“Princess, what’s up? You’ve been zoned out for the entire trip!” Quill asked when the Griffon capital came into view.
“I... she called me... Mom... You heard it, right?” Celestia replied.
“Of course I did. What’s the big deal?” Quill asked.
“I don’t really know... It just felt... right... like that’s how it should be...” Celestia said.
“Oh lord, I see where this is going. I’ll get back into contact with her orphanage when we get back, I’ll have them send over the adoption papers.” Quill said.
“Wait, what?” Celestia said.
“Oh come on. You’re already her mother figure and if you really loved it when she called you mom it’s only natural you should make it official.” Quil explained.
“... I guess you’re right... Funny, me being left speechless because a little filly called me mom. I’ve dealt with dragons in a fit of rage and I’ve had every griffon insult thrown at me and I never even batted an eye...” Celestia said.
“Well then now you have something to look forward to getting back to, besides the obvious of course.” Quill said. Celestia chuckled and wrapped a wing around the mare for a moment in an embrace.
“Thank you.” Celestia simply said.
“Of course.” Quill replied with a chuckle of her own.
---
Meanwhile, Twilight was in her tower reading her dragon books when there was a knock on the door. She looked over at Spike sleeping his meal off in his basket and looked at the door.
“It’s open!” She called, returning her gaze to the book. It opened and she heard somepony step in.
“Hello there! My name is Cadence, nice to meet you.” A tired voice said. Twilight looked up and gaped in awe at the pony standing in front of the doorway. She was a light shade of pink and had a multicolored mane of a light purple, tan and a darker purple. The thing that amazed her, though, was the fact that she had both a horn and wings folded at her sides.
“Oh! H-Hi! I didn’t know there were any other alicorns...” Twilight said.
“It’s not exactly an everyday thing... but here I am. If you wouldn’t mind I’d really like to take a nap... A trip from Stalliongrad isn’t the best...” Cadence said.
“If you go up the stairs there are a few doors. Bathroom is on the right and the bedroom is on the left. There are a couple beds, Princess Celestia asked me to set one up for you so it’ll be the bigger one with blankets and stuff.” Twilight explained, pointing to the stairs.
“Thank you. You sure you’ll be fine on your own for the night?” Cadence asked.
“Mhm. I hope I don’t wake you up when I go to bed, though. I stay up really late reading.” Twilight replied.
“Oh don’t worry about it. I sleep like a hibernating dragon.” Cadence said. It was then that Spike grumbled in his sleep and let out a small burp. “Oh... I guess I’m not the only one.” She giggled.
“That’s Spike. He had a big dinner so he’s sleeping it off.” Twilight said.
“Celestia told me I might be watching over two little ones... I’m off to bed now, though. We’ll definitely get better acquainted in the morning.” Cadence said. Twilight smiled and nodded before once again returning her attention to the book. Cadence watched her for a little bit as she made her way to the stairs. She was good at reading underlying feelings and expressions, it was a gift she had. She definitely looked like there was an empty spot in her heart. She must have been really missing Celestia.
“Oh, before I go... what do you want for breakfast in the morning? I’ll make sure Iron cooks you whatever you like, that is if he’s still here after a few years.” Cadence asked when she was almost up the stairs. Twilight looked up and smiled.
“He knows what I like. Tell him to surprise me. Oh, and if you’re getting breakfast take one of the gems in the bag on the desk up there to him for Spike.” Twilight said.
“Gems? Alright, I’ll try to remember...” She said. She proceeded to give a massive yawn, earning a giggle from Twilight, and enter the living area.
“I like her.” Twilight said to herself as she turned a page.
---
Twilight woke up, after going to sleep around midnight again, to the door opening and closing. She looked up and saw Cadence trying to sneak up to her in the dark. Twilight turned the light on and startled Cadence.
“Aww! I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed...” She pouted.
“I’m a light sleeper.” Twilight giggled, getting up with a stretch.
“Apparently so... I told Iron that you said to surprise him, just like you asked, and he came up with this.” Cadence said, putting what looked like a sandwich on the table in the room. It wasn’t just a normal salad, though.
“He told me what it was. Apparently it’s cinnamon syrup stuffed french toast with a pancake stuffed with like five different kinds of fruit in the middle. He made one for me too, but I ate it right there and it was probably the best breakfast I've ever had.” Cadence explained. Twilight looked at the thing. She didn’t hesitate to devour the thing in the shortest time possible. Cadence fell onto the floor laughing.
“Whubt?” Twilight said, her cheeks bulging with the divine breakfast. That just sent Cadence into another fit of laughter. Twilight deadpanned and quickly finished chewing.
“It was good!” She exclaimed in her defense.
“Oh man, you and I are going to get along SO well.” Cadence laughed. Twilight huffed and left the laughing mare to go check on spike. He was still fast asleep in his basket, but he was stirring.
“Come on then, wake up Spike. Time for breakfast.” Twilight said, gently nudging him with her hoof. He groaned and turned over. She rolled her eyes and used her magic to levitate over a plate of what looked like a belgian waffle with chunks of a ruby in each of the divots. She wafted it over towards him and he almost instantly bolted upright.
“That... Smells... AMAZING!” He exclaimed.
“Well then dig in, try not to make a mess. Cadence isn’t down yet, maybe she literally died of laughter.” Twilight said, shaking her head and turning towards the stairs again.
“Who’s Cabdence?” Spike asked, mouth full of ruby waffle.
“She’s the pony Celestia had look after us. She got here late last night.” Twilight replied. He seemed to have lost interest in the middle of her explanation as his full attention was back to the waffle.
Twilight returned to the bedroom to find a still chuckling Cadence wiping tears off her face.
“Geez, it wasn’t THAT funny...” Twilight said.
“Oh probably not, but you were so mature and collected last night... Then you went and did that and I lost it...” Cadence explained, shakily getting to her feet. She took a few deep breaths and her breathing evened out. “Right, well let’s go downstairs and talk. I wanna get to know you.” She continued, finally totally calmed down.
“Alright.” Twilight agreed.
They sat down, watching the sun rise, as Spike decided it was a good idea to go back to bed. It was still early. Twilight was waiting for Cadence to start.
“Well, I’m Cadence. I live in Stalliongrad with my royal guard boyfriend and sometimes Princess Celestia calls on me to do odd jobs. You’ve probably already noticed but I have the maturity level of a filly your age when I want to have fun. I know how to foalsit, but only like kindergarteners and stuff. I have no idea how I’m going to handle you, but from the looks of it and what I heard from Princess Celestia you don’t even need me here. I guess She just wanted to be sure.” Cadence explained.
“Well um... I’m Twilight Sparkle. I just moved here a week ago when Princess Celestia made me her protege... I normally just sit and read or practice my magic when I’m not having lessons with the Princess. There really isn’t all that much to me, I guess I’m a straightforward little filly. I’m a lot smarter than other foals my age, though, and now I have Spike to look after like a little brother.” Twilight explained in return.
“Hm... So what are we going to do today?” Cadence asked after a moment of thought.
“Well... I don’t think you really want to read all day with me, but the Princess did say that you know a lot of her lessons. We could try some of those.” Twilight suggested.
“Well I know the sphere, the guessing game, the magic charades and a lot of her multitasking ones.” Cadence said.
“Guessing game and magic charades?” Twilight asked.
“Oh they’re so fun! In the guessing game one of us describes anything in eye sight and the other has to not only guess what it is, but pinpoint it with their magic. We normally used dots like a pointer.” Cadence explained.
“And the magical charades?” Twilight asked.
“You use your magic to make something, like in normal charades, except you can do it anyway you know how. Transformation, manipulation of senses. Celestia liked to just make blobs with her magic and mold them into whatever it was. She was good at that, I never had the precise control like that though.” Cadence answered, smiling in remembrance.
“So, guessing game or charades...” Twilight started. She was thinking, trying to decide which to try, but she felt a very familiar presence touch her mind.
“Um... don’t freak out. I’ll be right back.” Twilight said before she entered her waking dreams state. Cadence was confused and was more than just a little worried when Twilight slumped over in her seat.
---
“Princess!” Twilight exclaimed, running up and hugging the princess in their conjoined mindscape.
“Normally I’d say something like ‘oh it’s only been one night’ but I’m the one taking the very first chance I get to come talk to you.” Celestia said, pulling the filly closer. “You know you really gave me a start calling me that. I was speechless the entire ride.” She continued.
“O-Oh... I’m sorry... I... I won’t do it again...” Twilight said sadly.
“No! No no no no, that’s not that I meant! I had the biggest grin on my face, according to Quill at least.” Celestia said quickly.
“Wait... so... It’d be ok if I call you mom?” Twilight asked.
“Ok? I’d absolutely love it if you did. Quill already said that she’d get your adoption papers ready when we get back.” Celestia said. Twilight froze and stared at Celestia for a little bit. Celestia was about to ask her what was wrong, but the filly nearly tackled her in an embrace again. WHen she looked down at her, though, she saw that the filly was crying.
“I-I... you... thank you...” Twilight said, her voice cracking as she just clung to Celestia. Celestia smiled and returned the embrace in full once more.
“Of course.” Celestia simply answered. It was a full minute before Twilight looked behind her and stepped away from the embrace.
“Um... I-I kind of left Cadence... Can you excuse me for just a moment? I think she’s starting to freak out...” Twilight asked.
“Go on, I’m not going anywhere.” Celestia said. Twilight nodded and quickly faded away. She was back in about three minutes.
“Alright, I explained what’s happening and she calmed down. So are we going to have another one of our lessons?” Twilight asked when she appeared.
“We are, but we’re going to be doing something different. Now that I’m adopting you, I want to know more about your past. I won’t delve into it, though. I want you to choose one of your memories this session, instead of me choosing. It doesn’t matter to me how important or how long the memory is, or even how vague.” Celestia replied.
Twilight nodded and thought long and hard. The scenery fluctuated a few times, as if she had chosen, but it always just faded back into the black abyss of nothingness.
“Alright... I barely remember anything, I don’t even remember what they look like... But I’ve been holding this in for a long time and you deserve to know... I only remember what happened...” Twilight said as one of the fluctuation spread into a whole scene.
-Warning. There be violence ahead.-
It was an alleyway, and it was raining. There was a very small Twilight, what seemed like two blank ponies, and another four blank ponies standing in front of them.
One of the blank ponies was holding Twilight in their magical grasp, at least that’s what it looked like. The other one had royal guard armor on.
“My dad was a guard here in canterlot and my mom was one in Edinspur... She was on leave to come see us. My brother was in the academy, though I think he’s a guard somewhere closer to the borders...” Twilight explained.
The mouths of the ponies on the other side of the alley were moving, but no words came out. They all pulled sharp objects from bags or pockets and threateningly put them up.
“Take Twilight and run. I’ll keep them off of you as long as I can...” The one wearing armor said. The mare said nothing but instead huffed, turned and started running. One of them yelled something and the sharp object was sent flying towards her. A wall appeared in its way, but it was a second too late and the object kept going. Their vision of the stallion and the four assailants went dark and it looked like the entire city wasn’t there except when illuminated by a light emanating from the memory-Twilight and the blank mother.
The object caught up quickly and was embedded into the mare’s ribs when she tried to duck into an alley. She yelled in pain and nearly dropped Twilight as she collapsed onto the ground.
She yelled in pain again as she ripped the thing out with her magic and flung it into the alleyway with enough force to shatter whatever it was. She huffed and tried to get back up, but yelled in pain again as she couldn’t and collapsed. Very slowly, as the mare frantically looked around and called ‘Help!’ with a pained voice, the face slowly appeared. The second it was completely clear, the mare set Twilight down and looked at the little filly.
“I’m... I’m sorry Twilight...” She said softly. She then curled up around the bundle that was Twilight, shaking and in pain. The two watching the memory both had tears running down their faces, Twilight nearly sobbing, as the mare’s shakes and spasms slowly stopped and all movement ceased.
-Violence over...
The memory-Twilight started crying loudly, and that’s when the current Twilight couldn’t take it anymore. The scene dissolved into fragments and into nothingness again as Twilight turned towards Celestia and started crying into her chest.
“I... I-I remember this case... Two royal guards attacked and killed by a group of assailants linked to a large and very dangerous gang the stallion arrested... Three of the assailants were found unconscious and the fourth was found the next day in the gutter with nearly every bone in his body broken.” Celestia said.
“H-He was going to make captain, I think...” Twilight said, calming down a little bit.
“I’m so sorry... I can only hope I can be even an ounce as good a pony as they were...” Celestia said in a near whisper.
“W-What? Of course you’re as good a pony as they were!” Twilight said, reeling back and staring at her.
“Oh maybe not... Your father sacrificed himself in a fight he knew he couldn’t win alone just so that your mother had a chance to escape with you... And even when she was seconds from death, she still shielded you from the cold and rain... They were completely selfless in their care for you...” Celestia retorted.
“But I don’t even remember who they were or what they looked like...” Twilight said, looking at the floor.
“But you will never forget what they did for you” Celestia said.
“... I’ll never forget what you’re doing for me either...” Twilight retorted softly. Celestia was caught off guard by that. Her eyes softened and she pulled Twilight into another embrace.
“Oh, Twilight... I just hope I can be a good mother for you...” Celestia said.
“You already are... I love you, Mom.” Twilight said.
Awwwww!
loved it (feels!)
Oh dear Mother Celestia........this can only end in happiness, then Nightmare Moon and OH GOD PURE DEMI-RAGE SHIFT TWILIGHT (because nobody F@% with family)
Sad but necessary. How else would we find out about how Twilight became an orphan?
I sense several surprises in the future...
one Shining ..."You are alive?! I missed you LSBFF!"
two Cadance ... "Your brother / sister is WHO?"
Oh wow. That's... Wow. You made me whiper.
On a lighter note, I'm loving this story. More please!
Oh, and Twilight is totally Batmare.
I have to agree the two do seem kinda forced together in a way, and while i understand twilight was to young to have much of a real memory of the event it almost seems a little to vague to put into words if that makes sense.
2585263 Batmare was my first thought too!
Wow, do I feel like shit right now, but this feeling is being combated by the fact that Twilight is, in a sense, THE GOD DAMN BATMAN! or Batmare... what ever, pretty good story Dark, considering you are making this up as you go.
And in my opinion, it seems as if a lot of the popularity the story has is because this is probably one of the cutest, most depressing, touchy feely, and well written stories that has ever been hosted on FiMfiction, though I am not saying it is the best story, I am not denying the fact that you have a pretty good combination of story elements.
And since it should be said, when I read the scene where Twilight's parents died, my mood when down hill, at the speed of dead baby jokes.
Keep on writing Dark, and keep on fighting the good fight.
Damm ninjas and there onions.
ohh, my feels they hurt.
This was a good chapter...but the whole 'sad' memory part felt too rushed I think and the whole thing with Cadence was really funny all in all please keep up the good work brada
The feels, BY CELESTIAS SWEET TEATS THE FEELS!!
Awwwww....
I was kinda hoping the adoption would be a surprise..
Watch this while reading!
the fight scene and everything after dat bros :P
If you would be so kind as to ratchet up the sucrose just one more notch I will pass out.
You really have capture the interactions here, keep it coming.
No, it's okay. I didn't need my heart to stay in one piece. I can just let it burst from the adroableness.
... Do they find out about shining soon?
The dialog is a bit wordy, the narration still feels wooden and Tell-y, and the whole "Mom" plot feels way too rushed.
Also, if you hadn't said you don't want Error posts, I'd be putting several right here.
You're getting a little better, but you don't seem to be learning very fast.
i've been hit in the face with feels
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2585328 just what?!?! lol
feels.... feels ....everywhere
Very sweet.
2585263 oh lord... I was going to do something like that but it made me think of batman and it was too cliche...
2585386 It's not that i'm not learning fast, it's that i really can't learn it at all... Violence is one of the few things I can do perfectly right in terms of description and show instead of tell. I can do it with romance too, but I choose not to for various reasons. This is neither of those, so those things come out not the best for me. And besides, the way I think involves more of a telling narration...
2585337 THIS FUCKING VIDEO... http://captainhoers.deviantart.com/art/Go-337550185 I had the song in this animation playing the whole time. I've actually had it on repeat since i started the story
2585286 the middle of that brought the stupidest grin to my face
2585268 that's kind of what I was going for, actually. A barely comprehensible memory that's vague and short but powerful
Hopefully we can see shining armor finding his sister alive and well
If I might make a suggestion for the next chapter?
Imagine this scenario, Cadence taking Twilight and Spike on a little trip through Canterlot. Fun, Laughs, Ice Cream, and The Infamous Sunshine Dance ensue. Sound good?
D'awwwww! I love this story!
I like the updating :) I hope to continue o see more updates from you. Btw Celestia mentions she remebers this case about the 2 getting assaulted... Would celestia then remeber that twily has a big brother, maybe even who it is? Perhaps she does some research when she gets back to find her bbbff, and like that you have shining in the story.
One idea with cadance tho, you could have her test twi's magical strength, and be completely shocked at how powerful her magic is.
All dem feels
:'(
I love it that you're updating, keep it up!!
I just hope you never stop! Keep that brain feels going!!
2585455 i already said he's off somewhere being a guard, and Cadence came from stalliongrad where her boyfriend lives. Put two and two together and you gots shining.
2585441 I was actually planning on keeping the dance until Cadence leaves. "We need a greeting for next time we see each other. OH how about this?!" sort of thing. This won't be the only time Cadence is in the story."
2585435 I'm planning on having Twilight explain what she did with Celestia in the next chapter. I'm thinking that when Twilight tells her what happened, she'll say her boyfriend told her a similar story and they'll figure it out and be all ehr mah gherd. Since he's stationed in Stalliongrad, which I'm going to go ahead and say it's one of the border cities that's having griffon troubles, they can't spare him leave. Therefore, Cadence will be their correspondance of sorts.
This is all I can see happening with Twilight.
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God, Twilight is so adorable like this and Momlestia is best Celestia. As proven by this and Scootamom
2585433
You actually are slowly getting better at it, but saying you can't is like saying you don't want to.
And to a degree, this story is almost a Romance.
Think about it. Two or more characters develop unique feelings for one another, discovering more about each-other and themselves as they grow into their new roles and change their lives for the better? That is literally the basic form of any love story.
This just happens to be of the non-romantic vein, which is certainly a rare gem.
Of course, if you'd like someone to do a quick once-over for mistakes before you put a chapter up, I'd be more than happy to help. My OCD tends to point out errors, and it just kills me when I can't do anything about them (like point out that you said salad instead of sandwich in the breakfast scene*ninja vanish!*).
2585519 I am vengeance, I am the night, I am Batmare!!
I like this story so far, but I think the adoption bit was a BIT fast paced...
I would think that celestia would give it a bit more thought than the giddy feeling of just "she called mom". She is still in a position of politics, she has to consider the implications of the adoption. I personally would like to see reasoning of a meeting with the original guardians, perhaps a meeting of the bullies on the way?
Not only this, but I doubt they would be able to adopt twilight, royalty or not, without a meeting first. A request to come back to the orphanage gives twilight something to worry about before celestia ASKS twilight for permission to adopt her. Its almost a given, but this just seems to cheapen it for me, this is a BIG decision, and glossing over one of the most important parts does not seem to do it justice... Plus, it allows for a very cute chapter... My opinion, but I would like to hear your thoughts :)
Also, "my royal guard boyfriend" does not really seem to fit. Maybe "my boyfriend, who is in the royal guard"...?
What if Celestia grew ten times larger that day, I would praise her even harder!
Ouch, right in the feelings.
DEAR GOD THIS IS GOOD. keep it up. you know your doing a good job when maybe a week in you have 1000 likes
2585569 Don't forget that clone troopers parents are dead
Curse these feels, I got d'awww everywhere. Do you have any idea how hard that stuff is to clean up?
2585433 I wouldn't have said it was too cliche. The only reason I said it was becaus it was a vague reminder of Batman. I watched the film recently too.
The dialog seems forced at times. I still can't put my finger on it, but something in this entire story makes it feel rushed and far too much to the point. Feels like I am only getting a summary of events.
Odd how Twilight and her brother don't speak much. You would think that her brother would try and stay in contact since he is the only family she has left.
And like half of the posts here, I feel obligated to think I thought "Batmare" when Twilight's parent's deaths were described. Was it by chance after going to see a play or opera?
2585661 dam that's ....intens
More please
uh oh, careful now of Twilight will turn into BATMARE!
Nice story, but the fight scene wasn't very accurate, one trained and armoured guard should have been able to hold off the assailants longer, and a single stab wound definitely wouldn't have killed someone that fast, there have been cases in duels of people being stabbed and then going on to in the duel.
(also there's no need to warn us of violence, were all adults here.)
2585616 Well yes, Celestia should, but she is not some perfect goddess who never makes a mistake here. In fact this spur of the moment decision coming back to bite her, or at least Twilight, in the cutie mark could very well be an important plot point.
As to what you said about the adoption, that might still happen. Celestia has said she plans to adopt Twilight, and Twi is reacting like it's already happened, but it hasn't yet. Of course on the other hoof unless this story stops well before the present day there will be some major time skips. These details could be important in some stories, but they also could not matter at all and be skipped. While you could get some emotional and important scenes out of it, a party right after the adoption might be even better.