Knock, knock, knock.

Crimson's eyes pry open at the sound of fairly forceful knocking. He sits up and rubs his left eye, listening again for the sound.

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.

"Hnn," Moonlight moans, turning onto her back from her side. Her sleepy eyes barely open, staring forward blankly. "... What is that?" she murmurs in her barely-waking state. "Did another deer get in?"

Crimson furrows his brows at her outlandish assumption. "... Deer? I think someone's at the door, Moonlight."

"... The door?" she slowly sits up... then her eyelids break open in realization. "The door!? Somepony's at my door!?"

"That's what I reckon," Crimson says as he stands up from bed, leaning over it to push the semi-translucent blue curtains that drape over the circular window. He peeks through it, discretely looking down to the front porch of the house.

"Why would anypony be at my door? No one ever visits me," she worriedly whispers as she levitates her glasses to herself, getting them on and adjusting them with her hoof. "Except for maybe the mail mare, but she never knocks, she always leaves my mail inside the box."

"Huh. They look like the guard ponies from Canterlot," he scratches his head. "They've got a wagon 'n everything. I thought you said it would take a few days to even get a response, let alone an escort."

"W-What do you mean?"

"Take a look fer yerself."

Moonlight gets up, stumbling on the bed to move towards Crimson. She leans her head next to his, peeking out to see exactly what he had described. Four blocky pegasus stallions donning golden armor stand at the front of her house, where one stallion has unstrapped himself from the silver and gold-etched carriage they have with them in order to knock on the door. Moonlight retracts from the window, whispering to herself, "They're here already!?"

"Heh yeah, these guys got here quick. Must'a left before the sun was even up to arrive this early." Crimson retreats from the window and smiles at the frowning unicorn. "Maybe Celestia got yer letter and was loads-excited to hear from you again. I wouldn't put it past her that she deployed an escort the minute she could."

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.

"B-B-But... now!? She wants me to come back now!?"

"I reckon that's why them ponies are here."

"... I'm not ready for this," she states, rearing away from the window while staring into the void.

"Of course you are. Even if you don't believe in yourself, I believe in you, Moonlight."

Lacking a response, Moonlight's muzzle scrunches and she climbs off the bed, trotting hastily towards her desk. She opens the bottom right drawer and levitates a navy-blue cloth out. Crimson quickly realizes it's a hood and cloak once she gets it on herself, and it covers her entire body, save for the ends of her hooves and tail. There's even a little hole at the top of the hood for her horn to come out of. Everything about the garb is inconspicuous, it shades over her eyes and hides her form very well.

Now, she stands there, facing the door to her room, rooted in anxiety.

"... Moonlight." Crimson reaches over, pulling the hood up then back to reveal her face again.

"... I'm not ready for this," Moonlight looks up to meet his unenthused face, becoming more bashful under his stare.

Crimson smiles, crouching down to be nearly at eye-level with her. He brings her in for a hug, wrapping his hands around the back of her neck and head. She quickly couples into his chest, almost poking him with her horn. Crimson chuckles, "Girly, you're more than ready for this. I'll be with you every step of the way."

Moonlight rests her chin on his shoulder and closes her eyes tightly, flooded by the same tingling sensation that she swore overtook her yesterday evening. It mixes oddly in her mind, the terrible anxiety she is feeling actively combats the comfort she is receiving.

Knock, knock, knock, "Miss Wish, are you home?" calls a stern, grumbling voice from the outside of the front door.

Their hug is cut short, having to respond to the demanding press of the guard pony. The duo break from each other, with Moonlight staring up at the man with complete uncertainty.

Crimson steps aside, lifting his hand towards the door to gesture for her to proceed. Reluctantly, she exits the bedroom and makes her way downstairs to the front door, skipping any morning routines that she would much rather get done. Crimson follows behind her, stopping at her side when she opens the front door with her magic. She cautiously glances left and right, stepping out into the blue-hued morning. The sun is just now rising over the horizon, poking out from the sea that lies a few meters out from the front of Moonlight's home.

The guard who has been knocking stands firm with a deadly-serious face, and he looks at Moonlight when she presents herself at the door. His eyes slowly slide towards the tall human that stands just behind her... and his face actively keeps from contorting in judgement, marked by the twitching of his eyebrows. After a momentary glare, he returns his gaze to Moonlight, bowing his head and closing his eyes with great respect, "Miss Wish."

"G-Good-- Good morning... sir," Moonlight responds awkwardly, looking between him and the other three guards staring over with their stone-cold faces.

"At your command, Miss Wish, we shall escort you back to Canterlot."

His words bounce an indefinite amount of times in her head. They are really here to take her back to Canterlot, the place that she has spent years avoiding. Her ears fall to her head and she fails to respond again, taking the same disquieted look she had in her room.

"Hey," Crimson leans in and murmurs behind her, causing the guards to recoil like springs at the sound of his voice. "... Whatever happens, I'll be with you. Every step'a the way."

Moonlight's eyes lift to see the addlement in the guards. Crimson speaking caused their stern, hard-ass expressions to hit the ground faster than a stalling plane, which brings a small smile of amusement to her lips, but it quickly fades as if it never happened. Right now, her building anxiety is deterring any positive feelings.

"... Hoooly shit!" a guard attached to the carriage cries out. "The human can talk!"

"Can it, private," the guard in front of Moonlight scowls.

"... Should I... p-pack my things?" Moonlight asks, turning her face away from the guard.

"No, ma'am, not necessary. Princess Celestia instructed us to relay that she shall equate you with everything. Your belongings will stay here, you must only bring yourself."

Moonlight looks back at Crimson warily, to which he nods with a smile. While the mare finds some semblance of solace in his expression, the guards are further repressed from their comfort by his facial flexing.

Once she absorbs enough comfort to think critically again, a realization hits. She looks back to the guards with furrowed brows. "What about my home? I completely forgot about it when I wrote my letter to Celestia... I can't just abandon it."

"Princess Celestia instructed us to relay that she will routinely deploy a team of maids to tend to your home while you are absent."

"Huh, she really thought of everythin', didn't she?" Crimson muses, crossing his arms over his chest. Of course, his comment draws more sour stares from the guards.

"... It shouldn't come as a surprise," Moonlight sighs defeatedly, "Celestia is a very thorough pony. Nothing gets past her... unfortunately. ... Ahem, mh, s-should we... board the carriage then?"

"If you and your human are ready to return to Canterlot, then please do so, Miss Wish," the guard responds without moving an inch of his body.

"'Yer human?'" Crimson repeats critically, taking one step towards the guard. The guard snaps his attention to him, shifting to a defensive posture instantly. The rest of the guards appear just as ready for confrontation as their comrade. "I ain't a dog, partner. Best keep that in mind."

"I highly advise you to watch your tongue, human," the guard snarls.

"'N I suggest you go fuck yerself, friend."

"P-Please!" Moonlight gulps, "he-he's not my property! Address him as you would anypony else. Please."

The group of tense guards gawk at the man as he himself returns a sharp stare... but shortly after Moonlight's words, the guards resume their stoic posture, and the stallion in front of her bows his head, "Of course, Miss Wish. We beg your pardon."

Moonlight exhales deeply, letting her eyes and ears drop while feeling the rhythm of her unsettled heart beat like a drum. "... Why am I doing this," she whispers solemnly, walking towards the carriage. Crimson's worry for her well-being is prominent on his face, gazing at her while he follows.

The unhinged guard stallion trots with haste towards the carriage, extending an attachment at the side of it to drop a fold-in staircase. Appearing familiar with this process already, Moonlight uses the steps without a second thought, taking them one by one until she boards and sits on the left seat.

Crimson skips the stairs, opting for grabbing the side of the carriage and leaping in. Though no damage is done to the carriage, it shakes left and right under his weight, and the guards don't look very impressed. He sits next to Moonlight, taking the middle and right seat at the same time due to his size.

Once boarded, the stallion slides the fold-in staircase back into its slot then heads back to hitch himself into the carriage reins. "The trip will estimate around three hours," he calls without looking back. "Please make yourself comfortable, Miss Wish. At your command, we will return to Canterlot."

"..." Moonlight looks to the left, off the side of the carriage and away from Crimson. It is as if she knew he'd try to give her a smile or some sort of reassurance, but she chooses to look away. With a wobbly sigh, she slouches back into the carriage seat. "... Please proceed."

"Wings at the ready," the guard commands his team, and the four of them extend their powerful feathered appendages. "Forward." The carriage is pulled by the strength of these burly pegasi once they begin running across the straight dirt road in front of Moonlight's home. They flap their wings en-cadence as they run faster and faster, until finally, they lift off the ground and soar into the air. They make a wide u-turn in order to fixate themselves onto a path towards the city on the mountain.

Even from out here, miles and miles away, Crimson can see it presenting its unmistakable silhouette. It's positioned so perfectly on that mountain-side, he assumes you can probably see it from any point in Equestria.

He looks towards Moonlight again... she's still looking away, mulling in her disquiet. He assumed from the start that she was the socially wary type, but it wasn't prominent until now. Her anxiety didn't show itself very much before, she was probably doing well against it because she was in her home, and it didn't take her very long to become 'comfortable' around him. These factors had led him to believe her angst wasn't as bad as he initially thought... but it might be worse. It might actually be a lot worse than he thought, and it might get even worse now that she's heading back to the dreaded city of marble and gold.

... Maybe this was a bit too early. Maybe she did need a few days of mental space before this happened... but it's too late now. They're already on route to Canterlot, to whatever it is that waits for them there. This was Crimson's idea, and to him, it certainly isn't a bad one. There's plenty of ponies and resources that could help them better understand the magical anomalies, and hopefully, find a way to deal with them.

He isn't sure about the social sphere in Canterlot, but judging by both Dahlia's and Moonlight's reaction to it... maybe it's not very great. ... Whatever, it's too late. If there's social issues there, which he hopes there are none, he'll be sure to deal with them swiftly. It's the same routine he's done for most of his life, especially since he was in a gang where social issues were abundant.

Moonlight made it a point to tell Celestia in her letter that Crimson was an intelligent human, so hopefully there won't be any surprises there. It should just be a matter of standing before the princess, making it clear that they've arrived, and getting situated. He might need to rent out a place in the city, and Moonlight is probably going to stay somewhere in the castle since that's where she previously had a room, but with any luck, they should be able to get researching on the anomalies by tomorrow.

They've got a few hours till they reach their destination, so he figures he might as well relax. Moonlight seems to be doing that already since she's dozing in and out from how sleepy she is. Crimson crosses his arms and leans back into the seats, looking off to the distant horizon with his mind on overtime.

‎

---

‎

After some time spent soaring through the skies, Moonlight had fallen back to sleep. She had woken up much earlier than she usually does due to the unanticipated arrival of the royal guards, so it came back at her full-force after they had began their trip. It worried Crimson for a while, he had feared that she might fall off of the carriage due to her random movements, or because the carriage might have tilted and tossed her off. Luckily, nothing has happened, almost as if she was magically bound to the seat somehow. She's sound asleep, looking much better this way than she did while awake hours ago. Maybe sleep is what she needed in order to ease the nerves... hopefully.

Crimson's attention shifts to the city they are closing in on. The amount of movement and bustling going on surprises him, he doesn't remember Canterlot being nearly this busy when he first came here.

Carriages, both grounded and flying, are found everywhere, moving ponies from place to place. There's lots of ponies entering and exiting buildings, walking along the sidewalk, and generally being. Maybe today's a special occasion or something, but there's nothing around that can obviously point it out, so maybe he's wrong, and this is just how busy Canterlot gets.

The pegasi flying the cart slowly yaw, turning widely in order to change directions towards the castle. Crimson's brows raise, again impressed by the greatness of the Canterlot castle. As they close in on it from above, he admires every nook and cranny that it has, with floors upon floors, balconies and watchtowers littered throughout, and many bridges that connect some parts of the castle to others. Now that he can properly admire the scenery, he's making very sure to do so.

They fly down towards the front of the castle, prepping to make a landing on the grass next to the massive golden doors that enter it. As they make their descent, Crimson reaches over and places his hand on Moonlight's head, gently stroking her mane. With a quiet moan, she shuffles in place and opens her eyes. He pulls his hand away as she sits up, and her eyes lock onto him first before glancing around at her surroundings. Then, in an overbearing wave of pure dread, her pupils dilate to pin pricks. "... We're here already?" Her horn glows, using her magic to slip the hood from her robe back onto her head.

"C'mon now, Moonlight, you're gonna be fine," Crimson assures. She doesn't respond to his soothing words, and instead she keeps her head tilted down, hiding herself under the floppy hood of her robe.

With a sigh, Crimson sits up and turns his head forward when the carriage makes its soft landing on the grass. The guard stallions that have pulled them continuously for almost four hours are exhausted, but they still stand proud and serious. For acting like hardasses, Crimson can appreciate that they're at least good at their job.

The stallions unhinge themselves from the reins, and the leader of the squad comes around to pull the staircase out from the side he sits.

As the guard gets the staircase down, Crimson notices that there's quite a lot of ponies around the castle, even if it is bordered off from the rest of the city. There's a huge garden next to the castle that seems to span for a mile, and a bunch of garden-working ponies that are supposed to be tending to it are staring at him. The guards that patrol the front of the castle, and some that are simply wandering about, all focus their eyes on him and Moonlight.

Adding even more spectators, there are some maid-looking ponies and high-class-attire-wearing fancy ponies standing around, and they're all staring. Every single one. He doesn't feel as if he's exaggerating either, they're all looking at him and Moonlight, wide-eyed, mouth-agape, willingly interrupting their daily lives to scope in on the scene before them. The staring here is monumentally worse than the staring he got at Dodge. He can hear some of the whispers coming from the many mouths speaking at once...

"Who is that?"

"A researcher's scribe perhaps."

"Do you think they work for the Head Researcher?"

"Impossible. Haven't you heard the rumor going about?"

"Wait! Look! What is that thing next to the scribe?"

"Are your eyes dysfunctional? That is clearly a human."

"What is a human doing inside the castle walls!?"

"Hm, that human actually appears familiar to me. ... Where have I seen it before?"

Once the stairs are set down, Moonlight stands from her seat, prompting Crimson to do the same. The man leaps down without taking the stairs, landing next to the guard stallion.

Slightly repulsed, the stallion takes a few steps back and keeps his focus on the hooded unicorn. "Would you like an escort?" he asks her with humbleness.

Unresponsive, Moonlight takes the staircase down by herself, keeping her posture discrete. She stops at the guard's side, whispering without looking up, "No. Thank you. I'll walk to the throne room by myself." She slightly turns her head, motioning towards Crimson, "Follow me." She begins walking instantly after, making him follow behind her without further instruction.

The eyes of ponies around follow them every step of the way. The weight of their stares, despite shielded by a layer of cloth, press down on the blue unicorn heavily. She can hear their whispers, their assumptions and judgement, but luckily none of them seem to be the wiser. Most of the attention is being deflected towards the lumbering man, which he doesn't really seem bothered by. He walks behind Moonlight, keeping his face forward as she leads him.

Two guards posted at the front entrance to the castle scrutinize him as they proceed inside. The mumbles of the spectators drowns away upon entering the castle, where they enter a grand lobby. A single mare is posted at a wide desk at the far end, with staircases on either side that lead up to somewhere. There's also large golden doors to the left and the right, which also lead somewhere unknown to him.

The desk receptionist keeps her eyes planted on the duo as they move quietly across the lobby. Moonlight walks towards the staircase to the right of the receptionist, taking each step slowly and carefully, effectively making the dense silence and the staring of the receptionist harder to endure.

Crimson shifts his eyes towards the gawking mare behind the desk, lifting his left brow at her. Her expression distorts uncomfortably when punched by his stare. She moves her eyes from the scrolls down at her desk to the man a few times before leaving them locked on him. The face she's making is that akin to a person being accused of a crime they committed. She looks terrified.

Finally making it up the stairs, Moonlight continues her trail through a greathall at the top. This hallway is just like the one he remembers Celestia leading him through, but only in structure. This is definitely a different place in the castle, which he assumes because both sides of this hallway have beautiful stained-glass windows rather than just one. This hallway appears to be a connector that forks off into three more directions.

Soon enough, Crimson loses his sense of direction in the maze that is this humongous castle, so he opts for admiring his surroundings, walking behind Moonlight and mindlessly taking her gracious lead.

They don't share a word the whole walk, but he certain it's for the best... well, her best. She had whispered to him and the carriage pony after getting off, making it abundantly clear she doesn't want to overtly use her voice. She's hiding under that silk robe, gathering questioning glances from ponies around. Roaming or posted guards, maids, other custodian types, and ponies of class, they're everywhere in the castle... and Moonlight probably knew that already.

Crimson is moving to the assumption that she doesn't want anyone to know who she is, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to him. She's the Head Researcher, she has a respected position in this city-- no, this country. Why would she ever need to hide? It's not like she's committed a crime or anything of that nature. Maybe she just doesn't like the attention. Being an esteemed part of the most important society in Equestria probably comes with a lot of eyes following your every move.

He'll mull only to himself for now. Moonlight is leading him towards the end of another hallway, but this time, the embellished door that greets them stands testament to what it houses, the throne room.

She approaches the door, moving to open it herself, but she flinches in fear when the two guards posted at the sides cross their spears to block her path.

"Who goes there?" the guard questions fiercely, glancing between the tall man and the hooded pony. Both Crimson and Moonlight respond non-verbally, with the man balling his hands into fists and the trepid mare moving to lift her hood slightly to reveal one shimmering eye. The guard's eyes open widely in cognizance, "... Head... Head Researcher Wish? Is that really you?"

"Shh!" she sounds suddenly, looking around for anyone that could have heard him.

"I-err, eh..." the guard in gold looks over to his partner in silver armor, who is equally befuddled. They lift their spears back to their sides and bow their heads, "many pardons, Head Researcher W--"

"Shh!" Moonlight leans forward, staring at him with her trembling pink orb through her glasses.

The guard swallows and nods, visibly disoriented by Moonlight's demeanor. Without further question, he uses his horn to grasp the extravagant door behind him, opening it wide for her entry.

Moonlight can see her, sitting atop of her throne there at her lonesome at the far end of the room. Celestia is eyeing her back, motionless save for slow blinking, waiting patiently for their incoming interaction. Moonlight's lips tremble and her head lowers, letting the hood fall back down over her face completely.

With one cautious step into the throne room, she makes her way in with Crimson following behind. No matter how low she keeps her head, no matter how she tries to hide herself, she feels the eyes of the princess staring right through her hood.

Soon enough, the duo stand before the young ruler of Equestria without uttering a word. Celestia's calm gaze shifts between both of them, but finally stops on Moonlight. The tension Crimson feels in this very moment is cumbersome, despite being ignorant to the history between the two of them. Moonlight's unwillingness to look up and meet Celestia's eyes speaks volumes even though the unicorn herself says nothing.

Finally, Moonlight's trembling forelegs bend, bowing down to the princess on the throne. Crimson sees this and elects to do the same, coming down onto his left knee and lowering his head. He bows not for the princess, but for the sake of his trepid companion next to him.

Silence. No response from the princess. The duo keep their heads bowed, unseeing to Celestia's reaction. Instead, they hear her, listening to the sound of her rising from her throne and make slow, paced steps down the staircase of her throne. The muffled clack of her golden slippers against the carpet draws closer, until Crimson sees her hooves appear at the top of his peripheral vision.

"Rise, my subjects," she calls compassionately. Her voice sounds anything but upset or unnerved, the complete opposite of Moonlight.

Crimson lifts his head and stands up, resuming his full height over the princess, yet Moonlight remains bowed, muzzle towards the ground. Both Crimson and Celestia look at Moonlight, seeing her body shivering under the robe that covers her.

Celestia shifts her attention to the man, driving him to look back at her. Her irises, the radiant pink color that they contain, remind him somewhat of Moonlight's. The princess's face is easy and calm, but the shine in her eyes advocates solemnness towards the mare who can't even look at her. Crimson reads it fully, glancing quickly at Moonlight before looking back at her.

These two ponies need some alone time, and that's exactly what he'll give them. He takes a few steps backwards, smiling at Celestia, and in turn, receiving a smile from her. That smile of hers is all he needs to let him know that she's aware of his sentience, so there's no need for his interruption right now.

After taking a few steps back, he turns around and walks along the red carpet towards the exit of the throne room, pushing the large, cold golden door open and stepping out, making sure to close it gently behind himself. The guards move their eyes to him, and with prudence, they turn their heads.

Crimson glances between both of them, putting his hands in his pockets and smirking. Beautiful. He thinks this a perfect opportunity to relieve some of his scorn for the guard force that fucked him over not a few days ago. He skips in his mind, wondering who to annoy first. He speaks up simply to the both of them, "... Howdy."

Next Chapter: Her Favorite Place to Be Estimated time remaining: 26 Hours, 33 Minutes