Princess Celestia smiled as Night Light and Twilight Velvet signed the scroll in front of them.
"Thank you," Celestia said. "It'll be much easier on Twilight if she boards here. Of course, you're welcome to visit any time you wish. Most students that attend here aren't lucky enough to have family in Canterlot."
"We already discussed things, and we want to do what's best for her education," Velvet replied. "She's a very special filly, after all."
"Yes she is," Celestia agreed.
"Now, we've got a celebration to plan," Night Light smiled. Then his gaze went wide, unfocused. "And houseplants to water. Always so thirsty-"
Velvet elbowed him in the side.
"We'll make sure Twilight is ready for things next week," Velvet said. "Is there anything we should pack for her?"
"Everything she'll need will be provided for her," Princess Celestia said. "But I find that most students enjoy having some of the comforts of home. A favorite blanket, a few toys or books, that sort of thing."
"And, um, what about..." Night Light looked nervous. "The dragon?"
"Ah, yes," Celestia smiled. "Twilight hatched him, so she is responsible for him. I'll be helping her, of course, but it wouldn't be the first time I helped one of my students with an unexpected responsibility."
"You mean Sunset Shimmer, and her daughter." There was a slight but noticeable pause before she said daughter, as if Velvet hadn't been sure it was the right word.
"Yes," Celestia said, her expression falling slightly at the thought of her now-former student. "Though Sunset was older and more capable of taking care of a filly. I'll be assuming most of the responsibility for ensuring the dragon is taken care of until Twilight is old enough to handle it herself. A filly her age shouldn't be changing diapers, after all."
"How dangerous is it?" Night Light asked.
"A baby dragon?" Celestia smiled. "Not at all. She's safer with him than she would be with a puppy."
"Really?" Night Light asked. "But the fire, and claws-"
"He won't be able to breathe fire for years, and it will be even longer before his claws stop being blunt. It will be no more difficult than taking care of a normal foal."
"You say that like taking care of a foal is easy," Velvet said. "They need a lot of attention and love."
"More than you expect, sometimes," Celestia agreed, a faint frown on her lips.
Sunset knocked on the door lightly. She hadn't been able to walk all the way across the castle. Even if her legs couldn't support her, she was able to teleport there in a few short hops and avoid any chance of running into Celestia.
She'd also ended up destroying the castle's anti-teleport wards again. She was sure whatever unicorn kept replacing them hated her. The one time she'd had to help out it had left her with a migraine for a day and a half.
"Coming!" Came a voice from inside the room. After a few moments, the door cracked open, revealing a pastel pink pony standing in a pastel pink room.
"Hey, Cadance," Sunset said, weakly.
"Sunset?" Cadance blinked. "What's wrong?" She helped Sunset inside, putting a wing around her to help support the unicorn. She closed the door behind them and led Sunset to a couch, sitting her down.
"I just... didn't know where else to go," Sunset admitted. "I didn't want to go back to my room. Has Celestia come by to tell you about all the great news?"
"No," Cadance said, cautiously. "But you don't look like she'd actually have great news to give me."
"She found a new personal student. Two of them." Sunset laughed harshly. "And apparently that's more students than she needs, so she decided to kick me out."
"It was that weird magic from before, wasn't it?" Cadance asked.
"Midnight got her cutie mark. So did Twilight Sparkle. The same cutie mark."
"That can happen?" Cadance blinked. "I've seen similar cutie marks in families, but-"
"They got the exact same cutie mark, at the same time. I guess that was enough of a curiosity to make Celestia take them in." Sunset shrugged. "I knew Midnight was going to be her student, but I didn't think..."
"You didn't think Celestia would be finished teaching you," Cadance finished, quietly. She got up on the couch and sat next to Sunset.
"Yeah," Sunset said. She put her head down, exhausted in every way a pony could feel exhausted.
"This isn't the first time you've felt like this, either," Cadance said. "Though last time I remember you being more angry than depressed."
"That's because last time, it was you."
Sunset Shimmer scribbled on a scroll without looking. She was trying to translate some older writings from Clover the Clever into modern Equestrian, but it wasn't going well. Sunset was starting to suspect there was nothing wrong with her translation, and that Clover had just managed to write an entire essay on magic without really saying anything at all. Maybe she was being paid by the word.
"Sunset?" Asked a voice from the door to the library.
"Hello, Princess," Sunset said, without looking up. "Are you back from that emergency meeting?" She hadn't been told what it was about, but that wasn't surprising. Princess Celestia was called to a half-dozen 'emergency' meetings every day, most of them about such important topics as the price of tea in Hippon or a need to name a new battleship.
"Yes," Celestia said, with a happy tone in her voice that Sunset rarely heard after one of her meetings. "And I've brought somepony with me that I'd like you to meet."
Sunset sighed and put her quill down. She'd probably have to spend a few minutes exchanging pleasantries with whatever diplomat Celestia had dragged out to meet her.
She turned, and her eyes went wide.
Standing next to Celestia, looking shy and bashful, was another alicorn. If Sunset was the kind of pony to think things like 'oh no, she's hot', she'd be thinking it.
"What? I- what?" Sunset sputtered.
"I'd like you to meet Mi Amore Cadenza," Celestia said. "She hasn't had her coronation yet, but I wanted you to be the first to meet Equestria's newest princess."
Sunset swallowed, feeling faint. Her eye twitched, from a combination of eye strain and a sudden massive knot of stress in her chest.
"I- I see." Sunset said.
"I hope you two become friends," Celestia continued. "I know there aren't a lot of ponies your age in the castle, but Cadance is a very nice young mare, and I think you two have a lot in common."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Cadenza said. "You can just call me Cadance. I don't like using my full name."
Sunset threw a book into the box, then kicked it across the room. She'd cleaned off her bookcases, putting everything that was hers in one box and everything that needed to go back to the castle library or be thrown away in another.
The box that she'd put her own things into was depressingly empty. Part of that was that Sunset didn't want anything that reminded her of Celestia.
"Sunset," said a voice. Not from the doorway, but from just inside. Sunset turned, surprised. Celestia had come in without knocking. Nor, apparently, did she use the door. Sunset could still sense the fading magic of a teleportation spell.
"Princess," Sunset said. "Why are you here?"
"Because I was worried about you," Celestia said. "And I see I was right to be worried." She picked up the letter Sunset had set off to the side.
Sunset looked away, blushing, as Celestia read over the short, polite, but very terse letter.
"You want to resign as my student?" Celestia asked. She didn't sound surprised about the contents.
"You don't need me anymore," Sunset muttered. "You've got a perfect student now, and ponies are already falling all over themselves trying to make her happy."
"A perfect student?" Celestia shook her head. "I already had a perfect student, Sunset. That's why I wanted to be your personal teacher."
"And now you have Cadenza!" Sunset snapped.
"I don't accept your resignation," Celestia said, tearing up the letter. "For one thing, you're not old enough to go out on your own. More importantly, it would be a terrible disservice to you to let you go."
"You can't make me stay here," Sunset said.
Celestia sighed and knelt down, getting on Sunset's eye level. "I can't make you stay," she admitted. "But I don't want you to go. I promise, Sunset, I would never just replace you like that."
"So much for that promise," Sunset muttered.
"Did she actually say that she wasn't going to teach you?" Cadance asked. "No offense, Sunset, but sometimes you overreact to things."
"She said she was done teaching me," Sunset said. "She tried to say she'd taught me everything she could and I'd graduated, but it sure is convenient that I graduate at exactly the same time she decides to get a new student." Sunset snorted. "Two new students."
"What's a good dragon name..." Twilight considered, as she watched the little purple wyrmling suck on an emerald.
"Crimson Death!" Midnight suggested. "Or maybe something with a lot of hissing sounds. Is it a boy dragon or a girl dragon?"
"...I don't know," Twilight said. "How do you tell with dragons?"
"Mom would probably know," Midnight said. She frowned. "I hope she's not angry about everything that happened."
"Probably not," Twilight shrugged. "I turned my mom into a fern and she wasn't angry after she got changed back."
"I'm told being a fern is very calming," Celestia said, as she walked into the sitting room. "Twilight, your parents have agreed to let you board at the castle. I'm very excited to have you with us."
"Thank you, Princess," Twilight smiled. "Um, could you help me come up with a name?" She looked at the dragon hopefully.
"This little one is your responsibility, so I can only give you a few tips," Celestia sat down. "First, remember that whatever name you give him, it's the name he'll have to live with for the rest of his life, and dragons live a very long time. Make it something that you won't regret in a few years."
"How am I supposed to know if I'll regret it though?" Twilight frowned.
"Well, I wouldn't name him after a pony," Celestia said. "Young dragons usually have short names like Spark or Talon. Then as they get older, their name grows along with them."
"Something short..." Twilight considered. "What about Spike?"
"Spike is a fine name for a young dragon," Celestia said. "And far less likely for him to grow to dislike than, say, naming him Posey or Scalebutt."
Twilight giggled at the suggestions, and Celestia smiled along with her.
"Thank you, Princess," Twilight said. She glanced back at Midnight. "Um, can I ask a question?"
"Of course, Twilight," Celestia said. "You're one of my personal students now. There's no question you should ever be afraid to ask me. I don't have every answer, but I'll always try to point you in the right direction."
"Well... I didn't see her at the school for the tests." She frowned at Midnight.
"Midnight Twinkle was exempt from the admissions tests," Celestia said. "The tests are largely so the teachers can gauge the ability of the applicants. Since I knew her personally, there was no need to have her take those tests."
"But..." Twilight frowned more. "Then why did I have to take the tests?"
"Because I didn't have a chance to know you beyond a few chance meetings," Celestia admitted. "I had a feeling you would rise to the top, and the results have proven me correct with flying colors."
"It's not fair," Twilight said, firmly. "I had to do a lot of work, but she didn't have to do anything, and we're basically the same since she's a copy of me."
"Twilight, she's not a copy of you. Midnight is her own pony."
"But you know what I mean!" Twilight huffed. "I did all that work, and she didn't do anything, and we ended up in the same place!"
"Ah," Celestia said, nodding. "I see the problem. Twilight, sometimes work is worth doing just for itself. Do you know you got the highest result on your written tests that we've ever seen?"
"The highest?"
"The highest," Celestia confirmed. "Your intuitive grasp of magical theory is very impressive."
Midnight coughed. Celestia and Twilight turned to look at her.
"Well, I don't like that Twilight gets to be your student," Midnight said, bluntly. "Twilight, even if you did really well in tests, I was already learning with Princess Celestia and my mom, and now because of you, Celestia doesn't want my mom anymore!"
"Midnight, that's not true," Celestia said. Midnight ignored her and kept talking, getting more and more upset as she went.
"Why is it that I'm not good enough on my own? And what did mom ever do to make you want to get rid of her? Are you just- just going to get rid of me too?"
"Midnight," Celestia said, firmly. "Calm down. I didn't dismiss your mother, and I..." Celestia took a deep breath. "Sunset Shimmer is like family to me. There's just nothing more I can teach her. You wouldn't want to be stuck in magic kindergarten forever, would you? Once you learn enough, you need to grow and move on to something better. It was just time for Sunset to do the same."
"But you didn't even give her warning or tell her anything!" Midnight protested.
"I wasn't expecting it to happen today," Celestia admitted. "Sunset has been ready for a long time. After what happened with both of you having a magical surge and earning your cutie marks, I knew it was a sign that the time had come."
"She's not very happy about it," Midnight muttered.
"No, she isn't," Celestia said. "Change is scary for anypony, no matter how many monsters they fight or how many spells they know. Even I get scared by change."
Midnight sniffled and rubbed her snout. "It's just- it's not fair. I don't want mom to be sad because of me."
"Don't blame yourself," Celestia said.
"You should just have one of us as your student, and then mom wouldn't need to go!" Midnight said.
"Taking only one of you as a student wouldn't change my decision about Sunset Shimmer," Celestia said. "She needs to get out from under my shadow and grow on her own. She's beyond the point where she needs to prove anything to me. She has to prove it to herself, and a pony can't do that just by following orders."
"But..." Midnight huffed.
"And," Celestia continued, after a moment. "If I had to choose only one of you, I would choose Twilight Sparkle as my student."
"What?" Midnight gasped. "But I was already your student!"
"And as Twilight Sparkle has pointed out, she has worked harder to get where she is. Even if your talents are equal, Twilight has done more to apply herself."
Midnight seemed on the verge of tears.
"But it wouldn't be fair to either of you," Celestia concluded. "You're linked, deep inside. And as I said, you each have an equal amount of talent. If I only taught one of you and not the other, I'd be letting that talent go to waste, and I'd be guilty of keeping you both from reaching your full potential." She looked at both of them evenly. "You two are far greater together than you are apart. The same is true of most ponies, but it's especially true in this case."
Sunset leaned into Cadance, trying to relax.
"You know, you could always move in with me," Cadance suggested. "The maids could get your things, and I could order the guards to keep Celestia out. We'd have to leave some of the taxidermy. The stuffed bugbear gave me night terrors for a week."
"You say that like they could stop her," Sunset snorted.
"They'd try really hard," Cadance said. "I mean I do have the same authority as Celestia. In theory. Do you think it would cause a civil war?"
"Cadance you could cause a civil war by batting your eyelashes at the troops too hard," Sunset smirked. "They'd start fighting each other for your attention."
"Too bad you're the one who has it," Cadance said. "They don't have a chance. You'd just blast them all the way to Manehattan."
Sunset blushed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," Cadance said, coyly. "But maybe once you're feeling a little better we can go make the troops jealous."
Sunset snorted, and a sudden pang in her chest turned it into a hacking cough, making her curl up.
"What's wrong?" Cadance asked, concerned. Her concern grew as cyan lines flowed over Sunset's body for a moment like she was burning from within.
"Nothing!" Sunset spat harshly, obviously in pain. Smoke escaped her lips, making her cough again.
"This isn't nothing. We need to get you to a doctor." Cadance started to stand. Sunset pulled her back down.
"No. I just need a minute..." Sunset shuddered in pain and calmed herself, the light fading. "I'm fine. I just need to sleep it off."
"You don't look fine," Cadance whispered, fretting. "What happened?"
"I'm just having a great day, is all," Sunset said. "I had to absorb a lot of magic to keep Midnight from hurting herself. It's like magical indigestion. Painful and embarrassing but not really dangerous. Probably."
"Probably?" Cadance asked.
"Well I haven't exploded yet so I should be fine," Sunset shrugged. "I just need time for my body to process the extra magic."
"You're not allowed to move in if you're at risk of exploding," Cadance said, poking Sunset gingerly. "I can get a little wild, and the last thing I want is to have to explain to the maids why my bed's on fire."
"I get a very strong feeling that it's not the strangest thing you'd have to explain to your maids," Sunset snorted. "Besides, I don't even know what we are yet."
"Well, we're not enemies," Cadance said.
"And we're not family," Sunset noted.
"I hope not. Otherwise what we did would have been a little taboo." She wiggled her eyebrows. "I know what I want us to be."
"If you follow that up with some kind of double-entendre, I'm going to set your mane on fire," Sunset said, opening an eye to glare at Cadance.
"You ruin all of my fun! But we could at least be friends. With benefits."
"You're not going to immediately suggest we run off and get married?" Sunset asked, mildly surprised.
"I think we need to work on being friends first. We've got a good start, though, and you're fun to spend time with once you stopped being grumpy at me." Cadance smiled softly. "But you know, if you did want to elope, I'd have to say no."
"Owch," Sunset winced.
"You're emotional and upset," Cadance said. "It's not the right time to make big life-changing decisions like getting married or blowing up all of Canterlot in a revenge fantasy, or using age spells and mane-dye to pretend to be a third lavender filly with a talent for magic."
"That thing with the explosions sounds kind of nice," Sunset muttered.
"Maybe, but Midnight would be really sad if you turned into a supervillain," Cadance said, nuzzling Sunset's neck. "You need a few days to calm down, and I'm going to help you do it."
Cadance leaned in closer, her lips nearing Sunset's. Just as they got so close they were nearly touching, a knock at the door interrupted them.
"Every time," Cadance muttered. "I swear I should be the Princess of Ponies Always Walking In On Her." She got up. "I'll get it. If it's Celestia, should I..."
"I don't want to talk to her," Sunset said, quietly.
Cadance nodded and opened the door.
"E-excuse me, Princess Cadance? Princess Celestia said mom might be here." Midnight looked up at her, obviously afraid. "C-can I come in?"
"Of course you can," Cadance said, ushering her inside and closing the door behind her. Midnight spotted Sunset on the sofa and ran over, coming to a halt just short of her mother.
"M-mom?" Midnight asked.
"Hey there," Sunset said, forcing a small smile. "Big day for you, huh? We're going to have to plan a party."
"Are you mad at me?" Midnight asked, her voice on the edge of breaking. "I didn't mean to- to have all that happen!"
"Am I-" Sunset sighed and sat up slowly, pulling Midnight up on the couch with magic before hugging her. "Not at you. You're still my cute little filly. You didn't do anything wrong."
"But I hurt you," Midnight whispered.
"You were hurting yourself," Sunset said. "And I did what I had to do to save you. I'm a little sore, but like I keep telling everypony, I just need to sleep it off. It's like eating something bad and getting sick from it. You feel awful for a day or two, then it's out of your system."
"That's not what I mean," Midnight said, quietly. "I hurt your feelings."
"Are you kidding?" Sunset snorted. "Do you know how proud I am of you? I knew you were strong, but that blew my expectations right out of the water. And you got your cutie mark in magic!" Sunset smiled. "You're taking after me, so I must be doing something right."
"Twilight has the same cutie mark, though," Midnight said.
"So what? Her brother didn't go to Celestia's school. Her mom didn't. But I did. And you're taking after me, so that means she's the one copying you." Sunset ran a hoof through Midnight's mane, straightening it out. "Don't you ever forget that."
"You really mean it?" Midnight asked. "You're not mad and- and-"
"And you're the best little filly. I've even got objective evidence to prove it. But that doesn't mean you're allowed to slack off. Even if I'm so mad at Celestia I could-" Sunset trailed off, composing herself. "She's still your teacher, and I want you to do your best."
"I will," Midnight whispered. "I promise."
"Good," Sunset nodded. "Now what should I get you as a present... maybe a nice pen and notebook?"
"Or a book of forbidden spells!" Midnight suggested.
"I'm not getting you a black magic grimoire," Sunset said. "I still don't know how you snuck that one out of the library. You remember what I told you?"
Midnight sighed. "Don't read books that are whispering in your mind, especially if they're written in suspicious-looking red ink."
"Good." Sunset yawned. "I think I need a nap. I could get an early start on sleeping this stupid magic indigestion off."
Cadance watched quietly as Sunset fell asleep on her couch, Midnight curled up next to her and joining her in slumber almost as quickly as her mother passed out.
The pink princess sighed, quietly. She didn't want to wake her guests. After what both of them had been through, they needed the rest. Cadance was tempted to just leave them there and go out to give them some privacy, but there was something else that concerned her.
She saw a flash of yellow light from under the door and opened it before the pony there could knock.
"Cadance," Celestia said. "I assume Sunset is here?"
"You already knew that, since you sent Midnight to find her," Cadance pointed out.
"It's still polite to ask," Celestia said. "May I come in? I'd like to have a word with my former student."
"No," Cadance said.
"No?" Celestia repeated. "I'm surprised at how often my requests are being denied in these last few days." She sighed.
Cadance stepped out, closing the door behind her. "She doesn't want to talk to you right now, and I think it's for the best. Sunset is really upset, you know."
"I know," Celestia said. "That's why I wanted to talk to her. I need to clear the air and fix this. I don't want hard feelings to fester between us." She sighed. "It's not right."
"No, it isn't right," Cadance agreed. "Why have you been dropping things in her lap lately? You know better than anypony that Sunset gets emotional, especially regarding you."
"I didn't mean to upset her so badly," Celestia whispered, closing her eyes. "I thought if I made her a Duchess she'd be happy about it. I was going to make her my advisor, and have her take over the running of the Court."
"That's not what she really wants," Cadance said.
"I know," Celestia replied. "But I can't give her what she really wants. You know that becoming an alicorn isn't something anypony can do, nor is ascension a gift I can give out. If it was, I wouldn't have lost so very many friends to time."
"That's not what I mean." Cadance shook her head. "I mean, yes, she wants to be an alicorn. But that's not what she wants from you. Not what she really wants, anyway."
"Then what does she want?" Celestia asked. "I'd do anything for her. You know that. Money? Power? Knowledge? I've tried to give her everything she doesn't already possess."
"She wants a family, Celestia," Cadance said, firmly. "It's why Midnight is so important to her, and why she cares so much about you. You raised her like a daughter."
"Cadance, there are reasons for what I do," Celestia said. "There are long-term plans that I have for her, and they'll all turn out for the best, for her and all of us."
"Do those plans include breaking her heart and sending her to throw herself against every monster lurking in Equestria's shadows until she ends up dead?" Cadance asked.
"She wanted to fight those monsters," Celestia said. "Despite the danger."
"She was trying to please you!" Cadance retorted.
"Sunset has very rarely disappointed me. I've always been proud of her. And if she was here, taking care of day court... she wouldn't be as motivated to put herself in danger."
"So you are worried about her," Cadance whispered.
"Of course I am," Celestia said, sharply. "She's almost died a half-dozen times. Even with Midnight waiting for her, it didn't stop Sunset from trying to throw her life away."
"Did you ever tell her to stop?"
"No." Celestia looked away. "There are certain foes that the Royal Guard simply wasn't prepared to face. I could have fought them myself, but..."
"But Sunset was eager and able," Cadance finished.
"Protecting ponies is one of the most important things a Princess can do. And part of me hoped that... she just needed to face some great foe and conquer them to achieve her potential."
"Celestia," Cadance sighed.
"I wanted her to be happy. And she did save the lives of many. She just never managed to connect to any of them." Celestia looked at the closed door. "There are ponies that are as scared of her as they are of any monster. When I made her a duchess - and I have not changed that decree - a dozen ponies came to the court to protest it. And those were just the ones willing to challenge my decision to my face!"
"Why?" Cadance frowned.
"Because she won't play their little political games. She doesn't play by any rules at all except her own. They couldn't threaten her in any way, and none of them have anything she wants."
"Are you implying Sunset Shimmer couldn't be corrupted?" Cadance snorted.
"I'm saying that they don't like having a new noble, above them, whom they have no leverage on," Celestia said.
"No one except you would have leverage on her, you mean," Cadance corrected, poking Celestia's chest with her hoof. "Since she'd do almost anything for your approval."
"The thought had crossed my mind," Celestia admitted.
"So what are you going to do now?" Cadance asked. "What's the big plan?"
"...I'll take your advice and leave her be for now," Celestia said. "I've hurt her, and she needs time to heal. Just... please let her know that I'm sorry?" She looked at Cadance with a faint expression of sorrow hiding just behind her features.
"I'll tell her," Cadance promised.
"So what did she want?" Sunset asked, when Cadance came back in.
"She wanted to say sorry," Cadance said, trotting over to the couch and getting up to sit next to Sunset, looking over her to make sure she wasn't disturbing Midnight.
"Sorry isn't always enough," Sunset muttered.
"Sunset, if you want to leave, you can," Cadance said. "I can take care of Midnight while you're away."
"I'm not going to abandon her," Sunset said. "Do you know what she'd think if I left? She'd think I was leaving because of her."
"So instead you're going to stay for her?"
"It's better than leaving," Sunset said. "I wouldn't know where to go, anyway. I don't have family waiting for me in some fishing village in the middle of nowhere."
"Prance," Cadance said. "It's in Prance. And you could visit, if you want. Get to know my folks. I could introduce you as my new lover. They wouldn't think it was awkward at all."
Sunset snorted. "I'd get run out of town with torches and pitchforks."
"Don't be silly. They're nice."
"That's why they wouldn't tar and feather me first." Sunset smirked. "I'm staying, and that's final. And you know I'm too stubborn for you to change my mind. Besides, you'd miss me too much."
"Well, I suppose," Cadance admitted. "You are one of my best friends."
"Good." Sunset yawned. "Now just stay there. I needed a pillow." She rested her head on Cadance, nuzzling her as she got comfortable. It would have been almost romantic, if she hadn't started snoring.