There was something sensible in being the Princess of the Day or the Princess of the Night. They oversaw something tangible, something that could be seen and manipulated physically—OK, magically, but the magic was physical in a sort of way; it interacted with the sun and the moon plus the stars, things that were definitely tangible. As for the magic itself, one could see its glow, one could hear its twinkling, one could sense its warmth. It didn’t have a taste nor a smell—then again, some spells emanated such, whether for good or bad.
But being the Alicorn of Love? That was an enigma Principal Cadance had to wrap her mind around. It sounded so cheesy, it’s a title only to be heard in cheap fairy tales and lullabies.
Then again, her whole world had turned into a cheap fairy tale. She herself was a pink alicorn with a heart as her cutie mark—that reeked of cheesiness.
However, it didn’t matter if it was cheesy. This was reality and she had to deal with it, cheesiness and all.
In the days following the disaster, Cadance made few appearances outside, spending most of her time with the Canterlot High principals and their princess counterparts—including her own. It was weird talking to herself and hearing her own voice directed at her, not able to predict what that all-too familiar accent was going to say next, but it had been a rather profitable affair. Celestia and Luna had gotten some bearing over their magic and their new responsibilities—she was reminded of Luna’s first trip into the dream world. As for the one and not-so-only Cadance, she was thankful she didn’t have to rule over an empire of Crystal ponies.
Until she realized she did have to rule over an empire of Crystal ponies.
Reports had come from outside of Canterlot of a considerable number of ponies from the country’s northern regions, that they were translucent and looked like they were made of diamonds.
In the meeting, Cadance gulped and held on to her throat. “I’ve got to rule over an empire?” she blurted out with a groan.
The pink princess’s reply was a nod. “Your cutie mark refers to the Crystal Heart, which is central to the survival of the Crystal Empire and their ponies. I do not know if you have a Crystal Heart here, but….”
The one-to-one meeting turned sour from there on, Cadance phasing out the information flooded into her head. All of a sudden, the lives of tens of thousands of Crystal ponies she’d never known before were under her rule, a rule she’d never thought would be hers nor had she wanted it to be hers.
The princess then accompanied her in flight to those northern regions, surprised at her other self’s early knowledge about flight. Once there, Principal Cadance first noticed that it was a lot colder than she’d thought it would be. Item number two on the list was the population of Crystal ponies, seeing them right there and talking to her. They weren’t bowing down to her like how many others had bowed down to Celestia and Luna, but they changed their tone whenever the principal and the princess were within earshot.
What irked her the most, though, were the clean streets. Too clean, in fact, to be made of asphalt. A harder tap on the street made her doubts go away; these streets were made of crystal, too. A smoother, more malleable crystal to handle so many walking ponies and rolling carriages all the same.
“This really is Earth’s Crystal Empire,” the princess declared with a solemn note.
But the principal refused, closing her eyes and trotting backwards. “N-No! I don’t even know these ponies! I-I—”
History lessons came rushing back, making her silent before their testimony. She remembered that some villain named King Sombra had taken over Equestria’s Crystal Empire a long time ago. On this planet? A dictator with the same name had taken up the mantle of “King” and had tried to separate it from the country in a play for power. He’d lasted only one week, but that one week had been brutal to all who’d suffered under his reign.
This place? This was the Crystal Empire on Earth, bright and thriving with so many confused but learning Crystal ponies.
It didn’t help that a Crystal Heart appeared out of nowhere in front of the two Cadances while they were trotting down the street.
“Really?!” the principal asked, incredulous.
“Really, Cady.” Cadance then levitated the heart towards the Cady to let her inspect it. “The magic inside this heart is connected to you.”
Cady nodded, not wanting to make the connection between her cutie mark and the very similar-looking Crystal Heart.
“It needs you,” Cadance said. “Without you, the Crystal Empire will lose its magic and...well, I don’t know exactly what’ll happen, but it won’t be good.”
Cady took a step back, looking at her counterpart from top to bottom in skeptical scrutiny. “Is that a threat?”
“I...no. It’s not.” Cadance tugged at her long, curled mane. “But, that’s how it is. Without you, untold suffering will come upon these ponies.” Held her close, seeing Cady’s distressed face. “I know that you didn’t ask for it. Well, I’ll let you know that I didn’t, too.”
Cadance didn’t look her way. Instead, she looked down and saw her picture perfect reflection as an alicorn, as the Alicorn of Love.
No matter how cheesy that sounded.
Back in Crystal Prep, Cadance sat in her office. It was a luxurious place, spruced up in pink and blue since Cinch’s unceremonious departure. Musty bookshelves lined up the walls; at the back rested countless trophies and medals, telling the prestigious records of the academy.
They didn’t help her sleep at night, not now with a sigh at the table and a look upon the huge door.
In that empty room of floral scents and smells.
She’d seen no one in the hallways save for that one faithful janitor who mopped the floor despite being a pegasus. At least he could now mop the ceiling as well, though that did lead to some leakage problems and some wet heads.
Anyway: Cadance glanced at the papers and photos on her desk, these documents about the Crystal Empire in both worlds. Among them were letters written by her princess self concerning the peculiar nature of Crystal ponies. Their coats reflected light like crystals, their eyes shone in sides and not in ovals, and their appearances depended on their state of mind: if they were joyous, they would shine and probably blind someone; if they were gloomy, they looked just like any ordinary pony, possibly worse since they adopted duller shades.
Of course, one thing that kept bothering the principal was her title: The Alicorn of Love. The inexplicable make-ups by couples, finishing heated arguments in seconds—now it made sense to her. It was her magic at work...maybe too much work since she wasn’t thinking about it, not even conscious about it. Sure, she was somewhat prepared for it—her job as principal made her read a couple of relationship books. However, she hadn’t expected to read up on and practice love as a field of magic.
Magical love, huh? The thought of it made her want to shake her head and smile at how silly it sounded. Yet again, reality prevailed, and she reminded herself that she was this world’s Alicorn of Love.
“What am I gonna do?” Cadance said to herself, hooves rubbing her temples. “Not only do I have to help Crystal Prep and the Crystal Empire, I also have to keep my love magic in check! Not that maintaining marriages and engagements is bad, but—”
Knock! Knock!
Cadance lifted her head. “Strange. Isn’t it a Sunday today?” Then, she rolled her eyes, remembering that there’d be no classes this week. Or next week. Or the week after that.
Knock! “It’s me, Cady!”
Cadance galloped from her chair. Not taking the trouble to use her horn, she used her hooves to open the door.
Letting a white unicorn come in.
“Hiya’!” Shining said, grinning with a hoofwave and a hug. “Decided to drop by and see how you’re doing!”
He got his answer, alright, when he saw the forlorn face on his fiancé, blemished with downward lips and reflective eyes.
Shining let go of her. “What’s wrong? Did something happen during your trip to the Crystal Empire?”
Cadance nodded, rubbing her foreleg. “Yeah. Pretty much.”
Tilting his head, Shining wasn’t stumped. “Let me guess. Principal and princess duties on your mind?”
Cadance nodded a second time, this time with heaviness in her movements.
Shining scratched his blue mane. “Being a love princess or something like that, too.”
The alicorn rocked her head back, moaning at the mountain of responsibilities on her desk. “She talked to me about it. Renewing relationships, counseling the married and the unmarried, checking up on certain ponies once in a while to see how they’re doing—that’s what it is. Plus the cool actiony stuff like magic force fields powered by love...” and laughed, imagining the two of them fighting monsters by kissing each other on the cheeks.
Shining chimed in with his laughter. “We live in a wacky world these days!”
Cadance looked down on the floor, half-expecting to see her reflection again. “Too wacky for my taste.”
That’s when he trotted up to her.
Cadance knew.
She hugged him first.
Shining’s ears folded, looking surprised. “Oh.”
Cadance snuggled him. “Thank you for dropping by, Shining.”
The unicorn flashed a smile, satisfied to hear those words. “I mean, if you need me, just give me a ca—” and backtracked, remembering that he couldn’t even turn on his phone with his big hooves.
Remembering her failures with her phone, too, Cadance rubbed her forehead, careful to not hurt her horn. “Yeah. About that....”
Then, Shining perked up, a sudden thought attacking him. “Are we supposed to be married yet?”
Cadance’s eyes went wide and she snatched herself away. “What?”
Shining’s cheeks flared red. “Their version of us...they have a baby already.”
The princess did her best to not react negatively—not with a punch and a kick, that is. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Just because their Cadance and Shining got married and have a baby doesn’t mean that we’re getting married and having a baby.”
“But it implies that we’re getting married and having a baby!” Shining retorted, trying to make his case airtight.
Embarrassed by her desperate paramour, she snorted, busying herself by ruffling some of the papers. “Come on, Shiny!”
But this cavalier would not budge. “Well, it raises the possibility of marriage, knowing that we get together in another world, right?”
The sweetheart teased him by batting her eyelashes, then turned her head away. “Eh, let me think about it.”
“You should totally think about it!” shouted Twilight.
“What?!” Cadance yelled, seeing Twilight enter the room with a happy smile on her face.
Twilight bounced around in joy, about to have hearts in her eyes while somehow balancing those glasses on her snout. “You two are the perfect match-up! Shining: my big brother best friend forever and a Crystal Prep alumnus and a nerd like me! Cadance: my babysitter and a principal and a love alicorn!”
Shining gulped, keeping his mane combed with his hoof. “Why’re you here?!”
“Oh, um, nothing!” The little sister scratched the back of her head with a hoof, now smiling out of her own embarrassment.
Cadance giggled, looking at a shiny smiling Shining as she trotted to him. “Ha-ha! This escalated quickly. The unusual visit, the talk about our other selves’ marriage and foal. Next thing I know, you’re going to give me an engagement ring right here.”
Shining’s eyes shrunk. His face sunk in sweat. His teeth and jaw clenched. His hoof reached for his mane.
Twilight opened her mouth agape, shocked.
Cadance gasped. “Wait! You’re really going to engage to me? Now?!”
Shining had a dumb grin on his face. He then took a ring out of his mane, this one a ring made out of crystals.
On a rollercoaster of emotions, Cadance covered her mouth, tears forming in her eyes.
Twilight, meanwhile, was hopping around in the room, laughing to herself at how her dreams were coming true.
Thus, Shining bended knees, ring on lifted hoof. His voice stood out and alone in this chamber as he began: “Cadance....”
News of the proposal spread like wildfire. While some questioned such a move in disaster’s immediate aftermath, many viewed it as a ray of hope, that life would indeed go on as normal with its proposals, its engagements, and its weddings.
Speaking of weddings, many mares talked up the couple’s upcoming marriage. They imagined standard wedding stuff: flowers, gowns, suits, ballrooms, carpets, food, and kisses. “I now pronounce you husband and wife” couldn’t come sooner for these folks, never mind the lack of any announcements.
Or the fact that a changeling queen had tried to take over the other Cadance’s wedding.
In the meantime, this world’s Cadance decided to put her rising popularity to good use. She did that by establishing herself as Canterlot’s premier love counselor, stationed at Crystal Prep while classes were out of session.
Most of the sessions ended well thanks to the princess’s tips and writings of her own experience as a counselor. It was awkward to have Night Light and Twilight Velvet over, considering that they were the parents of her spouse-to-be, but their honest admission that their love’s gone dry over the past year spurned Cadance to help them.
Her office wasn’t open to only married couples, though.
One day, Big Mac and Sugar Belle entered the principal’s—no, the love counselor’s office.
A dozen heart balloons, a hundred perfumed flowers decorated the chamber, and one red carpet greeted the two inside
Cadance was seated at the table, horseshoed-forehooves clasped on the desk which had some flower vases on it.
The couple gulped as a couple, nervous together in harmony.
Breaking the ice, Cadance gestured to the two seats in front of her desk. “You’re free to sit down!”
So the couple sat down, slowly.
They looked at each other, blushing at the other’s sight handsome or beautiful visage, symbols of the perfect pony surely right before their eyes—so they thought.
Cadance stuck her tongue out as she rubbed her hooves together, preparing herself for half an hour’s worth of counseling. “OK, where do we start? Is there a problem or do you want some tips?”
Big Mac raised his—
“Actually,” Sugar Belle started, levitating a picture, “I’d like to know if gifting each other drawers is a bad sign.”
Sure enough, the picture showed two drawers side-by-side.
Cadance blushed despite her cheeks already being pink. “Aww! It’s not a bad sign at all! Just the opposite!” She paused, leaning her head to the side in cute thought. “Did you gift them at the same time?”
“With the same gift wrapping!” Sugar said, nodding her head and shaking her curly mane.
Cadance felt a fuzzy feeling in her heart. “If that’s so—”
The doors opened.
Showing a couple mover ponies bringing in a heavy full-length mirror into the room.
Cadance held up a hoof towards the couple. “Sorry, but hold on. This will take a minute.”
She hovered to the mirror, lifted it up with her magic as it glowed blue, then placed it beside a bookshelf, neatly tucked away from plain sight.
“Here’s your book,” said one of the movers, hoofing her a book which had her cutie mark etched on it. “The Crystal Empire side is ready.”
“Thank you,” and Cadance placed the book by the retractable platform protruding from the mirror, then blasted it with a blue beam of magic.
Blinding light enveloping all sight.
When it subsided, she was faced with a swirling mirror, hearing the fermenting whirl of the twirl.
The mover ponies wiped their foreheads collectively, glad they didn’t disappoint a princess this time.
“You’ve done a good job today,” Cadance said, closing her eyes in a cheery smile. “Have a nice lunch break!”
After the movers left, Cadance closed the doors, cast a spell upon it, and listened to the knobs lock with a crack!
The couple, having seen this principal perform unheard of magic feats, placed a hoof on each other’s shoulders, bracing whatever was next.
Cadance waved a hoof about. “Oh, don’t be afraid! I’m only locking this up because this portal’s very important. If it lands in the wrong hooves, we’re doomed.”
Both her recipients were unwilling to ask at first. Then, Sugar Belle taking center stage once again, “Where does the portal lead to?”
“Our Crystal Empire,” Cadance replied. “I can’t abandon my responsibility over it, but I also can’t leave my post as principal, at least not without a trained successor. For now, I can use this portal to go back and forth between these two places.”
Big Mac just smiled, approving of the idea in his head.
Cadance sighed, went into relax mood with a rotating stretch of her neck, then settled down on her seat. “So, back to your love li—”
A flash from the mirror and a Crystal pony appeared, panting and gasping for air. “Princess! The Crystal Heart has a blemish on it and we’re getting snow for no reason!”
Cadance jumped out of her chair. “We need to bring Sunburst—no, both Sunbursts!”
Big Mac and Sugar Belle stood up from their chairs, yearning for the door.
The alicorn noticed that. “Well, if you want, you can, uh, come over…? When we’re done with this problem, you can spend a date there and we’ll continue from where we left of.”
The Crystal pony half-closed his eyes, wondering why Cadance was so calm.
Sugar hemmed and haw—
“Eeyup!” Big Mac said.
Cadance smiled. “And you, Sugar Belle?”
“We don’t have much time!” yelled the Crystal pony. “You made it sound like it’s no good!”
“Then enjoy your honeymoon!” Cadance blurted out, becoming confused.
Then, she giggled to herself, knowing how cheesy that line sounded—and how cheesy she would end up sounding as she looked forward to the many budding relationships in the future.
All four ponies rushed into the portal.
Leaving the love counselor’s office empty with a magically swirling mirror.
Outside the office, sitting on the benches beside the door, were two yellow pegasi in armor, watchful over such a royal and crystally hallway.
“Tell me why again?” one Flash Sentry asked.
The other shrugged his shoulders. “Extra job.”