//------------------------------// // A Forced Confession // Story: To Risk One's Heart... // by HermitKlam //------------------------------// -0-0- Celestia serenely levitated her hot cup of tea towards her waiting lips. Eyes closed, she inhaled deeply the soothing scent of chamomile and mint before gently blowing on the wisps of steam billowing upwards from the surface of the light yellow-green liquid. Deeming it sufficiently cooled after a few long seconds – not that the burning heat ever bothered her, a perk of being so closely entwined with the large ball of fire burning brightly in the sky – the white alicorn took a small sip. Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip. Silence. Shuffle. Repeat. Celestia hummed inaudibly as the strong flavors burst upon her taste buds as she slowly swished the liquid back and forth in her mouth before swallowing, a thoughtful expression sliding over her face as she detected a hint of an undetermined something in the delightful brew. Not bothering to blow on the steaming liquid a second time, she took a larger sip than before, her head tilting slightly to the right as she tried to place the faint hint of something that she was tasting. It was subtle and nearly completely overpowered by the stronger flavors of mint and chamomile, however she couldn’t help but find that the third flavor gave a delightful twist to her regular morning tea. Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip. Silence. Shuffle. Repeat. Orange, perhaps, or lemon? No. No, it was obvious after another long sip that the mystery flavor wasn’t a type of citrus, although she was fairly certain that it was a type of fruit. Blackberry perhaps? Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip. Silence. Shuffle. Repeat. Hmm… Close, but still no. Rolling her tongue purposefully around another mouthful, a lightly satisfied smile bloomed across her lips as she finally placed the mystery flavor. She would have to commend the new hire in the kitchens for adding a hint of pomegranate to her usual – the subtle flavor really did enhance the taste, and she was now seriously considering making it a permanent addition to her morning tea. Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip. Silence. Shuffle. Repeat. Mystery solved and tea consumed, Celestia lowered her cup to its waiting saucer with a gentle clink before slowly opening her eyes. Calmly gazing at her niece as the pink pony distractedly paced along the room before turning and repeating the action, Celestia hid an amused smile behind an altogether more benevolent one. Spinel eyes flicking briefly to the grandfather clock ticking quietly in the corner of the room, the alabaster alicorn refocused her gaze on her younger pink counterpart and cleared her throat. Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip. Silence. Shuffle. Repeat. Receiving no acknowledgment from the otherwise occupied alicorn, Celestia tried again, her eyes betraying her amusement at the situation. Clearing her throat louder than before, she spoke. “Dear, while I can appreciate walking with purpose, might I suggest that you decide on a destination beforehoof?” Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip- Cadance froze mid-step and blinked, her troubled thoughts coming to a screeching halt as the elder alicorn’s voice broke her out of the trance-like state she had been in. Placing her raised hoof back on the floor, she about-faced and gazed apologetically at her serenely smiling aunt. “I’m sorry Auntie, I didn’t quite catch that. You were saying…?” “Is there something troubling you, Mi Amore Caden-“ “Cadance,” Cadance corrected her aunt automatically. A teasingly raised alabaster brow caused Cadance to realize that she had just interrupted the solar diarch mid-sentence. Eyes widening and face flushing lightly, Cadance quickly apologized. “Sorry, Auntie. I didn’t mean to interrupt – I just really prefer my nickname to my full one.” “No, I apologize, Cadance,” Celestia placed a slight emphasis on the name, earning an appreciative quirk of her niece’s lips. “You’ve told me before of your preference, though it seems to have slipped my mind in my old age.” “You’re not old, Auntie.” Another raised eyebrow, this time in obvious sarcasm, made Cadance giggle. “Okay, perhaps you’re old in comparison to most everypony else, but considering age doesn’t really matter when you’re an immortal alicorn…” Cadance trailed off in amusement, her earlier troubles momentarily forgotten. “Who is old?” Both heads swiveled towards the door as a soft voice slowly and deliberately spoke - each word carefully constructed and pronounced - only to watch as the lunar diarch tiredly slipped into the room. Closing and locking the door behind her with her cool blue magic, Luna shot the occupants of the room a confused glance as she sedately made her way over to her reclining sister. “Good morning, Auntie,” Cadance smiled warmly at the slightly bedraggled looking midnight alicorn, stumbling only slightly over the term of endearment. It had been more than slightly awkward at first to call somepony she had never met before by such a familial term, though she’d grown mostly accustomed to it over the past three years. It also helped that she had developed genuine familial affection for the older alicorn. “Auntie Celestia was just saying that she was getting old.” “Old?” Luna scoffed as she all but collapsed onto the large pillow being occupied by her sister, her smaller body squirming to get comfortable. Sighing in contentment as the white alicorn shifted slightly and enveloped her in the soft embrace of one of her large wings, Luna snuggled tiredly into Celestia’s side before shooting her a slightly lopsided smirk. “Ancient would be a term most apt.” “Thank you, dear sister, for that glowing appraisal,” Celestia stated wryly as she conformed her wing to Luna’s form, the comfortingly warm and soft sensation causing the younger princess to tiredly slump more fully into her embrace. “I will, however, remind you of just how close our ages are – if I’m ancient, what exactly does that make you?” “Hmm… experienced, I would say.” Luna hummed thoughtfully before her eyes widened slightly. Turning her attention back to her grinning niece, she returned her earlier greeting, abashed at her poor manners. “Good morning to you as well, Mi Amore Ca-“ “Cadance.” Celestia and Cadance spoke in unison, causing them to exchange a look of light amusement. “Ah… Mi Amore Cadance…?” Luna repeated uncertainly, her statement sounding more like a question to the other pony’s ears. “No, please. Just Cadance.” Cadance smiled amiably at the confused alicorn. “But we thought…” Luna mumbled confusedly, accidentally slipping back into her old verbal inflections as a result of her inattention. “Tia, did you not tell us that her name was Mi Amore Cadenza? T’would be quite embarrassing to find that we were calling our niece by the wrong name all this time…” “Her full name is Mi Amore Cadenza, though the name she prefers to be addressed as is Cadance,” Celestia explained before clearing her throat lightly. “A fact that may – ah - may have slipped my mind.” “Old indeed,” Luna muttered under her breath only to receive a light tickle along her side. Squirming nimbly away from the tickling feathers – and closer to her sister’s soft warmth – Luna gazed back at the younger alicorn thoughtfully. “”Tis a nice name. A variation on Cadenza, we-I assume?” “Thank you,” Cadance replied, her grin perceptively softening into a caring smile as her gaze unfocused slightly, a memory coming unbidden to her mind. “When I first met Twilight – this was before I even became her foalsitter - she had a terribly hard time pronouncing my full name. The closest she could get to Cadenza was Cadance, and well, I guess it just stuck.” “Twilight Sparkle?” Luna tilted her head slightly. “She is a remarkable pony – I can understand why you would hold on to the name she gave you. It is… comforting to be given a special name by one dear to your heart, though I doubt I would feel as comfortable allowing just anypony to use mine.” “Oh? Do you not like it when I call you Lulu?” Celestia cooed sunnily down at her younger sister, causing the blue alicorn to flush slightly and mumble a negative. “I personally think it’s an adorable nickname.” “Nay, sister,” Luna mumbled as she averted her gaze shyly, one of her ears twitching nervously, “We – that is, I – do not mind when you address me as such. However it… just you. Just you may.” Celestia gave her younger sibling a warm smile and another squeeze before giving her a chance to recover her wits by returning her attention to her niece. Raising a brow, she slyly eyed the pink pony. “Speaking of special ponies…” Cadance snapped out of the memory she had been lost in, her body automatically freezing at the gleam in her aunt’s eyes. “S-special ponies? W-were we talking about special ponies? Because, I don’t remember talking about special ponies-“ “What I find odd, dearest niece, is that instead of spending today of all days with somepony special, you’ve cooped yourself up here in the castle with us.” Celestia watched in amusement as Cadance’s face paled slightly at her observations, the younger alicorn glancing around nervously as if looking for a distraction or an escape. “In fact, I’d say that you definitely have somewhere else you’d rather be – as evidenced by your earlier frantic pacing.” “I- that is to say-” Cadance stumbled over her words, her tongue feeling heavy and clumsy as she tried to deflect her aunt’s probing words. “What is special about today?” Luna questioned, her curiosity staving off her tiredness for the moment; being a few hours after sunrise, it was also a few hours passed the time she usually retired to bed. “Today just so happens to be Hearts and Hooves day,” Celestia answered Luna while still keeping her gaze fixed firmly on Cadance. “It’s a holiday that was created a few centuries ago to celebrate lovers and those special somponies in one’s life.” “Ah,” Luna made a sound of understanding before regarding Cadance inquisitively. “Then, being the Princess of Love, should not you of all ponies be celebrating this day with your significant other?” “I-well, yes, I suppose so. It’s hard not to notice the amount of love floating around on today of all days. And it would be really nice to spend today with my special somepony…” Cadance trailed off for a few heartbeats before backtracking nervously. “I mean, it would be nice if I actually had a special somepony.” “Were you not dating that one guard captain – oh what was his name – the one who went with you to the Crystal Empire? Armour Shine, was it?” Luna questioned thoughtfully. “Shining Armour,” Celestia corrected. “Yes, I thought so as well; the two of you have been practically inseparable for years. Don’t you two usually spend Hearts and Hooves day together?” “What? No!” Cadance spluttered in disbelieving amusement. “Shiny and I as-? No, we’re just friends – close friends, but just friends. Sure we usually spend Hearts and Hooves together, but we don’t do anything special – just sit at home with a barrel of hard cider and wallow at the fact that we’re still single. That’s usually all we do, though last year we also apparently discussed the fact that I’m in love with T-” Cadance’s eyes widened impossibly to the size of dinner plates as she realized just what she had nearly admitted, then widened even more as she caught the sharply teasing – and worryingly calculating – look that sprung into her aunt’s eyes. It would be too much for Cadance to hope that Celestia would drop the subject, not now when she had basically placed the answer in her aunt’s hoof. “-T-Twinkies. I just love-love-love Twinkies.” “Twinkies are those little cream filled pastries, are they not?” Luna interjected as Celestia’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly as she began running through a list of names in her head that started with the letter ‘T’. “We must admit to loving them as well, though I do not understand why this would be a prelude to imbibing…” “Torque Tinker,” Celestia suddenly began listing off names of ponies she knew whose first names began with the letter ‘T’, her gaze intently studying Cadance’s reactions. To her disappointment, however, her niece was either a very good liar or she had yet to come even close to saying the right name. “Tumbler, Time Tear, Tiny Moat, Thimbles, Thorn Stem, Torrent…hmm, no. Ponies whose names start with ‘T’…” “…Twilight Sparkle?” Luna chimed in, confused as to what exactly her sister was trying to do yet willing to help her anyways. She couldn’t help but find it odd that Twilight’s name wasn’t the first out of her sister’s lips, however. “No Luna, I’m looking for…” Celestia trailed off as she registered the nearly imperceptible stiffening of her niece’s form at her sister’s words. Blinking in slight shock, Celestia’s mouth opened and closed a few times before a light ‘oh’ escaped her lips. Cadance flushed and averted her gaze to look at anywhere except her aunts as Celestia correctly guessed a secret that she kept very close to her chest- in fact, before today, Shining Armor had been the only pony besides herself to know. “You…” Celestia belatedly fixed her shocked expression once more into a facsimile of serenity as she absently brought her tea cup to her lips. Attempting to take a sip only to remember that she had already finished off the cup earlier, she inconspicuously set the tea cup back down on the table before clearing her throat awkwardly. All throughout this - as the minutes ticked by painfully slow - the white alicorn kept her eyes glued to the nervously shifting and excessively blushing pink pony in front of her, blinking only when she received a very slight nod. “I-I see…” “See what?” Luna interjected in slight irritation – she had tried to piece together what the other two were talking about but it seemed to her that they were talking in code and half-sentences. Or her tiredness was impeding her mental faculties much more than she had first suspected. “Looking for what?” Luna frowned as her only answer was a nervous glance from her niece and an absent hum from her sister. Brows twitching at being ignored, she opened her mouth to crankily demand an answer only to be pre-empted by the tip of a wing covering her mouth and muffling her words beyond comprehension. Throwing her elder sister a glare – which was altogether ineffective due to Celestia’s attention being focused solely on Cadance – Luna harrumphed and resigned herself to sulking silently for the moment. She’d get her revenge later, preferably after a nice long nap. “Cadance…” Celestia began slowly, her eyes narrowed slightly as she attempted to carefully choose each word so as to express herself clearly – ambiguity and misconception were two things she wanted to avoid at all costs, if only to spare the extremely nervous pony any added stresses. “When one gets to be as old as I, you quickly find yourself shying away from getting attached to the ponies in your life just as much as you crave the interaction and comfort. When you do allow yourself to become attached to another individual, those ponies become very… precious… to you.” Celestia paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, noticing with a light frown that her words didn’t seem to be helping her niece calm down any. “You and Twilight both are such individuals to me, and I am very… protective when it comes to the two of you. I have come to know the two of you quite well over the years, and so I can’t help but want the very best for you two – happiness, long lives, safety, love…” Cadance bit her lip as she shifted uncomfortably, her ears drooping in resignation with each carefully constructed word that left her aunt’s mouth. Though she felt warmth at the verbal confirmation that the older alicorn cared for her deeply – not that she needed it due to her powers, but it was still nice to hear on occasion – she couldn’t help but foresee an unfavorable outcome. She knew Twilight could find better than her as a marefriend – or coltfriend, if she indeed swung that way - but as she also knew very well, love was anything but logical. “Considering those facts…” Celestia finally allowed a small smile to break her serene mask and curl around her lips, a twinkle perceivable in her eyes as she continued. “…I approve.” “I know, Auntie,” Cadance mumbled despondently as she slumped into a seated position, her hoof poking dejectedly at the floor. “Believe me, I know. It’s not something that I haven’t thought to myself time and time again-” “Cadance,” Celestia tried to interject to no avail as the mumbling pony’s monologue began to pick up steam, her words spilling out of her mouth faster and faster. “-I-I-I don’t really know where these feelings came from, only that I have them and they’re pretty strong. I mean, I didn’t feel this way towards her when I was her foal sitter- I mean, of course I loved her, but I didn’t love-love her; not like I do now but-” “Cadance.” Celestia spoke more firmly, yet the volume of her voice stayed the same. Using her magic, she gently lifted the younger pony’s head and made eye contact, an indulgent smile both visible on her face and in her voice. “It would seem that Twilight’s habit of nervous babbling has rubbed off on you.” “I-I-...” Cadance blinked semi-confusedly before flushing slightly. She hadn’t realized that she had been stringing her words together so fast that they had become nigh inaudible. “It suppose it may have…” “Now then dear, it seems that you misunderstood me earlier.” Celestia waited until she saw the curiosity enter her niece’s eyes - and steadfastly ignoring the light grumbling she could feel coming from her younger sister - before she continued. “I approve.” Cadance froze. Staring at the alabaster alicorn with large, unblinking violet eyes, the pale pink pony slowly reached up with a hoof and rubbed first one ear then the other. Resting her hoof back onto the floor, she finally blinked and smiled. “I’m sorry Auntie, could you repeat that? I thought for a moment there that you said you approve of my feelings for Twilight.” “I did.” Celestia smiled amusedly at the flabbergasted look that slowly appeared on the younger princess’s face at the confirmation of her easy acceptance, the pink pony’s mouth slowly opening and closing in shock. “Twice, in fact.” Luna’s brows furrowed as she pushed away her tiredness for the moment and mulled over the information she had been able to piece together over the course of the confusing conversation. Celestia’s approval, Hearts and Hooves day, love, hidden feelings for Twilight Sparkle… “Oh!” Luna’s eyes popped wide open as her groggy mind finally connected the dots. Springing to her hooves – and jostling the larger alicorn at her side in the process – she thrust a hoof out and pointed at the pink pony with a victorious grin. “Thou art in love with Twilight Sparkle!” “I-” Cadance was startled out of her shocked stupor due to Luna’s rather loud yell, yet another blush blooming on her face much to her inner annoyance; she was usually the one making other ponies blush. “Yes…” “Huzzah! How joyous!” Luna cheered, pumping her hoof into the air before she threw her sister a confused glare and began muttering under her breath. “Why you could not simply tell us this plainly, I do not know…” Deciding to put off reminding her younger sister the importance of careful subtlety with certain topics for another day, Celestia instead responded with an innocently angelic smile, garnering a light snort and adorable pout from the lunar princess before she moved her attention back to her frazzled niece. “You-you approve? Really?” Cadance questioned confusedly, her attention flicking back and forth from Luna’s sparkling grin to Celestia’s warm smile before resting completely on the white alicorn. “I-really?” “Why are you so shocked by that fact?” Celestia tilted her head to the side, her voice tinged with curiosity. “Did you honestly think that I would disapprove of your interest in our Twilight?” “Well- well yes of course!” Cadance spluttered as she blinked in confusion, not understanding why her aunts were being so accepting. Didn’t they understand? Celestia and Luna exchanged a brief look, complete with raised eyebrows, before gazing once more at the smaller pony before them and speaking in unison. “Why?” “Well…” Cadance scrambled to find reasons to back up her feelings, steadfastly ignoring the little voice in the back of her mind telling her she should just stop and not question the acceptance. “For one, she’s your prized pupil - your faithful student! You-you practically raised her. You don’t just let anypony date somepony you love dearly like that.” “Did my sister not just finish saying that she cared dearly for you as well?” Luna questioned wryly as she watched the younger pony work herself up for nothing. “Well-” “Cadance,” Celestia’s voice was both warm and firm as she stood up from her lounging position on the large pillow and made her way to the smaller alicorn. Nuzzling the pale pink pony lightly, she drew her into a winged embrace as she continued resolutely. “You are not just anypony. You are family.” “But-but I’m too old for her!” Cadance exclaimed as she allowed herself to be drawn into the embrace after a few moments of putting up a token resistance, soaking up the physical comfort despite herself. “I was her foalsitter!” “And were you in love with her when she was a foal?” Celestia questioned as she drew the younger pony closer, an unseen smile flickering briefly across her face as Cadance gave up all pretenses and snuggled more firmly into her embrace. “Or have your affections since grown and evolved?” “No…” Cadance admitted slowly. “They’ve changed…” “Then we see nothing wrong with your current feelings towards dearest Twilight.” Luna drawled as she sprawled out on the large pillow she had previously been sharing with the larger alicorn. Propping her head up on a hoof, she wryly gazed at the other occupants and snorted. “Furthermore, should we concern ourselves with the age difference between partners, the only suitable mates for my sister and myself would be each other.” Silence permeated the room for a long moment as Luna locked gazes with her elder sister, the words she just spoke only now registering in her mind. Eyes nearly tripling in size as her cheeks flushed a dark red, the lunar alicorn stumbled to correct herself as a white brow slowly rose on her sister’s face. “That is not what- we did not mean it like that!” “Pray tell, Lulu,” Celestia’s voice held more than a pinch of amusement and mischief as she teased the now flustered blue alicorn. “Is there something you’ve neglected to tell me?” “What? Tia! No!” Luna squeaked in embarrassment as Celestia’s smile only grew. “We would never- not that we do not find you physically appealing! However we are… we are….” Luna moaned lightly in resignation as both her sister and niece giggled at her frantic attempts to not stick her hoof in her mouth, her next words muffled as she buried her head in the pillow. “…we are in dire need of sleep.” Turning her attention back to the lightly giggling pony in her embrace, Celestia lightly questioned her once more. “Are you certain that those are your real concerns?” Cadance’s giggling abruptly stopped at her aunt’s soft words. Shifting uneasily, she finally sighed before burying her head in Celestia’s shoulder, her voice muffled. “…what if she doesn’t return my feelings? Or worse, what if she does and I’m not good enough for her?” “Cadance…” “No, Auntie,” Cadance pulled away slightly, her face serious. “I may be the alicorn of love, but that really only applies to the love between others. I’ve never been exactly… successful in my own love life. I’d hate to ruin love of all things for Twilight…” “The two of you deserve love, and the happiness that follows,” Celestia soothed as she smoothed Cadance’s ruffled mane with a gentle hoof. “I can’t say how she would react, but wouldn’t knowing if she reciprocates be better than this uncertainty?” “I-I guess…” Cadance bit her lip uncertainly. “But… what if she doesn’t? What if this ruins what we have? I couldn’t bear to lose her completely…” “I believe the two of you are mature enough, and important enough to each other, to move past such a situation,” Celestia encouraged. “I won’t lie; it would hurt at first, and there would be some awkwardness in your interactions for some time to come, however I truly believe you would be able to move past all of that. As for not being good enough, those fears would never come to pass. You are a wonderful pony, Cadance, and no matter how Twilight feels about you she is also able to see that.” “Now,” Celestia allowed a slight tone of teasing to enter her voice. “Where is the pony that is always telling others to fight for love? That it was worth risking everything for?” “Here…” Cadance murmured softly, a slight smile breaking across her lips before she sighed in resignation. “I suppose… I suppose it would be nice to know how she feels…” “Splendid!” Luna exclaimed from her sprawled position, being extremely careful not to make eye contact with her sister – she had just managed to gain control over her blush, and was not looking forward to whatever teasing the elder alicorn was waiting to assault her with. “From what you’ve explained of this holiday, this day seems like the perfect day to confess. What could possibly go wrong?” -0-0-