Celestia and Luna had their evening tea in the royal gardens. The sun was not about to set for some time but the day court had closed an hour ago and the night court was not yet open. The sisters enjoyed their time together and had fought hard to keep this bit of time free for each other. No bureaucrats, no nobles, not even their guards were allowed at this time. Both had relinquished their crowns and other regalia.
And they enjoyed it. Oh! So! Much!
“You know sister,” the younger alicorn said with a smile, “I really miss the statue of Discord over there. Maybe we could commission a replica of his former prison? You know, the one we trapped him in. I liked that one much better than his expression of terror the second time.”
“I don’t know Luna. I like to see that empty pedestal as a testament to our success and that even the greatest foe can become an ally if you just play your cards right. Plus, you know that having his statue taken would irritate him to no end.”
“Indeed, isn’t that enough reason to do it!?”
For just a moment both sisters kept their faces carefully straight, then Celestia started with a smirk that played along the corner of her mouth and before long their laughter could be heard even in the deepest corners of the garden’s labyrinth. Attracted by their mirth the only ponies allowed at the princesses’ tea-time table swooped in from their balconies. Mi Amore Cadenza and Twilight Sparkle landed next to the sisters, their bare hooves scrunching in the gravel. Luna raised an eyebrow at Cadence.
”Aren’t you forgetting something, Empress?”
“Must I?” the pink alicorn was offering at least a token of protest.
“If the Crystal Empire has official business with the diarchs of Equestria, please consult with our secretaries. They must be around here somewhere I’m sure. Otherwise ... “
Cadence’s hair unraveled, gems and crystals dropped out of it and were caught in her magic.
“Cadence,” the princess of the night hugged her in played exuberance. “How nice of you to visit your aunts! It’s been too long!”
“We talked over breakfast this morning, Luna.”
“My point exactly!”
Meanwhile Celestia had levitated two more sets of teacups over from the little trolley and was just about to pour the tea when Twilight Sparkle took the teapot in her magic.
“Please, I’m the youngest, I serve the tea.”
Luna let up on Cadence and looked at the lavender pony. “Isn’t it ‘the youngest brews the tea, the second pours the tea, the eldest drinks the tea'?”
Twilight smiled her most innocent smile. “You really want me to brew the tea?”
Celestia interrupted the two. “Stop it, both of you. Green Leaf is the palace’s tea master and I love the way he brews it. You will not take that from me. And don’t think I have forgotten your oleander and hemlock experiment, Twilight Sparkle. Just because we can’t be killed by it doesn’t mean you can safely drink that. The time you spent in cramps and convulsions was the worst I had to live through in this generation.”
The atmosphere around the table had taken a serious blow from this and nopony spoke a word while Celestia poured four perfect cups.
“So Cadence, how is Shining Armor doing these days? Your golden wedding last year was a wonderful celebration, wasn’t it?”
“Oh, Celestia,” the pink alicorn’s voice took on a sad undertone. “He’s getting frail in his old age.”
“WHAT?” Twilight Sparkle dropped her tea cup and Luna could save the heirloom only by a hair’s width from shattering on the ground. Twilight stood with both fore-hooves on the table her wings flared like she was about to take flight any moment.
Cadence grinned, “Yes, this year he couldn’t reach top ten in the track and field of the twenty to twenty nine years group.” She sipped her tea. “He was really mopey for a week.”
Twilight’s face raced through the emotions: Confusion, relief, annoyance and finally she joined in the laughter that once again echoed through the garden. Cadence pointed at one of the jewels she had worn in her hair, a aquamarine that was the centerpiece of her 'crown'. “If you really want to check on him, that gem is connected to his heart. I take it wherever I go.” She smiled. “He has a kunzite for me, too. I know that he even sleeps with it. We had them made a few days after the wedding.” She took the stone from the table in her magic and it floated over to her sister-in-law.
Twilight held it her hoof and thanked Cadence, then pressed the crystal to her chest. A frown appeared on her face and she levitated the enchanted gem to Celestia first, then to Luna.
A bit of bemusement played around Cadence’s face, “I won’t fall for that, girls. I checked as I took the stone off my head. He wouldn’t ... ”
Luna got up, walked to Cadence and hugged her in her wings.
“He couldn’t ... It was just a few minutes.” Panic appeared in her features.
“We ... We have to go ourselves to be sure,” Twilight announced with a trembling voice.
Before any could protest a blinding light took the four ponies and when it faded, only a dashing orb could be seen in the northern sky. The journey to the Crystal Palace lasted mere seconds before they reappeared on one of the balconies. Cadence spread her wings and without even looking back she found the windows to the master bedroom. Not caring much for the glass or the curtains she simply flew through them.
As she stepped from the splinters and shards of glass the court physicians that had crowded the room dared to look up. Cadance could see her reflection in some fragments on the floor. Her mane was a mess, her coat scratched and there was not a straight feather in her wings. As she walked up to the bed the doctors and nurses bowed low and she could see her husband on it. His eyes were closed, his body tranquil and relaxed.
“Sleep well, Shining Armor. We still have so much to do, my love.”
None of the doctors dared to speak up. As long as nobody said it, it wasn’t real yet.