"... Already?" Viola asks, looking up at her brother with a frown. As they sit together on the staircase of the porch to their home in the Rift, she squeezes his arm tighter, unwilling to let him go.

"Yeah. I can hear birds chirpin' outside the window." He looks down into her beautifully-glowing golden iris, smiling tenderly at her. "I'll be back before you know it." He plants a kiss onto her forehead, one that sends shivers throughout her entire body as the warmth of his embrace suddenly fades.

With a crestfallen sigh, she couples her knees up to her chest, hugging them and bracing herself to fight off the incoming isolation.

‎

---

‎

Crimson's eyes crack open unevenly, burning from exhaustion and sleep deprivation. He knows staying in the Rift to spend time with his sister doesn't let his physical body rest in the waking world, much less sleep, but every second spent with her is a treasure he wouldn't trade for the best sleep in the world.

Besides, it's not like he can sleep properly anyway. This bed that he's currently in, with all of its thick and plush blankets and pillows, didn't really have the effect he thought it would. The only good night of sleep he's had recently was in Moonlight's bed back at her home, and that in itself was a pleasant surprise. It's strange, too, that this bed feels very similar to that of Moonlight's. Maybe they're the same type, considering Celestia's subjects constructed Moonlight's home and probably furnished it. Something about Moonlight's bed just felt... different.

He decides that he's stayed laying down for long enough. With a big yawn and some kicks to stretch his legs, he rises from the bed and rubs his tired eyes. He slips into his sandals and wiggles his toes to make sure they're on firmly.

The sun punches through the window of his room, illuminating him and his body with its incandescent glow. Curious, he steps towards the window to see what lies outside of it. Even though he's considered to be on the first floor of the Eastern Tower, the room he's in is elevated quite a distance from the ground outside. Parts of the Castle that tower around block some of his view to the left, but he has a good view of a grassy field to the right, where a bunch of equipment and obstacles are placed throughout the yard. It appears to be the Royal Guard's training field, most obviously indicated by the guards themselves who are down there, some wearing their armor and some wearing only a tan shirt.

With enough sightseeing, he turns for the mirror that sits above a drawer cabinet, eyeing himself as he fixes his hair with his fingers. He then heads for the door and makes his exit, closing it behind him and stepping out into the rotunda. He hears distant movement and chatter from other parts of the Castle, but the rotunda itself is quiet and undisturbed.

Crimson fixes his attention on the regal blue doors that enter Moonlight's room. He isn't sure what time it is, but if he's right to assume, Moonlight is still asleep.

He walks to her doors and clicks open the right one, opening it and peeking inside. The room is illuminated only by sunlight, giving its usual sleepy-blue appearance an amber color. He doesn't see any signs of movement from the lower floor, and all of the flasks he placed on the lab desks are untouched. Looks like she's still asleep.

He steps in and closes the door gently, heading towards the other end of the room where the staircase is. As he moves towards the stairs, he glances up at the big wall-clock behind him to see it reads about 9:25. It isn't terribly late, but it certainly isn't early either.

He walks up to the second floor and focuses on the bed, exactly where the little blue unicorn rests. She didn't even get under the covers, she's sleeping on top of the sheets, hugging Soap firmly as if he was going to get up and run away. Her softly sleeping air breathes the essence of pure innocence, and it's a shame he's gonna have to bother her. She can't be sleeping in as late as she used to, there's simply too many things to do.

Crimson steps towards the bed, sitting down at its side and reaching his hand to Moonlight. He gently caresses her mane, and she responds by tucking her chin into her chest, hiding her face behind her plush. It looks like she isn't fully asleep right now, more-so resting with her eyes closed.

"Mornin', Moonlight," he calls softly to her.

"Hnn," she huffs, wanting anything but to have to get up.

"Rise 'n shine."

"... The maid isn't even here yet," she weakly mumbles.

"The maid?" he echoes, retreating his hand from her head.

"Mhmm... the maid. What time is it?"

"It's almost nine-thirty."

"... She should be here any second," she sighs into her plushy.

With miraculous timing, a knock is heard downstairs on Moonlight's door. Crimson's brows raise, impressed at the codified event. Looks like she's aware that she can't be sleeping in, she was just waiting for her own version of an alarm clock.

"Could you get that for me?" Moonlight moves her head to reveal her right eye from behind the plush, looking at him.

"Sure thing," he nods and rises from the bed, heading downstairs to respond to the door. He opens it and looks down at the pony who had knocked.

"Gud morning, miz Moonlaait! Breakfast iz--"

Crimson's eyes widen at the sight of the mare who wears maid attire and is delivering breakfast on a metal shelved trolley. "... Kimi?"

The lavender-maned mare's eyes nearly pop out of her sockets. Kimi stares up at the man completely befuddled, looking as if she's about to faint. Her cheeks redden deeply as she tries to speak, "Ha-I, ha-I..."

Crimson smiles and rubs the back of his neck, bashfully chuckling, "It's good to see you again."

"Y-You ztill remember my naame!" she whispers excitedly, barely loud enough to be heard by him.

"Yeah, of course I do. I recall everythin'. Every which event."

Her eyes tremble as she registers his words. Her mouth opens to speak, to give an excuse of some sort, but in her stupor and apprehension, nothing seems to be coming out.

"You did a great job with the cleanin'," he smirks. "I hope you didn't mind."

"Ho-uy, I-I..." she stops trying to fumble words and inhales sharply, letting the breath out slowly, "Thankyu... b-but... what do yu mean? 'Recall ze events?'"

"I got sprayed with some sorta purple bottle that them guards have."

"Hooo," Kimi coos in realization, piecing together why he wasn't as responsive and aware back then as he is right now, having made it easy to mistake him for a dumber human. "Ze 'mimis' potion. Zat explains much to me now."

"Regardless of what happened to me, I'm glad you had the courage to do what you love," he crosses his arms with the same grin. "Despite what yer sisters think."

She slowly internalizes what he says, causing a wobbly, terribly blushing smile to form on her face. "Ehehehe~" she looks away, giggling like a school-filly.

"Say, I thought you were a spa pony or whatever you call 'em. What're you doin' dressed up like a maid? You look nice in them clothes, but I'm just curious."

"I-I," she clears her throat, composing herself as best she can, "I-I svitched pozitions. A-After our... night togeza, I finally realized zat my zisters and I ver not meant to be in ze same vorking room. I gained ze courage to speak against zem zat night, and zats when I spoke to Celescha aftawards. Zea was a need for anaza maidpony, a-and I took ze job as soon as I could!"

"Stellar. How's bein' a maid workin' out for you?"

"Iz sooo match betta zan bein' a spa pony! I do miss being wif za humans, bat dis is match betta overall. I don't have do deal wif my zistas anymoa."

"Glad to hear it. And yeah, I remember your sisters were givin' you quite a lot of shit for some reason."

"Zey do it because I'm ze younga one..."

"Seriously? That's the reason why?" She nods in response to his disapproval. "Damn. I hate to be rude, but yer sisters are kind of, uh..."

"Betchez?"

"Heh, yeah. Bitches. Take pride knowin' you're better than 'em, instead of droppin' to their level. Don't you ever let anyone tell you you're worth less than you really are."

She nods happily, keeping her eyes resting at his feet as the warmth in her heart builds from his words. "... I-It iz veri nice to see yu again. A-Are you... going to be around ze Cantelot for a while--?"

Suddenly, a little bell attached to her chest on her uniform glows with white magic and it rings itself, causing her to jump slightly in realization, "Hoh! Ze breakfast!" She looks up to him, smiling timidly and bowing slightly as she backpedals, "I-I'm sorri, but I mast go now. Otha breakfasts await otha ponies! Please leave ze cart hea when you'a done! Anoza maid vill get it for you!"

"Got'cha. Thanks, Kimi. It was great seein' you again too."

She nods quickly and turns to trot off, but then freezes in place. She turns her head back toward him, calling humbly, "I-I neva got yoa name."

"Crimson," he salutes her with two fingers.

"... Crimsun," she repeats to herself warmly, a smile slowly grows on her face as she makes haste off and away.

Crimson pulls the cart which contains two cloche serving dishes and two glasses of orange liquid, assuming one to be for him and one for Moonlight. He closes the door and turns around--

"Woh!" he recoils, nearly bumping into Moonlight as she was standing incredibly close.

"Who was that?" Moonlight asks curiously.

"One of the Castle's maids. She stopped by to bring breakfast, just like you said. I actually know her, it's crazy bumpin' into her like this."

"Already making friends, are we?" Moonlight asks with a wry smile, using her horn to levitate the serving dishes and the cup with orange liquid onto the closest lab table in the middle.

"Yeah, guess you can say that. She knew yer name too, so I reckon you know her."

"She didn't look familiar," Moonlight shakes her head. "Celestia must have given her my name."

"Ah," Crimson scratches the back of his head, feeling a little pressed by Moonlight's very interested look. "So, uh, what's fer breakfast?"

"Today is Monday, so that would lead me to assume pancakes and eggs."

"Sounds great right about now. Is that orange drink there tangerine juice?"

"Indeed it is."

"Damn. Talk about bein' a favorite."

"Celestia remembers too many things about me."

"Ain't that a good thing?"

"... It's a two-way street," Moonlight takes a stool, prompting Crimson to do the same. They sit down on the lab table as they open up their cloche covers and set them aside.

The aroma of the food tickles Crimson's nose. The syrup used to coat these smiley-face strawberry pancakes with whipped cream smells delectable. He takes the fork and knife that rests on the sides of the food and he digs in.

Moonlight uses her horn to manipulate her utensils, eating very cleanly and regally. It seems that Canterlot etiquette quite hasn't left her yet, even if she had spent many years away from it.

She notices that Crimson is staring at her with a goofy smile as he eats, drawing mild disconcert into her. "... Is... is there something on my face?" she blushes slightly, putting her left hoof onto her cheek.

"Nah, nah, you're fine. Just find it kind'a funny." She tilts her head curiously, allowing him to continue. "You're here knowin' the exact time the maids were gonna show up, and you know your way around the Castle. Not much has changed since you left, huh?"

"I would see no reason to change anything," Moonlight says as she stabs a piece of pancake, "why would the Princess change a system that works?"

"Good point. Don't fix what ain't broke. We're better for it too, so we can get started sooner rather than later. What's the plan today, miss Wish?"

"... Today..." she begins, pondering one last thought before continuing, "... today, I need to ask you a favor."

"Shoot."

"Before anything can get started, I need to rebuild my ANA device. I wasn't able to bring my original with us, and going to retrieve it would take an unnecessary amount of planning with the Royal Consortium to get us a transport carriage booked, so I'm going to remake it, and possibly better this time. The two things lacking for that are the blueprint and maybe the materials. I'm certain I have the materials here in my room, but I still need the blueprint."

"Can't you just whip one up real quick?"

"The ANA's blueprint is an amalgamation of years of planning and pieces. Some of the finer details that make it function I have forgotten. I could try to remake another blueprint from scratch using the major parts that I remember then substitute the things I don't, but that would take too long. It would be preferable if you could fetch me my original plan."

"All the way back on the outskirts of Baltimare? What about all the planning with the Royal whatevers?"

"No-no, here, in the Castle."

"Ah, yeah. I remember Celestia sayin' something about the Robes bein' unable to figure out your blueprint."

"... The Robes?" Moonlight asks incredulously. "That's a term I haven't heard in years. Who taught you that?"

"A guard I met while you 'n Celestia were havin' yer talk. His name's Bulletpoint."

"Oh!" Moonlight smiles, "I remember him." Her smile slowly drops for a squint. "He has a drinking problem."

"If I had his job, I think I'd have one too. So, where can I find the blueprint?"

"In the labs of the Royal Researchers. I'll give you some directions on a piece of paper that you can follow to get there, as well as a few other locations in the Castle that might be useful to you."

"Wait. If the blueprint is in the research labs, why can't you come with me?"

"... Re... Reasons," Moonlight quickly stuffs a piece of pancake into her mouth to avoid speaking further.

Crimson rests his right elbow on the table, leaning his head on his knuckles to look at Moonlight to his left. "Are the reasons for that the same reasons you wore that floppy hood around all day yesterday?"

Moonlight chews on her food slowly, looking down at her plate with a guilty face.

"Moonlight, you're gonna need to show yourself to others at some point. I'm pretty sure half of the Castle already knows you're here."

After swallowing her food, Moonlight huffs, "It's... that..." Crimson raises his brows, waiting for her to continue. Moonlight turns to face him with her ears falling to her head, "Please, just give me a little time to sort myself out."

Crimson nods in understanding, taking the last of his egg into his mouth.

"... A-And could you do me another favor while you're headed to the labs?" He looks at her again as he chews, prompting her to continue. "The Royal Researchers. I, um... i-it's been a while since I've been here, and I don't know if our lineup changed. ... Could... you get the names of the ponies there when you see them?"

Crimson nods again, swallowing his food and gulping down the last of his juice. With a satisfied sigh, he sits up from his stool. "Righty'o. Just hand me them directions and I'll be on my way. You gonna be here at your lonesome while I'm out?"

"I will, but that's okay. I need to get materials situated and measured, so I'll need to be focused." She uses her magic to open a drawer on the lab table and take out a quill, inkwell, and a sheet of paper. "Hopefully they haven't changed the design of the Castle or anything while I was gone," she murmurs as she sketches out the directions to the labs.

‎

---

‎

Venturing through the Castle is easier than he expected it to be. Aside from being constantly stared at and avoided to an extent, the ponies that wander these grandiose halls are aware of his presence, making his life a bit easier. He isn't sure if word spread by Celestia's mouth or by the living chatterbox that is Canterlot's high-society, but he is completely fine with the exposure.

As he walks through a set of archways, he looks up and down from the piece of paper that Moonlight gave him, matching the structures in the doodle to his surroundings. "Looks like the place."

This section of the Castle dedicated to the Royal Researchers is one long hallway with a massive, actively-rotating gyroscope at the end, standing before a long rectangular window that allows sunlight to beam behind it and cast a constantly shifting shadow into the hall. Along the sides of this large hall, several more rooms without any sort of door are placed evenly throughout the left and the right, each room being a lab of its own tasked with a different set of studies and tools.

Crimson doesn't see any of the researchers as of this moment, assuming they're probably inside the rooms doing whatever it is that they do. He pockets Moonlight's sketch and he walks towards the first room on the right, peeking in through the open archway.

He sees a unicorn mare, with pink hair and a yellow coat, sitting by herself at a lab table using her yellow magic to write into a scroll. She looks quite serious, contrasting her very bright and lighthearted appearance. She wears a hooded robe similar to Moonlight's, silver in color rather than dark blue.

Crimson knocks on the frame of the archway to get her attention unobtrusively.

"I already know you're there," she suddenly vocalizes. Her voice sounds very, very condescending, and she speaks very quickly.

Crimson's brows lower, wondering if what she said was directed to him.

As the mare keeps writing, seemingly absorbed in her work, she calls again, "You going to stand there and watch me all day?"

"So you were talkin' to me," Crimson crosses his arms.

"Do you see anypony else around?" she questions sarcastically.

"I ain't botherin' you, am I?"

"Not any more than the extent you already have."

"Good," Crimson retorts passive-aggressively as he walks around a few lab tables, towards the front of the mare. Once he stands before her, he looks down at the scroll she hasn't stopped writing in, then up to her front. Her terribly rude attitude by itself is slightly off-putting, but its amplified by her young and innocent appearance.

Her pink orbs shift up to him quickly, then back down to her scroll as her brows furrow. "What do you want?"

"Your reaction to me is certainly somethin'."

"You will excuse me if I fail to take interest in you."

"I take it you're already familiar with who I am."

"Of course. The whimsical human everypony is talking about."

"What's yer name, miss?"

She stops writing suddenly, squinting at her scroll. Crimson raises his left brow, wondering about her sudden reaction. To his surprise, she lifts her head up to him, eyeing him bitterly. "Why are you bothering me?"

"Cause you were the unfortunate soul who was first seen by my unlikeliness in these here labs, ma'am," Crimson smirks. "I've got a few things to ask you before I can get out of your hair."

"Are you a tourist with privileged access to any part of the Castle? How are you even allowed in the Royal Research labs?"

Crimson shrugs, "the guards outside didn't try stoppin' me when I was comin' in."

The mare sighs through her nose, rolling her eyes before looking back down at her scroll again.

"The sooner you help me, the sooner I leave you alone."

"Why don't you go bother Magnifying Glass instead?" she asks in a mumble, continuing her writing.

"Magnifying Glass? That another researcher?"

"Yes, he is. It would be preferable if you disturbed him instead of me."

"So there's only two of you here?"

She sighs in annoyance, "As of this moment? Yes. That is not speaking for the Minor Scribes that don't have any business in the labs, they patrol the Castle."

"How many Robes are there normally?" She lifts her head again, squinting at him as he says 'Robes.' He becomes aware to the fact that the term 'Robes' might not be the most positive of inflections. "... Or, uh, Royal Researchers. Whatever y'all call 'em."

"There are five of us," she replies, still squinting at him searingly. "Three are currently in the Las Pegasus laboratories performing coequal studies."

"What're their names?"

"The Second-Head Researcher is Mace Collateral. Under him is Running Water, the Head Scribe. Then Lightheart Trot. She's a regular Scribe, just as Magnifying Glass and I."

Crimson nods in acknowledgement. "'N what's yer name?"

"Why do you want to know?" she deflects the question strictly.

"A friend of mine wants to know. You might'a heard of her, she's the Head Researcher."

"... You... You're referring to Moonlight Wish, correct?" she asks, to which he nods affirmingly.

"So you do know her."

"Of course I know her. I used to work for her. She's a very prestigious researcher," the mare states as if Crimson was supposed to know this already.

"Don't that mean they're actually six of you, not just five?"

"That would be the case, if she wasn't officially marked for relief."

Crimson's brows furrow as he presses his knuckles on the lab table, leaning closer to her. "... What does that mean?"

"To summarize a painfully long story into a single sentence: It was believed Moonlight Wish committed suicide, thus leaving her position as Head Researcher available."

"The fuck?" Crimson squints.

"Your reaction and previous statement lead me to assume that is not the case."

"Of course it fuckin' isn't, why would a person like Moonlight kill herself? What brain-dead moron conjured such a stupid fuckin' tale?"

"The origins of the rumor are unclear, it has been circulating for nearly three years now. I always found it preposterous as well. It would be very unlike her."

Crimson rubs his chin, throwing the ideas presented to him around in his head. He isn't sure if Celestia or Moonlight herself are aware about this, but he's making it a point to relay it to them for clarification soon. She is right, Moonlight doesn't come off as the type of pony that would move to hurt herself, much less end her own life.

But he realizes that there's always the possibility that he's wrong. There's too much he doesn't know for him to be jumping to conclusions, but at least from what he's seen, she doesn't have any self-destructive tendencies.

Pushing aside his rise in temper from the outlandish rumor, he is grateful that this seemingly fussy and angry mare he's talking to has been nice enough to answer his questions.

Just as soon as she drops her gaze back to her scroll to finally continue writing, Crimson speaks up again, causing her to sigh irately. "Right, well, thanks for the info. I'll be out of your hair now... miss..." he leans his head towards her, prompting her to tell him her name. She only lifts her sharp eyes to look at him without uttering a word. "... I do believe this's the part where you tell me yer name."

"I will not."

"What's wrong with me knowin' yer name? It's not like I can use it to hurt you."

Her muzzle scrunches as she returns her gaze to the scroll.

"... You don't like yer name? Think it's embarrassing or somethin'?"

"I am not going to tell you my name, and that is final. You can leave now."

For a gritty and stern mare like her, this is certainly a sensitive spot. Bad move for her, revealing that she's got an insecurity under all of that angry frowning. It only makes toying with her that much easier. So, with a grin, Crimson sits up from the lab table and coos, "Anythin' for my bubblegum-colored dame. ... Hmn. Think I'll call you Lil' Miss Bubblegum. That's got a nice ring, don't it? You aren't married right? It'd be Misses Bubblegum in that case--"

"No," she interjects harshly.

"Ah, I see. Single then. It'd be Miss Bubblegum."

"Do not call me that."

He shrugs theatrically, "I ain't got another way to refer to you, Miss Bubblegum."

"Mr, hrrh," her head lowers as she grumbles her anger out. "... Just... leave. Now."

"Yeah, yeah, f'course! I'll be on my way. Do know I'm grateful for your help, and... apologies for havin' taken up yer time... Miss Bubblegum," he chuckles and makes his way towards the archway. The pink-maned mare keeps her dilated, burning eyes fixed on him as he moves to leave. Once Crimson exits the lab and steps out into the hallway, he steps right in front of another pony who was about to walk towards the same room he just came out of.

A unicorn stallion with a silver coat and blue silver-streaked hair is standing in place, staring up at Crimson in awe. He's wearing the same hooded robe as the other mare, except light blue in color.

"Huh?" the stallion suddenly murmurs, despite no-one having said anything.

"I take it you're Magnifyin' Glass."

"Huh? Uuh," he stammers, shifting his eyes left and right small distances. "... Uh, I, yes! Yes. That's, uh, that's... that's me! Wow! You're the human!"

"Name's Crimson. Just got done talkin' to yer friend over there, she told me yer name."

"Oh--oh, I heard. I was, uh, uhm... listening in on you two. After I heard talking coming from her lab, I just... just had to see what the commotion was. You, um, uh... were really making her angry."

"Yeah, I was. Gotta kick outta her."

"I would--would never do something like that, she's... she's scary."

"Bubblegum? You think she's scary?" he asks, getting a nod from Glass. "More adorable than anythin'."

"Don't--Don't let her hear you say that!"

"I SWEAR THAT I WILL COME OUT THERE!" the mare yells furiously from the inside of her lab. "GO AWAY!"

Glass's eyes shoot open as he stammers away, running towards the middle lab room on the other side of the hallway and shuddering inside. Crimson rolls his eyes and walks towards the same room, standing at the archway as he sees the stallion hiding behind a lab desk. They eye each other, with Crimson giving Glass's trembling look a very unimpressed stare.

After giving Glass a minute to cower in fear, he finally comes up from his hiding and clears his throat. "S-Sorry. She, um, she... she scares me."

"Yeah, I see that."

"Any--Anyway, what brings the talk of the city to--to the Royal Research labs?" he chuckles nervously.

"I'm here to fetch the blueprint for the ANA device."

"The ANA device?" he pauses briefly, scanning the ground before looking back up to the man, "... The one Moonlight Wish made?"

"That's the one."

"Why? Even the Second-Head Researcher couldn't figure out how to ah-assemble it. It--It's not like you're going to use it for anything. Are you?"

"Not me, but the maker herself is."

"Wuh-huh!?" his eyes dilate in shock, "What!? Muh-Moonlight is!?"

"Yeah?"

"Does--Does that mean she's HERE!? At the CASTLE!?"

"Yeah. Thought you said you were eavesdroppin' on me 'n Bubblegum's conversation."

"Only the latter part of it!"

"Hm. I thought lots of folks already knew she was here."

"N-No! No, no, not at all! I had no idea! All I've ever heard about is you!"

Crimson scratches the back of his head, realizing that he might have just blown Moonlight's cover in some way. "I, uh... yeah. Don't go around tellin' anyone about that, alright? She's takin' time to herself right now, she'll be the one to let others know she's here, not you or me."

"Er-ehhr," Glass stammers, nearly choking on his own saliva, "ye-yeah! Sure! No problem at all! I won't say a word!" His eyes look up to the ceiling, glistening with some sort of emotion mixed between shock and adore. "Wow! Moonlight's back! That's--That's... that's great news! Eh-uh, t-tell her I said hi, would you?"

"Yeah, will do. Now, about that blueprint."

"Hoh! Oh--Oh, sure! It's in Second-Head Collateral's office! In a file in his desk! Come with me! I'll get it for you!"

Crimson nods in appreciation, following behind him as he leads him to his objective.

‎

---

‎

With the blueprint in a manila folder and an uneventful trek back to the Eastern Tower first floor, Crimson opens the right door to Moonlight's room, startling the little mare as she was tilting a beaker to pour green liquid into another.

"Pardon, didn't mean to startle you none," he excuses himself as he steps in and closes the door.

"I-It's okay, I didn't expect you to be back so soon. I see you have the blueprint."

He holds up the folder as he walks towards her at the middle lab table, holding it out for her to take it.

She envelops it with her magic, floating it to herself and opening it up. "Perfect. Now I just need to organize my materials, then I can get started with remaking my ANA device."

Crimson looks at the chemistry flasks she has set up on her table, which contain a myriad of liquids and bubbling substances. "Are these here meant for the ANA device?" he asks, receiving a verbalized affirmation. "... Looks more like potions 'n tonics than workin' on an electrical box."

"The ANA device is magically powered. It also detects magic using its own magical properties. In essence, it's a magic box, not an electrical one."

"Ah. That explains why I didn't see it plugged into nothin' back at yer house. The lamps 'n stuff were, just not the box."

"Mhm! The electrical components are the dials, but it's a very simple circuit that powers itself using magic also."

"You make it sound so easy, but I heard the Second-Head Researcher had a hard time."

"The Second-Head? ... Oh! That reminds me!" Moonlight smiles as she gazes up at him, looking quite anxious all of a sudden. "Did you get the names of the researchers currently in position?"

"Ah, yeah. I got their names. You aware that like half the team's out right now? In 'Las Pegasus' doin' whatever it is they're doin'?"

"The team must have entered division procedures, since the magical anomalies are present in wide-spread Equestria."

"Ah, so y'all are coverin' more ground."

"Precisely. Now, could you inform me of their names?"

"Mmn," Crimson rubs his left brow, "Forgot to mention that I got their names except fer one."

"Except for one...?" her ears drop to her head as she slowly begins to frown.

"Yeah. It was some mare, pink and yellow. She didn't wanna give me her name."

"Oh. A mare?"

"Yuppers. I got the names of everyone else though." It looks like the weight that previously pressed her was lifted off, along with her posture brightening itself. He smiles at her relief, crossing his arms as he recalls the names he was told. "First was Second-Head Mace Collateral."

"I knew he'd make it as Second-Head," she beams. "An older gentlecolt, but he is very wise and intuitive. He was here many years before I became a Royal Researcher!"

"And you somehow beat him to the top spot?"

"... Eheh," her posture deflates again. "... H-He wasn't very happy about that. Even I think he deserved it more than I did."

"Bull. Celestia picked you, right?" he asks, and she nods to his claim. "There you go. She saw somethin' in you that she didn't see in anyone else."

"... That's one way to look at it, I suppose." She adjusts her glasses and clears her throat before moving on, "And the other names?"

"Right. Next was Running Water."

"He's mister Collateral's right-hoof. I'm sure he's taken Collateral's old position as Head Scribe by now."

"Sure has, which sets us at the regular scribes. Lightheart Trot was one of 'em."

"Mm, I'm not familiar with her," Moonlight muses as she taps her cheek. "She must be new."

"Then there was that mare who didn't want to tell me her name."

"Pink and yellow? Pink mane and yellow coat, correct?"

"That's the one."

"She always was self-conscious about the silliest things... kind of like me, in a way."

"I'm sure you two got along real well."

"I'm not certain if she enjoyed my company, but I certainly enjoyed hers, and her work ethic. She's a very straightforward pony."

"I'll bet. What's her name, anyway?"

"We always called her Swirl. She said it was the closest approximation to her real name that didn't make her want to 'assassinate her parents.' Of course, she was joking about assassinating her parents. ... Well, at least we assume she is. I believe she has yet to do it, since she still has her job and isn't in the Canterlot dungeon."

"Swirl, huh?" Crimson repeats thoughtfully, to which Moonlight nods affirmingly. "Strange. That name don't sound anythin' to be embarrassed about. It's kinda cute."

"Cute," Moonlight echoes, entering visible contemplation. "... So you... think she's cute?"

"In her own way, yeah. Her attitude might need a little adjustin', though. Anyways, the last fella on the team's named Magnifying Glass."

Moonlight's musing expression suddenly lights up. "Magnifying Glass?"

"Mhm. Told me to tell you he said 'hi.'"

"... He knows I'm here?"

"Yeah, uh, about that... I might have let it slip that you're here in Canterlot to him." Moonlight's eyes shimmer as he speaks, seeming like she isn't actually paying attention to what he's saying. "But at least he said he wasn't gonna tell no one that you're here. Hopefully he's a guy who keeps to his word."

Crimson notices the starstruck expression she has on, getting the hint that he might be talking to a wall right now. She twiddles the left lock of her mane with her hoof, puckering her lips as she lets her mind trail off.

"Moonlight?" he waves his hand in front of her face, garnering her attention once more. "Moonlight? There somethin' I need to know about this Magnifying Glass fella?"

"... Um," she shuffles in her stool, looking down at her hooves timidly.

"I'm all ears, Moonlight. If you've got somethin' you wanna talk about, I'll rightfully listen."

After a bit of internal debate, she looks up at him, "... You... won't tell anypony about this, will you?"

"Swear on my life that I'll keep my trap shut."

With another brief silence and a sigh, she leans closer to him and speaks softly, "He, um... Magnifying Glass. Do you remember me telling you I used to write to my pen-pals?"

"Yeah, I remember that. Figure he was one of 'em?"

"H-He was," she nods repeatedly, "among several others of course, but he was one of them. He, um... um..." Her bashfulness slowly overtakes her courage to speak, but luckily Crimson seems to catch the drift.

"I'm ripe to assume you 'n him had a little... connection?" Moonlight nods wryly to his supposition. "... Well, hot damn," he smirks at the shy unicorn, "Little Lighty's got a love interest."

"I-I wouldn't... I wouldn't call it a love interest, merely an... interest for... associating?" she smiles wryly.

Crimson crosses his arms, smiling at her goofy-like, "So yeah, a love interest." His smile is slow to waver, but with the sight of Moonlight's growing dejection, his front eventually changes to seriousness. "What's wrong, Moonlight?"

She doesn't immediately respond, leaving a thick tension in the air as she slowly reels in her thoughts. "... It's... nothing. Just... that part of me is being loud again."

"'N what is that part of you sayin'?"

"... It's saying I'm going to screw everything up if I try anything."

Crimson steps closer to her, standing at her side and coupling her against him. She takes the embrace, resting the side of her head against his waist and sighing despondently. He uses his left hand to gently caress her mane, keeping his face fixated forward onto nothing. "You're nothing short of a working miracle, Moonlight. I'm positive you won't mess anythin' up." A small smile grows across his face, thinking back at the strange, spastic demeanor Magnifying Glass had. "Hmh. If anythin', he's gonna need to be the careful one. Guy looked like he lives in constant whiplash."

Moonlight exhales sharply through her nose, smiling at his prodding. "He is a little strange, I'll agree. But he was very kind and helpful when I first joined the Royal Researchers. He was there two years before me, and he helped me get adjusted to everything. He is a genuinely nice pony, and... well... he..." Moonlight snuggles her head closer to his side, feeling a deep warmth emanating from his embrace, enough to give her courage to continue, "... he confessed to me years ago that he had feelings for me. Unfortunately... some things... didn't go quite according to plan. I had to leave Canterlot... but I'm glad he stayed in touch with me, despite everything I did."

"What happened that caused you to leave Canterlot?" Crimson looks down at her void-gazing eyes.

"... It's... a long story," she sighs as she leans off of his side, prompting him to stop his caressing and let go of her. "I'll tell you all about it some other time. For right now, I need to get started on these projects."

"Yeah, I get'cha," Crimson acknowledges, walking along the lab table to stand across Moonlight. He thinks back on a certain subject, one he swore he'd try to get clarified with Moonlight, but... maybe it isn't the best time to bring up negative conversation. Instead, he looks back at her with a small smile, "I was thinkin' about explorin' the Castle for a while. You don't mind if I leave you to yer lonesome for a bit?"

"N-Not at all!" she smiles encouragingly at him. "In fact, it would be preferable if you did. I really need to focus all of my attention on my blueprint, and I don't want you sitting here doing nothing bored out of your mind. Plus, getting to know your surroundings could never hurt!"

"Yeah, that's what I was thinkin'," he states, walking towards the doors to her room. "Righty-o, I'll be back soon."

Moonlight waves at him with her hoof, smiling as she watches him open one of the doors and step out. Once he closes it and she's left to her lonesome, she inhales deeply, letting her smile drop for solemnness. She looks down at the blueprint on the lab desk, preparing herself mentally for the task ahead.

Next Chapter: The Guard Estimated time remaining: 25 Hours, 40 Minutes