me. I don’t know how I could ever repay you!” says DJ Hopper as he continues to blush. DJ gets himself more comfortable, and snuggles into Cadence’s chest fluff.

Cadence holds him tightly and says, “You don’t have to thank me. I will always be there for you….Want to head to my cuddle dungeon now?” She asks him.

“Okay…. um…. Do you mind….possibly….carrying me?” He asks shyly. “I’m just enjoying your chest fluff so much.” He exclaims while cuddling into her chest fluff some more while rubbing his head all over it.

Cadence giggles, “Sure I can carry you.” She says while tickling his belly as he laughs.

So with that they both head to Cadence’s cuddle dungeon.

Day 2 part 2

A Broken Flame

Day 2 part 2

By Luckyfanisaac, mainediting, sidrahumar120, and Applefai

Day 2

Current Time: 9:00 am

Sunday, July 9th

Cadence and DJ Hopper enter into a room full of colorful throw pillows on lovely dark gray cushions. The room is accented by Crystal Chandeliers and an Embossed Ceiling. There is a double-sided Fieldstone Fireplace which makes a beautiful backdrop for photos. The walls of the room are painted bright white and the windows are covered with light gray curtains that give the room a beautiful neutral blend. On the bright white walls hang beautiful gray frames with metallic finishes. There are three ottomans in navy color, a lavender shade of purple and bright yellow. The floor is covered in a square checkered rug that gives the room a beautiful, modern finish.
(something like this in the corner by the windows.)
“Wow, I love this room! It is so beautiful!” DJ Hopper said with a bright smile.

Cadence chuckles and blushes at DJ’s comment about the room.

“DJ, this is my personal studio. I come here to relax, read and take pictures.”

“Pictures taken here will look so beautiful!” said DJ.

“Yes DJ, you are right. Let me take some pictures of you,” Cadence replied with a smile.

“Yes please!” said DJ.

Cadence set DJ Hopper down on the ground and DJ hurriedly sat on one of the cushions, placed a bright yellow pillow on his lap and posed elegantly for photo shots. Cadence brought out her camera and started taking pictures of DJ Hopper. She took a few shots of him posed on the cushion and a few more shots of him standing by the beautiful frames on the wall. After the shots, DJ sat on the cushion while Cadence dragged out a box of clothes from a wardrobe. She dropped the big, heavy box by the cushion and sat beside DJ Hopper.

“Have you ever worn enchanted clothes?” asked Cadence mesmerizingly.

“Yes, I have worn enchanted clothes before. My hunch has one that lets me store stuff and my robes are enchanted to mold around my body.” exclaimed DJ Hopper in amazement.

“Oh yeah that’s right. Here… try this on.” asked Cadence, throwing a piece of cloth towards DJ Hopper.

It was a beautiful purple short-sleeve Medieval tunic with decorative borders that ornament the sleeves, neck, and hem.

No sooner did DJ Hopper put the clothes on than the clothes started adapting to around his body.

“How do I look?” asked DJ, showing off the well adorned cloth.

“You look...stunning,” replied Cadence as she looked DJ over.

“Thank you, Cadence,” replied DJ Hopper.

“Would you like to try some more clothes on?” asked Cadence.

“Yes, I would love to!” replied DJ excitedly.

Cadence brought out three more clothes for DJ Hopper to try on. One of the clothes caught DJ Hopper’s attention. It was a beautiful cream robe adorned with golden patterns. It has a brocade inner coat and a velvet fur-trimmed upper coat. He put the gown on and it really looked good on him.

“Wow, this is even more mesmerizing than the first clothes you tried on,” Cadence commented with a broad smile.

“Thank you, Cadence,” replied DJ Hopper as he struck an elegant pose by the wall frames, waiting for a shot from Cadence’s camera.

DJ Hopper tried more clothes on and they all look perfectly great on him. Cadence took pictures of him in all the clothes he tried on. He first tried on a western getup, it was a long sleeve red flannel shirt with splotches of black on the shoulders and elbows, the pants were faux leather chaps.

“Is this flannel?” he asked about the shirt as he felt it.

“Yes I believe it is.” Cadence replied, smiling at him while looking at the shirt.

“Flannel is my favorite fabric,” he replied. “One of my great aunts made a quilt for me when I was little. It’s really worn at the seams and needs to be repaired so I keep it in my closet so it doesn’t get more damaged.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Cadence replied, “I’m sure my friend Rarity could fix it for you.”

“Yeah I think so but it’s already too small for me.”

“Well maybe she could make you a new one that’s bigger.”

“Yeah, maybe a quilt with red, orange, and yellow squares.”

DJ Hopper then put on the cowboy outfit with a red cowboy hat. Cadence then snapped pictures of him leaning against the fireplace, one of him sitting down by one of the ottomans like as a table like he was gonna be playing poker, another one with him standing proud on one of the ottomans, then one with his body half off the ottoman, another standing with his right back hoof standing on a pillow and him dramatically holding his head with his right hoof and his right elbow on his right knee, and one with him standing at attention with a faraway look in his eyes.

The next outfit he tried on was a kimono, it was made with fine silk and dyed royal purple, lavender flowers danced on the design as it hung loose but secure on his body.

“This seems like something that my people would wear since it’s purple.” he said.

“Really? Did your people always wear purple clothes?” asked Cadence.

“Those who wanted to blend in with the purple environment did.” replied DJ.

“I don’t know any place north of here with a purple environment.”

“Oh it’s really far away.”

Cadence continued to snap pictures of him in meditation poses in the purple robe, first was him in the lotus position and then the corpse pose lying as flat as he could. The next pose she made him do was the warrior, with him standing on his hind hooves and front hooves outstretched.

"Perfect!" Cadence said as she snapped the picture. "Now do the tree pose." She said as DJ stood on one hoof with his lifted hooves resting on his grounded hoof. Cadence quickly snapped the picture so he could rest. "I think we got some good shots." Cadence said as DJ rested for a bit from the strain the last pose put on him.

They later settled down on the cushions.

“Wow! That was great. I can’t wait to see those pictures you took.”

Cadence smiled at DJ. “I will have them printed out for you.”

“Would you like some massages?” Cadence asked, looking straight into DJ’s eyes.

“Massages? Y…You want to give me some massages?” DJ asked surprisingly.

“Yes, why not! And I must tell you that I am very good at it,” replied Cadence with a smile.

“Okay then, I’d love to have some please.”

“Very well then. Please lay on the cushion while I get the massage oil,” replied Cadence as she hurriedly walked to the wardrobe. DJ Hopper spread a clean towel on the cushion before laying himself on it, waiting anxiously for Cadence to return as he shyly stripped to just his pants.

While waiting for Cadence to bring out the oils, DJ made himself comfortable and laid down on the towel.
As he laid on his belly, he stretched out his hooves and placed them over his head.

She came back to the cushion with the massage oil. DJ Hopper was lying face down on the cushion. Cadence gets down to work. She applied some of the massage oil on DJ’s mane and started rubbing it up and down in a gentle, soothing motion. The massage oil’s tantalizing fragrance filled the room. The oil smelled familiar to DJ, he gave a couple more sniffs and finally pinpointed the smell.

"Is that lavender?" He asked Cadence as she massaged his back.

"It is. It's supposed to help you relax, you feel so tense." Cadence said as she took out some more oil, and started applying it on DJ Hopper’s back. She applied some pressure, and DJ started to groan in pleasure. She pressed deep into DJ's back as small popping sounds came from his back, releasing some pressure.

“Keep doing that.” Said DJ Hopper in a soft, relaxed tone.

Cadence continued massaging his back, and she could tell that DJ Hopper was enjoying the treatment so she kept on massaging his back for a few more minutes. DJ lets out a sigh of relief as Cadence massages him, he spreads his hooves over his head as she rubs the stress out of him. Cadence then moved down to his legs. She pulled up his pant legs as she gently rubbed in the massage oil all the way down to his hoofs. She gave special attention to the arch of his hoofs and then pulled gently at the base of the hoofs which made DJ Hopper give out a soothing sigh. Then she shifted her attention to DJ’s tail, then the ears, and then the rest of the body.

“This is better than I thought it would be,” muffled DJ Hopper.

Cadence gave a bright smile as she continued to massage him. "Ok, turn over so I can massage your front." Cadence said as she prepared more oil.

DJ turned around revealing his belly. Before messaging it Cadence gave him a raspberry causing him to blush as red as one as he laughs. Cadence proceeded to pour some more oil onto her palms. She then rubbed her hooves together and started applying the oil in a gentle, circular motion on DJ Hopper’s belly. DJ Hopper started giggling.

“What happened, DJ?” asked Cadence.

“That was a little ticklish.” replied DJ Hopper as he continued giggling.

“Let me be a bit more careful then,” said Cadence with a concerned look.

“No, I’m actually enjoying it.” replied DJ Hopper.

“Alright, then.” said Cadence as she continued massaging DJ Hopper’s belly. DJ Hopper started to relax, and proceeded to stretch out his hooves.

“You are so good at this Cadence.” said DJ Hopper.

“Well, I told you I know what I’m doing.” replied Cadence with a smile on her face.

The tummy massage went on for a bit, after which Cadence started to massage DJ Hopper’s face. He let out another sigh of relief, her hooves were melting away the stress, her massaging almost put him to sleep as he kept nodding off from time to time.

DJ closed his eyes, and said, “This is so relaxing. I feel like I could sleep any second now.”

“Don’t sleep just yet. I have some other things in mind.” replied Cadence. Cadence continued to massage his face before ending it.

“There you are!” Cadence said as she rounded up the massaging after some time. DJ got up and hopped off of the cushions and took a deep breath in and went to the closet to find more clothes to wear.

As DJ pulled on one of the ornament robes from Cadence’s collection, Cadence’s eyes lit up in amazement. The yellow embroidered velvet robe had the perfect fitting, and it really suited DJ Hopper.

“It’s almost as if this robe was made for you.” Said Cadence in a soft tone.

“Really?” said DJ Hopper.

“Yeah, come take a look in the mirror.” Cadence tells DJ Hopper.

DJ Hopper walks in front of the mirror, starts rotating to check out the fitting and says, “Yeah it does look good on me.”

“See, I told you. Ok, now pose for the camera.” Cadence said to DJ.

DJ Hopper walked back towards the camera. He extended his wings and pulled a wide smile as Cadence proceeded to take pictures of him.

“This looks so amazing on you, DJ.” said Cadence in a sultry voice as she was mesmerized by how well DJ looked in the robe.

“Thank you Cadence.” he replied.

“Now, try out another pose. Try to lean up against the wall so that it looks a bit more candid. I will try to squeeze in the ottomans in the background, too.” said Cadence.

DJ Hopper nodded his head in agreement, and went to lean against the wall and started smiling. Cadence started taking the pictures.

After she was done taking the pictures, Cadence walked towards DJ Hopper and held him up as she continued to gush over him.
“You look so good in this.” said Cadence as she continued to gush about DJ’s looks.

“Oh, stop it Cadence.” said DJ as he felt his cheeks starting to blush.

“Look at your cute little red cheeks,” remarked Cadence as she took a picture.

DJ Hopper couldn’t overcome his emotions, and buried his head in Cadence’s chest fluff out of embarrassment.

“Don’t be shy now.” said Cadence as she started petting DJ Hopper.

Cadence then started to lightly rub DJ Hopper’s hooves to make him feel more comfortable. DJ Hopper enjoyed the light rubs, and cuddled Cadence more tightly. The two of them cuddle for a few minutes.

After a while, Cadence asked DJ Hopper to sit on the cushions. DJ Hopper nodded his head, and went over to sit on them.

“Ok, now close your eyes. I have a surprise for you.” Said Cadence.

“Alright.” replied DJ Hopper as he closed his eyes, and covered them with his hooves.

Cadence then went over to the closet, and pulled out some clothes for herself. She took out a red tunic with linen lining. The tunic had beautiful white lilies embroidered on it.

“Ok now open your eyes,” said Cadence as she walked over to the sofa DJ Hopper was sitting on.

DJ Hopper opened up his eyes, and saw Cadence in the red tunic. DJ Hopper was shocked by this and his jaw dropped.

“Surpriiise.” yelled Cadence as she held up the tunic with her hooves. DJ Hopper kept staring at Cadence in amazement.

“Well, what do you think?” Cadence asked DJ Hopper.

“This … this looks so good on you.” exclaimed DJ Hopper.

“Well, I pulled out this dress as I figured maybe we could take some pictures together.” said Cadence.

“Yeah. Why not?” replied DJ Hopper.

Cadence took out the camera, set it on a table and pointed it in the direction of the cushions. She then went to sit on the cushions with DJ Hopper.

“Who will take the pictures?” DJ Hopper asked Cadence with a surprised look on his face.

“Oh, DJ, you are so innocent.” Said Cadence as she started laughing. “I have a magical camera, and it will automatically take a picture after some time.”

“Oh, I see.” replied DJ Hopper.

“Ok, now let’s take some pictures.” said Cadence as she pulled DJ closer and put her hoof over his back. DJ Hopper smiled, and they took some pictures together.

“Ok now let’s change into something else and take some more.” said Cadence as she headed towards the closet.

“Alright.” replied DJ Hopper.

DJ Hopper pulled out a blue woolen sweater and put it on. He then took out a white muffler and put it around his neck.
Cadence took out a purple sweater and put it on. She also put on a white scarf that was encrusted with shiny diamonds.

“Wow. You look so beautiful.” said DJ Hopper as he fawned over Cadence’s scarf.

“You look amazing, too.” replied Cadence as she smiled at DJ Hopper. “Should we take a picture while we hug?” she asked DJ Hopper.

“Yeah, sure. Why not?” replied DJ Hopper.

Cadence and DJ Hopper stood in front of the camera and started hugging. The timer started beeping, there was a bright flash and then a click noise.

“Let’s go and see how the pictures came out.” DJ Hopper said to Cadence.

Cadence grabbed the camera, and the two of them started looking at the pictures.

“These are so nice. I will have them printed as soon as I can, and then I will give you the copies,” Cadence said to DJ.

“I can’t wait.” replied DJ Hopper in excitement as he started wagging his tail.

Cadence then holds DJ Hopper tightly, and starts to cuddle him which he appreciates and starts cuddling her back. Cadence then gently massages DJ’s hooves as she cuddles him. DJ Hopper then snuggles up against Cadence’s chest fluff, and she starts rocking him back and forth.

“Thank you so much for taking good care of me. I have never had anyone treat me so well like you do, Cadence.” said DJ as he hugs Cadence tightly.

“You are my friend, DJ. Friends are supposed to treat each other well. I know you’d do the same for me.” replied Cadence as she cupped DJ into a warm cuddle.

DJ nuzzled on Cadence’s neck as they cuddled. Cadence smiled as she felt his touch on her neck. She butterfly-kissed him and cradled him like he was her baby.

“You are such a cute colt DJ,” Cadence said as she continued rocking him. She also blew raspberries on his belly passionately.

DJ chuckles and blushes all at once. He suddenly begins to glow brightly. DJ noticed his wings suddenly shoot out involuntarily. He couldn’t control his excitement but he felt scared by the involuntary action of his wings.

He moved away from Cadence’s arms and fear could be seen written all over his face.

“What is happening to me? Why are my wings shooting out by themselves? I feel so awkward and exposed,” lamented DJ Hopper covering his face in his hooves.

Cadence moved towards DJ slowly and carefully.

“Take it, easy DJ. You are perfectly fine. And what is happening to you is normal. I will explain it to you. But I need you to calm down, please.” she held out her hooves in a passionate invitation to DJ.

DJ peeked through his hooves and slowly creeped his way towards Cadence’s outstretched hooves.

“You see, DJ...what you are experiencing is called a ‘wing boner’ and I think I…caused it,” explained Cadence who now feels quite embarrassed.

“A wing boner? What is that?” probed DJ tilting his head to the right as he put his hooves down.

“A wing boner happens when your wings shoot out by themselves when you feel sexually excited. And I believe the massage I gave you and all the cuddling must have triggered such excitement in you,” Cadence explained further to DJ Hopper.

“Al...right, Cadence,” DJ replied shyly as he tried to hide his face behind a heap of pillows away from Cadence’s gaze.

“You don’t have to feel shy. You are safe with me. I am sorry I made you feel that way,” Cadence said as she drew DJ into a gentle cuddle. DJ Hopper felt relaxed as he snuggled into Cadence’s chest fluff.

“Thank you, Cadence. You are a true friend.” replied DJ as he continued holding on to Cadence.

“And I am very happy that we are friends,” said Cadence, “DJ, would you like me to introduce you to the Crystal Empire?”

“Y... Yes Cadence. B...but,” DJ stuttered shyly.

“It's alright DJ. We will take it slow, no rush. I know you are still shy but you are in safe hooves my friend. You’ll be fine. I will be by your side all the way.” Cadence assured DJ with a smile.

“Alright then.” replied DJ Hopper with a renewed confidence.

They cuddled for a little while more before Cadence suggested that they take more pictures together before she took him around for introductions. DJ Hopper agreed and they made use of Cadence’s camera to get photo shots together. Cadence rummaged through the clothing bin and pulled out a bee and flower costume.

"Here we go, put this bee costume on." Cadence said as she handed DJ the bee costume. Cadence slipped on the flower costume as DJ put on the bee costume. They then got into the frame and posed cheeks pressed to each other as the camera shuttered and snapped the picture.

After some time, Cadence carried DJ Hopper on her back after he got dressed back into his robe and hunch, they left the Studio room and headed towards the Maids’ quarters. In the Maids’ quarters, Cadence introduces DJ Hopper to a few Maids that are off duty.

(Maids quarters when first walk in.)
One of these maids is Golden Tassel. Golden Tassel is a Crystal Palace cleaning maid mare. She has a yellow mane and tail and her mane is tied to look like tassels on a carpet. She has a yellow head and her crystal pony eyes, chest, stomach and hooves are all orange, like a golden poisonous frog tone, in color. There is a yellow ring on her hooves and a yellow stripe on her back. Cutie Mark is a rug with yellow tassels.

“Good day, Golden Tassel,” Cadence greeted her.

“Good day, Your Highness. It's nice to have you here in the Maids’ quarters,” replied Golden Tassel.

“It's always nice to be here, Golden Tassel. This pony here is called DJ Hopper. DJ, this is Golden Tassel, one of the Palace cleaning maid mares.” Cadence introduces.

“Hi Golden Tassel it is nice to meet you.” he said poking behind Cadence's mane.

“Oh My Gosh! You are such an adorable little colt. Can I hold you Master DJ Hopper,” Golden Tassel expressed with a beautiful smile.

“Thank you for the compliment ma’am. And I guess you can hold me,” replied DJ Hopper smiling blushingly hiding into Cadence’s mane.

Cadence can tell that DJ is feeling a bit embarrassed, and is a little reluctant to let Golden Tassel hold him. Cadence then bends down on the floor to let DJ get off her back. “Go on, DJ, don’t be shy, I’m sure you will like Golden Tassel.” says Cadence.

With that DJ Hopper gets off Cadence and approaches Golden Tassel.

“Oh, you’re such a cute little colt,” says Golden Tassel as she picks up DJ and hugs him then starts to rock him.

She gently massages DJ Hopper’s hooves and starts petting his head. “Oh, look at your cute little hooves.” says Golden Tassel. She then starts to rock DJ Hopper back and forth in excitement, and continues to compliment him.

“I just can’t get over how cute you are. I wish I could keep you here forever,” says Golden Tassel.

“Yeah, I’m not quite sure about that,” says Cadence with a smile on her face as she adores DJ Hopper soaking up the affection.

Expressing his delight at the treatment he is receiving from Golden Tassel, DJ Hopper exclaims, “I must say I’m really enjoying this.”

“Oh, I’m sure you are,” says Golden Tassel in a sweet childish voice. She then gently pats DJ Hopper’s head. “You are one of the cutest little colts I have ever come across,” she says as she finally lets him down.

DJ Hopper smiles at Golden Tassel and says, “Thanks for making me feel comfortable.”

“Oh, you don’t have to thank me. The pleasure was all mine.” says Golden Tassel sweetly giving him a kiss on the forehead while he blushes in response.

Golden Tassel then took DJ Hopper round the Maids’ quarters, telling him all about the quarters, her duties as the cleaning maid mare, while Cadence followed behind them.

“You seem like a very interesting person, Golden Tassel. I feel very welcomed in your company. I’d like to know more about you ma’am,” DJ commented.

“Thanks for the compliments, DJ Hopper. Well there is little or nothing more to know about me apart from my personality here in the Crystal Palace. But if it counts for something, you should know I have a special talent in cleaning fabrics and I love foals and foal sat when I was younger. I have a younger brother who is a professional photographer. His name is Film Streak. Also, I have an older sister who is a guard here at the Crystal Palace. Her name is Crystal Dew.” Golden Tassel narrated.

“Wow, you have such a wonderful family, Golden Tassel. A brother who is a photographer and a sister who is a Palace guard. You are blessed ma’am,” replied DJ Hopper with a smile holding his hooves to his cheeks.

“Thank you very much, DJ Hopper.”

“So is this where you guys live?” asks DJ Hopper.

“Yes, this is our humble abode.” says Golden Tassel with a smile.

“Where are the rest of the Crystal maids?” DJ Hopper inquired.

“Some of them are resting, and the others are busy with their tasks. Come, follow me, let me show you around the place, I’m sure you will like it here,” says Golden Tassel.

As they walk out of the main room, they are greeted by the other maids who reside in the living quarters.

Inside there was no shortage of maids, there were probably about ten or twenty, maybe even more in the room. Each maid wore a purple under dress with a purple cap. The under dress was covered by a pristine black apron and the maids were diligent not to stain it.

The coats of the maids ranged from ruby red to sapphire blue to emerald green to amethyst purple, each one doing something different when they arrived.

“Wow, you have quite the staff here,” says DJ Hopper.

“Well, a palace as big as this does require a lot of workers,” replies Golden Tassel. Cadence lets out a chuckle.

DJ Hopper then meets the other maids, and all of them are excited to meet DJ Hopper.

“You must be DJ Hopper, right? We have heard a lot about you. It’s a pleasure to finally be able to meet you.” A maid with purple fur and white hair. Her coat sparkles like that of amethyst and her eyes are as green as emeralds. "My name is Purple Mist," she introduces herself with a curtsy revealing her mane is done up in a bun.

“Well, thanks for welcoming me.” replied DJ Hopper.

They then walk around towards a large open room. DJ Hopper senses a sweet smell coming from this room, and as they walk in, they observe maids draped in lavender colored skirts and white aprons.

The maids can be seen cooking something in large black cauldrons. The room has a blue marble floor, and there are shelves in every corner of this room. A stove is situated in the center of the room.

“This is our kitchen. This is where the magic happens,” says Golden Tassel.

“I thought all the magic happens in the bedroom?” says DJ cheekily. Cadence giggles behind him.

“I’m talking about the magic of food.” replies Golden Tassel.

“Ohhhhh.”

Golden Tassel then takes a large spoon and smacks it across one of the cauldrons, so as to grab the attention of the staff. There’s a loud smack along with a ringing and all the maids turn towards Golden Tassel with puzzled looks on their faces.

“Listen up everypony, I would like you all to meet Master DJ Hopper,” says Golden Tassel as she introduces DJ Hopper to the kitchen staff. “He has come here with Her Majesty, Cadence. He is our guest and I would like you all to make him feel welcome in this place,” says Golden Tassel.

All the maids are in awe of DJ Hopper’s cuteness, and one of the chefs says to one of the other chefs, “That’s such a cute and sweet colt.” The other maid giggles as she and the other kitchen staff then walk up to him to greet him.

DJ Hopper proceeds to shake the kitchen staff’s hooves.
One of the maids steps forward, and says “We are delighted to have you here with us. Make yourself comfortable as we will be preparing something special for you to enjoy.”

“I’m sure I will enjoy being here, and I can’t wait to try what you are cooking. I can already feel my tummy rumbling.” chuckles DJ as he rubs his stomach.

The chefs burst out into light giggles as they head back towards their work stations to continue working on their preparations. After getting acquainted with the kitchen staff, Golden Tassel then guides DJ Hopper and Cadence through a hallway towards the living area. As they walk in, they observe a lot of rooms towards the side, and some maids can be seen sleeping in their beds, and loud snores can be heard from the rooms.

“Why are some of the maids sleeping?” DJ asks inquisitively.

“Well, we find it best to work in shifts, and these maids are resting as they are currently off-duty.” replies Golden Tassel.

“Ahh, I see.” says DJ Hopper.

“Well, now that I have shown you around the place, and you have met everypony, let’s get ourselves busy while we wait for the food.” says Golden Tassel.

“What shall we do?” asks DJ Hopper.

“I have something in mind. Come follow me,” replies Golden Tassel as she takes DJ Hopper and Cadence towards the living area.

As they walk into the living room, they observe large sofa seats and a television set. There is also a large rug placed in the center of the room. The room also has windows overlooking the garden, giving it a picturesque view. Some maids can be observed sitting on the living room sofas deeply engaged in conversation.

DJ scans around the room in curiosity, and says, “This looks like a fun place.”

“Well, it is supposed to be a place for us to have some fun. This is where we come down to relax and have a bit of fun in between shifts,” replies Golden Tassel.

DJ Hopper then spots some brown wooden mahogany tables situated in the far right corner of the room. The tables are polished in a dark shade, and it has four tall and elegant chairs which are padded with imitation leather.

“What are these tables for?” inquires DJ Hopper.

“Oh, these are card tables that we have for the maids to play games and keep themselves entertained when they are off duty.” Golden Tassel gestures towards the tables, and the three of them then walk towards one of the card tables. Golden Tassel heads towards a cupboard right next to the card table, opens it, and proceeds to pull out a pack of cards from one of the shelves and says, “Let’s get playing, shall we?”

“Yeah! I love playing card games,” replies DJ in excitement.

“What game shall we play first?” asks Cadence.

“Let’s go with King’s Cross,” says DJ Hopper.

Golden Tassel proceeds to take out the cards from the deck. She then starts shuffling the cards, and distributes them among herself, Cadence, and DJ Hopper.

As DJ Hopper picks up his set of cards, he gets a good look at what he’s got, and a wide grin can be observed on his face. DJ says, “I have a good feeling about this game.”

“Oh really? We will see about that. Enough with your snarky remarks,” replies Cadence in a sarcastic tone.

The game plays out smoothly, and it is an even contest. All three of them are down to their last few cards and the maids can be seen speculating on the outcome of the game.

“I think Cadence might have this in the bag,” one of the maids remarked to the others.

As the tension continues to build, Golden Tassel is the first to lay down all her cards, and she wins the first game.

“I can’t believe I won!” Golden Tassel yells in jubilation.

“It was such a close game,” says DJ Hopper.

“Yeah! Congrats, but I think you just got lucky.” says Cadence with a smile on her face.

“These games are all about luck, Your Highness.” replies Golden Tassel.

“Yes, that is true. Let’s play another game then.” says Cadence.

“Can we play Garbage? It’s my favorite card game,” says DJ Hopper.

“Sure.” replies Golden Tassel as she proceeds to collect all the cards from the table. She then shuffles the deck, and starts dealing the cards.

“I must say, I’m rather good at this game.” says DJ Hopper.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, DJ.” replies Cadence.

As the game proceeds, DJ Hopper is down to his last card. DJ Hopper is able to clear his last card with an ace, and he ends up winning the game. DJ Hopper then jumps up in excitement.

“See, I told you I’m good at this game.” exclaims DJ Hopper jumping up and down.

“Congrats on your win,” replies Cadence as she proceeds to shake DJ Hopper’s hooves.

“We might have some time to squeeze in another game before the food is ready. Shall we go with the same game or do you guys want to play something else?” asks Golden Tassel as she gathers all the cards.

“Umm … how about we play Go Fish?” asks Cadence.

“Can you explain the rules? It's been a while since I’ve played.” replies DJ Hopper.

“So one person has to fish and ask for cards from the others. If the person doesn’t have the cards then the fisher’s turn is over, and someone else gets to have a turn. The person with the most collection of cards wins.” Cadence explains to DJ Hopper.

“Well, okay then,” says DJ Hopper.

“Ok, Golden Tassel. Start dealing the cards,” said Cadence.

“You got it.” says Golden Tassel as she shuffles the deck and deals the cards.

DJ Hopper ends up winning the game again, and his excitement levels are off the charts. He gets up from his chair and elongates his wings in ecstacy. The room erupts in applause as the maids congratulate DJ Hopper on his victory.

“You are a natural with the cards.” says Golden Tassel as she joins in on the applause.

The young colt is taken aback by the applause, and his cheeks turn red as he blushes.

“Thank you, everyone!” says DJ Hopper in a soft tone as he proceeds to sit back down on his chair.

“Nicely done, Master DJ.” says Purple Mist as she gently taps DJ Hopper on the back.

“Thanks ma’am,” replies DJ Hopper.

“Alright. Now let’s get you guys something to eat,” says Golden Tassel as she guides them towards the dining room table.

DJ Hopper and Cadence follow Golden Tassel towards the large dining table and get themselves situated.

“Make yourselves comfortable. I will go and take a quick look in the kitchen to see where the chefs are with their preparations.” says Golden Tassel as she walks off towards the kitchen.

“Very well.” says Cadence.

As they wait for the food to arrive, Cadence takes a jug of water, and fills up her glass.

“Do you want some?” Cadence asks DJ Hopper.

“Yes, please.” replies DJ Hopper.

Cadence then proceeds to fill DJ Hopper’s glass with water.
Cadence then asks DJ, “Well then, what do you think about the crystal maids? How are you liking it here so far?”

“Honestly, I’m liking this place so far. All the maids over here are amazing, and they are all so nice to me.” replies DJ Hopper.

As DJ Hopper finishes his glass of water, two maids then emerge from the kitchen pulling a large trolley. The trolley is gold plated, and big dishes filled with soup and tofu chicken can be spotted on the trolley. One of the maids then sets the plates and dishes on the table.

“This smells delicious,” says DJ Hopper as he smacks his lips.

As they get ready to eat, the rest of the crystal maids also come up to the dining table and take up their chairs.

Cadence, who is seated on the main chair, picks up a fork and clangs it lightly against a glass. “Everypony, I would like to make a toast. I would like to thank you all for your services, and I’m grateful for everypony here at the maids’ quarters. The Crystal Palace would not be the same without you,” says Cadence.

All the maids start applauding, and Golden Tassel says, “It’s our pleasure to serve you, Your Majesty,”

“Alright, now let’s start eating this delicious food before it gets cold,” says Cadence.

DJ Hopper picks up the serving spoon pours some soup into his bowl. As they start eating the food, DJ Hopper compliments the maids on their cooking skills. “I must say, this is some of the best soup that I have ever had,” compliments DJ Hopper.

“Thanks, you are welcome to try out our soup whenever you want,” replies one of the maids.

The maids are intrigued by DJ Hopper’s presence, and they try to engage him in conversation.

“So, we heard from Golden Tassel about how well you did in the card games,” says one of the chefs.

“You should have been there, Master DJ was so good with the cards,” says Golden Tassel.

“Yeah, I guess I’m good with cards. Thanks!” says DJ Hopper as he blushes.

“You must have had a lot of practice to be that good at card games. Come on, tell us your secret.” called one of the maids from the living room.

“I used to play with my female cousins all the time. Whenever we had some free time, we would always end up playing card games. Maybe that's why I’m so good at playing cards.” replies DJ as he starts to get a little upset while reminiscing about the times he spent with his cousins feeling a bit homesick.

Cadence notices that DJ Hopper’s mood has been affected. She knows that DJ Hopper gets a little touchy whenever he is discussing his past, and so she attempts to divert his attention from the topic. She says, “So, DJ, have you told them about your experiences here?”

“Oh, yeah! I almost forgot. As you all might know Cadence discovered me, and ever since then she has been taking care of me, and she is teaching me the ropes.” exclaims DJ Hopper.

“So you are her student?” asks another one of the maids from the living room.

“Yes. She was kind enough to take me under her wing. She is teaching me about everything that goes on around here. I’m still learning, but I enjoy being her student.”

“You are very lucky to have her as your teacher.” Golden Tassel tells DJ Hopper.

“I know. I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher,” says DJ Hopper as he smiles and rubs his head against Cadence’s right side while she wraps her left arm around him hugging him back.

Cadence smiles back, and says, “Teaching you is fun. Having a student who is so eager to learn makes it a very good experience.”

“So what do you like to do around here, DJ? How do you guys spend your time?” asks one of the maids that was sleeping before lunch letting out a yawn.

“I like how she takes me around to different places to help me explore. We also like to keep ourselves occupied with some activities such as dressing up.” replies DJ Hopper.

“Yeah, before coming to the Maids’ Quarters, we were actually dressing up and taking pictures. You should have seen how adorable DJ looked in those robes.” says Cadence.

“Oh that’s sooooooo cute. Can we see the pictures?” asks Crystal Diamonds, who is one of the maids at the Crystal Palace. She is as white as snow with a blue and white mane that glimmers in the light. Her eyes shine like diamonds.

“We haven’t had them printed yet. But you can come down to my studio after this and I will show you.” replies Cadence.

“Great.” says Crystal Diamonds, beaming a warm smile.

As they finish eating lunch, Golden Tassel gets up from her chair, and says, “Now who’s ready for some dessert?”

“I’m not sure I have room for dessert,” says Cadence as she rubs her belly.

“I would love some dessert.” Says DJ Hopper. “Though I would usually wait a little while for some so my stomach can settle.”

“Oh, I’m sure you will be able to make some space for our special custard, Your Majesty.” says Golden Tassel as she heads towards the kitchen.

While waiting for the dessert, some of the maids from the living room ask DJ Hopper, “So, would you like to play card games with us when we are finished with dessert?”

“Sure. I can always make time for some card games.” replies DJ Hopper.

Golden Tassel then emerges from the kitchen holding large dishes of a jelly-like brown caramel custard. The sweet smell captures everyone’s attention. Golden Tassel places the dishes on the table.

DJ Hopper takes out his bowl, scoops some of the custard and starts eating.

“Hmm ... you weren’t lying when you said you had something special prepared for dessert.” DJ Hopper says to Golden Tassel as he licks his lips.

“Well, we like to pride ourselves in our cooking skills. Thanks for your lovely compliment, Master DJ Hopper.” replies Golden Tassel. The cooks all nod their heads in agreement.

As they finish eating up the dessert, DJ Hopper and Cadence thank the maids for the meal.

“That was one of the best courses I have ever had.” says DJ Hopper as he shakes Golden Tassel’s hooves and rubs his belly.

“Yeah. You guys did an amazing job.” says Cadence.

“Always a pleasure to serve you, Your Majesty.” replies Golden Tassel smiling at DJ while he rubs his belly.

The maids then take DJ Hopper back to the living room to play some card games. DJ Hopper and some of the maids sit on the card table, whereas Golden Tassel and Cadence sit on a nearby sofa to observe the game.

Purple Mist takes out the deck of cards, and asks DJ Hopper, “So which game would you like to play, DJ?”

“Honestly, I’m down with whatever. You guys can choose any game you like.” replies DJ Hopper.

One of the maids suggests Go Fish, and they all agree. One of the maids goes over to get a few more decks of cards. While another pushes a few tables together.

“I have only played Go Fish here earlier today with Cadence and Golden Tassel but somehow I ended up winning even though I haven’t played in a while.” DJ Hopper tells the maids.

“Yeah! I must warn you, he is a natural.” says Golden Tassel with a grin on her face.

“Let’s see how good you really are at these games.” says Purple Mist as she proceeds to shuffle the deck and deals the cards.

The game plays out smoothly, and it is a close game. Purple Mist and DJ Hopper have the same amount of cards right until the end.

“You got this, DJ.” Cadence says, cheering for him.

DJ Hopper nods his head in acknowledgement.

The game plays out for a few more minutes, and Purple Mist ends up winning.

“Tough luck, Master DJ,” says Golden Tassel as she pats DJ Hopper on the back.

“Can’t win them all,” replies DJ Hopper with a smile. He then proceeds to congratulate Purple Mist on her victory. “Congrats, Purple Mist.” says DJ Hopper.

“Thanks, DJ. You played well. That was a really close game.” replies Purple Mist as she shakes DJ Hopper’s hooves.

“OK. Enough with the card games. Let’s do something else.” says Cadence.

“As you wish your Majesty.” replies Golden Tassel as she instructs the maids to come and sit in the middle of the room. The maids gather around the coffee table, and invite Cadence and DJ Hopper over to sit on the sofa.

“I still can’t get over how cute you are, I wish I could keep you forever, DJ.” says Golden Tassel.

“I know, right. He is such a cute colt.” says one of the maids.

“So, would you like to show us some special talent or any party tricks that you know, DJ?” Purple Mist asks DJ Hopper.

“Well, I don’t have any party tricks.” replies DJ Hopper with a concerned look not sure if they would be impressed with his magical skills and feeling a bit shy about it.

“He’s very good at dancing.” says Cadence.

DJ Hopper is embarrassed, and his shyness takes over as he starts to blush and his cheeks turn red.

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” says DJ Hopper in a mortified tone.

“Come on, DJ, don’t be shy. We are all friends here. You can show us some moves. We won’t judge,” says Golden Tassel.

The rest of the maids then break out in a chant, and start yelling “DJ! DJ! DJ!” Golden Tassel turns up the speaker and a melodic tune starts playing.

DJ Hopper reluctantly gets up, and starts performing some dance moves. He starts stretching out his wings, and begins to wiggle his tail. The maids start cheering, and DJ Hopper gets more comfortable. He then starts breaking out more steps by dancing and bouncing on his tail. He then starts doing other impressive moves. The music then finishes, and everyone gets up and applauds DJ Hopper’s performance.

“We didn’t know you were such a good dancer,” says Golden Tassel.

“Yeah, I like to dance from time to time. I’m not used to dancing in front of crowds, though. I usually only dance in front of my cousins.” DJ Hopper chuckles.

Cadence gets up and hugs DJ Hopper. “See, I told you all he can dance.” exclaims Cadence as she pats DJ Hopper on the back.

The maids then gather around DJ Hopper and start complimenting him. “You are sooooooo cute, and we really loved your dance moves.” says Purple Mist sweetly.

“I suppose that I can show you a few spells I know since I’m a bit more comfortable around you girls.” he says while rubbing his right hoof against the floor.

DJ starts warming up his fingers by wiggling them and flexing them out for a few seconds before starting the spells, he targets an orange in one of the nearby fruit baskets and changes it into a banana, replacing the citrus fruit with a botanical one. As quickly as he changed the orange into a banana, he just as quickly changed it back into an orange.

DJ starts performing spell after spell as the maids stared in awe, he performed teleportation spells along with alteration spells, he made what was big small and made what was small big. A few minutes passed with him showing off his abilities, he wiped his brow and grabbed an red apple, quickly changing it into a mango before taking a bite out of it.

The maids applaud him, causing him to blush and take a sheepish bow. Cadence then walks up to him. "You know, if you want I think there may be a spot open on the Thestrals force for you with a spell like that." she says as she ruffles his mane.

"The Thestral what now?" DJ asked, unsure of what she just said.

"The Thestrals or bat ponies, are Luna's royal guards, since she guards the night she needs nocturnal guards to protect her during the night."

"Oh, but why would they care about my spell where I can change an apple to a mango?" DJ asked, unsure of the relevance of it.

"Bat ponies just love mangos, their eyes just dilate when they see one. You'll be one of their best workers." Cadence answered his question as he finished the mango.

"Hmm, I'll take that under consideration but after I heal from my shell shock." DJ said as he discarded the mango core into a garbage can trying to be polite which some of the maids appreciated.

Golden Tassel then approaches him. "You're really talented at magic, you'd give Twilight a run for her money. I'm sorry if the maids made you feel uncomfortable by persisting, I tried avoiding comments about your fingers because I thought you were sensitive to the subject." Golden Tassel said as she rubbed his shoulder.

"It's ok Miss Tassel, I am a little sensitive with the subject of my memory disability, it's actually considered criminal behavior to make fun of it or anypony with it from where I come from." DJ said as he sighed in bliss from the shoulder rub.

The maids continue swooning over DJ Hopper and start petting him. They take turns holding him, and DJ Hopper seems to be enjoying the love and affection he is getting as he starts glowing his signature yellow color because of how happy he was. The maids stared in awe as they witnessed him glow.

“Why is the colt glowing your highness?” asked Golden Tassel, turning her head to her right to face Cadence.

“Oh he does that when he’s happy.” replies Cadence smiling at DJ Hopper as she watches him enjoy the attention.

The maids continued to hold him and pet him as they relaxed, some of the maids even tickled him as they held him. Some of the maids even gave him raspberries on his belly causing him to blush and giggle.

“BWAHAHAHA HA HA HA!!!” he cries in response to the tickling and raspberries waving his hooves carefully so as not to hit anyone.

A few minutes later the maids started arguing on who's turn it was to hold him, almost all of them started bickering while some stayed quiet.

Hearing the girls argue over him was somewhat attractive to DJ causing his wings to spring up involuntarily as the maids not arguing giggled at the sight as he buried his face in his hooves as he continued to be cuddled like he was a lap dog.

"Alright that's enough girls, you're all embarrassing him." Golden Tassel speaks up as she walks up to DJ who was in Purple Mist's lap. "We should let him decide who he wants to hold him." She continued as she walked over to him and made eye contact.

“Would you like me to hold you now?” Golden Tassel asks DJ Hopper sweetly.

“Of course Golden Tassel.” replies DJ Hopper with a wide smile on his face.

“Please call me Goldie, no need to be formal.” she replies as Purple Mist gingerly hooves him over.

“Okay Goldie.” DJ said as he curled up in her hooves.

Goldie proceeds to gingerly rock DJ Hopper like he was a baby and starts gushing over his dancing skills.

“How can you be so talented, be so cute, and be such a good dancer all at once?” asks Goldie as she cradles him.

"I don't know, I guess it's just a gift." DJ said while blushing.

"Well, it sure is a good gift." Goldie replied as she tickled his belly causing him to giggle.

“Thanks, Goldie. You are so kind.” replies DJ Hopper as he tightly hugs her.

Goldie hugs him back, and she spends the most time holding DJ Hopper.

“Isn’t he just the cutest, most talented colt you have ever seen?” says one of the maids.

“I’m enjoying my time here with you girls, and I would like to thank you all for making me feel so comfortable.” says DJ Hopper.

“You are all so nice to me.” DJ Hopper says to Goldie starting to get a little bit tired from all the cuddling.

DJ lets out a small yawn and his eyes become heavy as he starts to doze off with a wing boner. Goldie sees this and gently nudges him awake.

"Would you like to rest up in my bed, dear?" She asked only to get a nod from him. Goldie then gingerly carries DJ to her bed and sets him down on the soft mattress as he sleeps. Cadence then comes over and removes his hunch and his robe and lays them on a chair. She then kisses him on his right cheek as she pulls up the covers. DJ Hopper then gives a small smile in response as he lays on golden pillows with a yellow sheet and blanket.

“Isn’t he a cute boy when he sleeps, your highness?” asks Goldie as she brings her hooves up to her cheeks and smiles.

“Yes he is very cute.” Cadence replies.

Cadence and Goldie then leave the room so DJ Hopper can sleep.

Day 2 part 3

A Broken Flame

Day 2 part 3

By Luckyfanisaac and Applefai

Day 2

Current Time: 2:30 pm

Sunday, July 9th

While DJ sleeps soundly the maids and Cadence talk about him over tea.

"So, what do you know about the young master DJ?" Purple Mist asked as she poured the tea and sat down.

"Well, I know that he comes from a distant advanced civilized region in the north, he's an omnivore." Cadence said as some of the maids almost choked on their tea, except Golden Tassel and a few others. Cadence took a sip and continued. "He really loves any affection he's given because his parents were so overprotective of him that they barely gave him any, which might be why he is suffering from shell shock and anxiety attacks. He has advanced magic on him due to his overprotective parents." Cadence finished and took another sip of tea.

“How advanced are we talking?” Asks one of the maids.

"Pretty advanced, he even has an A.I. in his cyborg eye piece that protects him from any threat to his life, his name is Burnie and he does his job diligently. He serves as DJ's body guard and he protected him from the doctors when they were trying to dissect him.”

“Oh the poor little colt,” cried Goldie. “He must have been so scared.”

“He was at first but I reassured him that I would be there for him.”

“I guess he truly trusts you, your majesty,” said one of the maids.

“Yeah I think he’s starting too.” Cadence said as she stared into her tea, her reflection rippling in the liquid as she recalled all that she knew about him. "He used to have a hard time making friends when he was little, he still has trouble coming out of his shell. I'm actually thinking of introducing him to Twilight and her friends, hoping that they'll be able to help." Cadence took a sip before continuing. "I would like to get him to fly since he hasn't been able to before, he used to be a red earth pony." The maids gasped in surprise.

"Really, but how did he get wings?" asked Purple Mist as she went and got a tea cake for herself.

"I don't know for sure, but I bet it was something magical." Cadence replied as she sat and sipped her tea before looking at Golden Tassel. "Golden Tassel, I do have a question of utmost importance for you."

Golden Tassel's ears perk up as she hears this. "Yes, your highness?" she asked as she sipped her tea.

"DJ seems to really like you a lot, and I'm not always going to have an abundance of time. So I was wondering how you'd like to be his personal maid?" Cadence asked her, awaiting her answer.

Golden Tassel smiled sheepishly while touching her cheeks. "I would love to be that cute little colt’s maid." she said.

"Wait! Why her?" One of the maids asked, clearly jealous, sparking an argument to ensue from the others until Purple Mist whistled to gain their attention.

Crystal Diamonds then speaks. "Princess Cadence has made her decision loud and clear, our job as maids is not to argue, but to understand and accept her decision. Do I make myself clear?" She says as the maids hang their heads and mumble their understanding.

Cadence looked at the clock and noticed it was four thirty. "Pardon me girls, I need to go check on DJ." she said as she got up to check on him.

Cadence gingerly opens the door and sees that DJ is just waking upon the bed. She comes in and talks to him. "Afternoon sleepy head, are you ready to get a bite to eat?" She asked as DJ hops out of bed.

"Yeah, you're actually lucky I was waking up, I really don't like being woken up abruptly while I'm taking naps." He said as he started to feel something running down his leg. Blushing, he ran to the bathroom saying. "Pardon me, I'll be right back." He locked himself in the porcelain throne room as he stripped down to see he had jizzed in his underwear.

Cadence knocked on the door. "Sweetie? Are you ok?" She asked as DJ blushed.

"Yeah, I'm ok, just freshening up." He called out as he entered the shower and started to clean up, as for his underwear, he contemplated what to do. Should he throw them away, should he ask for them to be washed, or should they be burned? These questions swam through his head as the warm water washed the dirt, grim, sweat, and jizz off him.

Soon after about two minutes in the shower, DJ comes out dressed in a fresh pair of clothes as he had put his dirty clothes in his hunch while Cadence puts on fresh sheets on Goldie’s bed.

"Don't worry little one, it'll be our little secret. Would you like me to clean them for you?" She asks him. When DJ responded with a nod she levitates his dirty yellow underwear out of his hunch and magically cleans them. "Are you ready?" She asked, getting a nod from DJ. They then headed out.

As they headed out DJ hugged Goldie and said goodbye before heading out to get dinner. Goldie embraced the hug as she smiled. She wanted to tell him the good news so bad, but figured Cadence will either tell him or that it will be a surprise. She let go as he let go and waved goodbye and he and Cadence left.

Cadence and DJ got dinner in the dining hall where the chef greeted them with a fine smile. "Welcome your majesty and young master, what may I prepare for you on this fine night?" The chef greeted them with a bow. He was a crystal pony with a light brown coat with a yellow mane.

"Oh, I'd like a plate of oats and sparkling water please." Cadence ordered while DJ contemplated on what he'd like.

"I'd like a platter of cod with a side of tartar sauce and a glass of milk, please." DJ ordered as the chef jotted it down and returned to the kitchen.

While they waited, Cadence brought up a conversation. "So, I told the other maids about me trying to get you flying lessons. Would you like me to teach you?" she said.

"I would like that, but I'd also like an instructor that's an earthagus like myself, so that they'll know my limitations and not push me so hard like a drill sergeant would, I really don't like drill sergeants, I was one of the weakest members in my class and would often be ridiculed because of it." He blushes in embarrassment as he talks about it only for Cadence to caress his cheek.

"Ok sweetie, I'll see what I can do, there's no need to be embarrassed." She kisses him on the forehead and ruffles his hair.

The chef came out a few minutes later with a cart to prepare their meal in front of them, he smiled as he fried the cod over an open flame, he drizzled the fish with some lemon as he placed the cod on a plate with a saucer of tartar sauce and poured a glass of milk. He then serves DJ as he starts preparing the oats for Cadence and a glass of sparkling water. He then serves her, smiling as he stands by his cart and watches them enjoy his craft.

DJ took a bite of the fried cod and smiled. "This is really good, it's flaky but not too flaky." He said as he took another bite, dipping it in the tartar sauce to give it extra flavor.

"I'm glad you like it, young master." The chef said as he bowed in respect. "If there's anything else I can get for you, please don't hesitate to ask." He finished before heading back into the kitchen.

As the chef is in the kitchen, Cadence starts up another conversation. "So, how good are you at magic, like what level are you at?" Cadence asks as she sips her sparkling water.

"Well, I'm a weak twelve." DJ says as Cadence nearly chokes on her water, doing a spit take as she gets surprised at this revelation.

“Wow, really is that normal for your people? When ponies are born they are like one to four.” Exclaims Cadence.

“Really? My people are born at ten or twelve then they go up to like twenty.”

“Twenty!!! Your people must be really advanced in magic to go up that high.” Exclaims Cadence in shock.

“Yes we are pretty advanced.” Says DJ Hopper nodding his head.

“What kind of spells do your people cast at level twenty?”

“Usually we can create stars, planets, and creatures but creatures are more complex on level twelve.”

"Wow, it seems your people are really powerful." Cadence says as she ponders the possibility for an alliance. "Do you think an alliance is possible between us and your country?" Cadence asked.

"Perhaps, but we'll have to build more trust first, the last alliance we had the other party betrayed us and took advantage of our technology. We have been at war with them for over twelve thousand years now. It's known as the Great Dimensional War and spans over three point six thousand dimensions."

"Really?" Cadence asked as she wondered. "I've never seen a war happening around here." She says as she finishes her oats.

DJ finishes his fish and puts his silverware at three o’clock and looks at Cadence. "Can you keep my secret if I tell you?" DJ asked.

Cadence does a Pinkie promise. "I promise I won't tell a soul."

"What's with all those actions you made?" DJ asked as he watched her do the movements.

Cadence giggled and picked him up in her magic and placed him in her hooves. "It's a Pinkie promise, dear."

"A Pinkie promise?" DJ asked as he tilted his head.

"It's a promise a friend of mine made, I hope to introduce you two to each other someday." Cadence said, “Now what was it you wanted to tell me?”

DJ takes a deep breath in and exhales. "I'm an alien from a different planet called Sakatoria." He confesses and trembles in fear of Cadence's reaction.

Cadence stands there in shock for a few moments before giving a warm smile and puts a hoof on DJ's shoulder. "I actually should have known, given your unique clothes and body structure. Don't worry, it'll stay between us." Cadence said as she kissed him on his cheek.

DJ smiles at Cadence and stops trembling. "You're really kind, thank you for all you have done for me and accepting who I am." DJ says as he wraps his hooves around Cadence's neck, giving her a warm hug.

"Can you tell me more about Azure please?" DJ asked with a blush on his face as he let go of Cadence.

Cadence caught this and smirked. He must really like her, perhaps he may have a bit of a crush. She thought to herself as she thought of what to tell him about her.

"Let's see, she's really advanced in her magic, she's even made some spells of her own, like the long distance teleportation spell and a changeling displacement spell. But I don't permit the spell because I only blame Chrysalis for the invasion and think we can become friends with the changelings." Cadence said as they got out of their chairs and walked down the hall remembering DJ likes to have dessert a bit later.

"What are changelings?" DJ asked as Cadence stopped in her tracks, remembering the ordeal.

"They're a race of bug-like ponies, they disguise as the one you love and feed off your love. It happened to my husband, Chrysalis captured me and trapped me, I nearly didn't make my wedding." Cadence said as she glanced out a window.

“So they can transform into different things?” DJ asked with a blush feeling his cheeks warm up.

"Yes, anypony and almost anything. They could even be the chairs we sit on, that chandelier, or a pony here in the empire." Cadence says as DJ's wings pomf out causing Cadence to gasp and blush as she raises her right hoof to her mouth.

DJ Hopper looks back at his wings and quickly covers his face with his hooves as he lays his head on the floor.

“I’M SORRY!! I’M SORRY!! I’M SORRY!!” DJ exclaims.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn’t judge what other ponies find attractive." Cadence says as she strokes DJ's back.

"I'm not thinking that." DJ denies as he blushes bright red while Cadence smugly grins. “Just the thought of a slow transformation taking over someone and finding out what I find attractive makes me feel funny.”

“Like I said before, what you are feeling is normal for winged creatures so enough about that, I want to gauge your physical prowess." Cadence said, causing DJ to tense up.

"Um, do we have to?" DJ asked nervously, shyly looking up at Cadence through his hooves.

"Oh don't worry, it's just basic stuff." Cadence said, reassuring him by shaking a hoof casually.

"Ok, I do like basic stuff, I like the small burns it gives my muscles." DJ said and got up as they continued heading towards the indoor training grounds.

Inside the arena there are dumbbells, yoga balls, and other exercise equipment littered throughout the area. The room was almost pure white only having gray as accents, the ceiling stood high as DJ cocked his head back looking up.

"This is the indoor arena, we use it to train guards on rainy days or who are new. So I figured it'd be the best place to train you here at first." Cadence said as she took out a rolled up mat just in case DJ Hopper fell during his flying session.

“Where are all the guards?” asked DJ, looking at all the empty rows and rows of exercise equipment.

“They are probably all outside training with my husband Shining Armor.” said Cadence as she rolled out the mat.

“Your husband’s a guard?” asked DJ tilting his head to the right.

“Yes he’s captain of the Crystal Guard and the Royal Guard.” Cadence says as she stands on the mat. “He’s the one who came into the dining room when we were having breakfast the other day.”

“Oh him,” said DJ in an upset voice. “The unicorn who scared me.”

“He didn’t mean to scare you.” said Cadence as she put a hoof on his back trying to comfort him.

“He probably didn’t but he’s still a unicorn guard that I don’t trust.” he said sitting down on the mat crossing his hooves.

“I’m sure you two will get along someday.” Cadence comforted patting his back. “He really isn’t that bad and I’m sure he won’t be like your instructor.”

“Maybe he won’t be like him when he’s off duty but I bet he still yells orders to move faster when the guards are already too tired.” DJ exclaims.

“Oh I’m sure my Shining is fair with his guards.” replies Cadence trying to defend her husband.

"Okay, let's start with some flying exercises and get your mind off that.” Cadence expresses.

“Hold on, let me put on some gym clothes so I don’t get my robes stinky from sweat.”

“Okay DJ, the bathrooms and lockers are behind you over there.” she said pointing to the wall behind DJ.

“Okay I will go into the boy’s locker room and change.” DJ then goes into the locker room and is met with rows of blue lockers.

He walks over to a bench and sits down before rummaging in his hunch before pulling out a red t-shirt and a matching pair of red shorts. He takes off his robe, his undershirt, and pants and folds it up before placing it in his hunch. He then puts on his gym clothes, grabs his hunch and soon exits the room. He walks up to Cadence and places his hunch next to the mat.

“Okay I’m ready,” he says to her.

“Okay, Just relax and move your wings in an up and down motion like this."

(The only gif image I could find of Cadence flapping her wings.)

Cadence moves her wings in an up and down motion. DJ does the same as he mimics Cadence to a tee. After a few minutes, Cadence starts to lift off the floor, beckoning DJ to do the same as he slowly lifts into the air but only a few inches, shaking a bit as he tries to maintain balance.

“You're doing great, DJ just stay calm, now add a little force to your flaps as you propel yourself.” Cadence says while hovering above him.

DJ tried to flap his wings a bit harder but the muscles weren’t used to carrying his weight yet so he only managed to get eight inches off the ground. He tried flapping them harder but it seems like his hooves were a magnet to the floor.

Cadence could see the exertion on DJ’s face as beads of sweat ran down his face.

“Okay DJ you can stop now. Let’s try a different approach.” Cadence says as she extends a hoof to stop a relieved DJ and he starts panting heavily once he’s back on the ground trying to recover his energy.

"We should work on building up your muscles, your stamina seems pretty good, but we should gauge it more with wing exercises." Cadence said as she jotted down notes on a piece of paper that she summoned from her magic.

DJ watched her jot down notes as he wondered what they were. "What's that, Cadence?" DJ asked after she was done.

"They're wing exercises, I'd like you to do ten of each." Cadence said as she gave DJ the list. The list included wing ups, tug of war, trots, and stand up stretches and a few others.

“Okay Cadence I’ll do my best.” replied DJ determined to do the exercises for Cadence.

“Do you need me to demonstrate the wing exercises?” asked Cadence.

“That would help, yes.” said DJ nodding his head.

“Okay to start us off we are gonna do some wing ups. First you want to lie down facing the floor and keep your back straight while you raise and lower your body with your wings.” Cadence then lays flat on the floor and pushes herself off the floor with her wings to demonstrate.

DJ follows her lead and lays flat on the ground and tries to bend his wings to push himself off the ground. He struggles a bit to figure out how to angle his wings but then remembers how to flap them. So he flaps his wings down and bends the base of his wings and angles them towards the ground and starts to push himself up. He then starts to do some wing ups following Cadence.

“One…Two…Three…Four…Five…Six…Seven…Eight…Nine…Ten.” he counts out loud.

“Well done! Now let’s do some trots.” Cadence praises before going onto the next exercise.

“Okay I know how to do trots.” said DJ as he jogs in place and counts how many times he raised and lowered his legs ten times.

"Ok, now stand on your hind legs and stretch to your right for ten seconds." Cadence instructed DJ.

DJ does as he is instructed and stretches to the right, counting the seconds as he does so.

"Good, now do the same thing but to the left." Cadence says as she joins him counting together as they stretch.

“Now stretch all the way behind you until your front hooves touch the floor and arch your back.” Cadence explains. So DJ did just that and stretched all the way until his hooves touched the floor as he arched his back for ten seconds.

"Good. Now stay right there, I'll be right back." Cadence says as she walks to a small equipment closet and pulls out a rope with a gauge on it.

"What's that?" DJ asked while standing still.

"It's a gauge, I want to see how much force you can pull out, we use this to train a guard's pull capacity." Cadence says as she hands the rope to DJ. DJ tugs at the rope with his hooves as if he was playing tug of war while Cadence measures the force, the numbers stop at one-thousand two hundred foot pounds of force leaving Cadence awestruck.

"That's amazing, usually small colts measure at eight hundred and forty foot pounds of force, you're pretty strong." Cadence said admiring his feat.

"It's actually pretty weak compared to others of my race, everyone can do roughly two-thousand foot pounds of force or more." DJ admits as Cadence's eyes widen.

"Really? That really shouldn’t surprise me since your people are so advanced and apparently really strong.” Cadence admits rubbing her hoof over her cheek in surprise.

“How much can you pull?” asks DJ.

“I can pull about two thousand five hundred eighty pounds of force since I’m an alicorn.” replies Cadence.

“That’s pretty common in comparison to my people.” DJ exclaims.

Cadence then goes to put the rope away but was stopped by DJ as he grabbed the end of it in his teeth.

“DJ let go.” Cadence replies, turning to face him.

“No!!” He exclaims cheekily through his teeth.

Cadence tries pulling on the rope but DJ won’t let go. Cadence keeps trying to get the rope but DJ just growls and starts acting like a dog.

“Come on DJ let go!!” Cadence starts to giggle at his canine behavior but DJ just growls in response.

“Grrrrr ra rrrrrr.” DJ growls as he keeps tugging at the robe.

“Oh you want to play do ya!? Well you're no match for me!!” Cadence exclaims and joins in on the tug of war using her hooves.

DJ tugged on the rope but Cadence was just too strong for him. She did however go easy on him and let him pull her forward a few times but it seems DJ really wanted to try to knock her off her hooves so he kept pulling. DJ pulled and pulled but Cadence stayed on her hooves. Eventually Cadence thought that DJ had tried enough so she pretended to fall down onto her face.

“Woah oh ah,” she cried. “Oh ya got me!!” She exclaimed sarcastically.

“Yes I did it!! I won!!!” DJ said, pumping a hoof out in mock excitement because he knew Cadence let him win.

“Well done DJ, come here for a second.” Cadence exclaims outstretching her hooves clearly wanting to give DJ a congratulated hug.

So DJ walked up to her and Cadence wrapped her hooves around DJ and gave him a hug while she laid on the floor as DJ panted in her embrace, clearly exhausted. He snuggled into Cadence’s chest fluff as he embraced her hug and she gave him a squeeze.

“Hello DJ.” she exclaims as he looks up to her.

“Hi Cadence.” he smiled back.

“You are just so precious.” she said in a baby voice as she kissed his forehead.

“Thanks,” DJ replies as he blushes and tries to hide in her chest fluff.

Cadence giggles, “Are you feeling shy?” she exclaims.

DJ doesn’t respond and continues to hide in Cadence’s chest fluff feeling a bit embarrassed.

Cadence just giggles, “I’ll take your silence as a yes.”

Cadence decides to let DJ rest for a bit before moving on to some more exercises to let him regain some of his energy. So they laid like that for a few minutes just enjoying each other’s company. A few minutes later Cadence speaks up.

“DJ why were you acting like a dog?” asked Cadence as she looked down at DJ.

“Well I really like tug of war and I really wanted to play it and I always liked to play pretend that I was a non talking animal.”

“Alrighty then,” replied Cadence. “Do you want to get back at it and do a few more exercises?”

“Yes I think I’m still willing to do that.” DJ exclaims.

So for the rest of the day DJ trained with Cadence and they did a few other exercises that are for the wings.

“Okay Cadence are we done yet I’m getting tired?” asked DJ, feeling his muscles burn from all the exercises which he liked.

“Yes, we are done for the day so grab your hunch and let’s get a bath running.” Cadence replies also feeling the strain a bit.

“Um Cadence?” asked DJ.

“Yes DJ?” replies Cadence as she turns back to look at him.

“Can I take a bath in your tub again?” asks DJ, rubbing a hoof on the floor as he shyly looks down at it.

“Of course you can! I would be fine with that since you don’t have a room yet.” replies Cadence enthusiastically.

“Um, is it possible…that you could…perhaps…clean me?” asked DJ as he nervously looked up at Cadence.

“Did you really enjoy me cleaning you that much?” Cadence smiles enthusiastically back at him.

“Yes,” DJ squeaks out. “Especially when you cleaned my head and massaged my ears.”

“Alright I can do that again for you.” Cadence smiles at him.

“Okay,” he shyly replies feeling a bit excited as he follows Cadence to her bathroom.

Day 2

Current Time: 8:00 pm

Sunday, July 9th

Cadence and DJ Hopper enter her bathroom. DJ goes into the toilet room to change into his swim trunks after grabbing them from the side of the tub while Cadence takes off her shoes, her royal necklace, and her crown in her closet and puts them away.

With that DJ Hopper soon exits the toilet room wearing his red swimsuit while his gym uniform was tucked away in his hunch. Cadence then exits her closet without her royal uniform on and heads on into the bathroom with a pair of clean towels.

“Are you ready now DJ?” Cadence asks as he sees him exiting the toilet room.

“Yes, I’m ready.” he replies.

“Okay I’ll start the bath.” she said as she headed for the bathtub with DJ following her.

She puts the clean towels on the bench next to the shower, Cadence then turns on the faucet and sticks her hoof under it until it is at a comfortable warm temperature. Meanwhile DJ watches Cadence fill the tub, on Cadence’s left side. Once the water is at the right temperature, Cadence goes ahead and plugs the tub but doesn’t add any bubbles.

“Aren’t you gonna add some bubbles?” DJ asks.

“I want you to get a feel for what this tub is capable of so I’m not gonna add any bubbles because the jets would make too many bubbles once they are on.” Cadence expresses.

“This tub has jets?!” DJ exclaims getting excited as he starts bouncing up and down excitedly.

“Yes it does.” replies Cadence looking at DJ’s excitable behavior.

“Cool!!” DJ exclaims as the water is nearly halfway full by then but soon it reaches three quarters full and Cadence shuts off the water.

“Okay hope in!” exclaims Cadence as she smiles at DJ.

DJ slowly gets into the tub and leans back into the chair on his right. Cadence then turns on the jets as they massage DJ’s sore muscles from all the exercising he did.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” DJ exclaims while relaxing in the tub while his head nearly goes under as he sinks into the water giving off a warm glow of yellow as he enjoys the jets.

Cadence giggles at the display. “Are you enjoying that DJ?”

“Yeeeeeeeeees Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh,” he replies as he fully relaxes into the water continuing to glow a warm yellow.

Cadence has to shield her eyes a bit due to the intensity of light and the heat DJ is admitting. Cadence doesn’t want to interrupt him and gets the feeling that DJ really needed to relax after working so hard in the exercise room. Cadence just sits and watches DJ enjoy the jets for a few minutes but later gets up and heads to the closet to get some sunglasses due to the intensity of how bright and hot the light was. She returns soon after while wearing some sunglasses and getting some air from the hot temperatures as she continues to monitor DJ relaxing in the tub.

After a while DJ’s yellow hue starts to dimmer in brightness and heat and Cadence could see again, to see DJ Hopper sitting up in the tub a bit.

“Are you feeling okay DJ? You emitted quite a bright light and it was very hot, like a sauna, while you were relaxing there.” Cadence said, taking off her sunglasses with her hooves and wiping her brow from the sweat.

DJ yawns, “Sorry about that, I really needed to relax from all the exercising that we did. That bright glow is admitting all of my stress that I was under.” DJ explains.

“Did I stress you out that much DJ?” Cadence asks, a bit worried for DJ’s stress levels as she covers her mouth with her right hoof in shock.

“No, you didn’t but I was thinking about my time serving with the Sakatorian Multiversal Guard while we were exercising. I really needed to let that stress out.” DJ said, calming Cadence down a bit by taking her hoof away from her mouth but was still a bit worried about DJ’s stress levels.

“Maybe he needs to snuggle with me a bit more, maybe that will help like before.” Cadence thought.

“DJ would you mind letting me snuggle with you in the bathtub because I’m really worried about your stress levels and I think it will help.”

DJ Hopper shot straight up in the water, totally surprised. “But Cadence… Really I’m fine now. I got it out of my system, you don’t have to do that.”

“Are you sure DJ? It seems like you are still under a lot of stress.” Cadence expresses, rather worried.

“I’m fine…really…you don’t need to come in here and cuddle me but I guess you can if you want too but drain some of the water and add some cold water because when my people generate tons of heat like that water starts to boil and evaporate.”

“Really!?” She exclaims as she turns off the jets to find some bubbles were still there as if the water was indeed boiling.

“Wow DJ, that seems like you could get hurt sitting in a tub of boiling water. Are you okay!?” Cadence exclaims.

“Yes I’m fine, my people are used to hot temperatures.”

“Wow DJ, you never cease to amaze me.”

“I know,” DJ Hopper giggles.

Cadence pulls the plug and let’s out some of the boiling water and opens the tab by the faucet, by doing so brings cold water into the tub, once the water has cooled down enough, by DJ swishing it around, Cadence enters the tub after she plugged it again, joining DJ as he blushes. He soon gets used to it as they start to bathe and play in the water.

They then helped each other bathe as they took turns scrubbing each other's backs and belly. They both took turns standing up in the tub while the other scrubs. Cadence gently but firmly scrubbed DJ's back and then DJ leaned back on his back and she scrubbed his belly with a loofah and DJ did the same while Cadence sat down in the tub. Cadence then lifted DJ's arms up and washed under them causing him to giggle. She then helped him clean his ears and face with a warm cloth. DJ then copied her and washed Cadence’s arms, arm pits, and face.

“Can you let me clean your tail now?” asked Cadence.

“Okay…um how are we gonna do this?” asked DJ, noticing the water was much higher than it was yesterday morning.

“Just stand up and put your tail straight in the air.” replied Cadence.

“Oh okay.” says DJ standing up in the tub and sticking his tail straight in the air like Cadence said. Cadence then puts some shampoo on the loofah and starts scrubbing DJ’s tail. After she was done DJ then sat back down and swished his tail in the water to rinse out the soap.

“There you are! Do you want to do mine now?” asked Cadence.

“Um…ssssssure,” replied DJ. “Hoof it over here.”

Cadence carefully turns her butt towards DJ and lifts it out of the water just enough to get her tail out of the water so she doesn’t flash the colt. DJ then took the loofah and scrubbed Cadence’s tail and scrubbed around the base of it, staying clear of what was below it.

DJ then finished cleaning Cadence’s tail and exclaimed, “Okay all done!” Cadence then sits back down in the water and also swishes her tail in the water to rinse out the soap.

“Okay do you want to scoot over to me and I can do your mane?” asked Cadence turning in the tub to face DJ again.

“Yes please!!” he exclaims excitedly wagging his tail.

Cadence then used her right hoof to squeeze out some shampoo into her left hoof, she rubbed it in a bit and then applied it to DJ's head, she rubbed the shampoo into his scalp, massaging his ears as she goes. DJ enjoys the massage and starts wagging his tail and starts glowing again with a look of utter bliss on his face. Cadence smiles at this and giggles as she watches DJ act like a happy puppy.

“My cute little puppy!” Cadence exclaims at DJ.

“Arf!” exclaims DJ in response as he wags his tail harder.

After a while they started sculpting each other's mane with shampoo, Cadence sculpted DJ's straight up as DJ sculpted Cadence's to look like it was curling inwards. Then they looked at themselves in the mirror and laughed.

“Okay, why don’t we rinse out the soap and do each other’s wings and legs afterwards?” Asked Cadence.

“Okay Cadence we can do that.” replies DJ.

Cadence then takes one of the shower heads and turns it on and rinses out DJ’s mane with a rinsed out loofah to make sure there wasn’t any soap left in his mane. Once she was done with DJ’s mane she turned her attention to hers and rinsed out the soap. She turned off the faucet and put it back in its place.

“Okay Cadence, now that that’s done we can clean each other’s wings and legs but I’m not sure how we are gonna do my legs.” DJ says confused.

“How about I pick you up in my magic and I will clean them for you?” Cadence suggested.

“Okay I guess that will work.” DJ answered a bit nervously but getting used to Cadence using magic.

DJ opens his wings and Cadence gently scrubs them, she then grabs the shower head in her magic and brings it closer to rinse the soap off DJ's wings. Cadence then picks up DJ in her magic, concentrating on both him and the shower head as she turns him around to face her so she can clean his back legs.

Cadence starts scrubing both his legs as he giggled a bit. "Sorry, I'm a bit ticklish." DJ said while blushing. Cadence giggled at this and rinsed off the soap with the shower head.

"Umm, can I please have the loofah and shower head so I can clean under my swim trunks?" DJ asked. Cadence nodded and handed him the loofah and shower head as she turned around.

DJ takes the shower head and loofah in his magic and pulls down his swim trunks and carefully cleans himself around the entire area. Once he is done, he rinses off the soap and carefully pulls up his trunks. "Ok, you can turn around now and open your eyes." DJ said, causing Cadence to turn around.

Cadence had been concentrating the whole time keeping DJ aloft. She gingerly lowers him back into the water and disspells her magic.

"Would you like me to help you clean your wings now Cadence?" DJ asked. Cadence just opened her right wing in response and brought it closer to DJ. DJ gingerly scrubs her wing and rinses the soap off.

Cadence then lowers her right wing and opens her left for DJ to repeat the process, after DJ finished her wings Cadence stretches out her right leg for DJ to clean. Seeing her leg, glimmering with water made DJ blush as he gently scrubbed and rinsed. When he got to her hoof, she couldn't help but giggle, being ticklish down there too.

DJ rinses off the soap again as she stretches out her left leg and DJ repeats the process. Once he finished, DJ returned the shower head back to its proper place and turned it off.

“Now that that’s done maybe we can play in the tub for a little bit.” Cadence exclaims.

Cadence then uses her magic to take out a few sponges from a nearby drawer, they were varied in color. Cadence placed them on the side of the tub. They then started racing the sponges as boats. Since none of Flurry’s toys were in there, Cadence improvised.

"Arrrg, 'tis be the ship the S.S. Suds." Cadence said in her best sea pirate voice causing DJ to giggle.

DJ brought out his own sponge ship and dubbed it the S.S. Soap. "Arrrg, 'tis be the S.S. Soap, prepare to be boarded." DJ said as he engaged in sponge nautical warfare.

DJ gently nudged his sponge against Cadence's sponge and tried to get it to sink, he used another sponge as a cannon ball trying to weigh it down. Cadence does the same thing and after a while, Cadence's sponge boat sank.

After their epic sea battle Cadence decides to show DJ another game and takes out more sponges so they could play sponge Jenga. Cadence stacks the sponges in a tower and DJ stares in confusion.

"What are you doing?" He asks.

"I want to show you how to play sponge Jenga, all you have to do is take one from the bottom like this." Cadence takes a single sponge from the bottom and places it on top. "And place it on top without the tower falling down." She finished.

"Oh, that sounds like fun." DJ said as he took his turn, he managed to do the same thing Cadence did and she went again.

While Cadence carefully moved one sponge out from underneath to place on top, the tower shifted a bit. DJ went next, carefully he pulled out a sponge and the tower collapsed as water splashed over Cadence and DJ causing them to giggle as it fell.

"That was fun." DJ said as he slid closer to Cadence.

After a while DJ started to cuddle against Cadence's belly, he rubs his face against her soft fur as he murs.

"I love you, Cadence." He says unaware of it as Cadence blushes and gasps, she holds a hoof to her mouth as a tear of joy appears in her eyes. She thought DJ fully trusts her now and he finally came out of his shell and opened his heart to her.

DJ realized what he said and looked up. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that, it was just a slip of the tongue." DJ said as he panics.

Cadence wraps her wet wing around him to calm him down. "Shhhh, it's ok if you want to say it, I love you too, my student." Cadence says as she strokes his head with her wing.

"I think it's time to get out now." Cadence said as she stepped out of the tub and onto a cloth bath mat. She levitates a blue towel towards her and starts drying off. Cadence pulled the plug and drained the tub. After the tub drained, Cadence gingerly wrapped DJ up and lifted him out of the tub. He stayed there because he didn’t want to get water everywhere from his fluffy coat.

Cadence then gingerly dries off DJ, playing peek-a-boo with him every time the towel covers his eyes. "Peek-a-boo." Cadence would say, causing DJ to giggle. She would then continue to dry him off.

The towel would cover his eyes again and this time he removed the towel. "Peek-a-boo." DJ said, laughing as Cadence smiled.

After drying him off, Cadence wraps the towel around him and picks him up and cradles him in her arms, she looks down at him and smiles. "You're such a cute and handsome young colt, I bet fillies will be all over you someday." Cadence says as she gently rocks him.

DJ blushes bright red. "I'm not so sure about that, I'm sure the cuteness will fade as I get older." DJ said, trying to stay modest.

"Oh, I'm sure the fillies will be all over you someday, even if your cuteness fades because you're nice and sweet, and that's what mares love." Cadence replies, tickling him with her wing before putting him down to let him get dressed in his PJs.

DJ gets a pair of short sleeve PJs out of his hunch and gets in them because he gets really warm in long sleeve ones due to his fluffy coat. "May I sleep with you again, Cadence? Please?" He asks as he finishes putting on his sleeping clothes and gives Cadence puppy dog eyes.

"Sure, you don't have a room yet, and I don't want you to have another nightmare. Come on, I will get a maid to bring dessert. What would you like for dessert?" Cadence says as she walks to her room.

DJ Hopper thinks about this for a moment and says, “How about some peanut butter cookies?”

“Sure, let me just call a maid.” Cadence then pulls on a rope near her bed and one of the maid’s enters. She was a crystal maid with light blue fur and a darker blue mane. She had a blue gemstone on her flanks but couldn’t be seen under the maid outfit. She was one of the maids that was on duty and didn’t get to meet DJ Hopper yet.

“You rang your majesty?” She greets doing a little curtsy.

“Please alert the chef to bring us a plate of peanut butter cookies and two glasses of milk please.”

“As you wish your majesty,” she then curtsyed again and left the room.

DJ and Cadence went over to a small table that seats two people near the bathroom door.

“Why do you have a small table in your room Cadence?'' he asks as he hopes into his chair.

“It’s for when me and my husband want to eat in our room.” Cadence answers as she pulls out her chair and sits down on it.

“Ohhhhh,” replies DJ.

DJ sits down with Cadence as he fidgets his hooves. "Can you tell me more about Azure please?" He asks.

Cadence shook her head from side to side. "Unfortunately, I've already told you all that is relevant other than she is from Fillydelphia and has four older brothers." She said as DJ's ears drooped and he gave a sad expression. "Oh, but don't worry, she'll come here soon and you can ask her yourself." Cadence said as DJ felt a bit better.

"Can you tell me more about you, please?" He asks, giving her puppy dog eyes again.

Cadence smiles as she begins to speak. "Well before I was an alicorn I was a pegasus, Princess Celestia made me into an alicorn when I was younger after I defeated an evil enchantress who came into our fishing hamlet. After that, I foal sat Twilight for a while. She and I used to have so much fun, I then got married to her brother and had a daughter, Flurry Heart." Cadence levitated a picture of her, Shining Armor, and Flurry Heart to her, DJ gushed at how adorable she was.

"She's so adorable, I'd like to meet her someday." DJ said as she put the picture back.

"Maybe that can be arranged, and I'll work on getting you a room tomorrow." Cadence replied, reaching over the table as she ruffled his mane. "So, what would you like in your room?" Cadence asked.

DJ thought about it before speaking, he then spoke. "I'd like for the room to be themed yellow because yellow is my favorite color. I want the room to be close to you, and possibly Flurry Heart, with an adjustable bed big enough to fit two alicorns with a bathtub big enough to fit them too." DJ said as Cadence jotted down notes.

"Go on." She said as DJ thought some more.

"I'd like a desk to write personal letters on, a bookshelf, lots of room to decorate with some personal items, a door with my cutie mark on it, a room adjacent to that one so I can use as a memory museum hall with enough room for visitors, and a few extra rooms for friends if they come by." DJ finished as Cadence wrote it all down.

"Oh my, that's a long list, but I'll see what I can do." Cadence said as Topaz came in.

"Your cookies are ready." She brings them in and sets them on the table, before she leaves she looks at DJ and gives him a noogie. "You are such a handsome young colt young master." She says.

DJ blushes a bit. "Thank you miss." He says as she nods and leaves.

The cookies were fresh from the oven and warm to the touch. DJ noticed this and smiled as he took one. As soon as he bit the moist cookie it could be felt on his tongue with an explosion of flavor.

"So what was it like foalsitting Twilight?" DJ asked.

"It was fun, even back then she was great at magic." Cadence said enjoying a cookie of her own. "Even back then she was studious, she had a few friends, but they weren't close, I think I was the first close friend she had. We would swing on the swings and talk about our dreams." Cadence giggled, remembering a memory. "Occasionally we'd prank Shining." Cadence said remembering those times.

"What made you quit foalsitting?" DJ asked, taking another bite of his cookie.

"Same thing as everyone who foalsits, Twilight grew up, she started going to Celestia's school for gifted unicorns and she became more obsessed with books than socializing, but that all changed when Celestia sent her to Ponyville." Cadence said, tickling DJ's belly as he laughed after giving a grumpy face when Cadence mentioned Celestia’s school. “But enough about me I want to hear about you.”

"Well when I was younger, most of my cousins were in middle school. They talked about boys a lot and some of the boys liked to mud wrestle. It was then I decided I'd rather hang around girls, because I don't like getting dirty." DJ said, taking another bite of his cookie.

Cadence took a mental note of that and thought, "Maybe I should probably introduce him to some school ponies around his age." she thought to herself. "How old are you?" She asks him.

"I'm twenty years old, but I prefer to hang out with older ponies than ones my own age." DJ answered as he took another bite of his cookie.

"I'd still like you to try to befriend ponies your age, I'll talk to some fillies in their late teens or early twenties. I actually have one in mind that's friendly to all new members of the empire, I'll introduce you two tomorrow." Cadence says also taking another bite.

Cadence then grabs another cookie in her magic. "Why don't you tell me more about your parents?" Cadence asked as she took a bite of the cookie.

DJ nodded as he began to speak. "Well, my father Drax was a traveling repairman and a Time Lord, one day when he was on his home planet of Gallifrey he met my mother who crash landed there. He offered to fix her ship and even gave her a room at his house." DJ told Cadence, stopping to take a drink of milk.

"Your father sounds like a good guy." Cadence said while DJ took a break.

DJ put down the glass of milk and continued. "He was, but he lacked common sense before my mother, Twinkle Twish, helped to fix that." DJ chuckled remembering a story. "There was one time my father was armed with a shrink ray, the logical thing to do was to shrink the enemy, but he shrunk himself instead so the enemy wouldn't get him. It was things like that my mother helped him fix." DJ said, taking another cookie.

“My mother was a unicorn scientist specializing in dimensional growth, travel, and chemistry. She decided to have that as her career because she was too shy to be a tail dancer.” DJ explains.

“Most of my family has careers that relate to the dance theater. The dance theater is called Purple Saga, named after a few rain leaks that it would get in its early days of operation. My grandma’s family built the theater over three thousand years ago for entertainment purposes because of the strong muscles in their tails. My Grandma wanted to be a dancer instead of working as a special service person for the crown.” DJ explains taking another cookie and taking a drink of milk.

“I have four aunts and one uncle on my mother’s side and I know I have one uncle on my father’s side but I’m not sure if my dad has any other siblings and I can’t remember his name off the top of my head.” DJ iterates bringing a hoof to his chin to think.

“From oldest to youngest there’s…

Twirly Pink who has twirly pink hair fading to magenta and white hair cascading down the sides of her head and tail, has a magenta coat and has pink and magenta hued eyes. She likes cooking and making treats for the family theater, has a warm voice like honey, a fancy accent, and fell in love with her supplier, a mint white coated stallion with mint hair with pink stripes along the sides of his mane, called Mint Chip. Her daughters are Twinkle Shine and Curly Treats.

Whip-it Twish who has a pink almost white coat with purple hair with a big white strip going down her head and tail but mostly pink and has pink and white eyes too; She likes to dance and has a daughter called Star-shine Melody.

Purple Skies has a navy coat, with a purple wavy mane and tail, magenta and dark purple hued eyes; She likes writing songs about the sky. Her children are Thunderbolt a boy, Purple Leaf a girl, Twinkle Toes a girl, Purple Clouds a girl, Navy Skies a boy, and Purple Bolt a boy.

My mother Twinkle Twish has a purple coat, purple hued mane, purple tail with a white stripe that’s 3/4 inches from the top and 1/8 inch thick, purple eyes. She likes tying tiny bells in her tail just to make a jingle sound. When I was younger she would sometimes put puppets on her tail and put on a puppet show for me.

Star Gaze has a blue coat, with purple mane and tail with a white lock of hair, purple and pink hued eyes. She likes gazing up at the night sky and the night life. Her children are Star Sparkle, Star Sprint, Star Song, and Star Sprinkle.

And lastly Mike Bound who is my uncle has a gray coat with black and white striped mane and tail, purple and white hued eyes. He is a DJ spinner and mic announcer at the family theater. He has a daughter called Melody Park and that’s all the cousins I can list off the top of my head.” said DJ concluding his list of aunts, uncles, and his cousins that he knew of and was very eager to go into detail of his family finishing off two more cookies.

“Most of my closest Family grandparents are around 3,000 years old and live in the NW of Retora. A lot of more distant families live in the NE. 2 relatives live in the south of the main city. My Grandpa’s family lives up north and my Grandma’s family lives in the west. I inherited the fuzzy coat from my Grandpa from his family up in the North Eastern direction of Toria, Sakatoria’s capital city.” He said as he let out a yawn and put down his now empty glass of milk and finished his sixth cookie.

"I think it's time to hit the hay." Cadence said as she finished her cookies and milk.

DJ finished his, Cadence had a total of five while DJ had six, before going to bed Cadence set aside one cookie for her husband, got up from her chair and walked to her bed.

Cadence gets on her bed and opens her wing. "Climb on in DJ, I'll be here for you." Cadence says inviting DJ to muzzle into her wing.

Climbing into the bed DJ snuggled under Cadence's wing, her soft down feathers were like a blanket, the heat from her body warmed him up as the sound of her heart lured him to sleep.

Memory Dream Sequence 1.001

A Broken Flame

By Luckyfanisaac and Applefai

Dream Sequence 1.001

The colt coming out of his trance rested his forehead on his legs and cried into his hooves, his tears renewed.

“What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?” He asked out loud to himself.

"Hey, it'll be alright, we'll protect you." White Gaze said as she nudged the young colt. "The name's White Gaze, and this little spitfire, is my niece Blonde Heart."

"I-I'm Private Blaze." the young colt said, trembling in a red fire and mumbling.

"I'm sorry sweetie, what was that?" White Gaze asked.

"I'm Private Blaze." The colt said, still trembling, but now audible.

"Hey come on, a hero like you deserves a drink." White Gaze said, nudging him towards a drinking fountain. White Gaze poured Blaze a drink of water and Blaze started to calm down with the fire of red surrounding him dissipating making him return to his normal red coat.

A soldier then comes in to check on the survivors, he is a green earth pony ironclad in armor with a minigun attached to his side. He has a finely groomed black beard and sapphire eyes.
He gives out a few blankets, passing out the blankets towards the survivors, when private Blaze notices him and immediately stands up to salute him. The soldier saw this and approached him.

"At ease, soldier." He says. His voice is gruff and hard, but a tinge of kindness hides in his voice. "I need you to follow me, someone wants to talk to you." He said, Blaze cowering and shivering a bit before taking a step.

The soldier waited patiently for Blaze to follow him and once Blaze was next to him he turned around and headed back down the corridor. They walked down the dusty cemented walls. Dirt was coming down from the ceiling as heavy artillery was heard overhead. This part of the barracks was quickly constructed out of fast drying cement and cement cloth that was outside of a buried Sakatorian spaceship and were part of the dugout The Sakatorians made to bury the ship. The Sakatorians buried the ship to use as a bunker to protect the locals and to hide from the enemy.

They passed by some cleaned citizen rooms that were part of the buried Sakatorian spaceship. Then they went into a hallway passing by the crew quarters that was now used as a barracks and then they finally arrived at a room that was at the front of the ship.

(Basic ship outline)
(What the spaceship looked like when it was above ground.)

The soldier leads Blaze to a door and gently knocks on it.

“Come in.” says a wise commanding voice.

The soldier opens the door and they both walk in to find a Sakatorian Sergeant in platinum regal armor with a silver cape. The Sergeant is a unicorn that has a blue almost gray coat with a blue mane and a black and blue tail with robin eyes.

(Sakatorian Sergeant Cerulean was in charge of evacuating citizens.)

“Ahhhh greetings Private Pine and what brings you to my chambers?” Sergeant Cerulean said with grace and elegance.

Private Pine saluted. "Sir, I brought the private you requested." He put a hoof on Blaze's shoulder. "This is the one responsible for the evacuation."

Sergeant Cerulean came up to Blaze and looked at him. "Might I have the name of the hero who saved these ponies?" Cerulean asked.

"It's….Burnt Blaze…..sir." Blaze said, stammering a bit in his words.

"Tell me, why do you stammer, you should be proud." Cerulean asked.

"I couldn't save them all, I'm a failure. I couldn't get them to listen in time. I need to learn how to make ponies listen to me." Blaze said, lowering his voice.

"Hmmm, I can probably help you with that. Squad Fire Chip, the best of the best, they'll help you with evacuation training and crowd control training." The sergeant said as he sat in his chair. "But Blaze, you can't save everyone, there'll be times you have to let go, that doesn't mean you failed." The sergeant said as he signed papers.

“Well that was what my teacher Elektrona told me. That I was a failure for not saving everyone.” Blaze explains.

Cerulean was furious, his eyes flared up and his nostrils flared. "I'll have to have a talk with your teacher. He should be praising your bravery, not belittling you." Cerulean said as he finished writing. "If he ever does it again, don't hesitate to notify me and I'll see that he's demoted and stripped of any authority." Cerulean finished.

"Oh you don't have to do all of that." Blaze weakly said, afraid of what'll happen if his teacher finds out he ratted him out starting to hyperventilate.

"I know I don't have to, I want to. Because that's no way to treat a hero, and don't worry, I won't mention your name in the report." Commander Cerulean told him as he filed the report.

Burnt Blaze was escorted back to his barracks where Blaze climbed up on his bed and went to sleep.

The next morning Blaze woke up bright and early and reported to the station commander Cerulean told him to go after a quick breakfast. There he met with the squad Fire Chip.

"Ah, there you are, welcome aboard, I'm Commander Woodchip." A stallion came up to Blaze, extending his hoof for a shake. His voice is bold and his eyes are hardened, his mane is caramel with a strip of red. Blaze cautiously grabbed his hoof and Woodchip vigorously shook it.

A smaller soldier came by and stood next to him, her coat was a light pink and her mane was golden yellow. "Go easy on the hoof shake commander." She then turned her attention to Blaze. "Welcome to the squad newbie. My name's Strawberry Lemonade. Don't let his voice and eyes fool you, he's a big softie." Strawberry Lemonade said, pointing a hoof to her commander.

The commander chuckled a bit as he let go of Blaze's hoof. "It's true, but I must ask you, soldier, where are your armor and weapons?" Commander Woodchip asked.

Blaze saluted him and answered. "Sir, I have a self-defense laser and shields to protect me, but they are only twenty-five percent effective because it takes an abundance of magic to use." Blaze answered a little nervously.

"Don't be nervous, son. I won't hurt ya." Commander Woodchip said, patting Blaze on the back. "Go to the armory, there I advise you to purchase some armor and a second weapon along with some ammo." Woodchip said as he pointed Blaze in the right direction.

Private Blaze then headed to the armory to get suited up. He entered the armory where a gruff stallion met him.

"Hello there, how may I help you?" The armory clerk said as he greeted Blaze from behind the counter. He was a heavy stallion with a blue coat and a white mane.

"I need armor with a lot of magic reserves and that matches the armor of squad Fire Chip." Blaze said as the clerk went into the back after Blaze spoke.

A few moments later the clerk returned with the armor, it was ebony in color with red markings, this particular set was male armor. "Here ya are, tons of magic reserves and weapon mounts to handle heavy weapons." The clerk said as he laid the armor on the counter. "Anything else?" The clerk asked.

Blaze suites up, the armor weighing him down just a smidge, but not enough to be a liability. He immediately opens the bottom left corner and fills the reserve with Paralox magic from a magic storage device hanging against a wall. He then attaches the minigun and tests it by charging it up and firing a low charged bolt at a target in the armory.

“No, I think these will do.” Private Blaze replies.

"Wait." The clerk calls out as he pulls out a helmet and puts it on the table. "You should take a helmet." The clerk said before he left.

"Oh, ok. But I'll need it modified to fit around my cyborg eye piece." Blaze said while looking at the helmet.

"No worries, mate." The clerk said who pulled out an angle grinder, he put the helmet in it and eyeballed the measurements and then started cutting causing sparks to fly as he cut out a hole in the helmet.

"There you go." He says as he gives the helmet to Blaze.

Blaze then takes the helmet and tries it on, it fits snugly around his cyborg eye piece. He pays for the helmet and then heads down and rejoins his squad who are entering a transport to venture back out into the field.

Blaze enters the transport, taking a seat inside. A mare comes up to him without her helmet. "Hello newbie, are you ready for your first day?" She asked, her voice gruff and raspy.

"Yeah." Blaze answers in a hushed tone causing her to ask again.

"I didn't hear you, are….you….ready?" She asked more pumped.

"YEAH!" Blaze answered back in a hushed yell, but still audible to please the mare.

"Name's Cream Soda, it's a pleasure to have another member, and the brave soul who saved those ponies to boot. You did great." Cream Soda said, patting him on the back and pushing him forward a bit and then putting on her helmet.

The rest of the squad enters the vehicle and closes it. The vehicle lurches forward as they are escorted by tanks into the war torn land. They are taken to the outskirts, sticking to the shadows as enemy ships fly overhead.
They spot a citizen getting mowed down by a plane as they look for food and shelter. Blaze turns his head, horrified at the scene. Commander Woodchip places a hoof on his shoulder.

"This is the reality of war, it's sad and horrific. We can't save everyone. No matter how hard we try." He says as he sees the planes leave. He then turns to his team.

"OK LISTEN UP, WE HAVE TWENTY MINUTES BEFORE THE PLANES RETURN, SEARCH FOR AS MANY SURVIVORS AS YOU CAN AND BRING THEM HERE!" he commanded as the door opened.

“Yes sir!” They all replied as some of them put on their helmets.

The team storms out and searches the buildings and anywhere survivors might hide, whenever they find them they treat their wounds then evacuate them orderly as Blaze notes on how Private Soda and Private Lemonade act towards the citizens about getting them to safety.

While they searched, Blaze pulls out bandages from behind his head from his pocket storage and hands them to Private Soda as they bandage up a few civilians that got cut on some rubble and glass.

A little filly comes up to Private Soda clutching her stuffed animal ape. "Please, help us." She pleaded.

Private Soda patted her on the head and said, "We're here to help, try to stay calm. Now tell me, are there any more survivors in this building?" Cream Soda asked, turning her head away from the filly.

"I think there's some in the far back, towards the loading docks." The stallion that she was tending wounds for said.

"Thank you, we'll go check." Cream Soda said as she finished patching his wounds. "BLAZE, YOU'RE WITH ME AND PRIVATE LEMONADE YOU HANDLE THE REST OF THIS LOT!!!" Cream Soda shouted as they walked towards the back of the building passing by the remains of the enemy projectile. It had come in through the roof at an angle and landed near the stockroom causing Soda and Blaze to navigate their way through the remaining shelves, walls, and the doorway that led to the back room.

Once they reached the back, what met them was civilians under rubble, debris, and smashed crates which littered the room and made it difficult to navigate through the room.

"Alright newbie listen up, we're all equipped with an energy gun, now set it to non-lethal and send out a small blast of energy." Private Soda said as she did the motions, resulting in a civilian being freed from a crate that was atop of him.

"Ok, got it." Blaze said as he completes the same motions as Cream Soda and fires, freeing more civilians in the process.

Cream Soda approached a civilian and asked how many ponies were in there. The civilian coughing from dust and smoke said there were five more ponies in the stock room unaccounted for, and that they were caught by surprise when the projectile hit separating them.

Blaze, not even thinking; fired his gun, clearing a path to the other civilians, he calls out to them causing a slight echo as he runs from corridor to corridor. Smoke clouded his vision as he searched. He could hear faint screams as he ran towards them, he sought the screams out as he kept searching.

Blaze had come to a few areas where he had to fire his gun to get through. "HELLO!?" Blaze called out listening for a response as he fired at overturned crates.

"H-hello, please help!" A voice called out weakly, Blaze made his way to the voice only to see a stallion under a metal beam. His cyborg eye read the room and determined that the beam was too heavy to lift, and that it wasn't endangering the civilian. The eye suggested the laser and pointed out where to cut.

Blaze pulled out his laser and activated it, the laser put out a steady red beam and Blaze started to cut the beam where his cyborg eye had indicated.

In about three minutes Blaze had freed the civilian and escorted him to the rest of the group where Soda just finished patching up one of the civilians.

"There's still three more ponies down at the loading dock." A mare said as she was waiting for the evac to start. Blaze took it upon himself to go get them and ventured to the location.

Blaze came to the loading docks where massive amounts of rubble had fallen, he heard faint pings of metal on metal, following the sound Blaze saw three ponies, one was banging a pipe that had fallen on him gravely injuring him. Two ponies laid beside him, dead. Blaze made sure by checking their pulse and sure enough, the bodies were dead to the touch. Blaze turned his attention to the wounded pony and lifted the pipe off of him, he had a punctured lung and several broken ribs. Blaze lifted him up and carried him to the evac area.

Blaze approaches Soda and the civilian she was bandaging up and asks, “Are there any more ponies?”

The civilian told him, “There are some more employees on the top floor in the office when the enemy projectile hit.”

"Got it. Soda, I'm going upstairs to get the rest of the civilians out." Blaze said to Soda as he went upstairs.

Once he got to the door it was blocked by something on the other side, Blaze turned around and reared up his back hooves as he bucked the door in. He rushed inside to see the employees trapped under tables, tiles, and rubble with the ceiling nearly close to collapsing. Blaze looks at his watch on his cyborg eye piece and sees they have ten minutes remaining so he calls for backup on his radio on his cyborg eye piece.

“Can I get some help up here please?” he asks into his radio.

Downstairs Soda and Lemonade just loaded the last citizen in the transport, they told the driver to wait as they responded to the call and headed upstairs.

Once there, they see Blaze struggling to remove rubble from a trapped stallion because he was worried that it may be load bearing. Soda, jumping into action directs Blaze and Lemonade on which pieces to move and in about two minutes, they were able to get him free.

Lemonade starts bandaging him up. "Don't worry we're here to help, are there any more employees here?" She asked.

Coughing from the dust the stallion spoke. "Twelve in total, including the manager." He said as Lemonade finished.

Soda and Blaze, hearing this took off in search of the others, they were struggling as the floor threatened to collapse, they called out only to be met with silence as they searched, worried for the worst.

Soda and Blaze find one more civilian and struggle to free him, he is buried under so much debris that two ponies aren't enough to get him free.

Eventually they cut away the beam and drag him out, the stallion coughs and gags as he tells them there are eleven more ponies in the building.

"We're gonna get them, don't worry." Soda told him as she gave him some water and then handed him off to Lemonade to round the citizens up.

Soda and Blaze searched for the ponies, calling out to them only to be met with silence. Fortunately they found them in the ruins of the break room, but unfortunately three were dead, four were in perfect health and trying to help four other ponies who got trapped under rubble. They help get the ponies out, only to be alerted to some cowering under their desk, some of which were pinned under them.

Blaze and Soda started to move the debris, but struggled due to the rubble threatening to collapse at a moment's notice. Once they finish getting out the trapped ponies, one of the healthy mares comes up to them.

"The manager's still in his office." She said as Blaze nodded and took off. Coming to the manager's office Blaze kicked the door down only to find him trapped under five metal beams. Thinking quickly Blaze whipped out his laser and started cutting, sparks flew from the metal beam, causing the manager to freak out a bit.

"Don't worry, I'll have you out of here soon, if you could back up a bit, I can get you out."

Doing so, the manager leaned back as far as he could as the last metal beam snapped. Lemonade came in to see what was taking Blaze so long, seeing the cut beams she helped Blaze remove the beams and pulled out the stallion.

As they worked, enemy vessels could soon be seen outside, forcing them to put up their shields as they started to get the rest of the civilians out. Commander Woodchip gives out orders to fire upon the vessels and the tanks take them down one by one. Shells and lazers whiz by as each side fires at each other, both determined to end the other's life.

Soda, Lemonade, and Blaze start escorting civilians from the office to the transport as fast as they can, Blaze having his shield up like an umbrella surrounding the citizens as they are fired upon. Bullets and lasers were bouncing off the shields unable to penetrate them as the onslaught continued.

Blaze fires his weapons, dealing with ground troopers and walking tanks as he, Soda, and Lemonade protect the citizens. Soda, Lemonade, and Woodchip help out, taking out ground troops by firing their weapons as they evacuate the area, Woodchip takes a bullet to the shoulder, but still pushes on as he fires his guns. Bullets and lasers continue to whiz by as walking tanks join the troops in the assault, an aircraft hovers overhead as the soldiers scramble to get the civilians to the transport.

Woodchip continued shouting out orders and the tanks kept firing at the airship determined to knock it down.

The airship kept firing at the tanks, the squad, and the civilians. The ground troopers fired at the squad determined to spill some blood. Soda and Lemonade covered Blaze and the civilians as they made their way from cover to cover.

Soda focused her attention on clearing out a path so they could get a clear shot to the transport, she orders Blaze to lead them since he has heavy duty armor and stronger shields than them. Blaze nods and leads the way, the civilians following behind him.

Blaze comes to a troop blockade as he tries to get to the transport.

"Halt, remain still and nobody dies." An officer ordered, guns drawn on Blaze.

Blaze fires his guns at the rogue army and they get launched in the air clearing out a path knowing that they would be killed if he didn't, no matter what the enemy said.

They head forward after clearing the area, but the rogue army advances, forcing them back a bit so they have to backpedal a bit to get clear shots. Blaze fires his machine guns, taking out soldiers and pushes the troopers back once they get across the street.

Blaze is able to push the rogues back as they storm forwards with Soda and Lemonade bringing up the rear. Blaze and the squad hold the position as one of the tanks is finally able to penetrate the enemy shields, taking out countless enemy soldiers. Their tanks finally take out the airship that was firing down on them and it crashes down, taking enemy soldiers with it in a blazing inferno and knocking down the walking tanks since they were underneath the airship for cover.

Blaze and the civilians hunker down as he shields them from the onslaught. Blaze, through his cybernetic eye, sees an opening and Blaze rushes the citizens to the transport, shielding them from the left side as he guards the right. He then tells them to storm in when he then comes across a mare citizen that is trapped under rubble that requires about one thousand two hundred foot pounds of force to lift.

Seeing this Blaze stopped, "Don't worry, I'll get you out." Blaze said as he got ready to lift.

"Don't worry about me, just go." The mare said she had a red iron coat with a gray mane and blue eyes.

"I'm not gonna leave you, I'll have you out in a jiffy." Blaze said as he lifted the rubble with ease and helped the injured citizen to the transport while carrying her on his back. He then enters the transport and the mare gets off his back as Soda and Lemonade help the remaining civilians outside.

As the tanks keep firing, Cream Soda, and Strawberry Lemonade fire at the enemy, the team and the citizens get in the transport as the last enemy is shot down and Soda and Lemonade rejoin the group inside firing back at the ground troopers as they walk up the transport ramp backwards.

The transport starts it's trek back home, sticking to the shadows as the team sits exhausted and battered from battle.

On the ride home. The mare that Blaze saved walked up to him. Her wounds were wrapped up in bandages causing her to limp.

"Excuse me, sir. I just wanted to thank you personally for saving me, I thought I was a goner, but you're pretty strong." She said with a smile.

"I was just doing my job, miss. No thanks are necessary." Blaze said, stammering and blushing, rubbing his left arm with his right hoof and looking down at the floor to his right.

"Still, thank you. Might I have your name?” She asked.

"It's Burnt Blaze miss." Blaze said.

"Thank you, Burnt Blaze." The mare said as she kissed his cheek causing him to blush and then she returned to her family.

As the mare left Lemonade and Soda teased him a bit for blushing.

"Ohhhhh, looks like you got an admirer." Soda says as Blaze tries to hide his head behind his hooves.

"Hmm, perhaps she likes you, but who wouldn't, you're such a cute little colt." Lemonade said as Blaze just tried to hide his blush behind Lemonade’s arm since hiding behind his hooves didn’t seem to work and since she was sitting on Blaze’s left side.

Lemonade and Soda just giggle as they pat his back. Lemonade eventually wraps her right hoof around Blaze. "Hey, you did good on your first day, we're all proud of you." She said, giving Blaze a hug.

“As am I!” says Woodchip’s booming voice.

Woodchip comes over and sits adjacent to them as he speaks, "Private Soda told me you were doing great while she was bringing the civilians in. So how does it feel to save all these ponies?" He asked.

"It feels great, I feel pleased since there were minimal casualties, but I wish there were none." Blaze said as he remembered the ponies he saw dead.

"Hey." Commander Woodchip placed a gentle hoof on Blaze's shoulder. "Don't fret over it too much, we did what we could, no need to be hard on yourself. We can't save everyone, all three of us know that first hoof." Commander Woodchip said as Blaze perked up a bit at hearing his kind words.

"I was also a little embarrassed from the praise and kiss I received from that mare." Blaze said as he blushed. Lemonade and Soda giggle again as Blaze covers his cheeks in his hooves.

Woodchip chuckles, “You might as well get used to it because praises like that will be common in this type of work.”

“Yes sir!” Blaze responds nervously as he hides in Lemonade’s arm again feeling a bit shy. Lemonade just giggles and scratches him behind the head and then behind his ears.

“Ahhhhhhhh,” he sighs glowing a soft yellow. Causing Lemonade and Soda to giggle more as they start to glow too being paraloxes too. Lemonade glowed a red pink color while Soda glowed a yellow color.

Lemonade giggled as she rubbed Blaze's head. "You know, you could be our stress relief toy if you want." She said, causing Blaze to blush.

"I like that idea." Blaze said as he nuzzled deeper into Lemonade's arms. "If that means I get more head scratches, I'm game." Blaze continued as his tail started to wag.

Soda and Lemonade giggle as they keep cuddling him and scratch behind his ears. Soon Woodchip alerts them. "ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH, WE'RE HERE!" He shouted to get everyone's attention. "Y'all can do that later, after we get the civilians secure in the bunker.

Soda and Lemonade we're dismayed as Blaze let out an audible "awwwww." But he swiftly got up, put his helmet back on and aided in getting the civilians off the transport.

The civilians checked in using lines, there were four lines in total, one for the stallions, one for the mares, one for the children, and one for the elderly. They walked in a single file as they got registered and scanned, their info from their name to blood type was written down and put in a computer with an online backup.

After a long wait of getting registered, families were reunited as they got shown to their rooms. Unfortunately all the good rooms were taken up by previous survivors so the new ones were given rooms of cold stone and concrete. Dust filled the rooms as they were built roughly and fast but they had outlets for heaters and all the necessities for healthy living.

Blaze helps escort some survivors to their rooms, even helping them dust it out. After that and getting the rest of the civilians checked in, Blaze checks in with Woodchip to see if he needs to do anything else.

“Is there anything else for me to do Commander?” he asks.

"Nah, I think that's it. You can go put your armor away." Commander Woodchip responds as he himself finishes his tasks.

"Oh, ok. May I go hang out with Private Lemonade and Soda?" Blaze asks as he unbuckles his helmet for easy removal and then takes it off.

"They're busy with paperwork and filing it away at the moment. They won't be available for a few hours so I'd appreciate it if you don't bother them right now." Woodchip responds, his choice of words harsh, but kind.

Blaze lays his ears flat and lets out an audible, "awwww."

Woodchip looks at him and throws a hoof around him. "Hey don't be sad." He says as he tries to cheer him up. "Hey, why don't you help me with the task of going to the survivors and checking on them and seeing if they are all okay." Woodchip asked, inviting Blaze to assist him.

Blaze agrees and heads off with Woodchip to find the new survivors after he drops his helmet off in his room, laying it on the bed as he and Woodchip go to the rooms with the new survivors.

They find some of them in their rooms shaking in fear. "Alright newbie, consider this a learning opportunity." Woodchip says as he pulls up a ponies file on his wrist communicator and sends it to Blaze's communicator. "This is one of our comfort doctors, his name is Seph, I want you to go find him and bring him here."

Blaze looks at the file as he looks at his commander. "But, can't you help them?" Blaze asks as Woodchip shook his head.

"No, I don't have the training. We need ponies who specialize in this line of work. So please, go get him, I'll stay here and make sure they don't go anywhere." Woodchip says as Blaze nods in understanding and leaves.

Blaze searches for the comfort doctor hoping to find him and his team all together instead of scattered. After a while of searching he finds them on duty on the other side of the shelter comforting other survivors from the last escort. He approaches them and then tells them that there are some new civilians that need some comfort on the other side of the shelter towards the new section on the west side.

"Sure kid, just let us finish up here ok?" Seph said as he continued to aid the patient he was working on.

"Ok." Blaze said while he went to sit in the corner.

Once the doctors finish reassuring their current patients, giving them some encouraging advice, and even a hug or pat on the shoulder as they gather their equipment and then head over to the new ones following Blaze.

Blaze takes them into the room that Woodchip was watching like a hawk. Blaze says that these survivors were from a shopping center and that most of the employees got hit and a few civilians got minor injuries.

"Here they are, Woodchip and I were making our rounds when we saw them like this." Blaze said, concerned for their well being.

"Ok kid, leave it to us." The head doctor said as he brought out an aluminized blanket and draped it over one of the shaking ponies while his team was doing the same for the others.

"Hey, it's all right, you're safe now." Seph said to his patient as he rubbed her back.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Blaze asked as he watched.

"Yes, find the most troubled and alert one of us." Seph said as he finished comforting one civilian before giving the directions to the common area.

Blaze then helps the doctors find the most troubled citizens and helps comfort them. One of the survivors was the mare that he rescued, she was trembling and mumbling.

"Found one." Blaze said alerting Seph who takes control and starts talking to her.

"Hey, it's ok. We're here to help." Seph said as he talked to her, the mare stayed silent. "My name's Seph, might I know yours?" He asked as he introduced himself.

"It's Iron Boulder." The mare said softly as she untensed just a bit.

Blaze overheard that the mare that he rescued was Iron Boulder from helping Seph comfort her. Her mom, a mare with an orange coat with a lime mane and blue eyes, ran up to Blaze and grabbed him, squeezing him tight as she held him with her big, round, huggable body. Thankfully his armor protects him from the bone crushing bear hug that she gives him, but he still gets the wind knocked out of him.

The mare swings him around while repeating the words "Thank you thank you thank you!!!" Causing Blaze to blush and get dizzy from the rapid momentum.

Once the mother stopped swinging him around and got his breath back, he took a minute to regain his composure. "It was nothing ma'am, I was just doing my job." Blaze says, trying to stay modest as he blushes from the praise.

"Nothing my hoof." The dad, a stallion with a dark red coat with a gray mane and green eyes, says as he comes up. "That's nonsense talk, son. We thought she was a goner being trapped under so much rubble. So it's not nothing to us." He got choked up a bit as he looked at his daughter and sniffled a bit as a tear ran down his cheek. "Thank you so much for saving my baby girl." He said as he hugged Blaze.

Doctor Seph then calms down the huggable mare by placing a hoof on her shoulder. "Alright ma'am, could you please put Blaze down?" He asks which she nods and does so as the doctor checks on Iron Boulder.

Doctor Seph then gives her a full checkup on her injuries and documents them down in a file, giving Iron Boulder a cherry lollipop when he's done.

Blaze then helps the doctor comfort the rest of the family. Another member of the family drew their attention, she was a shy gray mare with a curly black mane with blue eyes that was really shaking near a wall of the room in the fetal position.

Blaze approaches her slowly and sits with her. "Hello, my name is Burnt Blaze." He said as he placed an aluminized blanket over her. He starts stroking the back of her head. "Might I have your name?" Blaze then asks, only for her father to interrupt.

"Her name is Round Boulder and she's very shy and is often the quiet type." He says as he sits on the mat next to Blaze. Round Bolder gets nervous and scoots away from Blaze.

Blaze then tries to gently approach her again this time while crouching down. Round Boulder nervously backs farther into the wall trying to avoid him. Blaze then lays flat on his stomach, wraps her right arm over himself and tries to give her a hug by reassuring her. After a while Round Boulder warms up to the affection and starts rubbing her right arm along Blaze’s back and then eventually behind his head.

The Doctor then notices that Round Boulder is calming down and tells Blaze to keep doing what he’s doing as he continues to check on Iron Boulder and her family. Blaze just agrees and keeps enjoying being petted. He blushes a bit, feeling like a dog or cat, but is just happy to see a smile on Round Boulder's muzzle. Round Boulder then scratches behind his ears and underneath his chin causing Blaze to start wagging his tail and he starts glowing yellow again.

The father is surprised by this and asks the doctor what it means? "Hey doc? Is this normal?"

"Yes, us paralox’s glow a certain color when we are happy, each paralox has a different color for each emotion.” Seph said, answering the father's question.

“He’s part of the alien fleet that has come to save us?” the father asks as he marvels at the sight.

“Yes he is and so are the rest of the staff here.” the doctor replies, giving Round Boulder a lollipop.

"Alright, the family has calmed down enough. Blaze, say your goodbyes and best wishes so we can comfort another family." The doctor said after a while. Blaze reluctantly gets up and reassures the family that he will be here if they need him and gives Round Boulder a hug goodbye.

Round Boulder hugs Blaze rather closely and doesn’t really want him to leave. Blaze hugs her back as he doesn’t want to leave her either, but he has other families to comfort and check on. Eventually they get her to let go just when Blaze was confident he might fall asleep in her arms. Blaze and the doctors go on to comfort another family as he waves goodbye to Round Boulder.

After a long day of that and several other head and ear scratches and cuddles and after having lunch, Blaze goes over to check on other survivors, specifically White Glaze and Blonde Heart. He heads to find the survivor hang out area wanting to show off his new armor to White Glaze and Blonde Heart.

He finds them in the common area where all survivors can talk, hang out, play, or eat. Blaze noticed three other ponies leaving with saddened looks on their faces as a pile of bits lay at the center of the table.

Blaze approaches them just as they wrapped up a poker game. "Hey, you guys. How are you two getting along?" Blaze asked as he sat down.

"Oh, hello Blaze. We're getting along just great, and you?" White Glaze asked as she placed the bits in a bag of hers.

"I'm great, I'm part of a really nice squad and got a nice uniform. The commander is really nice and the other privates are." Blaze paused as he blushed before finishing. "Really nice too."

"Hmm, you do look quite handsome in that armor." White Glaze said before Blonde Heart started talking.

"Oi, it sounds like ye have a wee crush on ye fellow squad mates." She said, causing Blaze to blush a deep red and try to hide his head in his armor.

"I do not." Blaze said, stuttering a bit as he tried to hide his blush.

"Oh yes, ye do, just come out 'n say it. Come on, let's see that blush." Blonde Heart said while trying to make Blaze uncover his face.

"That's enough, Blonde Heart. If he doesn't want to talk about it then let him be. Sit down." White Glaze said, putting a stop to Blonde Heart's teasing. She giggles a bit. "Sorry about that Blaze." She said while she finished putting the bits in her bag.

"It's ok." Blaze softly said as he slowly uncovered his face. He sees the cards and chips on the table and gets curious. "So what were you two doing?"

"Oh, we were just playing a poker game." White Glaze responds.

"Want to play with me?" Blaze asks, wagging his tail in excitement.

"Well, it's a game for older ponies and I don’t even let my niece play. At least not the betting version." White Glaze said.

"It's a shame too, I could see their calls right away." Blonde Heart said as she sipped on a juice box.

"Oh, then how about a different game, like King’s Cross so me and Blonde Heart could play?" Blaze suggested.

"Oh, Ya don' have to be so formal, you can call me Blondy, all my friends do." Blonde Heart said, making Blaze blush and tear up a bit.

“We’re friends?” Blaze asked sincerely, not expecting this.

“Of course we are!! We owe you our lives for saving us and we are looking out for you.” Blonde Heart responds with a warm smile.

Blaze then smiles back with a happy, hopeful smile. "Thank you, Blondy. That really means a lot to me.”

'Maybe I can make some friends here after all!' He thinks to himself.

White Glaze then gets out a deck of cards and shuffles them and then passes them out. "Ok, the name of the game is king's cross." She deals out the cards, seven to each of them. She then places the remaining cards in the middle and four cards surrounding the deck. Blaze goes first, then Blondy, then White Glaze.

After a few minutes, Blaze stands victorious just as private Soda and Lemonade come in, they sit down next to Blaze and ask if they could join and play a round or two. Their armor is still on, as they haven't gotten a chance to take it off yet. They start playing again as they each make as many turns as they can until they have no more valid plays.

After a while, Blaze wins again, with his friends congratulating him. Soda and Lemonade then turn to Blaze. "Hey, Soda and I are about to go and do some target practice, would you like to join us?" Lemonade asks Blaze, inviting him to which he agrees.

Blaze gets up and says goodbye to White Glaze and Blonde Heart, giving a hug to both of them before he leaves. "Thanks for the game." He says as he starts walking between Soda and Lemonade.

They head over to the guard's quarters to do some target practice. Blaze tries to fire, but unfortunately has trouble hitting his target. Soda talks him through it, helping him out as he practices.

"Just relax, don't tense up and take a deep breath." She says, straightening his posture and helping him aim. "Try using rockets instead of your self defense laser." She encourages him as he nods and takes a breath.

He switches his weapon to the rockets at low power and aims at the wooden target. He fires and does well with a close up target, the rocket exploding on it, blackening it with soot. He smiles as Soda pats him on the back.

"Nice job, now let's get some distance." Soda said as she asked Lemonade to bring the target farther away about five feet. She fiddles with the controls and the target moves back five feet.

Blaze then uses his cyborg eye piece to target it, finding the optimal angle of where to fire, he then fires his rockets at medium power hitting the target with ease as it scorches the wood.

Soda and Lemonade clap in approval as Lemonade brings the target even further back, Blaze then sets the rockets to full power and fires and it hits the target with ease but after a few misses and from a bit knock back.

Soda comes up and helps him target better. "Just relax, don't get too eager, take a deep breath and focus." She says as she adjusted his posture and straightens his leg.

Blaze does as she instructs him, he takes a deep breath as they then try again and Blaze is able to hit the target full on.

Soda then tells Lemonade to set up a few more targets so Blaze can practice, Lemonade does so with targets coming out from both sides of the wall and Blaze using the techniques Soda had taught him and starts to hit them one by one.

They go back and forth a few times with Blaze hitting the targets that Lemonade sets up with Soda giving him a few pointers whenever he needs them.

After a few minutes of this Soda and Lemonade then challenged Blaze to hitting the targets with them, calling for a contest. If he won, he'd get cuddles from both of them. Hearing the terms made Blaze blush bright red as he nodded in agreement.

Blaze uses what he was taught and shot at his targets, Soda and Lemonade did the same as they started racking up points. "Hey, you're a fast learner." Lemonade said as she shot her target. Soda staying laser focused on hers.

After about an hour Blaze won with a total of one hundred points to Soda's and Lemonade's fifty. Blaze wiped his brow as he holstered his weapon. The targets all fell in ruins as the dust settled down on the target range.

"Well, you won fair and square." Lemonade said as she and Soda put away their weapons.

"Say why don't you join us for dinner and come to our barracks afterwards?" Soda asked as she invited Blaze to dine with them and to come to their room. Blaze eagerly accepts as he wags his tail excitedly causing the two mares to giggle.

They all headed to the cafeteria where a special meal was prepared. The menu consisted of two boneless chicken breasts stuffed with spinach, artichoke, and butter. Their mouths watered as the smell assaulted their sense of smell. Blaze gets a glass of mango juice with his meal while Lemonade opted for a glass of strawberry lemonade with a strawberry garnish, and Soda gets a cherry cream soda with her meal.

They make their way to an empty table and Blaze takes his seat in between the two mares with Lemonade on his left and Soda on his right. About a few minutes after they started eating, they begin to talk about the mission that morning, how cute Blaze is, and how he did a good job working with them and the survivors.

"You really did great out there for your first day, sport." Soda said, budging Blaze slightly as he cut his chicken, the filling oozing out on the clean white plate as steam escaped from the meat.

Blaze then takes a bite, the juice dripping down his chin and some filling sticks to him getting his muzzle dirty. Lemonade sees this and couldn’t help but to clean his muzzle by taking a napkin and gently scrub his mouth with it. This causes Blaze to blush bright red while Cream Soda tries to get Lemonade to stop knowing she has a caring mother personality.

"Come on Lemonade, can't you see you're making him blush, cut it out." Cream Soda says as she cuts into her chicken.

Lemonade snapped out of it as she blushed a bright red. "S-sorry Blaze, I just couldn't help it, you're just so cute." She explains as she pinched his cheek as she apologized, not realizing what she had done after she had finished cleaning his muzzle.

Blaze just blushes a deep red, unsure how to process it as he looks at his chicken with a small smile on his face. He just sits there for a few minutes trying to process it in his mind as he sips his drink and takes another bite of his chicken, promptly using a napkin to wipe away the butter, juice, and crumbs that were left behind.

Finally Blaze worked up the courage to ask the question that was plaguing his mind ever since the end of the mission, he took a deep breath and nervously asked. "How old are you, Miss Lemonade?" His words were almost lumping in his throat. He was wondering if she was close to his age ever since Blonde Heart put it in his head that he might like her, she was right but he wasn't going to tell her, he'd never hear the end of it.

Lemonade giggles and strokes his mane. "It's rude to ask a lady her age, sweetie." She responded, teasing him a bit causing him to blush.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I meant no offense." Blaze stutters a bit as he tries to apologize and tries to explain himself.

Lemonade giggles as she rubs his head. "Aw, it's ok. I'm not offended, I was just teasing you a bit." She says as she takes a drink. "I am one-hundred and thirty six years old, Cream Soda here is one-hundred and thirty eight, and Woodchip is four-hundred and forty eight years old." Lemonade said after she swallowed her drink.

Blaze droops his ears down in disappointment, unsure if Lemonade would consider him with such a huge age gap since he is only around nineteen years old.

Lemonade sees his sad eyes and brings his gaze to meet her eyes. "What's wrong, you look upset, hun?" She asks curiously.

Blaze looks deep into Lemonade's eyes before speaking. "It's just that you look younger, I thought you'd be closer to my age of nineteen." Blaze said, disappointment in his voice.

Lemonade couldn't help but coo at his remark, finding it sweet as she kissed his forehead causing him to blush and his hearts to flutter as he touched his cheeks as he smiled sweetly.

Lemonade and Soda giggle as they continue to eat their dinner and drink their beverages. They continue to talk about their day as they eat.

Soda put down her utensils and turned to Blaze. "What made you join our squad?" She asked, causing Blaze to slow on his eating as he collected his thoughts.

Blaze then sighs and starts to speak. "I didn't choose this squad, I was randomly put on here but I'm glad I ended up on your team. I was assigned to your team to learn about the dark realms and how they had fallen out of harmony from Sergeant Cerulean after my ex teacher had told me I was worthless, that I should have been able to save all ponies in the last solo evac I attempted." Blaze's ears drooped at this memory, remembering the verbal and sometimes physical abuse he suffered from his old teacher. He took a sip of his drink and continued. "After he told me all of that, Private Pine summoned me to see Sergeant Cerulean and I told him about my problems, he arranged a transfer. And now I have been told to join your squad to learn about evacuations and creating revolutions to help with the war effort."

Lemonade and Soda hang on with baited breath and with tears in their eyes, they both throw their arms around Blaze, hugging him to comfort him.

"Oh sweetie, we are so sorry to hear that." Lemonade said as she held him tight.

"I am too, if I was there, I'd give that teacher a piece of my mind." Soda added as she held on tight, sandwiching Blaze between her and Lemonade.

Blaze blushed, tears swelling up in his eyes as he embraced the hug. "It's ok, I'm glad we met, and I know things are gonna get better.”

The trio got back to eating, cleaning off their plates only leaving a few crumbs behind.

After they finish eating, they all take their trays and carry them to the cleaners, they put their dishes in a tub of sudsy water and then they show Blaze the way to head to their shared barracks, walking with him side by side.

They get there after at least two minutes of walking, Lemonade opens the door and enters. Once they all enter, Blaze, Lemonade, and Soda take off their armor and place it on mannequins that are used to keep them up and offer a quick dress change in times of need.

Blaze tries his best to fit his armor on the mannequin but ends up just putting it neatly on the floor next to it since the mannequins were meant for adult ponies. Lemonade and Soda then hit the showers telling Blaze to make himself at home.

Blaze opts to clean his armor as he waits, rubbing a cloth in small circles to remove any dirt and grime that may be riding on his armor. Once he is finished he then heads to his room to put his armor away and get some clean pajamas after he takes a quick shower in his bathroom.

He exits the bathroom with his teeth brushed and his red short sleeve pajamas on. He puts his dirty clothes in the hamper and then heads back to Soda’s and Lemonade’s shared barracks to discover Soda laying on her bed reading a guard training book wearing some short gray pjs and Lemonade brushing her yellow hair in the bathroom wearing some silky purple short pjs which Blaze found attractive. He couldn't help but blush and stare at her.

Lemonade greets him, snapping him out of his trance as she continues brushing her hair as Blaze just stares at her with his mouth open with red cheeks.

"Are you ok, you're redder than a lobster?" She asks only for him to say he’s fine as he tries to hide his blush in his left arm which Lemonade giggles at and finds adorable.

Lemonade then puts her brush down and leads Blaze over to Soda’s bed, pulling on his hoof as she offers him to sit in the middle of them so they can both snuggle him.

Soda puts her book down, bookmarking it by dogearing the page, then puts it on her nightstand on the left side of her. She then sits up from her laying down on her stomach position and turns to lay her head on her pillow laying on her right side. Blaze then gets up on the bed and snuggles up to Soda as Lemonade squeezes in on the bed.

Soda starts stroking his back, sending chills up his spine as Lemonade massages his head behind his ears. Causing him to sigh in bliss and close his eyes. Blaze rests his head underneath Lemonade’s chin as he enjoys the affection. Lemonade's chin gently pressing on his forehead.

Lemonade and Soda then start to compliment how cute he was as they shower him with love and affection. Lemonade then starts rubbing his left cheek as Soda hugs him as she rubs his belly. Then she started to tickle him, causing him to laugh.

“Ahhh hehe he he,” he cries which also caused the girls to giggle too.

Blaze then switches to laying on his back so Soda can have better access to rub his belly. Lemonade then pets him under his chin as he starts to glow with yellow colored flames surrounding his body. The girls giggle as they start glowing too. Lemonade glowed a red pink color while Soda glowed a yellow color.

As they held Blaze in their embrace he looked upon them to see their skin lighting up as the crackling flames entered their body’s. With small breaths they took in the flames and devoured them until the fire covering Blaze ceased to be.

Blaze thought to himself that they were really close now, as what they just did symbolizes close friendship and unity.

"Does this mean we're friends?" Blaze asks to confirm this.

Soda and Lemonade look at him with caring eyes as they both stroke his cheeks. "Of course it does." Lemonade said as she Eskimo kissed his muzzle.

"We will always be there for you and we'll always look out for you." Soda says as she pets his mane.

Blaze soon lets out a yawn, his eyes start getting heavy as he begins to feel sleepy and falls asleep in between Lemonade and Soda.

Lemonade and Soda couldn't help but to coo at the sight as Lemonade kissed his left cheek. “Sleep well little one.” Lemonade says as she covers him up in the blankets.

Soda then kisses his forehead. “Don’t let the bedbugs bite.” She says before planting another kiss on his left cheek. “We won’t let anybody hurt you anymore.” With that they all fell asleep with happy smiles on their faces.

Day 3 part 1

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.

Day 3 part 2

A Broken Flame

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

Day 3 part 2

Day 3

Current Time: 1:00 pm

Monday, July 10th

Opal and her friends stroll around town, showing DJ the outs and ins of their community. They visit the train station to show DJ the best train to catch if he wants to visit other towns. They, subsequently, all display him a map of the train lines and which one goes where.

Afterwards, they present him the library and its vast majority of books, by taking him up and down the aisles, showing him the sections that range from adult to foal, novels and autobiographies. As they reveal to him each section, they see the librarian and talk to her a bit.

"Afternoon young'uns, how are you all doing today?" Ms. Manesbury asks as she greets them.

"Oh, afternoon Ms. Manesbury, we're just showing DJ here around town." Opal Bloom responds as she introduces DJ to her.

"That's nice, pleasure to meet you young man, would you like to sign up for a library card?" she offers.

"Sure!" DJ accepts as Opal helps him out.

"Alright, just sign here and here." Ms. Manesbury says as Opal helps DJ out, signing his name on the back. Ms. Manesbury takes it to be laminated and brings it back.

"Here you go, dearie, please come again." she says as they leave.

After they leave the library, they take DJ to the Crystal Stadium, where sports are played.

"I never was a big fan of sports. They just seem boring." DJ says.

"Yeah, sports aren't for everypony." Gleamie replies with an understanding tone before turning to Archer.

"No offence."

"Little taken." Archer replies. Ever since she was little she's been a big archery and jousting fan. Her dad even took her to her first game when she was nine years old.

"Sorry to offend, but they just don't do anything for me." DJ apologizes as he tries to explain his stance on sports to her.

They end their tour by stopping at the statue of Spike ‘The brave and glorious’. DJ stares in awe as the statue glistens in the sun.

The girls all give their thoughts on Spike and start praising him.

"He's so brave. I hear he single handedly climbed the tower to get the heart." Opal says as she marvels at the statue. He’s probably the one of the few males she actually likes.

"I think he's letting the fame get into his head a bit, though." Gleamie replies as she looks at the statue.

“I would really like to impress him with my arching skills.” Archer expresses with her hooves on her cheeks.

“I think he is quite handsome,” says Sun Glimmer dreamily, “for a dragon, that is.”

"So, what do y'all want to do now?" Opal Bloom asks as they all ponder on what to do next.

"Hey, why don't we go to the archery range and shoot some targets?" Archer suggests with a grin.

They head over to the archery range and once they arrive Archer picks out a quiver with a score of arrows and shows off her skills in target practice with the others joining in.

DJ Hopper fires a few lasers at the target, actually feeling a slight rush as he locks on another target, using his laser he lets out a loud "EXTERMINATE!!!". As he blows up the target, he gets a bit carried away in the catharsis.

Once he realizes what he has done he drops his ears and looks back.

"Sorry." he embarrassingly apologizes to the girls for his carelessness.

"Ah, it's ok, it was pretty cool." Archer says while patting him on the back.

They then decide to head to Sun Glimmer’s family spa.

Shortly after arriving, they head into the spa, where they are greeted by the spa ponies, who gush at DJ Hopper’s cuteness.

"Oh my gosh aren't you a cute little colt." One of them coos.

“What a handsome little boy!” another one says.

"These are the spa ponies," says Sun Glimmer, "and this is my mother, Crystal Needles." she adds as she hugs her mother.

"Oh, you're a new face." Crystal Needles addresses DJ. "Are you a new friend of my daughter's?" she asks.

"Mom, this is DJ, DJ this is my mother." Sun Glimmer says as she introduces them to each other.

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." DJ said introducing himself like a gentleman would, by bowing his head.

Opal can’t help but to giggle at how proper he is, but also finds it admirable.

"Why don't you all get a spa treatment of your choice? My treat." Sun Glimmer offers, wanting to offer them all any treatment of their choice.

The girls go for a steam room, a mud bath, a seaweed wrap, and a massage, to top it off.

DJ opts to join the girls in their treatments and goes into the changing room to take off his clothes and put on some orange swim trunks and a matching orange shirt. He then heads into the steam room with the girls, the steam blasting and warming him up instantly as it opens his pores. After a bit of convincing, since he’s worried about whether he can breathe in it.

"This sauna is one of the best in the land. The steam really opens up your pores and kinda melts the stress away. The heat comes from the hot stones and you can adjust it by pouring water over them," Sun Glimmer says, talking about the sauna and how it works.

"Hmm, interesting. Where I'm from, the males would usually produce the heat from a side room or from a storage bank of heat and it spreads to mares as they try to absorb it." DJ expresses as he leans back on the bench.

"Hmm, I can tell." Gleamie says as she sits right next to DJ, starting to feel the heat coming from him.

"Oh, that's just my body heat." DJ expresses as Gleamie starts to move in closer, because it’s starting to get much warmer compared to the room.

Archer sits across from Gleamie and DJ and on Sunny’s right. She then gets up and comes over, standing in front of DJ and realizing that Gleamie is right, it does seem warmer next to him.

Sun Glimmer then gets up and sits on DJ’s left, wanting to get warmer too, followed by Archer who sits next to Sunny.

Opal Bloom tries to lean closer into Gleamie since she’s sitting on Gleamie’s right side.

DJ blushes, feeling a bit cramped as all the girls try to get closer to him, trying to get warmer.

"You all should back away a bit, it seems he's getting uncomfortable." one of the spa ponies, Golden Glitter, who’s putting water on the rocks says, seeing DJ blush.

"I-I-I-I d-d-d-don't m-m-m-mind." DJ stutters a bit while blushing, causing Opal to giggle as she brings her right hoof to cover her mouth.

"You're such a silly colt." she says as she nudges him with her other hoof.

Meanwhile, back at the castle, Cadence has completed DJ’s room and finished putting fireproof enchantments on all the furniture.

“I hope he likes it,” she thinks to herself as she ponders on what to do now.

After a moment's thought, Cadence then decides to try looking for DJ and Opal Bloom to check up on him.

Back at the spa, DJ and the girls exit the sauna feeling very hot and sweaty, but exceptionally relaxed as they get blasted with cold air from exiting.

"Wow, you never realize how cold it is here until you take a shvitz." Gleamie says as she shivers from the cold blast.

The other girls nod and comment in agreement on how cold they suddenly feel, wrapping their front hooves around their bodies and shivering, while DJ giggles.

"That's a pretty common feeling." he says as he watches the girls go to the ladies’ locker room to take a shower.

DJ goes into the boys’ shower room and cleans himself on his own, scrubbing his head and arms as best as he can without a loofah, not sure if using his own cleaning equipment was allowed.

Meanwhile in the shower the girls are all giggling and talking about DJ and what they all just witnessed.

"He's really cute when he blushes." Sun Glimmer says, while her voice cracks.

Opal giggles, thinking it was funny seeing him all flustered.

"Yeah he is, he's a sweet one, I know that." she replies.

"Yeah, but I do wonder how girls absorb heat from where he's from." Archer says with Gleamie, nodding in agreement.

After washing up, the girls exit the shower as they all meet up outside the shower rooms and head into the mud room to get wrapped in seaweed and take a mud bath.

The girls all get covered up in fresh seaweed and then jump in the jell-o like slime mud.

DJ Hopper teeters on the edge, a bit hesitant.

"I don't like to get dirty." he says as the crystal spa ponies come up and stroke his back gently.

"Don't worry, dear. The slime doesn’t get on you and you're clean when you exit." they say while rubbing his back.

"Ok, but I don't want to be naked." DJ replies, agreeing to join the girls in the mud bath.

"Of course. Come with us." the spa ponies say as they pull him behind some blinds and wrap him in seaweed on the parts that weren’t covered by his swim outfit. He then takes off his shirt and the ponies wrap his stomach and back with seaweed.

Once he comes out, the girls greet him as they all enter the crystal mud bath together, all wrapped in seaweed. DJ had a scarf of seaweed around his neck, a seaweed shirt, and seaweed socks on his back and front legs.

"So DJ, have you enjoyed the tour?" Opal asks him as she settles into the mud.

"I loved it, and I'm grateful that you showed me around and introduced me to the Empire and to your friends." DJ replies as he gives her a hug to express his gratitude, making her blush in the process.

Archer and Sunny play around in the slime as Opal and DJ talk. Gleamie moves over to Opal’s right side while DJ’s on Opal’s left side, joining in on the conversation.

"So DJ, what did you like the most about the tour?" Gleamie asks.

DJ ponders the choice for a moment before he answers.

"I liked the statue of Spike, the archery, and the spa." he blushes as he continues, a hint of shyness in his voice.

"I especially enjoyed the affection from the spa ponies, the crystal maids at the castle give me the same treatment, which I really like." he replies bashfully.

Opal giggles a bit. "You're such a silly boy for liking affection from girls." she says as she playfully nudges him.

"So, do you all go to the spa often?" DJ asks the girls.

"No, usually I'm at the archery range." Archer says, shoving some of the slime towards Sunny.

"I'm pretty busy on the farm." Opal replies.

"I'm usually doing my own thing." Gleamie replies.

"I'm pretty much here all the time: since my family owns it I get in for free, and if I bring guests with me they get a discount." Sunny replies, smiling and shoving some slime back at Archer.

As they all relax in the bath, they talk in the relaxing atmosphere, striking up a conversation about relaxing things, like music, and drift away in the mud bath.

A few minutes later Cadence comes in, looking for DJ. She’s greeted by a smiling Crystal Needles.

"Good afternoon, Miss Cadence! Is there something I can help you with? Would you like your usual treatment?"

Cadence smiles affectionately at her.

"Good afternoon, Crystal Needles. There’s no need to address me in that way, dear, feel free to call me Cadence. I came here to look for a peculiar young colt, his name’s DJ." Cadence says as she starts to look at the bath. "Oh, here he is! I’ll head over there now." Cadence affirms.

She makes her way towards the bath. Sunny catches sight of her, getting excited.

"Oh my gosh," she whispers impatiently, "Princess Cadence is here!"

DJ raises his ears, turning his head to look at Cadence. His hearts beat loudly in enthusiasm. He rushes over to the edge of the pool.

"Hey, Cadence, what are you doing here? Come over here!" DJ exclaims, his arms outstretched at the Princess to join them and to ask for a hug.

"My word, what do I do?" Sunny mouths, mainly to herself.

"I don’t know, I’m freaking out…" Archer replies, gulping. They both aren’t used to being in Cadence’s presence.

Upon Cadence’s approach, Archer and Sunny clumsily bow their heads in the tub, careful to not dirty them. Opal and Gleamie, on the contrary, offhandedly nod, accustomed to the Princess’s company. Cadence just smiles slightly.

"Girls, I’ve told you several times, you don’t need to bow in my presence, feel free to just be yourselves."

"Oh, I’m sorry, Princ- um, Cadence, we won’t do it again." Sunny attempts to apologize.

"Yeah, absolutely, we are extremely sorry, Cadence." Archer adds.

"It’s okay." the Princess says, faintly shaking her head while she smiles.

"Cadence, what are you doing here?" DJ curiously asks again.

"Oh, I’ve just finished decorating your room and I came here to tell you this. I think that you’ll really like it, DJ, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise for you." Cadence jokingly says, and her smile widens by seeing DJ’s eyes light up in eagerness to find out how his room will be.

"Wow, that’s cool! Thank you so much, Cadence, but I’m afraid that I’ll come with you only after I’ve finished my spa treatment." DJ tells the Princess, "I think that I’m getting a little too comfortable here." he adds with a chuckle.

"Do you want to join us in the tub here? I don’t want you to wait for me, besides, it’s truly relaxing…" he proposes.

"Sure, I think that I really need some relaxation." Cadence approves.

Cadence takes off her lavishly decorated armor and joins DJ and the girls in the tub, after getting wrapped in seaweed, sinking into the mud. DJ takes the opportunity to approach her and give her a tight hug around her belly, and snuggles up to the Princess feeling safe and warm. Cadence, in turn, tenderly wraps her well kept hooves around his small body.

"Hmmmmmmmmmmm…" DJ voices as he sighs in contentment and relaxation, wagging his tail in the process.

Suddenly his body starts to cast an amber glow, suffused at first, growing more intense as time passes. Opal, Gleamie, Archer, and Sunny observe the occurrence in fascination, deeply allured. Archer and Sunny come close to Opal and Gleamie to have the overriding consultation on why the colt is glowing in this way. They gather together and silently voice their considerations.

"I mean, there’s no doubt here, he’s producing a fire! Maybe wherever he’s from they do this often…?" Archer proposes, casually looking at DJ while she speaks.

"Hmm… maybe he is part crystal pony?" Opal proposes.

"Well, that doesn’t explain what is happening now… but, in all honesty, he’s twenty percent cuter now, and that’s saying a lot." Sunny expresses her point of view with her voice cracking at the end.

"He sure is, but maybe we would worry about what’s happening… I can feel the mud getting hotter, do you all think that he could boil us alive?" Gleamie expresses.

"What?" the others, wide eyed, reply in unison, unintentionally raising their voices.

Cadence and DJ look confusedly at the group, slightly tilting their heads to the side. The girls, on the other hand, smile back at them before returning to their conversation.

"Well, we’ve got to find out! Who’s going to ask Cadence what the hell’s happening?" Opal asks.

She gives the group an expecting look as everyone remains silent, trying to avoid her stare.

"Well?" she queries.

"Well what? I’m certainly not going to do it, and that’s all." Gleamie states crossing her hooves.

"I’m not either. I barely even know her!" Archer adds.

"Ok, then Sunny should do it." Opal Bloom says, and, seeing Sun Glimmer’s displeased glance, she adds, "I mean, it’s your family’s spa, Sunny, and I’m sure that they wouldn’t like the fact that their beloved spa is practically on the verge of burning down…"

"Oh my gosh, fine I’ll do it!" Sunny reluctantly approves, after letting out an annoyed huff.

"Um, hey, Cadence…" Sunny awkwardly utters.

Cadence turns her head to face the crystal earth pony.

"Yeah?" she kindly asks, with a smile on her face.

"Gosh, this is so awkward, who made me do this?"she thinks to herself.

"Um, we were wondering, you know, why DJ is kind of glowing…?"

"Oh! Don’t worry, this is a legitimate question. He glows like this when he is particularly delighted," she answers. "Don’t worry, the light released is completely harmless, it won’t burn down the spa or anything like that." Cadence continues, chuckling lightly.

The girls all sigh in relief. Thank goodness.

"Oh, we weren’t thinking about that at all! We were just curious." Sunny voices, laughing back rather awkwardly.

The spa ponies come to inform the group that they should get out of the tub now, lest their body temperature increase to an unhealthy level. Because of this they all exit the tub and let the spa ponies take off the seaweed wrap from each of them, before heading out to get some relaxing massages, which will end their spa session in a quintessential way.

The group makes its way towards a large massage room. Its setting is particularly luxurious and welcoming at the same time. The crystalline walls are made of tangerine and ember parts combined together to form a mosaic, in a way. Dimly illuminated by the warm lights of a copious amount of scented candles, they cast out colorful lights. Ten cream colored massage beds are symmetrically placed, one next to the other. Light piano music is played by a source that the group can’t quite decipher, placed nearby. From left to right, Gleamie, Opal, DJ, Cadence, Sunny, and Archer proceed to lie down on their respective seats.

"Hmm, I can feel some tension coming from you, DJ." the massage pony states, "Also from you, Opal… I think that our famous special massage is the right thing for you two now."

"Opal! That’s bizarre… She's always so light-hearted and merry. Maybe it’s because of farm work. Yeah, it has to be that." a thoughtful DJ Hopper considers as he relaxes on the massage bed.

The massage pony starts rubbing DJ’s back, finding his knots and working vigorously on them. Other spa ponies start to take care of the others. DJ’s skin, in the meantime, warms up in release, as he sighs deeply. When he feels that his muscles find the needed relaxation, hot fire inadvertently bursts from him, causing the spa pony’s hooves to get warmed up.

"Wow! That was… curious." the spa pony notes.

"Oh, sorry about that, it’s kind of a peculiarity of mine…" DJ responds.

"No worries, DJ."

"Now, would you like a wing massage, Miss Cadence? And what about you, DJ?" the massage pony that is taking care of the Princess proposes.

"Sure, I’d really like that, thanks dear." Cadence answers.

"Yeah, I’d like that too, thanks." echoes DJ.

Cadence and DJ spread out their wings, which are both magnificently vast.

"Wow!" the spa pony that was working on him exclaims as she marvels at the impressive wingspan. "Those are pretty big for a Pegasus." she comments as she starts to massage his wings.

"I'm actually a winged earth pony or an Earthagus, if you will." DJ replies kindly as he purrs at the gentle rubbing.

"Oh, sorry about that. They’re majestic, by the way." The spa pony apologizes, while the girls just raise their heads in awe as they continue to get massaged.

"I thought you were a bit big boned for a Pegasus." Archer observes as she looks up from her massage.

"Are you calling me fat?" DJ asks, while raising an eyebrow.

"Oh no, sorry, I should've been more clear." Archer retracts. "I'm just saying you have a large bone structure for a Pegasus."

"DJ and I are working on making him able to fly." Cadence then explains.

"Oh, that’s cool!" Archer expresses.

"I know, right? Cadence made me do a lot of wing exercises… I was exhausted by the time that the session finished. Firstly, she made me move my wings up and down to start flying, but, since my muscles there are pretty weak, I could only fly a few inches. So I started doing some wing exercises, such as wing ups, trots, some stand up stretches, tug of war, and a few others, and Cadence stated that I was quite strong for being a small colt, but in reality I’m weak compared to the standards of where I come from." DJ explains.

"Well, you seem pretty athletic to me… you were tremendously good at maneuvering when we were playing tag." Opal considers.

DJ slightly blushes.

"Thank you, Opal, that actually was part of my training, call it schooling if you will, that I was taking to be some sort of traveler." DJ explains.

"Some sort of traveler?" Opal tries to inquire further.

"Yeah…" DJ answers, not willing to uncover additional details.

A silence follows as the spa ponies do the wing massages.

"Ok, do you girls want a hooficure while you get your massages?" the spa ponies ask.

"Yes!" Opal, Gleamie, Archer, and Sunny simultaneously exclaim, with excitement in their crystalline voices.

"I’d like one too, I really need my hooves to be touched up." Cadence adds.

"Um, can I get a hooficure too, please?" DJ Hopper timidly asks with his ears splaying back and looking up shyly.

The girls are surprised by his unusual request, and stare at him.

"What? A colt has needs too." DJ defends himself.

"No, it’s nothing… it’s just that no male has ever asked for that, for all that I know, at least." Sunny quickly replies.

"Oh, never mind. I just want to keep my hooves as tidy as Cadence's ones are." DJ affirms.

"DJ, you know that you don’t have to do it, right? It doesn’t change a thing on how I, or anyone else, really, perceives you." Cadence asks DJ, reassuring him.

"Oh, no, it’s not about that. I want to do it for myself, don’t worry." DJ assures.

Therefore, a spa pony removes Cadence's shoes and starts working on her hooves. Another one, on the other hand, comes up to DJ and starts to take care of his hooves. But soon the pony stops, since she doesn’t know how to treat his uncommon mechanical fingers.

"Um… I’m sorry to bother you, but I’ve never seen hooves of this kind, is there a specific way to care for them?" the spa pony politely asks DJ Hopper.

"Oh, it’s ok, I understand that it’s not common here to have them. Just work around the mechanical fingers and get any dirt off of them, please. Here, I’ll extend them." the colt explains as he expands his fingers.

The spa pony starts working delicately on him.

"If you don’t mind me asking, why do you have such a peculiar gadget?" she curiously asks.

"It’s alright. I use them to control my magic." he explains.

"Magic! Of what kind?" the pony questions.

"Let me show you a taste." DJ responds.

He picks up a file by levitating it and starts spinning it around, firstly slowly, but then in such a fast way that no one could even see it. He stops the spinning as he returns the file to the spa pony, who is utterly amazed at what she has just witnessed.

"Wow, that’s spectacular, DJ! You are very talented for being such a young pony." she observes as she compliments DJ, whose cheeks, in turn, start to redden brightly.

"You’re too kind." a smiling DJ Hopper thanks her, his cheeks still of the color of rubins.

"No, not at all, the compliment is a hundred percent genuine." the spa pony responds. "Anyway, we’re done with the hooficure. Now we’re going to top everything off with another session of massages. You and Miss Cadence will get another wing treatment, since they are body parts that need special attention." she states.

The massage ponies start to give wing massages to Cadence and DJ, while the girls get the regular ones. DJ starts to get really sensitive at the treatment, since he isn’t used to his wings and the sensations that begin to come from the treatment yet. The colt is wholeheartedly ecstatic, while his senses are profoundly stimulated. Because of this, his body starts to cringe and slightly recoils, while his mouth, drowning in bliss and pleasure, starts to utter moans. The girls, turning their head to witness the whole scene, start to giggle while covering their mouths with their clean, now well kept hooves. Meanwhile, DJ, overwhelmed with all the blissful sensations building up, senses that he’s starting to feel sleepy. “These spa ponies are so good, maybe a little too good.” DJ thinks to himself.

"Can you move me right next to Cadence, please? I want to lay under her right wing, if it’s possible." DJ requests.

"Of course, we’ll do it now." the spa ponies reply.

All the spa ponies that are in the massage room help to lift the bed up, so that it doesn’t groan against the floor, potentially bothering the others, moving it in a way that it’s positioned next to Cadence’s one. The Princess lays her right wing over DJ, embracing him as he cuddles up to her, feeling euphorically warm and protected.

"Caaaaadence…" he exclaims softly, in a low voice, sighing in bliss as he relaxes and closes his eyes, feeling safe in her presence.

They all relax as they enjoy their massages, absolutely delighted, DJ resting under Cadence’s wing as a spa pony massages the Princess’s left wing, and another one works on DJ Hopper’s right wing. The colt gradually starts to close his eyes as he falls asleep, glowing yellow intensely, in deep relaxation. After a while, the massage ponies have finished the final massages, DJ’s glow now spreading across the room, causing Opal and Gleamie to turn their heads away from him, blinded by the intense light. Cadence, at this point, gently nudges DJ awake as everyone gets ready to exit the spa. The colt, with shaky legs, slowly puts on his clothes as Cadence waits for him. They make their way towards the exit of the spa, gradually because DJ’s limbs are still unsteady from the relaxation, where they meet the girls.

"Sunny, thank you so much for the spa treatment, it was really needed for my tight muscles!" Archer affirms with a smile.

"Yeah Sunny, thank you!" Opal and Gleamie echo simultaneously.

“Yeah thaaaaaaaanks Ssssssssunnnnnyyyy.” DJ slurred.

"Gosh, it really did something… my body feels a lot tighter, like, look at my muscles! They are so toned." Gleamie observes, posing her body in a flattering way so that the others could look.

"Yeah mine too…" Opal approves.

"Yup, I approve. My family’s spa certainly does wonders." Sunny says.

"Absolutely." Archer agrees.

The girls all imitate Crystal Gleam’s stances, causing DJ to blush, heat warming every part of his body, as he finds them quite attractive. Opal Bloom notices it and decides to tease him by continuing to pose, accentuating even more of her body. Eventually DJ Hopper cannot resist his senses, and his wings pop up unintentionally, causing Opal Bloom to laugh so hard that she falls on the ground, finding that taunting DJ is beyond exhilarating. At the same time DJ, cherry red and profoundly embarrassed, tries to hide behind Cadence, inspiring the girls to giggle, including the Princess, finding his sheepishness extremely cute and adorable.

"Alright girls that’s enough. I think you have teased DJ plenty." Cadence says, trying to calm DJ down.

"Princ- um, Cadence, I’m extremely sorry for her childish behavior… I swear, she’s usually not like this! I’ll talk with her later." Gleamie apologizes to the Princess, trying to lift Opal from the ground.

"Oh, I… I d-don’t m-m-mind, I sw-swear!" DJ stutters, with a trembling voice.

That causes Opal to laugh even harder, while Gleamie mouths to her to stop it.

"I… I’m sorry! It’s… it’s just that he’s… so… so… funnily cute!" Opal states between each laugh, out of breath.

"Oh my gosh, Opal, what does that even mean? Get up!" Gleamie exclaims, desperately trying to calm her down.

"Ok, ok, I’m calm! I’m… calm." Opal expresses, getting up.

"Ok, girls, I think that DJ and I must go back to the castle. He can barely stand up… do you want to come with us? You can also see DJ’s new bedroom!" Cadence proposes.

"Um, I don’t think that-" Sunny and Archer begin to say.

"Absolutely! We cannot wait to see it." Opal and Gleamie interrupt them.

The group makes its way towards the castle, with DJ Hopper riding on Cadence’s back.

Day 3 part 3

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.

Memory Dream Sequence 2.001

A Broken Flame

By Luckyfanisaac, mainediting, sidrahumar120, Anonymous Penguin, M. Asad, Muhammad A.

Memory Dream Sequence 2.001

It is a cold Tuesday morning. Blaze turns on his side and gives a whimper when he hears his mother’s call.

“Blaze darling, I ran a warm bath for you. Come on in and take your bath then we can get you up and dressed for school.”

“Okay mommy,” he sleepily replies.

He grunted a little before kicking off the yellow duvet around his body. He stood up reluctantly and pulled off his lavender pajamas after he made it into the bathroom.

(Basic layout of the bathroom.)

Blaze got in the bathtub, slowly pushing himself down till his head was the only part of his body that was sticking out. He took a deep breath and laid there for some time. The events of the previous day flashed through Blaze’s mind as he took his warm bath. He felt the rush of pain and disappointment like the gush of a heavy wave. After a while had gone by, he picked up the loofah and started cleaning himself all over.

Blaze put on a generous amount of soap on the coarse sponge and gingerly, but firmly cleaned his body, starting with his face he scrubbed off the dirt and grime from the day before, moving from his face he scrubbed his torso and then moved to his underarms and more private areas.

Once he had finished bathing he slipped out of the bath and drained the tub. He then cleaned himself up more by brushing his teeth, mane, and fur before heading back into his room wearing a purple towel around his waist. Blaze sat by his bedside and stared away at the walls of his room still feeling depressed about the day before.

(Basic outline of Blaze’s room.)

“Come on sweetheart, let's get you dressed for school. You will have a wonderful time at school today. All you need to do is put yesterday’s experience behind you and make new lovely friends.” said Blaze’s mother as she stepped into Blaze’s room.

“Okay mommy.” replied Blaze.

Blaze then gets dressed in some purple jeans, a purple long sleeve shirt, and a purple sweatshirt and heads down into the dining room to eat breakfast. His mother was making a breakfast of Corned-beef and hot dog sausage.

Blaze sat down at the dining table right next to his father.

“How’s my young sport doing today?” asked Blaze’s father while ruffling his hair and taking a sip of his coffee from his mug.

“I'm doing okay, you don’t have to mess up my hair every morning though, dad.” exclaimed Blaze trying to fix up his hair.

“Haha, it's just my way of showing you my love.” chuckled his father.

Blaze’s mother came out of the kitchen and put his food in front of him. Blaze started eating his corned beef. He rushed through the food since he did not want to miss his bus ride. Blaze picked up his hot dog sausage and started eating.

After he was done eating, his mother brought along his bag and coat and they headed out towards the bus station. As they arrived at the bus station, Blaze’s mom gave him a hug goodbye.

“Have a good day at school today,” said his mom while embracing Blaze.

“I will, mom” said Blaze as he got on the hover bus and waved his mom goodbye.

Blaze arrives at school on the school bus and heads straight to his locker. He heard footsteps just as he was dropping off his jacket. He turns to his right to see who it is. Nutty was making her way towards Blaze.

“Good morning Blaze,” Nutty greeted with a sad smile.

“Good morning Nutty,” Blaze responded coldly while he continued arranging the books in his locker feeling an icy chill from his birthmark.

“Erm... I... I am sorry for yesterday, Blaze. I didn’t mean those words that I said to you.” Nutty stammered.

Blaze paused for a moment, looked at Nutty and then continued arranging his books.

“Won’t you say something Blaze? Say something... anything.” Nutty said with a whimper.

Blaze finished arranging his books and turned to face Nutty.
“Nutty, you really haven’t been honest with me, and that hurts me really bad. I don’t like it when people that are supposed to be my friend take advantage of me.” Blaze said.

“Blaze, I am your friend and I always will be. I am sorry if it seems....”

The bell for first period rings and Blaze interrupts Nutty.
“I have to go now.” he said, turning away from Nutty and started walking to the classroom.

“Blaze, please wait. I can explain myself. Let me explain myself. Please!!!”

Blaze didn’t look back and neither did he stop to listen to Nutty. He kept walking towards the classroom, tears threatening to come out of his eyes.

“Please Blaze! I can explain,” Nutty stuttered and burst into tears as she watched Blaze walk away in complete silence as she laid down on the floor.

Blaze arrives in class and takes his seat in preparation for his Genealogy class. There are three students already in class. Blaze ponders on what Nutty said and wonders if he was being too harsh and not giving Nutty a chance to apologize as he hugs his tail from his left and tries to hold back his tears as more students arrive.

Blaze ponders on what he will do about Nutty the next time he sees her, debating on if he should take the time to listen or not, Nutty had hurt him pretty badly, but his mom's words about letting yesterday stay in the past echo in his mind.

A few minutes later more students arrived along with the teacher.

“Good morning class!” greeted the Genealogy teacher, Mrs. Ancestry interrupting Blaze’s thoughts as he pulled himself together and let go of his tail.

“Good morning, Mrs. Ancestry,” replied Blaze and the class.

“Please be seated,” Mrs. Ancestry waved her hoof at the students.

“Burnt Blaze, you have an appointment with the Guidance counselor. So you are excused from this class.” said Mrs. Ancestry looking towards Blaze.

“O..okay ma’am.”

Burnt Blaze hurried out of the classroom as the rest of the class watched him leave. He heads towards the Counselor’s office with different thoughts running through his mind.

“What does the counselor have to say to me?” he thinks to himself. “Will I feel safe around them like I do with Mrs. Ancestry or will they be fake like Nutty? Can I cope being a student in this school?” These and other thoughts flooded Blaze’s mind until he got to the door of the counselor’s office. He paused, adjusted himself and brought his hoof up to knock.

“You must be Burnt Blaze,” a voice said from behind Blaze. He was startled but managed to answer.

“Y..Yes ma'am. Good morning ma’am.”

“Good morning young man. I have been expecting you. Please come in and have a seat.” replied the Counselor as she opened the door of her office to usher Burnt Blaze in.

Blaze went in and sat down on one of the chairs in front of the Counselor’s table. He watched the Counselor as she made her way to her chair. The Counselor is short and plump with a coil of silver and white mane and a gray coat. She has a blue jacket and blue jeans on. Her hoofs are well polished and she smells nice too. The Counselor took her seat and faced Blaze.

“My name is Philnaz Silvermane but you can call me Silver. The Principal told me about what happened yesterday but would you mind giving me an account of the incident yourself?” asked the counselor.

Blaze gave an account of the incident of the previous day to the counselor while she scribbled down some notes. He mentions on how he felt betrayed and hurt by what Nutty said, how he thought she was his friend.

“With all you have said and what happened yesterday. Can you tell me exactly how you feel right now?” asked the Counselor.

“I don’t know, I guess I just feel betrayed,” Blaze stated. “The one person that I trusted the most treated me just like everyone else. I never thought they would use me how everyone else has been using me my whole life.” Blaze starts to tear up as he hugs his tail again from his left.

Blaze openly explains how what his friends did was uncalled for and that he wasn’t expecting this from them. The counselor could notice a tone of reasoning on behalf of Blaze.

“Do you really think that your friend had bad intentions for you?” asked the counselor.

“I mean I guess so yeah otherwise why would they treat me like this?” exclaimed Blaze.

“Has she ever done anything like this before?” asked the counselor.

Blaze looking confused said, “No this was the very first time that something like this happened between us.”

“You know sometimes our own expectations of people blind us to their actions and we end up misunderstanding them for something that isn’t even real.” said the counselor as she put her pen back in her diary.

“What do you mean?” asked Blaze with a sheer lost look in his eyes.

“What I mean is that sometimes we misunderstand our own feelings due to our previously held prejudices and experiences. Tell me, Blaze, do you feel like you have feelings of hatred towards your friend?”

“Well not exactly hatred, but sometimes I just feel very disconnected and aloof from them, meanwhile other days I am completely fine around them but I get cold feelings from my birthmark.”

Hearing this, the counselor asked Blaze, “What was the reaction of Nutty when you confronted her on her betrayal?”

“She wanted to explain herself and told me how I am misunderstanding her. She looked very worried and anxious.” answered Blaze.

“Well, you see, there are two kinds of feelings, Blaze, one are the hot feelings which indicate pure care of an individual. If a person sees that they are being misunderstood and they genuinely care, they will make an effort to fix the misunderstanding. Meanwhile, the individual that does not care even a little bit would not even be bothered by how you are feeling or how your relationship with them is being affected; those are the cold feelings.”

The counselor looks at Blaze and exclaims, “Your feelings are hot, that’s why you are bothered about what happened the day before, that’s why you keep rethinking the events that took place because somewhere in your subconscious mind you also believe that there might be some level of misunderstanding present.”

Blaze looks at the counselor with a worrisome look on his face.
The counselor continues, “If you were observant, you would see similar feelings on behalf of Nutty towards you. In such circumstances, communication helps in resolving the issue.”

Blaze looks down at the ground again thinking how his ignorance would have affected Nutty. Blaze then realized that he should at least hear Nutty out to see what her side of the story is. That way he wouldn’t be putting her through extra misery. As he realizes this, Blaze thanks the counselor and rushes out of the office to reach his 2nd-period class.

Blaze runs into Nutty and Nutty tries to apologize again but seeing her so suddenly catches Blaze off by surprise, so he ignores her, looks down and walks away. As the classes end and the lunch period arrives, Blaze heads off to the cafeteria and has lunch by himself. He gets a mango juice and a salad with spinach, cheese, lettuce, and ranch dressing. As he sits down to eat, he notices Nutty sitting in the corner alone just playing with her food and not eating. Blaze sighs and goes back to his food still unsure how to approach Nutty.

After lunch, the bell rings for recess, Blaze dumps his trash and rushes out with the other kids, as the kids around him play and frolic, he stays by himself, playing on the jungle gym as a lone wolf.

After recess, Blaze heads out to look for the study group students. He goes on the first floor to the library where he finds them all sitting together having a discussion over geology findings. Blaze approaches them and initiates conversation.

“Hi! I hope you guys don’t mind if I join you,” says Blaze.

Pink Swirl picks up her bag to empty a seat on her left and says, “Sure, this seat is all yours.”

As Blaze sits down he notices that Nutty is not present here with them, so he tries to make small talk with the rest of the students.

"Where's Nutty?” Moonlight Twister asked Blaze across from Pink Swirl, noting it odd that they were apart.

Blaze looks down, "I don’t know." He admits and starts to look upset.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Harbor Sprint asks Blaze, placing a hoof on his hooves sitting across from him.

Blaze then tells them how Nutty had betrayed him and that she was just pretending to be his friend to get benefits from him and then he starts to cry.

Pink Swirl then leans to her left and hugs him and starts to rub his back as Blaze cries into her shoulder. "There, there. It'll be ok." She cooed, trying to calm him down.

In the feeling of loneliness, Blaze was feeling so bad and wanted to cry in his parents lap but unfortunately they only existed in his mind and hearts. He feels like a loser and discouraged all over without his lovely friend and parents and feels like the whole world is tightened on him. He was disgusted with himself. At the exact same time, Pink Swirl takes an entry as a savior of his feelings that were lost with the separation of Nutty.

He then says, "Is everyone out to get me? Why should I cry and who can weep for me?" By saying that he gets up and starts walking across the room.

Then Pinky gets up and walks over to him and answers, "Wait, Blaze. You can't keep your problems from us. Perhaps we could be that medicine that you are searching for in the wrong place. Perhaps even I have that medicine which will cure your pain."

He says, "Yes, you are right Pinky, but this pain won’t go away until Nutty apologizes."

She says, "You are also right, perhaps I don't have that medicine. Maybe your burdened hearts can be lightened up by expressing it to us."

He then starts his journey of loneliness at the separation of his lovable friend. As the time goes by the emotions of Blaze refreshes and finally loses his courage and starts crying again in Pinky’s neck as he wraps his head around her. Seeing Blaze in tears makes her eyes also get wet with tears.

For encouragement she hugs him and says, "Don't cry, my dear don't cry. I'm with you, just wait a little while. Everything will be fine soon. Everything will be fine. Don't cry anymore! Don't cry!" Both are weeping slowly in the light of the library.

Pink Swirl then takes Blaze back over to the study group and meets with Harbor Sprint and Moonlight Twister and asks them to help Blaze.

Harbor suddenly says to him, "Blaze, look at me. I know that you are going through a critical situation. And also know that it is so hard to walk alone in the race of love and life. But you have to avoid these situations. Don't look at yourself like a loser. You are the winner of all time. You can never give up in these situations.” Harbor Sprint and Moonlight Twister try to console Blaze and make him feel better in a very supportive and friendly way.

Harbor Sprint also gives him a pledge that if he has the value of keeping his friends' words then he must listen to their words and join in with them. After countless attempts from the study group, he agreed and at last his hearts melted like wax and joined them. This study group was looking so warm about their studies in the whole library. But in the group Blaze looks like a statue and without a word staring at each member of his group like a stranger; he neither wanted to read, nor he wanted to learn anything. Blaze was sitting there like a silent spectator and watching all the group busy chatting with each other and it seemed like that the cause of his silence is only based on his loneliness of his hearts which rusted them badly from inside of his soul. Maybe he wanted to say something but he didn’t know what to do from expressing his cold burns in his hearts caused by Nutty. Maybe that’s why he wanted to continue his silence. Maybe he doesn't want to express his feelings to the study group and wants to keep it buried up inside him.

Well he remembered someone has said that, "Secrets make a pony hollow from the inside". Perhaps these words came to his mind and compel him and that's why he suddenly breaks up his breath of silence when Midnight tries to catch his attention.

“Blaze, are you paying attention?” She asks him.

During the indistinct chattering of the group Blaze keeps silent while showing some sad expressions. He answers, "I was born alone and will die alone. I have no friends in this world.”

On showing these expressions Harbor suddenly stands up from his chair and with the narrow tears of love he walks over and hugs him and replies, "Who says that you are alone. You are not alone. We are all your friends and I promise that in your every challenging situation and difficult times of life we will stand with you.”

Seeing emotions flowing around, every member in the group got emotional, and all of them vow that no matter what the situation is when it is so unfavorable and full of hardships, they will not leave him alone until their death.

Moonlight Twister takes a new turn and gives a ray of hope to his group members. Moonlight Twister then gets defensive and suddenly starts to talk about Nutty and says, "When I see her next time, I will have a talk with her about the misunderstanding that took place between you two and how much she hurt you."

After about 15-20 minutes, Nutty approaches the table and sees Blaze sitting with the group.

Moonlight Twister gets up from the table and approaches Nutty with a distress expression on her face. A furrowed brow accentuated the concern etched across her face as she tentatively moved closer.

"Hey, Nutty," she said firmly. “My heart wrenches at the sight of what transpired with Blaze! I simply cannot turn a blind eye to such injustice. The pain of being exploited, ohhh, it cuts so deep, and I refuse to stand idly by. It's an affront to everything that's just and fair, and it stirs an unyielding fire within me.”

Nutty looked defensive at first, but she softened slightly as Moonlight continued to speak. "But Moonlight, I was merely speaking the truth, with raw honesty! I have stood faithfully by Blaze's side through thick and thin, bound by an unbreakable bond of friendship. And you know it, right? So why are you getting involved?"

Moonlight's voice became calm as she replied assertively, "Being friends does not grant us the license to inflict anguish upon each other. Nay, true friends, the ones who embrace the very essence of empathy, cradle each other's hearts with tenderness and compassion. We can't build real connections on a foundation of pain. You should know that.”

Nutty, hesitant and remorseful, her defenses began to crumble as she found herself standing on the precipice of her own emotions. As Moonlight's words pierced through the walls she had built, the bitter truth bore down upon her, crushing her soul.

She realized the truth in Moonlight's words. Her quivering voice, laced with raw vulnerability, trembled as she choked out the painful admission, "I didn't mean to hurt Blaze." she admitted, her voice wavering with guilt and shame.

It was a moment of profound vulnerability, where the truth of her actions collided with the desire to seek forgiveness and redemption. Nutty's heart was laid bare, leaving her to confront the aftermath of her choices, her emotions entwined in a swirling maelstrom of drama and intensity.

Moonlight nodded empathetically. “I understand, but sometimes our actions have unintended consequences. Yet fear not, for amidst the tempestuous storm, hope beckons. You must seek solace with Blaze, beseech forgiveness for the tempest you've unknowingly brewed. Maybe you should talk to Blaze and apologize. I'll be there with you, and so will the rest of the Study Group. In unity, we pledge unwavering support, to weather the fiercest trials that dare cross our path!”

Nutty's heart danced between hesitation and resolution. With a dramatic pause, as if standing on the edge of a precipice, she finally conceded, her eyes meeting the challenge ahead. "Very well, I shall venture forth and…uh…shoot the breeze.”

In the midst of the cozy Study Group's gathering, Moonlight, like a radiant beacon of understanding, gracefully made her way towards Burnt Blaze, as if traversing the celestial expanse to deliver a message of great importance. With a gentle and compassionate tone, she began to unravel the tangled threads of the situation, as though skillfully unraveling a delicate tapestry, weaving words that sparkled like stardust in the evening sky.

"Dear Burnt Blaze," she goes about, her voice a symphony of empathy. “Nutty seeks a moment of connection with you, to bridge the chasm created by the unfortunate events that unfolded. Her heart is burdened with remorse for the past, a heavy weight that she yearns to lift, and in the luminous embrace of our camaraderie, we stand united to lend our unwavering support to both of you." Moonlight likened the journey ahead to an odyssey of self-discovery, where the horizon held the promise of growth and reconciliation. "Let us embark on this voyage, hoof in hoof, like celestial travelers charting the constellations of friendship. Through open dialogue and understanding, we shall illuminate the darkest corners of uncertainty and find solace in each other's presence. Like a blossoming garden tended with care, may our friendships bloom and flourish, each petal a testament to the beauty of brotherhood. Let us embrace vulnerability as a celestial cloak, wrapping ourselves in the warmth of authenticity, for it is in our vulnerabilities that the seeds of empathy find fertile ground to sprout."

With each word, Moonlight's metaphorical tapestry grew, interweaving the diverse strands of emotions and aspirations that connected each member of the Study Group. The room seemed to glow with an ethereal light, as if the very stars themselves were shimmering above, bearing witness to the transformative power of friendship and forgiveness.

Blaze blinked confusingly at Midnight, “What?”

Harbor Sprint laughed and uttered, “She means that she wants to take you with her so Nutty can apologize and mend your friendship.”

Burnt Blaze looked unsure but appreciated Moonlight's support. Summoning a glimmer of courage, Burnt Blaze's voice quivered slightly as he mustered the resolve to take a leap of faith.

"Alright," he murmured, "I'll give it a shot." Gratitude swelled within her as he gazed towards Moonlight, whose smile enveloped him like a warm embrace on a cold winter's night. It was a smile that radiated kindness, like the gentle caress of a sunbeam on a dew-kissed flower as he felt a warm feeling from his birth mark to know her feelings were genuine.

"Thanks for having my back, Moonlight," Burnt Blaze expressed with a genuine sincerity that echoed through the room, much like the melodious notes of a well-tuned piano resonating in harmony. He would never be truly alone. For in the darkness of uncertainty, the light of their friendship would forever illuminate his way.

Moonlight smiled warmly. "You're welcome. We're all in this together."

Moonlight and Blaze approached Nutty, who looked a bit nervous but determined.

"Hey, Blaze," Nutty started, "I wanted to talk to you about what happened earlier.” Her voice carried the weight of a thousand stars, "there's something I must share. My words yesterday were thoughtless as a gust of wayward wind, pierced your hearts unwittingly, and for that, I seek forgiveness. My intentions were never to wield the blade of pain upon you, but alas, I faltered, and my tongue betrayed me. I'm sorry for being thoughtless with my words. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Blaze looked surprised by Nutty's apology but listened attentively. "It really hurt when you said those things," he admitted, "but I appreciate you apologizing."

Moonlight chimed in supportively, "We all make mistakes," Moonlight began, her voice soothing and reassuring, "but it takes courage to admit them and make things right."

Nutty looked up, her eyes reflecting a mixture of emotions. She felt relieved that Moonlight understood her struggles, yet regretful for the mistakes she had made. With a hesitant smile, Nutty replied, "I'll try to do better in the future," her words filled with determination and sincerity.

Blaze's eyes softened as he looked at Nutty, the warmth of forgiveness shining through his smile. Blaze smiling, “Thanks, Nutty. It means a lot to me.”

Nutty shifted nervously, relieved to see Blaze's forgiving expression. “So you forgive me?”

Blaze brushes his right front hoof against the ground and shyly says, “Yes, I suppose I do.”

Overcome with joy, Nutty throws her legs around Blaze, embracing him in a hug and cries tears of joy knowing that she has her best friend back.

Blaze returns the embrace, wrapping his legs around her. He then feels for the first time actual warmth coming from his mark when he was in Nutty’s presence for once.

The rest of the Study Group watched nearby, offering silent support and admiration for Moonlight's kindness and the power of friendship to mend wounds and bring people closer together.

“Burnt Blaze I do have something to ask you.” Nutty said while breaking the hug.

“Sure, anything?” Blaze responded.

“Do you plan on spending the rest of the day here in the library or do you want to accompany me for ice cream. It's been so long since we went to that Alux café. I really miss their chocolate and peanut butter ice-cream milkshakes.'' Nutty said, remembering how good the milkshakes were.

Blaze giggles at Nutty’s request and nods his head, “No, I think I spent enough time here. Let’s go get some ice cream after school.” Blaze said, accepting Nutty's invitation.

The bell rings, announcing the next class. Blaze and Nutty pick their bags up as they head out of the library smiling as they head to their next class which was choir.

Resentments are answered to, complaints are buried, and fate once again brings Blaze and Nutty together. The choir class was a blessing in disguise for both of them as it brought a new wave of hope, pleasure, and friendship for Blaze and Nutty. Perhaps fate did not want to separate these two friends who weathered the storm like a rock. The scent of polished wood and aged sheet music hung in the air.

Blaze leaned in, his voice a low murmur amidst the applause.

"Not bad, Nutty. Our voices make quite the dynamic duo, don't you think?"

Nutty chuckled, "Yeah, I guess so. Who knew we'd sound so good together?"

"Guess we're not just friends; we're harmony-makers too," Blaze teased, nudging Nutty playfully.

Blaze and Nutty found themselves standing side by side, surrounded by their fellow choir members. Nutty, with her confident demeanor and a glint of mischief in her eyes, draped her right forearm casually around Blaze's shoulders. Blaze, always the more reserved of the two, couldn't help but smile at Nutty’s friendly gesture.

"Keep smiling like that. It feels good to see you happy Blaze."

The choir director raised a hoof, signaling for silence, and the room hushed in response.

The first notes of the piano echoed through the room, setting the stage for the upcoming performance. The choir began to sing, their voices intertwining in a beautiful dance of sound. Blaze and Nutty, side by side, found their voices blending seamlessly, creating a unique harmony that resonated through the room.

Blaze's tenor voice soared with confidence, while Nutty's alto added a sweet, soulful undertone. Their chemistry was palpable, not just in their voices but in the way their arms remained protectively around each other, a silent connection that mirrored the harmony they created with their singing.

Blaze and Nutty exchanged glances, a shared understanding of the magic they were creating together. The choir director's hooves moved with precision, guiding the singers through the intricate patterns of the song.

The final notes hung in the air, and the room fell into a momentary silence before erupting into applause. Blaze and Nutty exchanged a smile, their shared experience in the choir adding another layer to the bond between them. As they left the room, the echoes of the harmonious performance lingered in their minds, a reminder of the beauty found in both friendship and music.

Following their choir lesson, they both leave and go to the cafe while conversing about their friendship path.

“Nutty after all this time, I feel so alone without you.” Blaze utter.

“I also feel so bad all that time that I spent without you. Believe me! It was so hard for me.” replied Nutty with a regretful voice.

The Alux cafe was a cafe in which Blaze and Nutty often came to after school. It is a quaint and cozy cafe with warm, dim lighting. Bar stools were scattered around with tables of white tablecloths, and soft harmonic music played in the background. The atmosphere was romantic with a magical touch, as colorful ponies dance gracefully around.

Blaze and Nutty would frequently visit that cafe following choir class. Beautiful paintings and interior cartographers adorned the cafe's walls. People within the cafe would not be affected by the intensity of the outside weather because heaters were put to provide warmth after a certain distance on the walls..

They went inside and took a seat on the bar stools near the counter. They were both preoccupied with personal affairs: frequently discussed school, the future, and the obstacles in life that they must all overcome.

When the talk is getting too personal for any of them, abruptly, a waiter arrives amidst their chat and says, “Excuse me, youngsters?”

“Yes?” Blaze replies.

"What are you interested in ordering?” The waiter responds, “Sir."

"Is there a menu here?" Blaze asks in a somewhat demanding manner while looking across the length of the counter.

The waiter then answers, "Yes, Sir. Here is the menu."

Looking at the menu, Blaze instantly orders a strawberry oreo milkshake.

"And for you miss? What can I get you today?" the waiter greeted with a warm smile.

Seated comfortably on the counter, Nutty grinned, "The usual, please—a peanut butter milkshake with extra chocolate, if you don't mind."

"Coming right up, miss!" the waiter chuckled.

Both return again to their conversation and start talking about the stressful day they had. The waiter brings their order and serves it to them on the table then they thanked him.

“Thank you.” Nutty and Blaze say as the waiter put their orders in front of them.

“You're welcome.” He smiles a bit and leaves.

They both grab their milkshakes in their hooves and start sipping their Milkshakes while chatting with each other.

Then they both went into a deep chattering while drinking their shakes in their hooves. They finish their milkshakes a few moments later and then the waiter comes to their table to collect the bill.

“Sir, Here is your bill.”

“How much is the bill?” Blaze asks

The waiter replies, “12 platinum for two milkshakes.”

Blaze and Nutty places the platinum bits on the counter and passes the bill to him by saying “Take this.”

The waiter replies to them, “Thank you.”

Blaze then turned to his left, fixing his gaze on Nutty's face.

“Would it be okay if we danced with the ponies?” He asks her holding out his right hoof like a gentleman.

“If you are asking so kindly, Blaze, how could I say no?” Answered Nutty grabbing his hoof while giggling.

Hoof in hoof, they both stood up, and joined the ponies on the dance floor. The other ponies around them join in, creating a kaleidoscope of colors as they dance together. Some ponies gracefully leap, while others execute intricate twirls and kicks. The atmosphere is electric, filled with the joyous energy of unromantic yet lively dance.

Blaze and Nutty exchange playful glances, occasionally breaking into spontaneous, synchronized routines. The magical ambiance of the dancing ponies adds a touch of fantasy to the romantic setting, creating a unique and memorable experience for everyone in the cafe.

As the dance reaches its peak, Blaze and Nutty lead the ponies in a grand finale, concluding with a burst of energetic moves that leave the entire cafe applauding and cheering. The unromantic yet vibrant dance has added a spark of excitement to the romantic atmosphere, making it a night to remember.

This relationship seemed to express their affection for one another as they danced with Nutty resting her head under his chin as they slowly danced while they embraced each other. This date appears to have also been the one in which Blaze might have asked her out, but there is nothing romantic about it—in reality, it was just a playdate without any talk of love. It's possible that they both feel something for one another but are reluctant to talk about it and are far too young to know much about love. Maybe they just need more time. As the years passed, Nutty became older and more self-aware, she believes that playdates were merely the beginning of her realization that she had feelings for him.

Author's Note

Sorry it’s been so long I just couldn’t afford to get a coauthor to finish this chapter and I figured out why I was having trouble posting the chapter just now.

Day 4 Part 1

A Broken Flame

By Luckyfanisaac, Anonymous turtle, Muhammad, and David Silver

Day 4 part 1

Day 4

Current Time: 7:00 am

Tuesday, July 11th, 2017

As the sun rises, Cadence is awoken by the peeking sunlight that is beginning to seep through the curtains of the room. She stretches her arms and rubs her eyes, trying to shake off the grogginess of sleep. She sits up and looks around DJ’s room, taking in the sight of DJ’s bed, desk, and bookshelf.

As she gets out of bed, she notices the silence that fills the room. She usually wakes up to the sound of her husband getting ready. Cadence goes to the window and opens the curtains, letting the full brightness of the sun fill the room. While a little tired Cadence decided to begin her day. Seeing everyone asleep, Cadence decides to wake up Goldie so that she may start her day and also wake up DJ. She does this while simultaneously putting her armor back on.

While Cadence was awakened due to the sweet and warming sunlight that poured into the room, Goldie is jarred awake by Cadence as she shakes her in her bed to get up and as Cadence does this Goldie can’t help feel a bit angry and groggily moan out, “I’m awake, I’m awake. I promise!” Cadence, loving the chaos she has caused, gleefully informs Goldie that they should freshen up, have a quick breakfast and prepare for Azure & Luna’s arrival. Having instructed Goldie about their day, Cadence departs the room, Goldie gets up from her spot on the bed and decides to wake up the young master DJ.

Unlike Cadence who shook her awake, Goldie gently rouses the young master who with sand in his eyes gives a big cute yawn while rubbing his right eye in an attempt to stay awake.

Seeing the state of the young master and his attempts to wake up Goldie could not help but appreciate how adorable the situation was and with her annoyance dissipating for Cadence by the second she let out a loud love filled, “Awwwwwww”.

As the adorable situation overwhelmed her, Goldie starts to pet DJ behind his head as DJ continues to try to open his eyes and finally gives him a kind kiss on his left cheek.

He then looks toward Goldie and she greets him, “Good morning young one, did you sleep well?” as she continues to rub behind his head.

“Mmmmmm,” he replies, leaning his head back enjoying being petted by Goldie not responding at first. After a few moments he realizes Goldie asked him a question and replies, “Yes I slept well.”

“I’m glad to hear that young master,” she replies smiling, “how about we get up and get ready for the big day ahead. Cadence tells me that Princess Luna will be coming with her student so we must prepare for that.”

“Oh right, yes let’s get ready!” DJ exclaims excitedly looking forward to meeting Azure as he quickly gets up and walks along the bed past Goldie and jumps down grabbing his hunch and robe off his desk chair and heads into the bathroom and closes the door with his right hind leg.

He sleepily walks towards his sink in an attempt to brush his teeth but finds it a rather tough act with the sleep still in his eyes and his mind urging him to get back to bed. As he stood there in front of the sink he couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration since he found it a little bit too high for him with his fluffy head barely making it above the sink top.

DJ decides to find a stool and starts searching. After looking in all the cabinets DJ finally finds the stool under the right side sink. Happily DJ set’s the two step stool against the sink noticing just how yellow the stool is.

His mind was telling him to climb back into bed and surrender to the comforting embrace of sleep, but he knew that he had to push through. He raised the toothbrush to his mouth and began to scrub, the bristles tickling his gums as he did so.

He could feel the sleep gradually lifting from his mind, replaced by a sense of alertness that he had not felt in hours. As he rinsed the foam from his mouth, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror.

His eyes were still heavy with sleep, but he could see a glimmer of determination there too. He knew that if he wanted to be productive and successful, he had to fight through the moments of fatigue and push himself to do what needed to be done. He rinsed off the toothbrush and placed it back in its holder, feeling a sense of accomplishment wash over him. It may have been a small victory, but it was a victory, nonetheless feeling a sense of pride in himself that he hadn't felt in a long time.

As DJ is vigorously brushing his teeth Goldie decides to make his bed in order for him to have a clean room. As she does so she cannot but help feel excited about what was to come. Since the young master was really looking forward to seeing Princess Luna and her student she couldn’t help but be happy for him.

With the bed made Goldie decides to check up on DJ. As she hears DJ still brushing his teeth Goldie decides to ask DJ if she could help him. DJ with a mouth full of water replies, “No thank you. Just about done here.” Hearing the boy try to muster up a reply in his current state Goldie could not help but laugh and asked DJ to let her know when he was done.

DJ now done with his teeth brushing he tells Goldie, “I’m done with my teeth, and I am going to start brushing my hair & coat.”

Goldie replies, “Maybe if you like I can brush your coat for you.” DJ ponders the offer for a moment but remembering how much he liked it when his mother used to brush his hair and coat, he wholeheartedly agrees to Goldie’s offer of brushing his hair and coat and opens the bathroom door for her.

Goldie smiled at DJ's enthusiastic agreement and followed him into the bathroom. After DJ took off his under shirt she could see that DJ's coat was a little messy and thought that a good brushing would do him some good.

DJ sat down in front of Goldie and watched as she retrieved a brush from the sink. As she began to gently run the brush through his fur, DJ closed his eyes and let out a contented sigh. He remembered how much he used to enjoy when his mother would brush his hair and coat, and Goldie's brushing was reminding him of that. They sat together in this pose.

Goldie could tell that DJ was enjoying the experience, and she took care to be gentle and thorough as she worked through the tangles and knots in his fur. She could feel the bond between them growing stronger with each stroke of the brush.

After a few minutes, Goldie had finished brushing DJ's coat. She took a step back to admire her work, and she could see that DJ's fur looked shinier and healthier than before.

DJ stood up and gave Goldie a grateful kiss on the hoof before bounding out of the bathroom. Goldie watched him go, feeling a sense of warmth and happiness in her heart. She knew that this small act of kindness had strengthened their friendship, and she looked forward to many more happy moments with DJ in the days to come.

As Goldie entered the room she could see the excited ball of fur that was DJ trying to put on his red under shirt as fast as possible since he was so excited to meet Luna and her student. She rushed forward to untangle DJ from his shirt and rescue the colt out of his predicament. With DJ rescued and him putting on his robe and hunch, Goldie takes up the hairbrush and starts brushing DJ’s coat of hair and tail as DJ closes his eyes and relaxes into Golide’s lap with a content look on his face. As Goldie continued to brush DJ, he could not help to notice how fine a coat of hair DJ had and how it would straighten instantly as she ran the hair brush through the boy's mane.

DJ on the other hand was simply enjoying the feeling of being pampered and lovingly brushed by Goldie. Seeing the colt relaxing and enjoying himself Goldie could not help but comment how cute he was.

Goldie leaned over and stroked the colt's back, causing the colt’s tail to wag in delight. "You are so cute!" she exclaimed, smiling at the contented colt.

As she watched him lounging in the sun, she could not help but feel a sense of envy. The colt seemed to have everything figured out - he knew how to relax, how to enjoy the simple things in life, and how to find joy in even the most mundane of moments.

Goldie, on the other hand, always felt like she was rushing through life, trying to get to the next big thing. She was always striving for more, always pushing herself to be better, faster, and stronger. But as she looked at the colt, she realized that maybe she had it all wrong.

Maybe the key to a happy life wasn't about achieving more, but about enjoying the simple things in life. Maybe it was about taking the time to relax and appreciate the little moments that make life so special.

As she sat there hugging the colt in her lap, while stroking his back, basking in the warmth of the sun, she felt a sense of peace wash over her. For the first time in a long time, she felt content with where she was in life, and she knew that she would try to incorporate more moments like this into her daily routine.

As the colt stretched and yawned, Goldie smiled and whispered to him, "Thank you for reminding me of what's really important." The colt looked up at her with his big, green eyes, and Goldie knew that she had found a new friend and a new perspective on life.

With Goldie done with the brushing she starts to tickle the relaxing colt. While initially surprised at first as his eyes widen, DJ is paralyzed by the tickling and starts laughing and enjoys himself with Goldie blowing raspberries on the colt’s belly alongside the tickling. His tail wagged furiously as Goldie continued to tickle him, and he couldn't help but let out a series of delighted giggles.

As Goldie blew raspberries on his belly, DJ's laughter only intensified. He wriggled and squirmed under her touch, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he enjoyed the playful interaction.

Goldie couldn't help but laugh along with him, feeling a sense of joy and happiness at the sound of DJ's infectious laughter. She continued to tickle him, moving her hooves to different parts of his body to keep him guessing and laughing.

After a few minutes, Goldie finally stopped tickling DJ, who lay panting and smiling up at her. She could see that he was thoroughly enjoying himself, and she was glad to have been able to bring some joy and laughter to his day.

As they lay there, catching their breath and enjoying the warmth of the sun, Goldie felt a deep sense of contentment. She knew that she had made a friend in DJ, and she looked forward to many more happy moments with him in the days to come.

After a while seeing the giddy state of DJ, Goldie stops the tickling and DJ gets his breath back DJ exclaims, “Let’s go and have some yummy breakfast Goldie before there is none left for us.”

Goldie smiled as she accepted DJ's invitation to breakfast. She had grown quite fond of the playful colt, and she was excited to spend more time with him. As they made their way to the dining hall, Goldie couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness and contentment. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and she was with DJ.

When they arrived at the dining hall, Goldie was greeted with the delicious aroma of hay bacon, pancakes, and eggs. Her stomach grumbled in anticipation, and she quickly made her way to the food.

DJ followed closely behind, wagging his tail in excitement as he watched Goldie fill her plate with pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Goldie couldn't resist giving him a small piece of bacon, and DJ eagerly devoured it, his tail wagging even faster even though he did blurt out that while the hay bacon was not bad he still preferred some floppy regular bacon.

As they sat down at a nearby table, Goldie and DJ enjoyed their breakfast together, chatting and laughing as they ate. Soon enough Cadence joined them and the three of them had a hearty breakfast enjoying each other’s company and DJ’s playfulness.

Cadence sits on the far left corner of the table with DJ sitting in the center with Goldie. As the lot of them got done with their hearty portions of scrambled eggs and hay bacon they started on the large stack of pancakes in front of them. As the trio launches into the pancakes Cadence & Goldie have their fill with syrup while DJ asks for powdered sugar.
4:20

The trio continued to enjoy their pancakes, each in their own way, happy to be spending a morning together. As they ate, they enjoyed each other's company and the delicious food before them.

With the stack of pancakes halfway finished Cadence decides to start her first lesson regarding Azure with DJ. She had been meaning to do this for a while, and decided that now was the perfect time to start.

"Hey, you know what would be really helpful for you to learn? How to talk to girls in an effective and enjoyable manner!" Cadence said, smiling at her furry and fluffy friend. DJ's ears perked up with interest as he turned his head to face Cadence.

"Okay, let's start with the basics. The first thing you need to do is be confident. Girls are attracted to guys who are confident in themselves, so try to show them that you are comfortable in your own fur," she said.

Cadence continued, "The second thing you need to do is listen. Pay attention to what the girl is saying, and show her that you're interested in what she has to say. Ask questions and be engaged in the conversation."

DJ nodded again, his tail wagging with excitement. Cadence smiled, impressed with DJ's eagerness to learn. "Finally, be yourself. Don't try to be someone you're not just to impress a girl. Girls appreciate guys who are genuine and honest, so just be yourself and let your personality shine through," she said.

DJ nodded once more, his eyes bright with enthusiasm. "Thanks for the tips, Cadence! I'm excited to try them out and see how they work," he said.

Cadence continues the conversation by telling DJ to talk about hobbies that is how one spends their free time. She advises DJ that the best conversation can be had if both peoples' hobbies are common.

DJ hearing this excitedly proclaims, “I bet both of our hobbies are the same since I have the best hobbies.”

Goldie, seeing her friend’s confidence and holding back her laughter, kindly asks, “So what are these best hobbies of yours DJ?”

DJ, maintaining his confidence, exclaims, “I love reading, watching fun videos, and playing with my trains. I even make short videos about them sometimes.”

Goldie asks, “What do you like to read?”

DJ replies, “Only the best adventure fiction books around. With lots of action and suspense.”

Goldie notices that Cadence has a slight worried look on her face as she listens to DJ.

Goldie asks, “What’s the matter Cadence?”

Cadence replies, “Not much. It's just that Azure likes reading Non-fiction books and I cannot see how DJ & Azure will find anything in common here.”

Hearing this DJ is deflated a little and exclaims, “Non-fiction. While I can see the charm of non-fiction, I personally do not enjoy them and read to find a bit of fantasy and wish fulfillment in our lives.”

Seeing DJ’s state, Goldie falls over laughing and Cadence exclaims, “Let us move on since I see this is a dead topic. So the next topic that we may hopefully find some common ground is childhood memories which is something that will bring a smile to both of your faces as you are engulfed in nostalgia. Besides, it adds a layer of meaning to your conversation and makes it memorable. So DJ, what's your favorite childhood memory?”

As DJ reminisced about his childhood memories, he couldn't help but feel a little sad. He started thinking about his own family and the time spent with them all. They were always there for him, playing with him and showering him with love and affection.

Over time, DJ had trouble making friends and mainly had a hard time figuring out who his real friends were. Since he was the first balancer paralox born in millions of years.

DJ further said: “The way I would play with my friends all day in the field and when we all were tired I would rush home to be with my parents and have a hot comforting meal that my mother would prepare with all of her love. I miss my father too, who was usually traveling to places and I used to wait till the time he would get home and I could spend time with him. I sure do miss that and wish that I could just be back with them and spend a couple of days with all of them.”

As DJ talks the mood gets a little somber around the table with everyone feeling a little sad hearing DJ reminisce.

Cadence seeing DJ getting a little teary eyed holds his hoof and consoles him. While DJ is a little taken aback by Cadence’s gesture he highly appreciates it.

Cadence seeing DJ get himself together states confidently, “At least you will have something in common with Azure, DJ. Azure also reminisces about her time spent with her older brothers and parents as the best time of her life.”

DJ pepping up a bit says, “As she should. It’s the best when you get to be with friends and family.”

With some common ground found Cadence moves on to the next topic in her mind that of one’s life goals and ambitions letting DJ know that this will be an important way to connect with her as it will help him know her plans for the future and what she expects of it. Goldie chips in that it will also help each of them know what the other is ambitious & passionate about. DJ when asked by Cadence about his life goals replies, “To destroy all bullies, snobs, aka low life’s because I’m sick of being put down without knowing what to do but I’m hoping Cadence will teach me how to do that.”

Cadence hearing this can’t help but feel a deep bond with DJ and gives him a loving scratch behind his ear.

DJ having shared his goals asks Cadence what Azure’s life goals were to which Cadence replies, “Well it’s kind of rather simpler than yours DJ. She wants to learn magic.”

“OH MY GOD!!!! That is so cool. Forget about what I said. I want to learn magic with Azure.” exclaims DJ excitedly.

With Goldie laughing hysterically Cadence does a face palm and sighs, “and here I thought DJ was showing some actual growth.”

DJ replies: "Oh come on magic is cool, Cadence.”

Cadence replies, “I know but I liked your answer better. Anyway, let's move on to the next topic that you might discuss, which is one’s taste in music. From your most loved songs to ones that you absolutely cannot stand, you guys can talk about it all. So DJ what do you like?”

DJ exclaims excitedly, “I love some inspirational music. Anything that can get me hyped up and excited for my day. Right now my favorite is Do Something by Mathew West. My most favorite thing to listen to though is some classic 50’s Rock & Roll music. It just gets me so pumped up and excited.”

Goldie exclaims, “Wow. I never knew that about you DJ. So what are your favorite songs in 50’s rock and roll?”

DJ says, “Well you cannot go wrong with the classics like Footloose and Papa's Got A Brand New Bag are 50’s songs I like.”

Cadence while enjoying DJ’s ramble about his music choices replies, “Well Azure might not like your taste in music as she likes Country Music stars like Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers and she is particularly fond of songs like, “Letting someone go” & “Lady May” but I think the best thing about this topic is that you guys can talk about the difference in music itself and maybe do not need as much common ground in this topic.”

After talking a bit more about the music that they or Azure may like, Cadence rushed them along as after glancing at the large and intricate Clock that was hanging on the ornate wall of the dining hall realized that they did not have a lot of time till the arrival of Azure at the palace.

“I think we have had our fill of discussion music. Let’s move on to the next subject.” Explained Cadence.

“Why though,” pouted DJ. “I was really enjoying showing off my deep and profound music knowledge.”

“I know. I know my friend,” assured Cadence. “It is just that your profound knowledge has inspired me and I wanted to talk about more inspirational people in our lives.”

“Hmm,” hummed DJ with a silly smile on his kind face. “That sounds about right, seeing how much I have inspired you.”

“So I think I shall go first. My Papa for me is the one who truly always inspires me. He might be my Mom’s Dad but he is so energetic and funny he might as well be our age. Besides, he is always there for me with a kind word or a warm hug. I also like to make a few projects with him like building things for my trains.”

Goldie, seeing DJ taking a breath, starts to say, “For me it’s my…”

DJ, though having caught his breath interrupts her in great excitement, “I am sooooo sorry Goldie but I just have to get this off my chest. My parents are the best Mom and Dad in the world. Yes, from time to time they scold me but I know they mean well.”

“Anyone else you would like to talk about DJ?” sighed Cadence, knowing very well that DJ would not let anyone talk until he had his say.

DJ this time thinking a bit replies, “I think there is one person that I would love to talk about. The Doctor. Doctor Who is easily the best TV show in all the world. He has helped me so much. You know I was not the most confident kid growing up. I would be shy many times when I was young but watching The Doctor made me see how confident he was and how great a personality he had.”

“Come on Dj it is not “the best Tv show,” in all the world.” teased Goldie.

“YES IT IS!!” retorted DJ angrily. “As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted I had quite a few problems growing up and other than my parents and Papa it was The Doctor who gave me all the confidence in the world and helped in making me the very confident and outgoing boy that you see in front of you. The most important thing The Doctor taught me was that no one has any right to take away my confidence and that I matter.”

“Wow! That was really quite sweet DJ. I think it’s a privilege that we get to be inspired by someone other than a family member. Hearing the way you spoke about The Doctor I am pretty sure you would want to be a Doctor.”

“Not really. You know how hard it is to be a doctor. You have to study so much for it and besides I do not really like all the adrenaline and pain that he goes through.” Replied DJ while making a sour face.

With that everyone fell silent for a moment with Cadence processing all that DJ had told her, DJ still making faces about The Doctor’s life & Goldie being just happy that she was getting to know so much about her good friend DJ’s life.

Being the first out of their little reverie Goldie piped in, “I think DJ is done with the people that inspire him. So Cadence maybe you could tell us a bit about those that inspire Azure as that would be super helpful for DJ.”

“That would be wise I think,” Spoke up Cadence regaining a bit of her regality.

“As we all know it is one’s parents that always inspire us and help us do better. It is no different with Azure who views her parents not only as her good friends and confidants but also her mentor’s in all types of magic. Her brother’s on the other hand I believe are a real pain but she still loves them with all her heart.”

“How many brothers does she have again?” inquired DJ to Cadence.

“Four I believe. She, if I remember correctly, is the youngest child.”

“Wow. That is so cool.” Chipped in Goldie, “I am a middle child. It is one of the best feelings in the world to know that you have siblings that will back you up and always look out for you. You know Cadence even though my siblings would annoy me at times I love them nonetheless and really miss them.”

“Why is that Goldie?” inquired DJ. “Don’t you guys hang out anymore.”

“Well I would love to DJ.” replied Goldie, “But seeing as my older sister is a city guard and always busy it is quite tough. Although from time to time we see each other here in the castle when she’s doing her rounds my baby brother is a whole other story seeing as he is busy with his job as a rookie photographer these days.”

“Well at least you have some really good friends, Goldie,” exclaimed DJ in an attempt to pep up Goldie.

“I sure do DJ,” cried Goldie regaining her wide smile while tightly hugging her good friend DJ.

“Well keeping this happy mood afloat I think we should move ahead with our little brainstorming session that we are having. The next topic up for discussion is a little thing I like to call “A Vacation Bucket List”. So this is quite simply a list of places that you want to visit in your lifetime,” instructed Cadence seeing how the mood had turned into a happy one.

“Oh this sounds so fun to talk about seeing how outgoing I am,” excitedly exclaimed DJ hoping to sound more of an extrovert than he actually was.

“Well do let us know then mister outgoing what your dream vacation destination would be?” chided Goldie seeing right through DJ.

Surprisingly DJ took a few seconds to give his answer seeing as how excited he was to discuss the topic.

“Well I think I would go to someplace calm and beautiful like in nature like an old forest with very old trees that slightly whisper to you their tales as you sit underneath them reading your favorite book,” said DJ.

“Um…. that seems rather beautiful and peaceful DJ and I did not expect such an answer,” Said Cadence.

“Yup. Especially after DJ claimed himself Mister Outgoing,” joked Goldie.

“Well I guess I am not as Social as I want to be but believe me I am trying,” exclaimed DJ, a bit angry.

“I think we should talk about what Azure would like.” said Cadence hoping to cut the slight tension that had built up between her two friends. “Surprisingly she has similar aspirations to you in this regard DJ and I think you would get along well on your vacation seeing as she also loves nature and loves to explore it.”

“WOW!! That is so cool. I think I am liking Azure the more you tell me about her and would love to hang out with her although there is one more destination that I would love to vacation as it popped up in my mind the moment you explained the concept,” said DJ.

“Well do let us know DJ,” encouraged Cadence.

“Um… it is kind of silly. If I tell you guys, promise not to make fun of me. I am especially looking at you Goldie,” said DJ slightly glaring at Goldie.

“We promise not to say anything mean DJ,” assured Goldie with a hint of a smile on her face.

“Well I would love to go to a romantic beach somewhere and spend time with someone I truly love.”

“Hmm… what would you do with the one you love on the beach?” inquired Goldie testing her friend.

“I would do what they do in the movies and enjoy myself. I might even give her a kiss,” said DJ bashfully, hiding his face under the table.

“That is quite sweet my friend,” assured Cadence.

“I think we should move on from this topic,” requested DJ still feeling a bit shy and uncomfortable having shared what his ideal vacation spot would be such a personal thought and desire especially considering how shy and introverted he was.

“That is not a bad idea, DJ. While I had this topic noted down for discussion it was a bit further down but of course we can push it up now that you have suggested it,” agreed Cadence. “I think I will go first here. My favorite food in the whole entire world is soup as nothing beats a piping hot bowl of well-made soup, especially a good mulligatawny soup. In fact, I just had one a few days ago in the city and it was delicious.”

As soon as Cadence finished her little speech about how good soup is, both Goldie & DJ started to uncontrollably laugh.

“YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!!” cried out DJ barely full of excitement and energy.

“My favorite soup is creamy tomato soup and spinach dumpling soup that they serve at Olive Garden. It’s what my mom would give me when I was sick. I sure have some really good memories of soup with my mom as she helped me get back to good health.”

Seeing DJ’s excitement, Goldie chimed in, “Well soup is ok in my book but I am glad you both have great memories of it.”

“Well, while I love soup it’s not the best food in the world. Let me tell you the best food in the world. It’s my Mom’s divinely delicious Alfredo Noodles with the creamiest of sauces, bits of chicken and some truly fettuccine pasta,” said DJ.

“Um… that does sound divine DJ, especially after hearing about Cadence’s soup,” said Goldie with a bit of a snicker.

“Well since none of you can appreciate the finer things in life and do not even want to respect my choice I have half a mind to not even tell you guys what Azure likes eating,” said Cadence with a bit of fury in her voice.

“Oh come on Cadence. Don’t be like that. Me and DJ were just joking. While soup is not our favorite dish we will bear it because of you,” said Goldie giving Cadence a love filled look.

“Well it’s tomato pizza if you must truly know. Azure loves her pizza and likes it as simple and thin as possible.”

“Wow! A fellow Italian cuisine lover and while I have not had tomatoes on a pizza I am telling you guys I am liking this girl more and more with each passing minute,” said DJ.

“She also likes Blueberries. I’ve even heard she loves eating them by themselves and especially loves it on a good pie or tart.”

“That is quite interesting. I really like blueberries and I love their scrumptious taste,” said DJ.

“There you go again DJ,” said Cadence with a sly smile. “Getting super excited about other people about their food choices.”

“Alright, alright,” pipped Goldie. “I think we should move on to the next topic since I am getting a bit hungry discussing all of this scrumptious food.”

“That would be best,” agreed Cadence. “Well I think we should discuss art and all that it entails. Art you see, my dear friend DJ, is the true expression of an artist's inner self, his being, his desires and all of expression. Really good art can help express not only a person being but also the time, place, and mindset that he lives in. It portrays emotions and thoughts that are beyond words both spoken and written. It is no wonder that it has been coined ““A picture is worth a thousand words.”” So my dear DJ, tell us what you like.”

“That was quite eloquent of you Cadence. While you are right that good art goes beyond one's self I cannot help but be partial towards landscape paintings. They seem to just portray a sense of calm and serenity like Starry Night by Vincent Van Gough. A Lot of people think it’s quite dreary and drab but believe you me it is so starkly beautiful. It shows how nature can be a bit wild and stormy but it still makes room and nurtures all creatures. If you want something a bit less stormy and stark, I also tend to heavily favor Sunlight & Shadow by Martin Johnson Heade. It shows the shear beauty of nature and how bountiful and serene it can be and the painting's primary motif, sunlight and shadow, seen, for instance, in its intricate cloud shadows and the subtle movement from light to dark across the body of the haystack, informs and unites all its visual elements."

“Wow. I did not know you were so profoundly into art and all that it entails DJ,” appreciated Cadence. “This might just be one topic where you may have Azure soundly beat.”

“It is not really a contest, is it Cadence?” Said DJ.

“Yes. I think you are right. Well Azure being the Filly girl that she has a deep love for the art of her city especially the famous flowers.”

“Oh oh. I have heard rave reviews about the flower shows and art graffiti of Fillydelphia and how much of an impact it has on the art scene. Although I did not really think that there are any paintings in Fillydelphia related to flowers.” chimed in Goldie.

“Then you must have not heard about Severin Roesen’s famous Flower Still Life with Bird's Nest or Paul Cezanne’s Still Life with Flowers in an Olive Jar which hangs proudly at the Museum of Art, in Fillydelphia. While I do not really know alot about art and how it makes one feel I am sure that DJ will have a field day conversing with Azure about all the different art styles and famous artists,” explained Cadence.

“I think I will. I am glad that she likes art, especially something as serene and peaceful as myself,” DJ exclaims.

“She holds a particular place in her heart for Art…She really loves art,” Cadence explained.

"I don't know much about art, but as far as I know, art is not learned in school and institutions: art is the God-gifted thing that is blessed to the person," he says, sighing with exhaustion.

Before anyone says more about arts Cadence suddenly says, “Can we move to another topic like…….” she stops and looks like that something she fails to remember.

DJ says as he tries her to remember, “Like a…. Room, like hanging out, or other extra activities.”

She says with a little smile, “Oh no, dude. I mean you can also talk about her likes and dislikes in a meal.”

Then DJ responds, “Really that is a great idea. It also matters what she likes in meals like fruit or vegetable groups etc,” DJ then says, “Yeah you are right. I will talk with her about that when she arrives.”

Cadence takes a bite from her toast and says in response, “You will have to talk to her about this topic.”

DJ then asks Cadence, “Yeah I will but, when will I see Azure today? I mean by what time Azure and Luna will arrive? Do you know Cadence?”

She replies sweetly, “They will arrive by the 10 am train.”

DJ sighs heavily and takes a look at his internal watch in his cyborg eye to know the time and says, “It means that there is about 30 minutes left for them to arrive here because it is 9:30 am.”

They end up finishing up their breakfast, then Cadence asks Goldie to bring a seat cushion before they move towards the throne room for DJ to take a seat on after leaving the dining room.

Cadence asks, “Goldie, can you bring a seat cushion for DJ to sit on, Please.”

Goldie says, “Yeah of course princess.”

Goldie brings her a seat cushion when they reach the throne room and places it near the throne.

Cadence thanks her, “Thank you Goldie.”

Goldie says, “No problem, your highness. Ok guys, now I’m going to go do my duties around the palace, so bye bye.”

Cadence responds, “See you later, take care bye bye.”

“Ok, bye bye Goldie take care,” DJ answers.

“You too DJ and let me know how it goes with Azure,” said Goldie.

“Okay I will.”

After Goldie went out to carry out her responsibilities around the palace, Cadence asked DJ to take a seat on the seat cushion.

He thanked her, “Thanks Cadence.”

Cadence then asks DJ, “Now Azure and Luna will come soon so what will you ask from her?”

DJ replies as he does not understand her question, “Meaning what?”

Cadence then acknowledges him, “I mean what will be the focus of your conversation with her? What will you discuss with her?”

DJ responds again, “Not something special but my main focus of conversation will include asking about her study in magic.”

Cadence asks again, “Are you not gonna go deeply into conversation with her but, why?”

DJ then says, “I don’t want to go more deep during conversation with her because this will be my first meeting with her and that’s why I don’t want to bore her.”

Cadence says, “I think you should talk about her experience in magic which she is currently learning. She will love your interest in magic.”

DJ replies, “Yeah, I'm sure that she will love it.”

Then Cadence says, “Also you can share your hobbies and activities with her.”

“You are right, but I don't know if she will take interest in me or not.” DJ says while rubbing a hoof on the floor in front of his cushion.

Cadence says, “Oh don’t be more worried about it. If you take interest in her hobbies then she will also take interest in you.”

“You are saying it as if it is an exchange of matters. You take interest in me and I take interest in you.”

Then Cadence says in response, “It is not the matter of exchange but by that method you two will go deep in each other's interest.”

DJ replies again, “That is the good method of conversation and expressing your own ideas to one, seriously. I agree with that.”

They were both busy in the conversation with each other and in the conversion that thirty or so minutes goes by and the time comes for Luna and Azure to arrive and a guard knocks at the throne room door so Cadence allows him to come inside.

Cadence says in the answer of his knock, “Yes.”

The guard comes inside and announces, “Ma’am Princess Luna and her student Azure have arrived, can I send them inside.”

Then Cadence says, “Yes, send them in.”

The guard responds, “As you wish.”

The guard leaves them and Cadence gets off the throne and stands in front of it while DJ gets off his cushion and stands behind her a bit nervous. But at first she doesn’t observe and pay attention to his shyness.

A few minutes later Luna and Azure come into the throne room with Azure shyly hiding behind Luna’s left front leg as Luna stops in front of Cadence and they greet each other.

“Good morning Auntie Luna,” Cadence greets her aunt smiling.

“Good morning Cadence we are pleased to see thee.” Luna replies, greeting her niece.

Cadence then looks down to see Azure shyly hiding behind Luna’s left front leg.

“It’s alright little one,” Cadence projects. “Don’t be shy.”

Azure looks up from behind Luna’s leg. “Um hello Princess Cadence,” she shyly greets.

As they talk DJ looks over at the two ponies. “Wow, that must be Azure,” DJ exclaims in his mind, “she’s…beautiful.” He swoons.

DJ wanted to introduce himself to Azure but he felt a bit nervous. That's why he continued his silence behind Cadence. As Cadence feels his presence, she turns her attention back towards DJ.

Cadence tries to confront him, “Why are you feeling so shy my dear. ”

DJ then says, “I'm not feeling shy but I am a bit nervous.”

Cadence tries to comfort him by saying, “Come on, don't be nervous. Come and meet them.”

He answers with his ears folded down, “Ok, I'm coming out.”

He then walks out from behind Cadence and then walks towards Luna and Azure. He stretches out his hoof towards Azure and says, still a bit nervous, “Hi, my name is DJ Hopper. What’s your name?”

Azure looks from behind Luna’s leg but Azure only shyly hides behind Luna again.

“Was it something I said?” asked DJ, putting his right hoof down.

Seeing the shyness of Azure, Luna takes a chance to explain her behavior as usual again and she takes a start on it. When she knows that Luna is defining her etiquette, she hides more behind Luna.

Luna defines, “Don’t take it so seriously. She usually behaves like that when she looks at the new ponies but with the passage of time, her shyness turns into an empathic conversation.”

Cadence says, “Come on Azure, don’t feel shy.”

Then Cadence moves ahead towards Azure, while she hides behind the front hooves of Luna. Seeing her shyness Luna gave her courage to face all of them.

Luna encourages her by telling her that, “Come on, Azure, they are not strangers, they are our becoming. Don’t be afraid. Let's introduce yourself to them.”

“Hi, how are you?” DJ moves ahead towards Azure again to shake hooves with her.

“Hi,” She answers with fear.

“Can you introduce yourself please?” Seeing her shyness DJ swipe off his nervousness by telling her that.

Then she took a start on her introduction with downcast eyes in a leisure voice, “I’m Azure and I’m the personal....student of Princess Luna.”

“Really well I’m the personal student of Princess Cadence,” DJ Hopper exclaims excitedly while putting his right hoof on this chest.

Then he takes a new turn to the conversation by saying, “There are some interesting facts that I have heard about you.”

“Interesting facts about me. What? What have you heard about me?” she says with a bit of shyness peeking her head behind Luna’s left leg a bit.

“Yes, I have heard that you are studying magic. Is it true?” DJ answers.

Then she replies to his question, “Yes, it's true but how did you know that?”

Then Cadence answers her, “Now if he asks about you, then what should I tell him.”

DJ already knows all about her but he wants her to introduce herself to him. That's why he acts like he doesn't know much about it.

To feel free with her he portrays his interest in magic to her and starts chattering with her about it by asking, “Ok, so how long have you been learning this?”

She answers shortly, “for about four years.”

The conversation between DJ and Azure was getting more fruitful and deeper. As Cadence realizes that they both are going deeper with each other she leaves them alone and engages herself with Luna in conversation and shows herself to them as if they have escaped out of her notice.

“So, how much do you know about magic? Meaning how much experience do you have in magic.” DJ interrogates.

“I know the basic theory of magic and also teleportation spells and know about it and also I have developed one of my own for the first time I tried creating a spell of my own.” She answers his interrogation.

DJ says with his excitement, “A teleportation spell, wow, that’s great, I also love teleportation. Can you apply this spell on me.”

Then she made a serious look towards him, “DJ you know that teleportation in through magic is so risky, till now except magic masters, anyone who has tried this tactic has failed to come back again that person to his home and you also know that now I’m learning it, that’s why if I move you to elsewhere then how could I move you back again to your home. And you also know that I am an earth pony and without the use of a horn I cannot cast any spell. So please, understand the sensitivity of the situation and don't be obstinate.”

Hearing the advice of Azure, he ignores his stubbornness and says, “Ok, honey, ok. I won't compel you again for this but that’s why I like you, you're an earth pony that understands the basic concept of magic. My people are all earth ponies that can do magic like this.”

She looked at him with astonishment at what he was doing as he pulled out a paper and pencil from his hunch and levitated it in his fingers, with a yellow aura, and came towards her.

“Wow, how did you do that?” She asks with a hoof to her face in amazement.

DJ just smiles at Azure’s amazement, “I have a pocket storage spell in my hunch behind my head to store stuff and my robotic fingers are magic manipulators that lets me control my magic.” DJ explains. “If you can’t teleport me then you must have to acknowledge me about the mechanics for the spell by drawing it on this.” DJ utters.

Then she replies to him in a weary way, “DJ it’s a lengthy process, I can’t really draw it all on paper. I don’t think.”

DJ again insisted on her, “Please, just try to draw it on paper.”

Finally he convinces her by his insisting and by the saying of DJ she starts drawing up the mechanism of teleportation. DJ was so excited to learn the mechanism of teleportation by the sketch. While making the drawing of Teleportation, she starts a conversation with him by asking him about his hobbies.

Azure asks, “What are your hobbies? Meaning, what are you doing in your free time?”

Then he answers, “Not something special like you but in my free time, I watch TV shows, sing, play with my trains, and read books.”

Azure asks again, “All of your hobbies are best but singing is one of my favorites. Believe me I'm a great lover of music. Which music band do you love?”

DJ responds, “I love the rock and roll band of the 50s.”

She speaks, “Rock and roll band of the 50s. I also heard their music several times, it was a good band of its time.”

DJ then says, “I love their music because their ways of composing music are so good. It was really appreciative.”

Then she asks. “Can you sing with yourself now?”

“Not now, but I will soon sing a song in appreciation of your talent,” DJ answers.

Azure asks DJ, “Ok, As you wish.”

DJ then made a promise to himself that he will sing to her one day and then says, “Now you draw your spell diagram sketch.”

A few moments later Azure prepares her drawing of a teleportation sketch and shows it to DJ.

"My teleportation spell works a bit differently than regular teleport spells," Azure explained. "Rather than instantly transporting us from one location to another, it gently phases the origin and destination locations, blending them together temporarily."

She continued, "When I first cast the spell, it creates a magical link between two physical places, overlaying them in the same space while keeping them separated by a thin magical barrier. So for a moment, we can actually see both locations simultaneously - where we started merging and overlapping with where we want to end up."

"Then, the spell slowly makes the original location fade away while making the destination fully real and tangible around us. It's like turning down the volume on one song while turning up a different song on the stereo. The change happens gradually, note by note, until all you hear is the new location.”

Azure smiled softly, "So in the process, it feels like we took one smooth step forward from point A to point B, without ever disturbing our surroundings. We moved forward in space, without physically traveling the distance in between."

She concluded, "It's a more elegant, gradual transition than abruptly 'popping' from one place to another like regular teleportation. And it allows me to dip a hoof into complex dimensional magic by phasing locations in and out of each other."

DJ's eyes lit up as he visualized her explanation, eager to add the page describing Azure's inventive spell into his collection documenting her magical accomplishments. He hoped that having a permanent record of her gifts would remind Azure how talented she was, whenever she doubted herself.

She then utters, passing over the sketch to DJ, “Take it. This is your Teleportation sketch.”

DJ thanked her, “Wow this sketch is so beautiful. Thank you, Azure.”

“It’s ok.” She says bashfully while swinging a hoof at the ground.

DJ then asks, “Can you sign here at the bottom of it.”

She takes the sketch from his hoof and signs at the bottom of a page and hands it back again to DJ with his pencil.

DJ says, “Thank you, Azure, really you are so talented.”

Azure thanks her, “Thank you but soon I will also test your talent.”

To feel free her DJ laughs and says, “As you wish, your grace.”

As she hears that she starts giggling too with him.

After their laughter subsided, DJ shouted out to Cadence, “Cadence, Cadence, where are you?”

Cadence says in his response, “Calm down DJ I’m still right here.”

He then asks her by handing her the teleportation spell diagram, “I want you to take this spell diagram and put it in a frame.”

DJ hoofed over her his sketch and she gripped it. She took a bit of a look at it and gave her opinion about the spell diagram.

She expresses her opinion in these words, “Wow, it is so beautiful and well thought out, I really love it. Azure, have you come up with this spell diagram?”

Then she replies, “Yeah, I have made it.”

Cadence replies again, “Azure, really you are so talented. I appreciate it.”

When they both are busy chatting with each other at the same time DJ kicks off their conversation by saying to her that, “Cadence, could you put up this spell in a frame so I can hang it up on my wall above my bed and have a gold plaque saying, “Azure’s first spell”?”

Then she answers politely, “Ok, my student I will go find a frame to put this in.”

She leaves them alone and gets out of the room to find a frame, as DJ had explained to her. Azure was so confused to see that he thought so highly of her teleportation spell diagram.

She asks him with her puzzlement, “Why are you framing my spell drawing?”

He then turned back to look at her and cleared her puzzlement by saying, “Azure, you don't know, I became your biggest fan when I learned about your experience in magic and you're also such a big inspiration to earth ponies everywhere.”

Azure expresses her modesty and self effacement, she was showing so humble and wanted to not show much of her talent to others. It seemed like she doesn’t like to think that she is better than others.

So she answers in her humble way as she blushes and tilts her head shyly down to the right, “It's nothing special like me DJ. Why are you framing it?”

Then DJ responds by lifting her chin, “No, don't count yourself less than others. Your field is the only field in which very few people thrive, especially for earth ponies. Few people know about it.”

She was counting herself as a common pony and thinks that her spell is nothing special but instead of her humbleness DJ continues praising her up and encouraging her talent is the golden key with her by which she opens the gates of success in her life if she doesn't lose her courage, gives focus to her own aim and to do her work with honesty. DJ judges that she is getting bored of him giving her more advice. That's why he changed his topic of conversation by asking her about having any friends.

DJ asks rather shyly with his right hoof swinging above the ground, “Do you have any friends your own age?”

Then Azure says sadly as she looks down at the floor, “No, I do not have any friends my own age.”

“WHAT!!? Who wouldn’t want to be friends with you? You're amazing!!” DJ exclaims, “I know I would feel lucky to be your friend…so…Can we be friends?”

Azure feels pleasant to hear that and accepts his request of friendship by saying a bit hesitant while looking slightly up with her head still looking at the floor, “Really, are you joking?”

Then DJ expresses his seriousness about friendship with her, “No, really, I’m serious. Can we be friends?”

Then she moved ahead her hoof of friendship towards DJ with a bit of a smile and said, “Yeah, I agree we can be friends.”

As he hears that he screamed with joy and says, “Yahoo!” He then shakes his hoof with hers and embraces her with so much excitement in a hug, where DJ was so excited to make her a friend there Azure’s eyes become wet with tears of joy that she now has a friend her own age. Seeing the tears in her eyes DJ gave her courage.

DJ encourages her, “These are the moments of happiness, why are you weeping like that?”

Then Azure says steadily with remaining her sensible way of uttering words, “I’m not weeping but I got emotional because for the first time I have made a friend of my own age.”

DJ says in her response, “I promise that in every challenging situation in life I will stand with you.”

Azure says, “Thank you, DJ, thank you. I hope you will be my best friend in life and I’ll never let this friendship break down.”

DJ cleans her tears from her wet eyes and again hugs her and consoles her encouragingly. During this time when they hug each other Cadence had returned and was talking to Luna and noticed them as they were both talking to each other as DJ and Azure were also talking to each other. Seeing them in this condition Cadence says to Luna in whispering.

She says in whispers, “Behold them how they hug each other like they are loving each other.”

Luna replies to her, “You are right, Cadence, they are looking like those lovers who met each other after a long time.”

During seeing them, sneakily Cadence laughs a bit then DJ and Azure get aroused by her giggles and get worried about that.

DJ coughs in order to know who is giggling in the corner of the room where they were positioned but soon he finds that it was Cadence and Luna then he says with a bit of shyness, “What are you laughing at?”

Cadence acts like she knows nothing and says, “Why, is laughing prohibited? By the way, what were you guys doing here in the center of the room?”

DJ answers, “Nothing special. Only chattering with each other.”

Then she questions again, “About, what?”

He says in response, “About our friendship.”

Cadence says again, “About friendship? That’s good.”

Then Luna suddenly kicks off in her matter and tells Azure about her friendship and shares her opinion about their friendship.

Luna opens her mind about their friendship, “Azure, I’m so happy for you. May harmony keep your friendship forever.”

Azure thanks her for keeping these types of feelings in her heart, “Thank you, Luna.” she said, as she looked down at the ground.

She answers, “Be happy, my student, be happy.”

As she finishes her chattering with Azure, Cadence suggests to DJ that he should take her for a spin around the palace and show her all around the crystal palace while Cadence and Luna talk over tea.

“DJ, you must want to show Azure the whole palace, so that her heart will feel a bit more comfortable, ok.” Cadence utters.

Then he responds, “Ok.” DJ says to Azure. “Come on, Azual, let’s go for a walk.”

“It’s Azure.” She corrects.

“That’s what I said,” says DJ. “Come on, I'll show you around.”

She shows consent with his opinion by saying that, “Ok lets go.”

After saying that he took her left hoof in his own right hoof and took her out of the room to show her the beauty of the palace. Cadence then took Luna to the private dining room and went to the kitchen to make and bring tea for Luna and herself.

She leaves the room by saying, “Luna, please sit down. I’ll make some tea for ourselves.”

Luna answers her, “Ok, dear.”

As Cadence was preparing tea for her and Luna, DJ and Azure are busy wandering together around the palace. While wandering in the area of the palace Azure saw the flowers of lilies in the flower vases in the hallways. She then suddenly ran towards the lilies.

Azure takes a big whiff of the lilies and says to DJ, “Do you know DJ, lilies are my favorite flower? I love it.”

“Really?” He asks making sure to make a note of that for the future.

She says in response, “Yeah, our palace garden is also filled with beautiful yellow lilies and whenever I go there I always bring two or three lilies with me.

Then DJ utters, “If you want, I can pick some for you?”

Azure rejects, “No thank you, it looks more beautiful in the vases instead of breaking the arrangement.”

DJ then says, “Ok, as you wish. Well, I want to show you something else. Come.”

He drags her hoof and runs away with her to show her something different but when they arrived nearer to that thing he put his hooves over her eyes.

Azure was amazed and asked, “What are you doing boy?”

Then DJ responded, “I have a surprise for you. Just bandage your eyes for a while and follow me.”

Azure agrees as she says, “Ok, boy.”

As DJ says to her just like his instruction she follows him. He takes her to his room in which he lived there. As he arrives nearer to his room he removes his hooves from the eyes of Azure and orders her that now she can open her eyes.

As she opens her eyes she says with puzzlement, “Is this your room?”

He asks if she takes interest in her room, “Yeah this is my room. Would you like to see my room?”

Azure answers, “Yeah, sure, why not? I would like to see your room.”

Then he moves ahead towards the door with his mark painted on the door and opens it by saying, “Come on. Let’s go inside.”

As she walked inside, she was surprised because of the yellow paint on the walls, which shines in light and forced her to remain focused on the wall of his room.

With astonishment she says, “Wow, beautiful. I love it, it's amazing.”

DJ says, “This is only a preview; the entire presentation is still to come.”

Saying this, he pulls her attention to the fall theme comforter on his bed and shows her his elaborately decorated bed, which was centered on the right wall and covered with an overwhelming number of red and golden pullovers, blankets also with fall themes.

“It is also very beautiful.” by saying that she runs towards the bed with excitement.

“Do you like it?” DJ asks.

She starts walking on the mattress and says, “Wow! How flexible is its foam?”

Suddenly her eyes fell on the glorious red mahogany colored wooden bookshelf located in the left side of his bedroom. So she stops inspecting the bed and walks towards it.

As Azure comes nearer to the bookshelf, she says, “Do you also like to read books?”

Then DJ replies, “I like to read books very much. Almost every evening I try to read a new chapter in a book.”

Azure says with some surprise, “Really? A whole chapter?”

DJ responds, “Yeah, I’m the biggest impatient person reading books. I always tell myself that I will read just one more chapter before bed.”

Azure picks up a book from his bookshelf and giggles as she sees the fictional books in his bookshelf.

She looked at his books and spoke with a bit of a smile, “Do you read fictional books?”

Then he replies, “I like to read fictional books which define the beauty of fantastical lands. Do you like it?”

Azure utters as she hears his opinion about books, “No, I prefer nonfiction books which define the complexities of real life like magic and history.”

DJ responds, “Okay it doesn’t matter, as you wish.”

Azure’s attention draws to the mobile device between his bookshelf and desk.

“What does this do?” she asks him.

DJ then starts to get nervous, “Um I guess you can call it a communication device so I can send letters to my parents at home.”

“It’s very pretty,” she compliments.

“Why thank you Azure,” DJ says breathing a sigh of relief that she doesn’t ask any further questions.

Then attention suddenly turns towards the Tv which is placed on the orange crystal stand, positioned on the wall in front of his enormous bed with a bit of space in between as she sees the Tv, she runs towards it.

As Azure looks at the Tv she says, “Do you watch television?”

Then he replies, “Yeah, but sometimes not all the time.”

Azure says in admiration of his room, “I like your room. It’s very beautiful.”

“Maybe someday you can show me your room?” DJ asks.

“Yeah maybe,” Azure replies bashfully.

DJ suddenly changed the turn of conversation by saying that. “Wait, Azure, I want to introduce you to someone.”

Then she says. “Um….ok.”

DJ calls for Goldie with a bell on his nightstand to introduce her to Azure because she didn’t meet her before this. DJ acknowledges to her that he is still new to the palace and didn’t know much about the palace. When he admits this to Azure and a few moments later of bell ringing, Goldie arrives and knocks at the door.

Then he answered, “Come in, Goldie, come in,” After hearing DJ's response, she opens the door and comes inside of DJ’s Bedroom.

“Sir, you called me,” Goldie says.

“Yeah, I want to introduce you to Azure,” DJ says in response.

DJ guides Azure over towards Goldie and DJ starts introducing them to each other.

DJ introduced. “Goldie, this is my new friend, Azure, and Azure this is my personal maid, Goldie.”

Then they shake hooves with each other and meet each other.

Goldie says, “Hi, how are you little filly?”

Azure responds a little bit shyly, “Hi, I’m fine.”

Then Goldie asks, “Did you arrive safely?”

Azure says in her response, “It was good.”

DJ suddenly kicks off between their conversation and interrupts their conversation.

He says, “Goldie, I want you to help me show her the whole palace.”

Goldie asks as she hears his answer, “Why? Have you not yet given her a tour of the palace?”

DJ then replies, “Goldie, you know very well that I’m still new to the palace.”

Then she accepted his request by saying, “Ok, young master, let’s go give you both a tour of the palace.”

DJ thanks her by saying, “Thank you, Goldie.” They then prepare themselves for the tour of the crystal palace and set off.

Author's Note

Been working on this since last February and now it’s finally done. I had planned on having a few more topics of conversation Cadence was going to give DJ but my coauthor wrote the topics as a discussion with Azure so I’m just gonna add that conversation to the next chapter. I was waiting for that conversation details to be added but my coauthor finished it early so that’s why this chapter is a bit earlier then planned.