Morning couldn't come any faster. Following yesterday's events, Emerald was distraught. So distraught that he didn't catch a wink of sleep. Nor did he get out of bed for his usual run. He just lay there, staring at the blank ceiling, processing everything that happened. The guard was dreading what might happen, given today was supposed to be his last day as per the agreement of the deal he made with his buddy. Thought, after yesterday's events, how could he suddenly just up and leave Twilight? Disappearing like a one-night stand and never seeing her was out of the question because she might tell Princess Celestia about him, and that was not the kind of recognition he wanted.

The unicorn just wished he could spend all day in here. He didn't know how, but the guard pulled himself out of bed. Emerald still had a job to do, and as his sense of duty, he had to see it through. The stallion looked at himself in the mirror as he was about to wear his armor when he received a scroll. The object magically appeared in front of him before dropping into his hands. The guard was hesitant about opening it as he feared that Twilight might have already told on him, and this message was from the princess. It seemed the guard better start enjoying his last moments, as he would either be fired or banished.

With a hesitant sigh, Emerald unfurled the scroll. His eyes looked first at the writing before he began reading it. To his surprise, it wasn't a letter from the ruler of Equestria, but rather a letter from the studious mare. It wasn't a letter that said she would tell on him to her mentor but rather asked him to come over to the tower as she wanted to have a conversation. There wasn't much detail regarding the conversation, but the guard could figure out what she wanted to discuss. However, the mare only requested that the guard come in casual clothing. It did raise an eyebrow for Emerald, but that was the least of his worries.

After rummaging about his closet, the guard managed to find something suitable. The unicorn wore an unzipped hoodie, which was colored black, with silver pauldron-like additions to his sleeve and white lining. His undershirt was navy blue with a red patch in the center. His pants, similar to chaps, colored black on the outside and navy blue on the inside, lined with silver-white edging. His pants were held together with a dark blue belt and silver belt buckle. The pants also had a red pocket.

"Well, here goes nothing," said Emerald, taking one final look at himself in the mirror.

He adjusted his mane before heading out the door. Even the walk felt a bit heavier than usual as the guard felt like he was approaching the gates of Tartarus. The stallion arrived at his destination as the tall tower lay before him. Emerald approached the door as he jiggled the knob and was left open; the door swung with a creak as if to signal the awaiting punishment at the top of the stairs. With no turning back, the unicorn stepped inside and closed the door behind him with a thud.

---

Each step up was a constant reminder in Emerald's mind. He soon reached the top of the stairs as he came into the room. The guard looked about as he immediately spotted the studious mare; Twilight had been waiting for the guard since sending her message as she sat at a table in the middle of her room. The lavender mare had a straight expression with her arms crossed as Emerald sat on the opposite side of the table. Neither said anything, or rather, Emerald was hesitant as he knew Twilight was in firm control of his future.

Safe to say, the silence was deadly. The young guard didn't know what to do. He didn't know if he should remain quiet and wait for Twilight to speak or be begging on his knees before the studious mare and pleading for her not to inform the princess about their activity from yesterday. And the cold, hard look he was getting from her didn't make him more comfortable. The pair continued to sit silently for quite a while; the only sound was Emerald tapping his right foot as it kept in time with his beating heart. Sweat rolled down his face as Twilight kept her harsh expression.

"So... listen," said Emerald as he finally broke the silence between the two. "I just want to say that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what transpired yesterday, and I fully overstepped my boundaries. I understand if you feel the right to inform the princess and tell her how I uncomfortably violated you. Now I know that saying sorry isn't going to take back what happened. But maybe we could... I don't know, bury the hatchet and continue with our lives. We could forget everything that happened; you won't ever have to see it again after today. Deal?"

Twilight took in the apology that the guard gave her. She didn't show it due to her blank expression but was lulling over what had happened between them the prior day. As she finally spoke, the mare kept her gaze on the unicorn before her.

"No."

Emerald gasped upon hearing Twilight's answer. He got even more afraid when he noticed the mare standing up.

"No. I won't agree to that deal," said Twilight, putting her arms behind her back and walking along the table toward the guard. "You were right. What you did overstepped some boundaries. And I could report you to my mentor and let her deal with this. Or I could report you to your superior office and let them figure out what punishment to give you."

Twilight was leaning back as her hands were placed on the table; she kept looking at Emerald from the side. The guard figured that the mare wouldn't accept his attempt at a peace treaty as he began to prepare to pack his stuff up and disappear mentally.

"However... I'm not going to do that. Instead, I have something else in mind."

"Huh?"

The young mare once again took aback Emerald's attention before him.

"With what happened between us, it set off something. It's something I can't fully describe, but... I want to understand what it is. So that's why I'm conducting a little independent study."

"Independent study?" said Emerald as Twilight flicked her finger to make a clipboard appear, as on it were some papers.

The mare also made some glasses appear and put them on; despite having clear 20-20 vision, she felt they added to the look and made her feel even smarter. Emerald was already having an effect as he admitted the mare with glasses made her look a bit cuter. That thought ceased when the clipboard was presented before him as it hit the table.

"This here is a contract that I wrote myself. It states that not only will you help me with my independent study, but also be the focal point of it. Since you want to avoid any trouble, this is the best way to do that while also helping me understand this phenomenon." stated Twilight as she made a quill appear. "Feel free to sign."

Emerald glanced over the contract and was amazed that the studious mare, no younger than him, could create such an elaborate piece of work. It seemed like something a professional lawyer or delegate would have made as it highlighted how smart Twilight was and what a bright future she could have if she went into politics. The unicorn gave a skim through the different pages as most of it was standard boring, useless information that didn't mean shit in any regard. However, he did notice three clauses on the front of the contract that pertained to the subject, which he figured meant him.

"Before I do anything, care to elaborate on what these mean?" asked Emerald as he pointed to the three clauses.

"Very well," said Twilight as she jiggled her glasses before leaning over and explaining to her subject. "These clauses are in place to ensure you fulfill your requirement during the independent study. Think of it as your regular duties as a guard. Failure to do so, and well... there are consequences."

"That I get," stated Emerald as Twilight pointed to the first clause.

"The first clause states that by committing to being a part of the study, you are to follow any request that I have when experimenting with no to little rebuttal. Failure to do so and you'll be reported to the necessary authority," said Twilight. "Sign here."

Emerald looked to where Twilight pointed her finger as he grabbed the quill offered by the studious mare. He then brought the point to the paper as he signed it with his name.

"Okay, clause #2. By agreeing to the first clause, you will follow my orders, and when I say I want something from you, you will do it. In turn, this affects the second statement, which means you are required to perform whenever the experiment takes place. If I ask you to perform one of my experiments someplace that's not private, then you must do it. In addition, all experiments will be conducted here, in the tower, for privacy and comfortableness until otherwise stated." explained Twilight as she pointed to another dotted line. "Sign here as well."

Emerald understood as he wrote down his signature once more. The guard then looked at the final clause of the contract as he read it but couldn't make heads or tails about it.

"And just sign this; don't worry about it," said Twilight rather quickly as if to brush over that part.

"Hold on. What is that clause?" asked Emerald.

"Nothing," said Twilight as she turned her back to her subject and firmly held the clipboard.

"If you want a subject, then I'm entitled to know what the hell I'm signing!" Emerald demanded the studious mare tell him what the final clause meant.

Twilight signed as she put her arms down. The mare turned to face the guard.

"The final clause states that when the study comes to a close. Both parties acknowledge each other and vow never to speak of it to anybody."

"Well, let me ask you this: how long do you intend for this study to be?" asked Emerald, as he only had a certain amount of time of being assigned to the mare.

"As long as it takes," responded Twilight.

Emerald let out a deep breath. After hearing that, he had more thoughts plague his mind. The guard was aware that the mare knew he was just her protector till the end of the moon. However, she was unaware of Emerald's deal with his buddy, Onyx, about his last day as he was promised a chance to change positions. Now, that was before all of this happened. And given he had already signed most of the contract, Emerald's sense of duty compelled him to go through with it. He could tell Onyx tonight that he'd remain on the job of being Twilight's guard; he could devise an excuse and delay it until the end of the moon. But after that... well...

"Very well," stated Emerald.

Twilight seemed to smile at the guard after hearing him compile. She then presented him with the clipboard as the guard signed the last dotted lines. The studious mare looked at the clipboard to make sure everything was in order as she smiled and used her magic to teleport it away along with the quill in Emerald's hand.

"So... what now?" asked Emerald, unsure what to do.

"Now..." said Twilight as she took off her glasses that she didn't need and placed them on the table. "I start with a hypothesis."

"Huh?" said the stallion, confused by what the mare meant.

The mare approached the guard, and she grabbed his shirt with both hands to pull him in close. Before Emerald could respond, Twilight pressed her lips to his. The stallion was caught off guard by the mare's sudden action as he had no clue what this had to do with the independent study she mentioned. The kiss didn't last long as Twilight pulled back and released her hold of the guard. Emerald looked at the mare as he finally got his bearings straight; Twilight took a step back and brought a hand up to her chin as she observed her subject.

"How do you feel?" asked Twilight.

"Um, confused." was all Emerald said.

"How do you feel... inside?" clarified the mare.

"Inside? Um, well, I... I-I don't know. I'm still trying to process what you just did."

"Interesting," muttered Twilight as she made clipboard and quill appear; the studious unicorn held them in her magic as she began to record her findings. "Entry Log #1. Upon executing the hypothesis, the subject does not emit the same feeling as before. Rather confused, stunned. Perhaps something is needed to ignite the same feeling as in the library. Further testing is required."

The mare talked outloud as she wrote down what she was saying. Emerald heard all this and tried to understand what Twilight was saying as he wondered what kissing him suddenly had to do with the study. The small exchange between the two ponies felt different compared to the incident in the library. He couldn't exactly put it into words, but it felt... nice yesterday when they kissed like silk pajamas hugging you as you lay on a soft bed. It was like the sun beating down on a cold, lonely place and giving warmth to a surviving flower as it bloomed and soaked in the rays. This time, the small peck they shared felt... empty. Like... there was no meaning or nothing behind it. Emerald wondered why that was.

"Alright. Follow me," said Twilight, levitating her quill and clipboard. The mare grabbed her glasses she didn't need and put them on as she walked away.

Emerald followed the mare as they came to a bookshelf. Twilight reached a hand up and grabbed a book to pull it out. The book retracted back into place as the entire shelf began to move to the side. The guard was surprised to see that as Twilight began walking down some stairs. The stallion finally got that amazing trick out of his mind as he began to follow suit. The small flight of stairs led to a secret room. Inside a lab that Twilight had set up personally to conduct many experiments.

"Figures you'd have your own lab," said Emerald as he first saw the massive area full of equipment.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Twilight from the bottom of the stairs as she glared back at the guard.

"N-Nothing. I just meant that since you're the pupil to the princess, it means you must have some pull to get things that you want," said Emerald.

"Hmm," the lavender unicorn said as she approached a machine.

Emerald reached the bottom of the stairs as he looked about. Twilight used her magic to pull a lever. The wall behind Emerald began to change as it was revealed to be a set of panels; when they pulled back, there was a massive window. The guard approached the window as he placed his hands on the glass. He looked out to see Canterlot, thinking he could see his quarters from up here. The guard quickly looked down as it registered in his mind just how high up they were. What looked like two tiny dots or ants were other ponies going about their day, not knowing that Emerald was looking down at them from the tower.

"It's a nice view. From up here, you can see everything, but nobody can see you from down there," stated Twilight as she finished firing up a machine as it whirred.

"Cool," said Emerald, still enjoying the view.

"Put this on!" stated the studious mare as she slapped some sensor to Emerald's forehead.

"Uh."

"Don't touch it!" said Twilight as she had to recalibrate the machine.

The sensor took in information about the stallion as it sent the data to the machine. Twilight saw it as she made the correct calibrations with her hands while she had her horn lit up to record the data and observations she made from looking at it. Emerald's horn then lit up with a green aura as it seemed his magic was responding to the sensor the mare placed on him. A small, tingly feeling flowed through the guard's body as Twilight finished her calibrations. The sensor was removed from his forehead and floated over to Twilight as she stepped back from the machine with something in her hand.

"Now, wear this," stated the mare.

"Okay, what's this?" said Emerald as he didn't like the mare just asking him to try things without an explanation.

"Ah, remember the contract. Clause #1. Whatever I said for you to do, you do it with little to no rebuttal." stated Twilight.

"I get that. But can you at least provide me with some explanation? For all I know, that device could be some hypnotic helmet that'll put me in a trance. And then you'll command me to be at your beck and call, and then you'll ask for me to overthrow the princess so you can rule Equestria." stated Emerald.

"Hypnotic helmet? What are you talking about?" said Twilight as she felt what the stallion said to her was nonsense and jibberish.

"I read some science fiction in the library yesterday," stated Emerald.

"Ugh. That poor excuse for reading material. That's laughable. True science is hardcore facts and data. Hypothesis, experiments, and calculated numbers can allow you to arrive at a definitive and definite answer." stated Twilight as she felt disgusted about having this talk with Emerald since she was a hater of that genre of reading that tried to present itself as significant.

"Gees, I didn't know you feel strongly about it," said Emerald.

"It disgusts me! You'll never see me caught dead reading one of those romanticized novels of science," scoffed Twilight. "But anyways, this isn't a hypnotic helmet like you mentioned; it's simply a way for me to monitor your brainwaves."

The mare placed the helmet on Emerald as it fit comfortably on the unicorn's head.

"This will allow me to track and record the needed data. Along with some other stuff. Now then, flip the switch on the side." instructed Twilight. Emerald brought a hand up to feel for the switch; he found it and did as the studious mare instructed. "Excellent, now follow me."

Emerald followed Twilight as they approached a treadmill. The mare used magic to remove Emerald's unzipped hoodie and place it on a nearby table. She lifted his shirt and attached some sensors to his chest as they transmitted data. The mare glanced at the guard's abs once more as they were still as she imagined from yesterday's session. She didn't let the guard see her ogling his body as she put his shirt down and walked to a nearby desk.

"So what am I doing now?" asked Emerald.

"Now, we're going to move on to some trials. Nothing special, just enough to test your strength, stamina, endurance, and other physical conditions," stated Twilight as she began to grab a nearby lab coat and slipped it on as she now tied her long hair back into a bun.

The mare turned out as she was now dressed like a scientist. A rather attractive and sexy scientist as those thoughts ran through Emerald's mind. The guard tried to put those thoughts away, but it was rather hard not to imagine that with how Twilight dressed. Though he didn't know it, what he was thinking was turning into data points as the helmet picked up on that. The information was being sent to the machine as it began to record some data for Twilight to look at later. The mare then began to approach her subject as Emerald regained his composure.

"Alright, let's begin," said the mare as she started up the treadmill.

The thing began to move as Emerald found his legs moving slowly. The stallion treated this like a normal visit to the gym as he began to pace himself even during the slow walking. Twilight upped the speed after a few minutes of looking at the guard and seeing the data being sent by the sensors under his shirt. The slow walk turned into a brisk powerwalk as Emerald felt it and adjusted his breathing to compensate for the sudden speed. Once again, after some time passed, Twilight upped the speed even more as it now forced Emerald into transition into a light jog. The royal guard had paced his breathing from the beginning as he was prepared for when Twilight changed the speed as he focused on his technique and breathing.

The studious mare noticed the concentrated look on Emerald's face as she recorded it on her clipboard. See peaked at the machine behind her to see the data it gave her as she wrote it down. The lavender unicorn then upped the speed on the treadmill as the guard changed from a light jog to a light run. This process and experiment kept going as Twilight recorded every bit of detail.

Emerald was reaching the end of his limit as he was now in a full-on sprint. To his surprise and Twilight's, this experiment lasted about 30 minutes. Both were amazed that the stallion had this much stamina and energy as he was reaching near the top speed of some of the fastest unicorns. However, he could feel his momentum slowing down and energy starting to run out fast.

"Come on. Just a little more!" said Twilight as she shouted out words of encouragement to her test subject to push. "You're almost done!"

Emerald looked up as his arms rested on the treadmill's handles, and his legs were still kicking. The stallion felt like he could drop any second, but his determination and will told him not to give up and push for the last bit. With that thought locked in, Emerald began to power through the final stretches of the exercise. Twilight noticed that sudden brainwave patterns were being recorded as she looked at Emerald to confirm that whatever motivation he was using to push through was showing.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

Emerald was taking deep breaths as he could hear the countdown to signal when it would be over.

"Seven, six, five..."

The stallion used some motivated words from his training Sergeant from back at boot camp to not quit and keep going.

"Four, three, two, one!"

Twilight shut off the treadmill as Emerald was never more relieved to hear a countdown. The treadmill began to slow down as Emerald's legs began to follow suit. While proud he didn't give up in front of the mare; the stallion soon felt the effects of pushing himself. His legs wobbled as he felt some pain in them. The unicorn let the treadmill carry him as he fell to the floor and ignored the thud because his legs were too painful to feel.

Twilight was off to the side, jotting down some final observations as she looked at the machine the treadmill was hooked up to. She wrote down the data before using magic to grab a breaker from a nearby table. Emerald was spread out on the floor like a starfish, struggling to regain his breath and intake some air. A shadow loomed over him as Twilight bent down, removed the sensors from his shirt, and held them briefly in her magic as she grabbed the beaker with her hands.

"Here," stated the mare as she handed the beaker to Emerald.

The stallion extended a hand out to take the object from the mare. He struggled to sit up as the pain from his legs coursed through and affected his mind. Once seated, the stallion looked at the beaker with the mysterious and colorful liquid. Normally, he would question something that didn't look like something from a lab. But at this point, he was too tired to think logically as he brought the beaker to his lips and began to down the liquid.

"So, how does it taste?" asked Twilight as she stood with her clipboard.

"It's not as bad as I thought it was gonna be. It tastes like... blueberry creamed soda. I don't know. Ug," said Emerald as he didn't hate the taste per se but found it odd as there was just a hint of aftertaste.

"Okay, and how do you feel?" asked Twilight as she wrote down Emerald's response.

"I feel... energized. Rejoivenated even. Like all the energy that I had is now back." stated Emerald as he stood up, and to his surprise, the pain he felt in his legs was gone. In fact, he was full of vitality and spirit as he didn't look like he'd gone thirty minutes of nonstop running. "I feel like going another round or even taking on Equestria's toughest foes."

"Vitality potion, success. The subject has fully restored his energy levels and shows no sign of fatigue. Though, the taste is rather questionable." said Twilight as she looked at the small device in her hand and pointed it at Emerald, who was flexing his muscles. The device registered the stallion's levels, giving the studious mare an interesting detail. "Discovery: It seems the subject has not only restored himself, but the potion gives a bit of extra drive to the person. Initially serving as backup storage for energy. Will test that in future experiments. Could prove useful for some more rigorous testing."

The mare detailed her findings as she approached Emerald, who was examining himself when the studious unicorn approached him. Twilight put back on the sensors to Emerald's body as they went to another section of the room to conduct more experiments.

---

One by one, Emerald ran test after test. And each time, Twilight was recording her observation and data being received by the stallion. At this point, the guard had removed his shirt, and Twilight couldn't help but look at it. The mare tried not to taunt her data with her wild fantasies and watchful gaze, but it proved a bit difficult as the sweat from Emerald rolled down his body while doing some situps.

Focus, Twilight. Don't taint science!

The mare tried to tell her inner self not to get distracted by the stallion doing her tests, which proved difficult. Emerald reached the final set of his exercise as his midsection ached. Twilight handed him another beaker full of the energized potion, and within seconds, Emerald was back to his old self. Twilight wrote down what she needed as she used her magic to transform a nearby table into a bench press.

"I'm sure you know what to do with this," said Twilight.

Emerald politely nodded as he approached the bench. He sat on the edge as he laid back and was positioned under the bar. The stallion placed his hands on the metal bar as he could already indicate the weight. Despite knowing he could handle it, the stallion knew that if he didn't hold it properly, it could slam down on him for serious damage. Taking a deep breath, Emerald grabbed the bar, removed it from the resting place, and moved it above him as he began to do some sets. The guard kept steady breathing and an eye on the bar, knowing he didn't want to pull a muscle or tear something.

The young stallion had a horrible experience of suffering a torn pec during his younger years in cadet school. Onyx was with him that day when he suffered an injury that affected him. Thankfully, the surgery proved successful, as Emerald could continue his training as a royal guard, but he couldn't do any physical lifting for several moons. And it was even longer before he was back to his old self. Being young when it happened had its perks, as Emerald's body could heal itself from the scarring injury rather quickly. But he knew that even though he wasn't much older than when he first suffered, he didn't want to risk it.

Twilight eyed her subject as the stallion focused on his breathing and balancing the beam. She sat on a table with her legs crossed as the mare titled her glasses. The lavender unicorn was studying Emerald's form as she noticed him slightly tense. Probably from an experience that involved bench pressing, but regardless, he was doing pretty well. Yet, her mind did wonder as she eyed the muscles along the stallion's body. She didn't know why, but seeing that and sweat glistening down made her body react. In a way, she couldn't describe it, but she found her nether regions slowly getting a bit damp. The mare tried her hardest to focus and remember this was all in the name of science and her independent study project.

In the end, Emerald bench-pressed an impressive number of sets, as he called it. The stallion placed the bar gently back on the rack as he let out a deep breath and sat up. His arms ached as he opened and closed his hand to relieve some of the tension and crack his muscles. Once more, Twilight approached the stallion and gave him one final energy tonic.

"Great work," said the mare as she used her magic to remove the sensors from Emerald's body as they were all done testing for the day.

Emerald downed the elixir as it reenergized his systems. The stallion stood up and cracked his head as he set the beaker down on the table that had his shirt.

"That's all the testing for today," said Twilight as she had her back turned to her subject and was writing down some final observations.

"Great, so. What do I do now?" asked Emerald as he grabbed his shirt and held it.

"Now... there's one final thing," said Twilight as she removed her useless glasses.

The scholar turned and approached the stallion as she grabbed his shirt and set it back on the table behind him. Emerald was confused until Twilight grabbed his face with both hands and pulled him into a kiss as she closed her eyes. The stallion followed suit as his hands slowly were placed on her hips. Twilight's arms then moved to wrap around the back of Emerald's head as she moaned into her mouth.

The mare wanted to see if this kiss was any different than the one they started way back at the beginning. And it was. Compared to the initial one, it was hollow and empty. It lacked something. But here. This one. It was full of passion and warmth. The two ponies could also feel it as one of Emerald's hands lifted into Twilight's hair and undid the bun she wore as her hair fell majestically past her shoulder like a gentle waterfall. They soon opened their mouths and allowed their tongues to reconnect.

The passion between the two ponies was there as they explored each other's mouths. They broke apart for a second as a single strand of saliva connected their lips. Immediately, Emerald dived in for another kiss as Twilight's hands began to move down and feel Emerald's muscles along his arms, chest, and abs. As for the guard, he removed his mouth from Twilight's and kissed her jawline and cheek before moving to her neck. The studious mare kept a hand on his head as he delivered a row of kisses along her neck as she moaned. Emerald's right hand moved downward from Twilight's waist to her leg as he rubbed her thigh before forcefully grabbing, and pulling it up. The mare felt it as she yelped, kissing the stallion before her as her other leg bent down and jumped. Twilight now held onto Emerald as her limbs wrapped around his body.

The stallion was holding the mare up by her thighs as he turned them around to gently place Twilight on the table counter as they kept kissing and moaning into each other's mouths. Soon, they reached the end of this little euphoric moment as they broke apart. Twilight still had her legs wrapped around Emerald's waist as she stared into the eyes of the guard that was to protect her this moon. Nothing was said for a good solid while as the pair just stared into each other's eyes. A simple grazing of the fingers as they touched the other's cheek sent chills and shivers down their spines as it registered in their mind.

"So... how do you feel now?" asked Twilight in a lulled state of mind.

"Like... a cool breeze hitting my face on a warm summer's day. Like the ice cream that melts on top of a delicious apple pie," said Emerald.

Twilight seemed to be affected by the stallion's words. She didn't know why, but how Emerald spoke just resonated with her. The silver tongue on the guard had turned the princess' pupil into puddy. The pair remained silent for a bit longer as Twilight finally unwrapped her legs around the guard, signaling their little experience was over. Emerald stepped back as Twilight put her legs down as they dangled from the table. The guard was beside her, hunched over and looking down as if contemplating what had happened again between them. Twilight also had her head down.

"Be here tomorrow for some testing," said Twilight.

"Okay," Emerald responded, putting on his shirt without looking at the mare.

The guard grabbed his hoodie and flung it over his shoulder as he proceeded to head out of the lab and tower and to his quarters. Twilight was alone, sitting on the table with her head still down. The girl made a quill and her notepad appear as she spoke.

"Final Oberservstions for the day: The warm feeling that happened the other day returned. But what caused it? And from what, I have no clue. Maybe attraction. Attraction to the opposite sex? No, it is more than that. But perhaps it plays a role. Further study is required."

---

Emerald was heading back to his quarters as he entered the barracks and opened the door to his room. His best friend was already waiting for him as he was stunned to see Emerald without his armor.

"Hey, bud? Where's your armor?" asked Onyx.

"Oh, well... the princess' pupil asked me not to wear it today," explained the unicorn to his earth pony friend.

"Well, the good news is that today was your last day. Tomorrow, you'll get your dream of protecting something worth wild. The Royal Treasury.

"Y-Yeah, I am," said Emerald before taking a deep sigh.

"Ain't you excited?" asked Onyx to his pal.

"I am, but... I was wondering if it's okay to continue with my position," said Emerald.

"What? Em, do you seriously want to continue to be a babysitter? No offense, bud, but in the beginning, you complained about having to watch over the princess' student."

"I did. And while it seemed good then, I've slowly come around to it."

"Oh. So... you finally got a bit friendly with the princess' student, huh?" said Onyx.

"Well, I mean," stuttered Emerald as he rubbed his neck while looking away for a second, "In a way. Me and Twilight have managed to speak at least, and she doesn't treat me like I'm invisible."

"Twilight?" said Onyx with a raised eyebrow.

Emerald facepalmed himself mentally for saying Twilight's name outloud when his pal didn't know that was her name. He regretted that he blurt it out as he had no choice.

"Yeah, that's her name. She told me."

"Okay. I see now. You finally got her to warm up to you. And she asked that you call her by her actual name. See, what I'd tell you, bud? She's got power, she's got influence. Nice one, man. If she's asking you to address her by her name, then she's already pulling some strings with the princess and will help you get a big promotion." said Onyx, as that was his belief for why his bud rejected the offer of being moved.

"Y-Yeah, that's why," said Emerald as he decided to go with that explanation; he couldn't disclose the details of his little study with Twilight for personal reasons and because he also signed an NDA.

"Well, a plan's a plan. Good work, man," said Onyx as he patted his buddy on the shoulder for being able to cozy up with Twilight and would soon be on the fast track to glory.

"Thanks. Oh, um, by the way, she asked me if I dress like a normal person when I'm with her. Just a personal preference for her." said Emerald.

"No problem, Em. I'll put in a report. Let the others know so they don't scold you for not wearing your uniform." stated Onyx.

"Appreciate it, man."

"Hey, what'd I say? Trust the process, right? Look at where you're going now." The Lieutenant smiled as he slapped Emerald's back before leaving his friend's quarters.

"Trust the process. Yeah," said Emerald as he should be happy about this, but smiling was tough.

The guard simply sighed as he decided to get ready for bed. Tomorrow was a whole other day. And whatever awaited for him and Twilight.

Next Chapter: Chapter 3: Next Lesson Plan Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 32 Minutes