//------------------------------// // Cadance's Trip // Story: Love Needs No Reason // by Evowizard25 //------------------------------// *In the castle of the Crystal Empire* Have you ever felt like you were marching to your doom? That’s how I felt as I packed my bags for my trip. It’s not the first time I’ve done so. To be a princess you have to be willing to face danger. Celestia taught me that well. A simple ‘fetch quest’ turned into a full on battle against hundreds of changelings and a mother bucking T-rex. Chrysalis still hasn’t forgiven me for hurting her precious Toothy. It’s not my fault she sent her carnivorous pet tyrannosaur against me. She should have known better. The peril I was going to find was the worst of the bunch and I knew that. I couldn’t help but pause for a few seconds between each item, reconsidering my choice. ‘I should just ignore this feeling. Discord isn’t being serious about this. He’s never serious about anything.’ But I knew better. I knew Discord was going to try his hand at love. And I emphasis ‘try’. So each and every time I paused, I would just put the item into the bag with nary a second thought. I wouldn’t back down now. Love wasn’t a thing to chicken out on and I’d be darned if I was going to do so now. Chaos god or no chaos god. “Um, sweetie,” Shining Armor spoke up. “Are you sure you want to do this?” I smiled. Ever since I told him about Discord and how I was going to stop him, he’d been trying to talk me out of it. I knew he was concerned, since Discord wasn’t one to play well with others. “I’ll be okay, dear.” I put the last item, my hair brush, inside the bag before closing it. Using my magic, I put it on my back and secured the strap. “I’ve faced worse.” “Cadance, this is Discord we’re talking about. He isn’t some mindless beast or a power hungry dictator. He’s the god of chaos. A freaking god!” I rolled my eyes. “Yes, but Discord’s reformed now. The worse he can do is dye my coat for a week or something. He won’t hurt me.” ‘I won’t return the favor if he’s doing what I think he’s doing.’ I started to make my way to the door. "I can take care of myself." "I know you can. That's what bothers me." I heard him sigh. “I’m just worried something’s going to happen. I mean, you and Twilight go get yourselves thrown into dangerous situations time and time again. And what do I do during all that? Guard some walls, get cursed, or file taxes. I just...want to keep you safe and I fail at that spectacularly.” ‘Ouch.’ I frowned and froze up on the spot. I hated to hear him with such a sad tone and he had a point. I get danger thrown at me all the time and Shining, for the most part, isn’t there. He must hate himself for being unable to protect me and his own little sister from the world. I never stopped for a moment to think about him or take him along on an epic quest. ‘I..I’ve been a selfish princess.’ Quickly and without a second thought, I nuzzled underneath his chin, raising it higher. “Speak not of the woes of the past, for sooth, our future is as bright as the sun in the sky.” Shining chuckled. “You still remember that?” Pulling back a bit so I can look my soul-mate in the eyes, I nodded. “I remember the dork who tried to court a princess, as well as the words you spoke after my father’s…passing.” My ears fell back. My father had passed away when I was but a young filly. It had been a hard time for me and my family. Shining had been a light in the darkness, steering me away from the seas of despair. Nuzzling me back like the lovable teddy bear that he is made me smile. “Let’s not dwell on that, Cadance. You don’t want to waste any more time on your quest. I’ll look after the kingdom while you’re gone. Who knows, maybe I’ll get to fend off a Tundra Dog invasion or something like that. I bet that’ll make you jealous.” I giggled. “Extremely.” I couldn’t help but kiss him. It was short but oh was it so sweet. “Just stay in one piece, okay?” Shining laughed. ‘Gosh, I love that sound.’ “I’ll do my best.” “I know you will, you big lug you.” Giving him a sweet eskimo kiss, I headed back towards the door. “Oh and dear.” “Yes, Cadance?” “If you’re a good boy while I’m gone, I’ll be sure to properly…reward you.” My alluring emphasis on the word was enough to tip him off, but I decided to wiggle my plot for him to pound in the reference. ‘Don’t think about pounding and Shining now, Cadance. You have a job to do.’ I could clearly hear Shining going to attention and saluted me. I knew he was probably blushing too, which I find so cute. “I’ll make you proud, ma’am.” “Good boy.” I decided to give him one last treat and swayed my hips as I left, adding a passing wink behind me. Needless to say, he fell over in a heated blush and weak knees. I giggled. ‘I still got it.’ As I travelled down the hallways, I pondered how and where I would have to go to find the spirit. ‘Let’s see. He mentioned that the apple would lead him to the mare he desired...Which means it’s most likely a member of the Apple clan.’ The Apples were among the oldest, strongest, and wealthiest of the fruit clans. They had leading members in several cities, such as Manehattan as well as founding several more small towns: Ponyville and Appleloosa just to name a couple examples. ‘Sorting through all the mares in that family will be tough, but somepony’s got to do it.’ I just had to find a way to find the mare Discord chose, but who could… My smile nearly split my face. ‘I think a trip to Manehattan will do me some good.’ ______________________________________________________________________ *in Manehattan* Did I mention I hate Manehattan…No? Well, I’ll repeat myself. I HATE MANEHATTAN! Seriously, it’s like the whole city is filled to the brim with jerks and tight wads. From the very moment I arrived in the train station to standing outside this door in front of me, I had to deal with several complaints and criticisms. It’s like the citizens of this city can’t recognize royalty to save their lives. Either that or they just don’t care. ‘If I ever go insane, Manehattan will be the first to go.’ I gently knocked on the door, careful to not let any of my frustration show. It didn’t take long for an orange stallion, known as Mosely Orange. The moment he noticed who I was, his eyebrows raised in surprise and he quickly bowed. “Your Majesty, of what do I owe this honor?” And just like that, some of my frustration melted away. While I prefer to be treated like everypony else, a little respect was always welcome. Especially after the horrendous attitude of most of the Manehattan populace. “Please, rise. I don’t wish for my friends to bow to me.” And so he did. “My apologies, Your…Cadance. It’s a force of habit.” I chuckled. “I know.” Yes, I considered the Oranges to be my friends. When I was younger, before I even became an Alicorn, my family travelled all over the world. A few times, we stopped by Manehattan so my mother could meet up with a friend; Orange Sherbert. The Oranges treated me as if I was one of the family and I loved them for it. Not to mention how they loved to spoil me rotten. Mother was sure to stomp out any and all signs of battiness though and I thank her for that. Celestia forbid I become one of those vapid, elite airheads that I meet all the time in Canterlot. I internally shuddered at the thought. “May I come in?” I asked. “Of course,” and without another word, I entered their abode. The Oranges currently resided in an extravagant suite that seemed to scream ‘I’m rich’. At the very least, everything seemed to have been made within Equestria’s borders, instead of being imported from other countries, which a lot of nobles and upper class ponies loved to do. ‘Kind of undermining our own craftsponies, aren’t you fellas?’ “Cadance, darling,” I was soon greeted by the pleasant voice’s owner. An orange, earth pony mare who seemed to exude ‘rich country girl’ vibes strolled up to her. Without a second thought, she wrapped me up in a hug that nearly squeezed the life out of me. The city life surely did nothing to curb her Apple strength. Pulling back, she gave me a motherly smile. “You’re lucky you arrived now. We were just on our way to that new restaurant that opened up downtown. Lively place it is, full of good honest ponies and classical music.” She sighed happily. “But enough of that, whatever brought you here, darling? Is ruling the Crystal Empire putting too much strain on your shoulders?” I shook my head. “Far from it…It’s just that I need the Apple family records. Something’s come up and well…” “Well what?” Orange Sherbert asked. I hesitated about telling Sherbert about Discord and his intentions. I already had some inkling about the mares or mare he would choose, but I wanted it to double check before anything serious could pop up. Tipping the Oranges off to what was happening would stress them out and she didn’t want to do that. “I just want to make sure everything’s alright. We don’t want our crops to spoil and whatnot.” Orange Sherbert nodded in understanding. “No, we surely don’t.” She then waved a foreleg over to their private kitchen. “Would you care for some tea perhaps?” “But I don’t want to keep you from your meal. A quick look at the records and I’ll be out of your mane.” “Nonsense. You’re a princess and like family to me. It’d be extremely rude on my part if I didn’t show you some hospitality.” “But…” “No buts,” and like that, she was nudging me to the kitchen. “A little cup of tea won’t kill you.” I sighed in defeat. I knew Sherbert and she wasn’t going to give up on something once she had her mind set. I briefly wondered if this was a trait shared in the Apple family. “Fine, but just one cup.” “Splendid,” Sherbert chimed. “Dearie, Princess Cadance will be staying over for a while.” Mosely Orange entered the kitchen. “Good to hear. It’s been ages since we’ve seen you. Was your trip here peaceful?” I nodded. “Of course it was.” No one would ever dare to attack a train from the Crystal Empire. Just one look at those monsters and anyone would be sent running. I designed them to be as frightening as possible…And offensive. I still remember the time I drove it through Chrysalis’s throne room. In my defense, she stole my favorite plate. “Good,” Mosely said. “I do so hope the riff-raff didn’t give you any trouble,” Sherbert sent me a concerned gaze. “I know the ponies of this city can certainly be a hoof-full at times.” “It was…manageable.” I said. I didn’t need to go over any incidents. The Oranges could already tell I had gone through quite a bit in the short time I was in the city. “My own personal guard was able to fend off the worst of it.” Mosely raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Oh, I didn’t see any guards with you when you came in.” “I decided to let him go explore and see some of the sights,” I told them. It was one of the reasons I brought Flash Sentry along. Other than being fun company, he wanted to go see ‘Hinny of the Hills’ as well as sight-seeing. I couldn’t help but find him adorable on the train ride here. He was like an excitable colt in the morn of ‘Hearth’s Warming Eve’. ‘Oh, why must he be so shippable? I need to find that pony a marefriend stat before I go mad with ideas.’ Before the conversation could get any further, low and behold I found myself looking at the being I was looking for…Dressed as a dodo bird. I really don’t want to know. The infernal god of chaos had his hand together in a pleading fashion as he sent me a puppy dog stare. “Help me Candy, you are my only hope.” I glared at him. “My name’s not Candy.” “Would you rather I call you Fred?” “….Point taken,” I facehooved. My head was already pounding within seconds of dealing with him. ‘Pain, pain, go away. Come again…never.’ Discord glanced over at Orange Sherbert. “Who’s she?” “I’m…” she started but Discord raised a finger to silence her. “Wait…bored now, don’t care.” He flashed over beside me and took me up in one of his arms. “TO THE THINKING TREE! ALONZ-Y!” And just like that, I was in the branches of the thinking tree. I didn’t question why he brought me here, but I did question why he decided to then put a red helmet on my head that had a giant feather sticking out. Pointing to it, I asked “Why?” Discord took on a serious expression. “Candy, don’t. Don’t ask that. Chaos isn’t something you should ask ‘why’ if you want to keep you sanity.” I took his words to heart and kept quiet. “But to answer your question,” Discord started, leaning back on a nearby branch. “It’s to protect you from the tree. It seems to have started a revolution.” As he finished saying that, the tree bark parted to form the words ‘Viva la Tree’. Discord rolled his eyes and kicked the tree, causing the words to vanish. “It also keeps mixing up languages. You’re lucky it wrote the words in Equish. Gallopfreyan is so much harder to read.” “If the tree is giving you problems, then why bring me here? And why a dodo?” Okay, I know the last one was just asking for my sanity to be ripped out, but I had to. “Because it’s my tree, whether it wants to form a Republic or not,” he sent it a quick glare, before focusing on me again. “And the dodo suit is to confuse it. It won’t know it’s me, since dodo’s are extinct and all.” ‘If I could be made to ‘derp’ by stupidity, I’d be permanently derped by the sheer ‘what’ that was Discord.’ “But dodo’s aren’t extinct. We have some in Canterlot’s royal zoo. I could take you there if you like?” Honestly, a trip to the zoo would have been a nice breather for me. That and I loved dodos. When I was a filly, I asked my mom if we could have one, but she kept telling me no. They aren’t exactly known for having good temperaments, but I’ve never had trouble with them. Discord frowned. “They aren’t?” I shook my head. He sighed. “Oh pooh. My brilliant plan has been foiled by conservation. You ponies can’t let me have any fun, can you?” Discord ‘poofed’ the disguise away. “Now, on to my problem?” “Which problem?” Discord huffed. “How I can win the heart of the fair maiden, Applejack.” I just stared at Discord for the longest time, my brain taking the longest time to load properly. But it did and all I had to say was this. “SAY WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!!”