Gemini and Mica were immediately on their feet and reaching for their weapons, but I ordered them to stand down. I stood, Scarlet hovering close to my side, and walked up to the Giraffe. "Miss Miora, it's nice to see you again. I wasn't expecting it to be so soon, though."
Miora looked down at me for a couple seconds before replying, "The Council asked me to observe your meeting with the Deerfolk," she said. "Our two species have a good working relationship with one another. They are the only race to know of our secret, so I doubt High Lady Valindra will think twice about letting me through."
"Observe us? What for?" Gemini asked in a suspicious tone.
Miora didn't even turn to acknowledge Gemini, but she answered the question, directing it towards me. "In short, the Shadwood Elderium wish to know how you are diplomatically. I am not to help or hinder you in your talks. I am simply to watch and see how the proceedings go."
"Those proceedings are probably gonna be private," I said.
"Likely so," Miora said, "but I can still observe the results and observe anything that could be discussed in a less private setting. As I said, I am not to help or hinder you. The Elderium are quite interested to see what kind of creature you are and how you handle certain sorts of pressure."
I frowned. "It's like I'm being put under a microscope, and I don't like it," I muttered.
"You told me the last time that we met that you are interested in a relationship with our kind," Miora reminded me. "I must remind you that we are very cautious when dealing with nations aside from our own and the Cervinia Citadel. The Citadel and the Deerfolk have earned our trust. We wish to see what sort of Empire you intend on ruling."
I was silent for a little while as I pondered this. I had to admit that she was making some sense. From what I'd learned about the Giraffes from Miora, their trust wasn't easily given. I understood that their trust was likely going to be the hardest to earn. It might take months or even years, and there was no guarantee I wouldn't make some kind of mistake, but if this was part of earning that trust, I knew I had to be smart and wise about this. I turned back to her after staring at the ground in thought for a while. "I understand."
"Good, I am appreciative that you can see reason." She then lowered herself onto the ground in a resting position. She observed us briefly before saying, "Do you travel with such meager protection often?"
"I have two more guards who I sent ahead to scout out the Deerfolk's borders," I explained. "We're taking a short break here to eat some lunch. We don't have anything in the way of fruit, but would you care for some cheese, bread, or some nuts?"
"Your offer is appreciated, but I am not hungry at the moment," Miora replied. "I nibbled on some leaves on my way here."
"Of course," I said as I went back to eating. I saw Miora lay her head down on the grass we were sitting in and close her eyes. The silence was a bit awkward, but some ten minutes later I heard the approaching flapping of Dragon wings along with the sound of a few hooffalls on stone. Everyone, including Miora, looked up, and saw not only Scoria and Silica returning, but what looked to be about twelve Deerfolk, each wearing slender looking armor with those strange weapons I'd seen during my astral journey in Torch's hoard room strapped to their side. Each of them wore a simple dark evergreen cloak around themselves. They all looked fairly identical save for a slightly taller Deer who wore a slightly greener shade of armor than the rest. As I stood along with the others and brushed myself off, said Deer approached me and addressed me by asking, "Are you the Emperor of Dragons known as Jethro Bethridge?"
"I am," I said, standing in front of the Deer, who sounded like a buck judging from his male voice.
The Deer stood straighter. "Commander Eldrin, at your service," he said with a polite bow. "My High Lady has tasked me and my patrol to lead you and your companions through the Eldenwilds to the Cervinia Citadel." It was then that he turned and noticed Miora. His eyes went wide briefly before he turned back to me. "You bring a giraffe with you?"
"Be at ease, Commander Eldrin," Miora said, startling the patrol of Deer, "the Emperor here is aware of my identity."
The commander, clearly stunned by this, took a few moments to recover before nodding. Turning back to the group, he set his focus on one of them and said, in the Deerfolk language, "Fly back to the Citadel and inform them of what species the High Lady's guest is bringing."
With a nod, the Deerfolk soldier turned. His horns began to glow a soft blue, and then he launched himself into the air. The moment he began flying over the forest, his speed increased dramatically and he was out of sight.
"Whoa, what kind of Deerfolk was that?" Mica asked.
Eldrin then turned back towards us and focused his attention briefly on Mica. "That was Vesryn, one of my fastest Reindeer scouts." Turning back to me, he continued. "The High Lady has been informed of your party and has prepared you all with accommodations to fit your statures, as well as these." He turned towards a soldier who had a large saddlebag on their back. The commander lifted his head and both of his horns glowed a light brown. The saddlebags opened, and a number of large cloth wrappings appeared. They floated over to each of us, and we each took hold of the wrapping.
I undid it, and as the wrapping fell away, I found myself holding a thin but sturdy looking dark brown cloak with a broach designed in the shape of a tree. Looking over to the others, I saw that they, too, had similar cloaks that would fit them. Scarlet already had hers on and was flying around with it a bit to test out her maneuverability, and Miora was standing nearby without one on, but the two Lycans and Dragoness guards were trying to put theirs on with no success, mostly due to their armor making them too big. I walked over to them and said, "Maybe you should remove your armor before putting the cloaks on."
Nodding in understanding, Mica removed his armor and slipped the robe on before putting his light armor back on. Gemini did the same, but the two Dragonesses actually didn't. Instead, Silica and Scoria approached me with their armor in their arms, their cloaks already on but with their weapons by their side. "We can protect you without armor better," Silica said softly.
"We're more agile this way," Scoria agreed.
I nodded and placed their armor inside of the necklace around my neck. I looked back at Gemini and Mica. Mica was already finished and was helping Gemini out of her armor temporarily. The older Lycan, however, was staring at the nearby Deerfolk with a hint of suspicion in her eyes. The patrol was watching her warily. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. I walked up to Gemini, slowly placing a hand on her shoulders. She jumped a bit, looking over at me, then her expression went from suspicious to confused. I turned back to Mica and said, "I'll take it from here."
Mica backed away, and in front of the soldiers, I helped Gemini out of the armor on her upper body, strapped the cloak onto her, then helped her back into her armor. The look in her eyes was still there, however it was greatly diminished. When I finished, she looked back at me, and there seemed to be genuine gratitude in her eyes. She didn't say anything, however. Instead, she picked up her sword and strapped it to her back again. "I'm ready," she said.
"Are you sure?" I asked, switching to Lycan.
Gemini looked at me with an angry look, one that slowly turned to resignation as she let out a breath. "I will do my best to hold back for your sake," she said in Lycan.
"Good," I replied, "because I don't want to cause an international incident because one of my best soldiers and a good friend lost her temper."
She straightened and put a fist on her chest. "I serve you, Emperor, and nowolf else."
Nodding in approval, I returned the salute before turning back to the Deerfolk commander. "Commander Eldrin, we're ready to go."
"Very well," he said before turning and facing the road. "Please follow me, Emperor." And with that, we all began moving.
"So, out of curiosity, how long will it take us to get to the Citadel?" Scarlet asked after we'd been inside the Eldenwilds for about an hour.
"We should be there by the time the sun sets," the Deerfolk commander replied.
An hour ago, our group had arrived at the edge of the forest that marked the edge of the Deerfolk's territory. To my confusion, Miora was given an evergreen-colored cloak similar to the ones that the Deerfolk patrol members wore instead of a brown one like the rest of us were given. From the point where we'd started out, with our Deerfolk escort, the road had been quickly expanding and when we reached a massive wooden archway built right at the tree line, it was wide enough for me and my entire group to walk abreast with plenty of elbow room between us.
The moment I entered the forest, I'd nearly stumbled back. The magic that came from this forest was pretty overwhelming. It took me a few minutes to get used to it, but eventually we resumed our walk. The forest itself had an ancient feeling to it, and it felt thick with history. To my surprise, many of the trees were deciduous, and despite it being the middle of winter, their leaves were still on the trees, each being a dark green which covered the light from the sun. The temperature in the forest was much warmer than the wintery conditions outside. There wasn't even a hint of ice or snow within. However, we still had light within. Aside from the frequent poles which aided in the growth of a light-yellow vine, the leaves of which glowed brightly, some of the flora in the forest had a bioluminescence to them. There were even butterflies that glowed every conceivable color of the rainbow. Not only that, but there were crystals scattered throughout the underbrush that glowed a bright teal. When I'd asked, Commander Eldrin had given permission for me to take pictures and video, although I had to patiently explain to him what I was doing.
As the pathway winded through the forest, I found myself doing most of the talking, with Scarlet and Mica joining in sometimes, although it was more me questioning the Commander about all I was seeing. He was patient with me and explained the names of the local flora and fauna with me. I recorded them and took pictures to show Twilight later while at the same time taking notes in something that Twilight had recently discovered and had gone nuts over, the ever-useful Google Docs. I apologized once for all of the questions, but Eldrin reassured me that he understood where I was coming from. "After all," he had said, "Agartha does not receive many visitors, and our land is quite unique," and this was where I learned the name of the land that the Deerfolk occupied.
Back in the present, we were passing a large waterfall that fell into a pool. Here, we spotted our first sign of habitation in the Eldenwilds. A number of young fawns were splashing and playing in the water, which had to have had some sort of bioluminescent life in there because whenever the water was disturbed, it glowed a striking blue. On the shores, a number of older deer stood or lay, watching the younger ones play. Most of those not playing wore the same type of evergreen-colored cloak our escorts wore. I even saw some different looking Deer who had multicolored glowing horns and who looked like they were running on an invisible road in the air.
"Can all Reindeer fly?" Mica asked quietly.
"Yes they can," Eldrin replied back just as quietly. "They are one of the tribes of Deerfolk. Just like Ponies have three tribes, so do Deerfolk have a number of different tribes."
"How many?" Scarlet asked.
"Four," Eldrin replied. "Moose, Elk, Reindeer, and White-Tailed Deer, or Deer for short, like us."
"Aww, you have us beat by one," Scarlet said.
To my surprise, Eldrin actually gave her a smile. "If my historical knowledge is accurate, you once had another tribe or possibly more now lost to history. At least, if the Caretaker's old texts can be taken accurately."
That gave me pause. First a Guardian for the Lycans and now a Caretaker for the Deerfolk? My curiosity got the better of me, and I asked, "And who is this Caretaker?"
Eldrin was about to speak, when another voice rang out. "She's the being who saved us in our darkest hour."
I turned towards the voice, seeing a doe member of the patrol looking at me with intense deep amber eyes. I turned my attention to her. "Please forgive my ignorance," I said to her, "but I've only just begun to learn about the histories of your race and those of the Lycans."
Eldrin stepped up and put a hoof on the doe's back. "Peace, Adria," he said. The doe named Adria slowly nodded and we resumed walking. Eldrin turned back to me. High Lady Valindra can tell you much more about our Caretaker when you two meet tomorrow morning," he said, "but Adria is correct. She is the one who helped us during a dark time in our history, long before we came to the Hidden Vale."
I nodded, deciding to be patient before changing the subject. "I notice that most Deerfolk wear the same green cloak on their person. What's the significance?"
Eldrin looked back at the group of Deerfolk that we were leaving behind, then turned back to me. "It signifies our closeness to the natural world and the natural order." He gestured to his own cloak, lifting it with his hoof. "They are thin enough to be blown in any breeze, but they are also strong enough to deflect any weapon and to not be snagged on any bramble."
"Just as nature is strong it is also a fragile thing," another older sounding buck said from within the squad.
"Well said," Eldrin said.
"I didn't see the two representatives sent to the Council of Equestria wearing them," I said.
"We have the choice to wear them anywhere we are," Eldrin said, "and while most choose to wear them, some don't and remain free of body."
"It's mostly the younger generations who do it," another member of the patrol said. I thought I heard a hint of disdain from him but couldn't be sure.
"So why are we wearing brown ones?" Mica asked.
"Is it to let everydeer know we're outsiders?" Gemini asked with a scowl.
Eldrin looked back at the Lycan. "No," he explained with a surprising amount of patience in his tone, "the green tones is a symbol for how we live in true balance with it the nature around us. Brown signifies soil and the potential for a growth of trust between anyone wearing it and the Deerfolk, just like soil has the capacity to produce the tallest tree or a single beautiful rose. It's not just outsiders who wear different colored cloaks. There are those who wear gray cloaks, which represent those who have lost the trust of our community and who wish to earn it back. Those who wear black or red cloaks are criminals, with black being for those of less severe crimes and red being the most heinous."
I put a steadying hand on Gemini's shoulder to help calm her. She stiffened a bit before relaxing. "I see," was all she said before looking down at the cloak she wore a bit more closely.
We walked in silence for several minutes. I was busy digesting the information I'd just learned as I looked at the cloak that flowed behind me with much more interest. My thoughts drifted suddenly to Rarity, and a smile crossed my lips. She'd have a few choice words to say about this attire, I was sure of that.
As we continued moving through the forest, I continued taking pictures and asking the occasional questions about the lifeforms we encountered, adding more to the Google Docs I shared with Twilight. I noticed that newer trees began to pop up as we moved in deeper. The trees, having once been normal green, began giving way to trees of different colored leave and needles. Red, deep blue, and even purple shaded trees became more and more common, and even the normal brown bark of some trees became brighter, mostly purple and deep blue. The number of crystals coming up from the ground began to increase as well.
By the time the little bit of sunlight from above began to move down west, it was nearly five in the afternoon. The cobblestone path began to expand further and began to descend slowly. When I asked, Eldrin said, "We're nearly at the Citadel."
The pathway began to twist and turn, weaving down an ever increasingly steep incline until it leveled out once more some thirty minutes later. The pathway led towards what looked like an archway carved out of the trees similar to the one we'd seen before, and from the archway we could see sunlight. Eldrin turned to me and said, "Beyond the Firestar Gate yonder you will get your first glimpse of the Citadel."
"It is quite a sight to behold," Miora, who had remained silent throughout the entire journey, finally said, joining me without me even noticing.
The moment we all stepped out into the light, most of us had to cover our eyes to let them adjust to the setting sun in front of us. After our eyes adjusted, I opened my eyes, and they kept on opening. We all drank in the view before us with stunned silence. Scarlet was the first to speak as she said, "Canterlot ain't got shit on this place."
She was pretty much correct. We were staring at large valley below us, which itself was surrounded by the forest on the southern side and massive mountains to the north, all covered in snow. There was a massive cliff to the northwest where an enormous waterfall fell into a lake. Said lake fed into a river that went north through a canyon and out of sight. While the sights below us were incredibly beautiful, what drew our attention the most was the Cervinia Citadel. The citadel before us was not a traditional city or any traditional structure I knew about.
My mind was taken back to what Eldrin said about the cloaks we now wore. It seemed as if the Deerfolk embraced a life living among nature, because what stood before us, towering over our heads and even higher than the cliff, was a golden leaved tree that reached high into the clouds.
I took photograph after photograph, even needing to take a panoramic one just to take in the valley and the tree itself. The tree reached straight up, with smaller branches beginning near the bottom, which only grew longer and wider the further up they appeared. Using my phone camera's zoom features, I zoomed in to get a better look. I started at the very visible root system, which spread out far into the valley before being buried into the ground, only to see what looked like smaller trees growing out of the tops of the roots. Trees that looked somewhat similar to the Golden Oaks Library. There were windows and doors on each of the smaller trees, and said trees only grew taller and more elaborate and colorful the further up the tree I looked.
When I reached the top of the tree, or rather the spot where the longest branches existed, I saw a massive set of natural looking stairs moving up towards a large white tree growing out of the larger tree's bark. This smaller tree grew at a slight angle and had silver and gold leaves with some pink and white blossoms scattered throughout its many branches. The stairs, which had large crystalline walls on either side, led to a set of wooden double doors which were currently closed.
After staring at it for what seemed like hours, I pulled my eyes away and looked down at the valley. There were smaller trees scattered around, but from the heights we were observing from, I could tell that even these were massive and held either small villages in their branches or large mansions. I did note that these smaller trees seemed to grow in a pattern that might have matched up with the buried roots of the main tree in front of us.
"Behold, the Hidden Vale of the Deerfolk," Eldrin said, his voice now filled with reverence as he stood next to me and looked at everything before us, "the jewel of our lands on Narda. Ruled over by our benevolent and wise High Lady Valindra."
Instantly, my Deerfolk language skills surfaced. Narda was the name the Deerfolk gave to the planet itself. But those thoughts were soon buried when Miora actually reached up and put a hoof on my back. "As majestic as their Hidden Vale is, we should move on."
The pathway down to the Vale took about an hour, and we were soon back within the Eldenwilds, but eventually we reached the valley floor and stepped back out. The Citadel itself looked much taller than before and when I looked at the smaller trees surrounding the Citadel I noted that they were as tall as the tallest skyscrapers I had ever seen, perhaps even rivaling the Burj Khalifa in terms of height. The sun by this point had gone behind the cliffs, and half of the Citadel's tree leaves themselves began to glow a lovely silvery aura, almost mimicking the color of moonlight. There were more of those glowing golden vines growing on large wooden poles, but the darker the sky got, the more that the color on the vines changed from gold to silver, emitting the identical silver aura that the Citadel's leaves emitted. The Deerfolk patrol with us, upon entering the Vale, began to act a lot more relaxed, and I even heard them joking amongst themselves. They even greeted passersby warmly, and Eldrin would reassure them that we were not enemies but had instead been summoned by the High Lady herself.
I noticed something else as we continued walking down the road. The magic that I felt when entering the Eldenwilds had only continued to grow while walking. I may not have had a yet fine attuned ability to detect magic, but with the massive waves of magic practically pouring out of the tree, it made sense as to why I had been caught off guard by the wave of magic I'd felt at the edge of the forest.
"I was wondering when you would finally notice," Miora said, coming up to stand beside me and looking up at the Citadel. "The Cervinia Citadel is not just known for its splendor and grandeur. It is also a source of great magic throughout the world of Azibol."
I held up my hand, then looked around. Spotting a small rock nearby, I held my arm towards it, casting a normal telekinesis spell. The rock shot into my hand, so hard that I fell backwards, only managing to steady myself by using my wings, but when I did that I shot into the air like a rocket. As I was flailing around, I felt something wrapping around my legs and the base of my wings. I was slowly brought back down to earth, and when I looked down I saw the same sort of magical aura that Miora had cast back in Virynth Atheos wrapped around my legs and the base of my wings.
Miora looked amused as she placed me back on the ground. "You will grow used to it in time," she assured me as we resumed walking.
Scarlet came running up and stopping me. "Babe?! You okay?"
"I'm fine," I reassured her, running my hand through her crimson mane, "just unused to massive amounts of the magic around here."
Scarlet raised an eyebrow at that, then looked at her wings. Spreading them, she gingerly gave a very light flap, only to launch about five feet into the air. Startled, she held her wings out as she glided to the ground. "Wow! That normally wouldn't do anything!"
"You must be wary when utilizing your magic here," Miora said. "In fact, I would recommend against using it until you have some time to become adjusted to it. There are many Deerfolk here who can help, especially the High Lady. However, here is your first lesson. Do not use the normal amount of magic you use. Use only a fraction."
I nodded in understanding, looking down at the rock in my hands. It was a small glowing blue crystal, and it had magic coming from it as well. I held out my palm and focused, letting only the smallest amount of magic I could summon. The crystal in my hand began floating, just as if I was casting a normal amount of magic. I held up my other hand and moved the crystal back and forth between them, utilizing my twin foci before catching the crystal and slipping it into my pocket. "That was pretty hard to do," I said.
"You will become used to it in time," Miora said.
The news about us must have spread fast, at least judging by the number of Reindeer who would gallop away through the air whenever they saw me. Soon, we began encountering small groups and even a couple crowds of curious onlookers who came to watch us as we walked up towards the towering Citadel. The younger fawns looked more curious than their adult counterparts, who looked at us, and especially Gemini and Mica, with a hint of apprehension. I would greet some, making sure to give a closed lip smile so as not to reveal my canines.
By the time we had all reached the base of the Citadel, the stars were out. We were standing in front of a set of pure white wooden stairs. Two burly looking Moose stood at the top of the stairs on either side of a similarly white set of gates. Eldrin told us to wait while he spoke with the guards. After about a minute, the Moose both lifted their horns and grabbed onto one of the large metal rungs that hung on the side of the door. Using their brute strength, they pulled the massive gates open. Eldrin turned and gestured for us to follow.
If the outside was amazing, the inside of the Citadel was even more incredible. There was a small but very wide hallway we passed through, but when we did, I once more found myself stunned by what I saw.
"Welcome to the City of Osis, Emperor," Miora said in amusement, leaning down to be heard.
We were in what could only be described as a metropolis, but a metropolis unlike anything I'd seen before. The walls surrounding the entire city had to be as big around as the entire trunk of the tree. The ceiling was incredibly high up with a glowing silvery white gem at its apex. That wasn't the only source of light, however. There were more of the glowing vines on the streets below along with glowing leaves from smaller trees similar to those of the Golden Oaks Library that grew from the smooth wooden ground. There were larger plants that grew up the sides of the wall, and even these seemed to have residences, although they seemed to be set aside for Reindeer.
And it was crowded.
Deerfolk walked through the streets or in the case of Reindeer flew through the air. The sounds of a bustling city were all-too familiar, and the smells of both freshly cut grass and various foodstuffs assaulted our nostrils as Eldrin and his patrol led us down a massive walkway towards the floor level.
At that moment, the Reindeer guard who had left, Vesryn, appeared and landed in front of Eldrin. "I bring news from the High Lady for the Emperor and his party," he said in the Deerfolk language.
"Oh? Well, speak up, young buck," Eldrin ordered his subordinate.
Vesryn turned towards me, having to raise his voice to be heard over the echoes of the crowds below. "The High Lady has set aside a private residence for you in the upper levels of this city for the night as well as having provided you with food according to your dietary requirements. It's too late to see the High Lady now."
"Not only that, but I'm sure we stink to high heaven and are pretty dirty," Scarlet said, looking herself over then sniffing one of her forelegs. "Phew! Yep! Can't see the ruler of a big tree all sweaty and stinky."
"The house you have been provided has bathing facilities," Vesryn said. "In the morning, the High Lady has summoned all of you to her personal morning meal."
"What time will that be?" I asked.
"By the time the sun is on its third cycle," Vesryn replied.
"That translates to about three hours or so after sunrise," Miora explained.
"We'll be ready by then," I said.
Vesryn nodded. "I'll show you to your lodgings for the night. The High Lady apologizes for the meager accommodations, but when she heard when you had arrived at our borders, she knew it would take longer to reach the Citadel."
"There's no need to apologize," I said, "as long as we have a bed and four walls and a ceiling above our heads, we'll be okay."
Vesryn smiled a little bit, then turned and began galloping into the air. "Come, I'll show you where you'll be staying tonight!"
The house where we were put up for the evening was by no means meager by any definition. In fact, it was a lot more than I expected to be placed in for the night. Like every other building around here, a living hollowed out tree, although it was twice as tall as Twilight's home back in Ponyville. The interiors were made entirely of wood, although there were very comfortable and very well-made articles of furniture. Their couches were incredibly comfortable, and the entire place smelled like a forest.
Eldrin hadn't been kidding when he said the High Lady had ordered food for us based off of our dietary requirements. To my surprise, she'd gotten us all some of the juiciest steaks that I'd ever tasted along with a bowl of fruits and even baked potatoes with butter. For Scarlet, she was given several pasta dishes, and Miora was given a bowl of what she called chilled apricot soup along with a bowl of other various fruits, including one that looked like dragon fruit.
There were enough bedrooms in the house for each of us to have our own room, although Scarlet insisted that she and I share a bed, not that I would complain. Each bedroom had a large bath and a private toilet and sink.
When our dinner was done, we all went our separate ways in order to clean up. Scarlet told me to wash up first, and so I did. The bath didn't have anything like a shower, but there was running hot and cold water, so while I was filling the tub, which was made of incredibly smoothed out wood, I used the shampoo and soap that was provided to wash myself. It left me smelling like apples, and I made a mental note to ask for more to take to Applejack before I left.
Just before I was about to enter the bath, the door opened and Scarlet strode in. She had a towel around her lower body, and when she closed the door behind her, she removed it, letting it fall slowly to the floor. Her hair was wet and hung loose around her neck. She, too, smelled of apples, and the dirt around her hooves, fetlocks and lower legs was gone. "Mind if I join you?" she asked.
I stood and walked over, gently lifting her into the air before turning back and climbing into the bath. The tub itself was massive and could fit the two of us easily, so there was no issue with us sharing a bath together. We both slid comfortably into the steaming water, Scarlet sighing contentedly as she wrapped her wings and forelegs around me. She placed her head right under my chin and nuzzled it as we enjoyed the warm liquid easing our sore muscles. I had one arm around her waist and the other on her left flank.
After about five or so minutes of silence, Scarlet spoke. "Nervous about tomorrow?" she asked.
"Very," I said.
She pressed herself closer to me, leaning up and kissing me deeply and lovingly. I relaxed and kissed her back with the same amount of love. When we broke the kiss, she had a all-too familiar look on her face. "Would you like to have some…stress relief before we go to bed?" she said sultrily.
I chuckled, then reached up and bit her ear gently. "As much as I would love to bend you over the bed and make you a blubbering, giggling mess, I think that's highly inappropriate in this setting."
She blushed at this, but her smile warmed my heart as she replied, "You're right. Doesn't mean we can't suck face though, right?"
I responded by pulling her closer into an even deeper kiss, which she happily reciprocated. We clung to each other, water dripping from her fur and my skin as we did so. After a good number of minutes, we slowed down and relaxed once more. Our little makeout session had relaxed me in a few ways. My nervousness was dwindling away. Not gone, just dwindled. In those few minutes of kissing, I knew that Scarlet had my back and would support me through these next few days I would be spending here. "Thank you, Scarlet Dusk, for being here for me."
"Well, someone has to, and you wouldn't let Zecora come," she said, poking my nose with one of her feathers. "Silly man."
I nodded, holding her closer. "I know, I'm overprotective," I admitted, "and that's something I'm working on."
"We love that you care enough about us to want to protect us," Scarlet said, nuzzling my cheek and licking it affectionately, "but we want to make sure you're safe too. Don't be going too macho now, ya dig?"
"I'll work on it, I promise," I said.
After our soak in the tub, which was mostly spent in comfortable silence aside from the frequent kisses we gave each other, we got back out and drained the tub. Scarlet and I brushed our teeth, then I set out the royal robes that I'd brought to meet the High Lady in on a nearby chair as neatly as I could along with my new brown cloak. I was surprised when I saw that Scarlet was actually putting some sort of clothing out as well. "I want to put my best hoof forward," she said when I asked about it.
After that, I got into some pajamas before climbing into one of the most comfortable beds I'd ever slept in. Scarlet snuggled up to me, and soon the two of us were snuggling underneath the blankets. Pulling out my phone, I shot off a text to Zecora. Hey love, you available to call?
The response I got was the familiar Skype incoming ring. I sat up, Scarlet still pressed against me, and answered. Zecora was seated in her treehouse. I could see a green flickering of flames being cast on her face as she said, "Dearest, I see you have finally found a way to have some alone time with our herdmate in a bed and not in a tent."
I smiled and nodded. "We just got to the Citadel today," I explained. "I don't want to breach their trust by opening a portal here until I have permission. Besides, the magic here is so much stronger than it is in Equestria. It also feels different in a way."
"Indeed? I do believe young Miss Twilight will be more than eager to hear more when you return," Zecora chuckled. "I'm curious myself."
"So am I," I said.
"I almost shot myself into orbit when I tried flying," Scarlet exaggerated, waving at Zecora.
"Are you alright?" Zecora asked worriedly.
"Psh, I'm fine," Scarlet chuckled with a dismissive wave of her hoof, "It'll take a lot more than nearly becoming a second moon to put this Pegasus down!"
"You're beginning to sound a lot like Rainbow Dash," Zecora chuckled softly.
"Heh, I do hang out with her a lot, so I guess so," Scarlet said.
"What did you do today?" I asked.
"Oh, I spent some time helping with the surprise for you and the entire town on your return," Zecora said. "After that, I came back here to try some new potions."
"You never lost track of your roots," I chuckled.
"Now that I have magic somewhat like that of an Alicorn, my range of potions has only increased," Zecora said. "I'm working on that potion that allows one to see into the past. I'll save you some for later."
"Thank you," I replied.
"How's that surprise coming along?" Scarlet asked.
"Faster than anticipated," Zecora said happily. "It should be done well before the end of February."
"Surprise for the entire town, huh?" I repeated. "It's gotta be something big then."
"Very," Zecora agreed, "but what about you? What did you two do today aside from travel?" Scarlet and I recounted our day to Zecora, who listened intently. She was surprised when she heard about Miora's sudden appearance, was pleasantly surprised when we told her what the Citadel actually was. I even shared some of the pictures I took, although I did mention that the pictures didn't do it or the Hidden Vale true justice. When we finished, she was silent for a bit before she said, "I wish I could be there with you. This Citadel and this Hidden Vale sound incredible."
"I'll ask the High Lady tomorrow if you can come visit," I promised, "because I wish you could have seen it too. It's unlike anything I could have ever imagined." The instant after I said that, I yawned and stretched. "Nnng…sorry, long day of walking."
"My hooves hurt too," Scarlet agreed.
"I understand, my love," Zecora said, "but thank you for calling me and letting me know how things are going."
"I did promise I would," I said.
"Yes you did," Zecora agreed before putting her hand over her lips and blowing me a kiss. "I love you, Jethro, and I can't wait for you all to come back."
"Miss you too, Zeek," Scarlet said with a grin.
"I love you too, Zecora, and we'll be back as soon as we can be," I replied, blowing a kiss back into the camera for her.
After we hung up, I plugged my phone into my power pack since it was low, then turned down the crystal lamps on both sides of our beds. Now in the dark, I snuggled up close to Scarlet. "Goodnight, Scarlet," I said after giving her a goodnight kiss. "Love you."
She kissed me back. "Love you too, Jethro," she murmured sleepily. The two of us, holding each other close, soon fell asleep.