Ponyville's Tiny Librarian

by CommanderX5

Ch.11 - Cadence's Vacation - Part 2

Step by step, Cadence walked very slowly towards Fluttershy’s cottage, her breathing and heart beat slower than usual. With her head lowered, she looked at Twilight out the corner of her eye. The tiny unicorn was walking next to her, still in her diminutive size. The alicorn slowed down even more, trying not to get ahead of the tiny mare, who was busy balancing two rounded stones; the one on her nose was slightly bigger than her little muzzle, and another on her head was half Twilight’s size. To make it more difficult, one apple was also balancing on her back while seven bubbles of water were levitating in a circle above her head.

After a tired sigh, Cadence knelt and whispered, “How are you holding up?”

Twilight levitated the stone off of her muzzle and spoke, “Poorly; I can barely walk while balancing these objects.” Her attention focused on the stone atop her head, its rounded shape only slightly anchored against her horn, just one false move away from sliding to the side. “How far are we?”

“We’re almost there,” Cadence responded.

“Finally!” Twilight said impatiently. “Walking and being tiny never adds up as I can barely make any distance on my tiny legs. It has been hours since we left Sweet Apple Acres.”

Cadence sighed again. She could clearly see a bored expression on her tiny friend, and while Twilight indeed had the stamina to walk so slowly for hours, not being able to push her limits for the same time had to be unbearable. “I know how you feel, and I’m really sorry. I should’ve come up with a shorter training regimen for you to keep your strength and raw power in check.”

Twilight whimpered before moving her head in all directions to keep the stone stable while her neck begged her for mercy. She looked up at Cadence, which wasn’t difficult since the pink mare towered over her, and asked, “What about you?”

The alicorn blinked a few times in confusion, trying to understand her friend’s question. She closed her eyes and smiled warmly. “If you’re asking if I’m bored of walking like a turtle for the past few hours while observing your progress, you don’t need to worry. Living for centuries forges a lot of patience. I once watched a cocoon for two days straight until a butterfly emerged from it. It was a little boring, but also very relaxing if you ask me.”

Twilight gasped. “You did what? Why?”

Cadence frowned before adding with suddenly depressed tone, “I had to come up with many ways to cope up with outliving ponies I cared about. Until today, I wondered if boring myself to death was a good idea in the first place.”

“Oh…” Twilight bit her lip as her ears drooped. With her former foalsitter’s cheerful personality, it was easy for her to forget about the darker side of the long lifespan the alicorn had to deal with. Hopefully, Cadence and the princesses would help Spike with those issues when she passes away. Not wanting to open any mental wounds, Twilight said, “I didn’t mean boredom, though it’s good to hear it doesn’t affect you as much as me. I was instead wondering why you were so nervous?”

“Nervous?” Cadence asked, as she placed a hoof on her chest. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight said sarcastically as she stopped and pointed at Cadence’s raised foreleg. “Maybe because you’re trembling like a jelly. Being small and walking next to you is enough to notice that your legs tremble with every step… or at least they started to several minutes ago.”

“Oh…” Cadence blushed before rubbing her hoof. “I cannot deny that I’m a little nervous.”

“Really, why?” Twilight asked as she levitated away the stone and apple from her body before streching her neck. “I just want to introduce you to Fluttershy. I’m sure she will be more nervous than you’re now.”

Cadence looked up at the sky, away from the tiny mare’s concerned stare. After what happened yesterday, I doubt it. She looked down once again and spoke, “Let's just say that after we defeated the dragon yesterday, there’s something I wanted to discuss with her… and it’s making me nervous.”

Twilight walked closer to Cadence’s foreleg and stroked it. “Don’t worry, I will be there with you.”

“Thank you, but I would prefer for us to talk in private, if you don't mind.”

“Oh, more secrets.” The little unicorn nodded firmly. “Don’t worry, I already let Overwatch and Fluttershy keep their secrets from me, I will respect your privacy as well, just say the word.”

Cadence rubbed her chin after hearing this new information. Don’t be curious, Cadence, you must respect another's privacy. Just nod and roll with it.

“Come on, Angel, just one more carrot, pretty please,” Fluttershy pleaded as she pushed the carrot gently towards her little bunny, who without hesitation kicked it away again.

‘Knock... knock’

Fluttershy’s attention focused on the door. I wonder, who might it be? Maybe Rainbow Dash? “I’m coming.”

She slowly opened the door, quickly recognizing the alicorn from the last adventure a few days ago. “Cadence…? W-welcome,” Fluttershy said hesitantly as she opened the door further. “If I may ask, what brings you to my cottage…? Not that I’m not happy to see you, but I thought that…” She paused, unsure of what to say next.

Cadence smiled cheerfully. “That I would return to Canterlot after helping with the dragon problem? I won't waste such a great opportunity to learn more about Twilight's friends for the world."

Seeing that the alicorn looked down at the floor, Fluttershy did as well and noticed Twilight sitting next to Cadence’s left forehoof.

“Twilight, may I ask you one question?” Cadence asked.

The shrunken mare looked up and smiled. “Sure, ask away.”

Cadence chuckled. “Do you always attack the door with a jump kick whenever you’re knocking?”

“Pretty much,” Twilight said proudly, before she performed a strong jump and kicked at the air, surprising Fluttershy with how high her friend could reach. “And to think that being such a small size makes even a simple action like knocking on a door into an exercise this fun.”

Fluttershy gestured her hoof indoors. “Please, come in and make yourself at home. Would you care for some tea, Princ… I mean, Cadence?”

“I would love to.” She nodded, taking a seat on the sofa next to a pillow, leaving it free for Twilight to sit upon.

Fluttershy nodded and walked towards the kitchen, passing Angel, who narrowed his eyes as he glared at the guests.

“Hello, Angel, nice to see you again!” Twilight shouted while waving her foreleg. Angel jumped onto the table as the little pony pointed at him. “Cadence, this is Angel, Fluttershy’s friend, and my adventuring companion.” She pointed at the alicorn. “Angel, meet Cadence, my former foalsitter.”

Noticing a carrot on the floor, Twilight jumped from the pillow before grabbing it with one foreleg and galloping towards Angel, jumping onto the table. “Is that yours?”

Angel nodded before pointing at the carrot and then to her. Twilight smiled and responded while placing a hoof on her chest, “Oh no, I already ate at Applejack's, but I appreciate the gesture.” Seeing as the bunny pointed towards Cadence, the unicorn glanced towards her, noticing that she was now staring at them curiously. “Angel asks if you would like to have a bite?”

The alicorn blinked a few times before speaking in confusion, “You… understand him?”

Twilight nodded before levitating the carrot above her head. “Well… mostly. Angel cannot speak in our language, but he’s smart. If you pay close attention to his paw gestures, you can easily decode a message… or simply guess what he's trying to say.”

Cadence’s horn lit up in a blue aura as she levitated over the carrot right to her mouth, biting into it with a smile. “Thank you.”

Angel smiled back before turning around while looking at the carrots on the table. He smirked devilishly.

The pegasus balanced three teacups on her wing, carefully trying to get them safely out of the kitchen as her wing and hooves trembled a little. Calm down, Fluttershy. Cadence was Twilight’s foalsitter and took care of her for years. There’s no point to be intimidated. She took a deep calming breath, gathering her determination as she resumed her walk. She’s caring and concerned about Twilight’s well being, just like I’m about my cute little bunnies and mice and… She gulped. So what if she’s bigger and has those huge Celestia-like wings. She’s calm and gentle…

Fluttershy stopped herself as she was about to enter the room with her guests, her fight against her shyness being compromised by memories of yesterday’s events. So what if she took down a grown up giant dragon. So what if she had those vengeful eyes and radiated with those hostile emotions. It was just a moment of weakness. With a final push, she walked into the room.

Noticing how Cadence stepped from the sofa and sat in front of the table, while Twilight and Angel were already seated on it, Fluttershy asked, “Excuse me pr… Cadence. W-would you l-like a pillow to s-sit on?”

The alicorn turned towards Fluttershy, almost making her flinch, but a gentle, cheerful smile and a wave of nicely tasting emotions calmed her. “Please, don’t bother yourself, Miss Fluttershy, the floor is comfortable enough.”

Fluttershy smiled back and nodded before approaching slowly, as Cadence levitated three teacups from her wings onto the table. Fluttershy sat on a pillow and was about to say something, but Angel caught her attention, remains from a fully eaten carrot in his little paw. “Oh, so you ate all the carrots, good Angel.”

Cadence looked at the sneaky bunny in confusion before realization struck her. She smiled awkwardly at the yellow pegasus and remarked, “Yes, he sure has his ways to make carrots disappear.” Both Twilight and Angel giggled at her response.

Fluttershy looked at her guests cluelessly before noticing that two specific ponies were missing. “What about your guards? Aren’t they going to join us?”

The little mare shook her head and responded, “Not this time. It’s not like they need to watch my every step anyway.”

“Are you sure? After the events with the dragon, I thought they would keep an eye on you more often.”

“Overwatch said that under Cadence’s watchful eyes, I’m safer than ever, especially now when I’m training at different sizes,” Twilight stated before tapping her chin. “She even raised her concerns, saying that she’s not worried that the environment will hurt me, but the other way around.”

Fluttershy nodded as she lifted a teacup with her wing and drank it gently, before looking at Cadence, who took a sip of her own tea, drinking it slowly and gracefully. After seconds passed, Cadence and Fluttershy put their teacups back on the table, smiling at each other.

“Your tea is very refreshing,” Cadence praised before glancing at the singing birds that landed on Fluttershy. Unable to help herself, she joined in and whistled quietly along with the birds.

Seeing that the alicorn was now enjoying herself, Fluttershy looked at the table, now focused on Twilight. Much to her surprise, the little mare carefully tilted the teacup she was levitating, making a small stream of liquid go down into a tiny crystal cup between Twilight’s hooves. “What is this?” she asked, pointing towards her small friend.

“A tiny and fragile crystal chalice,” Cadence answered. “I made it for Twilight as a gift when she told me she wanted to improve her control over her strength and her raw power.”

“She made me ten sets of crystal dishes… several times in a row, all customized for my size,” Twilight said as another drop of sweat fell down her forehead, but not from pushing her limits, quite the opposite. “Once I’ll finally stop breaking them, I will know I’m ready to eat in a restaurant at my normal size.” The little mare bit her lip in concentration, with her tongue hanging out the right side of her mouth and all her focus directed towards not breaking the levitated object.

Once the crystal chalice was full, Twilight moved it up to her mouth, but it didn’t take more than a few seconds before the shaking chalice shattered into pieces. Her ears drooped in disappointment as Cadence levitated over another one for her to practice with. Twilight looked at the fragile object and then at the giant alicorn with jealousy. She had a lot to learn.

Fluttershy looked away from the pocket in the saddlebag filled with delicate accessories, now staring at her alicorn guest in disbelief. “But how? This chalice is so small.” She lowered her head to take a closer look, somewhat impressed by the details of Cadence’s craftsmanship. “I mean, it’s so… so…. tiny. How could you make hundreds of such small dishes, more or less from crystals?”

“A magician doesn’t reveal her tricks,” Cadence said with a wink as she puffed her chest pridefully.

“But where did you get those crystals? How did you manage to shape them into something so small? Crystals are very vulnerable and difficult to use as building material.”

“Just roll with it, Fluttershy,” Twilight said as she took a sip of tea before the tiny dish shattered in front of her face, leaving yet another stain on the table. “Cadence is a mare of a thousand talents, and if she doesn't wish to tell us, it would be mean of us to demand answers.”

Fluttershy was about to nod when suddenly she noticed Angel approaching the hovering teacup. “Angel, please don’t...” She didn’t get to finish before her companion jumped on the cup, tilting it and breaking the delicate hold Twilight desperately tried to maintain. Before the little unicorn could react, a cup full of tea trapped her alongside the hot liquid that was now wetting her fur. Angel jumped again and performed a victory dance on top of it.

Fluttershy was about to scold him for his mean behavior but stopped when Twilight lifted the teacup from herself with her forelegs, as the liquid itself was trapped in the field of her magic.

Additional drops were falling from Twilight's tail and mane as she spoke up, “So you want some tea? Well, be my guest.”

Angel jumped back onto the table and shook his head and paws in refusal, only to run as Twilight galloped right behind him, several bubbles of tea levitated right above her head.

“Now Twilight, I know you want to play after a few hours of boredom,” Cadence started, capturing her friend’s attention, “ but remember my lessons about self-control. You must be very careful and not harm your small friend with your magic.

“Don’t worry, I will be extra careful,” Twilight said before jumping from the table, bubbles of tea flying towards the running young bunny. “You can run, but you can’t hide. Feel the wrath of the HOT TEA!”

Cadence bit her lip as her ears drooped at the loud noises coming from the kitchen.

“They’re just enjoying themselves, nothing to worry about,” Fluttershy assured.

Cadence sighed in relief and then giggled at Twilight starting a RABBIT hunting season, before turning her attention towards the pegasus, her cheerful smile returned. “So, Fluttershy,” she started, gesturing her hoof towards the animals running all over the place, especially one mouse that climbed up on her foreleg towards her face. Cadence picked up the mouse with a hoof and nuzzled it gently. “Are you giving shelter and taking care of all those cute animals out of your own free will?“

Fluttershy nodded. “Oh yes, I do. I love to take care of animals, and not just the small and cute ones.”

Cadence felt a bird landing on her shoulder as she asked curiously, “Bigger ones?”

Angel showed his tongue and jumped out the window. Twilight followed his lead.

Overwatch, who was approaching the cottage after her long break, curious if Fluttershy’s house was still standing, noticed Twilight chasing a bunny out of the corner of her eye. “Angel?” she said to herself before hiding behind the closest tree, deciding to stay out of their sight.

Realizing that Twilight was getting closer as a carrot levitated above her head, Angel decided to play his ace. He ran towards a bear who was sleeping peacefully and jumped on his rear. With his little teeth aimed and ready, Angel bit him with all his strength.

Twilight stopped in front of the waking up bear as Angel started to whisper something into his ear. She took a step back once the humongous bear growled at her in anger, her ears drooped and her body curled. Despite bravery mastered over years of challenges, she could barely look at the humongous animal without trembling, its size much larger than Big Mac or Celestia’s. If she learned anything from her encounters with wild animals like the dragon and manticore, it was that she usually ended up under their paws or between their teeth.

Twilight started to run away as the bear followed her, and the moment she looked back at him, Angel was on his shoulder, mocking her by sticking his tongue out. So this is how you want to play it? Let's see how you like this then, Twilight thought as she charged her horn, her body flashed in a bright light. Perfect.

Unlike in past situations, this time the little mare ensured to keep enough distance to remove the effects of the shrinking spell from herself without interruptions. Her body grew in size as her every step become slower but longer. Suddenly, Twilight tripped over an obstacle, causing her to open her eyes and yelp in surprise. She quickly looked back at the chasing beast, who now didn’t seem scary any longer. If I am correct in my calculations, I recovered around sixty-five percent of my mass, it’s more than enough.

She stood up and balanced herself on her right foreleg, her attention focused on the approaching bear. With one swift move and smirk on her face, she pushed herself towards her foe while performing a spin kick. Her no longer tiny rear hoof made a contact with bear’s leg, causing him to lose his balance and trip over.

The unicorn rolled to the side and evaded being trapped under the bear’s body. She jumped and kicked him in the back, causing Angel to fall from his shoulder. Wasting no time, Twilight grabbed the bear’s leg between both of her forelegs and asked, “Would you like a massage? I learned it by watching Fluttershy…It will be my first time putting what I learned in practice, though.”

The bear shook his leg, but Twilight held her ground, holding the leg in a vice grip. After a few seconds of pointless struggle, Harry looked at Twilight and growled with a pleading tone. Satisfied, the unicorn released the leg and pointed towards his last sleeping spot. “I thought so.”

With the bear out of the way, Twilight approached the bunny and knelt to his level, feeling uneasy at the fact that her adversary was now so much smaller than her. The rabbit tried to run, but Twilight stopped him by stomping her hoof. “Boo!”

After her powerful voice caused the bunny to roll on the ground with a small trail of dust following him. Angel massaged his ears and turned towards the unicorn. He waved his little paw while smiling awkwardly.

Twilight raised her own hoof, which caused the bunny to flinch. With bitten lip, she moved her hoof as delicately as possible and poked the terrified rabbit in the nose. “That’s for sending the bear after me, Angel.” She raised herself from the ground and looked away from the rabbit who was now massaging his nose. With the help of her magic, she focused on the water in a nearby stream as a large bubble emerged from it. With the bubble of water levitating towards Angel, she added, “Time for a bath!”

The talk between both mares took at least an hour as Fluttershy did her best to cheer up Cadence after hearing a heartbreaking story. Having her parents killed by a dragon raiding her village during her youth explained the recently defeated fears of dragons and her desire for vengeance on their previous adventure.

“I hope I can trust you to keep it a secret, especially from Twilight,” Cadence said with relief as she wiped leftover tears from her cheeks and the corners of her eyes.

“But… why?” Fluttershy asked as she escorted the alicorn towards the exit.

Cadence walked with slow and careful steps as several small woodland animals including mice, rats, bunnies and several kinds of birds perched on her body, her wings spread to give them more space to sit on. She looked to the side, right into the pegasus’s eyes as if trying to read her very soul. Not breaking eye contact, she spoke, “I care a great deal about Twilight and I want to keep her happy. I want to see her smile and cheer despite all the harsh obstacles and burdens she puts on herself. I… I couldn’t bear to see her look at me in pity. Her happiness is more important than mine.”

Fluttershy raised her foreleg to respond but lowered it moment later as she didn't know how to respond. She looked at the floor and whimpered. After the avalanche of emotions she felt for over the last hour, she still felt restrained sadness and regret behind the cheerful smile of the former princess. What else was she hiding? What else was weighing on her heart?

“Thank you so much for listening to me, Fluttershy. I feel so much better after getting this off of my chest.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I’m glad that I could help. It was a pleasant conversation for me as well. I hope we can repeat it one day.”

Once outside, Cadence shook Fluttershy’s hoof, who didn’t hesitate to return the gesture, feeling as if a deep bond had formed between them. “Where is Twilight, by the way?” she asked curiously, only for Overwatch to cough from behind and to point her hoof towards the field where Twilight sat next to several tired animals.

Cadence walked closer to her no-longer-little friend and asked, “What have you been doing, Twilight?” She looked at the tired animals. A bear was lying with his paws spread, with some deer lying next to him and an eagle standing on his back. A few small critters seemed tired as well but tried to hide it. “Did you organize an animal marathon or something?”

Twilight turned around and waved at her. “Kind of. While you were busy, I tried to test myself and play with Fluttershy’s animals. I was extra careful not to hurt any of them and choose the games with care.”

“Oh… what did you play with them?” Fluttershy asked curiously as she examined her animals from a distance. None seemed injured.

Twilight pointed at the bear. “I was hoof/paw wrestling with... Harry, was it? I even managed to convince him to a full wrestle with me, and I won,” Twilight said with a prideful smile.

Harry murmured something in his own language as Fluttershy raised a hoof to her face and said, “Oh my... “

“What did he say?” Cadence asked curiously as she looked between the pegasus and her larger friend.

“Harry said that Twilight got him to his knees faster than I ever did,” Fluttershy said with a suspiciously tired voice as her body trembled for a short moment.

Cadence’s pupils shrank as she pointed at the pegasus and asked, “You wrestled a bear?”  A few animals jumped off her body, sensing her shock.

Fluttershy blushed. “Oh no no no… just a friendly massage from time to time.”

Twilight pointed at the deer and said, “I participated in hundred meter sprints.” Her foreleg turned towards the eagle on Harry's back. “The eagle and falcon tried to beat me in a game of tag, and I didn’t teleport to make it fair.”

Cadence rolled her eyes before pointing towards Ponyville as she spoke, “Sugarcube Corner is next on the list. Do you want a break before we go?”

“Nah,” Twilight responded as she hopped back to her hooves and trotted in place as if warming up for a sprint. “I had a few breaks during our competitions. I’m warmed up and ready.” She looked at the female guard, who was currently staring at the cottage, and asked, “What about you, Overwatch, wanna join us?”

The guard shook her head. “Nah, I’ll pass. I hoped to have a little chat with Fluttershy about… personal matters.”

“Okay, see you around,” Twilight responded as she started to trot towards the town. Cadence knelt and asked the animals to disembark from her body as she said her farewells to them before taking Twilight’s example in an attempt to catch up with her.

With her little unicorn friend and a large endless walking storage of magic and love leaving for the town, Fluttershy gently closed the door to her cottage and collapsed, hyperventilating as her disguise dropped in an instant, her horn lighting with a large aura of magic.

Fluttershy struggled to get her magic under control, breathing heavily in the process as she wiped drops of sweat from her face. I… I need to deliver this love to my queen as fast as possible… it’s far too much for me to store, she thought before sighing, feeling as if her own heart tried to escape her chest. “I cannot believe how much magic and kindness Cadence shared with me. I feel as if I ate a month’s supply of love.”

Fluttershy looked from behind the window upon Cadence who was now far away on the horizon. "You truly are an alicorn of love. Bearing pain and guilt for centuries while keeping your anger and hate at bay. The stories they say about you aren't even close to the heart you truly have…”

“What stories?” Overwatch asked as she was sitting in the center of the room, staring at the changeling with jealousy. “I really envy you, Fluttershy. Neither Cadence nor Celestia ever opened up so much to me. Animals, friends and now the alicorn of love, you sure get lots of magic out of it.”

The challenging stabilized herself, her horn still flaring brightly. “Envy… me? But surely you receive enough magic from Steel Blade and Twilight to sustain yourself.”

The guard sighed. “Twilight is too small, and while she cares for me, there isn’t much magic she can share that way. Steely always kept me well fed, but lots of stored love has to go to the hive.”

“Really, why? I thought you were a scout who became a spy, not a love collector?”

Overwatch chuckled before nodding. “True. Normally I wouldn’t need to bother sending magic back to the hive as long as I do my job, but times changed.”

Fluttershy raised her hoof to her face as her bug-like wings buzzed and her eyes widened. “Oh… is the situation that bad?” After noticing a nod, she approached Overwatch on her trembling legs and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I… I will contact my Queen and ask her… if I can share magic I gather with your hive.”

The guard smiled warmly. “It would be… appreciated.” She then looked towards the window and added, “I just hope that the magic you’re draining from Cadence alongside her constantly shrinking Twilight will not have any… consequences.”

Fluttershy gulped as she looked up at the bright aura of magic. Positive emotions, compassion, and love are like holes in a dam. The bigger the holes, the more magic will leak to me… Poor Cadence. I hope I didn’t take too much.